Confessions of a Grandma

I don't always pay attention to the news the way I should or the way I used to back in the days when I actually held some trust in news shows and newspapers.  Here are some random bits filtered through my memory of what I watched or read in the past two days. As of now, there is no new pope selected.  I see that there is an American under consideration,  No woman, though. Twinkies may be coming back.  The recipe was sold for "a pittance."  How disappointing...only 410 million dollars. The red tide outbreak has continued to plague this corner of the world.  I watched a news segment that was billed as "efforts to save the manatees".  They are sucumbing to the red tide toxin at a record breaking number.  The scientist interviewed sated something to the effect of "we need to save them so future generations can enjoy manatees as we do."  How?  Didn't say, but there is a HotLine number to call.  What is it? Didn't say....

Sometimes I do not know why I read the newspaper. Today I read that a cleric in Iran blamed earthquakes on women who dress immodestly. And all this time, I thought that such disasters were caused by liberal Democrats! Live and learn. ________________ I have started my serious dedication to losing some extraneous pounds. My doctor warned me to last fall, but I ignored her for as long as I could. Now I'm noticing that my clothes seem a little snug. I exercise so I'm realizing I really have to get more serious about watching what I put into my mouth. I figure that I'll limit my glass of wine to Saturday and drink green tea as my dinner beverage. I'll cut back on portions generally but sweets and breads in particular. My New Year's resolution was to eat some fruit or vegetables with every meal and now I'm thinking I'll go to at least one vegetarian meal a week--something out of my long neglected Moosewood Cookbook . The Barefoot Contessa and Paula Dean...

I admit it. I am addicted to these puzzles. Nothing gets done on an average morning until I have poured myself a generous mug of coffee, sat down with the newspaper and completed the crossword and the sudoku puzzles. Of course, they both get harder as the week goes on, so don't call me until noon on Friday. Mike rolls his eyes when I start a puzzle. Really, it's that he cannot do them himself. He says he was never good at math and I say that it's not math, it's logic. Now, Mike is an intelligent guy, well-read and successful in his business ventures. If the task involves visual reasoning and creative problem solving, he is all over it. He just cannot do the if-then kind of logical thinking, and sees not point in exercises like sudoku. I, on the other hand, cannot let them go until they are completed--just like a dog with a bone. I guess it doesn't really accomplish much. Still, I justify the time spent as exercise for the brain. So I guess we are somewhat like the ...