Murder Kroger

There are a plethora of Kroger grocery stores all over metro ATL.

And you've heard me talk much about the White People's Kroger. That's the Kroger they built in the inner city when all the white people moved intown. There's even a nice Target, Best Buy, and Barnes and Noble also. It is super nice, as to be expected. I go there frequently, as that is where my pharmacy is located.

And you've heard me talk about Black People's Kroger. That's over by the CowgirlCre's Mama and Daddy's house in Southeast ATL. I don't go in there unless I absolutely have to because they are slow as all get out. Every negro in the world be up in that place. Good grief.

But Murder Kroger... I only go there when I don't feel like driving out to the White People's Kroger...

Murder Kroger...

It looks nice enough.

There are beautiful flowers for sale out front. I took this picture back around Halloween, so there are also bins of pumpkins too.

I'm not all that sure about the electric riding cart out in the parking lot. They need to get that on inside quick before someone steals it.

I can't say I have cared to go in there much. It's on Ponce, a couple of miles from the job. And it's the type of place that you go into when you need something quick. I was looking up the store hours one day, and I saw that it was lovingly referred to as "Murder Kroger" online.

No one said why, though. It is in the heart of Midtown and it sits waaaaay far back off the road, so I am sure some tomfoolery has gone on in the huge parking lot that is shared with some condos and other businesses.

Hmmm...

I have had good experiences in there. They get me in and out quickly. The staff is nice. And like I said, I only run in there for quick stuff when I don't want to drive the extra couple of miles to the White People's Kroger.

There are always...interesting people in the parking lot. Last Saturday I went, and some homeless dude tried to cuss me out because I would give him 25 cents.

I was the WRONG one to mess with on a Saturday. I had just worked 4.5 hours and I was not in the best mood.

"You the one out here begging, man!" I hollered.

"You right. I'm out here begging for a motherf****** quarter! I oughta be ashamed of myself."

I'm not sure if he was using reverse psychology on me or not... I don't carry cash. But by that time, I'd gone on in the store. I bought my toilet tissue and lawn bags for leaves, and I was out. Dude was gone.

Now, on the day that I took the picture above, I'd gone in for a few things (I don't remember what), and since I had only a few items, I thought I would get in the express lane.

Simple enough. Only one buggy ahead of me. No big deal.

Except the guys in front of me had a FULL buggy...

And these jokers were doing something I'd NEVER seen done before: they were counting out 10 items at a time and paying for them.

I wanted to holler "Really? Really dude?"

LOL!

I mean, who does that?

This dude pulled 10 honeybuns out of a box and then paid for them.

WHO DOES THAT?

Ugggh!

I just shook my head. And I decided to just pull out my phone and play around on it. They were done in 10 minutes.

That was some silliness...

Only at murder Kroger.

On that night I met another interesting fellow in the parking lot. He was kind and mannerable. He tried to sell me a handful of incense.

"No thank you," I said.

He nodded and walked away, eagerly looking for someone else to purchase his incense.

Hmm...

My adventures at Murder Kroger have been simple adventures...  nothing that lives up the moniker.

It is a decent Kroger... And I will continue to go there!

Happy Cyber Monday

Happy Cyber Monday to you!

Are you gonna go online while you're at work today and find great deals?

Not me. Sigh.

We have an audit this week. So I am a bit O_O.

I really need to sit down and go through some material and actually THINK about all the questions that can be asked. But I've been doing my regular work, and you know how that goes.

As a result, I worked a half day on Saturday. Not particularly happy about that.

It is what is.

Other than that, this weekend was nice.

A couple of weeks ago I was rummaging around online and found an article stating that there were 37 different farmers markets in metro Atlanta.

Can you imagine?

My goodness. You know I love a good Farmers market.

And there is one in my community, only a mile or so from my house, over in Grant Park by the Atlanta Zoo.

Why on earth did I not know this? O_O

So you know me... I went and investigated:

It is large. A lot bigger than the one I usually go to some 6 miles away in Morningside.

