Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Best and Worst Teeth Listing
NC came out pretty good — Raleigh ranked # 3 out of 100 and Charlotte ranked #6! On the other hand, if I bought into this, I’m not so sure I’d jump into a kiss from anyone from Lubbock, TX without first asking for their dental records – ha-ha!!!
BEST TEETH
Rank, City, Grade
10 Minneapolis, MN B+
9 Fargo, ND A-
8 Grand Rapids, MI A-
7 Yonkers, NY A-
6 Charlotte, NC A-
5 Aurora, CO A-
4 St. Paul, MN A
3 Raleigh, NC A+
2 Nashville, TN A+
1 Madison, WI A+
WORST TEETH
Rank, City, Grade
100 Lubbock, TX F
99 Philadelphia, PA F
98 Spokane, WA F
97 Salt Lake City, UT F
96 Jackson, MS F
95 El Paso, TX F
94 Portland, OR F
93 Tulsa, OK D-
92 Tucson, AZ D-
91 Baton Rouge, LA D-
90 Los Angeles, CA D-
89 San Antonio, TX D-
88 St. Louis, MO D-
87 Dallas, TX D-
86 Tampa, FL D-
85 Jersey City, NJ D-
84 Denver, CO D-
83 St. Petersburg, FL D
82 Oklahoma City, OK D
81 Billings, MT D
80 Pittsburgh, PA D
79 Miami, FL D
78 Boston, MA D
77 Kansas City, MO D+
76 Newark, NJ D+
75 Austin, TX D+
74 Fresno, CA D+
73 Sacramento, CA D+
72 Birmingham, AL D+
71 Buffalo, NY D+
70 Corpus Christi, TX D+
69 Houston, TX C-
68 Louisville, KY C-
67 Rochester, NY C-
66 Bangor, ME C-
65 Riverside, CA C-
64 Burlington, VT C-
63 Memphis, TN C-
62 Orlando, FL C-
61 Baltimore, MD C-
60 Montgomery, AL C
59 Milwaukee, WI C
58 Detroit, MI C
57 Cincinnati, OH C
56 Fort Worth, TX C
55 Oakland, CA C
54 Albuquerque, NM C
53 Chicago, IL C
52 Phoenix, AZ C
51 Cheyenne, WY C
50 Columbia, SC C+
49 Modesto, CA C+
48 Honolulu, HI C+
47 Bakersfield, CA C+
46 Norfolk, VA C+
45 Las Vegas, NV C+
44 Fort Wayne, IN C+
43 Richmond, VA C+
42 Charleston, WV C+
41 Lexington, KY C+
40 Greensboro, NC C+
39 Indianapolis, IN B-
38 Hartford, CT B-
37 Little Rock, AR B-
36 Anaheim, CA B-
35 Washington, DC B-
34 New York, NY B-
33 Atlanta, GA B-
32 San Jose, CA B-
31 Providence, RI B-
30 Arlington, TX B-
29 San Diego, CA B-
28 Wilmington, DE B
27 Seattle, WA B
26 Cleveland, OH B
25 Fremont, CA B
24 Manchester, NH B
23 Toledo, OH B
22 Durham, NC B
21 Boise, ID B
20 San Francisco, CA B
19 Columbus, OH B
18 Wichita, KS B+
17 Colorado Springs, CO B+
16 Omaha, NE B+
15 Jacksonville, FL B+
14 Sioux Falls, SD B+
13 Des Moines, IA B+
12 Lincoln, NE B+
11 Anchorage, AK B+
My Current Favorite Commercial
Here is my current favorite — it gets my attention every time and if I’m in the other room when I hear it, I drop what I’m doing (within reason – grin) and run in to watch it!
