MelaniePenelope

Saturday 9: Ordinary People

John Legend: "Ordinary People"

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Hello, hello, y'all. I very nearly missed this week's questionnaire, but I pulled myself up to get it done. We've all been doing this for so long "together," and I don't want to lose that.

Happy Spring, Northern Hemisphereans! I'm so delighted. #understatement

Not much really happened here this week that I can think of; that is a good thing! Two weeks ago, my lithium levels were way too low, and I was planning on jumping off the nearest tall building. Now that the doctor has raised my dosage, I feel so, so, so much better. It was almost overnight! And I'm so thankful, so grateful to still be here.

Let's get it done. (P.S. I was just about to post this, and then my Chrome died, closing all my windows and not returning all the content I had here. So I'm aggravated now. GAH!)

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ORDINARY PEOPLE (2005)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, John Legend sings that both he and his girl have "room to grow." What about you? In what areas would you like to improve?

Well, hard to do being here in a small hotel room (for yet another two months! Ugh!), but when we move into our new home I really want to make it a point to get out of bed and at least circulate with the family downstairs, every day. I'm in bed so much, some days I don't see anyone but Hubs. And the dogs are getting entirely too used to cozying up with  me all day. Something's gotta change, and I want to make the effort. I do not want the pain and fatigue from Lyme dictate what I do for the rest of my days.

2) He sings that when he hangs up in anger, she calls him back. Are you quicker to anger, or quicker to forgive?

Both! And quick to apologize, too. If someone apologizes to me, it's done, it's over.

3) "Ordinary People" was John Legend's first big hit. He originally wrote it for The Black Eyed Peas, but -- happily for him -- recorded it himself. Have you ever purchased a gift for someone else but then decided to keep it yourself?

Really? I love the Peas but I can't see them doing this song justice. As for me, I don't think I've ever done that, but I for sure have wished I had enough  money at that moment for a second one. Several times!

4) Ordinary People is also the title of an acclaimed novel by Judith Guest and an Oscar-winning film. Are you familiar with either the movie or the book?

Of course, I definitely knew the movie - my mother was a huge fan of Barbra Streisand. I remember that just a couple of months before she died, she took 7-year-old me and 8-year-old  Stacey (my big sister) to the movies to see Yentl. It's one of my last memories with my mom, so I cherish and love Barbra for it, too. As for the book, I don't think I had heard of it, but now it's on my "want to read" list on Goodreads. Thanks!

5) John is married to Chrissy Teigen, who gained fame as a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. When is the last time you dove in? Were you in a pool, lake, river or sea?

 Atlantic Ocean in August and September when we first got here to Maryland from Idaho, but it was a while before that that I actually got in and swam. In the summer of 2017, I swam with the fam at the Boise reservoir. It was a good day, and we had fun, but then I came down with this horrid bacterial infection that left me wishing for death. I hadn't heard of that particular critter before; I guess it was a big enough deal for the county epidemiologist to call me up and interview me over the phone. Guess I lost my nerve after that!

6) John unexpectedly proposed to Chrissy on vacation, but he was afraid airport security would ruin the surprise when they went through his carry on very thoroughly. He worried she would see the ring box and he'd have to drop down to one knee right there at the airport! Tell us about one of your flights: your first, your most recent or your most memorable.

It was just really odd flying back here to the East Coast this past summer. The jets were sparsely populated instead of overcrowded, and there was no food or drink service, and we were all constantly reminded to pull up our masks here or that way or whatever. It was tense and scary on the one hand, but also just another adventure arrow to stick in our quivers, I guess.

7) John is currently a coach on The Voice. The other coaches are Nick Jonas, Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton. Of those four singers, which is your favorite? 

Gotta go with my girl Kelly! I was nursing my first newborn Chloë when Kelly competed on and won the first season of American Idol.

8) In 2005, when this song was popular, Johnny Carson died. After he retired from The Tonight Show in 1993, he traveled extensively and discovered he especially enjoyed photographic safaris in Africa. If time and money were no object, where would you go on vacation?

I'd have all the money and the time, you say?! Well sure, I'd visit all the continents in turn, thoroughly and passionately. But I wouldn't stop there. I'd say hello to Moon and then head outward for a glimpse of Mars before I hovered out around my favorite planet, Jupiter. I'll end this story of mine there, though, since it's too far-fetched even for me.

9) Random question -- In your typical day, what's the longest you usually go without saying a word to another person: all day, a few hours, an hour, or five minutes?

Right now, maybe about an hour, possibly two hours. But I've always got this little guy and his chonky sister to talk to!

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All right, phew, I made it and hopefully will save it in time in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

Enjoy your Spring beginning, y'all!

Fin.

50 Years of RMHC

Hey, everyone. When I learned a day ago that Ronald McDonald House Charities was celebrating their 50th anniversary, I wanted to pivot for a moment and share what an impact they have had on our lives. I can't rave enough about what a wonderful organization RMHC is.

On September 7^th, 2001, Chloë was born nearly a month early. I'd made this carefully typed-out, lovely little birth plan that included no pain meds, no epidural - you know, as little intervention as possible. What we got was nearly 180^º from that.

(You can skip this part and go right to the 2^nd picture of Chloë if you just want to get the RMHC part, already! I know I'm not succinct.)

The pregnancy and L&D were fraught with complications. I had hyperemesis gravidarum throughout the 8 months, so no 2nd trimester rest from the all-day morning sickness for me! My test results showed Chloë had a high risk of having Down Syndrome, but I was fervently faithful in my just knowing that she did not, and I refused the amniocentesis as well as that test in my future pregnancies. And I had severe polyhydramnios (tons of extra amniotic fluid).

In order to figure out the reason for the fluid, we were sent three hours west, from Panama City, Florida, to Pensacola, Florida, where they had higher level ultrasound capabilities to do better measurements and get their answers. However, at probably about a third of the way there if memory serves, I had a contraction. Only I didn't know that's what it was, because it never stopped on that entire BUMPY road to Pensacola. When we finally got there, I was breathless, sweaty, and in serious pain.

Poor Rob.

When we finally got to where we were supposed to be, apparently my blood pressure was so high, someone there said I was about to "stroke out." That's when I learned I had severe pre-eclampsia. They suspected a possible placental abruption, and that searing pain was just one protracted contraction that didn't stop the whole way. When they broke the amniotic sac, everyone in that room got splashed - including Rob up by my head, and they were all laughing. I remembering hearing, "Bring more towels!"

And then, the doctor - or rather, 17 of them, it seemed like - detected that there was now a complicated presentation brought on by that tremendous flood of fluid. Into the d@mn OR for a Caesarean section we went, tearing up that whole birth plan as we went.

So, anyway, Chloë had a ton of problems of her own. During the C-section, she dipped her head backwards and aspirated fluid (ew, we know), and she wasn't keeping and formula down (I wasn't making milk yet and it would have had to be dumped then anyway, because I was on MgSO₄ for the pre-eclampsia.).

Four days after she was born, we had to leave the hospital - and Chloë - behind, all the while watching the 9/11 news going down. There were no cell phones in our pockets back then to alert friends and family about what was going on with the baby, or for Rob to ask about having to come off paternity leave, or for us to check with our pet sitter to see how that was going. (It wasn't.)

I didn't know what we were going to do, or where we were going to go. One of the nurses told Rob there was a RMH just off the hospital property, and she helped him apply for us to stay there. Thankfully, the Ronald McDonald House in Pensacola accepted us.

As Chloë went through problem after problem in the NICU, we settled into the RMH. They gave us several gift cards for the pay phones (we were soooo thankful for those) so we could finally notify our loved ones. There were plenty of laundry detergent and fabric softener sheets in the laundry room, plus toiletries, free for us to have and use. There was tons of food in the kitchen that was fair game, plus different people or groups would bring in meals for the residents sometimes. Also, there were plenty of large kitchen appliances so the residents could store their foods and cook without getting each others' way.

The living room area had a large TV (at the time tuned to all the 9/11 news), many books, and lots of games - both board and electronic. All of the residents had their own rooms, with plenty of comfortable pillows, blankets, and for me, my giant teddy bear. And after 10 days, when Chloë was finally discharged, they had a bassinet to keep her at my beside. (I was finally nursing her and pumping!) When we leaving the next day, to settle up, it was on a "pay what you can" agreement.

All this to say, staying at the RMH in Pensacola, Florida, was an extremely humbling experience that brought both of us to tears several times. They were so giving, so kind - the then-director even came out to Panama City to attend Chloë's first birthday party!

So, whenever we've had a chance to give back to the Ronald McDonald House, we do what we can. The first year after we stayed there, we bought their hats. Another year, I think it was pins. When we lived in Boise, Idaho, a Ronald McDonald House was right downtown, near the hospital where I practically lived. So we stored up our bottle caps and brought them down to the RMH to dump them in their huge buckets. And I used to be known, before all my chronic illness sh-- started, as a big-time couponer, so when I could, we donated all kinds of toiletries, cleaning products, and laundry products. Obviously, telling this to the entire world drops me down many pegs on the altruism scale, but that wasn't my goal. Rather, I just wanted to let you know about a great organization that's worth supporting.

An easy way to help the Ronald McDonald House Charities is to select "NATIONAL RMHC DONATION" from the McD's app, or just round-up your orders in the drive-thru or at the counter. As I've always said, every little bit helps!

(Or, you can just donate here.)

♥ If you read all this, whether you donate or not,

thank you from the bottom of my heart. ♥

Fin.

Saturday 9: Potential New Boyfriend

Howdy, friends! Today, we've got a Dolly (do we really need last names?) Parton song for ya, and I can tell you, I've loved her since I was a fetus. So over 46 years. I think Dolly-Kenny Rogers-Willie Nelson as a trio came into my consciousness together at a very young age. But I was always very transfixed by Dolly, so I'm thrilled to see the focus on her this week. I don't know this week's song, though, so I've got to take a listen! How 'bout you - do you know it?

Make sure you link up here if you're playing along this week! Now I'm way behind, so let's jump right in:

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Saturday 9: Potential New Boyfriend (1983)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The lyrics tell us Dolly Parton has spotted a fella who twisted her ignition key and turned her motor on. That was in 1983. Keys are less common today, since many cars are equipped with with push button ignitions and more doors now open for those who know the key pad code or have the right swipe card. What's the last thing you used a key to start or unlock?

 

Oh gosh, I haven't used a real key in nearly four years. Here at the house for year we've lived in it, the door has the keypad, and my car is a push button starter. For the year we lived in hotels, of course, there was a key card entry - that is, when I couldn't just open our room door with my phone app. And for the year+ we lived in our Idaho house, I just had to tap on the garage door opener and drive in. No key necessary there, either. So it must have Boise, and then, I tell you what, I could not pinpoint an actual day. Hehe.

 

2) Her potential new boyfriend bought her a drink and she thanked him real sweet. Have you more recently said "thank you," or been thanked yourself?

 

 

I've more recently said, "thank you," which was probably to Hubs for bringing me a yogurt in bed. Or giving me the day's ration of meds (it's a lot!), or tapping up the heat, or any number of ways he's helped me in the last 10 minutes alone.

 

3) This is Dolly's first music video. "Potential New Boyfriend" was a top 20 country hit and made #13 Billboard's Dance chart, yet it's not well remembered today. Share a song from one of your favorite artists that the rest of us Sat 9-ers might not know.

 

 

I don't know about being one of my favorite artists, but this is one of my favorite one-hit wonders to come out of the '80s: "Let's Go All The Way" by Sly Fox. I've always loved the video for it as much as the song, too.

 

4) This is not Dolly's first song about a romantic rival. Her hit "Jolene" was inspired by a bank teller who regularly flirted with Dolly's real (not potential!) husband, Carl Dean. Have you recently fallen victim to the green-eyed monster of jealousy? If yes, what were you jealous of (someone's affections, possessions, success ...)?

 

Admittedly, yes. Someone I know seems to have the wealth enough to be constantly traveling both across the country and out of it, and the good health to do so. I'm happy to live vicariously through other peoples' adventures to a point, but then I get insanely restless!

 

5) Dolly enjoys telling interviewers she met Carl at the Wishy-Washy Laundromat in Nashville. Do you have a hamperful of dirty clothes awaiting you? Or are you all caught up with that particular household chore?

 

When I was living alone, I was always caught up on laundry. When it was just my husband me, and I had to walk, pregnant, about a mile each way to the nearest laundromat, I was always caught up on laundry. When we were in a house, and baby Chloë had joined us, I was always caught up. When Jack joined us, always caught up. Then we had our last baby, and everything went to hell in a handbasket. Laundry hasn't ever been caught up since!

 

6) Dolly Parton's Imagination Library makes free books available to children. It was begun in 1995, and by 2020, her charity had distributed 150,000,000 books! When you were a very young reader, what was your favorite book?

 

 

I'm not sure which book, or if it was just all his books that we had, but I've always loved the works by Richard Scarry. I loved how colorful and busy they are - I'm a dedicated and devout maximalist - and that there was all ways plenty to seek out and find. They were interesting, they were funny, and they kept being so after one read, after two, maybe after even five reads. I was a big fan as a little girl!

 

7) Andy Warhol was fascinated by Dolly. When he asked her what her perfect meal would include, she responded it would have to start with chicken and dumpling soup. How would you have answered Andy? What's your perfect dinner menu?

 

 

Well, of course, my perfect meal would have to include some kind of amazing pizza - NO meat on mine, please - and I'd love both a creative and delicious appetizer and dessert to share with my beloved. If you want to throw in a lime sherbet pallette cleanser and/or something for an Amuse-Bouche, I mean, that's okay, too!

 

8) Thinking of chicken ... In 1983, when this song was popular, McDonald's introduced McNuggets. Today, it's one of McDonald's most popular menu items. Are you a fan?

