Forgot the Saturday Komeekz... Bizarro

I'm one of those people who attempt to murder to prevent Puns, Choking Punsters is as far as I'll go so it really isn't Death in the True sense of the word.

I hope this wasn't up before.  I'm just losing brain cells in a convergence of random (or is it radon) strings that have escaped from theories in the Physics dept.  Damn them! Damn them to hell!  I have a 327 Magnum baguette with some of their names written all over it with permanent markers.  Oh, and pardon my French.  

Do you? Does anyone know? Sunday Stealing... Huzzah!

May 30, 2015
Swiped
Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme.
Cheers to all of us thieves!!!

Swiped Meme

Stolen from: Get It All Down

Do you need to write down things to remember them?

I do now.  I can't trust that I'll' remember something on Friday that I had planned to watch on Monday.

Do you keep a diary/journal?

No, just a blog.

Are you scared of thunderstorms?

No, actually I love them but the dog hates them so now I don't like them as much.

Do you have any unusual fears or phobias?

It's normal to have fears, as you point out, by asking for unusual ones.  I don't think I have any unusual ones.  

Whats your favourite Disney movie?

I think it's called, "Enchanted".  I love that thing.  

Have you ever painted a house?

Yes, I have.  Inside and out.

Whats the tallest tree you've ever climbed?

It was an oak and I climbed up about thirty feet.  It was very fun!

Do you always wear identical socks?

No, and the reason is that I made them to not match.

Do you live by any motto or philosophy?

"If Kindness is recognized as your Virtue, then you have achieved your purpose entirely"  This comes from the I Ching and has been my motto since my mid-twenties.  It came too late into my conscience for some things not to occur.

Do you lick the yogurt or dessert lid?

Isnt that part of the rule of waste not want not?  :-)

Do you lick the spoon clean after making something sweet?

Wasteth Not Wanteth Not.

Have you ever played the bongos?

Yes, and the Maracas, badly

Have you ever handled a snake?

I love to hold snakes.  But I do not pick up venomous ones.

Have you ever assembled furniture by yourself?

Yes, I've had to do that.  Sometimes you have to put things together after disassembling them to refinsh.

When did you last go to the beach?

November of last year.  

Wanted to go here, but went to New Birghton Beach instead.

When if ever did you last go to London?

Never had a chance to go to London.

What do you do to cool down when its hot?

I used to soak in the tub.  Now I turn on the AC.  It's that or take a chance of getting a heart attack.

What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?

Pickled pig's feet, when I was young.  Never again.  But it was cheap food, like ham hocks and beans.  Surprisingly tasty with corn bread and when you don't think about it.  

Do you have a favorite mug?

Yes- it's from a potter in Santa Cruz who sells at the farmer's market.  He's a character and very  fun to joke with.

Do you know any self-defense or martial arts?

I know enough to, probably, get myself hurt, or else out of a jam.

Who's your favourite movie action hero?

Probably James Bond the new one that is.

Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?

Yes.

Do you collect anything?

Besides surgery scars and dust bunnies, seemingly my favorite indoor pet?  Yes.  I used to collect bigger things but now I just collect rusty things and small rusty things at that.  Holy Cow, how I love rusty things.

Is there anything you wished would come back into fashion?

Maxi skirts with boots.  And, Dashiki shirts.

Do you stick to conventional fashions or like to try and be original?

I wear whatever in the heck I like no matter the season or fashion.  

Have you ever given someone a handmade present?

Of Course.  I'm part of the handmade movement

If you could have any feature from an animal what would you want?

I want a mane of hair like a Lion King.  And can I have the Golden Eyes to match?

Saturday9 and Saturday Komeekz

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!

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

1) Lesley Gore premiered this song on an episode of Batman. She played Pussycat, the protegee of Catwoman. (That explains her outfit in the video.) How many of Batman's nemeses can you name?
A. The only two I can recall are the characters portrayed by Jack Nicholson and Danny Devito.