I bought some veggies I've never had before...

Purple Mustard Greens:

Kholrabi:

Yeah, I'ma look up a few recipes and work that out. I'm always happy to find something new.

My experiments with such should be all quite... interesting.

Have a happy Cyber Monday. Hope you found some great deals!

Happy Black Friday Freestyles

Happy Black Friday to ya!

Did you get up at midnight and get out there in the streets and get yourself some reasonably priced electronics!!??

I hope you did! And I hope you didn't have to beat the brakes off a fellow shopper to get that bargain, honey!

I didn't participate in the festivities...

I was asleep! Why? Because I am working all day on Friday.

Friday is payday, but it's not a day for me to go out and throw some elbows and get some deals. I am letting my black friday be a true black friday: I'm paying off some recurring credit card tomfoolery! And I am setting some year end financial goals. Wanna close 2012 out right, honey!

A REAL black friday!! My money already in the black, never in the red. Just want it a little blacker!

GLORY!! *throws glitter*

Thanksgiving. I had a very nice thanksgiving. I traveled to the Southside 'burbs to hang out with my sister. We have developed our own little tradition of just the two of us spending Thanksgiving together.

I spent a little time that morning looking for the sick-and-shut-convalescing old man Oscar-Tyrone. I thought I would take him with me to my sister's place. It would be a good chance for him to get out.

I couldn't find him, which is odd. I know all of his hiding spots.

Well at least I thought I did. I happened upon him when I needed a pair of socks. I found him in the back of the sock drawer.

And he was sleeping hard. Had to hit him to wake him up, lol. He was not happy!

And not happy about riding in the car. That was hilarious. He was all over the car. It was funny to look in the rear view mirrow and see his feet up in the air as he fell all over the car.  I am sure that wasn't good for his hepatitis and pancreatis.

He quickly figured out that he needed to just sit on the armrest and be still. He hid for a few hours when we got there, but he eventually came out and perused my sister's place. I think he had a nice time, just like we did.

Since it's just me and my sister, we don't have turkey. We bake a chicken.

Here's our light-skinned chicken!

And our dressing!

I made some gumbo. Correction: I found a quart of gumbo out yonder in the deep freezer in the garage, and I added more andouille sausage, chicken, okra and chicken to it.

It's a bit thick, a bit chunky, and I don't like the color of it, but it was tasty.

Kentucky likes to store some in the freezer, so she has a quart for herself.  I threw the remainder in another quart container and walked out yonder to the deep freezer and threw it in. She knows she can come get it when she run out.

We also had hashbrown casserole, collard greens, squash casserole, field peas and snaps, green bean casserole, wild rice, ham, and rolls. We also had million dollar pie.

An Oldgirl had the 'itis.

Really though.

We sat around and watched movies (Rango, Hunger Games, Madea Witness Protection) and flat-ironed our hair! (Well I watched her flat iron hers, and she let me flatiron the front of mine. I know she was excited about us doing something girly together, since I am such a tomboy.)

Like I said, Thanksgiving was nice. However, my sister had a falling out with our Mama that morning. So we had to spend a little time talking about that. My sister had invited our mother over so she wouldn't be along for Thanksgiving, but Ma was trying to bring her dude with her, and uh... dude, you wasn't invited. So they had a big falling out about that.

I told my sister that... oh, well. You know what you dealing with and you choose to deal with that mess. NOT THE OLDGIRL. You don't say what Mother wants to hear or do what she wants you to do, then you lost at the starting gate, man. My sister has had an uncanny way of getting along with her. Not sure how they gonna work this one out.

I thought Mother would go to her stepchildren's house because they are PLUMB CRAZY! With the cussing and fighting and fancy weapons and ish. Pure entertainment. Mother loves that type of thing. Me and my sister are the complete opposite of such. We are quite boring.

I didn't see the fight over some rachet dude coming at all. And this dude has been trying to meet for some reason. Not gonna happen, sir... You have to catch LadyLee at a stop light or a Wal-mart, sir. I'm too old for confusement these days.

