Somedays I'm so tired of reading news articles about the war, the threat of recession, the next boost in gas prices and countless stories about murder, mayhem, and the electing of the next president that I don't even want to slip my morning paper out of its plastic bag.

Then there are days like today when a story hits my radar and makes me smile.

Today I heard about a researcher who speculates that a big red fruit could be a natural form of the little blue pill.

Men with performance problems, could eating lots of watermelon give you that amorous, um, lift when you need it? 

If so, why are we only hearing about it now?  This scientist says it has to do with an amino acid called citrulline.  Apparently more citrulline is present in the juicy, red fleshy part of the watermelon than they knew.  Citrulline converts into the amino acid arginine which is a precursor for nitric oxide, and the nitric oxide helps in blood vessel dilation.  I guess blood vessel dilation removes the dys and emphasizes the fun in erectile dysfunction.

Naturally there's no hard scientific data to back up this speculation.  More research would be needed, of course.  Other scientists and doctors dismiss the possibility.

Lots of people celebrate the 4th of July holiday with picnics.  Shoppers, you might want to stock up on watermelon, just in case.  If Uncle Jack lies on the ground and offers himself as a substitute for the horseshoe stake, you'll know.

I spent the weekend with friends up in Cape Canaveral and had a wonderful time splashing in the crashing waves of the ocean and swimming in the pool.  What a great way to relax and have fun.

On the drive home, a friend from work called.  The local animal shelter had seized 43 dogs (two ready to deliver litters), including 17 puppies from a backyard breeder who did not have anywhere near the proper facilities to care for so many dogs.

Before this event, the shelter agreed to take in another litter of stray pups.

The sudden influx of so many dogs taxed this shelter's resources.  They desperately needed people to provide foster care for the puppies for a couple of days.  I thought about it and decided that I could take on a couple of pups for a short period.  I have a large, collapsible wire crate for Nat and Pyxi to use when we travel and figured the little ones could live in it.

So . . . today at lunch time, I picked up a young, brother and sister who are part chocolate lab and part beagle. 

This is Cocoa.  She has more white on her chest and paws.

Her brother, Nestle, is just as cute.

They're somewhere between six and eight weeks old, we think.  I don't see much of the beagle in them, but perhaps that will come out as they grow older.  I might not ever know because I'm not keeping them permanently. 

I know my limits.  Nat and Pyxi are more than enough to complete our little family. 

I wasn't sure how my two, now 14 months old, would react to these tiny visitors.  At first, they were noticeably apprehensive.  They approached the crate as if it might contain a ticking bomb instead of two yipping pups.

I brought out the pups and some chasing around ensued.  It's funny to watch because Nat and Pyxi are fast and grown while Cocoa and Nestle hop-jump like wind-up toys.

Nat isn't quite sure what to make of them.  He approaches cautiously to sniff them from time to time.

Pyxi prefers to keep her distance, unless she suspects one of them might claim a place on my lap or go after her food. 

The five of us played in the yard and the house for awhile before I returned the pups to their crate for a nap.  Nat and Pyxi appeared quite pleased to have me to themselves for some quality time.  Now they're sacked out and napping, too.

I'll wake up Cocoa and Nestle in awhile for a trip outside and some exercise.  I have no idea what will happen overnight when I'm the one trying to rest.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the entire household sleeps.

That could be overly optimistic.

If you live in the Keys, I believe all of the pups, including Cocoa and Nestle, will soon be available for adoption.

If you live anywhere else in the country and love dogs, you might be able to help out your local shelter some day by offering to foster a dog or two when they need some support.

We're sharing our hidden talents and secret skills this week over at Babes in Bookland.  I've posted already and am looking forward to what Leanne, Rhonda, Karen, Traci, Amy & Beth share on their days.

Hope to see you there!

Click here for the Babes in Bookland blog!

I haven't seen the movie Bucket List and it wasn't until I saw the first ads for it that I even heard the term.  Bucket List -- the things you want to do before you kick the bucket -- before you die.

A couple of months ago, a woman came to swim with the dolphins at the facility where I work.  She is in the 4th stage of cancer and knows she's terminal.  Swimming with dolphins was one of the things she'd always wanted to do, and she was determined to do it before she dies.  She visited full of spirit and light and ready to have fun.  I'm glad she experienced this dream.

A few years ago, the BBC in England polled the country's residents and asked them to name the things they most wanted to do before they died.  Swim with dolphins was #1 and there were so many other amazing experiences on the list -- places to visit, things to see, activities to do, you name it.