2) At least five actors have played The Caped Crusader already (Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale) and Ben Affleck will play him in 2016's Batman vs. Superman. Who is your favorite Batman? (If any Batmen were inadvertently omitted, Sam apologizes.)
A. That would be Val Kilmer.  I just love that actor.  He's great in just about anything he does.  One movie he was in that you've probably never heard of, and in which he starred, was, "Thunder Heart"

3) Unlike most superheroes, Batman doesn't have any superpowers. This Saturday, you're more fortunate. We're bestowing any superpower on you that you want. Which would you like?
A. Wah!  Just one?  OK. Invisibility.  Now if I could have flight while wearing a cloaking suit, that would be better than any amount of chocolate, really.

4) Though she's singing of warm California nights, Lesley Gore was a New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and, in February of this year, dying in Manhattan. Which coast have you spent more time on, the West Coast or the East Coast?
A. Lesley Gore is dead?  I wanna cry!  She was too young!  A moment of Silence.........

To answer the question, I'm fully acclimated to the West Coast.   If re-incarnation was a fact, I'd come back here, over and over, until this whole coast - or the human race - was gone, I guess.

5) Not many people know that while she was making records, Lesley was also a student at Sarah Lawrence and graduated with her BA in 1968. What's something we would be surprised to know about you?
A. I'm really an Extra terrestrial but then I'm sure some of you knew that already.  Watch my eyes... did you see it?  Really, I'm too ordinary for words.

6) In 1967, when this song was popular, the best selling new camera in the United States was the new Polaroid Swinger. Think about the most recent photo you took. Did you use a camera, a tablet, or a phone?
A.  I used a Canon teensy.  It's Spy cam.  Lol!  I told you.... Actually I just came to this planet for the chocolate and the Cadillac Margaritas.

7) The big fashion trend of 1967 was bright tights, in shades like Hot Pink, Shock Orange and Grass Green. Tell us about something you wore when it was trendy but now you look back and think, "Oh, God, that was awful!"
A.  O God!  I missed it!  Let's see, trendy.....  I never saw a polka dot I didn't like.

I still love them

8) In 1967, drivers complained about "gas wars." The price  was unpredictable and would rise and fall, day by day, as much as 30¢ per gallon. How much does it cost you to fill up your tank today?
A.  Probably about $50.  But then there is the RV.  That thing is awesomely expensive to fill.  We take it once a year somewhere and PARK it.  We were going to buy an old schoolbus and rip out all the seats and just bolt handy things to the floor but our Rockhound friends talked us out of that.

I still think this is a very cool MakeOver.
It's probably heavier than The Dome at Yosemite... probably.

9) Random question: Are there dishes in your kitchen sink right now?
A. Wow, that IS really random....  Have to check. Brb...

The flower pot is soaking to get it cleaned for a new plant.


The words from our hostess, Sam:

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

Forget tiptoeing through the tulips.. The Good, The Not so Bad, and The Better.... Tuesday Tails!

The Good

Firstly, I'd like to tell about something sweet that happened on Saturday.

Mr. Z and Wolfie were walking before dinner, and a little white dog the same size and general appearance as Wolfie-curled over tail,etc- started following them.  It came almost all the way home with them. When Mr.Z  came through the door, he told me about it all.  I got worried about  the little fellow, so DH went back and called him, and he brought the dog home.  We then tried to figure out what to do.

The first thing was to ask up and down the street he was found wandering on if he belonged to someone. This took some time as DH stopped at each house, asked if anyone knew of this little dog, showing the picture he'd snapped of him. "Mr. White" had no collar, so therefore no tags.   When the door knocking revealed nothing, Mr. Z then took him to the After Hours pet hospital to see if he had been micro-chipped.  He had not been.   Meanwhile, I gave both dogs a treat, fed them dinner, and started getting attached.  heehee.

