Happy 30th Birthday LBeezy, You Original Oldgirl You!

(Yeah, I've been gone for a minute. Evil management has been working me like a Hebrew Slave. My brain has been fried to a crisp all week long. But today is a Special day, you see... so I am BACK!)

So...

It's that time again...

That time, that time, that time. . .

To hand over some much coveted. . .

STATUS.

I'd like to wish one of my favorite blog mentors, "The LBeezy" a.k.a. "LBigga" a.ka. "LBoogie" a.k.a. "The Ladybug Mocha" a happy birthday.

Happy 30th Birthday LBeezy!!!!


Now, I think I came across LBeezy some 3 years ago. She had a huge blog under another name, and I lurked around in her territory. Never commented, as she was a part of a tight "community" back in those days.

Then something happened.

She lost everything in the storm, a.k.a. "That Dayum Katrina"

She picked up with her son, and relocated to another state.

That in itself is mind-boggling.

These days, The Lbeezy is like an old school gangsta. . . She don't get too far caught up in blog stuff, and blogs very lowkey, every now and then. She likes to sit back and watch others do their thang.

I've learned MUCH from the Lbeezy. . .

I see from time to time on other blogs statements like "As LadyLee would say: *crickets*."

Yeah, that's part of my style these days, but uh. . . I JACKED them *crickets* from the Lbeezy.

I also picked up the whole description thang, i.e. *Ladylee giving the hard eyeroll*

The most recent phrase of LBeezy's that I have hijacked is something I use waaaaaaaay too much:

*gas face*

LOL!!!

I told her one day, "Yo, I bite your style? Do you mind?"

"Feel free, Leezie," she said. "I really don't care."

That's Old School for ya right there.

Really though.

But over the past 3 years, she's become a true friend.

You know how it feels all weird when you go more than two or three days without talking to certain folks, whether it be via email, on the phone, text message, etc.? You just feel, I don't know, strange when you don't communicate with them?

That's how we are.

To the point if, I don't hear from her via any of the numerous communication avenues, I will call her up. She is one of the couple of people I will send text messages.

(And ya'll know I can't stand calling people. Let's not even get over into how I feel about texting.)

But she and I had a long talk last night. She is all excited about turning the big "30".

Ya'll know what I say... "You don't know nothing until you turn 30."

But I heard it all in LBeezy's voice on the phone last night. She's turning 30. The light bulb is glowing brightly over her head. She's a woman with plans, moving forward, and happy about life.

Good for you, Lbeezy!!

She has been on me for MONTHS about sending her some of my world famous cookies. Last week, she Serenity30 and I were doing our daily email gabs (it's a frickin' shame how we use it like IM). Serenity was going to be in town for the weekend, and we were arranging to meet up for lunch. Serenity wanted a batch of chocolate chip pecan cookies, to which I agreed to make.

LBeezy sent a simple email that simply said...

"Biatches!"

(Yes she was upset. VERY upset.)

I sent Serenity a separate email saying, "This girl just don't know she's gonna eat those words. She's getting a big batch of oatmeal raisin walnut cookies in the mail for her birthday."

I think LBeezy had the *gas face* for most of the week, throwing all kinds of snide remarks about cookies at me. I just laughed about it.

My biggest issha is that I haven't been able to find proper tins for mailing cookies. I get them from the thrift store, but I hadn't found any recently. Well, last weekend, I headed down to American Thrift in Riverdale, deep on the southside, on the other side of Collie Purk (LOL!), and bought every dayum tin they had.

Side Note: Uh, is it just me? Have you been to the Thrift store lately? This one was so crowded. I mean, uh, crowded like a doggone club letting folk in free. Traffic jam crowded. Standing in long lines crowded. It was so crowded that I thought an Electric slide was gonna break out at any moment. LOL!!

Then they had the nerve to be playing Christmas music.

In June.

*LadyLee dropping tins in buggy and squinting hard at the ceiling when "Silent night" plays*

An experience indeed. Happy smiling people carrying around their thrift store loot. A twilight zone moment indeed.

Anyway, she got her doggone cookies, a good 2 dozen. She was my test case for mailing cookies. Only a few crumbled out, but most were in tact.

So Lbeezy, it's only a small token of my appreciation.

Thanks for being there for me, for our long eye-opening convos, and for teaching this Oldgirl a thang or two about blogging. You are one of the few people who, when you hear me whining or going off on an angry tangent, can reel me back in, and can say to me, "Lee, let me put my two cents in, Blah, blah, blah,". She is thorough and very succinct with me, and it turns my whole attitude around. I told her that one day, and I know she was like... "Hunh?"