 

No. I sometimes have eaten nuggets over the years when I'm starving, my spoons are low, my protein is low, it's there, it's quick, it's cheap, etc. But in the last year or so, I've noticed the McNuggets (at least around here) have changed. Maybe it's the oil they use, but the taste and texture are so drastically different that it makes it not worth stepping over that vegetarian/omnivore line for me anymore.

 

9) Random question: Would you rather visit a desert or a jungle?

I would much rather go to the jungle. I'd rather die in the jungle than the desert, if that's the question of the day, too. So much lush, tropical foliage; more diverse species both plant an animal; always warm... that's pretty much my heaven on earth right there.

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That was a fun one! Now I've got to check with Eldest Child to see if any of the little kiddo books we've amassed so far for her future progeny are Richard Scarry books. If not, time to add to the... amassment!

Y'all have a beautiful weekend!

fin.

Big, Bad John

Hellew, everyone. I hope you are well. Missed you last week.

Nothing new in my neck of the woods (same ills, same story), so nothing worth reporting. My younger two kids are enjoying the summer visiting friends, with the youngest having a flurry of sleepovers there, here, there, here, so much we've forgotten whether she's coming or going. And our oldest, out in the world, has gotten herself a promotion to crew trainer, and a nice raise. We're so proud of her:

So without further ado, let's jump in:

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August will be devoted to story songs. Here's the first.

Big, Bad John (1961)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song tells the story of a stern, enigmatic miner. None of the other miners knew much about him. When people first meet you, do you think they see you more as mysterious or straightforward?

Haha, well, just like here, I'm an open book. Since I have a number piercings above the neck, the biggest mystery for people seems to be whether I have any more.

2) During a serious accident, many of the miners panicked. But not John. Think of your family, friends and acquaintances. Who would be the most dependable in a crisis?

Oh, definitely Rob (Hubs). He's cool and level-headed for that, whereas I am tailor-made to go into full-blown panic mode every.time. Plus, he's extremely well trained for crisis and survival, so if something were to happen, I would absolutely look to him to lead us through it.

3) His heroism allowed 20 miners to escape, but cost John his life. According to the lyrics, there's a marble slab on site of mine that honors him. Is there a memorial to a local hero in your town?

Oh, I'm sure there are other memorials here in our newish-adopted home town, but the one I'll mention here is a historical marker put up last year to memorialize three young Black men who were victims of lynching in the 1900s. It was time history paid them their due notice, although one of them is "uknown," sadly.

4) This song was written and performed by Jimmy Dean. He began composing it on a flight from New York to Nashville. How do you amuse yourself while traveling?

Well, it partly depends on how long the flight is, partly on where I'm going and with whom, and partly on what I'm going there to do. Sometimes I'll read a book or magazine. Sometimes I'll watch the in-flight movie. But you know what often entertains me? Reading the Sky magazine (or whichever, whatever) in the back of the seat in front of me. I freakin' love Hammacher Schlemmer!

5) Jimmy Dean hosted a long-running variety show on CBS, which is best-remembered today for introducing Jim Henson's puppets -- especially Rowlf, a dog who sang and told jokes. While Rowlf didn't make it to Sesame Street, he was a recurring character on the Muppet Show. Are you a Muppet fan?

I was a little kid watching the Muppet Show, and I was a huge, huge fan, along with my sister. And then as a young mom, it was fun to see them revived while my kids were little. But now, they've done so many iterations of the show and movies, I feel like it's time for them to step back and take a deep breath.

6) Jimmy found success in business with The Jimmy Dean Sausage Company. He sold the company to Sara Lee in 1984 for $80 million. Today Jimmy Dean breakfast products are still popular in grocery stores all over the country. What's your favorite breakfast?

Hard to say. I eat to keep my blood sugar level more often than not. Sometimes I'll eat frozen waffles with sliced strawberries on them. Sometimes I'll eat Special K Vanilla Almond cereal, with extra sliced almonds and almond milk. Usually it's one of those.

7) In 1961, when this song was popular, Vogue asked if fashion sense is inborn or if could a woman could learn to be chic. What do you think? Do you think style is either something you have, or you don't?

I think one (any gender, any sex) is born with a gene that, if turned on, enables one to learn to be fashionable. It's not really about fashion sense being genetic, though, is it? An eye for color, for texture, for patterns, and so on. I myself do not possess this gene, just so you know.

8) Also in 1961, Ernest Hemingway took his own life. Did you read Hemingway in English class? Can you recall any other novels you read for school?

I'm horrified to report that I never read any Hemingway novels in school, although I did read An Old Man and the Sea in my last semester as an undergrad. I'll have to rectify that. (I have, however, visited Hemingway house at least three times, been back and forth past it at least a dozen or two times and am intimately familiar with the six-toed cats there, and tossed back a drink in Sloppy Joes with Hubs in Key West. Plus, we moved to Idaho. See? This all counts, right?) I can remember countless novels and short stories. No one ever seems to remember reading a short story by Eudora Welty. I think the story was about a path, in the woods? But I'll have to go back later and look this up. My favorite short story, of course, is "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson. Good stuff. Heh.

But of course, you asked for novels. We definitely read To Kill a Mockingbird. More than once, at least. Night, by Elie Wiesel. (I own that book now; he was a professor at University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, while I lived there and was attending USF, but in Tampa, before he died. I never got to meet him but would have loved to have met this hero.) Lots of Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare, but again, novels, not plays. Let me get back to you! Ha.

Edit: I also own To Kill a Mockingbird. Didn't want Harper Lee over there feeling left out.

9) Random question: Think about the last "white lie" you told. Was it to make your own day easier or spare someone's feelings?

Maybe it was both? I don't know?? My short-term memory is pretty obliterated as a result of everything I've got going on, so I have an extremely hard time remembering day-to-day conversations. Maybe I can find something in a text. Stay put...

...I couldn't discover anything of this nature, and Rob was no help in telling me what was the last white lie I told. Imagine. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was probably to easy-on-up my own day. Those are rough enough, and I probably needed it. But don't get me wrong, I'm a strong empath and would do what I could for someone's feelings in a New York Minute.

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Well, I got done here right on the dot of noon o'clock. Taking out all the pictures and illustrations was definitely faster, but also -- weird! I miss it.

Raining cats and dogs here, folks; how's by you?

Fin.

 

Saturday 9: Fooled Around And Fell In Love

Hello, everyone. Well, it's April 2^nd, 2022. Am I the only one in shock that we can be writing that date as today's date? C'mon, let me see those hands up.

The last few weeks have been eventful. Our son turned 19, so it's time to turn the planning to our youngest who will turn 17 very soon as well as a trip to Philadelphia with our 20-year-old immediately after that.

Oh, and I was diagnosed with undeniable, severe lupus.

So let's get into it! Make sure you tag in with Crazy Sam and the gang here if you're playing along this weekend!

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Saturday 9: Fooled Around and Fell in Love (1976)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

{Chosen because Friday was April Fool's Day.}

1) As an April Fool's prank, Taco Bell once announced they had purchased The Liberty Bell and renamed it The Taco Liberty Bell. Describe your perfect taco.

 

 

My favorite taco is probably going to be a vegan burrito from Moe's ("Welcome to Moe's!"). I love all the beans, the avocado, the tofu, the corn, and so on. So good. Never in my life have I enjoyed a taco. That prank is pretty hilarious, though.

2) In 1989, a British policeman investigated a flying saucer that had landed in a field in Surrey. When a figure in a space suit emerged, the policeman ran away. Turns out it was a hot air balloon, designed by billionaire Richard Branson to look like a UFO as an April Fool's prank/publicity stunt. Have you ever seen a UFO?

 

 

I haven't. I mean, maybe I have, but I haven't ever thought I had.

 

3) This week's song is about a man who collected girls' phone numbers in a little book. When he and she broke up, he'd tear out her page. Do you keep an pen-and-paper address book? Or do you use your cellphone to hold street addresses as well as phone numbers?

 

 

I do both. Mostly phone at this point but if I see a form in my planner for that stuff, I can't just ignore it!

4) This was the biggest hit blues guitarist Elvin Bishop ever had, but that's not him singing it. While he's proud of his composing and guitar prowess, Bishop felt his voice was too gravelly for this song. Do you like your singing voice?

 

 

Maybe I once liked my singing voice, but I've had too many cases of strep, too many cases of pneumonia, etc. that have destroyed my vocal cords and ruined my voice. It is what it is, I guess. But Chloë!!! (Here letting me photograph her for a review) She can SAAAAANG. I love it when she sings; it's not just good - it's great. I think there's really, truly, talent there.

5) A brainy kid, Elvin Bishop won a full scholarship to the University of Chicago, where he majored in physics. Obviously, though, as a blues guitarist he doesn't lean on that physics degree very often. What's something you learned in school that you seldom used again?

 

 

aUnfortunately, yeah, of course. But the saddest one for me is calculus. I loved calculus, absolutely loved it. And now I have forgotten all I learned in high school and college. 

6) Elvin was born in Iowa, grew up in Oklahoma, went to college in Illinois, recorded in Georgia and now lives in California. How many different states have you called home?

 

 

Let's see... I was born in New York, temporarily lived in South Carolina with my dad after graduation, then lived in Florida for college, the part of grad school I attended, early marriage... we were restationed on Guam (it counts) before being returned to Virginia. After ten years in VA, we lived in FL again before heading to Idaho (worst decision ever). And now we live in Maryland. So...7? Did I count right? Lol

 

7) In 1976, the Summer Olympics were held in Montreal. When did you most recently visit our neighbor to the north?

 

 

Oh gosh. Not since I was a kid, and then that was several times.

 

8) Nadia Comaneci was the star of the 76 Olympics, scoring a perfect 10 in gymnastics. What have you enjoyed lately that you would rate "a perfect 10?"

 

 

I learned some things about my son's great progress at school the other day, which I can't share, but it was jump-up-and-down exciting. I'll tell you that.

9) Random question: Do you ever talk to your TV?

 

 

YES!! All. the. time. If it weren't 0900, I would be doing it right now. I've been watching a lot of different Netflix shows at once (watch, get bored, flip, watch, get bored, flip).

 

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All right now, ladies and gents. I have some strawberries and grapes to put away. What are y'all having to break the fast?

 

Regardless, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Sam, I tip my hat.

 

Fin.

Saturday 9: Moody Blue

Hello, weekend friends. I deserted you again, yes, for health reasons. Ugh. Let's jump right in. For 9 interesting questions jumping off from Elvis' "Moody Blue," link up with Saturday 9 HERE.

And here we go:

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Saturday 9: Moody Blue (1977)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song was recorded in the special studio Elvis had built in the Jungle Room of Graceland. During the pandemic, have you made like Elvis and worked from home?

No longer applicable to me. I used to do various things to have multiple streams of income, but my health has depleted my ability to do any of that now.

2) Elvis sings that his girl is completely unpredictable. Which quality to you find more attractive: spontaneity or dependability?

Oddly enough, I find myself choosing "dependability." I suppose that was always what the answer was all along, but with me being Bipolar 1, when mania struck, I've always begged for a bit of spontaneity from everyone else, too. What, it's 4 in the morning? So? And?

3) He only performed the song once in concert. In February 1977, shortly after the record was released, Elvis sang "Moody Blue" live in Charlotte, NC, but had to rely on lyric sheet. Crazy Sam can sympathize because she seems to forget passwords as soon as she sets them. Do you often struggle with your memory?

I do, and it's killing me. I never did struggle, but now I seem to have no memory at all. Even what should be important things are lost in the ether. When I'm able to pull something out of my memory, even just a word, we cheer.

4) "Moody Blue" was the final hit of Elvis' lifetime, only getting to #31 in the US but reaching #3 in the UK. What's your favorite Elvis song?

Oh, man. That's a HARD one for me. I grew up with a dad who absolutely idolized Elvis. I have several and am finding it impossible to narrow down to one. May I please have two? My dad was always singing "Jailhouse Rock," so that must be a finalist.

And I'm sure "Hound Dog" must have been one of the first songs I learned to sing. With inflection and charisma and all that, even. But not with the hips and other dancing, like my dad.

5) We're focusing on Elvis this week because January 8 would be his 87th birthday. He enjoyed celebrating his birthday by renting the Memphis movie theater and watching the latest movie with an invited group of friends. What's your favorite way to celebrate your birthday?

On my birthdays, four months earlier than Elvis', I love at least dipping my toes in the water - even if it has to happen this way.

8) For his 11th birthday, young Elvis asked for a rifle or a bicycle. His mother deemed the gun too dangerous and the bike too expensive and instead gave her son his first guitar. Tell us about a memorable birthday from your youth.

I actually can't.

7) Elvis loved horses and kept them in the stable at Graceland. His favorite was a palomino named Rising Sun. To honor both horse and rider, Elvis' daughter has always kept a palomino in the stable whose name includes "sun." The current resident is Tuscan Sun. Known as "Tucky," he's lived at Graceland for more than 20 years now and is a favorite of Alene Alexander, who maintains the stable and reports he has "attitude and knows he's prettier than everybody else." Tell us about an animal who holds a place in your heart.

Shortly after we bought our house in Idaho, we adopted our kitten and named her Periwinkle. She  loved to play and have fun with the other, grown, cats, but she had such a serious expression all the time! We used to say, "Serious kitten is a serious kitten." Well, as it turns out now that Peri has grown up a bit, "Serious kitten is a serious adult!" But she's sooo soft and sleek, with her extra-large frame and tail to match. Her outer shell is velvety gray, but her inner shell is quite white.

8) Throughout his life, Elvis had trouble sleeping. As a preteen, he was a sleepwalker. As an adult, he battled insomnia. Is sleep an issue for you?

It absolutely is. Has always been.

9) Random question: Do you wear your shoes inside your house?

