Saturday 9

 
Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! 

Morning Train (1981) 

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

1) In this song, Sheena Easton sings about her lover, who takes a train to and from work each day. When is the last time you took public transportation? Where did you go?
A couple of years ago, when I was still volunteering at the used book store.  Walt usually picked me up after work, but when he wasn't able to, I took the local bus home.

2) His workday begins at 9 and ends at 5. Do your days stick to a predictable schedule?
For someone who is retired, my days are surprisingly predictable, ending with dinner at exactly 6 p.m. (the time Ned serves dinner) followed by an evening watching TV and then sleep between 9 and 10.

3) In the evening she sings that they may go to a movie, a restaurant or slow dancing ... whatever she wants. Which of those would you choose?
Probably a restaurant.  We almost never go to restaurants, but did yesterday and it was great!

4) As a little girl, Sheena Easton performed at family gatherings, not just because she was talented but because she could be a bit of a ham. When you were a kid, were more often shy or outgoing?
Always shy.

5) In the late 1980s she was the spokeswoman for Bally's health clubs. Do you have a gym membership?
I believe we do.  We did many years ago and I think Walt still pays into it, but neither of us has been to the gym in many years.

6) In 1987 she played Sonny Crockett's love interest on Miami Vice. Were you a fan of the show?
Never saw it.

7) This weekend is a good reason to have a picnic or barbecue. The best-selling barbecue sauce flavors are sweet, spicy, and smoky. What's your favorite?
Sweet Baby Ray's.

8) Labor Day weekend may offer a golden opportunity for napping and sleeping in. Do you snore?
I don't know.  I sleep alone and nobody has ever told me I snore...but I might.

9) Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the fall. Will you be adding any new fall clothes to your wardrobe? 
I just ordered a Kamala Harris t-shirt.

Whew!

 When Ned left for his week=long vacation, he told me it was my job to finish the puzzle we've been working on forever.  It's a dog park puzzle and there are tons of little  things in it and somehow it has taken us forever to get it done.  His telling me to "finish it" was a joke, we both knew.

However, I've spent a lot of time on the puzzle and as of last night I was pretty close to finishing it.  I figured I'd leave the rest for Ned to finish.

But I woke up and decided to complete one corner of the puzzle and then over the next few hours, I'd stop working on it and then "just do a few more pieces," and a few hours before Ned and Marta got here, I finished the puzzle.  So glad it's done...and so eager to start another puzzle that is NOT a dog park puzzle!

The interesting thing about this puzzle is that it comes with two pictures...one is an 8-1/2 x 11 and another is poster size, which helps quite a bit finding the pieces.  BUT the poster size is quite different from the actual puzzle!  There are people and things in the poster that aren't in the puzzle.  I've never found that in a puzzle before.

dinner out!!!

 Ned was so good when he and Marta went away for a week's vacation.  He left all sorts of food that it will be easy to cook and did lots of other things around the house to make it easy, left phone numbers of his friends in town in case we needed something.  He also asked Tom and Jeri to call during the week to make sure we are OK.  And he reminded Walt to take me out to dinner one night.

I've been hankering for a hamburger and remembered how wonderful the mushroom burgers were at Burgers and Brew, so we went there last night.  I ordered the mushroom burger with onions and a side of beer battered onion rings.  Oh my word was it good!

I don't generally eat a lot for dinner, and this meal was so large I have enough left over for dinner tonight.

I was a little disappointed that Walt didn't order  the lamb burger...I was tempted to order that instead of the mushroom burger and figured if he ordered it I could at least taste it, but he managed to get them to leave off the onions on the mushroom burger and he had one too.

We almost never go out for a meal and  this was just wonderful!

Reading

Jeri and I finished the book we were reading, "The Elephant Keeper" and had our final discussion about it.  I was eager to have her call because the ending of the book was just strange and neither of us could figure out exactly what was going on.  I read several reviews on GoodReads and nobody else could figure out what was going on.  But I liked the book and now we have started a new one, by Fern Michaels, this one a mystery so it will be quite different from "The Elephant Keeper." 

I had a nice chat with Tom this week too.  I don't really talk with Tom all that often and don't really have much in common with him -- I thought -- but as we talked I found out that he is a big reader.  I knew his wife and the girls were both readers, but had no idea Tom reads.  He listens to audio books when he is biking and he has been going through all the classics, books like "Wuthering Heights," "East of Eden," books by Hemingway and  the Russians (we laughed about how all the Russian characters have two names).  It was a delight to chat with him about reading.  I thought only two of my kids -- Jeri and David -- were readers.

My zoo

 When we first started seeing squirrels in the yard, we fed them peanuts in the shell.  I would toss some peanuts out onto the patio and they would eat them, but the blue jays would also fly down and steal some away.  I was happy when Ned built a shelf in the bush next to the house, where we can put walnuts for the squirrels and where the birds apparently don't see them.

We have been feeding squirrels walnuts on this little shelf for a couple of years and I've been surprised that I almost never see blue jays any more,

Now we have a new squirrel, who started out as a baby, just having left the nest, and was learning how things go.  He was afraid if I came out to put nuts on the shelf, so I tossed a few nuts onto the patio.  In literally seconds, the blue jays were there eating them.  It's like they have been sitting in the trees watching for years hoping I'll toss nuts out again.

