my world tuesday #90: saxapahaw general store

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And a very Happy Birthday to The Cat Whisperer, Ray "Toonman" Edelstein. Thanks for all the laughs over the past year, and keep 'em coming!

More at my RedBubble.com site

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wherein i narrowly save my birthday party throwing reputation

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Yeah. Um. Lately? Been a little busy here at Casa Mojo. Dad's been running around like the proverbial headless chicken between work and kids and grandkids and parent and girlfriend and... So as he's heading out the door this morning he says to me, "Do something for Margaret's birthday will ya?" Right Dad. Maybe you missed the fact that I don't have thumbs? But it's okay. I'm a professional, I'll get through it. But he left me nothing to work with. Thanks a lot Dad. But I found this amusing video of tree-climbing goats in Morocco (no, I'm not kidding) that seemed appropriate for the occasion. (Of course these goats prefer the commando approach rather than panties, but if you lived in Morocco, wouldn't you?) Enjoy!

And Margaret? Happy Birthday dahling. You're beautiful babe, don't ever change. And let's do lunch. Soon! Have your people call my people...

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happy birthday robin!

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and many more...
Oh get serious, evrybody who's anybody knows Robin's blog Around the Island. And most of you probably know about her Etsy store by the same name (so go buy something won't you?) But did you know that today, July 7th, marks the start finish line for her laps around the sun? Yeah, thta's what I thought. 'Cause if you'd known, you'd have already been over there to wish her a Happy Birthday. So go now. I won't tell her you forgot. I promise. And while you're there, marvel at the wondrous photography.

What... you're still here? Go! See. Be amazed.

 This image and others available for sale at my RedBubble Site!

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happy birthday anna

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 This image and others available for sale at my RedBubble Site!

Do stop in over at Anna's Blog and wish her well on her birthday won't you?

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Extra! Extra! Fashionista Celebrates Birthday!

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So here's the thing. My Auntie Daryl's birthday is today and I wanna see all ya'll at the party. There's cake, there's tunes, there's hot women lots of fantastic company, and general ... what's the word Dad says? Oh yeah, "hungama". Not sure what that means*, but it sounds cool. So what're you waiting for? Nobody throws a party like Auntie D... 'cept maybe me ;).

* "Hungama" is a Hindi word meaning "fun, revelry, general festiveness".

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Extra! Extra! Manx Faerie Secret Agent Celebrates Birthday!

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Click and hold to douse the lights

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Who's our mystery guest? Well if you ask her, she doesn't actually exist. And for a while late last year I was beginning to worry that she might have been right! Babooshka, International Woman of Mystery, who's known to haunt the seaside town of Ramsey on the Isle of Man (and The Swan, one of its better known pubs) has crossed the start finish line on her latest lap in the Life on Earth TT (if you don't get it, it's okay. She will.) Always behind the camera, we might catch a faint reflection of her in her many photos on Ramsey Daily Photo but if you do, it's an accident. Not that it matters, mind you. Her work behind the camera more than makes up for her absence in front of it. Go visit Ramsey and you'll see the striking, craggy Manx coastline, the searing motorbikes of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races (and practices!) The Swan pub and the now-legendary Ramsey Swing Bridge (from -- at last count -- 24 different views... on the way to 100). And all this brought to you with an often satirical, occasionally irreverent, and always flamboyant style that's uniquely Babs. So hop on over there and have a look around. Don't worry, she'll keep the faerie folk from making off with ya.

Happy Birthday Babs, and many more. (And sorry love, but I nicked one of your swing bridge shots for the background in your card. Well it's not like I could exactly ask first, now could I? It was suppose to be a buggerin' surprise fer pity's sake!)

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My World Tuesday #65: More From Topsail Island, and another Birthday Shout-Out

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"Birthplace"
North Topsail Beach, NC - December 2009 (Click to embiggen)

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Before I get into what I was gonna talk about, I want to take a moment to wish a happy birthday to a dear blogger friend from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, Dr. Mona Rahman. Mona ji may not be enjoying this birthday very much however. She lost her husband Charles suddenly just before Christmas which finished off a rather troubling year all around. Mona, if you're listening bahin, know that there are many thoughts and prayers -- my own included -- with you today and all days. And I hope you can manage to enjoy this day to some extent despite everything. Be well, my friend.

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We now return to our regularly scheduled My World Tuesday, already in progress.