Strange Bed Fellows
I love reading Jennifer’s blog — it reminds me that I’m not alone in the world of what reading her blog proves are “typical puppy stuff”!!! I almost always have a similar fond memory that comes to mind when I read her stories. The one that rivals the “Appetizer” story goes like this:
One night about this time last year, the girls and I were getting ready for bed. I had just let them out to take care of business and when they came in, we headed to bed. The only light on in the bedroom was the one on the night stand, so it wasn’t very bright in there. I was just about to turn it out and noticed that Megan had just dropped what looked like a clump of dirt (they used to dig a lot and loved to play with dirt clumps, so this didn’t seem odd) on the bed and was attempting to “nose” the blankets up over it to “bury” it in the covers. I said, “eeww – stop that – we don’t want dirt in our bed!” and picked it up to throw it out. As soon as I got it between my fingers and picked it up, I realized it was fuzzy and squishy! I immediately dropped it and turned on the ceiling fan lights — I wish I had just kept it in my hand and tossed it out without ever really knowing what it was — it was a small dead mole!!!! And it was about to be buried in my blankets………..and I was about to crawl into bed with it!!!! uugghh!!!! If I hadn’t noticed it, I could have slept with it!!!! After I finished with the shivers and nausea that the thought of it all gave me, I got a wad of Kleenex and took care of the little carcass!!!
Enough said — luckily, there no uninvited “guests” in my bed that night!!!
Christy to the rescue…..
So – tonight I spent a couple hours with my friend Christy at CCCC – she is a student in the Cosmetology program! I paid my $15.00, she did her magic, and I left with a great hair cut and beautiful color!!!! At the same time, I had a really nice time catching up with my friend!
Christy really has a talent for this — she does a GREAT job (especially on color – that is definitely her specialty – but she does a really good job on cuts, too) — she’ll be one to watch for when she graduates and gets out in a shop somewhere in Sanford!!!!
Announcing – CIS Gang Forum in Sanford
Communities In Schools of Lee County is holding a Gang Forum – information is listed below. Come learn about how to help keep (or get) your kids away from gangs. Bring your kids to learn about the many great alternatives to gangs we have here in Sanford. Or just come to learn about how to support gang prevention in our community. Whatever your reason for attending, please come support this important event!!!
We will have some really powerful guest speakers and booths with several local organizations offering alternatives to gangs – The Coalition For Families, Parks and Recreation, Girls Scouts, YMCA, and more.
Gang Forum Info
- Price: FREE!!!!
- What: An event to educate the community about gangs and alternatives to gang life
- Guest Speakers: Alan Muriers, boxing trainer and founder of the non-profit organization “Kid Gloves”; Josue Bolanos, a reformed gang member and “Kid Gloves” boxer; Darla Cole, Lee County Schools Special Police Force
- When: Thursday, April 3rd at 6:30 pm
- Where: Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center, 1801 Nash Street, Sanford
- Sponsored by: Communities In Schools of Lee County and Lee County Schools Special Police Force
- Funded by a grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission
- A family friendly event with free child care and youth activities provided during the guest speaker presentations
- Organizations with booths providing kids with alternatives to gangs: Coalition for Families, Parks and Recreation, Girl Scouts, YMCA, and more
For more information, call CIS at (919) 718-5426. Please help spread the word!!!!
Dancing….
Tonight they are all dancing and will either do the Mambo or the Quick Step – both difficult dances!! Then, tomorrow, TWO will go home – one of the guys and one of the gals with the lowest combined scores from last week and tonight……………..the competition is off and running (or should I say Quick Stepping?????)
On a side note that has nothing to do with dancing ability or potential (cause I think she has a good chance to go a long way based on her performance last week) — does anyone else think that Priscilla Presley has had just a tad too much “work” done??? She looks like her face is pulled so tight or is so frozen from Botox that she is afraid to smile too big – it might crack on her!!! ha-ha Regardless — she is amazing — I don’t know of many 63 year olds (she’ll be 63 on May 24th) that are that limber and impressive on the dance floor — at 51, I couldn’t even come close in my dreams (and I can do almost anything in my dreams – ha-ha)……
The tennis star (can’t think of her name – Monica, maybe????) had a comment that cracked me up — she said that before this she “…didn’t know the difference between a Mambo and a Mango…” — what a hoot!!!!