We also have a rat who runs by the back door and around the trunk of the tree with the nuts, looking to see if any nuts have fallen onto the ground.  Bubba pretty much leaves the squirrels alone, but he's started chasing the rat and barking forever because the rat hides on the ground, under things, rather than in a tree like the squirrels do.

Yesterday, the squirrel was begging for nuts and I took a handful and put them on the shelf.  As he does, he got scared and ran to another bush, but almost immediately the blue jays were in the tree eating the nuts.  All these years and the birds haven't noticed and now they are flying into the bush and eating the nuts again,  PLUS, the rat, whom I have never seen climb the tree, has figured out that there are nuts and he has started climbing the tree to get the nuts.

Today, I put out a handful of nuts and the birds were there right away, but the squirrel scared them and started eating the nuts when the rat also climbed up and I'm not sure who got the nuts, the squirrel or the rat.

I'm not happy having the rat around.  I don't mind having rat.  I don't want to kill him, but I'm afraid that he will be easy for Bubba to catch and I don't want Bubba catching a rat.  I'm also afraid that he will figure out how to get in the house via the dog door.  Ned catches mice at the place where he works and moves them out to the greenery nearby.  I'm hoping that when he gets home he'll be able to set up a trap that will catch the rat and that he can move him somewhere far away from houses.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Damiana

I was able to make a second loan thru Kiva...concentrating on coffee this time!

Damiana's story

Damiana is 49 years old and lives with her son in the village of El Laurel, located in San Ignacio, Cajamarca, Peru. She has been farming coffee here for 20 years, which she sells at her local co-op.

Damiana has been with Norandino for 8 years and will use this loan to pay for labor to do manual weeding and to buy manure for her coffee plantation. 

Zorey

I've forgotten about Kiva, where I used to donate to people for many years.  Today, I'm donating to Zorey.  How can I not help someone who wants to have coffee with customers?

Zorey's story

The Coffee Boutique emerged from my genuine desire to elevate my business and blend my passion for coffee and pastries with the sale of jewelry and accessories. My name is Zorey from Añasco, Puerto Rico, and this is my story. In 2020, during the pandemic, I lost my job. Faced with uncertainty, frustration, and fear, I had to find the courage to embark on an entrepreneurial journey. During the lockdown, I saw that the most viable way to generate income and improve my family's quality of life was by leveraging social media for sales. One of my passions has always been jewelry making, and that's how my great adventure began. I reinvented myself and started seeing very positive results. Along the way, my family, friends, and neighbors began to support me and believe in my potential.

Since then, I have dedicated myself to sell jewelry and woman accessories, but now it's time to grow and combine my passions. This led me to transform ZK Jewelry & More into The Coffee Boutique. Now, we have a physical space where customers can pick up their orders, meet me, and enjoy coffee and others complements. I cherish the time I spend with my loved ones and friends, which is why I developed this space that allows me to merge my two passions into one concept. I envisioned a cozy place where women can come to relieve stress and recharge their batteries with other women—mothers, daughters, professionals, or anyone seeking peace. I first dreamed it, wrote it down, believed it, and declared it. Thus, my little corner of happiness, "The Coffee Boutique," was born. This place is designed for families but focused on women, offering a perfect spot for brunch with friends who can enjoy fine pastries, or can simply savor a great cup of coffee, where we also presented the opportunity for shopping in our jewelry and accessories area. We are located on Road #2, Intersection 417 in the Guanabano neighborhood in Aguada. On Saturday, June 15, we had our soft opening. We listened to our customers and identified areas for improvement regarding equipment and machinery that will allow us to provide a more efficient service and meet current and projected demand. My team and I felt the warm reception of our concept reaffirming our committed to continuing offering quality and excellence to achieve the success of this great dream. 

Sunday Stealing

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves.

Stolen from Swap Bot

Reveal yourself in 24 easy steps

I am not: thin

I hurt: when people ghost me

I love: my family

I hate: Donald Trump

I fear: Donald Trump's re-election

I hope:  Kamala Harris wins!!!

I regret: missing so much of my granddaughters' baby-hood

I cry: at pretty much anything emotional, from commercials to death

I care: for all animals, especially dogs and elephants

I always: watch Jeopardy

I long: for more women friends IRL

I listen:  to podcasts

I hide:  Christmas gifts

I write:  lots of letters and this daily journal

I miss:  David, Paul, my mother and my 2 cousins

I search:  for a good local restaurant

I learn:  new crafts, like ATCs

I feel:  sad that Ned & Marta have gone on vacation

I know:  Trump is a liar (and a felon)

I want:  a nice nap

I worry:  that something will happen to me while Ned is gone

I wish:  I could go back to 1995 and start over again

I have:  way too many stickers

I give:  to 20 sponsored kids through Compassion Int'l

I wait:  for lunch, so I can have a nap

I need:  to be able to access my photo albums

Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Sh-Boom (1954)

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

1) 70 years ago this month, the Crew Cuts were singing that life could be a dream. When you awaken, can you recall your dreams?
Sometimes.  Lately I've been sleeping much better and find that when I sleep well, I am more likely to remember dreams.  (The other night I dreamed Ned put away the jigsaw puzzle I was working and I woke up very angry with him!)