I also checked the on-line lost dog sites for anything that resembled this little Lad.  Mr. White was a little bit underweight, or maybe Wolfie's too fat or something, so I checked Mr. W's pads and toenails, and his body down the sides.  He was favoring one of his back legs so I gently felt that.  This patient fellow had been taken to the groomer because his nails were in perfect shape, and aside from the weight, looked to be well cared for.  His eyes were clear and so loving.  I wanted to keep him, of course, but tried not to fall head over heels.   Massive fail.  He and Wolfie were making friends, ate their treats companionably side by side on the little rug, and Mr. W. took commands!  He was trained!  This gave me hope that we would find the owners somewhere!  If not, I would hang on to him with all forty arms!

A lady, a neighbor who used to be our mail deliverer, came by with her two dogs.  The two nearly perfectly matched dogs inside went for her and her BIG dogs through the steel door, slamming it with their paws and noses with gusto, as if they'd gladly rip those dogs apart if they could just get to them. United in cause, they had to be dragged away from the door so that Mr. Z could go outside and talk to our neighbor without fear of a massive tangle of snapping jaws!

The neighbor/mail lady went to check one last house where no one came to the door on that street -they were busy cooking dinner we think- and, yes, it was their dog.  She called us on her telefonino to say that she'd found Mr. W's homeplace.  So the happy re-union took place up on the street corner, so that the Dos Perros Gang would not do a repeat of their massive door defenses.

I still want a white (or maybe a red) that looks like Wolfie but that little dog on Saturday wasn't "sent" to me by the kindly Up in-the-Clouds Dog Handlers.  I'm still hoping....

Now for the bad or maybe not so news......It will not be bad news if we stand up on our hind legs and get back out there and fight them off... 

Here's where tulips come into the story.

These guys plan to drag a harvester with a tiller through them.....the "tulips", I mean...

' "Green Business | Mon May 18, 2015 8:27pm EDT
Related: ENVIRONMENT
Conservationists decry U.S. plan to retool endangered species rules
BY LAURA ZUCKERMAN

Conservationists decried a proposal on Monday by U.S. wildlife and marine animal managers to tweak rules tied to the federal Endangered Species Act, saying the plans would place "crippling" impediments to citizens petitioning to save imperiled creatures.

Under the proposal submitted for public comment by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, those petitioning for such safeguards would have to use data from state wildlife agencies prior to submitting requests.

The changes "would provide greater clarity to the public and states on what information would best inform the evaluation of a species' status and result in better coordination with state wildlife agencies, which often have unique information and insights," the two agencies said in a statement.

But Noah Greenwald, endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the proposal seeks to stall or even prohibit protections for endangered creatures.

"The proposed changes to federal regulations add additional, fairly substantial burdens on petitioners, particularly citizen-scientists trying to stop a species from dying out. The proposal tries to shut that down and cut the public out," he said. (Italics are mine)

Measures floated during the 60-day public comment period include barring petitions tied to more than one creature and requiring advance notice of the petition to states where such species are found, said Greenwald.

U.S. wildlife and marine life managers said retooling the regulations would "incentivize" voluntary conservation efforts tied to the nation's hallmark conservation law.

"The protection and restoration of America's proud natural heritage would not be possible without the Endangered Species Act and the close collaboration among states, landowners and federal agencies that the act promotes," U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement.

(Reporting by Laura Zuckerman in Salmon, Idaho; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Eric Walsh)" '

My Thoughts: I think we are going to have to fight even harder if these changes are "tweaked".  The story below took years to come about!  It took YEARS to save 170 acres for a little frog species that's almost become just a footnote somewhere in a government document of extinct frog species.

It does seem that the more "We, the People"(You all know who the People are.  "The People"  are the ones who pay the taxes, and who own the public lands in common) try to save the last amazing places (or creatures) on Earth, the more some real jerks want to mess it all up!

It's our money, and our land, and we can still have it the way we want it as long as we keep up the fight for both the land,  and the creatures who need those unspoiled lands so desperately.

We just need to remember the Seven Generations Credo that was lent to us by the Native Americans who kept faith with this land for 20,000 to 15,000 years before us.

And the best for last....

The Good News!  Two things!

But then there is a victory every once in awhile that makes the heart start healing:

SOURCE
Goes to the Page about this little frog's preservation

And..... Dog Rescues!

And a rescued pet-trade breeder dog plays with one of the rescuers.  Where was the rescue?  Costa Rica...

