Drive Time: 40 minutes
Current Listening: On Writing by Stephen King (I'm listening to it a second time...)
Current Reading:Cuba Diaries: An American Housewife in Havana by Isadora Tattlin
Recipe of the Day: Cocktails: Melon Margarita, Caipirinha, Pisco Sour, Kir Royale, Kir aux Mures

Yesterday was Friday, and I was in the mood for a margarita. Alas, our cupboard was bare: no orange liqueur, no tequila, and no Midori - which I am partial to in my margaritas. So, while my husband was snoozing, recovering from another traumatic day at his school, I set out to find a liquor store. It was about 7:20, and we needed to retrieve my mother from the airport at about 9:15.

No problem, right?

I made my mistake by heading north, toward Duluth. After over a half hour of driving, I called my best friend, who lives in Houston. She had called me earlier on the way home to Louisiana. We had several cut-outs, but I resolved to keep her posted on my progress - or lack there of.

At about 8PM, I gave up on North Gwinnett County, and decided to head in the direction of DeKalb County. Sure enough, halfway to the perimeter, on scenic Buford Highway, I found my target: Tower Package Store. I walked inside (with about 20 minutes to spare to wake my husband, get in the car, and drive to the airport...) and was dazzled by the array of alcoholic beverages. I must say that I got a little carried away.

First, the essentials. I chose good old Jose Cuervo - no fancy bottles, although they did have the gorgeous, tall, blue Corralejo Reposada tequila bottles we saw in Mexico for $30 or $40. They also had them in red, for $50. I bought a small bottle of Midori melon liqueur.

On my way to find orange liqueur, I espied the South American section, replete with pisco, aguardiente, and cachaca. I went ahead and bought some cachaca, to make caipirinhas. They are yummy!

As far as orange liqueurs are concerned, I chose a cheaper brand, called Citronge (click on the Recipe of the Day link above to go to my food blog), which is made in Mexico. Then, I got some kirschwasser, to be used in recipes. I also got some Sauza tequila mix and some blackberry brandy for a variation on kir.I stopped there, although I was really tempted by the limoncello - an Italian lemon liqueur - but I held back. Maybe I'll make my own!

My grand total - over $90!!! Lest you fear that I am an alcoholic, I am not. I didn't touch any of it until tonight. I am having a margarita. Or two.

Today, I went to see my mother's second cow, Scarlett O'Heifer, who was on display at a local mall, closer to my house. She looked fine. I am sure that Mom will be posting pictures soon, so keep checking the link above to her blog. The name, Scarlett O'Heifer, was changed to A Southern Belle, because the company who sponsored it was afraid of offending any "diverse" (read African-American...) clientele who had a problem with Gone With The Wind. This is sooooo ridiculous - GWTW is an Atlanta institution. She didn't do "Mammy O'Heifer", after all!

I just visited the Cow Parade website, and here are some links to the cows. The first one was North Highland Cow-leen, and there are better pictures on Mom's website. And here's one I found on someone's photo album page! The second one - oh my GOD, it's worse than I thought - is actually listed as sUDDERn Belle Cow - I cringe! But she looks lovely, dahling! There are postcards that can be sent from the Cow Parade site, and I will get busy on those after I finish this!

Other than that, I have stayed close to home, drinking margaritas and blogging. I toyed with the idea of going to a movie, or going out to eat, but didn't. I will need to do some cleaning and rearranging. Maybe tomorrow.

About a week ago, as I was letting the dogs out in the back yard, two doves broke from under our porch. Connolly started to run after them, but soon settled down to business. I wandered under the porch, which is one story high, and saw another dove on the ground. It scuttled back and forth, but didn't fly away. I kept the dogs away from it, but resolved not to do the first thing people always do: capture them. As my sister reminded me, they always die.

I have kept an eye on it, and later discovered a sibling, hiding among the gladioli and potted plants. I threw out some angel food cake (it's all I had), and snuck down an ice chest shelf with rainwater to them, in case they were thirsty. But, after that, we had rain. I made sure that the dogs did not wander their way.

I did see the parents around as recently as two days ago, but made sure I could find them (they are very difficult to see, as they are so still and grey) every time I went outside.

Today, however, I could not find them. I hope that they have found their wings, and didn't get eaten by a neighborhood animal!