2) The lead singer refers to his girl as "darling," "sweetheart" and "baby." Have you used an affectionate endearment lately? If yes, who were you speaking to?
I frequently call the dog "baby"

3) Two members of this Canadian quartet are brothers, born 15 months apart. Do you have siblings? If yes, how close in age are you?
My sister was 4-1/2 years younger than I, but she was murdered in 1971.

4) A hit in Toronto, the Crew Cuts traveled by car to appear on TV in New York. How are your wheels? Would you give your vehicle a tune up before embarking on a 1,000 mile (500 miles each way) road trip?
The long trip we take is to Santa Barbara, 400 miles away.  We never get the car tuned up before we leave.

5) In 54 and 55, they had five Top 10 hits. Then the Crew Cuts fell off the charts. Founding member Rudi Maugeri suspects it's because they were a "teen act" and teenage music tastes can change fast. Who did you listen to when you were in high school? 
Johnny Mathis, and crooners like Perry Como.

6) A well-maintained crew cut should be trimmed every 2-4 weeks. Is there an appointment with a hairstylist on your calendar?
My daughter-in-law cuts my hair, so no stylist appointments on my calendar.

Let's look at the summer of 1954.

7) 70 years ago, Chicago Bears great Walter Payton was born. Today more than 1200 students are enrolled in Chicago's Walter Payton College Preparatory High School. Was your high school named after anyone?
My high school was St. Vincent, for Vincent de Paul, a French priest who spent his life serving the poor.

8) J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Rings was published. It's the first of three volumes in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have you read the books and/or seen the movies?
I've read all the books, but I think I've only seen the first movie.  (Sorry, Country Dew)

9) Sports Illustrated was first published. As a special promotion, the premier issue included baseball cards. With the introduction of online communities and trading apps, collecting baseball cards continues to grow in popularity. Are there any card collectors in your life?
Not now.  One of my sponsored children through Compassion Int'l was into basketball and I occasionally sent him cards, but he's an adult now.

Cindy

 It's really bad when you get close  to the end of the stack of letters to be answered (4 more to go) and get a return letter from someone who was at the start of the stack of letters to be answered.  I am writing a lot of letters and will probably be inundated soon!

I had a dental appointment yesterday.  I see the dentist  4 times a year and was happy that there was no work discovered that needed to be tended to.  I miss Cindy!  She retired a couple of years ago.  She was my dentist for over 20 years, and my friend for many years before she became my dentist.  Someone took over her practice and, to tell the truth, if I met my new dentist on the street, I wouldn't have a clue who she is.  she wears a mask and she's always very pleasant, but I don't have a clue what she looks like.

She has also changed the office.  Cindy always had interesting posters on the ceiling, but the new dentist has removed the posters.  She had televisions installed in every exam area.  I've only had the TV turned on once and from the direction I am sitting while my teeth are being cleaned I can't see the screen.  (And of course you can't hear it).  I have actually never seen another TV turned on in a couple of years, so there is nothing to look at while your teeth are being looked at except the ceiling with nothing on it.

Oh how I miss Cindy!

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

,La

 OK.  I am excited about the prospect of Kamala Harris running for president.  I am having such a good time watching Trump trying to figure out how to battle her, and all the lies he has come up with lately.  (Does his cult believe him?)

I have donated to her campaign twice, and I have to admit I am sick of the requests for more money.  I must get 3 or 4 messages every day from Kamala, her husband, Walz, Biden, Obama, Hilary Clinton and others.  Today it was from Team Harris-Walz, Bernie Sanders and republican Adam Kinzinger 

I know they want money, but isn't there some way to flag people who have donated and not keep asking them to donate over and over and over again?

8/23 update - Stephen Colbert had a wonderful bit about all the text messages he's getting for donations.  

He's hearing from all the same people I  am.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Potato Day

 I have read that August 19 is National Potato day.  I don't know why but I've been thinking a lot about people I have lost in my life these days.  People who have died, people who have disappeared.   It makes me sad to think of all the things I did with these people, that I can't do any more.

Ann Pool MacNab was the co-founder of The Lamplighters.  When my friend Alison and I were writing the Lamplighter history, I got to know Ann and as time passed, we became friends.  We went to So. California to watch her new company perform and to Petaluma when she and her husband moved there to watch the group she started there.  I remember when she called to let me know her son had committed suicide.

She wrote the longest letters I've ever received, each almost impossible to read.  I learned how to read her handwriting, but it was always a struggle.  She preferred handwritten letters and asked that I hand write my letters.  When we discovered that my typed letters were interesting, while my handwritten ones were not, she asked that I go back to typing my letters.

I don't remember how it happened, but potatoes became a thing with us.  We sent each other all sorts of weird potato things.  Potato cards, potato post cards, potato "things" like a potato radio I sent her once. I even found a company that would mail a potato to her, with a stamp on it.

So when I see that this is Potato Day, it makes me sad that I can't share that with Ann, who died several yeas ago.

The saddest thing about getting older is how many friends you lose

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Knox Goes Away

Ned  recommended the movie Knox Goes Away to me.  It stars Michael Keaton as John Knox, a professional assassin who learns that he has a fast developing case of dementia and that he will lose his memory within a few weeks.  He is trying to get his issues straightened out before he can no longer do it.

