August, 2008
LIZ CRANDALL 
You finally find your true love, the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. You realize it once again on this perfect day when he brings you fresh-caught fish for a romantic dinner high above the world. You fly with the sunset to your favorite spot beside a marsh and fall asleep to the songs of the night. The next morning you both fly out, planning to meet here in the evening. That afternoon you return and prepare.
What's in your bag?
What can you tell from the satchels carried by the women of the Lee County Probate Court? Here’s your chance to search without a warrant.
Therapy by the spoonful
If there is a list of requirements for happiness, ice cream has to be near the top. A container of it relieves stress with the aid of just a spoon — no bowl necessary. When my husband was completing his pharmacy residency, he would stop by a dairy store on his way home and pick up a half-gallon of fudge ripple dotted with little bits of brownie and pecans. It never saw morning.
Summer tonic
By August many gardens look a little worn. But what if you are having a party soon, trying to sell your house, or simply need a lift to cheer you up? Is there a way to add life and color to your tired outdoor living space?
See spot reduce - Not!
My friend Lynn nominated herself mayor of Flabbalanch Gulch a few years back. She announced her leadership role to four friends as we lounged by a Myrtle Beach pool. Lynn has an apple figure, with most of her body fat on her torso. She likes to say her midriff region is “down for repairs.”
The $10.48 woman
I came. I saw. I conquered. I rummaged. I raked. I found. Put me in a Goodwill store and I will dominate the fiercest of the chichi and have money to spare. But everyone I talked to dissed the local thrift scene. “Don’t waste your time thrifting here unless you’re looking for extra-large giveaway T-shirts,” they said.
Extra credit!
You did your victory dance and you high-fived your spouse. The kids are in school! But now hear this: You are back in school too. You need to be just as committed as they are. No, you don’t have to squeeze into a little desk, but you do need to help your kids adjust to life in the classroom, and these first few weeks are critical. You have homework. Let’s start with the math: involved parents + students = success.
Speak and quell
Feel bad? Why don’t you say so? All those girls scribbling poetry in the hurricane of emotions that is middle school are onto something. An accumulation of scientific evidence suggests that we can increase our peace of mind by putting feelings into words.
Lost Auburn
Ann Pearson probably doesn’t see herself as an incarnation of the fictional detective she created in three mysteries she wrote in the late 1970s, but her collaborators in a search for evidence of a missing village are a little in awe of her sleuthing skills. “Ann is the best detective,” said Delos Hughes, one of her fellow investigators.
LEE LIFE: At the library
Bumble bee, bumble bee. Don’t put that stinger on me! Bees and wasps visited the Auburn Public Library’s new 10,000-square-foot addition July 23. No worries. They were all in books and video. The children were able to bring home their own baby bumble bee that they created out of foam, pipe cleaners, and glue. It was bee-listic!
