MelaniePenelope

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!

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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.

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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.

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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: All Right

Hello there, ladies and gents! I hope you are all staying healthy and sane in these strange and dangerous days. If not, you're welcome to share with me so I can send up some prayers and/or send good juju your way!

Link up here to join the rest of us in some fun with Christopher Cross this weekend. I haven't heard this song in forever.

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Saturday 9: All Right (1983)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song has an optimistic message about love: "It gets tough sometimes, but you can give it one more try ..." Do you tend to take an optimistic look at life?

 

 

Yes. I've said on here a million times, I see the world through rose-colored glasses. I've trusted too much and been hopeful, and then gotten disappointed numerous times. But I still trust and am hopeful the next time. I have seen a more cynical side creeping in of late, and I just don't like it. Who wants to live in that negative, "everything is about someone's agenda" mentality? I do not. I'm the "count your blessings" type, too.

2) In this song, Christopher Cross sings, "Time and time again I see people so unsure like me ..." Tell us about a recent time when your confidence could have used a boost.

 

Well, on Monday, I had to have a Libre glucose monitor implanted in my arm for a fortnight. I was SO scared leading up to it. Chloë gave me her hand to squeeze, and I squeezed the hell out of her poor hand - for nothing. I literally did not feel a thing. Silly me! (I was like that with the picc line a few years ago, but that actually was painful and scary.)

 

3) The Doobie Brothers Michael McDonald plays on this record. Do you have a favorite Doobie Brothers song?

 

I had to run over to YouTube for a playlist to see if I had a clear favorite. From the titles, I couldn't decide, so I started playing them. It may be cliché, but when "Black Water" started, I knew that had to be it.

 

4) Though no longer making hits, Christopher Cross still has loyal fans who attend his concerts. Time permitting, he spends time after each show signing autographs. Have you ever asked a celebrity for his/her autograph?

 

 

Regular visitors will know that I love Dave Barry and that he's easily the most famous person I've met. I know, we're not talking superstar insanity here, but he did (does? I'm not sure if he still does) write a syndicated humor column, write several books, and have a TV sitcom based on his life, so... Anyway, he used to come into the Publix where I worked in Coral Gables, Florida, while in college. (Please note that the "U" on his shirt is the reason I used this picture!) One time, he came in on a Sunday, and I spotted him when I went on break. I ran to buy a Sunday paper and found his column in the Miami Herald. I was extremely shy and nervous, so I kind of crept around the store after him and his wife Michelle, not wanting to intrude. Finally, they were stopped, browsing the chips aisle, when his wife looked at me and then said, "Dave, I think this girl would like to talk to you." I almost died, but I

5) Christopher Cross' dad was an Army doctor stationed at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC. With all the museums and monuments, our nation's capital could be a great place for a kid to grow up ... except sometimes we take the advantages of our hometown for granted. Tell us about a nearby museum, park, theater, etc., you'll visit again when this period of crisis is over and it's agreed that it's safe to do so.

Well, I was looking forward to the Boise Greek Festival at the end of May, but I see it's been postponed to some as-yet-unknown future time. So I'll turn my attention toward the opening of our small town's city pool that same weekend and hope that date keeps! I'm looking forward to denying my numerous health issues the opportunity to keep me homebound this summer - and the rest of my life, really - and just making the most of every day!

6) In 1983, when "All Right" was popular, Flashdance was a hit in movie theaters and on the radio. What's the most recent movie you watched? Most recent song you heard on the radio?

I really haven't watched any movies in a while, as my 15yo, Sophia, has me catching up on Stranger Things with her. But, someone just told me I need to watch Circus of Books soon, and so I shall.

I'm listening to the I ♥ Radio app on my phone right now, and "Love Lies" by Khalid & Normani is playing right now. Big fan of Khalid!
 
7) Also in 1983, America West Airlines took off, flying between Las Vegas and Phoenix. They went nationwide in 2005 after they merged with US Airways. In 2013, they merged again, this time with American Airlines. Do you collect miles in an airline loyalty program?

Yeah, a few. We mostly fly Delta - maybe because I have a couple of friends with connections? - but I really don't even fly every year anymore, so it's a little pointless.

Back in the early-mid 2000s, a different friend's husband worked or Delta. Their cat had kittens, and she was looking for takers when the time came. They lived in Georgia, and we were in Virginia Beach. She ended up flying our new kitten, who we named Tinkerbell, to us on a Delta flight! I mean, that's one way to adopt a new furry family member, right?

(And she was a great cat.)

8) Super Mario Bros. debuted in 1983. Can you name gaming's most famous siblings?

Sure, who doesn't know Mario & Luigi? I loved playing Nintendo back in the early 90s, but I never could rescue that %&*( princess!

9) Random question -- Under hypnosis, you discover you lived three past lives. In the first, you were wealthy beyond your wildest imaginings, thanks to a loveless marriage. In the second, you were a star on the roller derby circuit who had earned the nickname "Smasher." In the third, you were a brilliant mathematician who worked your way through school as an exotic dancer. Which of these would you find most shocking?

First of all, Sam, yes that was random! Ha! I think I'd most be shocked by the first one. I could see myself being Smasher in the roller derby. I can see myself as a sexy, nerdy stripper. But trapped in a loveless marriage just for money? Not now, not then, not ever. Not me!

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That's it, y'all. 

Note: I started this early on Saturday, but I had to lie down in the middle of doing it and didn't wake up until Sunday morning. Oops! I wanted to finish, though, even though probably no one will see it.

Hopefully I'll actually get to SS this week, yeah?

Y'all be good.

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!

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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: The Easter Bunny Bop

Hey, everyone! Happy Quarantine!

I don't know how long it's been since I've taken a shower or bath, but I'm not going anywhere, so who cares... Maybe Hubs, but he doesn't count! ;)

Link up here to play along with us this weekend!

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Saturday 9: The Easter Bunny Bop (2015)

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

 

1) This song encourages little ones to celebrate Easter by doing a little dance. Do you feel like dancing this morning?

 

I wish I could, but I really can't. At least not without spinning around holding onto my walker, which for someone my age, is kinda pitiful.

2) Everyone in this video is wearing bunny ears. Target, Amazon and other retailers sell bunny ear headbands sized for adults and priced at about $5. Will you be wearing bunny ears, or perhaps a more conventional chapeau, this weekend? Or, because of the coronavirus, will your Easter attire be the same as any other day?

 

 

I really don't know yet. I haven't thought much about what I'll wear. We're not doing Easter baskets or anything like that for the first time ever, which I hate. Not sure if I'll get dressed up more... maybe?

 

3) This week's featured artists, The Bounce Patrol Kids, are a children's entertainment juggernaut: CDs, DVDs, downloads, and t-shirts. Additionally, they often update their YouTube channel because they want children the world over to have access to their upbeat, energetic songs for free. Besides the Bounce Patrol, what's the last YouTube video you watched?

 

&

 

Actually, I watched - and sang along to - the theme song from The Jeffersons because of a conversation Rob and I were having with the kids. They didn't know anything about it! Horrors!!

 

4) According to Forbes magazine, the average American household spends $20.66 on candy each Easter. Will you be consuming candy this weekend?

 

 

I probably won't be eating Easter candy. I haven't bought any, and I don't plan to.

5) The biggest chocolate Easter egg was made in Italy, measured 34 feet tall and weighed a staggering 15,000 lbs. Do you thinks it's possible to have too much chocolate?

 

 

This is not the Italian one; this is the Pysanka egg in Vegreville, Alberta, Canada. (not my foto). I could eat a LOT of chocolate, but if I did, I'd live to regret it very shortly after. So I'll sadly have to make a checkmark in the "yes" column on this one.

 

6) After chocolate, the top-selling Easter candy is Peeps Marshmallow Chicks. They're so popular that, in 2018, they were the subject of a Jeopardy clue. Do you often watch Jeopardy?

 

 

We try to catch it when we can. It's been a lot less than usual lately.