His estranged son shows up at his doorstep.  He has not seen his father in years, since he found out what his real profession is, but he is in trouble and needs Dad's help.

I don't want to give away the plot, but let's say that Dad agrees to help and does, and then there are twists and turns that you can't understand.  The final story of the son is surprising and the final scene of Knox standing by a window, obviously lost to his dementia is very sad.

Ned wasn't sure I would like the movie, but I loved it.  It  was definitely different, and I highly recommend it.  It's on MAX.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Lots of letters

 I am gradually making my way through the letters I have to answer.  Who would think I would be happy to realize that there is no new letter being delivered to me?

I still have 10 letters to answer.  One is nineteen pages long!  The other is long, but I am having a difficult time reading the handwriting, though it's fairly neat.  I started answering that one a couple of weeks ago and keep putting off and answering another one.

Many of the letters I still have to answer are from my favorite pen pals, and so I don't want to just dash off a page or so without getting into the "meat" of a conversation.  I hope to make a bigger dent today, since there is no incoming mail for me (again).  

It's interesting that after zero politics in most of my pen pal letters now suddenly many of them are letting me know how they feel about the Harris candidacy.  

I wrote a letter to one Swap Bot partner whose bio says "I love Trump.  Trump 2024."  I decided maybe I could find out why she loves Trump, since so many say they love him, but rarely expand on that.  So I wrote and told her I respected her opinion but wondered if she could tell me what it is that she loves about him -- not his policies, but his character.  I pointed out that she had 4 small children and asked which of his characteristics she would like her children to emulate.  I wonder if she will answer me.

Interestingly, I read today that with the polls showing an increase for Harris, Trump's people are keeping the news from him because it would be too upsetting.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Sunday Stealing

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves.

Stolen from Swap Bot

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ....

1 - Handwrote a letter to a friend?
Today

2 - Cried?
I had a brief moment of crying over lots of things this week. Didn't last long.

3 - Fell over?
Sometime within the past 4 or 5 years.  Ned and Marta were able to pick me up.

4 - Bought a present for someone?
I order Christmas gifts all year long and I ordered my most recent Christmas gift about a month ago.

5 - Had a pajama day?
Since I almost never leave the house, many days are pajama days (I'm wearing pjs as I type this)

6 - Watched a movie that you wouldn't have gone to the cinema to see?
It has been a long time since I've been to the cinema, so pretty much every movie I see fits this category.

7 - Stayed up all night?
While I am finally sleeping better, I still have nights of insomnia and had such a night this week.

8 - Bought something on eBay?
I can't remember.  I almost never shop on eBay

9 - Colored in a coloring book?
When I was a child

10 - Told someone you love them?
We're very good about telling people we love them, especially given the losses we have had.  I pretty much end every telephone conversation with my kids by telling them I love them.

11 - Kissed someone?
I kiss Walt good night, unless one of us falls asleep first.

12 - Went to the doctors?
Last week...and it was the wrong date, so we didn't see her.

13 - You traveled by train?
When Brianna was a baby (she's now 16).  I'd love to do it again.  I love riding the train.

14 - Screamed because you were scared?
I'm not a screamer.  I can be scared, but I don't scream

15 - Visited your hometown?
My home town is San Francisco.  We go there frequently, but I can't remember the last time.

16 - Went on vacation?
Our 4th of July weekend in Santa Barbara

17 - Finished reading a book?
July 20.  A Dick Francis book.  Jeri and I are now reading a book and chatting about it periodically.

18 - Went to a church service?
It's been a very long time.

19 - Wore a hat?
I wore a hat on the beach in Santa Barbara in July

20 - Turned off your mobile phone?
I frequently turn it off...probably sometime this past week. 

   

Saturday 9

 

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!


Saturday 9: I Get Around (1964)

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

1) 60 years ago this month, the Beach Boys were singing that having a cool car and helped them get girls. In your teen years, what did you drive?
My parents' Plymouth.  I never had my own car.

2) They are searching for a new place to party. This weekend, will you be visiting any bars, theaters or restaurants?
Nope.  Staying home.

3) When Brian Wilson was forming the group, he turned to his friend Al Jardine, his brothers Dennis and Carl, and his cousin, Mike Love. Though most of their songs were about cars, beaches and surf, only one of those founding members was a surfer: Dennis. Do you enjoy the beach? Are you good on a surfboard?
I enjoy the beach for the sound of the ocean and the smell of the salt water.  I don't enjoy sitting on the beach and I haven't been in the ocean to swim in decades.  I've never been on a surfboard.

4) They were originally from Hawthorne, California. Hawthorne was the early childhood home of Marilyn Monroe. Since Marilyn was one of the most iconic women of the 20th century, we know you recognize her image. Have you seen any of her movies?
I don't think I've seen all of her movies, but certainly most of them.

5) "I Get Around" is included in Endless Summer, the greatest hits compilation released in 1974. Influential music critic Robert Christgau said Endless Summer should be part of any basic record library. What's one of your favorite CDs?
Oh lord, so many!  Lawsuit CDs, of course, and Steve Schalchlin.  I'm a big John Denver fan and, of course, have most of Judy Garland's albums.  The albums that I enjoy most these days are musicals.

