It's Friday, and you know what that means. Time for the Friday Five. This week, with a Fast Food Twist. As always, answer any 5 or go nutter butter nutty and answer them all. Ready...Have at it...

1-What color is your pillow case?

Right now it is white with pansies.

2-Describe your dream car?

Black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am like Burt drove in Smokey and the Bandit.

3-Who was better looking, Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra?

DEAN MARTIN

4-What is something you wish you could understand better?

MEN

5-Last movie you watched at home?

NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS

6-Favorite scene in the movie?

WHEN REBECCA DEMORNAY PINS ANTONIO BANDERAS (STILL WET FROM A SHOWER,BUT WITH JEANS ON) UP AGAINST A WALL, PULLS THEM DOWN A BIT, KISSES DOWN HIS BACK AND BITES HIS TUSHY!

7-Got any plans for the weekend?

MY GRANDDAUGHTER, ANGEL'S FIRST BIRTHDAY IS TODAY, BUT HER PARTY IS SUNDAY.

8-Where did Waldo go?

I DON'T KNOW, BUT I WISH HE WOULD TAKE ELMO WITH HIM.

9-What is your favorite restaurant?

NIKKI'S IN ORANGE BEACH,ALABAMA. THE BEST FRIED SHRIMP ANYWHERE!!

USING THE FIRST LETTER IN YOUR LAST NAME, ANSWER THE REMAINING QUESTIONS:

10-First letter in last name?

K

11-Famous band/musician?

K C AND THE SUNSHINE BAND

12-Something shouted?

KISS ME...

13-Something you eat?

Kiwi

14-Body part?

KNOCKERS

15-Drink?

KOOL AID

16-Favorite burger?

SONIC OR BURGER KING

17-Captain D's or Long John Silver's?

Captain D's

18-Favorite doughnut?

LAMAR'S.....THEY BEAT KRISPY KREME HANDS DOWN!

19-Kentucky Fried, Popeye's, or Church's fried chicken?

KFC-ORIGINAL

20-A meal you can make at home in less than 15 minutes?

CHILI AND WEINERS (or as we say in the South, "weenies"). 1 CAN OF VAN CAMPS CHILI AND SOME SLICED OSCAR MEYER'S. I TOP MINE WITH CHEEZ IT CRACKERS,DOLLOP OF SOUR CREAM AND SHREDDED CHEESE.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL.....

TODAY IS MY GRANDDAUGHTER'S FIRST BIRTHDAY. I WAS THERE IN THE ROOM AS SHE ENTERED THE WORLD, ONE YEAR AGO TODAY.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXIE BUG.....ME-MA LOVES YOU!

Later Ya'll...

YOUR LAUGH FOR THE DAY:

Men (NOT ALL...BUT SOME) are like toilets. They're either, dirty,unavailable, out of order or FULL OF CRAP.

ONE FROM MY GRANDMOTHER:

He is so full of sh**, it's a wonder his eyes ain't brown.

******************************

My friend Bev and I have often discussed this problem men have with telephones.Specifically, returning phone calls, placing phone calls that they SAID they would place...making them in general.

At the Olive Garden in Hoover one day, having been INVITED over there for lunch, we sat staring at one another, wondering why the INVITEE, never called to say he was on the way....never called to cancel....never called to offer any kind of explanation.

BELLE:"What is so hard so hard about calling someone? ( tossing back another Margarita.)

BEV;"Nothing. Nothing at all. They don't do it, because they don't WANT to, and then claim it was because they were busy."

BELLE:"I've been busy many times, but never too busy to place a phone call to someone that I wanted to talk to."

BEV: "That's it, right there, you just said it.....someone they WANT to talk to. They do what they want to do, they call who they want to call."

I took out my cell phone and placed a call with her timing it on her watch to see how long it took, to place a call and leave a voice mail. Less than a minute, to leave a short message. You can't tell me that with 24 hours in a day, that out of those 24 hours you can't find 1 minute.....60 seconds to dial a flipping phone number and leave a voice mail, send a text message, "SMOKE SIGNAL" or just say very quickly: LOOK, I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME, JUST WANTED TO SAY....(WHATEVER YOU WANTED TO SAY).

She agreed with me. People make time for people and things that are important to them. And now, you can send text messages, instant messages, emails. Plus, most of us have caller ID and call waiting, in additon to cell phones. It's not like it was back in the day when you had to worry about someone tying up the phone, or missing a call because you were gone.

So, we started to wonder out loud, what were REASONS.....not EXCUSES, but REASONS, why someone couldn't call.

Broken finger...? Nope...little thing has been invented called voice dialing.

In jail...? Again, Nope....Even people in jail get to make phone calls.

The only logical reasons we came up with, to not call someone was:

IN A COMA.......OR DEAD.

My good friend, Jack, used to be BAD.....so very BAD about telling women he went out with...or...had a one night stand with...."I'll call you." Knowing good and well at the time that he wasn't. So, I asked him about it.

JACK: Well, I don't want to hurt their feelings.

BELLE: So, you would just rather them think you are a prick and an asshole?

JACK: Don't matter to me. I'm never going to see them again anyway.

But....life has a way of turning things around.

