(s)mashing pumpkins: why I am done with mammograms

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." - Ben Franklin

I plan never to have another routine mammogram. Ever.

I'm not a big risk taker. I don't take drugs or wear fur to PETA meetings or talk about politics on Facebook. I don't jump out of planes or snowboard down mountains or swim with sharks. I don't even like to swim in water over my head.

So why would I ignore convention and refuse to have an annual mammogram to screen for breast cancer?

Artwork (ha!) property of Cindi Carver-Futch. Do not use without permission.

one degree of separation: my night with david sedaris

I spent last night with David Sedaris. 

If David Sedaris was ever to read my blog - which is unlikely - he would probably be surprised to learn this. While our evening together in Charleston meant so much to me, apparently it meant little or nothing to him.

Typical man. 

David Sedaris - photo credit: Anne Fishbein

boobs in the news

It's October, the month when things get cold and scary. Who knew boobs would fall into that category.

I'm not talking about the Federal Government. I'm talking about breasts.

smoke on the water: historic Georgetown rolls on

My husband and I started our married life in a sleepy pre-Revolutionary hamlet perched on Winyah Bay. Georgetown SC is best known by some for the smell of the paper mill, the rust of the steel mill, or as a convenient stopping point south of Myrtle Beach. But this beautiful little town, with its oak-lined streets, plantations, antique shops, and restaurants, is brimming with history and charm. It was a good place to get a new life rolling. Only now the town is looking for some new life of its own. 

 (c)2009 Mike Covington http://www.lowcountryphotos.com/

wonder-full: growing out of season

It's fall, the time of year when things start to slow down, retire and settle in for winter. But not everything - or everyone - takes this as gospel. Some things - or people - ignore convention and keep growing against the odds.

For example, green beans aren't supposed to grow in October, even in the South. But this lovely Kentucky Wonder bean plant is growing in my yard:

sinead, miley and grace unplugged: all I've ever needed is your love

It's not often that Sinead O'Connor and Focus on the Family (FOTF) agree on much. Maybe anything. But when it comes to Miley Cyrus and the chew-em-up-spit-em-out nature of the music industry, they have some common ground.

PluggedIn, the entertainment arm of FOTF, says in a review of Miley's latest release:

"(Miley) and her producers know...that emotional vulnerability doesn't smash records. Riding naked on a wrecking ball does."

In a recent open letter to Miley, Sinead O'Connor states it a little more bluntly:

"The music business doesn't give a sh*t about you."