From time to time I think about things I'd like to do and I'm doing my best to wrap my brain around the list and get working on it now.  It seems a shame to me to wait until we know we're dying.  I'd like to focus on doing the things I want to do because they're experiences that I think will enrich my life.

Driving the Pacific Coast Highway; visiting Sicily, the land of my ancestors.  For no particular reason I can name, I want to be a contestant on a game show.  I want to write another book, learn to sail, go to Hawaii.  Oooh!  Then I could sail IN Hawaii!

There are so many things, it's almost overwhelming, but then I look at the things I've already done that were dreams when I was young.  I've swum with dolphins several times.  I've written two books.  I've been to Europe and South America.  I've been on a sailboat, even if I didn't sail it myself.  I've learned how to handle a power boat. 

So this is how I'm feeling tonight.  Appreciative for all the opportunities I've enjoyed; anticipation for the things ahead waiting to be experienced.  There's no reason that I can't do them all -- unless I don't make the effort.

I just need a different name for the list because Bucket list bothers me.  Look up the possible origins.  Two of the popular ones are pretty gruesome.  One theory says it relates to people commiting suicide by hanging themselves.  They stood on a bucket, slipped on the noose, tied the rope to a beam and then kicked the bucket.  *shudder*

The other theory describes hoisting up animals after their throats were slit -- much like one pulled up a bucket from a well.  The poor, dying animals kicked around a lot.

Accomplishing things I've always wanted to do is cause for celebration.  I'm not checking off things before I kick the bucket, I'm filling up my internal well with experiences.

So, maybe it's my Wellness list.

What do you call your list?  Better yet, what's on it?

For everyone who says that we don't have seasons in Florida, allow me to alter your impression.  We have tourist season, hurricane season, spring break season, mini-lobster season and, of course, rainy season.

It's rain season right now which means that we're used to thunderstorms just about every day.  Considering that Lake Okeechobee, a vitally important water source for lots of South Florida, is still about three feet below normal levels, the more rain we get, the better.

At work, we recently installed a newer, even more-state-of-the-art lightning detection system.  It pinpoints if lightning is close enough to be a danger to any of us, or visiting tourists, who happen to be wandering around outside.  Let a bolt strike within the target zone and that system's alarm goes off as loud as an air raid siren warning of a blitzkrieg.  (No coincidence that blitzkrieg means lightning war.)

I'm comforted knowing that I'm safe from getting fried by lightning.  I only hope my hearing survives the season.

But I digress. 

I love looking out at the water around our islands this time of year.  You can actually see individual storms.  Dark clusters of clouds hover over the ocean and the rain falls down in what looks like a black curtain.  Amazing.

After the deluge, as soon as I see the sun come out, I rush outside to look around for what is definitely one of Nature's most glorious gifts.

It always seems to me that the bigger the storm, the brighter the rainbow.

I love rainbow season in the Florida Keys.  Enjoy!

Whatever you imagine it's like to be published . . . Well, let's just say you might not want to hold on to those ideas too tightly.  There are a lot of myths and misconceptions. 

We're talking about them this week over at Babes in Bookland.   Come on over and join the discussion!

My parents used to throw wonderful dinner parties.  Okay, Dad hosted, but to be honest, Mom did all the work most of the time.  I remember Dad's colleagues and their wives, couples who were friends, out-of-town friends coming for cocktails, conversation and a terrific meal.  Mom was a fabulous cook, even before she took six weeks of lessons at L'Ecoles des Tres Gourmands in Paris.

I don't get a chance to throw many dinner parties.  I've had friends over for 4th of July gatherings, Boat Parade parties, and book club.  These are usually snack and appetizer type things, except for book club where all I do is bake brownies and order pizza.

Yesterday, I had three friends over for an actual sit-down dinner.  I'd wanted to make dinner anyway, but this one came with a special request.  My co-worker's husband was jonesing for a real Italian meal.  His wife isn't Italian and, by her own admission, not much of a cook.

Ahh... the pressure.  While I was looking forward to the event, I also felt the weight of living up to someone's expectations.  We who are Italian judge all Italian cuisine by one main criteria -- Is it as good as our mothers and grandmothers used to make?

Breaking that down, the most important aspect of the meal is the tomato sauce.  The pasta is merely the vehicle that delivers the sauce to the mouth.  Trust me, if the spaghetti makers of the world all halted production tomorrow, we'd use bread, spoons or whatever means necessary to get that rich, spicy, aromatic, flavorful red sauce to our tastebuds.