A few years ago, he met a woman that blew his socks off....he was crazy about her. They went out on a date, she said she would call. And.....guess what.....SHE DIDN'T....and then wouldn't take his calls.

So, to any men reading this:

Do what you say you are going to do. Act like a man instead of a little boy trying to hide from something.

We would much prefer to be told the truth. It might sting a little at the time, but, trust me....we will get over it.

Ladies, here is some advice from ^Belle^:

If a man is only as good as his word, and says he will call you and doesn't,then his word doesn't mean anything, and you can draw your own conclusions as to what that says about the man.

OPEN FOR DISCUSSION:

What is your opinion on this?

Do you agree with IN A COMA OR DEAD?

Still looking for that "smoke signal" that was sure to be on the way, "..VERY SOON...". Wait.....is that it...?

Nope...just my ASS BURNING!

Later Ya'll...^Belle^

Rain played a starring role in bringing us together. During those times when we were "ON", I found the rain soothing. During the times when we were "OFF", I found it painful and disturbing as the steady drops brought back distant memories.

Considering the events and non-events, of the past 6 weeks, my emotional/mental state, with rain on the way from the West (kind of ironic and symbolic), I wasn't looking forward to Tuesday night in the least.

Emotions are raw, and things are very,very close to the surface. A much needed, and double session Monday with my therapist, followed by a very extended lunch with a good friend, things had reached a somewhat manageable level.

I am beginning to see things in a different light. I can't allow anyone's actions to define or validate me. Just because I am treated like a throw away, forgettable, not worthy or good enough, doesn't mean that I am.

As I continue to process and sift through my emotions and the ashes of dreams, I feel like the little boy who wanted a pony for Christmas. Instead he woke up Christmas morning to a room that was filled with poop, and began to dig through it. His father asked what in the world he was doing, and he replied, " Looking for my pony. With all this sh**, there MUST be a pony."

So, just days into the new year, I am faced with wiping the slate clean of the past and making room for the future. Maybe my pony is that, I'm not the one who has suffered a loss. After all, nothing from nothing, leaves nothing, and if a heart never belonged to you, there is no way you can lose it.
And, maybe this isn't sh** after all....maybe it is fertilizer that will allow me to grow and bloom. Blessed will be the one that can follow his heart to find me blooming.

Later Ya'll...^Belle^

I finally had to get out of the house today. I didn't want to, but unless I wanted to resort to using coffee filters again, for something other than their intended purpose, I needed bathroom tissue.

Getting motivated to get dressed and make myself presentable, wasn't an easy task... and 3 hours after deciding that I must, I finally did.

I turned the radio off, wanting to keep my mind focused, and also, not wanting to take the chance of hearing one of those tear jerking, snot slurper songs.

5 miles away from home, in the middle of a little 2 lane country road, a group of hound dogs,all puppies were gathered around one of their own.

I approached and all of them dashed back into the yard. All, except one. He was sitting up and trying to move, trying to get out of the way, but couldn't. The window was down and I could hear him yelp, crying out, hurt, scared and alone.

I pulled over on the side of the road and jumped out....just in time to see a car coming from the other direction. The puppy, which had no doubt just been hit by a car prior to this, started to struggle, crying louder and louder. The other pups, would dart out just a bit, then retreat.

Before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of the road, holding out my hand in hopes that the car stopped. But, the truth be known, I really didn't care if it hit me or not.

As I got near the puppy, another car from the other direction came roaring up, slamming on brakes just as I scooped up the wounded, shivering,crying puppy.

The other motorist waited until I was safely in the yard. Still holding him in my arms, he lifted his face, touching me with his cold nose and gave me a lick of appreciation.

I put him down as the others swarmed around him. Walked up to the door and knocked. A car was in the drive, television on inside, I heard footsteps....knocked on the door several times, yet no one appeared.

Walking down off the porch, the puppy was attempting to walk and making some progress. I patted him on the head, and scooted the others away from the road.

Driving away, I prayed, asking God to watch over them. After all, HIS eye is on the sparrow, and that must apply to dogs as well.

I arrived at the small Dollar General in the small little no red light town, got my butt ribbon and headed back out to the car.

In a way, I dreaded driving back, so afraid I would discover the pups had wondered into the road once again, and maybe even dead.

Just as I was about to crank the car, another one pulled in beside me, radio blasting, the unmistakable sound of Open Arms by Journey coming out of the windows.

I was frozen in place, and the thought came to me:

I am that puppy.

Hurt, wounded, as life whizzes around me in all directions. Wanting to move and get out of the way,yet, I can't. Crying out for.....for...something....Oh...to heck with it....I sound like a raving nut!

Okay....seriously didn't mean to go in that direction....but, I did and there must be some reason for it, so, I'll let it stand.

The good news is on the way back home, after crying in the parking lot for 30 minutes, the dogs were in the back yard, behind a large fence, being loved, cared for and protected.Lucky dogs.

Later Ya'll...^Belle^

This week, an oldie but a goodie. Beautiful, haunting lyrics and outstanding vocals. Sit a spell...take your shoes off, as The Eagles sing, WASTED TIME.

Later Ya'll...