Victoria, my new friend in Boca, took me to dinner at the Old Key Lime House. It was great! We sat outside by the water and ate fish tacos. It was breezy and chilly for Florida but not bad at all after the cold in Texas. There was a big screen TV over the water showing women’s hockey – a sport I had not considered women playing. It looked a lot more civilized to me.

On our way out the door we visited the ladies room. This was painted on the wall in my stall.

And this was on the wall by the sinks:

The men in my life don’t make me cry, nor do they make me feel that I have to work twice as hard to get ahead, but I do recognize that these two statements are true for many women. They are statements that, if read at the right time by the right woman, could be empowering – and there they were, where I least expected them to be.

You just never know where you are going to run across something where you least expect to.

 Do you read the blog My Parents Were Awesome? I love this blog! I look at the people in these photos and I feel like I know them. I am reminded that while we are each individuals who lead very different lives, we also share so many of the same emotions.

Don't you wish you had this dress in your closet? Don't you know that she felt beautiful when she wore it.

These outfits are altogether different. I might have worn the dress in my much younger years, but I cannot see Steve in that outfit. Ever. This couple does look like they would be fun to know!

I leave for Florida today. I'm teaching in Boca Raton and I'm looking forward to warmer weather. In anticipation of that I want to share some photos I took the last time I was in California. These are girls on the beach. If I could ever find this outfit in my size I might wear it – good thing I'll never find it.

My toes are bad and I just don't run like this on sand anymore. I do wish I could!

I want to be this woman! She is probably in her 70s or 80s and still going strong. What a woman!

This is a treat from Linda. She's been telling me for a while now about this really easy, really tasty, 1 point dessert. For those of you who know nothing about Weight Watchers, they have a point system for foods that is related to calories. A 1 point dessert is really good.

UPDATE: A careful reader checked this on her point calculator and thinks that this dessert may be a 2 pointer. I don't have a point calculator but the cake mix calls for eggs and oil to make the cake. You don't add either of those to to this 1 point version. I'm guessing that that may be the problem. However, I did want to keep you informed…

Start with a very chocolatey cake mix. Put 3 tablespoons of the mix in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water. Mix it well with a fork. Cook it in the microwave for 45 seconds (give or take). 

Top the finished bowl of cake with a bit of hot Hershey's Syrup. I heat my chocolate syrup for 20 seconds. Eaten hot, this is like a volcano cake. Linda was right – this is really really good!

Those of you who have lived through the Blizzard of 10, please don't snicker. The weather service is predicting around 6" of snow for Sherman and there are already some travel advisories. After seeing the photos from Baltimore I'm having a hard time getting worked up about it. However, the snow is pretty so I thought I'd share some photos.

The flakes are big and wet and sitting on top of the branches, even the smallest twigs. That makes an interesting pattern when looked at from below. (Click the photo to see it bigger.)

This cardinal is waiting his turn to eat at my feeder…

The pool looks cold…

Many of you are snowed in and I hope you are warm and dry and sewing. I am not snowed in but my son, Jeff, is – in Baltimore. They have been sending us pictures and movies and I am getting a vicarious thrill – without the shoveling.

I am a bit envious that they are living through this significant weather event but I’m even more envious of the ‘found time’ they are getting. I often wish for a free day, don’t you? They are getting at least 7 free days! I’m sure there will be a cost for this later on but for now it sounds wonderful.

They went out for a walk yesterday and here is Jeff in front of someone’s snow fort…

It’s snowing there again as I write this. I’m hoping for more photos.

So, you ask, what about those sea turtles? Remember my Hawaii post showing a sea turtle on the black sand beach? Nowadays there are lots of warning signs around sea turtles on the beach telling people to leave them alone!!! This recent post from Weird Friends shows what the poor turtles have had to put up with in the past. I would not try to climb onto the back of something that looks like it could bite my arm off, but the water does look warm and inviting. I thought it was a nice counterpoint to the snow.