TODAY...

I am 52!!

Yahoo!

Momma and Pops thanks to both of you...

for all you did and do!!

Sending love up (Pops) and over (Momma) for you!

yab a dab a do

Their cold drinks were sweating…

in the evening heat – a mixture of beers and diet sodas.

Four moms were gathered on my neighbor’s beautifully restored early 1900’s four square’s front porch.

At least eight kids were running around the front yard.

I was on my way to meet Ginny for our does-not-happen-as-much-as-it-should-because-of-my-nighttime-baking-schedule walk.

“I miss those days!” I shared with Maggie, the hostess of the informal gathering.

And I do.

A lot.

When the kids were innocently fun and most of the decisions were about whose house to eat lunch at or which McDonald's Playland to take half the neighborhood to.

Many years and several houses later since the divorce that drove us out of THE neighborhood to raise a family in and with my two now 22 and almost 20, I have come to recognize that I will never again achieve that magic “Christmas-Morning-as-a-Kid” feeling that I (we) had back then...

although I can reminisce about those days that, at least in my mind, were so very special and grand!

in fvcce land

I get her...

how she thinks that is.

Not all of the time, but certainly some of it.

Which is why last week when our DDD&D road trip was detoured by the Mall of America (“MOA” for those of you in the know) and Anna and I found ourselves in an Urban Outfitters store staring at a table filled with what I knew to be reproduction vintage ashtrays and she picked up this one...

and asked...

“Do you put your finger on here and paint your nail?”

I did not laugh my head off.

She is definitely mine, which is one of the many reasons my love for her is to the moon and beyond!!

a couple of blondes

"1 in a 100"

was Anna's answer to my question of "What are the odds that when I stop at a random McDonald's in Minnesota, I come out and see this license plate on the car parked right next to me?"

1 in a 100?

How about ONE IN A MILLION!

or a billion

Drive-Ins, Diners, Dives AND Divas...

roadtrip is underway.

I am sending you this from right outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota on a cool, gray morning.

This is our first trip to Minnesota and I must say that the traffic is killer.

i better take a pill(ar)
xo

ps - Comet Cafe in Milwaukee was our first stop and we gave it an EIGHT out of TEN! More on that to be posted over the next several days.

right now in a mall of america shopping haze

He was a rock-n-roll drummer…

and me, the photographer for the band.

We met at work.

Ponderosa Restaurant.

It was the 1970’s, I was 16, skinny, blonde and life was simple.

We dated for years and planned on marrying once we got out of high school.

At times I would find myself sitting in class and writing my someday-married-name over and over and over again…

"Mrs. Susan S____, Mrs. Susan S____, Mrs. Susan S_____"

After high school I remember calculating how much money we made at our respective “real” jobs and wondering how we were going to survive, paying rent and all the bills that went along with being an adult.

Years and years have passed since all those dreams were dreamt.

We never did marry each other.

I turned right around after our traumatic break up and at 21 years of age, I married the first guy that showed promise.

And he...

he went on to a locally-semi-almost-famous career as a drummer and eventually settled into a real job in IT with an advertising agency.

And he now is happily married.

I stood looking straight at him last night as I got on the train to head home.

“How did we get so old?” I inquired of the gray haired guy, who “back in the day” was known for his shoulder-length, brown ringlets.

I was aware he lived in the area and worked downtown, but I hadn’t seen him in a very long time.

We sat together and chatted for the entire ride.

It was nice to catch up on families, friends and careers.

On core levels, we are, as we discussed, still the same people.

I am still taking pictures of bands and surrounding myself with family and friends;

and he is still playing drums with a local group and at times not returning emails or phone calls.

Who knows, sometime soon I just might gather some of the old gang and head out to see him play.

And, yes, I will be taking my trusty Snippet’s camera along, but going, not as the band photographer, just as a long, long time ago fan.

those were the days peace man

I have been seeking...

to once again find the PERFECT cheeseburger since way back in the late 70's/early 80's, when I use to be able to order THE BEST CHEESEBURGER EVER at the Bismarck Inn, housed inside Chicago's long-since-sold-and-renamed, Bismarck Hotel.

If you think I am a little crazy in my quest, I have a friend, whose husband is a member of a burger club, and they will drive up to EIGHT hours in search of burger perfection.

Well, had I known I was going to make a near perfect burger this past Sunday, I would have invited Kay and Alan over to my house, just a mere 30 minute trip for them.

I took a pre-formed 80/20 pub burger purchased at Jewel, smashed it down and shaped it into a thinner, less uniform patty, added salt, pepper and cooked it to a TRUE medium (pink in the middle and still juicy), and melted a thick slice of sharp cheddar over it.

I placed it on a soft wheat bun with mayo, mustard, a big slice of grown-in-my-yard tomato, raw white onion and two slices of a well chilled dill pickle.

I stood back in awe at the beauty that was before me and then ran for my camera...

took this photo and proceeded to eat it ALL!!

i will worry about losing weight this fall

"L.F.M.T.F.F."

It's baaaccckkkk!!

While wandering during one of my lunch breaks this week, I headed east down the heavily trafficked Madison sidewalk and stopped to take this shot...

afterwards the man sitting on the bench next to it said "Yeah, a family was just here and one of the kids dropped it and they just walked away!"

Quality parenting was in effect that day.

keep our sidewalks clean i say

"My hair looks pretty good today!"

I thought while spraying it down with hairspray.

These days, hair is a huge deal to me, now middle age, with a thyroid that has been limping along for years, my hair is being ENCOURAGED to fall out like leaves cascading down from the ginormous maple tree in my backyard during the autumn season.

Earlier, while letting Buddy my "Wonder" dog outside, I was greeted by a majestic summer-pink-blue-and-yellow sunrise sky.

"Thank you Lord!" I exclaimed out loud and then started about my morning routine.

A half hour or so later, Buddy was inside, fed, fresh water in his hand-decorated-by-Anna-Mae water bowl, the percolator and curling iron diligently unplugged, my purse and notebook in hand, I reached for the back door knob at the same time a LOUD clap of thunder echoed thru my neighborhood and the wind started kickin' it old school!

"What the heck?"

The beautifully colored pastel sky had turned pitch black and the severe thunderstorm the radio dj had talked about (I laughed when I heard him report it - having just seen that amazing sunrise) - was here!!

With a vengeance.

Needless to say, by the time I reached my Red Rocket in the garage, my hair no longer looked anything close to good!

So much for the happy hair thought!!

multiple umbrellas need to be bought