I promised a menu of basic spaghetti and meatballs.  I learned this from my Grandmother Stella, practiced with my non-Italian mother who also learned it from Grandma.  (My mother's non-Italian mother made sauce in a completely different way.  Never had the heart to tell her I didn't like hers that much.)  I've prepared this meal countless times, but I still worried that suddenly, for no apparent reason, I'd screw it up and the food would turn out tasteless.  For the record, I don't have a recipe with exact measurements of vegetables and seasonings. 

The list of ingredients is engraved in my memory but the amounts are judged by eye and taste.  I start with this much onion, that much green pepper, that many thin slices of fresh garlic, sauteed in a healthy dollop of olive oil.  Add a few cranks of salt and pepper, the herbs and spices, crushed tomatoes and so on.  Dump in some wine and water . . . stir . . . bring to a simmer.  Let it simmer for a few hours, stir regularly, taste and add a little more of this or that as necessary and so on.

A similar method applies to meatballs which I first bake and then add to the sauce for thickening and flavor.

Before long my house smelled like Sundays at Grandma and Grandpa Stella's home.  I stood at the counter arranging ingredients for an antipasto style salad and inhaled the aroma.  I also reverted to childhood and sampled the sauce at least once by dunking in a small chunk of bread.

With great anticipation, I put the meal on the table, served my friends and waited for them to twirl their first forkfuls and taste.

They liked it.  They really liked it!  Pleased that I'd upheld the honor of my Stella and DiMartino ancestors, I dug into my own plate and enjoyed sharing the meal with good friends.

So, blog readers, any of you have a family meal that you like to make for your friends?

I've been sort of lax on my blogging, but since I linked you to cute manatee pictures and a feel good story, I hope you forgive me.   It's been a crazy busy week, which is a poor excuse, but the only one I have tonight.

Nat and Pyxi went to work with me every day this week.  At the dolphin center, we run a series of week-long, college accredited educational programs.  For the advanced training lab, the students work with our training staff and some of the dolphins to learn how to assess behavior, train behaviors, provide positive reinforcement and enrichment, and also how to present the dolphins in a session to the public.  However, so that each student also has the individual experience of training a behavior from beginning to end, each of them works with a staff member's dog.  So, Nat and Pyxi were canine instructors.

I'm happy to report that they did a great job.  Pyxi's student taught her to offer her paw for a paw-shake.  Nat learned how to spin.  Today, the students presented their dogs and demonstrated the behavior.  Well, sort of.  It was very hot out and there were a lot of distractions, so most of the dogs had difficulty maintaining their focus.  Nat kept looking around at everything but the student.  (Since he demonstrated the behavior for me up in the office, I know he knows it!)  Pyxi was a star pupil.  She sat right down when asked and held up her paw.  I'm so proud of both my furkids!

It was interesting to have them with me all week.  My office isn't very big.  The large travel crate cut the available space in half.  I learned the fine art of swiveling around in my chair without moving the wheels so I didn't accidentally run over any paws.  Except for a couple of minor squabbles and some protective barking, both pups behaved very well.

The routine of going to work, doing three short training sessions a day, and taking more walks than usual wore them out.  Every night when we got home, they were ready for naps, early bedtimes and, best of all, they slept through the night without waking me up in the wee hours for a quick trip outside.  I hope that behavior continues!

In other news, I'm about to start a new remodeling project.  Okay, technically, it started.  My contractor, John, ripped out my center hall bathroom.  It's just one empty room now -- a space waiting to be redesigned.  I have only a few vague ideas right now.  I open the door periodically and stare, opening myself to inspiration.  So far, inspiration isn't answering the call.

No worries.  I know it will come.  Any day now.  Really.  In the meantime, at least I have the master bathroom.  Once I download the pictures out of my camera, I'll share the "before" shots.  Trust me.  This bathroom hasn't been redone since it was first built over 30 years ago.  It's long overdue.

The quest for a local dog park passed its first hurdle.  Parks and Recreation approved a motion to forward the proposal to City Council.  My new career as a community activist continues. *g*

So, that's a brief recap about what's going on in my life.  I promise to be a better blogger in the weeks ahead!  Thanks for continuing to drop by and read, even when there wasn't much going on.

Maybe it's me, but I don't think I can blog about anything more interesting today than the recent rescue of a baby manatee.  The pictures of the little calf are too cute.

Read and see for yourself over at Dolphin Research Center's blog.  Click here to visit.

This week over at Babes in Bookland, we're discussing tools, equipment, methods, or anything else we might use to save time while writing.

I was recently introduced to a terrific new tool to develop a work-in-progress from concept to completion to publication.  Read all about it at Babes in Bookland!