See the story HERE .  Of course they ask for a donation but look at the work they are doing.  They will go anywhere in the world to rescue pets.

This calls for Kudo for the Humane Society International.  They give me hope for this world!

Music Monday: I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General

This is fun and also very difficult to sing!

I will not do Sunday Stealing today.

I'm flummoxed. I can't understand this sort of modern day "lynching" that's still ongoing, much less the sort of people who do this.  What kind of country do they fracking want!

This article was on the 22nd page of the A section in the newly sold UT.  Memorial Day indeed.  Bah!  We send armies to "free" others trapped under tyrannical masters, and we can't even stop this genocide behavior.  I'm absolutely sick about what is going on right here, Right NOW!  This is not political; it's an Outrage!

An exercise in Readability, what a wheeze, and Saturday9, as well as Saturday Komeekz.

Sheesh, who knew?

Written for The Machine.  I jargonized and hyperbolized. Who would want to do this to anyone?

Lurking within the unknowable, the chronically overused multi-syllabic words that are spewed forth to make blogs smarter and wiser seeming are almost impossible to calculate for worth in any true sense of the word.  What happens when you write entries with syllable length in mind?  Does the entry make sense to fewer people or does it enhance their overall reading enjoyment?  These questions and others along the same lines are only answered by the readers themselves who leave in droves when syllable license is exercised!

This was only a test.  I'm going back to the monosyllabic utterances that seem to better suit my life as it is and not as it was.

 Reading Text ...

Reading Ease

A higher score indicates easier readability; scores usually range between 0 and 100.

Readability Formula	Score
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease	51.2

Grade Levels

A grade level (based on the USA education system) is equivalent to the number of years of education a person has had. Scores over 22 should generally be taken to mean graduate level text.

Readability Formula	Grade
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level	11.5
Gunning-Fog Score	14.6
Coleman-Liau Index	13.8
SMOG Index	10.5
Automated Readability Index	13
Average Grade Level	12.7

Text Statistics

Character Count	432
Syllable Count	136
Word Count	86
Sentence Count	4
Characters per Word	5.0
Syllables per Word	1.6
Words per Sentence	21.5

Go HERE to give it a whorl.  There is another site, the same results basically but it would only accept one thing.

Back to Real Life: Saturday9

Battle Hymn of the Republic

He was in my Mother's Generation.  So Sad...

Memorial Day was introduced to honor the men and women who died while serving the in the United States Armed Forces. We want to make sure that message is not forgotten this weekend.

 

1) This recording was made live at St. Patrick's Cathedral, during Sen. Robert Kennedy's funeral. (Hear it here.) While both of Bobby's older brothers were decorated war heroes, he served too -- enlisting in the Navy in 1943. Are you a veteran? Are there veterans in your family? (We are grateful and want to hear about it.)

The Paternal Unit and my little brother are disabled Army vets.  My uncle retired from the Air Force.  

 2) Memorial Day also kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food? 

  My Grandmother's Potato Salad.

3) Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.

 Lavender.  My mother grew it and nibbled on it.

 

4) When was the last time you had your hair cut or trimmed?

 Last week.  I trimmed the split ends.  This is sort of random?

 

5) Crazy Sam runs on Dunkin'. Are you loyal to a particular brand of coffee?

I don't drink it anymore but Mr.Z buys two brands of fair traded organic coffee, TJ. Pajaro, and Starbucks. 

 

6) If money was no object, what home improvement would you like to make this summer? 

I'd love to have the whole interior painted except the kitchen, but why stop there, let's do a makeover.  I'd like landscaping done in the side yard and the whole exterior re-stuccoed.  We are talking BIG bucks here but, Hey, this is fantasy so what the heck.

All it needs is a picket fence, yes?

7) What was the last thing you bought purely for your own enjoyment?

 Dove Darks!  

8) When was the last time you rode a bike?

 Sadly, about 1995, I gave away my favorite bike, a second hand 60's Motobecane (which I'd ridden almost daily for nearly 35 years).  This happened when I started falling.  It was a sweet ride.

