Getta load of these flowers

So these wildflowers popped up in our neighbor's garden. We're grateful that our driveway runs right beside them, so we can enjoy this fall scenery. Though I was grew up in the very town (the very town!) in which I now live, I'm always shocked by our summer heat. So I'm thankful for cooler temps and less humidity. Did I not notice the heat when I was a child? Running around the neighborhood barefoot, playing in the woods, putting my ear to the pavement with friends to listen out for the ice cream truck? (How stupid was that?, but we saw it in a movie so it must have worked for somebody.)
Halcyon days here in Columbus, Ga. Enjoying them while they last.

Beware the detox diets

Interesting piece here from Msn.com about the fad (and potential dangers) of cleanses. The idea is, you "detox" your body by eating a certain food, or variety of nutrients in juices/shakes, for a certain period of time. Then you go back to your regular ways. The danger, of course, is doing this in the extreme.
It's been a fad in L.A. circles, for the obvious reason that (mostly) women feel they need to be a size 00 in order to get roles. But more than LA'ers are catching on.
What are your thoughts, Internet? Ever done one of these?

National parks

Last night, we watched some of Ken Burns' "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."
What a terrific series.
(And, I didn't realize John Muir was such an eccentric.)
Here, James Poniewozik reviews the series for Time.

So you say you can cook

Take this quiz to see how well you know your way around the kitchen.
Good luck!

Zicam

Does anyone have experience, good or bad, with this product? Woman I met last night swears by it.
I knew I was feeling fuzzy-headed last night when I introduced myself TWICE to the same person at a party.

Testosterhome

No, that's not a typo.
It's the name of my friend Rachel's blog. She's a mom of five boys and is pregnant with her sixth child. (Makes me tired even typing that.) Rachel and I worked together at another paper, I attended her wedding then later on moved away. Which had nothing to do with her wedding.
She has quite a good head on her shoulders and, especially if you're a mom, you might enjoy her blog.
Testosterhome. "On the care and feeding of boys."

Flood

Not really.
But our rivers and creeks are up due mainly to flooding in the Atlanta area upstream. The girl painting the picture is a statue. Both photos are of the Chattahoochee River.