Girl, your words are like dynamite. When you speak, the words change and rearrange things. They are explosive and high impact. And I need that. I really need that.

Thanks for putting a verbal foot up my a$$ when I need it.

For that alone, I am glad you are my friend. It's rare to have people around me who will check me and keep it moving. (You know how stank my attitude can get, lol). Thanks for that.

I've watched you lose everything, and rebuild. When I need courage, I think of your situation- your push forward to reestablish yourself and all. That gives me hope in my circumstances and trials. It truly does.

(And you got SO many letters after your name. I will still trade my three measely "Ph.D" letters for that long string of ish following your name! LOL)

So... without further adieu, I bestow upon you your platinum card carryin' status.

I hereby pronounce you, on your 30th birthday. . .

"An Original Oldgirl"


Ladybug, I hereby extend to you your *Original Oldgirl Platinum Plus Card*, good worldwide and on every planet in the solar system, good even on the Sun itself...with no monetary limits whatsover.

So if the police ever try to run up on you, or some folks try to jump ya, you can yell-

"Get back! I am an Original Oldgirl!"

I'm an "OG"!

"Get the **** back!!"

No, you'll still catch a beat down, and you'll still get locked up...

But you'll have the pride attached to being an Oldgirl...So, now, instead of that 10 dollar card… you have a Platinum plus Card, good on all planets, even the SUN!!!

You have the pride of knowing that..
One who is an Original!
One who is full of wisdom!
One who keeps it real!
One who has been through it all!
One marching like Miss Sophia on her way to a place of peace and victory......

Stand tall!
And make sure you don’t fall
Be proud
Say it loud

I, The LBeezy, am an… Original Oldgirl!

Enjoy your birthday, Oldgirl!

Love,
LadyLee.

I got worms, Man!

For that Botanical Chick Carleen's amusement, because I think she'd give a *blank stare* and get a kick out of this, lol.

Somethin's nibblin' on my cabbages!
I said. . . Something's eating my cabbages!!!!!!

I have two cabbage plants out in the garden, and something is taring them up! Most likely, it's cabbage worms!

I got worms, Man!

*LadyLee faints out in the afternoon sun*

No, I didn't faint. But I did laugh.

It all reminded me of my group secretary Dee's gardening dilemma.


Dee likes to grow collard greens in her garden every year.

It's always a joy to hear her exclaim with such fervor and glee...

"Dr. LadyLee, I got some collards growing out there in the garden!"

"Chile, they are delicious. Picked 'em just before that first frost. They were so good."

So, a few years ago she came over and sat in the cubicle area. She comes over and sits and chit-chats with us from time to time.

I asked her about her beloved collard greens.

"Dee, how them greens growing this year?"
She got all quiet. Her eyes got big. "I guess they alright," she said, her voice quiet.
"What's wrong?" I asked. "You having problems with them?"
"Chile, the bugs was getting all in them. Eating up my good greens!"
"That ain't good, Dee."
She got all quiet again. Eyes got all big again. "I sprayed some spray on them, Dr. LadyLee."

I guess I could see why she was worried. Many folks like their garden to be organic, with no pesticides.

"That's alright, Dee. Gotta get rid of the bugs, you know."
"Chile, I sprayed some Hot shot on them greens."

Now, there were several of us milling around, but when she mentioned the Hot Shot Bug spray?

All conversation stopped. Then picked back up after our silence.

"WHAT?" I said. I just knew that I didn't just hear her talk about spraying "Hot Shot" bug spray on the greens.
"I said I sprayed some Hot Shot on the greens!"
"Are you serious?" I barked. "You can't do that!"
"Chile, them bugs was eating up my greens."

We just stared at each other for a moment.

"Well?" I asked.
"Well what, Dr. LadyLee?"
"Well, did it work?"
"No. Them bugs still eating up my collards!"

I just shook my head.

"Dee, make sure you wash the greens off real good before you cook them."
"Oh, I didn't cook any. I gave some to my sister, though."
"WHAT??""Sure did," she said."Did you tell her that you sprayed roach spray on the greens?"
She shook her head hard. "Chile, no! I just gave them to her. I was hoping that she would be alright."

*huge crickets*

"DANG, DEE!!" I yelled. "What if she get sick?!?!?"
"Oh, she cooked them already. She said they were good. And she seem to be alright."

Roach spray on collard greens to kill bugs.

I. have. heard. it. ALL, Man!!!

I told her to go get some Sevin-Dust and sprinkle it on the plants. That kills the critters. I'm going to have to get a little of my own to deal with this cabbage issha.

But we still talk about that to this very day.

"You a fool, Dee!" I always yell. "Frickin' bug spray on the greens!"