7) Jelly beans are also popular this time of year. In a 2019 poll, jelly bean fans responded that Jelly Belly Buttered Popcorn is their favorite flavor. Sam is crazy about cherry. Do you have a favorite?

 

 

No, I do not. I hate all jelly beans equally. Never did like them. Blech!

8) We've been talking a lot about sweets this morning. The only holiday that generates more candy sales is Halloween. When do you eat more candy: Easter or Halloween?

 

 

Probably Halloween, since it lands on a payday when we can afford more candy! Heh.

9) Easter is considered the season of rebirth. What makes you feel refreshed or rejuvenated?

These days, a good, long sleep and a decent bath are all it takes - and even that is rare for me!

~*~*~*~*~

However you celebrate this weekend, whatever you do, I hope that you will all be safe and healthy throughout this pandemic. Is everyone okay out there??

Take care.

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: Gratitude

Hey there. Nice to see you. Welcome back. Pull up a chair and let's get into our feelings of gratitude and thankfulness, shall we?

Link up here if you're thieving along with the rest of us this week!

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Stolen from Gratitude Journal on Pinterest

Name a highlight of your day:

Sophia grew out her bangs several years back and suddenly decided yesterday (Saturday) to cut bangs again on a whim. I think she looks so cute!

☼

What made you smile today?

Some of the little gifts I ordered for Sophie's 15^th birthday next week came in the mail; I really hope she loves them!

☼

What made you laugh today?

This dog. We get monthly PupBoxes and BarkBoxes for our two pooches, our tiny Chihuahua, Paco (above), and his somewhat bigger Chiweenie sister, Tapi. Because of that, they have a ton of puppy toys. Tapi, the younger of the pair, loves all her toys and regularly makes the rounds amongst them all, choosing a new favorite seemingly every hour or so. Paco, on the other hand, is loyal to just two or three, so when he finds one that he has previously tucked away for safe-keeping, he goes completely from nearly-six-year-old dog to puppy in an instant. And when we tease him by trying to pull the toy away to throw for him to retrieve, he fiercely guards it. It's pretty adorable!

Recall a time when you needed encouragement:

As I've gone through my healing journey from the many horrors I experienced as a child, my husband and, now that they're older, my children have been very supportive as I go through therapy and begin the process of writing my book about my story.
♥ They've really been great. ♥

What is a luxury you are thankful for?

Oh, gosh, so many things. So many. One is this house that we bought in June last year. It's absolutely a dream come true, even if it is in a tiny town that I don't love... so far! I'm thankful for it every single day. But I have been fortunately on many levels.

Favorite childhood memory:

Well, there aren't a lot of good ones. Before my mother died, she used to put my hair up in curlers every now and then. I remember crying in the nights from the curlers and the net she wrapped around them, since they pressed into my head as I slept. But I loved the time spent with my beautiful mom, just sitting on her lap and listening to her beautiful voice.

Favorite song – and why?

Well, I don't usually do well with these types of questions, because I'm so capricious that I can never actually decide on a favorite even in any given instant. But since I just went back a few years and re-listened to Cee Lo Green's The Lady Killer album, which I've always loved, I'll say that for right now it's maybe "Love Gun." Very sing-along-able!

Where is your favorite place? Why?

There are so many places in the world that I adore, but one my absolute favorites is the University of Miami campus. That's where I lived for three-plus years after I finally escaped the house of horrors I grew up in, and it was just the balm I needed. My time there was incredible, and I absolutely cherish those memories.

What is your favorite scent?

My favorite scents are the fruity ones, and I absolutely adore any of the citrus ones. Mmmm.

What is your favorite topic to talk about?

My kids! Typical mother.

What do you like doing so much that you lose track of time?

Lots of things... although lately, it's just naps!

If you had 5 minutes and the whole world was forced to listen, what would you say?

I wouldn't need the whole five minutes. I would just have to tell people to listen to Sweden's 17-year-old Greta Thunberg on the human-driven climate crisis, because she's absolutely right; the kids from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting/March For Our Lives on gun control, because they're absolutely right, and so on. Adults! Listen to the kids. They know and understand more than we think they do - and a lot of times, more than we do.

Whose life do you envy the most, and why?

I don't envy anyone's life, but there may be certain aspects of some people's lives that I do envy: kids who grew up in a loving, nurturing environment; moms and dads who never experienced the loss of a child; and currently, as I'm nearing six years in suffering with Lyme Disease, people who enjoy relatively good health. But I know everyone has their cross to bear, so I'm a "be careful what you wish for" type!

What would you different with your education if you got a chance to start over?

I would follow my own advice, which I regularly give to my own kids and others who'll soon be striking out on their own: Whatever it is you think you want to do with your life, try to shadow somebody who already has that job. For as long as you can, in as many different situations as possible. This gives a great opportunity to really discern whether this is the "right" job for that person. Wish I'd thought to do that earlier! (In the end, though, it worked out: I've been a stay-home mom pretty much since I eloped with my husband, because I got pregnant almost instantaneously 🤣🤣 and difficult and high-risk pregnancies. I wouldn't change that!)

What would you do with your life if you had no fear?

I would listen far more to my own instincts and desires and far less to others' expectations of me. I would let go of that nagging voice in my head that worries too much about what other people think of me and stop dwelling on things I've said or done for a million years after they've happened. Oh, and I would go cliff diving.

~*~*~*~*~

That was fun; thanks, Bev!

Everyone: I hope you are healthy and keeping the covids away! Stay safe: stay home and help flatten that curve!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Could've Been

Heyyy, everyone! Welcome back. This song was one of my favorites when it came out; I was a YUGE Tiffany fan back in the day. So obviously, I'm wicked excited for this one!

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

And now, I bring you:

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Saturday 9: Could've Been (1987)

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

1) This wistful song is about a love affair that ended. What song reminds you of a long-ago love?

 

 

I used to sing this song, "When I See You Smile" by Bad English, on the phone often at the end of my conversations with my high school boyfriend, Ben. Always brings me back!

2) It was written by Lois Blaisch, a singer-songwriter who performs at clubs around Los Angeles and has sung outdoors at Disneyland. Would you prefer to attend a concert indoors, or outside under the stars?

 

 

I'd rather be outdoors. When Chloë was an infant (she's 18 now), we lived in Panama City, Florida, and regularly attended outdoor concerts and things. I know she was far too young to remember, but we've always tried to expose our kids to different cultural things as much as possible. And early.

3) This week's featured artist, Tiffany, appeared on the TV talent show Star Search when she was just 14. She came in second. Though she was disappointed, she admits she learned from it. She studied the singer who won and says it made her a better performer. Can you recall a time when you weathered a tough time and came through stronger?

 

 

Oh yes, lots of times - my whole life! Recently, we celebrated our twin boys' 17th birthday. Losing Robby was one of those times for me. I was definitely broken - but stronger for it now.

4) Early in her career, she toured Alaska, opening for country legend George Jones. Have you ever visited our 50th state?

 

 

Not yet. I was going to take Rob and the kids on an Alaskan cruise later this year, but of course we canceled that now.

5) Tiffany provided the voice of Judy Jetson in 1990's Jetsons: The Movie. Which cartoon did you enjoy more: the space-age Jetsons or the pre-historic Flintstones?

I didn't know that! Oh, man... I liked both shows. Maybe The Jetsons had just a slight edge, because I've always wanted to be out in space.

6) In 2007, she appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and lost 28 lbs. Are you making an effort to stay fit during this stay-at-home period?

No. Not at all. I can barely walk around so... I'm gaining weight and hating every ounce.

7) In 1987, when this song was popular, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What's your favorite Aretha song?

I hate being cliché, but it really is "RESPECT."

8) Also in 1987, third-generation race car driver Marco Andretti was born. Are you a race fan?

No, not at all. I don't understand why anybody cares about this.

9) Random question: Do you find it easy to sit still, or are you fidgety?

Oh, I fidget constantly. I'm pretty good at it, so why stop now?

