Ardea alba

J and I were driving from breakfast to a small nature park on Kiawah island in South Carolina last week. We were almost to the gate when we realized we didn't have sunscreen, binoculars or anything else.

We turned the car around to head back to the hotel, when we drove by this great egret just hanging around a bridge. We were able to observe him amazingly close from our car window. J took these photos of him.

Great egrets are large herons found all over the world. Hunters in the late 1800s and early 1900s killed off 95 percent of the population in North America to use their feathers for clothing. Great egrets were almost extinct when two elderly women decided they wanted to protect the species, but women were not allowed to vote at the time. So they enlisted the help of a politician, who formed an organization with them and made it illegal to hunt these birds.Their population recovered nicely.This organization is now known as the Audubon Society.

Kiawah 3 052

The oldest great egret on record was 23 years old. These birds are not endangered, but are highly vulnerable to loss of their wetland habitat.

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So we went out with my mate M and the Dr and had a really good night out.  I made a mistake of ordering duck at the restaurant which is apparently their signature dish....not too impressive even though the starter was to die for...Ah well.  Never mind.  And 3 dieters at the table shamed me into not having a pud. Calories saved there then!.

The guys got on really well.  We had all lived in Atlanta at the same time, without knowing it - so we were talking about the different way of life out there....

Went for a the dressy jeans look so it was smart but Cas.

domestic diva - spot bot to hand

They had also stayed at our place up in the mountains so we were talknig about that too.  There was much talk referring to this statue we have there:

Muriel

...which was quite funny as despite us having had this for a good 5 years I don't think we had ever actually thought about it as much as the good Dr had....from his 2 nights stay.  A lot of medical conditions and sex were discussed regarding this......Hubby thought he was taking the Piss but he was actually giving us a serious medical explanation - it was really very funny.

Hope we can go out with them again soon.  I think they were worried we'd be dead uptight just 'cos we don't drink......and I think a lot of people think they can't acutally drink around us - which is also not the case either. (it's not like we're in recovery)

But feeling very tired today - that's what you get for going out on a 'school night' and the milkman fitness freak waking you up at 5am.............

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Of course they came in with a contract that would be best-case for them.

Their initial offer is is almost 10K less than our list price, contingent on the sale of some property they have, and taking possession end of September.  Our agent is finding out if they HAVE to sell that property for financing.  We won't know that until tomorrow.

And so we wait some more.  We plan to counter, but just not sure with what.  The price they offered is too low, so that will definitely be countered at a minimum.  Not sure we can accept a contingency contract either, as that would affect our own search.

The other couple aren't ready yet - are still looking - but they do like our house.

Broker's Open tomorrow, so that could drum up some interest too.

And so it begins...

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Vox Hunt: Recent Purchase

Show us the last thing you bought.

I've been on a bit of a buying binge (being home alone will often call for some retail therapy), so here are the last few things that have come home with me.

New loyalty card wallet. 50% off!

Closet additions; there is no more room, but they were on sale!

A bag o' scuba gear. I'm ready to learn!

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Driving past Sam's Club yesterday.

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Things I Don't Remember :: Do You Remember The First Time? - Calliope No. 8 - Calliope No. 8

http://calliopeno8.groups.vox.com/lib...

Previous PostsI Got Dreams to Remember :: Things I Don't RememberHung Up On A Dream :: I Got Dreams to Remember- Calliope No. 8 - Calliope No. 8In Dreams :: Hung Up On A Dream - Calliope No. 8Don't Dream It's Over :: In DreamsHeropsychodreamer :: Don't Dream It's Over

How Much About Last Night Do You Remember

Eric Kassel & Friends

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1. Self Reminder!!!
Do NOT get the door unless you expect someone. You end up saying you're almost an atheist to Evangelists. When I said that, this guy's face looked like as if he stepped on some shit.

2. Being liked doesn't feel comfortable to me, yet. - FYI, I'm not having PMS now.
Sometimes I feel really bad for my friends in general.
They are all wonderful. They all make me want to be a better person.
They all have at least one aspect that inspires me.
When I look at myself, I have nothing. Nothing to help them. They never ask me anything.
I have nothing to offer.
I just started dating with someone. Well, at least that's what I think.
All of a sudden, it struck me that I am still such an unstable person. Sometimes even flaky. Making same kinds of stupid mistakes just way too often.
Instead of feeling decent about myself, I find my flaws everyday.
Being liked makes me uncomfortable.

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1. Sight:I find the sight of _________ very pleasing to the eye.
2. Smell: I just love the smell of _________.
3. Taste: The taste of _________ is simply heavenly!
4. Sound: The sound of _________ puts me in a positive mood.
5. Touch: I just love the feel of ________.
6. My sixth sense tells me the rest of this week is going to be ______.

Mosaic

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I was stumbling around the internets last night before heading off to the sack and decided to catch up on the hood's blogging day. So I read CupCate's Blog and was horrified but also reminded of something.

When I was 14 I was cast as Jo March in the school production of Little Women. I was ecstatic. But because our school was so freaking cheap, we had to supply our costumes. While one would think the south would have an abundance of hoop skirted attire for young ladies to adorn, I found it nearly impossible to find anything that would work. After checking out all the costume shops in a 50 mile radius, the mother and I started checking the local second hand shops. At stop number two, I was standing in a dressing room, attempting to squeeze my ass into a dress two sizes too small when this hagged looking bitty popped her head in and said, "Oh dear, that will never do." I laughed and was about to tell her, "I know. It's a size four but I thought I could get fabric sewn into the sides or at the zipper and make it work" when she then said, "You are a thick one aren't you?"

A WHAT?!?!

She ducked her head back out and three minutes later reappeared with what seemed to be old plantation drapes. Needless to say, I told her there was no way those were going to work. She smiled and said, "Dear it's always better to take it in rather than have to let it out. Having a birthin' body is nothing to be ashamed of."

Listen here you old hag, I will kill you.

At the age of 14, I was not a size nothing like some of my friends. But I was an athlete and I was and had been a ballerina since the age of 7. Weighing 120 wasn't something I'd ever been too concerned about. Suddenly my weight was all I could think about.

Cereal and celery sticks became my diet. I went from being that girl that could scarf down half a pizza and then dance it off to that girl who ate stuff the size of my palm for a meal and then sluggishly went through the routine.  I started getting terrible cramps in my legs and stomach. No one told me it wasn't because of my weight but the amount I was eating. No one told me it was because I was burning away muscle rather than fat. I had no fat to burn.

I struggled with my "fatness" for nearly a year before someone wised me up.

I look back on that day now as a grown woman and if I could find that old lady I'd shove a hot poker up her ass.

As you know, I have a six year old. She came home from kindergarten last year and told me she was fat. I was horrified. When I asked her why, she said it was because her jeans felt too tight. Try explaining to a six year old that the reason her clothes feel too tight isn't because she's fat but is because they are growing like they should. She was in a size five at the time and it was time to put her in a 6x.

Why is my six year old concerned with her weight?!?! Her most important concern should be what color to finger paint with next or how to spell her last name. She shouldn't be concerned with getting her tushie into a pair of jeans.

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