The O.K. Corral.

Well, everything is okay at the O.K. Corral. The critters have been fed and watered and the head critter has been walked and took the opportunity to take a dump three times, which makes my habit of carrying many baggies a very fortunate one. I don't know what he has been eating to cause such an overproduction, or maybe he simply had been saving it up, because I didn't take him out late last night. I find that he doesn't urge me on to go once I've got my pajamas on and that he very happily trudges off to the bedroom with me to go to sleep.

He does, however, wake me up at 7 AM, for no good reason that I know off, because when I let him out back, he really doesn't do anything and if I give him food, he doesn't want to eat. I think that he thinks it is a good time to wake up and it actually is during the week, so I can count on him to waken me on time. I have a radio controlled alarm clock with two alarm times, but they are set for times during the day when I have to remember to take my medicines. So, it's a good thing that he wakes me up when he does, I just wish that he could differentiate between weekdays and weekends. He is not quite that clever.

The weather is gorgeous outside. The sun is shining and it is 8 degrees Celsius, that's 46 degrees Fahrenheit. It's paractically summer. Still, I am dressed in layers as attractively as I can, because it is a little bit cold inside.

Every morning I have the joy of picking out what I am going to wear, but I think about it ahead of time and am full of anticipation. It's like getting into the 'dress up box' and inventing a new costume every day. Actually, it's like I'm reinventing myself every day in a costume play and I participate in a real life movie production. Oh wait, I forgot the soundtrack.

I filled a new MP3 stick with Jazz albums and then transferred all the songs to a map called Jazz under My Music in my PC. From there I was able to transfer the whole map all at once to my iTune Player, which is something I was unable to do with the Real Player. So, yes, I recommend the iTune player from Apple. As I sit behind my PC, I listen to the music and when the PC is shut off, I listen to the MP3 stick that is connected to my sound system. That way I have a soundtrack to my life. It's fun to listen to the new music, as I don't hear all of it when I download it, of course. I think I made good choices this time.

Did I tell you I got a new watch? I had been wearing a very cheap, but functional watch for many years now, but it was very plain and unassuming and the stretch band had become much too big for me when I lost all the weight and I had to push it up practically to my elbow. I decided that I deserved a new watch and I got a very nice one from the brand Elle. It's got a unique shape and I am quite happy with it and keep looking at it. I am so glad that it is I who is spoiling me. That I can do these things for myself, because I'm worth it, as the commercial goes. I got it at a discount store so I only paid a little money for it, but you can't tell by looking at it. It comes with a warranty also, so I am happy.

You know, I never feel guilty when I spend money on myself and that is something new for me, because when my kids were growing up, I spent very little money on myself. I remember having a very small wardrobe and it not being very fashionable. Jeans and T-shirts mostly with the odd sun dress. For some reason, I thought I didn't deserve having money spent on me.

That all changed when I hit my late 30's and I developed a real love for clothes and I started to trust my own instincts about them. When I gained a lot of weight for a while there, due to the medications, I lost my interest in clothes, but now that I've lost so much weight, all the interest is back with a force and I find nothing more satisfying and fun than to shop for an item of clothing and to match it to something I already have in my closet. There is sheer joy in that. I used to love buying new books with the same amount of passion. I also like to buy necklaces and right now I am wearing two of them that click against each other when I move and I like that sound.

My mother loved clothes and used to dress like Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances. She looked very much like her. It wasn't until my mother's death, that I felt the freedom to start dressing like a real female and become more than casually interested in what I wore. It's like I finally had the room and the gumption to do that, now that her critical eye would no longer linger on me and find fault and she could no longer comment on how I dressed, whether that was negatively or not. I just didn't want to be noticed by her physically at all. You can't imagine what liberty I felt, especially when soon after I left my first husband and I could be the complete female I wanted to be. The more skirts and dresses I am wearing, the better things are going with me. Which doesn't mean that I don't want to get a pair of skinny jeans.

I have two pairs of bell bottom pants that are frayed at the edges from dragging over the pavement and I think I am going to get rid of them, because I think they are not at all flattering, but they were the style when I bought them. Sometimes you can make such fashion mistakes. You think you want the latest in jeans, when those are not at all right for you. It's really great when you make the right choice immediately and many times I have bought an item of clothing that I know will be a keeper for more than one season. Sometimes I buy a total dud and take it back. Well, your closet is like an art collection and sometimes you have to take something out and add something else in.

Well, I am sure it's all been very fascinating to you, this talk about clothes. There is more to it than meets the eye. There is the whole psychology of clothes.

Okay, I've got to clean up the kitchen, duty calls me now. Have yourselves a terrific Sunday.

Ciao...