~*~*~*~*~

I do hope you're all safe and sound and remaining covid-free! Thinking of you all in this mixed-up, crazy world we're in!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Everybody's Somebody's Fool

Hey, everyone. I hope you're doing fine amidst these crazy times. I'm concerned but alive. I'm back this week because Hubs brought all my office stuff - including desk and computer - into our bedroom so I can be more functional again. Yay!

Link up here to play this Connie Francis edition of S9 with the rest of us!

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Saturday 9: Everybody's Somebody's Fool (1960)

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

Note from Crazy Sam: None of this week's questions mention the coronavirus. However, if you want to share how you're feeling about Covid-19 at this extraordinary time, please feel free to do so.

1) Next Wednesday is April Fool's Day. Do you have any pranks planned? Do you expect to fall victim to any April Fool's Day mischief?

 

 

I have no idea about anything anymore!

2) When she was a kid, Crazy Sam would fool her mom by putting bubble wrap under the bath map so there would be a POP! when her mother stepped on it. When you encounter bubble wrap, do you always indulge in a pop or two?

 

 

Oh yes. Absolute necessity.

3) While we're using this song to celebrate April Fool's Day, it was written about another subject entirely: heartbreak. The lyrics tell us that at some point, we each get our hearts broken by someone who doesn't love us as much as we love them. Do you think that's true?

 

 

Definitely. Well, I'm sure there a few outliers. Maybe two.

4) In 1962, this week's featured Connie Francis published a book aimed at teens called For Every Young Heart. It addressed topics like going steady and schoolwork vs. social life. Do you ever read advice columns or self-help books?

Sometimes, maybe on a very rare occasion

5) Connie Francis can play the accordion. Sam has never met anyone adept at this complicated instrument -- not even in her high school band. What about you? Do you play the accordion, or do you know anyone who can?

I don't, but y'know, I'm not sure if I know anyone who can or not. I have a lot of amazing friends with hidden talents!

6) In 1960, when this record was popular, Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird was published. Have you read it?

Yes, I have read it two or three times and own at least one copy of the book.

7) Also in 1960, one of Life magazine's best-selling issues had Sophia Loren on the cover. At that time, she was an international film star and considered one of the world's most beautiful women. Who do you consider one of 2020's most beautiful women?

I've always thought Jessica Biel was ridiculously stunning.

8) A 1960 issue of Vogue acknowledged how expensive it had become to maintain a fashionable wardrobe and asked, "If you were to buy only one thing, what would it be?" If it's good enough for Vogue, it's good enough for Saturday 9: If you could purchase only one new article of clothing for spring 2020, what would you buy?

I'd really like to get a cute jumpsuit.

9) Random question: When someone makes you really angry, are you more likely to respond with stony silence or a big noise?

I'm really good at both, but since my natural position is to Never. Shut. Up., it's more like the latter.

~*~*~*~*~

Well, y'all stay safe. I hope you're able to hunker down inside your homes as much as possible and avoid COVID-19. Personally, I am extremely vulnerable, as I have a nonexistent immune system, so I'm doing the best I can never to leave my house. Can't say it's much of a change for me!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Buttons And Bows

Welcome back, everyone! Unbelievably, February is already almost over! You know those memes going around saying how fast it's been, compared to that three-year-long (or whatever) January? Definitely true.

Link up here if you'd like to play along this week. And away we go!

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Saturday 9: Buttons & Bows (1948)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) The lyrics extol the beauty of "rings and things and buttons and bows." When you're getting dressed, do you give much thought to accessorizing?

I definitely do. Since I'm mostly bedbound these days, there aren't many days where I'm leaving the house and even wanting to accessorize. So when I do, I want to make it count!

2) Dinah Shore sings that she doesn't want to live where the cactus hurts her toes. Sam can sympathize, as she has a blister on one of her toes from where her winter boots rub. Do you have any aches and pains to report this morning?

Well, yeah. Thanks to Lyme and other health issues. I always have pain.

3) Dinah was such a popular entertainer that people were surprised to learn she earned a degree in sociology from Vanderbilt University. What is something we'd be surprised to know about you?

Hmm, I'm not sure if this'll do, but a lot of you know I'm mostly-vegan, occasionally vegetarian. However, I have eaten both escargot and frog legs, on two different cruises. And I liked them!

4) Dinah's was the best selling version of this song, which was introduced by Bob Hope in the movie The Paleface. Hope had success early in his career as a song-and-dance man on Broadway. Are you better at telling jokes, singing or dancing?

I'm not very good at telling jokes - I can never remember them! I think I'm best at singing, of these.

5) Both Bob and Dinah donated their time to entertaining the troops in WWII. It was during a USO tour that Dinah met and fell in love with actor George Montgomery, who was serving in the Air Force. They were married for 20 years and had two children. Their daughter followed her parents into show business and became an actress. If a young person asked you for career advice, what would you tell them?

I always recommend that a young person shadow someone older, who is already doing the job the young person wants. That helps avoid disillusionment.

6) Dinah was an avid golfer and even sponsored an LPGA tournament. She was also an excellent cook who hosted TV cooking segments. Which would you find more relaxing -- an afternoon on the golf course or in the kitchen?

I'd much rather be cooking.

7) In 1948, the year this record was a hit, Scrabble was introduced. Do you prefer word games, card games, board games or jigsaw puzzles?

I love all of the above!

8) Also in 1948, LPs (33 1/3 rpm records) were introduced. Do you have any vinyl records in your home?

We do, but none are mine. I'm not sure how many Hubs has, but not nearly as many as this.

9) Random question -- Which of these would you consider the greatest insult: to be called boring, untrustworthy or stupid?

Hm. I wouldn't relish any of them... but probably least so "boring"! Although with all our ups and downs over the years, boring, too, can be quite nice!

~*~*~*~*~

All right, dears. Nap time!

Fin.

Saturday 9: Secret Valentine

Welcome back & happy Valentine's Day, my lovelies! I haven't had a lot of energy lately, so I've missed a week or two. I just knew Crazy Sam would have some great questions up her sleeve for us this week, so I've made the effort to join. I know you're all so glad.

Link up here if you're joining in this weekend! And away we go...

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday 9: Secret Valentine (2008)

In honor of Valentine's Day. Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
 
1) The lyrics talk about a song that's so romantic it "turns out the lights." Are the lights on in the room you're in right now?

They are. Somewhere along the way (back in Miami), I developed a problem where my brain stopped perceiving light properly. Combine that with my lifelong fear of the dark and, well, there are currently four lights on in here.

2) In the video, our heroine's Valentine's Day adventure begins with a note slipped into her pocket. What's in your pocket right now?

I'm not currently wearing anything with pockets.

3) This week's band, We the Kings, are proud sons of the state of Florida. Bradenton, to be exact. They even called one of their CDs Sunshine State of Mind. Have you ever been to Florida? If so, where have you visited?

This meme is actually really accurate, at least for Southern Florida. I lived in Florida from 1994 to 2002, and again from 2013 to 2017. I love Florida, as whackadoodle as it is. I've lived in Coral Gables, South Miami, Homestead, Sarasota, Tampa, St. Pete, Panama City, and Panama City Beach. Forget listing all the additional places I've visited! LOL

4) Lead singer Travis Clark has a pierced lip but doesn't always wear a lip ring. Do you have any piercings? If yes, are you wearing jewelry in your piercing(s) right now?

Some yes, and some yes! (I just had to feel around to see what I'm wearing!) I have the rings in my septum and right nostril right now. There's the ring in my right tragus. And there's a ring up high in my left (ear) cuff currently. I also have four piercings in each lobe, but I don't usually put earring in those unless I'm going out, since there's far less risk of those closing up on me if they go empty. I don't have any other piercings. Yet. ;)

5) The band's name comes from a cheer they did when they attended Martha B. King High School. Have you attended your high school reunion?

Yup! This is part of us, in Baldwinsville, New York, at my 20^th reunion in 2014 (when & where I also got Lyme disease). We were also there for my 10^th, when I was pregnant with Sophia (our youngest). Can ya find me?

6) Hearts are the symbol of Valentine's Day, so here's a little heart trivia: whales have largest heart of any animal. When we say a person is "big hearted," it means we think of them as generous. Think about the people in your life. Who would you describe as big hearted?