Let's look at the summer of 1964.

6) The #1 film of the summer of 1964 was Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. Have you seen it?
Several times.

7) President Lyndon Johnson accepted the Democratic party's nomination at the August 1964 convention in Atlantic City, NJ. Atlantic City is known for casinos and gambling. Do you often play the lottery, bingo, or any other game of chance?
No.  I'm terribly unlucky.

8) Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was still a baby in the summer of 1964. What was in your most recent Amazon delivery?
It seems I get something most days.  I think the last thing I got was some labels.  (Since I can't drive it's a blessing to have Amazon deliver to me!)

9) Another little one born in '64 is Mariska Hargitay. The star of Law & Order: SVU is the daughter of a well-known movie star. Without looking it up, do you know who her mother was?
Yes I do.  The blonde bombshell, but I can't remember her name.  I remember that she was far more intelligent than her blonde bombshell persona would lead one to expect.

What's that I taste?

My taste buds are coming back.  Not completely.  Coffee tasted like coffee this morning.  It's tasted like hot water for the last two days.  Yogurt is still something sweet and cold and smooth but I don't get a flavor.  The reason the scrambled egg burrito I fixed myself for breakfast tasted "right" was that I used a cheese salsa in it and the spics in that covered everything else.

But it's definitely getting better.

I'm not coughing as much and Walt seems to have taken over sneezing for me.

Not only that, but I had a wonderful sleep last night and didn't even need a nap today.

* * * *

The baby squirrel (I guess he's now a grown up squirrel) is learning the ropes around here, learning where he can find nuts (though he gets scared if he's in the tree when I go to put nuts on the shelf for him and he runs to another tree and doesn't come back for hours.  He is also very glad, I assume, that we have a bowl of water for the squirrels.  He's the only one I see drinking from it, but he drinks a lot.

I really love my little back yard zoo.  Every night a rat runs by the back door.  I would feed him, but I definitely don't want to encourage him to hang around, but it is fun to watch him checking to see if any nuts have fallen off the squirrel shelf.  Last thing I need is for Bubba  to figure out there is a rat to chase.

Before the baby found the nut shelf, Ned tossed nuts out on the patio for him.  When we were feeding peanuts (in the shell), I would toss some out and the birds would fly down and take lots.  That was a couple of years  ago.  Since Ned built the nut shelf in the tree, we don't see birds taking the squirrels nuts any more.  But as soon as Ned tossed out nuts n the patio, the birds were back instantly.  Have they been watching the patio for years??

Just a cold

 I'm not deadly ill.  It's just a cold, but I haven't had a cold in years--maybe more than 10 years.  I woke up with my head from my nose to the top of my head completely stuffed, coughing worse than usual, with a slight sore throat, and completely exhausted.  Ned came downstairs to make coffee and confessed that both he and Marta felt sick too.  We're thinking maybe we picked something up at Kaiser, since that's the only place that Ned and I have been...and he didn't come to the birthday party last week.

Anyway, the three of us were sick.  We took COVID tests and it wasn't COVID.

I pretty much slept all day.  I'd take a 1-2 hour nap, wake up, then fall back asleep again.  I had no interest in food (a sure way you know I'm sick!)  I went to bed at 8 and slept until 1.  I got up and watched the Colbert monologue, did Wordle, and went back to sleep until 4, when I watched the first half hour of Morning Joe and then back to sleep.

Ned went and got hot and sour soup, which was wonderful.  It had no taste for me, but it was hot and it was sour and it warmed my throat.  He went and got some more the next day (and I'll be having it for lunch today)

Walt didn't have any of the cold symptoms but was exhausted and slept a long time yesterday.  It was scary when he woke up.  He staggered downstairs and talked to me about his dream and wanted something, but he was making no sense and wasn't even speaking real words.  I finally told him to sit down until he woke up.  He was better after that.

This morning I'm still feeling rotten and have no appetite.  I just want yogurt for breakfast.  It has no taste, but it's smooth and sweet and that would feel good on my throat, but we have no yogurt in the refrigerator, so I had toast which was like chewing cardboard.  Thank goodness for that hot and sour soup for lunch.

SICK!

 I have been sick and sleeping a lot.  Haven't been on the computer at all.

I will start writing journal entries again tomorrow.

Sunday Stealing

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves.

Stolen from Swap Bot

1. I am looking forward to ...
Watching Harris demolish Trump in their debate(s)

2. Least favorite words
Anything violent or hurtful

3. If I ruled the world
Trump would be convicted of every crime he has committed

4. Favorite websites and blogs
Facebook, SwapBot, GoodReads, The League of Extraordinary Pen Pals, Saturday 9, and all the blogs of all the people who participate in Sunday Stealing

5. Things I do for myself
Not so much these days!  

6. Weekly rituals
Jeopardy and Family Feud (The Richard Dawson version) every night, Ned's radio show on Tuesdays.

7. DIYs I want to try
I haven't done many lately, but I'd like to get back to ATCs (Artist Trading Cards)

8. On my shopping list
Bananas, butter, milk, white bread, mandarin oranges <--  all things that Walt gets pretty much every time he goes to the store

9. Places to see in your town
You have to see all the memorials for our two sons -- a couple of trees, a bench, and an outdoor performing area with specially engraved bricks.  Also the Toad Town, and the Egghead sculptures

10.Road trip must-haves
Tissues, water, a way to keep my cell phone charged...and my cell phone, of course.