Nope! We have a chest by the front door called the "shoe box," which somehow never actually gets used these days, but no one comes further inside the house than that with their shoes on.

~*~*~*~*~

Hey, look at that! May be ten minutes 'til four (PM), but I finished! Let's have a party.

Have a good week! Get that shot, y'all!

Fin. 

Saturday 9: One Night Standards

Hello, y'all. Another weekend has snuck right on up on me. I missed last weekend entirely, seems like.

If I didn't tell you here, we put our Idaho house on the market, and within hours we had an offer for the full amount of our request. So that was exciting. Once we close on that, we can start looking for our new home here on the Eastern shore of Maryland. Woot!

Hope y'all are doing well. ♥

Link up here if you're playing along with us this weekend.

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday 9: One Night Standards (2019)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The video for this song takes place in a motel and the story is told from the point of view of the desk clerk. Have you ever worked in a hotel, motel, or bed-and-breakfast?

I have not. But I used to have this fantasy of owning and running a boutique bed & breakfast in St. Pete Beach or Sarasota, Florida.

2) Ashley McBryde sings that she's not Cinderella, a reference to the fairy-tale heroine warned to return from the ball before midnight. When did you recently stay up until the wee small hours of the morning?

Today! I can't help it. Try as I might to get myself on a "normal" human, diurnal schedule, my body just won't comply. I always end right back up on a nocturnal schedule, try as I might to fight it.

3) Ashley had been working hard as a singer/songwriter for eleven years before she was discovered and proclaimed one of County's best new artists. What was your life like 11 years ago?

Oh, it was busy! By then I had a 4-year-old daughter, a 6-year-old son, and an 8-year-old daughter. I was a stay-home mom, but we were rarely at home. I think I had started my bakery by then and was getting orders fairly frequently; I was also still running my 501(c)(3) in memory of my living son's twin. Hubs was still Active-Duty Navy, so we mostly scheduled everything around that. I hated our house in Virginia Beach, but I loved living there - it was a great location!

4) Ashley is from Mammoth Springs, AR. One of the most popular stops on Main Street -- for locals and tourists alike -- is Spring Dipper Ice Cream. More than 20 flavors are made right there on the premises, from Jamoca Almond Fudge to French Vanilla. When confronted with such a wide selection, do you tend to order your familiar favorite or try something new?

It's kind of a toss-up on that.  I love pistachio ice cream, but I rarely find it anymore. So if I see that, I'm probably getting it. If it's not there, I have to look at and evaluate each and every single other flavor to see what there is. I know what I'd like and what I wouldn't. And so I whittle down my choices until I reach my answer: wait a minute! I can't eat ice cream!

5) In 2007, she moved to Nashville to pursue a music career. Have you ever relocated for a job?

Well, you didn't specify that it had to be my job (although I have done that, too), so yes: in 2002, we moved to Guam on the other side of the world for Rob's next station in the US Navy. Chloë was a baby, and I was early in my pregnancy with the twins. We had a dog and a cat who flew separately from us and got lost, then were found and had to quarantine for a month or so. This all cost a pretty penny, and seemed like it was soooo much flying with a 13-month-old! So imagine how thrilled we were when we had to do it again and go back to the States four months later! (At that time I was about six months pregnant, but it was twins, and I had the same polyhydramnios - excess amniotic fluid - that I'd had with Chloë, so the flight attendants were eyeing my belly like, "Are you sure you're allowed to be flying right now?!"

6) Whenever Ashley hears a Carpenters song, she thinks of her mother, who loved Karen Carpenter's voice. Tell us a song that reminds you a loved one.

My mother loved the song "Hey There, Georgy Girl" and used to play it, almost daily, on her organ in our house in first Monroe, then Baldwinsville, New York. I just thought of it, and listened to it, now for the first time in years. I could see her so joyfully playing the organ and singing along, smiling, sounding beautiful. She had a lovely voice and was so talented.

7) In 2019, the year this song was recorded, Notre Dame Cathedral was damaged in a fire. Have you ever visited Paris?

No, not yet. The closest I've come was the flower market in Nice. And on that same 2008 trip, we also went to Eze. Beautiful!

8) Also in 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (aka Harry and Meghan) had a baby boy. Is anyone in your life expecting a baby?

Wow, I don't think so. If anyone I know is pregnant, I do not think I am aware of it yet. Been a long time since I could say that!

9) Random question: Do you always want to hear the truth about yourself?

I would like to say yes, but I am afraid that answer is actually no, not always. I'm just too sensitive. I don't know. Can I say "maybe"??

~*~*~*~*~

Well, kids, I'm off to take my brood for a spin in my new wheels. We're going all the way to the post office. Exciting!

Have a lovely!

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: Friday Five Theft

Hiya! Once again, I'm dodging my responsibilities and playing along with Sunday Stealing. Here's today's post, if you're inclined to join us.

Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World" is our lovely host. Welcome to the joint! Here, we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

~*~*~*~*~

1) What makes it easy to talk to someone?

If  they're interested in what you're saying, and vice-versa, that helps.

2) Have you ever had a great conversation with a complete stranger?

Sure. I remember this one mystery shop I was doing at a very high-end boutique restaurant in Miami. I ended up talking to the women's bathroom attendant for quite a long time. We really bonded. At the end, we hugged and maybe cried a little. I have no idea what we talked about, now, but that women isn't paid enough!

3) Do you like to argue?

If you mean like the angry, loud kind of conversation, then no, not really. I do like having a really good, constructive discussion about ethical and moral issues and such.

4) Some people like to talk about things, and some people like to do things. Which are you?

Pre-disabilities, I was both. Say what I was going to do, or wanted to do, and then go get it done. These days I'm more of a delegator.

5) Who is easier to talk to – men or women?

Historically, I've always had a lot more guy friends than girls. Now that I'm much older, most of my friends are women.

6) What is your favorite place?

♥ My favorite place isn't a geographical spot on any map but rather wherever this guy is, in his arms. ♥

7) What is your favorite place in your home?

Probably our master bath. It's so relaxing and luxurious there, and I've spent a lot of time in it. Hopefully our new house in Maryland - or wherever we land - will bring something competitive!

8) Would you most want to live in a city, a suburb or the country?

My favorite place is a city by the sea, like here in Split, Croatia. (I haven't been there. I have been to Dubrovnik, but not Split.)

9) What is special about the town you live in?

I can't think of anything. And that's why I've gotta leave.

10) How much time do you spend in nature?

Right now? Practically none. I used to spend all my time in nature. I've gotta remedy that.

11) Do you make up a dinner plan for the coming week?

I really tried to get into doing that, but I found it too restrictive. After we get settled into whatever new house we own, I'm going to try again.

12) Do you make up a grocery shopping list and stick to it when shopping?

Oh yes, most definitely. I am the queen of lists... as opposed to this, RuPaul's list of queens.

13) What is one thing that you always buy, but never write down on a list?

Milk. I'm forever buying milk. My kids drink a ton of it.

14) Is there anything that you always think you are out of and come home with it to discover you already have a year’s supply on hand?

Hmm, not really, because of those afore-mentioned lists. Probably one of the things I might be guilty of over-buying is rice. No idea why.

15) Do you get your groceries delivered?

Nope. I mean, we did that once or twice when we lived in Boise, but nothing delivers out here. Nothing.

~*~*~*~*~

All right, y'all, I've got more travel plans to make. Be well!

Fin.

Hey Crab Cakes: Here We Come!

Oh, my goodness. Moving is just so complicated. Then you factor in that it's another (almost) coast-to-coast move. Then you add three teenagers. You add two dogs, four cats, and two rabbits. And tons of health issues. During a pandemic. When school is starting.

It's pretty monumental.

But, the girls and I are probably flying out to Maryland ahead of the boys this week, leaving them to wrap things up here, and I could not be more excited to leave a state behind. Oh, Idaho, I hardly knew ye.

Now it's your turn.

I participated in Six Word Saturday many years ago when it was on Show My Face, but they decided to retire the gig and now it seems to be run by Debbie over at Travel With Intent. Link up this weekend on this post of hers here, if you wish!

Lots of us break the numeric rule and share many more words, so the key rule now is to have a post title of six words, and then create around that the post that you desire - perhaps in bunches of 6 words if you’re really feeling inspired.

To join the challenge, put a link in your post to the URL of this post. Then go back and leave a comment. (If you have any problems with linking, just put your own URL into the comment.) Feel free to socialize digitally – tweet, instagram, flickr, etc. with the hashtags #SixWordSaturday and #6WS.

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: League Of Extraordinary Penpals

Hey there, hi there, ho there, thieves! I'm watching the documentary series "Diagnosis" on Netflix right now - and of course, now my husband and I are going, "You need to get on that!" regarding all of my health issues - so forgive me if my answers become disjointed from distraction. I have a habit of going back later and finding I've done that!

I trust you are all well.

Link up here if you want to steal some shhhh--- today! Let's go:

~*~*~*~*~

1 What are your plans for August?

Well, August is kind of a big month. We bought this big, beautiful, modern house last June. It's in a very small town in nowheresville, Idaho. I love the house. I do. I love my freakin' house. But I hate where it is. I've tried for 14 months to just be okay here for the sake of everybody else, but I just cannot do it anymore. I've got to GTFO of this state.

So, four of us are moving into an extended-stay hotel in Boise on Monday. Chloë, who will be 19 next month, is moving out into a place of her own and staying here. (Not gonna lie, I'm having a very hard time with that.) Rob's hiring movers that will come in and pack us up, then we'll have a move-out cleaning, and then the realtor who sold us the house is going to put it back on the market for us.

The average time for a home in our area to be on the market is 9 days, so I'm crossing my fingers for good luck like that. (Please cross yours, too!)

As soon as that happens, we're paying off the remainder of our car loan and gifting the car to Chloë. Then we'll hop a plane to Maryland.

Watch for what happens next...

2 Review the first half of 2020:

🔼🔼 There you go. 🔼🔼

3 A place you’d go if money were no object:

Oh, I'd definitely go on a space flight and realize my childhood dreams.

4 Who was your childhood best friend?

Well, it seemed like in elementary school I had a different best friend every year. Victoria... Thea... Shannon.... Ellie... different Shannon...

But from 6^th grade on, I had a group of friends that pretty much stayed together. I count two of them (Lisa & Shana) as my best friends to this day. I'm lucky to have them. ♥

5 The city or town you love most?

Can I just say the entire Miami-Dade County? There are soooo many things there that I love, I couldn't pick just one municipality! Of course, I love my alma mater in Coral Gables. Then there's South Beach, of course. Then Coconut Grove... the quick drive to the Keys. I love everything about Miami!

6 How do you spend hot days?

That depends... am I still in Miami, or am I stuck in Idaho? Is it a COVID year, or just an El Niño year? Given my druthers, I'd be at the beach every day, all day.

7 Are you a skilled cook or baker?

Well, I'm no expert, but I do all right. I used to have a baking business when we lived in Virginia Beach, but after one exceedingly frustrating disappointment on an order I worked terribly hard on, I kinda just... stopped.

8 One thing you wish you could currently do:

Hmm... Speaking of Virginia Beach, I wish I could go to the Oceanfront there right NOW! Where's King Neptune when you need him?

9 A time when you learned your lesson:

Oh, I definitely learned my lesson from buying this house here in Mountain Home: no matter how much you love the house, if you hate the town, it's not the perfect house. There are some things you just can't compromise on. So now I have my eye on this house (center, foreground) in Maryland...

10 What consistently makes you laugh?

My husband, an old sailor, has an endless supply of filthy jokes. I try to act shocked, but he knows I'm amused.

11 Routines that bring you calm and peace:

Communing with nature

12 Who annoys you the most?

It's definitely this husband of mine - but I'm sure it's mutual!!

13 Describe some of your favorite household items.

Last September, we drove up to Washington to visit Great Wolf Lodge for Chloë's 18th birthday. Here are our three kids' wristbands from their first visit to Great Wolf Lodge - in Williamsburg, Virginia - over a decade earlier. ♥ (Our orally-fixated pup, Tapioca, has since eaten one of them.)

Here are all the pet tags from all the dogs and cats we've had who are no longer with us. ♥

Here is the tape of "Wonderful Tonight" that my friends from graduate school, Heather and Mason, rearranged and did on guitar and vocals. They gave it to us at our wedding reception. I have got to get it re-recorded digitally! ♥

And finally, here is just a small fraction of the pennies we've pressed over the years. We press pennies everywhere we go and have many books full of them! ♥

14 What have you gotten better at?

I mean, what was the starting line? I've gotten a whole lot better at walking and talking since I started about 43 years ago, I'll you that much!

15 Share a random memory.

When I was very young, probably under three years old, my family visited a zoo of some sort. We stopped at a kiosk somewhere, and my mother bought herself a drink. She was carrying me on her hip, so when she took a sip, I begged for a sip, too. It was delicious!!! Today I might describe it as sort of a virgin piña colada. When Mom got near the bottom of the cup, she said I could have the rest of her drink. I was so excited. Then, as soon as I had the cup in hand, Mom pivoted away from the camel pen we were standing right next to. I had the cup in my hand, and then suddenly it was snatched away from me! I looked back in shock to see the camel not only finishing my drink, but eating the cup to boot! Oh, how I sobbed. That is the only thing I remember from that day.

16 How many pairs of shoes do you have?

Oh, maybe about a dozen, give or take. I'm really not sure. I do know that more than half of those are Crocs, though!

(I need those green and turquoise pairs!)

17 Who do you go to for encouragement?

It depends on what I need encouragement for. I have a team!

18 References you make that others don’t get.

Well, if I told you about them, you would get it, and then they wouldn't really be inside jokes anymore, right?