While wandering along the beach at Topsail Island just before New Year's, Sandy and I came across this curiosity that may or may not be a sea turtle nesting site. Loggerheads and other species of Sea Turtles commonly nest on the island's beaches, and the staff and volunteers at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City Topsail Beach near Surf City (thanks Carver) will mark known nests with tape like this. But December is well outside the time of year for nesting and hatching, so this may have been roped of for an entirely different reason. The nesting season typically runs from May through August, and the eggs take roughly 60 days to hatch, so there shouldn't have been any such activity happening when we were there. But turtles do things in their own time.

Whether or not this was a sea turtle nest, the turtles are worth talking about. They're fascinating creatures, and a study in beating the odds. The adult female will crawl out of the surf (usually) in the dark of night to a point above the tide line and then dig a nest in the sand with her hind legs. Since sea turtles have fin-like legs suited to swimming, this is a pretty labor intensive task. Once the pit is dug, she will deposit a clutch of 100 or more eggs and then bury them. Her task done, she then heads back out into the ocean, leaving the young turtles to hatch on their own. She will not return to the nest, the hatchlings will make their own way to the ocean and begin a journey of hundreds of miles to the Sargasso Sea, hitching the occasional ride on a piece of flotsam.

It will take 20 years or more for these young turtles to reach maturity, and only about 1 in 1000 will survive that long. The females that do will begin the long swim back to the beach where they were born to repeat the cycle for the next generation. How they know where to go is anyone's guess. Why they'd go so far to grow up only to return to their birthplace is another mystery only the turtles know. Or maybe they don't know. Maybe they don't need to know.

Along the way, a great many will fall victim to predation, and that fight for survival begins quite literally from the time they crawl out of the nest. Humans have complicated the process by their very presence. The lights from houses or vehicles or night fishing can disorient both the mother in her nesting and the hatchlings in their return to the sea. This disorientation can lead them into the path of vehicular traffic or -- in the case of the hatchlings -- even being trampled underfoot by pedestrians. If the young turtles head in the wrong direction they can die of dehydration and exhaustion simply by going the wrong way. But even if they head in the right direction, the perils begin immediately. The ubiquitous "Ghost Crabs" that inhabit the beaches are a natural predator, and hatching season is an all-you-can-eat buffet. Once in the water, the young are vulnerable to predation by birds and fish of all sorts, and once again humans enter the picture with trawling nets and other fishing gear. The survivors however, can live to be over 100 years old. Only about 1 in 10,000 live to their full life expectancy.

The Sea Turtle Hospital in Surf City Topsail Beach near Surf City (thanks Carver) takes in the wounded turtles they find, repairs the damage and gets the ones that can be saved back on their flippers. The hospital is open to the public during the summer, but I wasn't aware of it when I was there last summer so I unfortunately don't have photos to share of their work. But stay tuned, I'll be back there again you can be sure.

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55 Flash Fiction Friday #56: Act I, Scene I (Exposition) PLUS a Birthday Extra for the G-Man

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Stop the presses!

Okay, so would somebody explain to me why out of all the 55 fans out there, nobody told me that Our Host With the Most From Coast to Coast was turning 60 today? 'Cause ya'll gotta know by now we do birthdays big around here.

Happy Birthday G-Man! (in exactly 55 words)

We now resume your regularly scheduled 55 already in progress. I actually wrote this one over a year ago, but never got around to using it. Kept it in draft as a "backup". And since I was sort of in a time crunch this week it seemed like a good time to whip it out.

ex·po·si·tion: -noun dialogue, description, etc., that gives the audience or reader the background of the characters and the present situation.

The freshening onshore breeze brought a slight chill to the balcony where he stood. For the sixtieth time that hour he checked his watch, still only 5:15. He frowned as he heard the voice call out "Housekeeping". The frown vanished as the door swung open.

"You came a long way to bring clean towels."

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 Graciously hosted by G-Man.

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Once More With Feeling! Happy Birthday to You...

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Click and hold to decorate!

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It's been a pretty busy couple of days here at Casa Mojo - otherwise known as Birthday Party Central. Four in three days. Whew! And Kay honey, you almost got the short end of it 'cause I was almost tapped for ideas. But then snap!... with a side order of "duh". Folks, our young Kaylia here's just published a book. So for her special-special day, I'm gonna shamelessly advertise it for her which I can do 'cause I've actually read it. You should too. It's available from Amazon (follow the yellow brick link below) or, you can get a signed first edition direct from Kay's website kayliametcalfe.com or you can go to Kay's website and find a couple of other outlets if neither of those suits you.