 

9) Sam worries that many of her song selections reflect her decidedly Baby Boomer sensibilities. Is there a song or a performer that you'd like to see featured in a Saturday 9 this summer?

Actually, Sam, I'm a sort of pre-baby boomer, so I don't mind your choices at all.  You do a great job!  And thanks!  This is not an easy meme to create!  I ♥ this meme!

Saturday Komeekz

I can SO relate to this cartoon.  

Have a Happy Weekend!

Stop the Navy's Plan to Bomb a Pacific Paradise

Stop the Navy's Plan to Bomb a Pacific Paradise

Friday5-- Mail Order, in the court and elsewhere....if you please..

Here be the rules, which are as light as a feather!

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

Friday5 for May 22nd, 2015

Q. What is your most recently mail-ordered item?

A. A safety cover for an "electronical gadget".  I wanted something pink for it.

What’s a catalog you’ve always wanted to order from but never have?

A. Coldwater Creek.  I love their stuff.  It's a little too expensive for me - a person who sews and makes jewelry.  I am, too be honest, a little cheap on the frugal side.

What is physically the largest item you ever mail-ordered?

A. That would be a new Christmas Tree, but it wasn't a huge box.  The composters weren't either.  That's all I can remember, three smallish boxes that held BIG things.

What catalogs do you still receive in the actual mail?

A. I don't get them anymore, not catalogs.  I do get flyers and small things with several pages from JoAnn's.  Those are enough excitement for me!

What are some obscure or unusual catalogs you’ve received?

A. From the Native American society that we contribute to.  Neat stuff in there, too.

Source

Thanks for participating, and have a fantastic weekend!

Blog posting.

I can never post on Stacey's blog now or on Jodi's.  But enjoy reading them.  Sorry.  I'm really not ignoring your posts.  

Thankful Thursday

I'm grateful to live in the United States but there is a caveat lector in this.

I may be grateful to be here, but I'm not happy that we have become a pariah to many in the world.

I'm ashamed that we have let greed win so many battles, and even when one of our armed services WANTS to cut back,  the Powers that Be will find yet ANOTHER way around the military and make sure no changes are made.

I wish we hadn't become this Robo-police dog with huge metal teeth.

I don't care if you don't see this my way.  But let me be clear on one Point!   I'm a hundred percent for the brave people who have not questioned the call of duty.  When they put their lives on the line, I want to make sure it isn't because  Lockheed Martin (or you could name 15 other arms dealers here) can build a bigger and better "slingshot" to be tested.

There, the Quaker in me just can't be quiet all the time.  You Know?

PS to the Sunday Stealers.. I'm sorry to be so tardy in visiting.  I'm on it!

Tell Top Obama Officials to Meet With Tribes Over Grizzly Protection

Native Americans inhabited the North American Eco System for at least  20,000 years, and the environment was kept healthy because these peoples, 500 Nations,  had sustainable habits.

 It's time we started listening to a people who could achieve that sort of success on a huge continent. They deserve to be listened to.  Please add your voices to help them save an animal that is iconic to this land.  The Grizzly Bear's ancestors have been here for 200,000 years.

Tell Top Obama Officials to Meet With Tribes Over Grizzly Protection

Wordless Wednesday...Yosemite Winter Storm-make it big!

Source

Tuesday Tails... Next book...

We have a bumper crop of baby lizards this year.  We get a lot of species around here.

I think that if the cats don't catch them all before they get as big as one of their grandpappy's who used to adorn a social media page, I will be a very happy woman.  I haven't got many pictures of the babies because they are just really FAST!  Sort of like birds.  You get ready to shoot and take the snap, and it's a picture of an empty branch or birdbath.

I'm resting my crinkly old backbone, and e-reading a Donna Leon that was somehow missed in the big run up to becoming a truly bionic woman.  I refer to the knee replacement surgery after getting a metal wrist installed three years before.  Let's see, so far only two but enough to qualify.