Hands-down, that would be my immensely (musically) talented and equally generous friends, Shana (here with her husband). She has truly done so much for me over the many years that I've known her. I love her.

7) It's estimated that 9 million people buy Valentine's Day presents for their dogs and cats. Have you ever purchased a holiday gift for a pet?

Yeah, but not a Valentine. Often for Christmas! Who doesn't?

8) Valentines to teachers are also big sellers. Did you ever have a crush on one of your instructors?

Yup, definitely! Not saying who!

9) With the popularity of e-cards, fewer Valentine messages are sent via the USPS. What's the most recent thing you dropped into a mailbox?

(This picture cracked me up. Obviously, I am easily entertained.)

It was either a bill - WHY does everyone not allow online bill pay in 2020?!?! - or a postcard to my friend Erin, who collects them. I have sent her tons.

~*~*~*~*~

Thank you all for the visit. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: The Winter Questionnaire

Hey, folks! Welcome back. I'm on my husband's piece of crap Toughbook laptop with the missing "p" key, making all my years-long keyboarding skills basically useless, so I'm trying not to start out this meme already grumpy!

Also - Hey, Bev! Whither the opening Sunday Stealing foto? I had to go back four posts just to copy one! Anyway, link up here if you'd like to play along this weekend!

~*~*~*~*~

How do you get past the gray skies during winter?

It's actually really bad for me this year. I mean, unspeakably bad. We've moved to this rinky-dink little town in the middle of Idaho with NOTHING to do to take my mind off the misery of being here. I'm not doing well at all. We've recently discussed moving and narrowed it down to Guam or southern Portugal. Money is what stopped us.

Do you like snow? Why or why not?

Good lord, no. I grew up mostly in (well, outside of) Syracuse, New York, and was there for the Blizzard of '93, aka "the Storm of the Century" (above). Our house was up atop quite a steep slope. Thing is, once all that beautiful white snow falls, the plows come through. And then the cars, so that it all turns a disgusting brown and black speckled dirty color. And it melts and refreezes and melts and refreezes, turning your entire sloped driveway, and the lawn, and many streets to sheer ice. And let's not even get into how much I despise being cold!

    What are your favorite activities to do during the winter?

Hibernate and wait for it to be over.

    What does a perfect winter day look like to you?

This. It looks like this.

    What are your favorite meals/food you enjoy eating during the winter?

I'm actually really not enjoying eating this winter, but lately Rob has been trying to make it work for me. He's been making me the vegan version of this Italian white bean and sun-dried tomato soup, which is really quite good!

    What is your favorite winter holiday and why?

Oh, it's definitely Christmas. I love giving gifts I hope they'll love to the people I adore!

    What is your favorite pizza flavor and toppings?

Oh, the first thing I have to do when I step out of Grand Central Station onto the streets of Manhattan is get a slice of a local pizzeria pie! Plain cheese is great for me, but I do love some pineapple on my peez, too.

What are some items in your daily bag/backpack?

Well, here are just some of the things I dumped out of my Vera Bradley crossbody purse: Aside from the cash, I see my oft-used asthma inhaler, and the passport that our heavy-chewer doggo, Tapioca, fished out of my purse for a nibble once or twice. There's the bouquet of hair doodles my daughter Chloe gave me for Christmas, knowing the three of us "girls" are always searching for a ponytail holder. I have a small tube of SPF 28 (so random) facial moisturizer from MyChelle Dermaceuticals, one of my favorite skincare companies.

I have some Thieves hand sanitizer and a Savvy Minerals Poppy Seed Lip Scrub, both from Young Living. I have a tiny tube of Cerave moisturizing cream, which works great in the winter! The Hello charcoal-infused floss, which I ordered from Grove Collaborative, really makes my teeth feel clean and refreshenated. (What, it's a word.) I bought the peppermint-infused C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint at Bath & Body Works, and this, I love. (I have several others, but I'm not sure where they've gotten to. Maybe Tapi ate those, too?) I've got some Scandaleyes waterproof mascara from Rimmel - the only cosmetics I'm really using these days - and some q-tips to blot my inevitable mistakes. And finally, I keep a variety of my beloved TUL pens handy. Note: I NEVER write in black ink, unless I absolutely have to.

    Your favorite snacks?

I don't do a ton of snacking these days. Maybe a banana, or a handful of Wonderful pistachios.

Some foreign countries that you would like to visit?

You know, the only things stopping me from visiting every country are the world are money and my poor health. So my answer? All of them.

What things remind you of home?

Don't you know? I don't really feel like I have a physical home. Home, for me, is wherever these guys are.

If you have one, some items from your Amazon Wishlist?

Well, I really want - no, need - this book.

There's this olive oil dispenser I don't remember putting there, but I probably did because I am absolutely EVOO-crazy.

And, there are these disgustingly adorable hedgehog planters, because the girls and I have gone succulent-crazy lately.

What was your favorite Christmas gift?

I loved everything I received, especially the eco-friendly produce bags Chloe gave me... but I think my absolute favorite was Rob renewing my Mensa membership. I'd gotten it way back 20 years ago and have long since let it lapse. I wanted it mostly for the card to look at when I'm feeling especially dumb, but I'd lost that. I'm thrilled!

~*~*~*~*~

Well, Rob and I are back to searching for Lyme-literate MDs near and far, 'cause, y'know, I'm trying not to die. That would be nice. Or would it?

Take care, y'all.

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: Miss Independent

Hello there, dear readers. I am fresh out of an at-home physical therapy session at the end of an extremely busy week. (For me, this is exhausting.) But, Crazy Sam has chosen my girl Kelly Clarkson to feature this week for S9! This perks me up and brings me such joy. I've been a fan of Kelly since day one.

So, link up here if you'd like to play along today!

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Miss Independent (2003)

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

1) The song begins with Kelly describing a woman who is "independent" and "self-sufficient." Are you feeling especially independent and self-sufficient this morning? Or is there a particular task on your to-do list that you wish you had help with?

Actually, no, I'm not self-sufficient or independent lately. It's driving me insane, honestly. I gave up my driver's license for a while, but I think I'm ready to get it back, at least for those times I'm actually able to drive. I'm always in a wheelchair or using a walker everywhere I go. It feels like a ton of health issues just all suddenly dropped in my lap at once, and I'm still learning how to cope with all that. It's been pretty devastating. But I have a great support system, and I'm so thankful for that.

2) Kelly especially enjoys that this song was a hit, because she had to argue with the record company to even include it on her album. Tell us about a time you're glad you fought to get your way.

I remember this one time in the summer, before I started 6^th grade, I was sitting in the backseat of the car. Linda, my stepmother, was driving, and my dad was in the passenger seat. One of them brought up a letter they'd received from the middle school, telling me that the school wanted to put me in all Honors classes. I desperately wanted to do that; I'd already long since learned by the end of 5^th grade that education was my way out. I begged for them to let me, but I went around and around with them - mostly Linda - insisting that I couldn't be in Honors classes and still get all my household chores done. She was far more concerned about the appearance of a few dirty dishes on the counter than with me getting the best education possible. I may have had to spend my entire life outside of school cleaning that damn house, but in the end, I got my way.

3) The video depicts a very lively party that spills from the house to the pool area. What's the last party you attended? Was it held indoors, outdoors, or did the revelers enjoy themselves both inside and outside?

Well, hopefully this counts! For our daughter Chloë's 18^th birthday in September 2019, we sorta "kidnapped" her and took her to Great Wolf Lodge in Washington State. GWL had been a favorite of the kids' when they were little, back in Virginia. It was just a "party" of the five of us, but she had a great time. We gave the kids a bunch of arcade tokens and sent them off to play games. While they were gone, Rob and I hurriedly blew up neon glow-in-the-dark balloons and set up every other glow-in-the-dark thing we'd snuck into the car (in a big Rubbermade bin, the contents of which we'd sorta fibbed about). When Chloë came back from the arcade, before we let her in, we turned out the lights and blindfolded her. Everything was glowing, and when we let her see, she was SO excited and surprised! The party lasted several days, and we were both inside and out. I totally forgot to blog about it!
 