After listening to my sister and dealing with her feelings, and making sure she was feeling okay, we got our Thanksgiving groove back....

In other words, Thanksgiving was a delight.

As it should be.

And I am happy about that. And thankful for it.

I hope ya'll enjoy your Good Black Friday. 

I am going to enjoy mines at work... ON PURPOSE!

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving

From your Friendly Neighborhood Oldgirl LadyLee

Massive, Part II

Click here for Massive, Part I...

My sister said some interesting words that really didn't register with me...

"Ma wants you to call her. She's having a problem and needs to talk to you."
Actually it illicited the scooby doo "Hunh??"

Kentucky went on to explain to me that Ma was having kidney problems and needed to talk to me about them. I suppose my sister had told her that I had kidney disease due to the lupus, and that I may be able to help her understand her own kidney issues related to her diabetes.

Okay. That makes sense.

Still... I thought it was odd that she reached out to me. We don't talk. I think I've talked to her a total of 3 times this year. And that is stretching it.

But she knows that I try to work with Grandma and help her with some of her medical things. Just doing the little things I can do, like take her to her doctor appointments and talk to the doctor about what is going on.

"Yeah, I'll give her a call."

And you know... my just agreeing to do that had me a little... O_o.  That's not like me. There is usually some looooonnnnng drawn out pre-conversation about our interacting, where somebody has to get my mind straight beforehand.

The reason for that is because I am just purely apprehensive. There is always some major fallout behind us being around each other. I have to REALLY watch what I say and do and any events. I end up getting in trouble for something. It's always an adventure to see what it is this time, and how much embellishment is involved. Honestly, it has been a burden off my back that we no longer have family gatherings and what-not. It use to REALLY stress me out.

I do admit that I miss the feeling of "family". But I don't miss the stress.

And I don't particularly blame her for the way she is. Everybody has their defensive mechanisms and ways of dealing in general. That's all good.

Like I said in the last post: if I allow you to abuse me, it's my choice. I got a choice whether I deal with that or not. I choose not to.

Anyway, I called up my mother. I was still shocked within myself that I wasn't apprehensive. Heck, she needed some help, and you know me... I like being helpful.

I told her that Kentucky said to call her, and that she told me she was having kidney problems. I myself have kidney disease, but it is very very slight, barely detectable. We discussed what her doctor had told her. I looked up the specific problem she had on the internet and read some things to her that she could understand. She went and got her bloodwork paperwork, and I made her read it out to me, and I told her what certain things on there were important and what numbers to be mindful of. I told her that she's gonna have to consider leaving meat alone (at least the red meat), and REALLY amp up the fruit and vegetables. (I know ya'll think I lean toward vegetarianism to be trendy... uh no. I have reduced meat out by some 95% and my kidneys are churning right along nicely.Thank goodness for that).

I told her a couple of questions she needed to write down on a piece of paper, so she could ask her doctor about them. I am suppose to mail her some information. I may just throw it in her mailbox. Not sure. I still need to find some good reading material for her, that she would understand.

It was a 20 minute conversation.  Definitely not what I would consider massive. I don't think either of us are even thinking about no deep convo. She is the type to flip out if you say anything remotely against what she wants to hear, and uh... I counter that with my own brand of passive aggressiveness. And nobody wants to deal with any of that.

But it was what it was: a productive conversation. A positive conversation. I think I was helpful.  I think I set her mind at ease.

I like that. And I am thankful for that.

I don't know if it would lead to other things. Most likely not. And I'm not thinking about that anyway.

I was just glad to be helpful. I was happy that I wasn't apprehensive, or angry about the possibility of being angry. And for me, that means that I have grown... if only little.

I think much of my better attitude was due to the massive conversation I had with my reader.  It forced me to assess how I felt about everything, because honestly, I just don't think about it much anymore. But that conversation - that nonjudgmental and open conversation - stirred up my thoughts and allowed me to examine them. I found where I was improving, and where there was room for improvement. So much of this was already fresh on my mind.

