Hump Day Happy

It’s Wednesday, I know, and I’ll get to your bit of happiness. First, I want to share some of the good things about my week. I don’t have pictures of the sight that makes me smile from ear to ear, and that is Rexford G. Lambert and EZ running The Compound grounds together. They don’t play with each other yet, but they are able to enjoy being outside, unleashed within the fence, acting like dogs who’ve become part of the same pack.

As always, the moments I share with friends are the source of great happiness. Monday, I visited Princess Patti. I know her from my days long ago at the bookstore, and as I said to her, she’s one of the great Capricorns in my life who’s helped me navigate many hills and valleys. Going out to her house, which I call Small Paradise, is always enlightening and thought-provoking. Sometimes she’s my teacher, but she’s always my friend. Lately, she’s been interested in all things French, including cooking. Here she is with me as I hold a half-eaten and VERY delicious Madeleine she baked for my visit.

She sent some home with me, too, and Tom and Tim enjoyed them. She also gave me plants from her garden and a little something you’ll see on a future Button Sunday.

Since I was out that way, I decided to swing by Green Acres to see Lynne, Minute, and Sparky. I’d thought of taking Lynne out to dinner, but she was already preparing a meal which she invited me to share. It was an OMG so good sandwich of chicken, tomatoes, pesto with basil from her own garden, and melted cheese on toasted Ciabatta bread, accompanied by fresh fruit.

While she was cooking, she said, “Hey, a big box was delivered today. Can you bring it inside?” I thought that was a little strange–I mean, who lets the chick with the bad back bring in a package? It turned out to be extremely light. Then she said, “I’ve been ordering stuff off ebay–I don’t even know what that is. Can you open it?” That’s when I knew she was UP TO SOMETHING. She’s a sly one. I opened it to find two dolls from Mattel’s American Idol line:



Simone and Tori, who come with their own WORKING karaoke machines. So silly. They are quite bendy and TALL, as I found out on Tuesday night when The Brides and Kathy came over with Sugar.

Last month Kathy was sick on her birthday, so I promised her chocolate cake on a later date. Tuesday was that later date.


I told Tim that since he was the Runway Monday winner, he could be co-cake beneficiary. This made him so happy that he made the Lindsey face!


Tim and Kathy.

Lindsey and Rhonda were all kissy and happy about cake, while Tom was undoubtedly thinking, I TOLD Becky that coffee this late might not be the best plan.

It’s true: It had to have been a caffeine high that made us all giddy when we began taking the American Idol dolls out of the packaging and doing strange things with their flexible bodies. Well, some of us did that. Kathy was mostly giving joy via vigorous back scratches to any dog who got close to her, particularly Margot, who was so happy that only the thunderstorm I hear brewing outside (Hi, Hurricane Dolly!) will enable her to write her usual emo poetry under the bed.

Later, Tom and I caught a shot of Mattel Top Models Figaro and Summer enjoying a concert from NKOTB Joe and the American Idol chicks. Top Model Nikki was nowhere to be seen, and it almost looks as if Figaro is about to do a fierce hair-pull on Summer.

The point of all this is: I could wish nothing greater for my readers than friends to nourish your bodies and hearts. For a little something extra, give me a page number between 1 and 611, and another number between 1 and 25 in comments, and I’ll find more happiness for you from this book–which is now a bit Coke-stained thanks to silly Guinness.

Good luck!

Fear the influence of the demon dachshund on your dogs.

36 thoughts on “Hump Day Happy”

  1. Happy times!
    I absolutely love the sandwich that Lynne made you. Whenever a restaurant has it on their menu, I have to order it. I must need to learn how to make my own. (Plus I now have a huge craving for some of that fruit mixture.)

    Oh, yeah…page 127, number 18, please.

  2. loved the pics, Becky!! Thanks for sharing. I’m considering this post part of my “happy” from you for the week. I’ll take page 17, #5, please!

  3. I really love the pictures of your “family” when you all get together. I’m seeing family of my heart this weekend and I hope it’s going to be as much fun. We sit around and eat and talk, two of my favorite things to do with the people that I love.

    I’m feeling like page 232, number 16 is a good one today.

    Thanks again for doing this!

    1. You are welcome, and have a great time with your family this weekend. =)

      From the book:

      “anything and everything well made”

  4. I’ve begun to understand now that you make happy wherever you go!

    Is that a bundt? It looks like a bundt. I really like saying bundt. If you were Sandra Lee of TV Network’s “Semi-Homemade” you would have had to fill the center of that bundt with flowers or marshmallows or great heaps of frosting. I’m so glad that you didn’t.

    Could I please have page 8, number 2?

    1. Thank you–such a nice thing to say. It IS a Bundt. And it’s funny, because when I made it, I wondered if the center should be filled with something, then I thought, “Nah, overkill.” Thank goodness I didn’t disappoint a Runway Monday Design Maven!

      From the book:

      “assembly lines”

      (which just made me think of the Lucy chocolate factory episode)

  5. I didn’t get a cake on my 20th birthday. I don’t know why I bring that up; it really has zilch to do with anything. P.S. that’s one scrumptious-looking chocolate cake. Where was I going with this…?

    Right. Can I please have page 87, item # 20, please? : )

    1. Then the next time you’re here, I think we should celebrate your twentieth birthday with a cake. (Any reason will do for cake!)

      From the book:

      “miniature jellybeans”

  6. Oooh, I love a good Bundt cake. And I know well the demon dachshund; I live with one. (Anya is, after all, named after Anyanka, the vengeance demon from Sunnydale.)

    Page 13, number 14, if you please.

    Jeffrey R.

    1. You can’t tell me Anya is ANYthing but an angel. Some lesser dog sneaks in and does the bad things she gets blamed for. 😉 (Oh, wait. Have you seen the Disney movie The Ugly Dachshund?”)

      From the book:

      “lavender-scented evenings”

      1. I think I must add that to the Netflix queue, but I refuse to believe any dachshund can be anything but adorable. Demonic, yes. Ugly? Mais non!

        Jeffrey R.

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