19 What are 10 things you consider essential for you?

a Erin Condren Lifeplanner

b colorful Tul pens

c Versace prescription glasses

d Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

e Mint & Argan lip balm from Grove Collaborative (it's seriously the best)

f inhaler, definitely

g lotion, always gotta have lotion

h hairbrush, especially now that Sophia's making me grow it out long

i some kind of hard candy, because I go hypoglycemic fairly often

j jewelry - always have a necklace and hoops of some sort on at least!

20 Is there any accent you wish you had?

Australian. I tend to pick up accents and languages fairly easily, but I cannot for the life of me do an Australian accent. I just can't!

~*~*~*~*~

Okay, I'm posting this really late because I was at the ER all morning, so no one will probably read it. But if ya did, thank you and have a great week!

Fin.

 

Sunday Stealing: Swimming Upstream

For this week's thievery, Bev went to Upstreamlife to get our questions asked and answered. Looks like fun!

Join us, won't you? And when you do, link up here.

~*~*~*~*~

1) Name 5 people you admire and why:

Jimmy Carter - for as old as he is and how often he gets himself badly injured, he's a tremendous humanitarian. More of us should be like Jimmy.

Michelle Obama - She and President Obama endured relentless criticism throughout their eight years in the White House, but she was always poised and full of grace. She's a gorgeous woman inside and out, she don't take no shit from anybody, and her messages have always been uplifting and positive. And she's not done yet!

The Dalai Lama - His messages of compassion for all others in humanity are inspiring millions, and hopefully it's catching!

Bill Gates - who, along with his wife Melinda, is doing amazing philanthropic works for global health and development with their foundation. I'm endlessly impressed.

Simone Biles - She's been through so many things in her life, and yet she continues to push herself further to be the best gymnast in the entire world. And her athletic ability is astounding.

2. When was the last time you did something adventurous?

Well, we're about to do something adventurous. We're going to pack up our stuff here in our amazing house in southern Idaho, list it and sell it, fly across the country to Maryland, and buy a new house where, hopefully, we'll live more than 13 months this time! I've got my eye on this beauty right now. It's amazing.

3. You felt you got older when _______

...I got Lyme disease. Here I am six years ago, with my best friend Lisa, at our 20th high school reunion. This was days before I got my tick bite. Now, I feel like I'm 90 years old, and my life has changed drastically. It's hellish, to be honest.

4. What one thing that could happen today would make you extremely happy?

If I had a complete cure and total reversal of everything Lyme-related, I'd be positively ecstatic.

5. An experience you don’t want to go through again:

I would not like to live through the loss of a child again. Not in a million years.

6. One decision you made that changed your life completely:

WTH?!!! 

I made the decision to listen to a friend and finally put a dating ad on a matching site. I didn't really want to do it, though, so I made sort of a joke listing: in my description, I listed all of my faults. It was a long list! Rob read it and found it hilarious, and here we are, planning our 20^th wedding anniversary!

7. How do you participate in saving the earth?

I honestly try to do as much as I can. If you look on the right side of this blog screen, scrolling down, you'll see a number of different organizations I participate in, am a member of, and financially support when I can. I am insanely conscious of the products and materials I use and whether they can be reused, donated, recycled even if they need to be broken down into separate parts, composted, and so on. I'm very diligent about learning everything I can to do more. I know so many people aren't doing their part at all, so I feel like it's incumbent upon me to do extra. I eat mostly vegan whenever I can, and I read ingredients so that I can avoid the ones (like palm oil) that are so harmful and destructive to our global environment and which contribute greatly to ecosystem destruction. I buy organic, and/or local, and/or fair trade, etc., whenever this option is available and affordable at the time. I keep a card in my purse so when I'm at the seafood counter, I can correctly buy this fish that's supposed to be farm-raised and that fish that's supposed to be wild-caught, and leave the ones I shouldn't buy alone  entirely. I'm constantly researching how we can modify our home(s) to be more eco-friendly. I'm very outspoken in public and in private about this issue. And so on and so forth. (Hey, you asked!)

8. A gift you would like to get on your next birthday?

I'll be 44 in September. It's not a huge milestone. But it's the first birthday since my daughter Chloë was born that we've spent it apart from each other. (She'll be 19 the day before my birthday.) She's going to stay behind here in Idaho, and we're moving to Maryland quite soon. To be perfectly honest, I'm not handling that well at all, and the birthdays are going to be so difficult for me. I already know. So I'd love some time with my kid.

9. Things you miss about your childhood?

I don't.

10. The greatest invention:

There are a lot of great inventions listed here, but I think I'm going to go with music. Music can tap deeply into our emotions and make us feel. It brings us joy and empathizes with our pain. All the other things may make life easier, but music makes it worth living.

11. Your favorite super hero:

I've always loved Superman. But not just any Superman. Christopher Reeve as Superman. I was so devastated when he was injured.

12. Your views about veganism:

Don't get me started! I've already addressed that a little bit above, but I will just say: I'm totally for it!

13. If you could be anything else in the world, what would you be?

I think I would be a beautiful butterfly.

14. How did your parents meet?

Ironically, my  parents also met via a dating match-up service, but in 1970. They met thirty years earlier than my husband I met on the online dating site. 

15. Your morning routine:

Now that I know my mono was reactivated, this makes much more sense. So me!

~*~*~*~*~

All right, y'all. You have lovely weeks and, if I don't see you for a while,  it's because we're moving. Wish us faith, trust, and pixie dust!

Fin.

Saturday 9: The Love Boat

What's going on, my friends? Anything exciting and new with you?

Here, we have decided to sell the "perfect" dream house and move back to the city. Frankly, it's me. I can't take it out here in the sticks. Small town = small minds. I've always known that, yet I thought I could "handle it." I couldn't. So, our house is officially going up for sale. On the one hand, I hate it, because I absolutely love this house. On the other hand, every time we go into Boise, I get a little giddy inside about coming back, so I know it's the right thing to do.

So let's love us some boat, shall we?

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday 9: The Love Boat (1977)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The Love Boat ran from 1977 to 1987. It was in the Top 10 for seven of those 10 seasons. Are you familiar with the show? Were you a fan? 

I was young then. I remember it was on, and I remember watching it. I remember very few details from the show, though.

2) Every week, viewers followed The Pacific Princess as she set sail to a glamorous destination. Have you ever taken a cruise? If so, where did you go? 

 I have, and I absolutely love cruising. So far I've done these:

• In 1991, at 14, I took my cruise with my family on the new Carnival Ecstasy. We went to San Jan, Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas, and the Bahamas.
• I did a series of scientific cruises - shout out to the Coral Reef II crew - in college and grad school, but I'm thinking those don't count here.
• Also in grad school, my grandpa took family on a Princess cruise. I went to Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, the Cayman Islands, and Panama.
• In 2006, Rob and I took the kids to Disney World and then on a short Carnival cruise. We only went to the Bahamas.
• In 2008, Rob and I went on a Mediterranean Cruise aboard Holland America's ms Zuiderdam. We started in Barcelona and also visited France (Nice and Eze), Monaco, Italy (Lucca, Pisa, Civitavecchia, Rome, Sicily, Venice) three stops in Greece, and Croatia (Dubrovnik), before finally ending up in Madrid, Spain.
• We were going to go on an Alaskan cruise this September, but the pandemic had other plans!

3) Gavin MacLeod played Captain Steubing. Born Allan See, he came up with the stage name by combining the first name of a fictional character he admired, and the last name of a teacher who influenced him. Using his formula, give yourself a stage name. For example, Sam would be Hermione Hart (Hermione from Harry Potter; Hart for her Kindergarten teacher).

Alrighty, I'll be Katniss O'Toole.

4) After the series ended, Fred Grandy (aka "Gopher") went on to become a Congressman from Iowa and then CEO of Goodwill Industries. If you had a bag of gently-used items to donate, where would you take them?

We would absolutely take them to ReStyle thrift shop in Boise, which benefits animal shelters and humans alike. We've donated many times there, and we've shopped many times as well.
 
5) Ted Lange is best known for his role as the ship's bartender, Isaac. But he began his career performing the classics, and appeared at Colorado Shakespearean Festival and London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Let's class up this joint. Give us a little Shakespeare. 

My favorite has always been "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and my favorite character was Puck, that mischievous sprite. I'll say it simply: "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"

6) Bernie Kopell played the ship's doctor, Adam Bricker. Kopell first appeared on TV in 1961 and was a regular on Get Smart and That Girl, and he's still acting today. But Love Boat was, by far, his favorite role. Working on the show was "absolute heaven" because he was paid to travel the world and meet his acting idols, like Oscar winners Greer Garson, Joan Fontaine and Eva Marie Saint, who appeared on the show. When you think of the best job you have ever had, what made it so good: the pay, the location, the people you met, or the work itself?

I probably have a definite favorite, but I can't pinpoint it at this moment. I'm extremely shy and introverted until I get to know people, but somehow working in customer service turns me rapidly extroverted, and I love talking to and helping customers. So I think an amalgamation of my customer-oriented jobs would be my "favorite" at the moment. I worked in an ice cream parlor, Larry's Scoop Shop, on St. Pete Beach before I entered graduate school. I think all of the above - the pay, the people, the job itself, and definitely the location - were pretty sweet at this job. I met José Canseco - which I keep forgetting whenever we have one of those "most famous" questions - and, by the way, he was a real asshole and a non-tipper.

7) Lauren Tewes played Cruise Director Julie McCoy. Today she lives in Seattle, appearing in local theater and -- between acting assignments -- working as a chef for a catering service. Have you hosted dinner for more than 8 people? If yes, do you remember what you served?

No, I haven't. I'm not really "host"material; I get too flippin' nervous. I really am a pile of neuroses. But I did work in catering - often in a tuxedo, sometimes on a ship - at Longboat Key's now-demolished The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort. It was very high-end and fancy back in the '90s, and then sometime between my working there and my going back years later to show the fam, I found it had been abandoned. But that was a great job, with lots of fancy foods for fancy people.

8) For the first nine seasons, the theme was sung by Jack Jones. The Grammy-winning singer says one of his career highlights playing Sky Masterson onstage in Guys and Dolls. In his late 50s at the time, had had to go outside his comfort zone, dancing and acting as well as singing before a live audience. Tell us about something new you tried recently.

Really? Are people doing new things right now? I'll be interested to find out. About the only new thing for me was getting an infusion of the latest-and-greatest migraine biologic, Vyepti, on Wednesday. My doctor has great hopes for this for me. So far, I'm not thrilled.

9) Random question  -- Which would you rather receive as a gift: one $500 wristwatch, or five $100 wristwatches?

You know, I really had to think about this. I don't ever wear a watch, except for this Seiko dive watch I bought secondhand for twenty bucks back in 1998, after I became a SCUBA diver. It runs on my own motion, so of course, it still runs. So I thought, well, would I like to give five people a decent watch, or would I like to give one person a pretty nice watch? In the end, I decided that one person would appreciate his or her watch a bit more than the five people would combined, and for me, that meant fewer precious resources being used and possibly wasted if those watches don't get worn. So I'll take one if I may gift it, please.

~*~*~*~*~

All right, folks. Don't have too much fun quarantined in your bunkers, now. I've gotten some new wool, so I am hoping to get a bit of knitting done this weekend - but don't hold me to it.

Fin.

Saturday 9: You're A Grand, Old Flag

Welcome back! How is it the weekend again already?! I swear I've been saying, "I'm going to blog more during the week," for about five years now. At least.

Hasn't happened for a multitude of reasons, but I could probably pave a path from here to the moon with those excuses, so I won't belabor the point.

Link up here if you're joining with us this weekend, on the 244th anniversary of the founding of the USA.

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You're a Grand, Old Flag

Unfamiliar with James Cagney's 1942 version of this song? Hear it here.

1) The flag we currently fly, with 50 stars and 13 stripes, was designed by a high school student. When Alaska and Hawaii were added, President Eisenhower invited Americans to submit designs for how best to incorporate the two new states. Ike chose 17-year-old Robert G. Heft's submission from more than 1500 entries. Tell us about a contest you entered and won. (Or really hoped to win.) 

Oh, gosh. It's been a very long time since I've entered a contest requiring any sort of real talent or effort. However, a couple weekends ago, our local library notified me that I'd won a drawing I didn't remember entering. My prize was this blow-up dragon. Woo!

🤣🤣🤣

2) The government also has another of Mr. Heft's designs waiting: one that incorporates a 51st star if another state is added. When you were in school, did you memorize the states and their capitals?

Yes, of course. Definitely. I remember playing a game of that in 5^th grade. My ginger teacher, Mrs. Scolaro, had us all lined up against the back wall, with our backs to the wall, and she'd go down the line and ask for the capital if she gave the state name, or vice versa. If you got it wrong, you had to sit down. I was among the last three standing, I remember that, but I can't remember beyond that.

On another note, this map amuses me. Being in Idaho now, where Napoleon Dynamite took place, we had a neighbor on our way to our old house in Boise that had a "Vote for Pedro!" sign out front. If you haven't watched this indie movie, it's time to give it a look.

3) Six American flags have been planted on the surface of the moon. Those are undoubtedly the flags farthest from you this morning. Where is an American flag flying near you today?

Six? Isn't one enough? Do we really need to clutter  up the moon with six American flags?

Anyway. Ours is furled up in the living room right now, because Hubs forgot to put it out. He assures me he'll put it out tomorrow morning (on the 4^th).

4) This version of the song was performed by James Cagney in the 1942 classic, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Have you ever seen it?

I have not.

5) In that film, Cagney portrayed George M. Cohan, the composer of this week's song. In 1940, Cohan was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. In presenting him with the award, President Roosevelt specifically thanked Cohan for "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," and "Over There." What's your favorite patriotic song?

Oh, there are several. America's Independence Day has always been my favorite holiday. Ask me today, and I'll tell you it's Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," and tomorrow I might tell you it's Springsteen's "Born in the USA."