And on this Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for that.

I have written a few posts over the years on forgiveness, and one that I wrote really resonated with me (click here to read that post). I always test myself to assess whether I have forgiven someone. Most notably, I have learned that if I'm not sitting around plotting on the person, sitting around angry, or constantly thinking about the situation, I'm all good. I rarely think about the best way to set someone's hair on fire, lol.  And I set my faith on that.

Whelp! You all have a Happy Thanksgiving.

If you are having chitlins, clean them NOW so that they will be ready on Thanksgiving!

LOL

Massive

Massive...

That's a small word, but with a big meaning.

Bulky, big, large, solid, or heavy.

Comparatively large: large in comparison with what is typical or usual.

I must admit that I am thankful for that.

I guess I better put that in some type of context:

I am thankful for the massive conversations I've had lately.

That is the only way to put it. My conversations as of late have been large in comparison with what is typical or usual.

Why do I say that? Because I think we are in a time right now where true heart-to-heart conversation is pretty rare.  I don't know about you, but I deal with a lot of superficial things, relationships included.

So when I have good conversations, escpecially massive ones, I appreciate it. I mean, I really appreciate it.

I always raise an eyebrow when such conversations come in groups. I noticed this back in October. Some conversations were in person, over the phone, or via text message. But it was a whole group of them right together. And with me, that is significant.

One notable convo that really stays on my mind daily is one that I had with one of my favorite readers over text messages.  She knows she is my friend in my head. She said something to the point that she wished that I had a relationship with my mother, and we spent quite a bit of time over a 4 hour time span talking about that.

And it was a good convo. Nothing really changed in my mind about things. I appreciate the fact that she didn't bash me over my thoughts. Trust me, I am not well thought of because of my choices. And I've gotten to the point where I have to move past that.

I was telling her that I have been emotionally abused all my life. And I simply don't want to deal with that anymore. It is a simple choice. One that I don't want or care to apologize for. If I allow anyone to abuse me, and I don't necessarily have to put up with it, then it is my fault if I DO stick around and deal with it.

That's probably the reason that I am very cut and dry with people. Man, if you are not adding value to my life, and most importantly, I'm not adding value to yours, then honestly... we don't need to be dealing with each other. If you're decreeasing me in any way, busting up my self-esteem, making me feel bad about myself, then I'm ghost. Toxicity is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

That make me a hard ass. So I guess that is what I will be.

I tell you what. When I adopted that attitude and stuck with it? Much much much much MUCH tomfoolery, ratchetness and bulls*** exited my life.  MUCH! It was like cleaning a nasty bathroom with a gallon of chlorox bleach.

Really though.

And that's a good thing.

And with the exit of the muck, peace had some room to come in and spread out.  If only a little. But the whole point is that peace is present. I just need it present and accounted for.

I just need some peace of mind. Period. And I have that. Unto myself. The goal is always peace of mind and making sure I don't disrupt the peace of those around me.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. One caveat there: there is a chance people will disapprove of me.

*ladylee does the hard shoulder shrug*

*ladylee does a REALLY hard shoulder shrug*

I know way too many people who live their lives based on "people-approval". They are some of the most exasperated and depressed people I know. Great folks. Everybody likes them. But it is hard work pleasing people. Hard work. You gotta be alert and on your toes at all times to pull it off, honey.

With all that said, that massive conversation sent my negro antenna up.  I saw it mostly as an "Oldgirl Station Identification" banner of sorts. You know, where I need to bring to the surface how I feel about things, since it's usually on matters I don't think much about anymore. It is a sort of stirring up of whatever is in the pot of my mind. I don't think much about my relationship with my mother. It is what it is. 

But it also signifies something much much more interesting: such massive conversations are ALWAYS forerunners... They are flags waving in the wind signalling for me to prepare for something. I will go so far as to say that I put them on the same level as answers to prayers.  They are significant.

And that reader is REALLY my friend in my head now. Thank goodness I don't live nowhere near her. I would harass her something awful, lol! That's my friend in my head!