11. Guilty pleasures
Ice cream, donuts

12. Things I'd rather be doing right now
Actually, this is what I'd rather be doing now.

13. Books I'd like to read this year
Jeri and I are starting a book club for the two of us and we are going to be reading "The Elephant Keeper"

14. Lessons learned
Grief is work, but eventually the loss becomes a part of who you are now.

15. Vacations to take
We've taken our vacation this year -- a long weekend in Santa Barbara for Tom's 54th birthday.

Extra question:   Olympic events I like to watch or follow
I've been watching a lot of Olympics this week.  I love the gymnastics, and I love seeing things I had never seen before, like skateboarding, breakdancing (??? ... what are  they doing and how are they scored?)

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

Ned harvested our grape crop 

Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Annie's Song (1974)
(I love John Denver!)

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

1) 50 years ago this month, we were all listening to John Denver rhapsodize about nature. He singles out walking in the rain as a particularly lovely experience. Do you enjoy walking in the rain?
As long as it's not pouring, I love walking in the rain.

2) Denver wrote this song on a ski lift in Aspen. He clearly relished the ride, but ski lifts are problematic for those who suffer from acrophobia, or a fear of heights. Acrophobia plagues approximately 5% of Americans. Are you one of them?
Not really

3) John Denver recalled that this song just came to him as he looked down on the beauty of nature. Can you recall a time when something you saw in nature touched your heart?
The first time I saw the Indian Ocean in Australia, it was not particularly special, but it just made my heart rise, because I was in Australia.  I saw a lot in nature that touched my heart in Australia.  Like these

4) Wildly successful here in The States, John Denver's popularity didn't extend to the United Kingdom. In fact, "Annie's Song" was his only major hit. But it was a big one. Denver's version reached #1 in 1974 and then in 1978 James Galway hit #1 on the UK charts with an instrumental version. Do you have a favorite instrumental recording?
I can't think of a specific "instrumental" recording.

5) John Denver's first-ever guitar, a gift from his grandmother, was displayed at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. Have you visited a museum yet this summer? If not, do you have plans to?
No and No

6) In addition to the guitar, Denver also played the violin (or "the fiddle," as he called it). If a genie appeared to magically enable you to play the instrument of your choice, which would you choose?
I wouldn't mind playing the piano (which we have).  I took lessons as a kid and my father spent all my life complaining about the money he "wasted" on my piano lessons.  Our kids play the piano.  Walt may play it once a year.  (His father played the piano.)  I haven't touched it in years.  My father taught himself to play the piano and was a kind of professional piano player after he retired, playing in a bar.  He was happiest when he was playing the piano.

Let's look at the summer of 1974.

7) Elizabeth Berkeley was born. She's best known as Jesse on the Saturday morning teen sitcom, Saved by the Bell. What Saturday morning TV shows do you remember fondly?
In 1974 our youngest child (of 5) was 2 so our Saturday morning  TV shows were all cartoons.

8) Hall of Fame pitcher and Cardinal great Dizzy Dean died. How is your baseball team doing this summer?
Well, my team is the Giants and I don't have a clue how they are doing this summer.  I haven't seen a game.

9) The biggest summer movie was The Longest Yard starring Burt Reynolds. What's your favorite Burt Reynolds movie?
I LOVED The Longest Yard and it makes me sad that the remake is all they play now.  The Burt Reynolds version was great.

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Fingers

It's so nice that you can actually comment on this blog again!  I'm so pleased.

Ned checked my finger today.  While it is much better than it has been, it's still red and still swollen and while it does not hurt as much, it still hurts. He decided it was time to see the doctor, so I managed to make an appointment for 3:10 p.m., about 4 hours from when I made the appointment.

We arrived at Kaiser at 3 p.m. and I went to check in...which is when I discovered that I had made an appointment for NEXT week at 3:10.  Not only that, but my doctor wasn't even there today.  Ned was really concerned about letting the finger go a whole week and the appointment clerks said they would send a note down to the office and perhaps someone could check the finger.

We got to the office and in about 5 minutes someone called me in, but it was to tell me that they were very busy and she had no idea if anybody could see me, but if we would wait in the waiting room, maybe someone could.  

We waited about half an hour and finally Ned asked what were our chances of being seen...and they weren't good, so we just left.  He made sure that the appointment for next week was still on the books, in case the finger wasn't better by then.

We came home and he fixed a cold compress for me and I sat with that for an hour or more (until the ice all melted) and the finger did feel better after that...and I'm able to type this without much problem, which I haven't been able to do in more than a week.

So we will watch it carefully, but it's so much better than it had been that I'm optimistic that it will be pretty much all better by next Thursday.

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                 (not my real finger)

The Olympics

I have thoughts about the Olympics...that maybe aren't "normal" thoughts.

First, I'm noticing a lot of tattoos this year.  I don't ever remember being overwhelmed by the number of tattoos...and many seem to be full body, or at least full arm or leg tattoos.