6) Though a performer his entire life, Cohan disliked listening to recordings of his own voice. How about you? Do you like your singing and/or speaking voice?

God, no. I hate my own voice. I sound like Minnie Mouse. People still call me, at 43 years of age, and ask to speak to my mother.

7) James Cagney won the Oscar for Best Actor his performance as George M. Cohan. Also nominated that year was Gary Cooper, who portrayed Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees. Tell us about another movie about a great American.

Have y'all seen the movie Hidden Figures? I took my daughters to see it when it came out in December 2016. It's a story of three true-life American Black women who were pivotal mathematicians in the 60s' space race for NASA. Janelle Monáe plays Mary Jackson, Octavia Spencer plays Dorothy Vaughan, and Taraji P. Henson plays Katherine Johnson, who calculated the trajectory around Earth for John Glenn, first American to orbit our planet. A most inspiring movie. See it. (It's still one of my daughter Chloë's very favorite movies.)

8) As a teen, Cagney juggled high school with a variety of jobs, including bell hop and delivery boy, and gave all his earnings to his family. Looking back, Cagney was grateful that he had to begin work early, saying, "I feel sorry for the kid who has too cushy a time of it. Suddenly he has to come face-to-face with the realities of life without his mama and papa to do his thinking for him." Do you agree?

Yes, I do. 100%.

9) Cagney had a rebellious streak. His boss, studio head Jack Warner, nicknamed Cagney, "The Professional Againster." Cagney joked that he enjoyed earning the title. What about you? Are you rebellious?

I was not rebellious until I was in college and on my own. Before then, I was too afraid what would happen if I was anything less than the good "yes, Daddy, anything you say, Daddy" girl that I appeared to be. I'd like to think I've only gotten more rebellious the longer I'm alive.

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Welp. We've reached the end. Hat-tip to Crazy Sam. I think I will ask my younger daughter to walk the dogs with me. G'night!

Fin.

P.S. Have any of you watched Hamilton on Disney+ today? That's what I'm hoping to do with Sophia and Chloë tonight, as soon as the latter gets home from work!

 

Saturday 9: Beautiful People

Howdy, folks. Here we are, another Saturday, another 9 questions thunk up by our gracious hostess with the mostess.

I've had a pretty tough week and am on my 11th day of an intractable migraine with everything under the sun thrown at it, but I'm plugging away. I had a televisit with my Lyme doctor yesterday, and I love him so much for being willing and able to help me. So there is hope.

As usual, I hope you all are still well and avoiding COVID-19.

Link up here to play along this weekend! I love the two artists highlighted, as well as this song.

And let us begin:

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Saturday 9: Beautiful People (2019)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.


1) This song is about the fantasy of being one of the "beautiful people," but how hollow the reality can be. Do you often find yourself envying others for what they have?

Maybe not what people have, but I'm a bit jelly of what some can do.  I want to travel the world and see everything there is to see, but money (and children, of course) are an issue. I'm fortunate to have done some traveling, but not nearly enough. I'm hoping to get more stamps on my passport before this one expires - reckon it's still going to be accepted now that my dog has snagged it from my purse and used it for a chew toy?!

2) Ed Sheeran sings that he and his girl don't fit in well because they're "just ourselves." Who among your close friends do you find it easiest to be "just yourself?"

Well, aside from my husband and kids, probably my BFF Lisa. Unfortunately, she's clear across the country from me, so we don't get to visit in person too often. Fortunately, since we graduated high school in 1994, whenever we do manage to get together we manage to click right back into place. ♥

3) The lyrics refer to Hummers and Lamborghinis. What's your dream ride?

Well, it depends. Ideally, it would be an all-electric, zero-fossil fuels-consuming vehicle that can seat my whole family, plus some gear, and probably plus the dogs. Maybe the Volkswagen EV Microbus would fill that need?

However, now that the kids are pretty far grown, a Tesla Model X would do the trick?

Honestly, though, I've had a crush on the red Mazda Miata convertibles for a looooong-ass time. Decades, even.

4) Ed believes in giving back. One cause he supports is No Cold Homes, which helps ensure that everyone in the English city of Bristol has the fuel needed to keep their homes safe and comfortable. Here in the United States, he's raised funds for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Is there a cause that's near and dear to your heart?

As a marine biologist, I've known all about biological diversity and how critical it is to survival of our own race and the species within it that we care about the most. It's important to protect the species that humans don't care about, too, because by losing them we'd lose important parts of our climate, ecosystem, food chain... and things could easily collapse. So I've recently changed my Amazon Smile designation, which gives a percentage of every order you place through http://smile.amazon.com/ to the vetted non-profit of your choice, from Heifer International to the Center for Biological Diversity. If you head to that Smile link, you can pick something near and dear to your heart, too, and it won't even cost you anything extra.

5) Ed's arms are covered in tattoos, so clearly he doesn't suffer from trypanophobia, or a fear of needles. How about you? Do you look away when the doctor gives you a shot?

Oh, yes. See? Look at what a weeny I am: I've recently gotten my third round of the standard American childhood vaccines, because I didn't get them then. I also have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, which causes me to have odd reactions to anything and everything all the time, so every two weeks, I get infusions of  Xolair to support my failing immune system. I have certain chronic vitamin deficiencies, so Hubs injects me with Vitamin B-12 every month. I have intractable migraines that don't respond to ... pretty much anything lately ... so Rob gives me Sumatriptan injections fairly frequently.

Additionally, I get frequent migraine cocktail infusions at my neurology office, and will get the new biologic migraine med Vyepti there on Wednesday. Cross your fingers for me! Plus, I suffer from hypoglycemia, so I get finger pricks all the time to check my blood sugar. I'm probably forgetting some things, which is crazy, but yes! I always HAVE to look away for shots and IVs. Total wuss here!

6) One of Ed's tattoos is a bottle of Heinz Ketchup. What condiments would we find if we peeked into your refrigerator this morning?

Here's what's currently taking up space in the doors, but I'm betting there would probably be more if you looked on shelves in the main compartment.

7) Ed is a natural redhead, a trait he shares with only 2% of the population. Does red hair run in your family?

My daughter Chloë and I have kind of dark brownish/auburn hair (hers is very curly, like her Dad's; mine is stick-straight). My younger kids Jack and Sophia are straight-haired blondes (well, except right now Sophie is more purple & blue).  Rob's hair is a curly medium-dark brown (well, and white; very, very white). But our niece Hanna, the younger of my sister's two soccer-playing daughters - this one's a goalie -  has naturally red hair from her daddy. So pretty! ♥

8)  In 2019, when this song was released, the FDA recommended the approval of a drug for treating peanut allergies in children. Do you suffer from any food allergies, or sensitivities?

Oh, yes, yes, yes. Like I said, I have a lot of reactions from my Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Sometimes they're mild, sometimes they're not. I had to use my Epi-Pen three times in the last three weeks, even with the Xolair (and so, so many others I can take at home) I'd mentioned. Having that many anaphylactic or near-ana events is pretty crazy. I learned in Miami that the trifecta of shellfish, any tomato-based foods, and wine is the perfect storm for me. That's how I later ended up getting the MCAS diagnosed finally, here in Idaho!

My allergy/asthma/immunology specialist wanted me to get blood tests in order to do that, but the key was, I had to go in the middle of a reaction. Two weeks went by (this was a couple of years ago) without a reaction, so I finally decided to "force" one with some wine and shrimp cocktail. Guess what? Nailed it.

9) Random question: What of these do you think is the biggest contributing factor to success -- hard work, luck or talent?

I would say lots of hard work combined with heavy doses of enthusiasm, and I know this for sure from personal experience and observation.

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After I played this week's song on YouTube, I eventually was led to listen to more "Tiny Desk Concerts" from NPR on that platform, including one by Khalid. Do you guys ever watch/listen to these? They're fantastic. I just finished the one by Steve Martin and his Steep Canyon Rangers, and now I'm on the one by Natalie Merchant. I've love them all, even the acts I'd never heard of. Give them a listen, won't you?

Take care, my friends.

Fin.

Saturday 9: Always Remember Us This Way

Hey, everyone. Bit of a somber mood here in the Odette household, as my father-in-law passed away yesterday. I wasn't going to join in at all this weekend, but then I decided my mind could use a short respite. 

I hope you'll all kink link(!) up here if you're joining us this weekend.

And now:

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Always Remember Us This Way (2018)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) In this song, Lady Gaga sings about the Arizona sky and California gold. Have you visited many of our western states?

Yes, well. We live in Idaho now, so there's that. I've been in and out of Utah, California, Oregon, and Washington several times. This is Chloë hailing a cab in downtown Hollywood, in the middle of an acting convention we were out there for her. I have been to Vegas. But I have not yet been to Arizona or New Mexico.

2) She sings that she's overwhelmed and can't find the words to express herself. Do you find it easier to share your feelings verbally or in writing?

Oh, definitely in writing. I am very like the Oxford professor William Archibald Spooner, constantly, absent-mindedly, and unintentionally mixing up the consonant sounds in a phrase or sentence to make rubbish. This is also like Shel Silverstein and other comic writers, although theirs were intentional.

3) Her real name is Stefani Germanotta. She took her stage name from the Queen song, Radio Gaga. Do you have a favorite Queen song?

Oh, I love Queen and enjoy, I think, their entire catalog, so it's very hard to pick! I do remember one of my BFFs, Shana and I were in her family's canoe on the Seneca River, and we were just kind of drifting along and using the oars to do the three-beat riff of "We Will Rock You." That's always been a fun memory. Probably not for the fish.

4) Her dad is Joe Germanotta, president of GuestWifi, a company that enables hotels and restaurants to offer high-speed wifi to their customers. Do you consider yourself tech savvy?

I read something recently that said those of us in Generation X (that's me!) were probably the best-prepared to handle tech issues, as a general rule. That's because older generations often don't want any of it and refused to be bothered with it - now, mind you I'm saying some, not all, and just reporting on what I read. And the younger generations never had a time in their lives when there wasn't an internet, and everything has been easier and easier for them as time went along. Think "smartphones." But my generation, we grew up largely without computers and the internet, and so in order to function online, we had to rely on ourselves a lot - and yes, sometimes those maddening IT phone calls - to figure things out. I would say for myself and those I know personally, this is pretty accurate.

5) Early in her career, Lady Gaga performed songs for a children's audio book called The Portal in the Park. Tell us about the last book you finished -- did you listen to an audiobook, or read a download to an electronic device or a bound book with pages?

I've been listening, here and there, to the audiobook of Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, but honestly it's slow-going for me. I never, never could stand to be read to in my entire life, and so over and over, I've tried and failed to get into the trendy audiobook thing. I think I'm just going to abort and read the bound book instead. I can't handle it.

[Speaking of books, I read Wally Lamb's book I Know This Much is True somewhere between doing my bachelor's and my doctoral degree. It's a humongous book, with over a thousand pages, but I dove in and loved every minute of it. I just saw in Us Weekly that there was to be a miniseries based on the book on HBO on Sunday - this past Sunday. It's last week's issue of Us. Aw, mannnn! I hope it's being replayed, so I can watch it. It would be a must-see for me.]
 
6) She prefers dogs to cats and tea to coffee. Do you agree with her?

Largely I do, I think yes. I mean, I'm an extreme animal lover, married to another animal lover, and we've raised a houseful of more animal lovers. I honestly do love them all - with ticks and mosquitoes possibly loved the least. And I do prefer tea to coffee, though I rarely drink either. Of animals, I'm a dog person first, but I'm hard-pressed to turn down any animal. The zoo we've had over the years... it's ridiculous.

7) Back in 2015, she appeared at the Academy Awards, performing a medley to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music. The movie's star, Julie Andrews, graciously came onstage to thank Gaga for her showstopping performance. Whom did you most recently thank?

I think maybe it was this girl, Sophia, now 15. She brought me my medicine earlier.

8) In 2018, when this song was first released, retailer Toys R Us closed all its stores and went out of business. What's the last toy you purchased?

I bought two packs of these cat-nip filled mice "Skitter Critters" from SmartyKat, for our four cats. They were on sale for less than half-price, and felines everywhere give them rave reviews. That counts, right?

9) Random question: How has social media made your life better?

Well, in multiple ways, I've benefitted from social. I was a young newlywed of 24 when I really started getting going on message boards. I started out on the one for now-defunct Jane magazine, formerly called Sassy when I was reading it in high school. Those were not my community, so I left after being told how to make my own hummus. Then I joined the Twins e-List when I was pregnant with our twins, after our older daughter was born. When we were living on Guam, I asked the TwinsList a million and one questions during my pregnancy. Once we moved to Virginia Beach, I kept them posted here and there. My last post was to say good-bye to the list after they were born and one twin passed away; staying and hearing all about what their twins were doing was far too painful. I stayed friends with one of the moms, though, and met her and her kids in Norfolk, Virginia. We're friends on Facebook to this day. I joined the message board for Parents magazine a year after the twins were born and stayed through trying to conceive our younger daughter, that pregnancy, and maybe half of her first year. Eventually I joined MySpace when it was new, before skipping over to Facebook. I'm all over now; such a social media whore darling.

So one thing I gained from all of that was the power to be more discerning about who my "real friends" were. Through the ups and downs of our roller coaster life, people have come and people have gone. The ones that have gone, sometimes that hurt. Sometimes. But I did become, I think, more resilient because of that and figuring out how to "act" online. It's hard for me, both online and in real life, since I have absolutely NO filter. And people don't always want or need to hear my every thought!

~*~*~*~*~

Thanks Sam/Gal. I appreciated this week's questions immensely, and like I thought, they provided a stellar diversion.

♥ RIP, Allen B. Odette ♥

Fin.