I spent a couple of days wondering what that was about...

And then I talked to my sister.

"Ma wants you to call her. She's having a problem and needs to talk to you."

Hmmm...

To be continued.

Happy Monday Morning... The Thankful Edition

Oh man...

I have been away from the blog most of the week!

Goodness... and I wanted last week to be a Food-for-thought week. Did not work out.

Last week was just HECTIC. I wouldn't call it a bad week, because it simply wasn't. Just HECTIC.

First of all, Ol' Lucy was in the shop.

Lucy! Lucy the Lexus!

No, she wasn't broke down or anything like that. I just didn't know the last time the timing belt and other maintenance had been done. I saved up the money and had it all done. I also needed some new fuses, etc... and I needed it road tested.  Everything was a-ok with Ol' Lucy! Whoever the last owner was did all the things they were suppose to do to keep her up!

I am thankful for that!

Annnnnd my phone broke. So I have been off the grid. I have a bootleg loaner phone until the replacement comes in. Man, they make SURE to give you something that you won't steal, lol. Phone technology has come a long way!

And guess what? Seargent Cookies is in the air!!!





That's right! My brother Milk and Cookies was doing a tour in Afghanistan for the past 6 months, and he is on his way home. Nope, I won't get to see him. He lives in Seattle. But he is on his way outta there in one piece.

Just happy to have him back in the States, man! Whew!

Our convos have been a bit crazy.

"Boy! Can you update your facebook page DAILY so we know you're alright??"
"Yeah, Shawty."

And he doesn't do it. When he accepts friends requests... that lets you know he's alright. Humph.

I was a bit more belligerent after watching the ratchetness on the news. You know how they like to scare people.

"Dude! Don't you talk to NOBODY on the streets!" I holler.
"They let locals onto the base to sell stuff, Lee."
"Boy did you hear me? You realize what they saying on the news? Don't talk to the locals!"

Whatever. He is coming back,now. Thankful for that! I hope he got on the plane and looked forward. Don't even look out the window, man! Don't even look back!

It is Thanksgiving week, ya'll. Meal planning has already begun. I am going to my sister's house. She is cooking. I am making some field peas and snaps. I fought the crowds yesterday at the Farmer's Market because my sister wanted a smoked turkey leg for her greens. She lives in the burbs on the far southside, and I would have hated for her to make the long drive. So I fought the traffic (of course I got other things, too, lol).

But it's going to be a good week. I didn't take any time off. Hopefully it will be a quiet one workwise.

I think I will spend the week posting about some of the things I am thankful for. Don't hold me to that, though. You know how I am. But that is what I hope to do.

And I hope you have a good week too... on purpose.

Food-for-Thought: The One Wrong Thing You Do...

Man...

What in the world?

I tell you... I turn on the television in the mornings all weekend and even today, just trying my best to watch the news and learn what the weather will be like, and I have to see the journalists' breathing all hard about a juicy new scandal.

Just when I thought things would calm down after the election...

Just when I hoped everything would return back to normal, I have to see this...

Really?

Sex, lies, and email. An earlier headline simply read "A MESS".

And it is indeed a mess. My ears have been scorched enough, thank you very much.

And it is all quite salacious. I never knew email could be so scandalous. Threats from anonymous accounts, the FBI combing through emails and what-not.

There's just a lot going on.

And I have sat through some of it because, you know, I just want them to move on to more things that affect the quality of my life... like the weather. I need to know if I need my umbrella or not.

I can't say I care too much about what is going on. Some folks got caught. And they got caught bad.

I can't judge. I myself have fooled around with a married man in the past. I can't say that I've sat down and sent anonymous emails. Email wasn't in existence during that odd time of my life. I'm not sure I would've even had the gall to write an anonymous letter. That's like, some dramatic tomfoolery there. I figure once you hit your 30s, we have matured past that point.

There are 3 important things that resonate with me... 3 important mini food-for-thoughts.