4) The partiers are playing with "silly string." Have you ever indulged in a "silly string" battle?

I'm sure I have, but I've never loved it anywhere near as much as my kids always have!!

5) Kelly Clarkson has a new daytime talk show. Who hosted the last entertainment talk show (as opposed to news) that you watched?

Probably Ellen. I have her show DVR'ed so I can have some spontaneous joy if I'm in a down moment. She brings it!

6) Kelly Clarkson told a foodie website that one of her favorite foods is sushi (especially California rolls). She said she's surprised how fond she is of it, since as a kid, sushi is a food she wouldn't even try. Tell us about something you had to be convinced to try, or do, that you were surprised to find you enjoyed.

Also me, with the sushi, in college. And when I got married, Rob had to convince me to try both avocados and artichokes. I was so scared to try them - but I loved them both!

7) In 2003, when "Miss Independent" was released, Microsoft and Sony were furiously competing for gamers' attention. Do you own Playstation or Xbox, neither or both?

We have an Xbox One S. I got it for the kids - mostly my son - a few years ago. Then this year, he asked for an Xbox One X for Christmas. I couldn't afford it, so I asked him if it would be okay if we sold the S to help pay for the X. We were going to do that, and then - AFTER I had purchased a 3-month Xbox Ultimate membership for all the kids - he told me he doesn't want the Xbox at all anymore. 🙄 Kids!

8) Also in 2003, the best-selling cookbook was The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It features foolproof recipes for old favorites like waffles, pancakes, flat breads and crackers. When you look for a new recipe, are you searching for an easier/better way to make something familiar, or are you more likely looking to try something new?

A little bit of both. I use AllRecipes.com quite a lot to find the BEST recipe for this or the BEST recipe for that. But I also love Martha Stewart's recipes (for the most part), so a lot of times something will catch my eye in one of her magazine issues, and I've gotta save that recipe for life. I have this pizza dough recipe from one such issue from when we still lived in Virginia Beach. I made it there. I made it in Miami. I made it in Boise. And now I can't find it - and with my brain fog issues, I suddenly can't just remember it, either! It's driving me crazy!

9) Random question: Which has gotten you in more trouble -- love or money?

Ohhh, I have gotten in a lot of trouble with both over the years! Probably more love, though, because I'm the kind of person who believes knows that you can love and be in love with more than one person at the same time. (And they don't always appreciate that.)

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Alrighty, then! It looks like I've got to get up early-ish (for me, for a Saturday) in the morning to drive my kid Sophia and five of her friends out to Boise to go ice skating, so I better skedaddle! Toodle-oo!

Fin.

Christmas 2019: Part One - The Annual Card Photos

Hey, everyone! I know, we're almost finished with the second week of 2020 already, and I'm just now getting around to posting fotos from Christmas 2019. Without getting too morose, let's be clear: I have a number of health problems which, when combined, are making the length of time I have left on Earth quite an uncertainty. So, it's more important to me than ever to actually edit and post the photos I take, for my husband's and kids' sakes, lest they be forgotten forever. 

With that sadness out of the way, let's move on. Since we've been married 19+ (!!) years, it has always been important to me to capture and share the happiness and love between Rob and me, and then baby Chloë makes three, followed closely by her brother/s and baby sister. That has never changed. What has changed is the busyness of life! My mother-in-law used to email me if I missed a day without a blog post. Then, weeks before I got an email. And then a few months before she sent, "Are you still doing the blog?" 

I know when we lived in Miami, Chloë really enjoyed reading about herself and The Littles from earlier days, so here, hopefully, there will be more posts to come for those guys - and maybe their future families? - to enjoy.

This year, our first in Mountain Home, snow flew before Halloween! I was not thrilled with that, so much, but at least that gave me the ability to make my demands for Christmas pix come late November: I wanted us to be outside, with a backdrop of snow. If it were any other lifetime, I would have preferred us playing in the snow, but alas, that is not the case.

I had six objectives, as I usually do, for this photo shoot. After I chose the Richard Aguirre Park in MoHo, we headed out to accomplish them. I needed (1) individual shots of Jack, (2) individual shots of Chloë, (3) individual shots of Sophia, (4) shots of the three of them together, (5) shots of all five of us as a family, and (6) shots of just Rob and me. As usual, we decided to get Jack's solo shoots out of the way. With his Autism Spectrum Disorder and just his personality quirks, he never likes this process and is prone to getting grumpier as it proceeds. Nothing changed this time!

Sophia was also somewhat a challenge to photograph at first, because I wanted stills, but then I also put them on swings. This kid is in constant motion, so there was a lot of me yelling, "Stop swinging!!!" ... and her, not. 

Chloë, on the other hand, is always ready to pose from back in her acting and modeling days. The most I ever have to tell her is, "chin up a little!"

Because of Jack's self-imposed isolation, it wasn't too hard to get a couple of snaps of just his sisters. For the most part, these two really are quite close and get along famously. I love to see that.

Not that I wasn't able to get a few fun snaps of the three of them. I think these are quite adorable.

This, of course, is another variation of the one posted at the top, here.

And this here would be an outtake, made while I was readying the camera on its tripod. This amuses me because the girls are smiling and ready to go, but the men are serious and have their true "let's get on with it, already" faces on.

I used this as my Facebook cover photo for a while in December, but I really kind of hate it since I'm in front. With all my illnesses, I've regained quite a lot of the weight I lost from surgery, and it's having an extremely depressive effect on my mood. Not to mention, after having 4 kids in 3½ years, it always bothers me to have my belly on full display. Really wish I'd been able to get a tummy tuck!

This, which we used in most of the seven (!!) different card styles I ended up selecting, was the family pose we opted to put on most of our cards.

After capturing just the two family shots, my camera battery died. I'd forgotten to charge it! And it was FREEZING by then, so everyone was dashing to the car to get warm and go home. And then it occurred to me: every single one of us has a late-model Samsung Galaxy phone, and they all have good cameras. Duh! Jack opted to stay in the car and try to get toasty, but the girls trekked back out into the snow to get these shots of Rob and me. I don't know who took which ones, but I love them!

And finally, this is the top-left photo from that collage, which I doctored up for fun on the app PicsArt. I use it a lot to play around.

Hope y'all enjoyed the show! More to come.

Fin.

Sunday Stealing: The Queen's Meme

Hi everyone! Welcome back. I'm seriously not feeling well right now, so it's anyone's guess whether I'll be able to finish this post. Worth giving it a shot!

Link up here if you want to play along this weekend.

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Stolen from The Queen's Meme

January usually has ample amounts of snowfall in parts of the world. Did you ever make snow cream as a kid?

The only time I ever did was in my senior year of high school, when we made it one day in my AP Biology class (must have been right before Christmas break, or something). I've made it with my kids, too, while we were homeschooling.

January is one of the months with 31 days. What are you going to do with that extra day?

I've never really considered that an extra day. That day is payday, so I'll be looking at the budget and checking off boxes that day, I guess.

What is your favorite magazine?

Growing up, my grandmother had a stash of Reader's Digest back issues here, there, and everywhere. Eventually, I think I read them all during visits. I think I have the current issue on my night table right now. She also bought the Star, Enquirer, and I think a third tabloid every week, too, and People - all of which I also read when I was there. I still read People, but Martha Stewart Living is currently my favorite. I love her!
 
If you live to be 99 years old, what would you like your life to be like in that last decade??

With Lyme, I really don't think I'll live that long. But if I do, I'd like my mental faculties to be intact, and I would like to be free of this constant, agonizing pain.

The great world of Wikipedia tells me that scientists claim 99% of all documented species are extinct. Which remaining species in the 1% category would you really like to see extinct?  And which species in the 99% category would you like to bring back?

I would love for ticks and mosquitos to be eradicated - but that would also be a bad thing (at least the skeeters). I would love to see a mammoth! (Also I had the The Far Side book this particular cartoon was in; and also, I had the weiner dog one. So funny!)