Saturday 9: I'll Always Love My Mama

Welcome back, y'all! It's a royal ball, with hip-hop clubs and concert halls! (Sorry. Every once in a while my mind belts out that old 90s rap lyric.)

Hope you guys are still hanging in there and not going absolutely stir-crazy. I'm gonna jump right in here and get going, so make sure you link up here if you're playing along with us this weekend - and we hope you do!

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Saturday 9: I'll Always Love My Mama (1973)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's featured artists, The Intruders, sing that they don't know how their mama made it through the week without ever getting a good night's sleep. How did you sleep last night?

 

 

I had a few hours. My sleep schedule is so erratic, I never know whether I'll get any at all - or more than 12 at a time. It's ridonk.

2) The Intruders performed this song on Soul Train, a syndicated show that ran for more than 3 decades. What show do you try never to miss?

 

 

I don't watch much TV at all these days, now that The Big Bang Theory has ended its run. I have about a billion episodes of dozens of shows recorded on the DVR right now, but I never just sit down to watch!

 
3) On Soul Train, the Intruders wore solid black shirts beneath their brightly colored jackets. Black, white, khaki, navy and gray are considered neutral colors, because they go with everything. If we were to check your closet, which would we find you wear most often: black, white, khaki, navy or gray?

 

 

I probably wear equal parts black and navy as my neutrals. And now that I've just upgraded to a big, bold, bright red purse kinda like this one, I foresee even more neutrals in my future!

4) Especially for Mother's Day: Access Hollywood named Carol Brady of The Brady Bunch TV's #1 mom. Who is your favorite TV mom?

 

 

Ohhh, I think Sophia Petrillo of The Golden Girls could give Carol a run for her money!

5) Mother Winters always gave Sam peppermint tea to calm her stomach. Do you have any tried-and-true home remedies to share?

 

I'm pretty sure I shared this photo in January 2017, when I had badly burned my left hand and arm while cooking.  I had just recently learned that lavender oil would take the pain out of a burn injury, so I was grateful I had some on hand to put it to the test - and it worked! Once I doused this wound with liberal amounts of lavender oil, the entire thing was completely painless. It's something my family and I have since put to the test many times, always with excellent results.

6) Sam's mother always tips 15% in restaurants. Sam has worked in food service and is more judgmental, tipping between 10% and 25%, depending on the quality of the service. What's your tipping policy? Are you more like Sam or her mother? How do you handle tips for carry out or delivery during this Covid-19 crisis?

 

 

I'm definitely more like Sam in this regard. As for tipping during COVID-19, well, I guess it's pretty much been a non-issue. I don't think we've ordered food since it began.

7) When the tip of her shoelace becomes frayed, Sam's mother snips off the end and then paints the tip with clear nail polish. Good as new! Sam thinks that's crazy because you can just buy new laces for less than $2. Are you more frugal like mother or spendthrift like daughter?

 

 

I'm somewhere in the middle. I absolutely despise waste, but I also don't mind spending money for good, new things if they're worth it.

8) Mother Winters loves how french vanilla smells and burns her Yankee Candles all year around. Do you use scented candles or air fresheners?

 

I would rather burn candles - but only non-petroleum based ones. And never vanilla; it's a migraine trigger for me. My girls and I started an eco-conscious candle company about a year and a half ago, with only soy and beeswax candles, natural fragrances, organic cotton wicks, and so on - but it didn't catch on fast enough for the girls' liking, and so we folded altogether too quickly.

 

9) Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or chocolate with almonds?

 

 

I'd eat any of it - just no white chocolate, please! That's too much of an oxymoron for me (and also, it's yucky). I prefer Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate with Almonds bars, but they don't seem to be sold anywhere here in our podunk little town, so I can only get them when we go into Boise - where I invariably forget about them. Sigh...

 

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All righty. Now I'm off to see what chocolate we DO have in this house, and assuming I'll come up empty-handed, I think I shall take a nap. Have a great weekend, y'all!

 

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: Fill In The Blanks

Howdy, y'all. Welcome back.

Make sure you link up here if you're playing along with the rest of us this weekend!

This week, Bev's got us doing some fill-ins, so prepare yourself. I have played a lot of Mad Libs as a kid. (Wait, what? It's not supposed to be as ridiculous as possible? Well then, you've probably come to the wrong blahg.)

Let 'er rip.

~*~*~*~*~

 

Stolen from Friday Fill-ins

1) Right now I'm listening to iHeartRadio, and I gave a rare thumbs-down to the last track. Not a fan.

2) Apologizing for everything, constantly is my well known quirk. I'm working on it!

3) "Are you serious?" (I didn't know what to do with this one, exactly, so I chose to make it be something I say ALL. THE. TIME.)

4) Brush your teeth first, then come say good-night to me! (I swear, I will be telling my kids this until I'm in the grave!)

5) Okay, kids, listen to Aunt Melanie on this one! I had emergency c-sections with ALL my kids; they were all high-risk pregnancies. After the last kiddo (the afore-mentioned Sophia), I was raring to go to lose a bunch of weight. You're supposed to weight SIX FULL WEEKS to exercise or get frisky. I felt like pfft, been there, done that, and I feel fine. So I started doing yoga and pilates after about ten days. I felt great! (Not so with that first slice-and-dice operation, omg.) Well. After about four days - so two weeks post-partum - I stopped in the middle to use the bathroom. When I pulled my pants down, my guts came with it. I had split my incision right the F open! That's why you wait the six weeks. Ahh, so.

6) The Dukes of Hazzard is (was) one of my favorite tv shows ever! Picture my 5-year-old self having a crush on Bo!

7) (BET meme used because um, it is Sunday.) And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to (pass, it's already Sunday), tomorrow my plans include (pass, it's already Sunday), and Sunday, I want to organize everyone's comings and goings in my planner for the coming week & make sure I'm set for payday Friday!

8) If I could go anywhere on a road trip, I'd go to Yellowstone National Park. Some of it's in Idaho, but I'd want to venture into Montana to get to see Old Faithful. Google Maps tells me it's only 6 hours' drive from here.

9) Spatial relations is something I don't understand. (Well, that's not entirely accurate; I understand it. I just really struggle with applying it!)

10) Thanksgiving makes me think of pie. Specifically, apple pie.

11) Lying in a hammock on the beach in the Caribbean is the best way to relax! (I first did this on Blue Lagoon Island at age 14, and I knew I had found my bliss. I've since done it with Rob & the kids on various beaches in Miami, and with Rob in Mexico. Obviously not enough!)

12) It looks like Autumn in Australia. Wait, right?

13) Pea falafel is one of my favorite healthy snacks. (OMG, I seriously love it!)

14) The smell of tobacco - NOT cigarette smoking, but like a pouch of tobacco -  makes me think of my grandfather. Grandma smoked More cigs, but Grandpa smoked a pipe. And he had many pipes, including some Turkey Meerschaum ones like this one. One day, he went to the dentist, who told him he was "working on the big C," in Grandpa's words. He quit smoking his pipe that day and threw away all those pipes. I think that was even before his major heart attack requiring a sextuple bypass, so I must have been 11 or 12, but whenever I catch a whiff of that sweet tobacco, I think of him immediately.

15) (Actually, that's really genius, Bill Gates!) When I am feeling lazy I edit photos or read email. If I'm lazy and tired, I nap.

16) When I look to the left, I see far too many Erin Condren accessories that are meant to get me organized; clearly I haven't really started yet!

17) The girls' bedrooms & all the downstairs rooms are the ones that have the best view in my home.

18) Our wedding (both the elopement and, later, this little one on the beach with family) was done dirt cheap!

19) Voting is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must share. (For the love of GOD, please vote!)

 

20) If you have any Tylenol, feel free to share it with me. These headaches are endless.

~*~*~*~*~

Whee, look at me! I got 'er done on the right day. Y'all should be so proud of me.

Have a great week, everybody!

Fin.

Saturday 9: I Don't Care

 

Good Saturday morning, one and all! I hope you're feeling fine and for heaven's sake, staying out of the Emergency Room!

My head is killing me, so between that and having slept most of Friday into oblivion, I'm doing this just after 0600 on Saturday (abnormal for me).

Link up here if you want to play along this week!

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday 9: I Don't Care (2019)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song begins with Ed Sheeran admitting he's not enjoying the party he's at. What's something you have to do this weekend, but don't want to do?

 

 

Sitting around the damn house! I think, today, I will take a walk with one or more of the kids. Oooh, excitement!

2) Justin Bieber sings about trying to have a conversation at a party. Have you seen any of your social gatherings cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic?

 

 

Oh, my gosh, it's ridiculous! I had so many depressing cross-outs in my planner (and I hate Wite-Out), that I finally just stickered over some of them to make things a little cheerier!

3) Both Ed and Justin conclude that this party -- and everything else -- is okay because they're with the ones they love. Who in your life always makes you feel comfortable and content?

These guys - Hubs, the kids, and yes, the pets - are the ones I'm most comfortable with. Few people have seen me at my absolute best, my worst, and everywhere in between except for these guys. Maybe no one.

4) Ed and Justin have both appeared on The Simpsons. Are you a Simpsons fan?

Definitely! Nelson's "haha" is one of my family's most-used sound effects.

5) Speaking of animation, Ed Sheeran has said that he'd love to do a Disney soundtrack, like Elton John's Lion King. Do you have a favorite Disney movie?

Before Finding Nemo came out in 2003 or 2004 (our son Jack was still in his first year, I'm certain), it was Little Mermaid. But I am Dory, and Dory is me, and of course, the marine biologist in me was thrilled, so that swiftly surpassed the old one. I still love me some Ariel, though.

P.S. I just checked; Finding Nemo did come out in 2003. We saw it in the theater.
 
6) Justin Bieber is fluent in French, and Ed says he knows enough to get by. Say something to us in French.

Je suis un crayon à l'oreille, which means "I am a pencil in my ear" and makes no sense. It's from an old high school inside joke.

7) Justin can solve a Rubik's Cube in less than two minutes. Are you good at puzzles?

Yes, but I won't lie: I'm horrible at Le Cube.

8) In 2019, the year this song was popular, 20 new governors took office. Tell us something about the governor of your state (or commonwealth)?

One of those new governors was ours, in Idaho: Brad Little (R). I did not vote for him. His voice sounds like he's smoked a carton a day for five decades, and it's one of those voices I can't stand listening to, and I wish I could just stuff a baguette in that maw to make it shut up. Y'know? Instead, I voted for Paulette Jordan for Governor, who would've been, if I'm not mistaken, the first Native American to be a state governor.

I don't always have tremendous luck in picking governors when I vote! The very first year I was eligible to vote, in 1994, I voted for Lawton Chiles against Jeb Bush. Bush lost that year, but he won four years later against Chiles' lt. gov. I was devastated when Bush one the governorship that year; I mean, I was inconsolable. I didn't have kids at the time, of course, but I knew that his voucher program for Florida's public school kids would be devastating for the state's educational system. I was not wrong.

P.S. Turns out, Oklahoma has had two male Native American governors. So I guess Paulette Jordan would've been the first female one. (And she's running for a seat in the U.S. Senate right now. I'm behind her!)

9) Random question: Did you more recently give a compliment, or receive one?

I think, gave one. I have a new friend who is a trauma nurse, and she is busy taking care of both "routine traumas" and COVID-19 patients. There's a lot more, but I told her she was incredible, and I meant it.

~*~*~*~*~

I hope you all have a stellar Saturday! If you have nothing to do today, watch the Global Citizen's One World: Together at Home concert! It's on all the major TV networks and many online platforms. It's a must-see!

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: Questions About COVID-19 on Easter Sunday 2020

First of all, as a Christ-follower on this Easter Sunday morning, I want to start with this:

Now then, I don't know what y'all are doing this morning (it's 7:32 AM here in Idaho right now), but honestly, I hope you're not listening to Pr*sident Trump and going to church today. As much as it may feel that the spirit is compelling you to go, STAY HOME. SAVE LIVES.

Moving on.

Bev's got us more questions about the novel coronavirus we're all changing our lives for, over on the Sunday Stealing meme blog this week. Link up here to play along this week!

 

 

For COVID 19 Questions from SwapBot

 

What is something you are doing due to the pandemic that you normally don’t do? After the pandemic will you continue to so this?

 

 

Oh, gosh. So many things. It's Easter, so normally I would have gotten Spring/Eastery dresses and suits for my kids, taken all of us to church, dyed a bunch of easter eggs, had baskets full of goodies for the kids to find, baked sugar cookies in Easter & Spring themes, and so on. But we are not doing one bit of that. Life just seems so different this year. So off. I don't know what to do with myself.

What made you happy, sad, or frustrated today? List, all big and/or small, as there may be some of one or all of these feelings!

 

 

To be honest, I don't even know what I feel right now. It's very hard for me to process what's going on in the world right now, while still being able to help my three kids do exactly that. I will say, though, that I am so thankful that one of my dear friends who was infected with COVID-19 and was in the hospital for all kids of treatments over many days, was discharged yesterday. She survived, and I am so happy about it!

What is one of the first things you will do when the pandemic is over?

 

 

I don't know! I have a feeling that, for a while, I will be very distrusting that is actually over and that it is safe to come out again!

Are you an essential employee or do you know someone who is? Is this affecting you in some way?

 

 

My friend who I mentioned above was in healthcare, so she was essential. She got sick, was hospitalized, and has now retired early. Hate that it went that way for her! My daughter Chloë was working the still-open drive-thru window at Wendy's in our tiny town. The very day we got news that the first case had been confirmed in our town, we all agreed she needed to take a leave of absence for my sake. I'm extremely immuno-compromised, and she recognized that and the need for her not to work there right now, but I still feel so guilty about it all the time!

What are you doing to destress during this stressful time?

 

 

Well, because of my autoimmune issues before, I was admittedly already taking a lot of naps. Now, I just take double the naps. Or longer ones. Or both.

