Camille'sBigSister

Well, here I am again, aging as gracefully as possible without losing my face. Do you goofy young'uns need instructions? I have a few secrets I'll be happy to share.

1. If there's a large mirror in your bathroom, never look into it when you're just stepping out of the shower! I haven't looked at my naked body in fifteen years.

2. Never look at yourself in the full-length mirrors in dressings rooms until you are fully clothed. Even then, do not look at your face under those flourescent lights.

3. Remember that all overhead lighting is your enemy. Remodel your bathroom to exclude overhead lights; instead install soft lighting on both sides of your mirror.

4. Put on your makeup in this soft light; go out and have a good time; and never look at your face in another mirror until you get home.

Do you get my drift here? Mirrors are not our friends. That's because we women see ourselves as we really are. Men, on the other hand, begin to lose all touch with reality after their 30th birthday. Somehow they become vision-impaired when gazing into mirrors. Do they see wrinkles, sagging pot bellies, multiple chins, shiny bald heads? No indeedy. They only see the bodies of the 18-year-old studs they used to be! And that explains why they believe the flattery of sweet young things looking for a sugar daddy. Men are hilarious!

5. Wear long sleeves. A few years ago one of my little grandsons was affectionately squeezing my well-covered upper arm, when he suddenly stopped and gasped, "Grandmama, are you OLD?" Thereafter I added:

5-B. Allow no upper arm squeezing.

Dinner time, so bye y'all! Talk to you later.

Rachel, you are absolutely right. We've gone too far afield from the original intent of your omg thread.

Mea culpa!

I've contributed nothing but trivial, silly observations and stories, and I am sorry.

I know nothing that would be of any help to anyone, but I have learned a great deal here, information helpful to me and, more importantly, to my family. For that you have my undying gratitude.

Therefore, in the future, I'll only pop in occasionally to glean information, and to see how everyone is doing.

Love and prayers,

Oh, there y'all are! Hooray, I found you!!! Refuge from the storm, dont'cha know.

I know nothing about facial/leg peels, but everything about grits. So may I join you goofy girls?

The secret to grits, imo, is lots of salt, low heat, long cooking, and tons of butter added when served. Grits are one of my favorite comfort foods. In fact, I'm going to go make some right now. Y'all have made me hungry!

Cissie

P.S. When we got home after our five years in Germany, many things puzzled my two littlest young'uns. They couldn't understand why we didn't have to go through Customs when we crossed a state line; and when they saw all the front porches on houses, they called them "balconies on the ground." We drove to Memphis from New York, and stayed overnight at a hotel in Nashville. At breakfast in the hotel dining room the next morning, there were, of course, grits on each plate. The little guys stared at their plates in bewilderment, then looked at me, and one of them asked, "What's that white stuff?"

Cissie - the boils and the penicillin illness - - holy Lord - my friend's daughter almost died from STevens-Johnson, 106 fever burning from the inside out from her terrible antibiotic - huge lawsuits against that company - she lived, we had people praying in the hallway outside of ICU as humans were not allowed in as her body was one giant open bleeding wound....oh holy tangents how did I go there...but antibiotics are so wicked...

(does Taps make you cry? me too....we could hear it in Monterey at 11:00 every night, I used to drive by Defense Language INstitute to hear it - wish someone would play it for me each night before bed...)

Drive by here too; there's a storm coming.

Susan, penicillin is made from a certain type pf mold. Yuck! That's how I discovered I'm deathly allergic to molds.

A friend of mine was buried in Arlington. She had been an Army nurse, a lieutenant, in WW II. I bawled when the bugler played Taps. It always made me cry, but now it's personal.

Shutting down for the duration.

Good night, all. Pleasant dreams.

Cissie

PP(premature post)

Interesting about the neutrophil thing.

Rinne,my son keeps getting boils (I suspect he's a coeliac and is waiting on blood results)

The slightest little pimple seems to end up as a full scale boil.

He currently has a nasty one on his leg,which started as an tiny yellow head.

Oh gosh,his poor leg got sooo red and inflamed (hot to touch too)

It's nearly healed now but has taken 2 weeks,anything takes forever to heal-and they seem to leave such large holes

I can only think it's something to do with a comprimised immune system?

Reading on.......

Nikki, I think boils are caused by a staph infection. I got several a few weeks after the birth of one of my babies. Couldn't figure it out until I read that hospitals were having problems with patients getting staph infections, and someone finally figured out that most were caused by unclean operating rooms. True story. I still have 4 or 5 holes in my legs. The boils didn't pop up all at once, but one after the other. Finally got a shot of penicillin, which darn near killed me, but got rid of the infection.