1. Things are not always what to seem.  To look at these people, one would think that they have the perfect lives. I mean, everyone is married. Everyone has lovely families. And yet, there is some point of dissatisfaction with "the perfect life" that always seems to take place. (And it has to be a satisfaction thing, right? Afterall, you have what everyone wants out of life!) And things go astray. That is what we have here. Life took a detour down the wrong alley. Just my opinion.

2. You can do whatever it is you want, even if it's really bad... as long as it doesn't affect anyone else's life in a negative way..  My grandfather gave me that important advice many years ago. We were discussing having a crack habit. It was alright to smoke crack... as long as you weren't affecting the lives of others.  And we know that's not the way it's going down. A crackhead tares up his own life, and the lives of others. Easily.

Hmm... this important truth is easily extrapolated to a plethora of other life issues. In the case of this elicit Petraeus scandal, lives are affected. There are kids and spouses involved. You know the kids of this chick who pretty much started all this mess are catching HELL at school. Kids are cruel. And the spouses... I am sure they can see the looks in the eyes of people they work with.

Your spouses have you looking crazy, and everything is on the news. Mom and Dad have been caught up in some straight ratchetness. And EVERYBODY knows the sordid details.

That is what I call affecting someone's life.

3. You will be remembered for one of two things:  The problems you solve OR the problems you caused.

This is where things get interesting. If you have read my blog for anytime, you will know that I'm not only perturbed by the mere actions that have taken place, I am also concerned with the residual effects of the actions that have taken place.

You know, the residue. Residue takes awhile to rub off.

And we can stretch this out to something else I heard years ago, that's related in general...

You can do many great things during your lifetime...

Reach the highest pinnacles of achievement. Solve world problems. Discover the cures to all things.

But you do ONE wrong thing, and it will all come crashing down.

One detail of your secret life can be exposed, and all those achievements will mean nothing at all.

You will be forever remembered by that one wrong thing you did.

I went and read up on some of General Petraeus' achievements,,, and they are MANY. Honestly, I didn't know much about him. It was an interesting read. This man has been successful in every area of his military life.

But let's face it: come 5 or 10 years from now, will we be discussing Petraeus' accomplishments?

Or will be talking about the man who got caught in an affair, and had to resign as the director of the CIA... all because of his mistress trying to push up on some other woman (who wasn't his wife) that she considered a threat.

Yeah, you know which one we'll be discussing.

You surely do.

He'll be remembered for the problems he caused... not for the problems he solved.

And that is sad, because it's reality.

It's everyone's reality.

So when I see these types of things, I am saddened. I don't point my fingers and laugh and whisper about it. This is everyone's reality. My messes have never been in the spotlight because I am one of the common folks. But it does make me... pause. And think of my own life, the darker more private areas of it in particular.

Let's just hope there is not more coming out about all this.

I don't think I could take it. 

I just want to know what the weather is going to be like... day after day.

Happy Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day... a day to thank all of our Veterans who have served in the military and have fought to protect our freedom.

Today I not only think of the many veterans I know.  I also think of my Grandfather, who fought in World War II and the Korean conflict.

Here's a picture of him with my brother, some 14 years ago, I believe.


I told him that day that his hair matched his tie, lol.

And anytime he had to dress up, he wore that white tie.

He passed a couple years later after this picture was taken from lung cancer. I miss him very much. He was the constant male figure in my life. And no matter what was going on, he was always happy to see me. I remember that no matter what anyone else thought of me, he always thought well of me. And that's a good thing.

We never talked much about his service in the military. I remember him saying once that cigarettes were part of the soldier's rations way back when he was in the service, and that's the reason he always smoked. But we never talked much past that about his wartime experiences.

I wish he was here to talk about it now. I was caught up with my own life issues back then in my twenties. I think I would appreciate his talks more that I older.

So that's who I think about today. My grandfather. I think about my brother who is not in the military, but has been in the military for the past 8 years, serving now over in Afghanistan.

I think those who serve in the military are our nation's bravest citizens. They put themselves in harms way so that we can be free.

And that is something to be thankful for.