Thanks to Goodreads Website

I think this is the best one I've read so far, though they are all spellbindingly beautiful to read.  The family time in these books is a delight, and there's a little teenager now in the Brunetti household.  hehe

That's about all.  Back to sorting, tossing and recycling.....  So far, a brilliant idea flashed through the old noggin when I was snapping off for a nap one day last week.  It involves a lot of heavy lifting so it's going to go very slowly, as we paint the walls an off white.  Goodbye forever to the faded Lavender walls of flown little birds.

Music Monday: Leontyne Price sings "Ritorna Vincor" from Verdi's "Aida"

Incredibly moving and incredibly perfect!  Brava!

Sunday Stealing.... A boat load of true lies... You're It!

You all know about the side bar button but you can teleport using this LINKIE, too.  Sorry I'm a bit late to the party.. but here goes ...

RaNdOm Meme

If there are typos, I'm sort of on a deadline here!  Gah!  I'll correct them later!

Stolen from: Lots of Questions

1. If you were to attend a costume party tonight, what or whom would you go as? 
A gumball machine.  The most clever homemade costume I've ever seen.

2. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? 
If I could still eat them, I'd like everything, please.

3. You are chosen to have lunch with the President. The condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask? 
How can we stop the junk food industry from feeding our kids their lunch junk?

4. It’s your first day of vacation, what are you doing? 
I'm traveling across the desert to see some friends in Texas.

5. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies? 
The only thing I'd want is popcorn.

6. Which do you dislike most: pop-up ads or spam email? 
Dislike?  Can't we just HATE them both?

7. What do you think Captain Hook’s name was before he had a hook for a hand? 
Actually Captain Hook is a pirate BECAUSE he lost that hand.  He used to be a Privateer for Queen Elizabeth, according to the myths.

8. Rock, paper, or scissors? 
Do I like them or covet them or want to be which one?  What happens when you like them all?  Rocks are just the greatest thing in the world of design if you ask me.  They come in such a variety and so many colors!  Paper, is next, especially hand made, and then Scissors, for which I have a fetish.  I own just about every kind of scissor on the market.

9. Let's say a brick fell on your foot, and your kid is standing right next to you, what is your 'cleaned up’ swear word? 
It's still unprintable because it is a German word.  And it has nothing to do with dogpiles or things of that nature.

10. Which is worse, being in a place that is too loud, or too quiet? 
Too Loud.  I HATE Loud!  Pardon me for SHOUTING!

11. What is one quality that you really appreciate in a person? 
Loving Kindness to all creatures great and small.

12. At the good old general store, what particular kind of candy would you expect to be in the big jar at the counter? 
Jaw Breakers

13. What is the most distinguishing landmark in your city? 
Aha!  You want another picture of the big bronze Horse and Rider in Balboa Park, don't you!  Well, I'm not going to do it.  I will give you the Brigantine in the harbor.  The Star of India.

14. Everyone hears discussions that they consider boring. What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other? 
The only thing that puts me to sleep is whatever I'm watching on Netflix around 3pm.

15. How many times did it take you to pass your drivers test? 
Do you mean the first one where you drive?  Once.   I was 15 and SO ready for that freedom card.  I started driving when I was 13, in the riverbed.  Lovely place to learn.

16. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose? 
Plain old vanilla?  I'd pick Caramel..

17. What food item would need to be removed from the market altogether in order for you to live a healthier, longer life? 
High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sugar.  Katie Couric helped to try to do this, and look what "they" did to her.  Those dudes are dangerous I tell you.  Just ask the Senators and the Presidents who tried, too.  I'm  sure they don't care about me, but then, who does?  hahahaha

18. You are offered an envelope that you know contains $50. You are then told that you may either keep it or exchange it for another envelope that may contain $500 or may be empty. Do you keep the first envelope, or do you take your chances with the second? 
I would just take the money and run to Michaels or JoAnn's with it.  Or maybe I'd buy some new sandals at Kole's.. Hmmm?

19. If you had to choose, which would you give up: cable TV, or DSL/cable internet? 
No Contest!  Cable TV!

20. What is your highest level of education? 
3 years of a four year degree.  And look what it got me?  It's 11:25pm  and I'm here, answering some questions I'm sure I've seen before...