Have you tried any new recipes during this time? Please share your recipe if you want to.

 

 

Lol, no. I am having way too many food aversion issues right now to really try something new. I will share this, though: One of the things I can eat is what Rob and I have termed "Ghetto Sushi." For me, all that really means is he dices up an avocado, chops up one of those $1 packages of "crab" sticks, and gives it to me with a bowl of low-sodium soy sauce. You can see why it deserves its title, but it's edible for me, so I like it.

Have you always lived where you do now? If not, how did you wind up in the place you currently live?

 

No, we haven't always lived here in Idaho; it blows my mind that we just passed the three-year mark here already! We came via a mad dash across the country from Miami, Florida. And we were only there four years, but that seems so much longer than our time has been here! Before that, it was ten years in Virginia Beach, and so on. We've been around the world a little, with my husband's career in the Navy, so we wanted to find somewhere that finally felt like "home" to our kids, all of whom were or were about to be teenagers. You know, provide a safe landing for them if they ever need to come back home after leaving the nest, lay down some roots for them. We came up with a list of criteria, and Idaho seemed to fit all of them. And so we came.

Where is the last place you visited on-line?

 

 

Lol, well, I know I'm a little behind the curve, but because of research I'm doing for my own book about growing up in a different cult, I've just begun watching Leah Remini's exposé on Scientology for A&E. So crazy!

What is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?

 

Well, one of them is definitely that, in our 20th year together, my husband tells me that if he knew how our life - and I - would turn out, he'd still marry me. It means a lot; I'm "complicated"!

Tell me about the last photo on your camera (phone or real camera or both!)

 

 

Well, this one was from last night, which I took on my phone. It's from our dogs' latest BarkBox that came in the mail Saturday. The theme was speakeasy-Great Gatsby-esque type of stuff, and this is what looks to us like a drunk cup with a block of ice in it. We found it hiliarious.

 

~*~*~*~*~

And now that it's taken me a ridiculous two hours to write this (in and amongst doing other things), I feel like it's time for one of those many naps I mentioned earlier. 

 

Happy Easter!

 

Fin.

Saturday 9: Go Where Baby Lives

Heya! Welcome back. I'm listening to the very Big Band-sounding (to me; am I right?) selection by Crazy Sam this week right now in enjoyment. My grandfather was a big fan of Big Band. And also marches, specifically John Philip Sousa. I remember after he had his sextuple heart attack and his doctors told him how to change his habits to survive after that, he got a walkman, and he'd listen to Sousa and march around the park or just their condominium neighborhood. Sometimes, when I was visiting, I'd march along with him. I couldn't hear the music, but I just liked being with him.

Getting off track much? Oops. Let's begin.

P.S. Sam: I like this ditty!

~*~*~*~*~

Go Where Baby Lives (1957)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here. 

1) The lyrics tell us that the girl of his dreams lives up on a hill. Is there a hill near your home? Or is the terrain pretty flat where you are?

I mean... this is the town in Idaho where I live, so I don't know about hills, but it's definitely not flatland! Mountains are everywhere you look.

2) Another clue to her whereabouts is that she's about a mile from town. Will you be staying close to home this weekend, or will you be traveling a mile or more?

Not this weekend. Last weekend, I took my daughter Sophia and several of her friends to Boise an hour away, to the ice rink there. (They had fun, but there was a bit of trouble at first when Sophie's ex-girlfriend, who is a figure skater, entered the ice to practice at the same time as her group of friends. There were tears. We handled it. One of her friends held her hand as they made their way back to the rink. I thought it was sweet.)

Anyway, an outing as seemingly simple as that does me in for a week, as evidenced by the fact that this is my first time out of bed since that adventure. It sucks, but such is life with late-stage neurological Lyme.

3) Sam admits she's crazy about the sax solo. Is there a particular musical instrument that you love to listen to?

 Well, not just because one of my best friends, Shana, is a concert violinist/violist (and now a conductor), but I've always enjoyed electric violin. I'm a really big fan of Lindsey Stirling, such as here in "Shatter Me" with Lzzy Hale. Very cool artist.

4) This is the only record The Strollers made for States, a company based out of Chicago. States was only in existence for five years (1952-57) and this was the 63rd or 64 records released before they went out of business. Tell us about a business in your neighborhood that recently closed their doors.

I have no idea. We haven't lived here long enough, and I haven't been able to venture out enough, to find out! Anyway, there is already like, literally, nothing here. My soul is dying here. I hate it.

5) More than 60 years after its initial release, this song enjoyed new popularity when Xfinity used it in commercials for their wifi. What company is your internet service provider? Are you happy with it?

Ugh, no way. Our service out here in the boonies is nonexistent. I'm using a hotspot to use the internet on my computer as we speak. We're about to switch to Zito.

6) In researching this week's song, Sam googled "strollers" and was surprised to discover how many different types of baby buggies are available today. When did you most recently push a child in a stroller?

Well, I searched for an hour, and the latest photographic proof I can come up with - without spending all weekend - was on my birthday in 2007, of 2½-year-old Sophia in an umbrella stroller. We were celebrating Chloë's 6th birthday at the bowling alley, actually; her birthday is the day before mine.

7) In 1957, the year this song was released, President Eisenhower celebrated his second inaugural with a parade featuring more than 50 marching bands. The mercury never quite reached 45ºF that day. How's the weather outside your front door?

LOL. WTForecast kills me every time. What does that even mean?! Anyway, looks like were at a balmy 39ºF here in the mountains. Yay.

8) One of the best-selling books of 1957 was Peyton Place. This steamy saga of small town life launched two films, two television series, and several made-for-tv movies. Is there a book that you enjoyed that was successfully turned to a movie?

I read Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park in 8^th grade or so, and I've loved that whole series of movies. What about you guys?

9) A Peyton Place-inspired question: Can a man be physically unfaithful to a woman, but still love her?

Definitely, yes. I can say this with surety.

~*~*~*~*~

Welp, I must eat. Nothing sounds good and I don't want a damn thing, but I haven't eaten all day and my finger sticks support that!

Have a lovely week, y'all.

Fin.

 

Saturday 9: Sultans Of Swing

Hey there, friends! Happy new year (from me, since I started last weekend's post but wasn't up to finishing). It's 2020, wow!

Sam: Last week, you asked about our favorite sweaters. Here's mine, which I went into the other room to photograph, but then I saw the bed, and, well... I get tired a lot!

Link up here if you'd like to play along this week.

~*~*~*~*~

Sultans of Swing (1978)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here. 

1) The song begins by mentioning how it feels to shiver on a rainy night. As you answer these questions, is it chilly ... or rainy ... or dark?

It's pretty chilly, and there is snow on the ground, but at least no new snow is falling!

2) The lyrics describe a bar at closing time, when the owner announces, "Goodnight, now, it's time to go home." Can you recall a time when you lingered until you closed the joint?

A remember a few specific times, maybe a couple in a little bar off Duval Street in Key West, maybe another in Coconut Grove (or three)... ah, Florida. Who needs Vegas?

3) This song was written years before it was recorded, back in the days before Dire Straits was a success. Composer/lead singer/lead guitarist Mark Knopfler recalls that, when he was working on "Sultans of Swing," he was worried about paying his gas bill. Is anything troubling you this Saturday?

Oh, yes, always. Life has been very, very stressful here in Idaho. It was supposed to be the opposite of that.
 
4) When this song was popular, Sam often played it on the jukebox because, well, who doesn't like Dire Straits? 40 years later, both that  jukebox and the bar it was in are gone. Have you recently been in a restaurant or bar that has a jukebox?

No. I can't remember when the last time we went out to eat - period - was. It's been a while. But we had a big, giant jukebox in the basement of our house in Syracuse, growing up. We were always in the basement, playing music.

5) In 1978, the year "Sultans of Swing" topped the charts, Garfield first appeared in newspapers all around the United States. Over the years, it was revealed that the cartoon cat loved lasagna and hated raisins. What's a food you love? What's one that you hate?

Everybody knows that I am a major fan of New York-style margherita pizza. It is hard to be vegan when you know that is a thing that exists, so I have just resigned myself to doing the best that I can! But don't put ANY meat on my pizza! Or mushrooms! Or especially any jalapeño peppers - I'm allergic!

6) One of People magazine's top-selling issues of 1978 featured Carrie Fisher and Darth Vader on the cover. The article celebrated the theatrical re-release of Star Wars and announced that the cast was on board for a sequel. How many Star Wars movies have you seen?

To be totally honest with you, I think I've seen the middle three movies, Episodes 4-6, but I don't think I've seen any beyond that. And no Star Trek, definitely. Sci-Fi is just not my genre!

7) The most popular movie of 1978 was Grease. What's your favorite song from the Grease soundtrack?

I love the entire soundtrack, but I did many, many solos of "Hopelessly Devoted" when I was alone - the last time was not even that long ago, probably!

8) In 1978, Yves St. Laurent made fashion news by putting his female runway models in menswear-inspired suits, complete with neckties and pocket squares. Do you know how to tie a windsor knot? Can you fold a handkerchief into a pocket square?

No, I do not. And the rare time I wear a scarf, I have to Google what to do with that, too. Fashion is also not my forte.

9) Random question: You're visiting a friend. He graciously offers you the use of his super-expensive, brand-new luxury sedan for the duration of your stay. Do you take him up on it? Or do you rent a car instead?

Hell YES, I would take him up on it!!! I've driven a pricey car or two, and those are a nice ride. And Lamborghini's are my favorite "sexy" car, but I've never been in a Rolls-Royce. Take a look at that 2020 Phantom. Smooth...

~*~*~*~*~

Man, now I'm thinking about driving around in Miami in a cool ride, shutting down bars. Those were the days!

Thanks for another fun one, Sam.

Fin.

Saturday 9: No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)

Hey, y'all. It's the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and we are sooo not ready. I haven't been around much - either here or in real life - because right now, I'm fighting Lyme more than ever before. It's knocked me down a peg or nine, that's for sure! But enough about that. Let's get on with it! 

Link up here if you're playing along this week.

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday 9: No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) 1979

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) These lyrics use weather as metaphor for romance. Here at Saturday 9, we're more literal. How do the skies look where you are this morning?

Right now it's a chilly but very sunny 46ºF. I don't have the blinds open or anything to really see that, though, because I have a migraine. And that sunlight stabs me right in the eyeballs!

2) According to Merriam-Webster, "enough is enough" is what you say when you want something to stop because you "can no longer accept or deal with it." When did you recently say -- out loud or to yourself -- "enough is enough"?

Well, first, I would probably have more likely said the equivalent in Spanish: "No puedo soportar más." And I don't know exactly when it would have been, but certainly regarding the impeachment trials going on in the US right now, maybe regarding this latest news by Lev Parnas implicating Devin Nunes in the Ukraine scandal.

Or maybe it was pain from the Lyme. Yeah, maybe that.

3) Grammy winner Luther Vandross began his career as a background singer and performed on "No More Tears." Tell us about one of your early jobs.

I've worked a lot of jobs here and there. For a while, when I was an undergrad at the University of Miami, I worked three jobs while going to school full-time, often taking the max amounts of credits I could take (20 per semester). For my work-study job, I worked in the UM Office of Alumni Relations. Part of my duties included locating alumni (this would have been starting in 1994, so technology didn't make that as easy then as it would be now), making sure we had their current contact information, and then asking them to make a donation when the request came in the mail. I hated that job. So now that I'm on the other end of those phone calls, I try to make it as easy as possible on the poor schmoes who are calling me!

4) Both Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand made slight changes to their first names. Summer was christened "LaDonna," while Streisand's parents spelled her name the more conventional "Barbara." When she was in high school, meme mistress Samantha Winters went from "Sammy" to "Sam." Did you ever make a similar change to your first name?

No. Why would I? That description fits me to a "T." I used to hate it, but now I find it to be a beautiful name and not so common that I personally know 20 other people with the same name. Plus, my mother changed my name from my father's mother's name (Eleanor) to Melanie on my birth certificate when he was out of the room. Love that, too!

People do try to bastardize my name and call me Melodie or Melody, though. It doesn't bother me as much when they misunderstand what I've said, but recently, I honestly quit a writing program important to me wherein someone in my committee read my name, and then wrote back to me, writing "Melody" instead. I was honestly not so much offended by that - because, let's be honest, I'm used to it - as by the ludicrous notion that I would want to be affiliated with a program putting such illiterates in with me. Call me elitist, but you should always strive to get someone's name correct when you're reading it right there in front of you. Am I right?

5) Hair was higher maintenance in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Streisand and Summer are both sporting styles that would require chemical treatment, like a perm or relaxer. Today's looks are less rigidly styled and tend to be smoother or slightly messy. How often do you change your look?

I'm pretty fickle capricious. I change my look a lot. I never look the same at the end of the year as I did at the beginning of the year. (This picture is from January 2019.)

6) In 1979, it seems every kid was asking Santa for Star Wars toys. Some things don't change, since the Star Wars franchise remains popular with children and toymakers after more than 40 years. What book or toy did you love as a child that remains popular today?

Oh, lots of things, probably. I was a huge fan of the Nancy Drew books, and I read the Anne of Green Gables series again and again. And now, I feel like reading it again!

7) Thinking of things that endure ... In 1979, the #1 show in the ratings was 60 Minutes. It's still on, every Sunday night, and in the summer of 2019 it came in at #4 in the Nielsen ratings. What's the most recent show you watched? Was it news, sports or entertainment?

I've been balancing out my news coverage with the latest episodes of Ellen and Jeopardy! Thank goodness for DVR! (BTW, I made Hubs really sad the other night when I told him I don't want to go on Jeopardy! anymore. That's been a life-long Bucket List item since before I had a Bucket List. But now that I'm really sick, and Alex Trebek is really sick... it doesn't look so good for either one of us. If I live long enough to enter remission, he probably won't be the host anymore. But if he is... we'll revisit these thoughts.)