"Links, on Amazon.com"

I hope you sell a million Kay. Or at least enough to require a second printing. ('Cause that'll boost the value of my signed first edition considerably! Oh stop. I paid extra for that!)

Anyway.

To the lady who brought us the Mini-Meme The Seven, to the author who got me to not only buy, but read a short fiction collection, to a dauntless defender of marriage equality and one of my favorite all-around people, raise a glass of... whatever that is you've got there, and join me in wishing her the happiest, bestest, most awesomeest birthday ever.

So far.

And get the book. You'll like it.

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Candlelight Becomes You

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Click and hold to get the lights

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Smack in the middle of this string of 4 birthdays in 3 days we find one of my very favorite people in or out of Blogaritaville, Sandy Carlson. I'm not sure what lap she's just completing today, but it's not like it matters. Sandy is ageless, timeless. But that's where "less" stops applying.

I didn't really "discover" Sandy's blog Writing in Faith until early this year. I think I'd visited there a few times before then, but it wasn't a regular stop on my daily journey until early 2009. My loss. Because I was missing out. I was first drawn to her photography (naturally), but it wasn't long before I realized what a truly gifted writer she is. Her extraordinary look at ordinary life is impressive enough, but it's when she turns her hand to poetry that her writing is at its most visceral. And while it wasn't really necessary, two pieces from the series One Single Impression sealed the deal for me. Both Intersections and Folly now occupy a spot in my Permanent Links. If you don't read anything else, you need to read those two. Then you'll understand.

So happy birthday Sandy. And may it bring exactly what you want.

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Ahem. Tap-tap. Is this thing on?

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"Sorry, no party tricks with this image"

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Friday, October 9, 2009
A Nudge

"I've been duly nudged by a friend and reader, that I've been gone too long."

Apparently, it didn't take.

JC is one of my very oldest... actually check that, she is my oldest blog-buddy. The first person I ever put in my blogroll, the first blog I read regularly, and still (even though she's practically dropped off the edge of the blogging world) jump on every single post like a... like a... post-jumper-onny-thing. She's amused me with tales almost told about things like dancing on stepladders (I'm still waiting to hear the rest of that one.) and tales actually told about things like playing Crocodile Hunter with a recycling bin or Secretly buying horses. Or this gem that made me laugh so hard I had to file the link in my sidebar under "When I start feeling bad about my dating life..."

She's also tugged at my heartstrings with other stories on topics not at all amusing, and through it all she's been as real as it gets.

So today, on the anniversary of that miraculous occasion when this wonderful friend entered the world, I'm poking her again hoping to see her return to Blogaritaville. So grab some cake and trot over there and see if you can stir something up. And if not that, at least wish the girl a happy birthday, she deserves it. After all, how many people do you know that can make a sentence using the words "mumu" and "duct tape"?

For reals.

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Janamdin ki Badhai Susie Ji!

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"Sorry, no party tricks with this image"

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She's an artist, she's a trailblazer, she's a bigger Indophile than even I am, she's Susie ji -- "The Boss" to her friends. And according to G-Man, her heir apparent to the 55 Flash Fiction Throne, she's one of the Enlightened, chosen by The Illuminati themselves to wield the power of the 55. (And he should know!) Here you see her as you've never -- okay, seldom -- seen her before, in her alternate identity, an avatar of Lakhshmi, Goddess of Wealth. Did you ever wonder WTF a "yurt" is? Susie can tell you. Want to know the meaning of the word "lentiginous"? Susie can tell you. In addition to being a regular HNT hottie, she's also a veritable font of useless fascinating information and I seldom visit her blog that I don't learn something... or at least smile (or leer). And today this wonderful woman I'm so far behind catching up with completes another orbit around the sun. Seems like just last year I was saying this same thing -- only a couple of days late because I didn't know when her birthday was. But not this year! Now it's on my calendar so I now don't forget once my email reminder comes because she's just that much of a rock star. So happy birthday, janamdin ki badhai, many happy returns and -- as they always say in Bollywood -- "All the best". (Oh, and mujhe maaf karo, yaar I had to nick one of your photos for this grand, impressive humble rendering of Your Worship.)

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Happy Birthday From the Dungeon

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"Mouse over to see behind the curtain!"