So to all those who have served, and to those currently serving... I thank you for your service.

This day is for you.

Friday Freestyles... The Presidential Virtual Barbeque Edition!

Congratulations to our President for relection!


GLORY!!!

4 more years!

Thank goodness Romney didn't win. And I'm an independent, but on the state and local level, mostly. I have to say that I'm disenchanted with the Republican party.  I mean, how the heck do you diss EVERY minority- hispanics, blacks, women, gay folks, poor folks (is that a minority?)- then turn around and make light of the act of rape and its associated issues... and then expect to win?

Well they didn't diss the asian folks. Not sure why. And no telling what was said behind closed doors.

Fold all that up in a blanket called "having enough money to buy an election" and a sheet called "lying", I mean, flip-flopping.

How the heck you do all that ratchetness and win?

The answer is you can't.

And as a result, the President was reelected.  GLORY!

And I am reading articles which pretty much say that the Republicans are calling people who voted for Obama a bunch of idiots.

Wow. It don't stop, does it? Yeah, makes me want to become a republican RIGHT now. LOL

Ya'll lost. Go back and get a REAL leader and a REAL message. Looking down your nose on everyone who isn't a rich white male doesn't appear to be working.  At all.
I am glad it is OVER!! GLORY!

Time to EAT!

Let's have a virtual barbeque! And if you been to a House of LadyLee Barbeque, you know we always have the same menu. LOL

So....

Some of ya'll not all that regular, so you know I will help you on that one. Let's start out with a little fruit.



Uncle Cre (RIP Uncle cre) ! Pull out the witch's kettle! Heat up that grease! Fry us some catfish!


We got the HOT. FRIED. FISH for the Party People!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course I got the grill going.













And you KNOW there's always someone hollerin' about they don't eat pork. GEEZ!! So for them, I grilled up some shrimp and crab!






I cooked up some gumbo...



And for you REAL country folk: My grandma brought over some chittlins!


Hold your horses. The salmon and biscuits are almost ready!


















And for the super health conscious folks, we have all the stir-fry you can eat!

































Good LAWD, there is some good eatin' up in my Party!!!!

"Where the Liquor at, LadyLee!" Blog Fam screams, even though they got a case of the "itis" right now.

I tell you... black folks. You know we love the libations...

Bitch on Ice... So nice so nice.

Come on, sang with me... *Lee does the running man dance*



"Bitch on Ice... so nice, so nice! Bitch on Ice... so nice, so nice!!!"

Grab a plate, and Party ON!!!

Oh, and don't forget to leave room for dessert.

Tiny, grab that ice cream out the freezer!



(Tiny lives in Hawaii now. Lawd knows I miss him!)

Party People, make sure you have a few of LadyLee's Oatmeal Raisin walnut cookies and Chocalate Chip Pecan cookies.


And we got a little double chocolate coffee infused cake! Have a slice!!
Whew!!! That was a good virtual barbeque!

Thank ya'll so much for stopping by and celebrating the reelection of our President!

Now... you ain't got to go home, but you got to get the hell up outta HERE!!!

LOL...

Just kidding. Feel free to go back and grab another plate. There is plenty for all.

All brought to you by your Friendly Neighborhood Original Oldgirl LadyLee.


Go President Obama!  4 more years... ON PURPOSE!

Congratulations to the best man of the job, President Barack Obama.

Sir, I am glad you perservered. Really. I am.

I'm so happy that I want to dance!!


If you don't wanna dance with me, I will dance by myself.

*lee doing the hard running man*

LOL!

Virtual barbecue celebration on Friday!

Congratulations President Barack Obama!!

You're the WRONG MAN, Mitt Romney!

MITT!

You most certainly look presidential...

But you are NOT the president.

YOU LOST.

All that money can't buy a presidency.

And your disdain for the 47%... the common everyday folks... uh, you couldn't back out of that, could you?

And all that lying, uh, I mean flip-flopping didn't pan out either.

You are the wrong man.

Plain and simple.

Anita Baker says it best, sir.



