You may be a year older, but you're certainly not out to pasture yet. Oh, wait a minute, you are out to pasture!

I'm with you. I love the country life. The city holds no fascination for me. In Maine we have something like 11 murders a year. In Detroit, where I grew up, they practically have that each night! No, thank you.

There are certain things, though, that are annoying about living in a rural area. Good restaurants and good shopping locations are all an hour or more away. I know it sounds as if I'm high-maintenance, but not really. You should see me in the summer (the people at work don't believe it). Working around the house, I dress in ripped old clothes, no makeup, hair not combed, with a bandana tied "sweatband-like" around my head. I look like an old hippie!

Oh, I almost forgot! DH took me out yesterday so that I could pick out my birthday present: a digital camera! I've been wanting one for a long time, but we only got our last camera about 5 years ago and I thought he would think buying a new one would be frivolous. He said he was thinking about how I like to take pictures of all the pets, scan them into electronic format, and then set them up as my screensaver. He's actually very thoughtful when he sets his mind to it!

So anyway, I didn't get one. There were so many to choose from, and I didn't have a clue which one would be the best for me. I'm a "Consumer Reports" kind of gal! So I got home and did all my research. It's a toss-up between a Nikon Coolpix and an Olympus Camedia. The Nikon is a 2-megapixel model and the Olympus is a 3-megapixel model. According to the report, the 5-megapixel ones are for serious photographers or for those people who will be doing a lot of enlarging and manipulating of photos. That's not me. So why pay extra for bells and whistles you won't use?

I'll check down in the big city tomorrow at lunch to see if I can get a good price on one. Both are right around $200. Anyone have any advice?

PS: Didn't go to dinner last night; had Chinese takeout. And champagne. Advice: Don't do this at home, folks! The flavors didn't meld that well!