Good luck to all the contestants – they all deserve a TON of credit!!!
If I didn’t have THREE dogs…..
If I didn’t have a dog…..
I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety.
My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated.
All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.
When the doorbell rings, it wouldn’t sound like a kennel.
When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there.
I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable.
I would have money … and no guilt to go on a real vacation.
I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grand kids through college.
The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE.
My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers.
My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.
My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.
I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E-E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O, R-I-D-E
I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside.
I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much.
I’d look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading “mud” season.
I would not have to answer the question “Why do you have so many animals?” from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.
How EMPTY my life would be!
Sunday Morning – Happy is the word….
First — Happy Easter!! Nothing says “Spring” quite like Easter! When I was a little girl, my Mom used to buy me a pretty new Easter outfit – complete with a pretty new dress, white gloves, white ankle socks with lace, white shoes, white purse, and a pretty bonnet! My younger brother had to wear a suit – he looked nice, but it wasn’t a frilly new Easter outfit, like I had!!! I have several pictures of us over the years all doozied up in our Easter finery – all taken outside and most with big snow banks in the background! So – another reason to be happy is that today is Easter and I don’t see any snow out my window (although, if I was up home, that wouldn’t be the case)! Easter also marks the date that I can get out my white clothing! I know it isn’t as strict of a fashion rule as it used to be, but I was raised with the understanding that you don’t wear white before Easter or after Labor Day (excluding white shirts or tennis shoes)!!! So, I don’t!!! So – Happy Easter for all the normal reasons, but also because I’m happy to be able to start wearing some white!!!!
The girls are always happy, but I do believe they are happier than usual today — not crazier or more energetic – HAPPIER!! Katie is going around kissing everyone and dancing around the room with a big “smile” on her face; Megan is eagerly squeaking her toys to try to get everyone to play with her; and Amy is all wiggles and “smiles” while she kisses everyone and looks for wiggly snuggles…………..this isn’t terribly unusual separately, but for them to ALL be so happy and affectionate to each other at the same time is rare! There is always at least one that doesn’t want to be bothered or is irritated by the attention of the other two or jealous that one is getting more attention than the other two……..So – this makes ME happy, too — I get a big kick out of seeing them be so animated and loving!!! This morning, I have no doubt that I have three very happy doggies……….(not that there is ever much doubt there)!
The girls and I put on a rowdy concert of Broadway Show Tunes this morning to celebrate all the happiness…….which made us even MORE happy!!! They love it when we sing and dance around the house together………………frankly, so do I!!!
And the last thing to add is that I just got a phone call with an invitation to go out for breakfast! This isn’t unusual, either, but just the icing on the cake for an already very pleasant (and happy) day!!!! So, I’m off to the shower and to get dressed so I can meet my friend for breakfast — wonder where we’ll go to eat????
Bananas
I was eating an absolutely delicious banana for breakfast this morning and my mind wandered about bananas in general and began to get flooded with thoughts involving bananas!!! So, I took this inspiration and decided to run with it………the result: a post all about BANANAS!!!
I love bananas (“nanners”) and they are so good for you — full of potassium and folic acid — and lots more great stuff!! I get a lot of muscle cramps and once heard that they might be caused by low potassium levels and that if I ate more bananas, I might not get as many muscle cramps!! I thought of that while I was eating my delicious banana breakfast and decided to google bananas to see if that is true!!! I found a great web site devoted completely to bananas (http://www.banana.com/) and it lists a TON of nutritional and medicinal benefits of bananas, but doesn’t include that particular benefit — but I bet that’s only because they would not have enough space on the internet to list ALL of the benefits of bananas……so, they only listed the heavy hitters!!! Did you know that they can help you quit smoking??? The site also has info on how to grow, buy and store bananas and lots of great sounding banana recipes!!!
