It’s late.  I’m tired.  But… I couldn’t go to bed without putting a shiny new post up on my blog for all you east coasters who come visit me long before the sun has even thought about rising here in southern AZ. 

     I’ve mustered up three things that aren’t necessarily worthy of their own post, but definitely shareable.

       1.  I planted the beginnings of an herb garden last weekend.  Um, wait.  That’s not entirely accurate.  Jeff planted the beginnings of an herb garden last weekend at my insistence.  Ever since seeing the idea in this month’s Real Simple magazine I’ve been itching to do it.  We started with basil and flat leaf Italian parsley.  I want to get some rosemary and oregano and mint (mostly for mojitos) as well.  But, since my thumbs are more of a fleshly pink than green, I am concerned about the longevity of this little project.  I’m open for tips from some of you gardeners.  And ideas about what other herbs are invincible hearty.

       2.  When I was little my family made semi-annual trips to the nearest mall (about 60 miles from our house in what was then a podunk town).  It was not fun trying to entertain myself for hours on end while my mother perused the clothing racks at Miller’s Outpost, but, the treat we were sure to get at the end of the day made it all worthwhile.  There was (and very well still may be) a bakery in that mall called the Cookie Cookery.  Now, chocolate really isn’t my cup of tea so your everyday chocolate chip cookies don’t excite me so much.  That, my friends, is why the Cookie Cookery was so popular in my book.  They made these sugar cookies there that were to die for.  To.  Die.  For.  They were a little piece of melt-in-your-mouth, sold-by-the-pound heaven.  And the little yellow bags they were packaged in were always empty before we even made it home. 

       I’ve never seen another Cookie Cookery in all my thirty years.  Nor have I ever tasted another sugar cookie that even came close to rivaling the gems of my childhood.  That is, until I found this.  I happened upon this Martha recipe last week and thought I might as well give it a shot.  I didn’t have high hopes seeing as how it was only the umpteenth sugar cookie recipe I’ve tried in a string of fruitless attempts to duplicate the Cookie Cookery masterpiece of my youth.  I followed the recipe precisely though and was tickled pink at the result.  It is a perfect replica of the cookie I so fondly remember.  And I think I’ve discovered the folly of my ways.  All these years, in trying to duplicate the original, I’ve always thought that cream of tartar was the key ingredient that infused the tangy hint of goodness in my beloved Cookie Cookery sugar cookies.  Ah, but now I know.  It was the sour cream. 

       My life will never be the same.

       And last but not least, #3.  My new Wii Fit has come in pretty handy in helping me counteract the effects of all those buttery delicious sugar cookies.  I am head over heels for it my friends.  I mean, as head over heels as one can get for an electronic personal trainer who totally kicks my butt on a daily basis.  I’m learning yoga and new strength training exercises and all about how important core muscles are in developing great posture and good balance.  Betcha didn’t know all that stuff was related didya?  Okay.  Maybe you did, but I didn’t.  Either way I am so digging this cool new toy.  I have just as many achy muscles now as I did back in the day when getting thrown into the air for a split-second toe touch in the end zone was a weekly occurrence.  It feels pretty good too.  Jeff is addicted as well.  So, for those of you waiting for the verdict on this baby, I gotta tell ya: it was worth every penny.

     Okay.  That’s all she wrote.  Literally.