On January 14, 1986 motorists were required for the first time to wear seat belts? Do you always buckle up? Why or why not?

Man, I remember when that changed. My father pitched a fit - and he still doesn't wear them! I always wear them, and if I'm driving, the car doesn't go until everyone is buckled up. Why? Because I appreciate their purpose and also the data that backs up the fact that they save lives.

Why did the cow jump over the moon?

I don't know - to get to the other side?

Have you said anything in the last 24 hours that you regret?

Not this time! Ask me tomorrow.
 
Have you ever written anything on your blog that you wish you could take back?

No... There have been some interesting moments after a few things I've posted, but I wouldn't take any of it back. All of the past stuff has been mostly written and forgotten. When we lived in Miami and Chloë started reading it, she would exclaim over this or that that I wrote. It was fun reliving some things!

Are you the blabber or the blabbee? Tell us your most embarrassing blabbermouth moment.

Oh, I'm definitely a blabbermouth with NO filter. I've had a ton of "oops, I shouldn't have said that" moments. Probably a lot of them happened with my mother-in-law. I've always been certain that our baby, Sophia, who looks just like me and nothing like Rob - unlike Chloë, Jack, and presumably Robby (Jack's identical twin) - has been suspected of having a different father by my in-laws. I've always wanted them to request a DNA test, because I KNOW he is the father. No one else could be. Once, on the phone with my MIL, I joked, "Just do a DNA test! I have no fears! Besides, she's the wrong color if she did have a different dad!" ...crickets...

How important is a cell phone in your life?

Once upon a time, there were no cell phones... Yeah, I depend on it pretty hard. Right now my phone isn't holding a charge, and I can't get it above 8% or so. It's frustrating because most of what I do is on that phone! I've got to trade up PDQ, I guess.
 
A "cuisine" is typically influenced by and named after geographical regions and cultures. Pretend your blog is a country. What is the name of your cuisine?

Crazy Fusion cuisine

You are the Blog Paparazzi! Which blogger's real photograph are you most interested in getting?

Hmm. Well, all of you, since we've been doing this thing together for so many years, but I think I've been following the blog 5 Minutes for Mom the absolute longest. I'm "friends" with Janice and Susan on Facebook, and Janice and I have chatted a few times. Maybe when we sail out of Vancouver, B.C. for our Alaskan cruise in September, she'll meet me at the airport for a selfie?!

Are you always on time or just a tad late?

I'm usually early. Before I got married I was always very prompt. I still abhor being late. In the Navy (and I presume with every other branch of the military), being 15 minutes early is "on time," and being on time is considered late. So with that in mind, and having four kids in 3½ years, we learned to s.c.r.a.m.b.l.e. for appointments!!

Can you think of a time when you were late for something and it was REALLY a big deal?

Well, yeah. Lots of times. For choir, we obviously had to be at the school - or wherever our performance was - dressed and ready to go well before showtime. My stepmother made it a point to screw with me, trying to destroy everything in my life that was important to me. She screamed at me every single day for something - even things she had to invent if there was nothing she could see. On concert days, she screamed about three times as long, to make sure I not only walked in extremely late, but I'd be a mess from crying, and everyone was staring at me. And I hated attention.

If you were on your way to work and had five minutes to get there, would you stop in the road to rescue a crossing turtle?

Sure, and I have done this many times - especially in Tampa when I was on my way to one of my grad classes or teaching the lab.

When you are having a really good day, what usually makes it good?

Hmm. Usually it's a productive day, with many things crossed off my to-do list. (By the way, here's the rest of that list, above; it's worth a read.) Maybe I got a nice compliment that carried me through the day. Or maybe a good package came in the mail. But productivity is pretty key!

What is the most annoying Christmas song?

Growing up, my dad always got a big kick out of "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer." Now I hate it.

You are Snow White. Which dwarf is your favorite and why?

I hate to be cliché, but I think Dopey. He's sweet, and he tries really hard!

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Well, y'all, speaking of productivity, I have a few things I'd like to do before my brain shuts down and tells me it's time for the first nap of the day.

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

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.

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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: Cold As Ice

Heyyyyy, err'body! My last post was a little over a month ago, as I took some time off for health and Christmas preparations. But I have missed you guys, and it's good to be back in the fray.

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I hope you've all enjoyed your respective holidays with your friends and loved ones,if you've celebrated!

Now, link up here to play along today!

~*~*~*~*~

Saturday 9: Cold as Ice (1977)

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

Our last Saturday 9 of 2019. Thank you for another great year, everyone! {And thank you, Sam!}

1) Look back on 2019 and share a happy moment.

Well... amongst many other wonderful happenings, we adopted a new kitten!

2) As 2019 ends, are you making any New Year's resolutions for 2020?

Oh, yeah. I didn't think I'd even make it to see 2020 for a while, there, but now that I'm still here, it's time to decorate this big ol' new house of ours! I definitely want to start with the master bedroom. Here is our design inspo, from HGTV; both Rob and I love this!

3) Tell us about an obstacle or challenge you faced in 2019.

It's been a tough year for me, health-wise. I thought we might finally catch a break when my neurologist in Boise referred me to the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center in Baltimore, but they turned me down. That was pretty crushing. But I've been picking myself and trying to carry on. I'm in a wheelchair whenever I leave the house pretty much full-time now, and I sleep about 900 hours a day. My immune system has pretty much revolted and shut down, and I have allergic reactions about a dozen times a day. But like I said, it's time to rally. I'm not done here yet.

4) Is it "cold as ice" outside where you are today?

Nah. My WTForecast app has us at a balmy 26ºF right now!

5) Foreigner is this week's featured artist. The band formed in New York City. If you were to travel to New York City, what would you be sure to see?

Oh, for sure, the girls and I would have to go see Hamilton on Broadway - and then try hard to see Lin Manuel Miranda backstage! That would be amazing!

6) The band went by the name Trigger. They changed it because their prospective record label was already auditioning a different group named Trigger. They settled on Foreigner because half the members were foreign -- from England. If you received a free, round-trip airline ticket to any foreign country, where would you go?

Well, you know, I've always been torn between wanting to go to Australia and Japan. Right now with the fires burning Down Under, and the way the government is not handling it at all, I can't decide between not wanting to go and running straight to Tokyo, or making like Greta Thunberg and diving in to help and make a big fuss. Now that I think about it, yeah. Australia. There are koalas on fire to rescue!

7) In 1977, when this song was popular, Star Wars was breaking all box office records. The Spy Who Loved Me, a James Bond movie, was also a 1977 hit. Which film series do you prefer: Star Wars or James Bond?

Hmm. Well, I have some serious catching up to do on both series, but I think Star Wars has to take this one!

8) In 1977, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporated Apple. Are you answering these 9 questions on an Apple product (PC, laptop, pad or phone)?

Nah, hope I don't disappoint. Current situation: The monitor is HP, the CPU is Dell, and the keyboard is Logitech... it works.

9) Random question: What was the last thing you thought of as you dozed off last night?

Well, this, actually. What Rob is doing is reading the letter representing the last Christmas present given this year. I saved the best for last for once! In the letter, I am telling him that I am finally taking him on a cruise to see Alaska, where he's always wanted to visit, because I want to make sure I get to see the joy in him doing that before my time runs out. So now time is running out in another way - I've got serious plans to make for that trip!

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I hope y'all are doing well! Thanks for having me back!

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!

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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.