Hmmmm...*narrows eyes*

21. How much is a gallon of gas in your city? What was the highest it’s been? 
I really do not know.  Prices must be in the stratosphere by now...

22. What kind of lunch box did you have as a kid? 

I wish!

I had the little brown baggie kind.  My kid sister is the first one to have an actual lunch box, the spoiled brat. Just kidding Sis!

23. What would you rather have, a nanny, a housekeeper, a cook, or a chauffeur? 
Oh, Lord, if only I could have a hand with the housework I would be in seventh heaven.  Does that housekeeper come with a couple of maids attached?  Housekeepers like American ones or like this one?

"I'll serve you Sherry
but I will not clean the commode, Madam!"

24. Would you rather be trapped in an elevator, or stuck in traffic?
Give me traffic any day.  I'm used to it.  Not Elevators as I don't even like them all that much.

Let me outta Here!

No Myth, no Mind, no Way!

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!

Saturday 9: No Myth (1989)

And HERE is the song, and next comes.... The Nine!  Like 12 Strings?  I sure do.  It's the Guitar to die for!

Saturday9

1) The girl in this song is "just looking for someone to dance with." Who was your most recent dance partner?
A. My oh my, that was an age ago.  Back in the age of Disco!  Other than "Sweating with the Oldies", I'd say that's the most recent.

2) Michael Penn wonders if he'd do better with the ladies if he was Romeo or Heathcliff. What fictional character represents your romantic ideal?
A. Heathcliff, too Moody, Romeo, too Teenager.  I'm afraid it's still going to be a Knight in Shining Armor, Like Saint Michael slaying Satan in Guido Reni's painting.  Trés Hunkee!

And He's a redhead

3) The lyrics refer to "knots I have yet to untie." Do the shoes you're wearing have laces?
A. It's summer.  And it's California, so it's always sandal season here.  Even in winter we wear them, with wool socks but we do wear them in the dead of winter.  Or rather, I do.  Laces?

4) Name a character from mythology.
A.  Loki, the God of Mischief and Mayhem.

5) Michael Penn is the brother of Oscar winner Sean Penn. Give us the title of a Sean Penn movie.
A.  "We're No Angels".

6) Their father, Leo Penn, was a busy TV director from the 1960s through the 1990s. He specialized in detective shows (Magnum PI and Cannon) and medical shows (Trapper John and Marcus Welby, MD). Are you more likely to watch a program with lots of car chases, or one that's set in a hospital?  
A. Those being the only two choices, I'd rather read a book about Outer Space.  I loved "L.A. Law" before it went all CSI on me.  But, hey, you can combine both of those choices and watch the early "Midsomer Murders".

7) 1989, the year "No Myth" was popular, is the year of the first HDTV broadcast. Do you watch many shows in "high def?"
A. Probably.  I watch old VHS tapes that can barely be tracked, too.  HiDef TV is Lots better, though!  if only we could cure cancer, solve world hunger, and establish World Peace with it.  Just Sayin'.  Y'know?

8) 1989 was also the year The Simpsons premiered. Who is your all-time favorite animated character?
A. The little, black dragon in "How to Train your Dragon"

Major Cuteness!

9) Random fill-in the blank: If I never had to cry again, it would be too soon.   

Are we up a creek yet? Friday5

Friday5 for May 15th:  Paddles

Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!

What experience have you with canoes, kayaks, and rowboats?
A. Only with rowboats, and only a little.  I sat off point loma in a rowboat, fishing, while others were SCUBA diving for lobster and abalone years ago.  I've also been in a rowboat about twice on Loch Lomond in the Santa Cruz mountains.

What experience have you with ping pong?
A. I used to play it as a kid when we went to the Rec Center programs during the summers.  The little white balls are fun to paint dots on and stick in our scrunched up eye sockets, too.  There are so many things to do with ping pong balls.... Get out the Glitter Glue!