Yes. The wrong man.

And I'm sorry... but you're not gonna beat Hills in 2016.

(That's Hillary Clinton, ya'll. Hills 2016. Bout to make a Hills Church fan right now, lol).

Republicans, next time ya'll need to find someone that you all actually LIKE and respect next time... because Hills is in there. That is all.

You keep working on that bucket list! I know you'll cross more things off... but not the presidency!!

One Day Left

One day left before election day.

By the end of tomorrow night, we will have a new president or we will re-elect the old one.

I myself just want it all to be over.

I want to cry, like this little girl.


This whole election has really played with my emotions. It has played with everyone's emotions. Sigh.

And the thing is, it's not all that bad here in Georgia, since it's a red state. It automatically goes to Romney. And I've only seen maybe 5 election commercials over the weekend, mostly from the superpacs.

But I just want it to be over. Please.

I saw a documentary the other day titled Patriocracy.

It was the most objective film I've seen on the "Why" behind why things are so jacked up in the nation's capital. It really delves deep into the whole history and hatred that goes on between the Republican and Democratic party, and why they can't seem to work together. It talks about the super pacs, and how that came to be. It even takes a detailed look at why the country is in so much debt. I thought it was very good... and very nonpartisan.

I like nonpartisan information. But finding it is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is rare.

And it let me know that I'm not stupid. All of this is just a game.

It's just one big huge pissing contest.

The course that America is taking comes second to big egos.

And it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

I hope things will get better after the election. I hope our leaders will realize that they need to work together, whether they are on the left or on the right.

If not, we'll all be crying like the little girl in the video... sigh.

Friday Freestyles!

Friday Afternoon Freestyles!

Suppose to be Friday Morning Freestyles... But I'm on CP time today...

So we'll keep it short!

Birthday Wishes.  Happy 35th Birthday to my Play Mama Adrienne!

Oh yeah... and happy birthday to her twin brutha, My Uncle Andre, too.

But this here is about Play Mama! Happy Birthday, Mama! From you oldest stray child!

Mama A has kept me straight for the past couple of years... Nothing like the following text message exchange:

Mama A: Did you take your nighttime meds and turn on your alarm?
Lee: No. I'll do it in a minute.
Mama A: Go do it now. I will wait.

Yep. She keep me straight! Makes sure I keep up with my appointments and everythang else! And she has dealt with the dark side of me... and still hangs around! Can you imagine that?

Thanks for that, chick! Have a happy Birthday!

The sick and shut in kitty. Man I tell you. I miss the Old Oscar-Tyrone. You know, the Oscar-Tyrone that would play around on the beams over the living room.

Yeah, I miss THAT Oscar. The one that I use to have to tell "Boy, you best not fall! You better get down from there!"

Now all I get is him peering at me from his kitty bed.

That sucka just sleeps all the time.

He'd been yacking on the carpet (which is NOT cool), so he got banned to his cage.

Look at him. That lil' dude look all sad. SO WHAT. I can't deal with the yacking on the carpet. And he hurled and pooped all over his cat bed. YUCK. That is why he has a new really cheap bed. 

He has that look on his face that says "This bed isn't as nice as the other one, LadyLee. Humph."

That's right dude. You about to be laying out on the front porch if you don't get it together.

Or you'll be hanging out in the cage. Notice he has a cheap towel in there now.

He throws his litter everywhere. I rather clean that up... much easier than cleaning up cat vomit. Yuck.

This has been an... interesting week, this care and comfort of the sick and shut-in kitty. I think he's getting better. He fights me when I try to give him his pills. He was barely eating, but now he's eating a lot. And thank goodness his bathroom habits are regular again. Not sure it's healthy to not go to the bathroom for several days, whether it be human or animal. Sigh.

I think I may have to crush it up in his food. I can't deal with his karate kid moves.

But I am glad he is getting better. He's 15 years old. Let's hope for another good 2 or 3 years of life for the Oldboy.

Whelp! That's all for today! I hope you all have a great weekend... ON PURPOSE!