Chocolate Chip Cookies For The Soul

The other night, I was having a late-night conversation with Chloë and Rob. Now that she has graduated from high school but is taking a gap year before heading to college, this happens frequently. Especially now that she's 18 years old. 🍪

At some point in the conversation, Chloë - who was wearing high-heeled black booties with dark red roses on them - stood up, took off a shoe, and jokingly drew it back as if to throw it at her father. Something I either cannot or will not name in that motion, her demeanor, her expression caused me - lying in bed, on my back - to pull my arms up around my head as a shield. I shut my eyes as tightly as humanly possible and involuntarily protected myself fully from harm that was never going to come. This time. This time, it was only in jest. 🍪

Eventually, they realized I was not fooling around and that this was a completely involuntary response to stimulus. I could not pull my arms away from my head. They had to do it. I was shaking uncontrollably. I was sort of quietly sobbing, if you can call it that, but you only have my permission to do so if you've experienced this same unwanted bodily reaction to a reminder of some prior horror. 🍪

It was the most epic panic attack I've had since September 2003, when Hurricane Isabel struck Virginia Beach and tore it up, provoking in me even more PTSD related to everything that had happened nine months earlier with Supertyphoon Ponson'a on Guam; Isabel hit 6 months after our twins were born, after the one-minute-older of those boys had unexpectedly died in the NICU. The last one that big happened during a voice lesson in high school. Understandably, anxiety this big comes from painful memories and makes new ones when it strikes. 🍪

Obviously, Chloë was shook. Beyond horrified. Beyond contrite. It's challenging to explain and assure that she did not cause that and had no control over that, because her own eyes were trying to convince her of something else. Sometimes, the truth lies deep beneath the outer façade. 🍪

Now, I am a stress eater. No arguing there. We've all watched my weight go way up and way down in response to stress over the years. I bet if one plotted my BMI against the course of my life experiences, the results would support many hypotheses. For example, if you compared all the photographs of me before April 9th, 1984, I went from kind of a skinny little runt to... not so much. That's the day Mom died. She was an angel in disguise. When we lost her, many of us were immediately broken. Ruined... maybe not. But definitely broken. 🍪

{Something just occurred to me. I absolutely hate it when people complain about the words "died" and "dead," and try to force me into saying things like "passed away" instead. Those words remind me of a feather drifting down from the sky, lighly floating this way and that, and then coming to a soft landing at the end. No. I'm sorry if I'm the first one to inform you "pass away" people of this, but not everybody does that. Some people go too early, too fast, forced against their own will, violently, roughly, painfully. No passing away there, no feathery-floating with a soft, pillowy landing. You might like to think it always goes that way, but I don't even want that for myself. I've said for million years that I want to get killed being eaten by a rogue shark, but I'm sitting here in Idaho, so that probably won't happen, either. My mother died. She is dead. My son died. He is dead. Cold? No. Simple facts. Hurts me, too, but there is nothing I can do to change it. I've tried everything. 🍪}

 So, anyway, in my house I was absolutely taught - both implicitly and explicitly - that my weight was inherently tied to my worth. So when I'm feeling bad about myself, I eat. Then my weight goes up. Then I feel worse about myself. Then I struggle to get thin again, so that I can regain some sense of value. IT's funny, because they're the ones who taught me to eat when stressed in the first place. "What's wrong, Mellie-Ann? What happened? Do you want run over to Dunkin' Donuts?" 🍪

This relationship between value and physical appeal to someone to whom I may not actually want to appeal was so firmly cemented that I've subjected myself to numerous medical and surgical interventions in order to lose weight. We joke about it in this house, but I've had so many organs altered or removed over the years that we actually sometimes forget which ones I still have. My GI tract is no longer recognizable. Additionally, I've succumbed and allowed myself to be physically and sexually abused because of that, so that I could feel valued, so many times it took me until this many years old to finally realize how many more times than just the ones I've counted (two; now add maybe a couple hundred to be in the ballpark?) to finally realize it and allow myself to start forgiving myself for throwing myself away. Here. That's all I'm worth? Have at it. Take it. Whatever. I was numb to it, after all. 🍪

Right now, I'm listening to the entire discography of Nirvana. I completely, sadly understand why Kurt Cobain ended his life. I fully understand that the more you care about the world around you, the more you bear the weight of it on your shoulders. Sometimes, that weight is more than we can continue to bear.

🍪

So, when Rob asked me what he could do for me the other night after the panic attack, all I could think to say was, "I want a cookie." My being was entirely focused upon that concept. There were several problems with that:

1. What was an immediate need did not have an immediate solution.

2. Rob offered to go get me some Grandma's Cookies (eww) to stave off that need, but this was a Nestlé Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie kind of need.

3. We all know Nestlé is a pretty evil company, whilst I am currently on a personal Know Better, Do Better campaign. Nevertheless, this need persisted.

4. The need dictated that these NTCCCs be the ones baked my me. I try not to pat myself on the back too much when it comes to the kitchen. (That was my mother-in-law's domain; when I had a question, I called/texted/emailed her. I miss that.) But we've all mutually agreed here that the ones I bake are the ultimate. However, I am not physically up to kitchen duty at the moment.

5. I have not baked these cookies since we lived in Miami, before we moved. I remember the occasion. I had learned that the two young men, Thomas and Kyle - my favorite kids who worked there - at the nearby Racetrac station were also motherless, and no one had ever baked cookies for them. Whaaaa? I immediately went into nurture mode. They were jump-up-and-down ecstatic when Chloë and I brought them two heaping plates of cookies just for them. There may have been tears. There were definitely smiles. I never baked them when we lived in Boise. And I have no experience with our oven here in Mountain Home.

6. We didn't have the ingredients on hand, either the eponymous ones or the brown sugary ones. And we really didn't have the funds to allocate to acquiring them.

7. I'm trying my damnedest to strictly adhere to my vegan lifestyle, but NTCCCs are definitely not vegan. And so on... 🍪

And so I went to sleep, once I fully calmed down. When I woke up, there were brown sugar and chocolate chips on the kitchen island. A stick of butter was softening on the counter. Prep work had been done. My heart softened along with the butter. 🍪

When Jack woke up and saw that yellow bag of goodness, he offered to - no, asked if he could - bake the cookies. He's actually pretty badass in the kitchen. It must be in the genes. His uncle, my brother-in-law, is a renowned chef in Columbia, Missouri, and beyond. 🍪

Pictured in the photo at the top are cookies from Jack's first tray in the oven. One of the many things I love about this kid is that, despite having Noonan Syndrome and being on the Autism Spectrum, he still invites me into his thoughts as we discuss how to do this or that and how to analyze what went well, what didn't go well, and adjust accordingly. So he kept tweaking the baking time after deciding these were a little crispier than he wanted them to be. He's not stupid. He thinks he is, and some people who don't know him very well treat him as though he is, he's definitely not. I blame the sugar for the crispiness of this batch, though I absolutely believe him that he followed the recipe, down to the molecule. 🍪

Despite never having made chocolate chip cookies by himself (he and I, just the two of us, had done them together numerous times in Miami - and also in Virginia Beach), these were OUTSTANDING. ' Nuff said. 🍪

Rob had bought a 24oz bag of chocolate chips. The experienced bakers among us will immediately recognize that as enough for a double batch. So, all told, Rob found a way and went out to get the ingredients for the thing my id said I needed, but which my superego tried to hush. Realistically, thankfully, my ego allowed me to be thankful and gratefully eat - sharing far more than I took myself, like a "good girl" - those cookies, no matter what my sense of morals dictated. Chloë and I chatted about that in a way, all while we were continuing our discussion of the way people whom we don't know yet begin to engage us online. She'll be going out in the world where I can't protect her soon, so it's very important that she be guarded and careful, as we enjoyed Round One of Jack's cookies. And for Round Two, after she'd finally awakened and come downstairs, Sophia baked the cookies for which Jack had created the dough. 🍪

I've learned many painful lessons in my life, but I've also been fortunate enough to recognize (albeit not always immediately) that I've learned some very beneficial ones along the way. One of those is to accept it when others love you and show that through kindnesses like these. Accepting that is extremely challenging for me; I struggle with it. But here, Rob and our children reinforced that lesson. My inner being, which thought I needed cookies, learned that what I really need is to be able to accept the love of others that I probably don't deserve. Phew, that's painful for me to even write! 🍪

My takeaway: angels don't always have wings. Heroes don't always wear capes. 💞

Fin.

I Completely Fell Apart Last Night.

 

God! You know, at my age, I still feel like such a child, a complete idiot, for not being able to just "get over" things that hurt me to my core, even if it's been years and years since the thing happened.

