Hailstones and Halibut Bones

Well, we didn't have the halibut bones today but we did have the hailstones. Big ones, pinging at the windows. Between the ferocious thunder and lightening. Now it's relatively calm and there's almost a glow to the world (or perhaps it's just the ceiling light). Don't think we'll we heading off to the Plymouth Farmer's Market today after all. It's a good day to catch up on reading, drink lots of tea, maybe bake cookies (no, mustn't do that, there's still pie left). Back to the books and tea. Still thinking about those cookies. Hmmmm....

Weekend Wishes

Woohoo! Only one more day until our "weekend" starts. Even though Brabarella is a 24/7 business, we still consider our weekend as starting on Thursdays around 3p when Marty finishes with his day job. This weekend being a holiday weekend, he's taking an extra day off and we're going to lots of farmer's markets, to a new bikepath in Falmouth, to New Bedford's Summerfest and most likely to some fireworks.

So what are my weekend wishes? Good weather (natch!) and good health. Happy July!

Neighbor

Well, I did it. I took a chance. I met another neighbor today. Strong Wind's our next door neighbor and Connie's our next next door neighbor. Our lettuce has been growing faster than we can keep up with it, and I remember as a kid how neighbors were always sharing with each other.

I saw Connie sitting on her steps enjoying the sun this afternoon and I asked her if she'd like some lettuce. She was delighted so I cut a head for her, much obliged to her for helping me get a grip on our garden. Then we chatted a bit -- she told me how she used to always have a garden, and gave me some tomato tips.

She's only next door temporarily until she moves to the another town near us where her son lives, having moved up here recently from New Jersey to be closer to him. I imagine it's an adjustment.

When I first moved here as a kid from Virginia, I really missed the South. Having gone back recently, I think it's that neighborliness I miss. There just seems to be more of it there, or maybe there was just more of it then. So, time to recapture a bit of it. Food -- the way to the heart whether you're a man or a woman is through the stomach.

Berry Berry

The other day I met my friend Gail back at Sweet Berry Farm and picked strawberries. Then we hung out on the patio overlooking farm fields for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. On the drive home I could smell the berries continuing to ripen in the car. At home, I crushed a few cups to make jam with (saving a bit for vanilla ice cream that evening with Marty) -- the rest I popped in the fridge to keep until today.

Today was jam and pie making day. Yesterday we went to our neighbor's urban garden and bought some rhubarb. By the end of this afternoon, I'd made several jars of jam, baked two strawberry-rhubarb pies, and froze about a half gallon of berries for winter when we need a hit of summer sunshine. If we can't see it in the sky, at least maybe we can taste it in a ripe strawberry preserved from the first fruits of summer.

New From Arianne

We love Arianne products because of the quality you get for the price. Related to that, as a retailer, we love Arianne because we get few returns. In fact, we've had (knock on wood) none! A few exchanges for a different size, but no dissatisfied customers. Arianne seems to be moving more and more into outerwear rather than sleepwear, so what you see on our site is an extremely small fraction of what they have to offer. For today, we have the beautiful "Julie" which is the name given to the long chemise shown here. You can check it out further using the link below. We are also clearing out some older styles from Mary Green, Cosabella and Arianne - at prices up to 80% of MSRP. That link is below also.

ARIANNE JULIE CHEMISE

SLEEPWEAR CLOSEOUT SALE

Fishnet Stockings

Fishnet stockings have a bad rap. Many people think of hookers, biker babes and Halloween when they hear the term. Two points should be made. First, you can do a lot with fishnets without looking like you just walked out of the Foxy Lady Men’s Club. Second, there are many styles of fishnet stockings and pantyhose to meet almost any needs – fine weave, wide net, patterned net, and various colors. You can also layer them over tights or other pantyhose. Again, it’s how you use them. You can check some out here…

FISHNET PANTYHOSE AND STOCKINGS

Humor

Well, so much for Gilligan's Island and belly laughs last night. There were a few chuckles, but for the most part silence.
Bob Denver's (Gilligan) style of humor reminds me of the Three Stooges or Jerry Lewis -- very slapstick. Not a bad thing when you're in the mood for it, but we were more in the mood for more subtle humor perhaps? Ted Baxter, Barney Fife, Jethro Bodine, those types of characters.

I've had the second season of the Mary Tyler Moore Show on order from the library, but after checking to see the holdup, I noticed it's in repair at the library I ordered it from. Volunteers generally do the library repairs although I used to do them sometimes when I worked at the Hyannis Public Library -- I also know repairs (whether it's a library or at home for that matter) tend to fall to the bottom of the to do pile. But no matter -- we have some good movies in the line-up including Sirens (we actually own this but can't find the disc), Diner and Avalon.