"Chile, I was trying to get rid of them bugs!"

That reminds me:

I have some flying insect spray beneath the kitchen sink.

I wonder. . . Oh, I wonder if that will do until I make it to Home Depot??

LOL!!

Gettin' High

It's getting high, ya'll.



Real high...

That is the price of gas in midtown ATL. This is a gas station I stop at only if I'm running on fumes and I absolutely need some gas. I usually get enough gas, a gallon or so, to get me to my hood 5 miles south so I can save 10 cents a gallon.

This gas station has had the gas at that price for the past month. And it had to be one of them thangs where the owners got tired of changing the sign and decided to set it up high. (I don't blame them, especially since it has been HOT in the ATL lately).

They say that the average price of gas has risen 37 cents in the past month of so. That is some craziness.
But it ain't all that bad, ya'll.
Really.
Highest gas price right now:
The Netherlands- $9.73/gallon.
Norway- $10.00/gallon.
Sierra Leonee -$18.50/gallon.

Shoot.

What would you do if gas got THAT high over here in the good ol' USA? What if gas cost as much as $18 dollars a gallon!?
Let's just say that people are already stealing gas down here as it is.
My best friend LadyTee remembers back to days of old.
"Lee, I remember being mad as hell when gas was $1.24 a gallon!!!"
$1.24 a gallon. . .
Who woulda ever thought that those were the Glory Days?
The lowest gas prices right now.
Venezuela - $0.19/gallon.
And this is because that country has it's own resources.
Now uh, why couldn't we have done this in our own country? I think we have some pretty smart people here. Heck with enough research, we could've had cars that run off of AIR by now...
But we don't.
So it's going to keep on getting higher.
And we have no choice but to pay the price...
~sigh~

Cornbread and Water

You know, I believe. . .

No, I'm pretty much convinced. . .

That there is something in the cornbread. . .

or the water.

It seems as if there is a baby epidemic going on. So many pregnant women around me, more than usual.

Got all the ladies at work looking at the water fountain a bit strange.

(Maybe we should be looking at the cornbread instead).

Don't know what it is.

Let's just assume that it's just a wonderful baby making season:)

My boss had her baby girl this morning. They sent out an email, and she requested "No visitors". That's because I'd been threatening for months to round up a gang of folk and come up to the hospital and act real crazy, you know, running up and down the corridors yelling her name.

(I was just, uh, playing, Darth Sista. Congrats, Boss!!)

Well, in the past 9 months I've made 4 baby blankets, the latest being one for my faaaavorite LadyLee blog reader, Ms.blackliterature.com.

She is due this month. (Hold on girl, you're allllmost there!!).

I like this blanket. I got this thing for squares right now, and I could take a small ball of yellow or white yarn with me and make my squares, instead of lugging around a full blanket. I took the unfinished blanket to work a couple of times, like I always do, so that my crochet mentor (who taught me to crochet!), The Cowgirl Cre, could have a look at it. She answers any questions I have and does a little bootleg consulting. I am very knit-picky about the least little things out of place. She always answers with the "Gurl, if I were you, I wouldn't worry about it."

This irks me because I want her to worry as much as I do. No chance at THAT.

But I was walking the halls at work one day and I saw a coworker dressed in a sweat suit. Now, we have a part of the military working with us, and I am use to her walking around in her military gear. So I stopped her and questioned her, preparing to threaten her, really.

"Uh, you're not suppose to have that on, girl!!"

"I'm waiting on my maternity military outfit, LadyLee," she whispered. "My military pants no longer fit."

*crickets*

I was stunned for a moment, just staring. And I realized once again that it was time to make another blanket. I led her to my cubicle area. I had my unfinished blankets with me that day.

And she wants the yellow and white blanket above.

So here we go again.

Just how many blankets will I make this year??

*LadyLee walking the halls at work, staring at the ladies who are drinking from the water fountain*

*LadyLee giving the hard eye squint to the ladies having a piece of cornbread with their lunch*

LOL!!

That's What's HOT!

One of my Book Club Sistas, Star, was doing some ol' bootleg fundraiser duties for one of kids. She passed around a nice glossy flyer. I looked through it. There was a bunch of wood carved mess. (What is up with these school fundraisers? They get kookier by the year!)

Anyway, I filled out an order. (I don't know how to say no. Gotta help the kids!)

So I ordered a double-sided key chain.

Original on one side...




And you know what was on the back, Mayne!!!!!



That's what's hot right there!!

And it looks good with my keys!!!



Ahhhh Yeah!!!

Blog Fam yells "You're so corny, LadyLee!"

*LadyLee gives the big Celie smile... and the Celie crooked two fanger point!!*