Everyone, especially those from the Boomer generation (is it offensive to you if it's true?), scoffs and says that to me about everything that still hurts me. These are the people - the scoffers, not all Boomers - who know nothing about child development, of course. Deep wounds that are cut early sometimes never heal.

But, like lovely Jewel, I'm sensitive, and I'd like to stay that way.

Last night, I was doing some research for a so-far-secret new project and was peeping at an Instagram account I didn't even know I was following. (By the way, I mean no harm or negativity to or about the people involved, whom I will mention momentarily, but as it's the current vogue trend to say, I was absolutely "triggered."

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DESERT DAD MODE: UNLOCKED. ✅🔥🙌🏼 This is the second night in a row that I’ve spent the night shift with my little prince @taztripp. 🌙 I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not known for my ability to burn the proverbial midnight oil, I’ve definitely always been a “I need to get at least 8 hours” type of guy, and leading up to Taz’s birth we were unsure how I’d be able to handle having a little party animal that keeps us up at night. Well, in the past two days since we’ve been home with our little man, I’ve wanted to break my sleep weakness and care for Taz so @sassyredlipstick can get much needed and well deserved sleep. After all, just days ago she pushed this nearly 9 pound, broad-shouldered boss baby out of her body unmedicated and is still healing from that, not to mention she’s breastfeeding this little guy like twenty times a day because he’s got the appetite of a champion and I think it goes without saying that her nips are more than a little tender... you get the picture. Mothers are the ones with all the difficult responsibilities so I’m very intent on taking as much off her plate as possible in this new venture as parents. 💙🙏🏼 The first night I stayed up with a crying Taz was scary and a little frustrating trying to decipher what he needed. But even just 24 hours later we’re starting to get the hang of what this little guy needs. 😌 So in the wee hours of this morning, Sarah spent an hour breastfeeding Taz in our bedroom until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. I took him into the nursery and he did the same thing as last night, crying until 3am. But this time I did not panic. I changed his diaper, I swaddled him tight just like @sassyredlipstick and @shan.tripp taught me, then I went into the kitchen and prepared a bottle of Sarah’s liquid gold breast milk that she had pumped earlier in the day using the luxury, state-of-the-art @willowpump that literally looks like a pair of robot breasts from the future. After testing out the temperature on my wrist like I see the nice moms do on TV, I fed my beautiful boy until he drifted off to sleep with the cutest, milk drunk smile. (Swipe to see the video.) 🍼🥰 What a wonderful night. 💙 #TazTripp #DesertDad

A post shared by ROBBIE TRIPP™ (@tripp) on Oct 16, 2019 at 5:18am PDT

So, like I said, I wasn't aware I was even following this verified blue-checked (for whatever that's worth) @Tripp dude on the 'gram, and I know virtually nothing about him, but I probably got there by going down yet another rabbit hole. (Probably, my arse. I just figured it out, but never mind.) Irrelevant. I was doing that research and landed on this particular post about his second night up with his new son @TazTripp, who is darling, of course, so that Mr. Tripp could let his wife Sarah aka @sassyredlipstick (whom I now also follow out of temporary heightened curiosity to see whether I like or am not fond of their overall presence on the platform. I'm leaning toward the latter, but like I said, it isn't personal, just research) rest from giving birth.

Kudos to him for that. Hands-on daddies are the best. I know this because I watched Rob do it multiple times, and yes he was definitely the best.

[Can you follow all my punctuation plot-changes? Because I've always done that. I've also always had to re-read each thing 30 times to make sure it made sense, at least in that instant. My mind is so annoying.]

Okay, that's great! I'm all about babies; I've said endlessly over the years that I would have had a hundred more if I could have, and just spent all my days picking up one and loving on him or her, then putting that babe down and picking up the next one, and so on. Sarah's breastfeeding, and I'm 100% supportive of that, too. Full-on love affair with breastfeeding, nature's perfect mammal baby food. She's also curvy, confident, and they're both very body-positive, which is still incredible even as we head into 2020. So I mean, while I don't get their "desert fortune" vibe even a little bit, just from what I've seen after a somewhat brief perusing is genuine, sweet, true love. And I applaud them for that.

But this was n.o.t. really about the Tripp family at all.

In the post above, when I got to the line where Tripp writes, " just days ago she pushed this nearly 9 pound, broad-shouldered boss baby out of her body unmedicated and is still healing from that," I was suddenly hit with an emotional grenade. My lungs suddenly forgot how to breathe, and I don't think I was aware of anything my five senses were doing at the moment, either. I remember I got up out of my chair in the office here, brought something that needed to go downstairs out to the ledge in the hallway, and then I just didn't move.

Or couldn't move, I really don't know.

And then I became aware that I was about to start sobbing the cries of a woman who desperately wanted this thing, this one thing in her whole damn life, to go even remotely according to her plan... and it didn't resemble that plan at all. Not the first time. Not the second time. Not the third.

It was so long ago now - after all, Sophia is 14½ years old now! - that I didn't want anyone to hear me. I didn't want to have to explain that yes, I am yet again crying over something from the past.

Silly, stupid fucking me.

Except, I'm the only one in this house who feels that way. Why? Because I've let so many elders in my life get inside my head and tell me that that's how I'm supposed to feel. Ashamed of my pain, dumb for not being able to just grin and bear everything. Boy, for being part-English, I did not ever have that stiff upper lip.

So, I stood there and hurt without making a sound. I don't know for how long. Maybe it was 45 seconds, or maybe it was five minutes, but for me it didn't matter because once again, time had stopped. I felt the sobs coming from the core of my being, so deep inside there that the origin isn't even really substance or matter but rather an energy of pain and the most profound disappointment one can imagine.  I could feel myself shaking, but it was still early enough in the evening and the rest of Team Odette were still up and about, so I kept it in.

Sometimes, my private pain is just that. Meant only for me to pick up and feel and then be able to put down for a while.

Except, irony is the master mother here, and as I should have expected if it wouldn't have made that oxymoronical, that isn't what happened.

Just as I was trying to gather myself, go back in the office, get my tissues to dry my face and blow my nose, and sit back down to do more research... I don't know. I must have lagged one split-second too long.

Just then, Rob came walking up the stairs at the precise moment Chloë came out of the bathroom right behind me.

I was not in my usual location, I wasn't in a usual position, and I knew the jig was up.

I kept absolutely still - except maybe those silently quaking sobs - while I tried to think real fast to come up with a lie. A quick, harmless story about what I was doing, what might be wrong beside what actually was wrong, and then back out of the situation.

Pfft. Nah.

These people, these two, do know me best in the world, after all. One lived in me; the other put her there. Ha! Sorry. Even in sadness, my mind is half in the gutter...

They both asked, "Honey/Mom? What's wrong?" at the same moment, and all hope for an easy exit was out the door the way I wish I was.

I turned around and then the hopeless, helpless blubbering began. I rushed into the office to get my tissues.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know where to start! It's become quite the cliché to say, "I have all the feels" or whatever, but that's legitimately what I had right then. ALL the feels, none of the words. (Shocking for me, I'm aware.)

Where do I start? When do I start? What do I say?

I sat there and poured my heart out for a good long while, unable to stop the competing flows of words and tears, as Rob and Chloë sat next to me on the floor and empathized with what I was seeing, reliving in my mind as I tried to explain why I was crying.

And maybe tomorrow, or... maybe in my book that I'm starting on November 1st for NaNoWriMo 2019, I'll try to explain it to you, too.

For now, though, the takeaway is: I'm keenly aware that while my heart has been broken into smithereens a thousand times over the span of four-plus decades, and I've experienced sorrows I may never share with another soul, I'm also beyond fortunate to have the love that I do in my life - Rob and the kids, and some other family, and my friends, and my tribe - here to put it back together again a thousand and one times.

Call me lucky, call me blessed, call me whatever you want, but I am, and I know it, and when that pain is eased by their love and caring, it can't possibly compare with the amount of gratitude I feel when it happens - and long after.

Until next time, America.

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!

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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.

Petitioning The People

Please sign!!!