It didn't hit me that none of the men have hair on their chest until I saw one man on a volleyball team who did have hair on his chest.  Looked strange.

It's amazing how many of the athletes have physical problems.  Whether severe burns that put him in the hospital for months, or kidney disease that made her body swell up to twice its size, Simone's mental health that kept her out of the sports for a long while.  It seems like most of the athletes are bandaged somewhere.  Being a professional athlete ain't easy!

I'm getting to see events that I've never thought of before...like climbing up a wall (two types...one how fast you can climb a wall and another, "sport climbing" where you climb up weird structures).  I haven't seen break dancing, but I've heard this is a new sport competing this year.

Skateboarding is fun, but so different from the first years that it was included.  It will be interesting to see skateboarding in the Para-olympics, where instead of using skateboards, the athletes will be in wheelchairs.  I loved that the oldest skateboarder this year is 51.

Also, I enjoyed watching the equestrian jumping.  The guy who has won the gold for twenty years was riding the horse he has ridden for the past 14 years and got tossed!

I loved seeing the guy who won the gold in pole vaulting...they showed home movies of him pole vaulting from the time he was 5 years old.  His father built bigger and bigger poles as he got older.  It truly was truth when he said he had dreamed of winning the gold his whole life!

All of the teeth of one of the runners are gold...it's nice he won the gold; they match.

I'm noticing that in some sports, particularly diving, the coaches are videotaping the dives and then showing them to the diver so they can see what they did wrong...we didn't do that in the days when our kids were diving!

I watched the artistic swimming today and realized that it's nothing like the kinds of things we used to see in the movies.  The various athletic jumps included aren't nearly as "pretty" as the old fashioned artistic swimming groups.

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this year's Olympics.  I've probably seen more sports in the last week than I have in the last 10 years.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

No lunch

 Thanks to Anita, I learned how to find comments that have been left on this blog and I was able to approve them, so they should all be visible now.  Thanks, Anita!!!

* * * * *

Today was supposed to be lunch with my friend.  She canceled lunch 3 weeks ago and set it for today, and then she canceled today because of some problems she's having.  She did not reschedule, and I don't expect to hear from her in the near future.  I'm surprised at how depressed I was.  I almost never have social engagements and rarely with another woman so I was looking forward to our conversation, especially about Kamala Harris.

So since I had no lunch to go to, instead I went to Kaiser to get my glasses corrected.  They are wearing a big wound on my nose.  I've started holding them away from my face, but I knew I needed to see someone about them.

There is no way they can "fix" the glasses I had, so we went with a new frame.  Instead of a dark frame, like the ones I just got, I'll be back to wire rimmed glasses, but at least they will be comfortable.  For now I'm wearing my old glasses and keeping them off whenever possible to let the wound on my nose heal.

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

These will be my new new glasses

Berklee students

 Jeri teaches a group of high school students at Berklee in the summertime.  At  the end of their program, they put on a show.  Jeri works with the orchestra, others work with the singers.

It started later than she expected, but we were able to stream the concert.  Sadly, it started just as Ned put dinner on the table, and I sat there with my phone on a stand watching the concert while the others were eating, chatting and watching Family Feud.  The concert ended just as dinner ended.

They did bits from various musicals, starting with Wicked, which I loved.

It wasn't until later that I realized Jeri was conducting the orchestra.  Last year, one of her students conducted, so I didn't even look for her until I saw her by accident.

The best picture I got of her conducting was during the final number.

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Sunday Stealing

                           

I am curious....is it possible to write a note on my entries?  I'm wondering if people can't post a note. If you can't, please write to me at basykes@gmail.com so at least I know why I have not had any comments at all for weeks.

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves.

Stolen from League of Extraordinary Pen Pals

1. How would your pet describe you
She has a soft lap and she sometimes feeds me.  She always feeds  the squirrels and I try to chase them.

2.. Tell us a story...
Little Miss Muffet,
She sat on a tuffet,
There came a great spider,
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

3.. What do you pack in your beach / hiking bag
Well, I don't go to the beach or go hiking, but if I did, I'd have a snack, something soft to sit on, and a book (mostly for the beach)

4.. How do you like to spend great weather week 
In  the house with the air conditioner going!

5.. Describe a time when the circumstances fell in your favor|
I answered an ad asking for someone to help put together the history of a theater company for its 25th anniversary.  That changed my life.  I helped write the book, stayed on working with the company, made some of my best friends, wrote a second book, etc.

6.. Which summer sounds do you enjoy
I can't think of any sounds I hear from inside the house.

7.. It’s not really summer until ...
The temps get up into the 90s.  And the strawberry patch opens.

8.. What music are you listening to these days
Not really anything.

9.. How much has changed since last summer
I'm using my walker more.

10. What are your favorite things to wear in summer
lightweight pants, t-shirts, and Birkenstocks

11. What do you miss about winter
The cold weather and the rain.

12. How would you spend summer vacation as an adult
Well, I AM an adult and these days we don't really do summer vacations other than going to Santa Barbara over 4th of July week to celebrate our son's birthday.

13. Describe your ideal get together/party
Sitting around having drinks and hors d'oeuvres and then a group dinner. I'm going to a party today and I'll see how that goes!