My ob said there were staph germs everywhere, which is true, but I wasn't the only woman who came home with a new baby and a staph infection, though it didn't always manifest itself as boils. There was a minor epidemic, but doctors didn't want their patients to know about it. The medical profession tried to keep it hushed up.

This has nothing whatsoever to do with your son; it's just one of those historical oddities I teach at good old UCCF! I do hope his boils clear up soon!

Cissie

And good morning to you, Rinne!

I hate that you're having to fight off a migraine! Lord, but those hurt!!! Would very strong black coffee help? There's a lot of caffeine in the cafergot suppositories I take for my migraines.

Not only are mine caused by msg, but also from bright, flashing lights, and loud noises. I couldn't go to double feature movies (Do they even have them now?), or the circus, or something like "Ice Follies," when I was a teenager. Even now I avoid concerts, etc. Another thing that brings on a migraine is sunlight flashing through trees when I'm driving.

One more thing: If I'm very tense, or stressed about something over which I have no control, I take a suppository before I go to bed that night. If I don't, then as sure as God made little green apples, I'll wake up with a migraine. I understand the science behind this, but it's too boring to repeat; besides, you most likely know all about it!!!

Usually I get up at 6:00 AM, so, since I need nine hours sleep at night, I go to bed at 9:00 PM. But yesterday the ulcer on my ankle hurt so badly I had to take pain pills, and I slept off and on all day. Now my sleeping schedule is all messed up!

Hope you feel better soon!!!

Cissie

Uh-oh...geese are slipping again....don't tell anyone...but I snuck them some of Rachel's glutened crackers and Auxigro'd veggies! hehehehe

They were kind of out of it after that....and were totally amused by the "duck, duck, goose" game I showed them.....

Premature Post

Sorry, but you must have mistaken some wild geese for our geese, who wouldn't be caught dead eating glutened crackers and Auxigro'd veggies! Better mind your manners, young man. You are only our guest, since you're not gluten-free, and we made the rules long ago.

Several inhabitants have suggested that our geese are slipping. Not so! Your Minister of Defense has been ill, and unable to speak for her charges.

The geese have tried to be patient with recent not-so-subtle sexual inuendos, and with all the references to nudity and to strange men grabbing for Altoids being thrown from a float. But now they are putting their feet down! There are innocent children in Rachelville. We discussed, a few chapters ago, the freedom, safety, and security of our own childhoods, and vowed to provide, in Rachelville, a safe place for children to have the freedom to run about and play, without their parents having to worry about their safety. Therefore, the geese agree with Andrea that we must maintain a sense of decorum on our cult farm.

Sincerely yours,

Cissie

Minister of Defense, in charge of our miraculous, protective, Auxigro-detecting geese

Do the geese in Rachelville go around yelling AFFLAC?

-Dave

Oh, I just couldn't let this one get by!

No, dear city boy, our geese are very well-mannered. But I have seen a duck going around yelling AFFLAC on tv.

Cissie, signing off.

Our distinguished president has called for a time out, and I'm happy to oblige.

Besides, I have to get dressed for a wedding.

Good night, fellow lunatics. Sleep well.

Cissie

Oh my no... because you will have to share the attic with the half toed one and she will try to cook for you and I'm not sure if she's gluten free, is she?

You are absolutely right, madame. She isn't gluten free, and I'm damned if those kids are gonna pass my gluten free food up to me in a bucket. Something must be done! SOS! SOS! SOS! CALLING ALL GEESE AND DINGOS!!!!!

Cissie

Are these the bad bats or the purple glittery one? Because we must let the pretty bats in.

Oh, the bad bats only. We luv our purple glittery ones.

Cissie

Oh..................my.......................Gosh.......................our Cissie watches BOUNTY HUNTER......

this is somehow SO incongruous to me........let me wrap my mind around it................

Yeah, well, my kids are thinking of putting me in the attic!

Cissie

Cissi... but what about the other half sister's husbands twin, twice removed, the one with half a toe?

Sssshhh. We keep that one in the attic. Keeps the bats away.

Cissie

'round the bend, indeed......dog's wedding????

premature post....

Of course! Dog the Bounty Hunter, dontcha know.

Cissie

All caught up now I think...

Cissi was that your first cousin of the second sister far removed?

Let's see now: Cu'dn Lula was my mother's fourth cousin thrice removed, so, if I remember correctly the lessons in Southern geneology learned at my sainted mother's knee, that would make Cu'dn Lula my fourth cousin four times removed.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clear that up.

