I've Been Tagged!

Susan just let me know that I have been tagged by Rachel at Slow Lane Life. This is my first time as a taggee! I hope I do this right.
Oh! I have also been tagged by "War of the Nuts". So, I answered those extra two questions at the bottom.

What is your current obsession?
Creating a shady spot on my back deck. I can't go out there in the summer because the sun is too hot. My ideal would be a screened-in porch. Or a big shade tree.

What is your weirdest obsession?
None of them are weird to me, but some people seem to think they are. First, Antonio Carlos Jobim"s music. Every time I hear it I want to get up and dance, no matter where I am. (I wrote a post about this a while back.) Second, collecting Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls (I wrote a post about that, too). Other obsessions: collecting children's books (I love the illustrations) and watching "Lost".

What are you wearing today?
Black yoga pants and a black and white, sleeveless top with an abstract design that I bought at Target (it's loose and cool).

What's for dinner?
I still have to go shopping, but probably either salmon or sea scallops. Also, brown rice sauteed with cabbage, diced tomatoes and capers. Or maybe sauteed broccoli slaw with diced figs, julienned carrots and slivered almonds. I love seafood and like to mix different rice and veggies together and put the seafood on top of it. I usually drizzle in a little dry vermouth into the whole mix.

What would you eat for your last meal?
Fresh grilled fish and strawberry shortcake on the beach in Maui.

What's the last thing you bought?
Some special candy that my nine-year old niece has been asking for... because yesterday she did all the chores that were on the list for her and her two sisters to do while my sister was at work.

What are you listening to right now?
I was listening to the rain but it has stopped. Now all I hear is birds outside and the ceiling fan above me.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?

I have met Rachel only through her blog, but she seems like a delightful person. Her posts are interesting and original and she has several lovely cats (I have three of my own). We are both retired and we both remember Bila.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

I have a photo on my fridge of an ocean-front house in the Makena area of Maui. The price tag is 6.5 million. I have been wanting that house for a long time. But now that Obama is President I have been thinking of Georgetown. Of course, there is always Paris. And I still miss the Philadelphia area... Bucks County has a lot of beautiful houses on beautiful property. A hard decision!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
On a sailboat in the Caribbean Sea (or maybe the Aegean Sea).

Which language do you want to learn?
Spanish. I would like to be an advocate for new immigrants that need help navigating our bureaucracies.

What's your favourite quote (for now)?
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

What is your favourite colour?
Periwinkle blue.

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

A really cool Betsey Johnson dress that I bought at the most amazing sale price. Originally $350 marked down to $85! It's a size too small so I haven't worn it yet, but it's a real motivator! I loved Betsey Johnson back in the day. (Rachel, I also loved Bila back in the day. I thought they were gone but I just found those dresses in my local store. Of course, I had to buy one!)

What is your dream job?
For some reason I've always wanted to be a film editor. But I wouldn't want to live in Hollywood!

Describe your personal style
"Girl Next Door"... I don't wear much jewelry or makeup. Feminine but modest.

What is your favourite tree?
I love all trees, but great big old oak trees are my favorite!

What are you going to do after this?

Transfer my socks from the washer to the dryer, then eat lunch.

What is your favourite fruit?
Berries, berries, berries... all kinds of berries.

What inspires you?
Intelligent people; music; art; nature.

Your favourite books?
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; The God Particle by Leon Lederman; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; all of Laurie Colwin's books.

What are you currently reading?
The Language of Bees by Laurie King

Go to your bookshelf, take down the first book with a red spine you see, turn to page 26 and type out the first line (sentence)

"Paper towels, wadded Kleenex, grocery receipts, wine corks, paper clips, chess pieces, bottle caps... it was like a salvage yard in there." From Marley and Me by John Grogan

What delighted you the most today?
One of my cats jumped up on my chair, plopped herself down in my lap, and started purring.

By what criteria do you judge a person?
Intelligence; kindness to animals; not "full of him/herself".

Were you ever in love with a film star? Who? How old were you?

I was in love with Gary Cooper in "Pride of the Yankees". I was twelve years old.


Oh, my goodness! I just found out I have also been tagged by "War of the Nuts"! I found two more questions there:

Are you artistic or crafty ? how does your passion show up in your life ?
Artistic in my head, but I can't make it come out through my hands. So I do some crafts. I decoupage instead of paint, and I like to make things out of old quilts. Passion shows up in my life in unexpected places.

If someone waved a magic wand and suddenly turned you into a dog, what kind of dog would you be?
I would be a wheaten terrier. My sister has one and she has a lot of fun (the dog, not my sister... well, she does too).

My added question: What is your funniest vacation memory?


Now, i am supposed to tag other people. I'm not sure how to go about this; do I just list them here? How do I let them know?