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How often do you get to celebrate a royal birthday? Seriously. Not very damn often, I'd wager. So when we get the chance, we take it around here. And wouldn't you know it, today is just such an occasion. (You probably figured that out already though, huh?) If you were around a couple of weeks ago you might have noticed this post which was one of thousands worldwide making up this year's BlogBlast for Peace. This effort is Mimi's trademark, her legacy to Blogaritaville, her gift to the world. It's been called unrealistic among other things, and yet it keeps growing every year. Personally? I think she's onto something. In fact, it was primarily this totally idealistic effort that was primarily responsible for winning the "Queeen of Memes" the coveted Diamond in the Rockpile award last January with the citation:

"An artist in many senses of the word, 'Mimi Pencil Skirt' looks at life through a unique prism of optimism and humor, of deep-seated compassion and firmly rooted conviction. There are no secrets here. What you see is Mimi Unplugged, an unvarnished, undiluted incredible human being with a sly wit and a quick mind. You'll laugh, and occasionally you'll cry. But you'll never doubt."

I'm sure Mimi would tell ya that it's not too early to start thinking about your Peace Globe for next year. But whether you're ready to start thinking along those lines or not, you really oughta take a minute and go visit Mimi Writes. It's bad form to keep the Queen waiting you know.

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Zen and the Art of Birthdays

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"Mouse over for more"
(*And in case you were wondering, yeah, she really is that hot.)

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Today's special and ya wanna know why? Okay, so you probably guessed already. (I suppose the giant cake was a pretty good clue.) Today is the anniversary of one of modern history's most special events. One of my favorite people (in the world) has completed another lap around the sun. (No, I don't know which one. If it matters, you can ask her yourself.) For those not familiar with her work, Mama Zen (MZ to her friends) is anything but the "typical mommy blogger". Most days has me chuckling to myself with some amusing anecdote (often involving young Baby Puppy, her preciously precocious first-grader, but occasionally with a sly double entendre like this one that would be worthy of... well, me). Sometimes she's offering up reviews of books or games that those of you with young children will value. Sometimes she's crafting some of the finest 55 Flash Fictions you'll ever read. And once in a while, she makes me ache with something so incredibly poignant it can even tug at a jaded old man like me. But whatever she's doing, trust me... you want to read it. Seriously. (Would I kid you?) So grab a piece of this cake (we've got plenty to spare) and head over to The Zen of Motherhood. You'll be glad you did.

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The World in Black & White: 11.12.2009 - Happy Birthday Tonka!

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"My First Round Draft Pick, The Tonka Unit!"
Raleigh, NC - November 2009 (Click to embiggen)
To see more from the WBW Community of Bloggers, visit The World in Black & White

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Who's the Birthday Ghoul? (I had to... just had to.)

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"Boo!" (Click to embiggen)

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I just stopped by Winter's place a few minutes ago and she's got the birthday blahs. This is so un-Winter-like I just don't know how to describe it. But the last post she put up was on Monday, so perhaps she's come out of the funk by now. If not, maybe a parade of well-wishers will do it. Just mind that you keep an eye open for vampires, werewolves, and things that go bump in the night. 'Cause they seem to hang out there. Probably trying to land a role in her next book. (You know those monster types, such attention whores.)

So get your crucifixes, your garlic and your silver bullets together and take a walk on the wild side.

Happy Birthday Winter... in spite of it all.

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Happy Birthday Kenju!

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"Boo!" (Click to embiggen)

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She probably thinks I forgot, but what she don't know is ... I ... welll, I have a calendar. Because if I had to rely on my memory...

Anyway, so here's the thing. An amazing blogegr and an awesome human being is finishing another lap around the sun today. The lady who puts the power in the flowers, who puts the "grr" in "girl", who puts the "Ju" in "Kenju". Who... Uh. Actually, she is Kenju.

And I clearly need more coffee. So while I'm doing that, won't you go wish the lady a happy birthday?

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Hey Smoofus, You Didn't REALLY Think I Forgot Didja?

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Click and hold to play!

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She most likely thinks I forgot, but really... you all know better right? Time was, Smarmoofus (or Smoofy, or Smoofus to those who love 'er) was quite the prolific little blogger. There were photos and and amusing anecdotes and the occasional Presidential Debate Party. (What fun those were, eh Smoof?) But lately she's more of a Prairie Blogger (the virtual equivalent of a Prairie Dogger... those folks in the cube farm that pop up over the wall any time the smell of poundcake drifts through the office or there's a loud crash followed by heavy silence). She pops up now and then like a NetFlix ad window, but it's always with something worth the trip over. So maybe if ya'll go crash the party over there she'll feel the love in the room and come on in outta the great cyber cold. And she's given ya the perfect excuse by completing another orbit around the sun today, so get yer butt on over and wish the lady Happy Birthday will ya? The 55 Flash Fiction circuit will thank you. Plus? It's just a nice thing to do.