8) In 1979, the price for a dozen eggs averaged 85¢. Today, it's about twice that. Are you more likely to use eggs to prepare a main course (like an omelette or Eggs Benedict) or as part of a recipe (anything from a cake to a meatloaf)?

Neither - and not just because I'm allergic to eggs (which makes getting some of my vaccines a challenge). #vegan

9) Random question: You’re alone in your car, driving through your neighborhood on a bright, sunny day. You get a flat tire. You have a spare and a jack in your trunk. Would you fix it yourself or call for help?

I know how to change a tire, and I have done it before, but right now I just do not have the strength. Thankfully, we finally now have AAA for that - and we have used them!

~*~*~*~*~

Take care, you guys. I'll be back later for some Sunday Stealing. Y'all in? 

Fin.

Saturday 9: The Addams Family

BOO!

Howdy, everybody! Welcome back to another fun edition of Saturday 9, brought to us by the wonderful Crazy Sam. Since Hallowe'en was last night, this week's question center around the theme song to the deliciously creepy show, The Addams Family. Fun!

Link up here if you're playing along today!

~*~*~*~*~

The Addams Family (1964)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.
 
1) One of TV's spookiest families was inspired by a series of New Yorker cartoons. What's the last magazine you flipped through?

When I received the latest issue of Town & Country magazine in the mail the other day, I noticed down there on the bottom right where Laura Dern was quoted as saying, "I will NOT be rich!" But, umm... after I flipped through 20-some pages of Cartier diamonds and the like, I finally found the article. She is wealthy beyond measure compared to most of us, along with talented and famous. I still can't figure out that quote.

2) The Addams' butler, Lurch, was originally conceived as a mute. But then actor Ted Cassidy ad libbed the line, "You rang?" and Lurch had a voice, and a catchphrase. Can you think of another catchphrase connected to a TV character?

I had a crush on Joey Lawrence way back on first his days on Gimme a Break! and then Blossom. He was so hot! (He still is, but I think now he's so careful with his grooming that it turns me off.) Anyway, I haven't thought of this in a while, so it amused me when my first thought was his "Whoa!" catchphrase from Blossom. 

3) Now here's the most important question of the week: Do you prefer The Addams Family or The Munsters?

Oh, that's just not fair! But by a slim margin, I think I lean toward The Munsters. I love them both!

4) What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?

I'm not a fan of the horror movie genre, so I don't watch many of them. I was forced to watch many as a kid, and I still have nightmares. Right after my mother died, my dad forced me to sit through Children of the Corn on HBO. I was seven. I was terrified. This entertained him. Bastard.

5) Thursday was Halloween. What goodies did you give the trick or treaters?

Hubs bought Reese's peanut butter cups and Kit-Kats, along with Dum-Dums and fun pencils so we didn't leave out the TPP kiddos.

6) Are you attending/have you attended any Halloween parties this year?

No, not this year. Hardly ever, really.

7) Did you carve a jack o'lantern this year?

Oh, my God! With everything we had going on last month, I completely forgot!

8) Do you eat candy corn all year around ... only at Halloween ... or never?

N. E. V. E. R.

9) In 1964, when The Addams Family premiered, one of the most popular store-bought Halloween costumes was Bambi. It came with a plastic mask held on by a thin elastic band. Tell us about a memorable Halloween costume from your childhood.

I was a dancer until I was 15, so a lot of times when Halloween rolled around, if I hadn't come up with a costume yet I just wore something from the last recital!

~*~*~*~*~

I hope y'all had a spookily fun night on Halloween. Now, onward - happy November! We've already had snow here in Idaho, as of one week ago. (And at least once more since. Have you?!)

I am not ready.

Cheers,

Fin.

Saturday 9: I'd Really Love to See You Tonight

Welcome back, loves. It's been a while. I think I've posted one thing - a petition - in all of October.🙄

I don't want to bring the whole S9 mood down, so suffice it to say that if you haven't heard it by now elsewhere, I'm currently fighting for my life now that my late-state chronic Lyme disease has further advanced. I am stubborn, though, and I will not go down without a fight. I should've done last week's S9! 🙃😉

Link up here if you'd like to play along with us this week!

~*~*~*~*~

I'd Really Love to See You Tonight (1976)

Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it here.

1) This song is about a guy who, out of the blue, phones an ex. Have you ever spontaneously phoned or emailed a former lover? Has an ex ever reached out to you?

Yes on both counts. 🤐🤐🤐

2) He suggests walking through the park, taking a drive along the beach, or watching TV. Do any of those suggestions appeal to you right now?

Memories from Christmas 2013

Definitely, I'd love a drive along the beach (hell no, I'd want to go IN), but I'd love to do all of those things right now!

3) "England Dan" got his nickname because he was a passionate Beatles fan and would affect a British accent when he talked about his favorite group. Are you good at imitating accents?

I seem to be, but quite unintentionally. I just pick them up talking to people. When I lived in South Carolina for a summer, my BFF Lisa (from NY) called me up and said I sounded like a Southerner. We laughed and laughed, mostly because we both knew how much I hated that! (I do still find "y'all" useful, though.) And when I've lived in Miami and Hispanic people have heard me speaking Spanish, it really throws them off. They study my appearance and just look at me and look at me before finally asking, "WHERE are you FROM?" Because my accent is Castellano (from Spain), I do not "look" Hispanic, and yet there I am. I make them try to guess and have gotten all kinds of responses. Mostly, they think Argentina. 🤣🤣

4) Dan met John Colley when they were high school classmates in Dallas. When they were still kids, they agreed that "John Ford Coley" would be a better stage name. Think back to your high school days. Which of your friends daydreamed along with you?

Shana and I on the bus to the Young Living Lavender Farm in June 2017

Oh, we were all full of daydreams, right? But I think my other BFF, Shana, and I did the most daydreaming. Mostly random stuff, but isn't it always?

5) After the duo disbanded, "England Dan" went to Nashville, billed himself by his real name -- Dan Seals -- and recorded country music. Who is your favorite country performer?

There aren't too many. Mostly it's a song here and there. Right now, I'm kind of digging Maren Morris. Love her song "Girl." 

6) Today John Ford Coley lives in TN. He performs occasionally and raises horses. Have you ever been to TN?

I have, several times, and even more times through it on the way to somewhere else. I was at a hospital once there (I've been in hospitals everywhere by this point, I swear), outside of Nashville. And I don't mind saying this, now that I'm largely out of the business now, that I once did an evaluation for this resort in Gatlinburg, TN. I evaluated several of their resorts in different states, actually. 

7) In 1975, when this song was popular, Foster Grant Sunglasses had a suggested retail price of $5/pair. Do you buy sunglasses more for fashion or utility?

I definitely buy them for utility. Mostly, I get wraparound sunglasses (unless they're prescription, which is a whole 'nother story) to try to block as much sun from piercing my eyes as possible while I'm driving. I have let my driver license expire now, though, and I don't drive anymore. So that's kind of a moot point, now.

8) The most popular movie of 1975 was Jaws. Have you seen it?

I'm a bicentennial baby, but I've seen it several times as it was still popular by the time my awareness of such things developed. Maybe it was a predictor of things to come, but I was always #TeamShark. I always rooted for the shark... always.

9) Random question: Excluding anyone related to you by blood or marriage, what man are you closest to?

There aren't many. I have intentionally not cultivated male friendships in the latter years, since my husband is very ... sensitive ... to that. I used to be friends with only guys before I got married; it's weird. I guess I'll say Joe, here. We actually both grew up in the same neighborhood in Central New York, but through different paths, we both ended up here in Idaho. So strange, but interesting. He and his wife Gladys are really good people. 

~*~*~*~*~

I'm glad I was able to participate this week. Thanks, Sam, for the great questions! 

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: Colloquium

Hi, guys! It's 6 PM Mountain Time on Sunday - the first chance I've had to write this - essentially guaranteeing NO ONE will read nor comment on it.

I dare you to prove me wrong?!

Link up here if you want to join in the fray this fine Sunday.

~*~*~*~*~

These are from From Colloquium, which has not published since 2012

Last person you were in a car with?

We were coming home from an equestrian competition for Sophia, so in addition to the two of us, Rob was driving and Chloë was along for moral support.

Any plans for tomorrow?

Well, heh, yeah... but we're out of gas and I've 3 dr appts to get to. I don't quite know how I'm going to manage that, yet...

Best friend or close friends?

Um, both. Duh.

Is tomorrow going to be a good day?

Oh, I don't know yet; I forgot to turn on my clairvoyance.

Ever thrown up in public?

Oh yes. How high can you count? Yeah? More than that.

What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW?

That it's about time for my post-Climate Strike (one of them, anyway) conference call, so 'scuse me while I multitask for a minute...

Who was the last person you talked to?

Rob. I thanked him for taking away my empty place of cheese enchiladas.

What is the WORST subject they teach at school?

For those who still teach it, Creationism, especially as the only "science" taught in those schools.

Have you seen anyone lately that you don’t get along with?

Not lately, I don't think?

What is your favourite color top to wear?

Pass, on the grounds that it's irrelevant.

Have you ever been in a car accident?

Yes, probably the worst of which was the time I was hit by a drunk driver. Did I ever tell y'all that story??

What’s the closest thing to you that’s green?

My recycling bin 😉♻️

Where would you like to be right now?

Anywhere right now not having this migraine

Is anything bugging you right now?

Second verse, same as the first!

Is life going right for you now?

It's... going.

Is there someone you care about more than yourself?

Pretty much everyone... but most of all, these goons.

What made you laugh today?

This.

What was the last movie you watched?

I don't even know, but I really want to see Hustlers!

What was the last conversation you had about?

Robert was just begging me not to overdose on the acetaminophen he had just brought home. I said, "No promises." He took it with him... /Endscene

What were you doing at 7:00 this morning?

With back-to-back things going, I passed out after we left the ACLU Activitists' Academy yesterday and didn't wake up until 9 or 10 this morning. Autoimmune illness will do that to ya.

Do you like your hair long or short?

I just like it when it looks good, however long it is...

Do you like the rain?

Sure but, I mean, everything is relative...

~*~*~*~*~

Fin.

Saturday 9: The Candy Man

Hey there, swell people!! What's the haps?

I'm still coming down from the high off of organizing - and attending - the #ClimateStrike here in Mountain Home, Idaho. What a moment this is! Did you go? Did you strike? If not, WHY NOT?

And now back to our regular questions, brought by the lovely Crazy Sam:

~*~*~*~*~

THE CANDY MAN (1972)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) This song is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. The movie was remade as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Which Wonka did you prefer?

 

 

I guess I'm old-school on this one. I love the inimitable Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka!

2) In the movie, this song is sung by Bill, the candy store shopkeeper. Think about the last counter person you dealt with. We know that he or she likely didn't break into song, but did you two engage in conversation?

 

Yeah. Well. Last night, Chloë and I attended the "Sweater Weather Get-Together" at The Twisted Ewe, a yarn shop up in Boise. I engaged with several of the shop staff, and especially introduced myself to the young woman who runs their social media stuff, because I engage with her frequently, and I'd never met her in person. I also signed up to be a test knitter.

3) The lyrics tell us that The Candy Man can make the world taste good. What's the last thing you ate? Was it delicious, or just OK?

 

 

I ate oatmeal with raisins. As you can probably guess, it was just okay. This morning I had oatmeal with flax and chia seeds. That was actually better - even though it was cold by the time I ate it.
 
4) The most popular recording of this song was by Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy was in a horrific car accident when he was 29 years old. His cheek and nose were broken and he lost an eye. That he survived at all left him reflective and after his hospitalization, he converted to Judaism. Do you still worship in the faith you were raised in? 

 

No. Not only no, but hell no. No, no, no, no, no.

 

5) Sammy was proud of the honorary college degrees he received because he never formally attended school. As a child, he performed on the road with his father and uncle. In addition to depriving him of an education, that lifestyle kept him from kids his own age. He would later describe his childhood as, "in a word, 'lonely.'" Give us a one-word description of your childhood.

 

 

T R A U M A T I C
 
6) Because he spent so much of his youth on the road, living on buses, trains and hotel rooms, he loved eventually having his own kitchen and being able to cook his own meals. This weekend, will you spend much time in the kitchen?

 

Probably not. Chloë and I are going to be in Boise all day tomorrow at the ACLU's Activist Academy, and then on Sunday we'll be watching Sophia at an equestrian competition. So maybe we'll have time to cash in on some more birthday freebies (like these delicious chocolate-covered strawberries from The Melting Pot) while we're out and about!

 7) Sammy enjoyed experimenting with clothes and jewelry. What about you? Do you consider yourself conservative in dress or are you fashion forward?

 

Eh. Neither, maybe? I'm just me.

8) When he died, Sammy was in debt to the IRS. Do you handle your own taxes, or do you use the services of an accountant?

 

 

I do 'em. Not worth much since Rob retired, though!
  
9) Random question: If you had to tell nothing but the truth (not even the tiniest white lie) for 24 hours, do you think you'd get yourself in trouble?

 

 

Very much so, yes. Who wouldn't?

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Arrright. I gotta prepare for the next thing. And then the next. Gotta remind myself of what my physical therapist, Susan, tells me: "Pacing, Melanie. Remember to pace yourself."

 

I'm not good at it, y'all!!!

 

♥ Take time for yourselves, and thank your hostess, Gal - er, Sam - she works hard for us. (I'm still sorry.) (P.S. I did know the song, of course, but I clicked the link and listened again, and then more of Sammy, and then on to some other stuff. Really light-hearted comedy and Adam Sandler and things I just truly, honestly needed right at this moment in time.) ♥

 

Fin.