Cissie

Cecile! So glad you're back! Are you all caught up with us?

I hate having to go to bed so early, and missing the parties!!! And I used to be such a night owl!

Dog's wedding is on tv tonight, if anyone's interested.

My mind is wandering; I must eat before I go completely round the bend.

Cissie

I'd suggest telling him you're not really ready to date right now, but seeing that he's an old friend, you'd love to get together with him. You are open to the possibility of it becoming something more, later. This way, you can develop your friendship, he can get to know your issues (celiac, non-drinking, etc.) and you can get to know his without dating getting in the way. If you decide in the end to date, you have a great friendship to build on. If you decide not to, you have a friend.

If he dated you 2 1/2 years ago and had his divorce finalized in January, was he in the middle of the divorce while dating you? Or did he meet, marry and divorce someone in that short time? I'd proceed with caution ... friends sound good for both of you for the time being.

Carla's advice is much more sensible than mine. If I were you, I'd listen to her. Guess my raconteurial memories eclipsed my good sense!

Cissie

oh dear God, I went to graceland when I was 23, saw Elvis at 10 (here in Fresno) and....love him....always will....where is he.....

PREMATURE POST

OH HOLY HECK, just got asked out on a DATE, someone from my past, via email....scared....very scared.....deer in the headlights.......hold me...........no no not scared of HIM, scared to go out with all of my - current issues, no, can't go there, no, can't eat that, no, don't drink, what will I wear.....etc. etc.

HE HAS A CABIN.........help me........

Is he intelligent, fun, and handsome? Go for it, girl! Cook a gluten-free, whatever-else-free dinner, invite him to drop by, slap on some makeup, and have a great evening!

Cissie

I'll tell you what, my music tastes would get ME laughed out of town, except by perhaps cissie - -

Bluegrass, American roots music (I went from Celtic to that), OLD country (Cash especially, Willie Nelson and Emmylou), and then NIck Drake (British and no longer living), crazy old English Beat and ska, from college- - there's normal stuff too (Seal - my deep love - U2, Beatles, Peter Gabriel) and some Christian music......but everybody but my bro hates my old crazy stuff with fiddles and Appalachian crooners - - - -

Nope, you won't catch me laughing at you. Love that Bluegrass, Celtic, and OLD Country.

BTW, my daughter, the Elvis fan, is taking off for Memphis on Thursday, for all the goings-on at Graceland. It's an annual pilgrimage.

Cissie

Dear Dave (The),

I must also caution you thusly, I think Cissie carries a gun. A rumour I heard.

Oh . . . . that. Don't we all? Remember your Southern roots, you quick-witted dingbat. It's just a little old 5-round, Smith & Wesson revolver. I call her Lulu, not to be confused with She-of-the-Dangling-Nerve-Lula.

Cissie

Cissie - you are literally killing me - - - -

and WHAT is a dangling nerve...........

My dear Dingo Friend,

We'll never know. Cu'dn Lula was the only person in the entire history of mankind who had one.

Cissie

aka: Little Miss Nasty Nice

OMG guys, you should hear my stomach right now..... Has any of you ever cleared a drain and once it's cleared, you get the GLUB, GLUB, GLUB sound as the water is going down the drain? That is my stomach right now, you can hear it in the next room! Yep, the night has just begun.....

That's why my little ol' mother quit going to church.

Cissie

what will they think of us.....do you think it's time to start thinking of a special place in R-ville, you know, to keep us when we have gone bonkers.....

Yes, Esteemed Goofiness! A thousand times yes!!! A beautifully decorated room with padded walls.

Cissie

Think of poor Cissie, Evie, Armetta, Tavi, Picard, Ryan, Vincent, Rinne, Julie, Miamia, Chelsea, Patti and on and on.

YES! Think of poor Cissie, and shut up for an hour a'ready!!! I'm only on page 326! Y'all were sooo full of spinach last night!

Cissie

Dave, Dave, Dave....did you not read the town list.

Cissie is in charge of the auxigro detecting geese who also patrol the borders of our village and keep gluten intruders out.

Remember....you must go through the de-gluten chamber before coming back to our lovely village after foraging in the town over the hill.

Another Premature Post:

Dear Dave (The),

We welcome you with open arms, and you ridicule the ferocity of our geese? I, in my role of Minister of Defense in charge of our miraculous, protective, Auxigro-detecting geese, deem it advisable to caution you thusly: Tiptoe lightly through our Rachelvillian tulips. The geese and I are ordinarily peaceful inhabitants. Don't make us have to hurt you!

Cissie