Daniel bought me a handful of carnations. They are bright and pretty.

I bought eight. I would have given a dozen, but the ones left there after the floral area closed for the day were a little picked over. I extracted the ones I felt met my standards of quality for Andi.

I would rather give eight pretty flowers than a dozen with several iffy blooms.

Besides, eight is a random-ish non-adhering to tradition number. You free-thinking rebel, you!

I'll cop to that.

dental appointment tomorrow afternoon

good luck with that, Bev. I hope it's relatively pleasant.

You remind me (not that I needed reminding), that I get to have my first mammogram tomorrow. Oh the joy.

I'm so sorry to hear about Beastie, Jilli and Pete.

Deena! Mammograms are not the ordeal they used to be. I think most clinics now have more advanced imaging machines that require fewer contortions and less pressure--all to the good, when dealing with my sensitive bits, and yours too, I'm betting.

The dentist knows he's looking at a tooth that broke off the interior wall last week; the center of the tooth has been filled. As long as he's able to fill it and maintain it, I'll be happy. Unfortunately, just yesterday an upper tooth on the opposite side twinged rather dramatically. Of the two, I'm afraid this new one is going to need attention more. Drat. We don't have dental insurance, and I really haven't budgeted for massive dental intervention.

Beverly, talk to the dentist's office about your finances. Many budget a certain amount for payment reductions for uninsured folk.

Oh, that's good to hear. The tech who performs it, and scheduled my appt., asked me three times if my breasts tended to sensitivity, so it worried me a bit.

Thank you Raq, I always found it amusing that my birthday is a good time to blow things up, according to British tradition.

Thank you VW and Beverly, I appreciate it!

I am ashamed to admit that I have never had a mammogram. I have no specific risk factors other than being 51, but I know it is something I should do. I will probably do it next time I go for my annual.

Jessica! (or any other cook types) I have a question. I have had the worst time with baking breads since I moved to Florida. I have my book group coming here Thursday and I wanted to make pumpkin bread because it makes the house smell so yummy, but I would rather it wasn't crunchy on the outside and goo on the inside. I know that compensation is made for high altitudes, but what about low altitude. Any hints?

I'm thinking maybe I should lower the temp and let it bake longer.