Native North Carolinian

That’s what I asked my friend the other day. She said no, and I tried all day to convince her that my point of view was the correct one. See, that Bannerman wine I told you about was on sale, and I did want some, you see. So red, so sweet, so like the grapes in my Grandmother’s side yard. Well, we camped this weekend, and since the diet was a litle more relaxed, I had dh pick some up for me. He brought home two bottles, LOL! Not enough to fill oneof these wine racks, but the extra bottle looks good on my kitchen shelf. For today

I mentioned the other day th truth behind the advertisements that feature high heels and huge earrings to sell sexy swimwear. And I have mentioned sunscreen several times now. That’s because it’s important.

But after you do all that, you know what else is important? Have fun! That’s right!! Just relax and have a good time, because, really. Hello. Beach time, baby!

So, I am sure you have all soon beachy photo shoots, right? You know the ones: high heels, fancy designer jewelry, exotic suits. (Speaking of which, did you see the painted swimsuits at SI? Wow. Just WOW.) Anyway, this is just to let you know, in case you have never been to the beach before, that no one really does that. You wear flipflops onto the sand, and you pretty much kick them off after you find your “spot”. No crazy jewelry, either. Just regular folks having fun in fairly normal swimwear.

I mentioned the other day how to avoid needing acne treatments and I brought up sunscreen at that time. You are using sunscreen, right? You do realize that melanoma is deadly, and almost entirely preventable? We use SPF 60 for all day fun around here, and I encourage you to use at least SPF 15 if you are going to be out for more than half an hour or so. I don’t necessarily hold that all sun is bad sun, but just about enough is right on the edge of too much. Better safe than sorry.

Tell me something. How is it possible for kids who weigh less than 70 pounds to break patio furniture? Seriously! I have 2 chairs out there on my little back deck, and I discovered the other day that both of them are broken in some way. They are still usable, mind you, or they’d be gone, but yeah, they broke my chairs. Grrrr!

When I took my walk today, I felt sweat on my face. Ewwwww, right? It was a reminder to be especially diligent in washing my face this summer, because your pores really take a beating this time of year. In addition to the make-up (and many people skip foundation this time of year which can exacerbate the problem), there is sunscreen and sweat and more nasty junk from the outside air.

Just wash real well, morning and evening, and that will go a long way toward helping you avoid the need for more intensive acne treatment.

One of my friends is involved in an effort to eat at least one meal a week from only local sources for the entire summer. She lives up in PA, but I was thinking that it surely ought to be easy to do that here in the agricultural South. I know that here in North Carolina, all the main meat animals are grown for production purposes, and of course, and green growing thing you could desire (plus a rainbow of colors), can be grown here as well.

Just don’t ask me to buy my technology locally. Except for big box stores, I haven’t located computer memory in the three state region!

Oooh, the tv scene will be different for a few weeks, I hope. It seems like it’s been nothing but political ads for the past week as we have been heading into our primary. The Democratic candidates were both in the next town over a couple weeks ago, and the Clintons, he and she, have been all over the state the past few days. I guess they saw what was coming.

Honestly, I was surprised by the platforms both candidates were thumping. I’d expected affordable health insurance to be more on the agenda that a few cents per gallon cut in the gas tax. Maybe that rarified air that the politicos breathe has made them forget that health insurance rates are still a major concern in this area (as in most of America). But then again, as former presidents and senators, they don’t have to worry about it, do they? It’s covered by us.

So, I have the tent on layaway, and I am looking at air mattresses and sleeping bags. Now, I know nothing is going to be quite as comfortable as a memory foam mattress, but I am old and want to be able to walk in the mornings, so sleeping on the ground is not an option. Before our last trip, dh and I get a queen size air mattress for ourselves, but I am pretty sure the kids might like a more comfortable bed arrangement as well. I am toying with the idea of just buying a couple more queens for them all, because I really can’t see putting a queen and 7 twins in one tent.

So, I posted about stimulus packages, and then I spent today spending ours. First on the list was the new freezer. It is the biggest, baddest model Sears had on the floor, and it will be here on Tuesday. Thank You Lord for a good sale, and a Mama who gets an employee discount. Next up was a computer for DH, and it was a humdinger: triple core with 3 GB of RAM and 350 HB of hard drive, it was also on massive sale. I had hoped to have a bit left to get our tent out of layaway, it being the season for camping and sitting around in teak outdoor furniture, but that was not the case. Guess I’ll have to do that the hard way–earn it.