We Knew It All Along!

"Good Morning America" votes Sleeping Bear sand dunes the most beautiful place in America! You bet your ass it is! Read more on ABC News.com

A Bump In The Road

Some other animal lover put this up along my bike path. I thought it was sweet. There are a million of them out there. And jack rabbits, and coyotes, and the entire partridge family...They're what makes my ride such a pleasure.

Nothing Under Cover About My Affairs

There are some TV shows that the HMA and I watch separately. I watch "Say Yes To The Dress." He watches "Overhaulin'." And then there are some shows that we watch together. We like "Torchwood," "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" and "Covert Affairs." While watching a recent episode of Covert Affairs, I was moved to remark, 'this show is really geared for a female audience.' And why, you might ask, did I say that? Because that episode featured one of the main characters without his shirt on for a prolonged period of time. The actor has a rockin' hard body and I though it seemed obvious to anyone with half-a-brain that the writers had noticed the actor was hot and had written an entire scene around getting this guy to take his shirt off for the lonely ladies at home watching the television alone in a darkened room. The HMA scoffed at my bitter assumption. But then within seconds of our interchange, in the lower left hand corner of the TV screen, a little graphic popped up that said, "Want more of shirtless Augie?" And we were directed to a website for more photos of said actor without his shirt. I rest my case. It was so obvious. A couple of days later, I noticed a photo on Facebook of that actor eating at one of my favorite restaurants. The link for the actor's Twitter was right there. So I clicked on it to follow him. I didn't think anything of it. And can you imagine how my little heart went pitter-pat when I got a DM (Direct Message) in reply within the hour. "Welcome Aboard," it said. Needless to say, The HMA was not impressed. And I'm still looking for those photos. Hmmmm....

Traverse City Goes Viral

Getting Our Priorities Straight

What did you do over the weekend? While President Obama had his hands full with the debt ceiling crisis and the world teetering on the edge of complete economic collapse, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was busy spamming up the Internets with footage of his newly adopted kitten, Stanley. I must admit, Stanley (he was named after the cup) does seem photo-ready. I guess  there's quite a lively debate going on up there about just what kind of cat Stanley might grow up to be. Whatever his bloodlines, I can tell you that he must be related to my Roxy. Oh, Canada...

Antiques Roadshow Jackpot

Starting to wonder if my mom has some rhino cups hidden in her garage. I'm guessing not. But if you think your mom might have some -- start looking now.

Joey, The Counter Assistant

Every morning when I get out of the shower, Joey, the little lovebug cat is sprawled across the bathroom counter waiting for me. He knows that the next step in my morning routine is to apply a half dozen bottles of lotions, creams and potions to my face and body in order to make myself somewhat presentable when I go out in public. While I'm busy attending to my personal hygiene, Joey monitors my activity and seems to be approving each step as he's purring loud enough to be heard by passers-by out on the street. If I didn't have to hit freeway within the hour, I'd call it my favorite time of the day. Joey almost makes me hum "Hi, ho, hi ho" while I'm getting ready for work. His love for the bathroom counter and being involved in the activity reminded me of one of my favorite James Herriot cat stories. I can't remember which one of the "All Creatures Great & Small" books this story was in, but I know it was in his book of favorite cat stories. It was about Alfred, the sweet shop cat, who helped his person sell chocolates and sweets to people. Alfred believed his job was very important and held himself in a manner most dignified while at his post in the sweet shop until a mysterious illness made him experience an abnormal weight loss. Fortunately, his vet was able to put him right and he went back to work. The story got me to thinking…maybe we need to get Joey a job. Does anyone know if See's Candies is hiring? Can you imagine? Chocolate and Joey love – I'd never leave. That's two of my favorite things.