14. What makes you feel like part of your community
I don't do that much these days, but I have written so many different columns and reviews for the newspaper that it's nice that people recognize my name when they hear it.

15. How was your July 2024?
Quiet, other than our trip to Santa Barbara.

  

Saturday 9

 

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: Ghostbusters (1984)

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

This month we're going to recall Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.

1) Number 1 on the charts in August 40 years ago, "Ghostbusters" was written quickly. The Ghostbusters producers originally approached Lindsay Buckingham to write the movie theme. Buckingham took a long time to say no, and the film's production date could not be changed. That left Ray Parker Jr. only a few days to come up with a song. Do you work well with a tight deadline?
I usually do better with a tight deadline than if someone gives me months to complete a project.

2) Parker recalls he got his inspiration from a late night TV commercial that kept encouraging viewers to call, call, call. What's the most recent business that you phoned, and why were you calling?
I called the Kaiser pharmacy to see about getting a refill prescription.

3) The music video (linked above) was directed by Ivan Reitman, who also directed the movie. It features a variety of celebs saying "Ghostbusters!" None of them were paid for this, they all did it as a favor to Reitman. Have you more recently done or received a favor?

A pen pal liked my new Kamala Harris return address label and I made one for her.  I also received a wonderful cookie jar from another pen pal.

4) In 2009, Ray Parker Jr. made the Ghostbusters theme available as a ring tone. What's your phone's ring tone?
No special ring tone.  It just sounds like our regular phone.

5) This song is so enduringly popular that a 2020 documentary about Parker is titled, "Who You Gonna Call?" If you were to write a memoir or authorize a documentary about your life, what would you call it?

"Funny the World," of course.

6) Early in his career, Ray was in demand as a session musician. He played guitar on the records of some of the 70s most successful female singers, including Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross. Of those ladies, which is your favorite?

None, really, but probably Diana Ross

Let's look at the summer of 1984.

7) Released in June, the original Ghostbusters was a huge hit throughout the summer. Have you seen it? Did you see the sequel that was released this past spring?
I saw the original, but not the sequel (which my son tells me is terrible)

8) Beverly Burns became the first female captain of a Boeing 747. She was a pilot for People Express Airways, an airline which later merged with Continental, and Continental then merged with United. Do you recall which airline you flew when you took your first flight?
No clue.  That was the year Disneyland opened.

9) Ronald Reagan joked about bombing Russia during a mic check for a radio interview. He was embarrassed when the comment was leaked and broadcast around the world. Have you recently felt embarrassed?
Not really

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

This was a zoom call the family
made when Laurel got her law degree

Gold for Simone

 The gymnasts' competition started at 9 a.m. here and I was able to sit and watch the whole  thing.  The Olympics certainly have given me permission to do nothing but watch TV.  Things even got a little suspenseful with the Brasilian gymnast doing so w ell.  It was obvious Simone was going to get either gold or silver, but she performed her floor exercise flawlessly and the Brasilian took silver.  Suni Lee took the bronze, so it was 2 for the USA.

I don't gleefully count how many medals the US gets...somethings I think they get too many and I root for countries like Brasil or Australia, where I also have emotional feelings.  

With my being in front of the TV all day, Ned has taken advantage to having my legs elevated for a long time.  The medication it took me so long to get from Kaiser controls swelling in my feet and legs and now I have it again, so with the medication and elevating my legs, the swelling should begin to disappear, we hope.

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Babies

I've been looking at a lot of videos of babies these days.  I love babies.  When we had five children, I imagined myself interacting with lots of grandchildren, but then Paul and David died, Ned & Marta didn't want to have children and Jeri was in her 40s before she married, so my only grandchildren are Brianna and Lacie, who are now 16 and almost 13.

My sadness is that I have no fond memories of interaction with the girls, especially when they were babies.  The first time I held Brianna, my first granddaughter, she fell asleep and Tom took her out of my arms because he said she had to stay awake for another hour.  She never liked to be in my arms as a baby.  Laurel's favorite picture of me and Brianna is from Christmas, when she has just handed her to me and she is crying.  I hate that picture. This is how she always was with me. She loved being in my sister-in-law's arms, but as soon as she was in my arms, she would cry.  

I tried to spend a weekend a month in Santa Barbara after Bri was born so she would get to know me (her other grandmother was her occasional babysitter), but the first time I went down, I was very careful to do what Tom asked me to do, which is not get there before 2 p.m.  I got there at exactly 2 p.m. and the babysitter had taken her out because nobody told her I was coming.  Tom said I could see her the next  time I came down.

I don't really remember much about Lacie as a baby, but neither she nor Bri wanted to be around me.  When Laurel took a family picture of us, Bri always made sure she sat on the side of Walt that was farthest away from me.  When I took Lacie into my lap to read to her, she always got down and went to do something else.  My lap was too fat, I guess.

Whenever we came to the door, Bri would immediately turn and go into her room rather than greet me.

Being shy, I can never think of anything to talk with the girls about.  I have been writing to them regularly, letters and post cards, just to help them think of me as part of the family.  They rarely answer, but that's OK.  They are "grown up" now and I don't need the kind of relationship I hoped to have with them when they were babies.

But how I miss babies.  

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