What, you're still here? Go!

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Happy Birthday Again, Dammit!

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Okay try to stay with me here. A little over a year ago I followed a blogger I read regularly to a guest post she did at a blog I don't read regularly. And in the comments on that guest post I noticed a blogger I'd never heard of.

But I really dug her avatar photo, so at the end of my comment I asked the poster, "PS: You think you can introduce me to that Maggie, Dammit girl up top there? She's hawt!" The rest of that conversation was the usual bloggy slap-and-tickle with much jocularity ensuing, but in the process I managed to find my way over to Okay, Fine, Dammit and the rest, as they say, is history.

A few weeks after this exchange, it came to my attention that my brand new blog-buddy was celebrating the beginning of another orbit around the sun. I was, of course, by this time completely hooked on OFD and its author and thus began what's become something of a tradition here at Casa Mojo. I hadn't hired the elves yet, and there wasn't time to find temps, so I had to scratch together this post by way of celebration. Yeah, the first virtual birthday bash hosted on Why? What Have You Heard? had the one and only Maggie Dammit as its guest of honor.

It hardly seems like a whole year has gone by since then, but here we are for another first. This is the first repeat virtual birthday bash, and I've gotten a little better at them since that first fledgling effort waaaay back in '08. And there's a whole lot more to tell this year, because I know the guest of honor a lot better now than I did back then. And I can tell ya, the longer I know her, the more amazed, awed, and impressed I am by her. Not only is she one of the most gifted writers I know, she's also one of the most fundamentally good souls I know. The high priestess of elemental goodness. For reals. Only someone with a heart as big as the Wisconsin wilderness she calls home could ever have conceived of the much celebrated, and apparently badly needed, Violence UnSilenced. She won't take credit for it because that's just how she rolls. She'll tell you that she doesn't really do anything but schedule posts and moderate comments. She'll say that the contributors do all the heavy lifting, she's just along for the ride. She'll undersell her role in it, but don't let her kid you. To break it down to simple logic, if it were not for Maggie, there would be no VU. It sprung full grown from her heart and mind and whether someone else had eventually had the idea or not, it would not be what it is. It would not be Violence UnSilenced. And the survivors who have found their voices because of VU would not have had the outlet it gave them. Ya did good sis, and you did it well too.

I'm gonna shut up now even though there's so much more I'd love to say. But if I said it all, the candles would burn out and the ice cream would melt. I once told Maggie that if I'd ever had a kid sister I'd have wanted one just like her.^* (And I'd have taken care of that little punk for you too. Believe it.)

So Happy Birthday, Sis.

Dammit.

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^*Actually what I said was:

"I never had a sister. But if I had, I hope she'd have been just like you. No, not 'hot'. C'mon. Although having a hot sister (who has hot friends) could be a bonus I guess. Okay, okay, I'm stopping now before this gets weird. Er."

Now you know.

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How Do Ya Say "Birthday" In Australian?

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Do they REALLY say 'Shiela' down there??

She probably thinks I forgot, 'cause by her clock the 10th has already come and gone. But surprise, Eaton baby... up here in the Northern Hemisphere it's still Wednesday. So it isn't even your birthday here yet meaning you get a whole other day to celebrate.

Oh, for those of you who need an introduction, world this is Eaton. Eaton Bennett from Adelaide and points ... north of there I guess ('cause I'm thinkin' you can't get too much further south. Eaton, meet the world. Or at least the bit of the world that reads my simple little blog.

The song? Oh, it's kind of a favorite.

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So where is this Garden of Eaton you ask? Well are you in for a treat. There's not just one ('cause no one can Eaton just one... oh c'mon, you had to see that coming!) but three garden spots in Blogaritaville managed by the aforementioned Mme Bennett. For a selection of photos highlighting the joys and beauties of her homeland, you can take in Country Down Under. Or if you're in the mood for prose and poetry (very, very good prose and poetry, I'll add) settle down a while at Passionate Fiction. Or for an eclectic mix of good Eaton (I'm having far too much fun with this) check out Silently Mine.

Whichever one you pick, you won't be disappointed, I promise. Because the girl brings the goods whether in words or pictures.

Happy Birthday my friend. Now let's get to ea... scarfin' some o' this cake. ;)

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