You are not going to believe this. . . .

Remember back in May when I blogged about entering Fancy Feast's "Tastemakers' Contest" with a "recipe" for a new cat food called "Purrrfect Sushi"? I also had to write my "inspiration story" about how my cats love Fancy Feast. I asked you to vote for us and many of you did. I can't thank you enough.

At the time I entered I did it on a lark, hoping to win a can or two of free cat food at the very most. I didn't even notice that the Grand Prize Winner would receive $10,000 and a trip to New York. Recipes and Joan in the same sentence? Not something you hear very often.

OK, GUYS. . WHAT CAN I TELL YOU. I WON. I ACTUALLY WON THE WHOLE DAMNED THING. $10,000. 1080 cans of cat food. And in May of 2012, my "recipe" for PURRRFECT SUSHI will be on the shelves of your local food market!!! Is this not unbelievable???? Benard can't stop laughing.

I am off to NYC on the 29th to stay at The Strand Hotel, all compliments of Fancy Feast, and spend the 30th videoing "webisodes" with Celebrity Chef Carla Hall. OK, I didn't know what a "webisode" was either, but I'm learning, and Andrea filled me in on Carla Hall, a winning contestant on "Top Chef" and famous in her own right. Don't tell the Fancy Feast people, but I don't watch many cooking shows.

I promise you a blog on my return from my 15 minutes of celebrity fame. It's gotta be a hoot and I can't wait.

By the way, they asked me if Wasabi and Ginger oould possibly make the trip as well. The very thought sent Wasabi into the closet to hide. Ginger is trying to decide what to wear.
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Photo caption: The Winners! Me and the kids

I love a new experience. . . .

My sister Fran and I spent Saturday afternoon with a forensic artist.

For those of you who watch CSI on television, I don't have to explain what a forensic artist does. For the rest of you, in the simplest of terms, he or she helps the victim or viewer of some type of crime to recall the image of the bad guy so the police can go about their work of catching him.

Hopefully, you've never met a forensic artist for that type of reason. Thankfully, that wasn't the reason why Fran and I were there.

"There" was the Miami Art Museum,in downtown Miami, where we had a 12:30pm appointment to meet an incredibly talented artist named Paul Moody. Paul and I exchanged business cards. His read "Forensic Artist, Violent Crimes Division, Sheriff's Office, Palm Beach County." That, alone, could give you pause.

OK, time for the back story. The Miami Herald ran a recent article about a traveling interactive art exhibition titled "First Love". The idea was for a forensic artist to help you recall what your "first love" looked like by utilizing the same methods they do for recalling criminals. At the end of the article there was an e-mail address inviting you to write in and request one of a limited number of appointments.

You know me. I'm game for anything. I decided to sign up, and when I told my sister Fran about it, she decided to request an appointment as well.

Bottom line. . .what an absolutely fascinating experience! Fran chose to "recall" her late husband Harold when she met him in college at age 19. I opted for the cute guy I met at my girlfriend's Sweet Sixteen party (I was 15 1/2 at the time), who actually became my first husband 3 1/2 years later.

Initially,each of us spent time filling out a form with the Sheriff's Dept. heading that listed items like Shape of head / Hairline / Eyes / Nose. We each were given a thick book of photos of actual "perps". Each page of about 20 photos was listed under headings like Hooked Nose /Straight Nose /Upturned Nose/Close Set Eyes/Droopy Eyes. . .etc. etc. You get the picture and we got it, literally. We had to pick and choose to the best of our ability the facial characteristics that best identified the person we were trying to to recall at a much younger age.

There is something a little creepy about seeing a familiar face start to emerge from the fast moving pencil of this amazing artist. Since this was part of an interactive art exhibit, we were often surrounded by visitors to the Museum as Paul worked first on Fran's and then on my "memory" portraits. The finished original portraits will both go up on the wall of the exhibition and remain there until mid-October when the exhibition will travel to Ireland. There, a different forensic artist will produce "First Love" memories of that country's museum visitors.

Pictured is the artist working from the "perp book" on Fran's "memory" and my finished portrait of a very young "first love". I'm waiting to hear if any of his three daughters recognize what their Dad looked like before they were born.

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This has been a crazy summer. . .

My luck knows no bounds.

In addition to being one of five finalists in the Fancy Feast Tastemakers contest (and by the way, thanks for all your votes. . we'll know the results in mid-August) this week I was informed, via e-mail, that I have won the UK/BBC National Lottery! And I didn't even know I had entered.

According to the initial e-mail I received from a gentleman named David Brown,my e-mail address was magically plucked from millions to come up with the numbers 16 - 20-21 - 24 and 06 for something called Thunderball on July 28th, resulting in my winning ONE MILLION GREAT BRITISH POUNDS. (I have a feeling that's the way they say it in Nigeria.) Anyway, I have a very gorgeous and colorful "Winning Certificate" that came attached to the e-mail to prove my rare good luck. (see photo in b&w.)It came along with urgent instructions to contact their bank immediately to arrange for payment. I'm thinking of having it framed, along with one of those Great British Pounds, but I'm not holding my breath.

There's a wonderful joke about the man who looks to the heavens and pleads "God. . help me win the lottery." God thunders back. "How about helping me and buy a ticket." I do venture a dollar for a Quck Pick on the Florida lottery when I find myself in Publix every once in a while, but so far the message seems only to be getting through to a God in Great Britian.

I've turned it over to the lawyer in our family, my grandson Adam. Told him he could have a half million of those Great British Pounds if he could figure out a way to outcon these con artists. I sense a lack of urgency on his part. Can't imagine why.
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