The Dole web site has some great recipes and I found one on banana fruit kabobs (click here to link directly to that recipe) – yum – it sounds so good….I would have never thought of grilling bananas or making something like this — great discovery! Then, I started humming the old Chiquita Banana song and wondered if I could find a clip with it and, sure enough, a google search on Chiquita Bananas found this – the original Chiquita Banana commercial!!! What fun!!! When I was a little girl, I used to dance around sorta like a Cha-Cha-Cha and sing “I’m a Chiquita Banana and I’m here to say, I am the best banana in the world today….” ha-ha-ha It was a fun commercial, but also very educational and informative!!! Tells you when a banana is the most digestible and good for you and how not to store them and what they can be used in……good commercial!!!
As for me — here is what I like best about bananas:
I like them best when they are a just a little shy of fully ripe — when they are a nice bright yellow and firmer than the spotted fully ripe ones. I like to take a section and then split the three wedges apart to eat them separately!!! ha-ha
I love to slice bananas up on cereal — they are by far the BEST fruit to put on cereal!!!
I really like banana bread, banana muffins, bananas with strawberries in a nice syrup, banana strawberry flavored jello and yogurt – really anything that has banana/strawberry flavor combinations, and of course banana pudding!!!!
Most people have a favorite way to make a banana sandwich — most like to put peanut butter on it — not me! My favorite way to make a banana sandwich is:
KIM’S NANNER SANDWICH RECIPE
Take two slices of white bread
Apply a nice coating of Miracle Whip on both slices
Sprinkle sugar on the Miracle Whip on both slices
Peel and cut a whole banana in 1/2 (across the banana, not lengthwise)
Slice the halves in 1/2 lengthwise (like planks)
Take ONE of the 4 planks and slice it in 1/2 lengthwise (like long wedges)
Layer the 3 banana planks on one of the slices of the bread – flat side down
Layer the 2 banana wedges in the crevices caused by the rounded planks – v side down
Place the other slice of bread on top to make the sandwich
Cut the sandwich on the diagonal
ENJOY!
Oh, man — makes me want a nanner sandwich right now!!!!!!
Now – go bananas about bananas!!!!
Best of Blogs Awards!!!
Hey — I stumbled upon this today! There is a blog site that takes nominations for little known, low hit blogs to win awards in a whole list of categories. It is called The Best of Blogs! Click on this link and check it out!!!
Unfortunately, I just found it today and there isn’t much time left in the nomination period!! The original deadline was TOMORROW — but it looks like they opened it up to last one more week!!! So — go to the site and nominate your favorite blogs!!! When you get to the site, just click on one or more of the categories on the right side and leave a comment with the name and URL of your nomination. You can nominate the same blog in multiple categories and nominate as many blogs as you would like.
If you feel so inclined, I’d appreciate a nomination or two or three —- I nominated some of you (and myself – he-he-he) — but maybe you know of others that are deserving of an award and recognition, too!!!!
Winners will be announced May 5th — maybe someone from our Sanford blog group will win something!!!!
The rules and categories are posted on the site, but here is a briefing cut and pasted directly from the site:
Rules and Exclusions
- Please nominate personal blogs only. Political blogs, technical blogs, and marketing blogs are excluded from this competition. (“Political” blog here means a blog devoted almost exclusively to politics, where 50% or more of the entries are politically oriented.)
- Nominating your own blog is allowed this year!!
- Remember! Only blogs receiving less than 250 original visits a week are allowed to be nominated.
- Panelists are excluded from the BoB Awards. Please do not nominate a blog belonging to one of our panelists
- Consider casting nominations for lesser-known blogs, instead of offering “obvious” picks. While we do not wish to hold a blog’s popularity against it, we also want to keep the focus of this contest on blogs that could benefit from additional traffic.
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