If you were spanked as a kid, which of your parents’ implements did you fear most?
A. The whip end of a cat-o-nine tails.  We were whipped pretty viciously with it on many occasions.  Those were the bad old days!  

What experience have you with live auctions?
A. I've been to them a couple of times.  The first one I went to I won the bid on a sweet little vanity mirror with oak frame and beveled glass which we still have. 

When were you last up a creek without a paddle?
A.  Only once, while hiking in Sequoia with our kids.  Mr.Z and I were backpacking the twins- who were getting Trés Heavy!  Finally, walking along a dirt road, we were chanced upon by a passing vehicle containing some new friends at the camp, and they saw we were exhausted.  They gave us a ride back.  Otherwise, we've always been lucky enough to have a "paddle", or a plan B, since we were counterculture MacGyver types long before there was a MacGyver.  

Thanks for participating, and have a delicious weekend!

Friday storm....

We collected six full water barrels.  Yay!

This PAGE goes to the fun and not so fun things people tried to do with the large amounts of water being dropped on our streets.  We are so happy that the rain dances are working!

The knitting bag made it onto the bed but that's as far as things went.  I'll try again tomorrow.

Rain, rain, rain!

From: Everyday Emily Blog

Friday5:  When it's up, I'll post another entry.  I love the friday5 meme....

Thankful Thursday... Rain tonight and tomorrow.

It's coming our way!

RAIN is coming!  half an inch maybe!

I am extremely grateful for a storm this late in the season.  Thank you, Heavenly Father!  The last time this happened it was years ago, and was called the Miracle May!   We so seldom get any rain, this far south, past April. Drive carefully everyone!

Music Monday: Pepe Romero - Concierto de Aranjuez

This is still my favorite, I think....  I keep hopping back and forth between Pepe and Julian Bream.

Sunday Stealing: Everyone wants to know this?

CAPS LOCK Meme

The rules are over yonder in the sidebar, about how to link up and play.  * Points rudely to the side bar*
It's one of the most fun memes around.  Come on over!

Stolen from: VERY MUCH QUESTIONS

1. YOU HAVE 10 BUCKS AND NEED TO BUY SNACKS AT A GAS STATION. WHAT DO YOU GET? 
A. If you're lucky, you can get four candy bars and a soda for 10 bucks.  Do you know how expensive the stuff in a gas station store is?  I would hot foot it to the Mini Mart across the highway for a little price break.

2. IF YOU WERE REINCARNATED, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE? 
A. I'm probably going to be another human and even less lucky than this one.  Nothing is worse than being human, except maybe being a sad little feed lot animal or a a street dog in China.  Humans have this big brain and Lord do they EVER pay for it in suffering.  Just ask your pet cat about this.

3. WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE REDHEAD? 
A.  I know too many!  This is a loaded question which  I am not going to touch with a twenty foot pole, assuming I could even lift one that long off the ground.  OK   I'll just say Lucy Ricardo, or maybe my wacky, lovable, Guildie friend who likes pink, too. 

4. WHAT DO YOU ORDER WHEN YOU’RE AT AN I.H.O.P. OR BREAKFAST PLACE? 
A.  Ok.  I will never go out to breakfast unless Whole Foods is now serving breakfast.  Then I'd order fruit and Chocolate Gnocchi.  Yes, it exists.  

5. LAST BOOK YOU READ? 
A.It was Amy Tan's newest, in ebook  form.  And it was more like a novelette in length.  What is happening to the world of books?  Trilogies that take all of a week to read all three?!

6. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? 
A. "The Imitation Game" about Alan Turing.  It was fascinating.

7. DESCRIBE YOUR FAVORITE PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. 
A. You Jest!  My 1890 Bloomers, secretly stashed under the socks.  What kind of question is this?  I tell and then 2 million total strangers  have this sensitive information?  And to what purpose?  I know, you want to know if little old ladies wear those forties things or maybe even their DH's skivvies, right?  

8. DESCRIBE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE INJURED. 
A. Mentally?  See question 7.  My credulity took a swan dive into a black hole.  
Physically?  Two days ago.  I re-injured a wing.  
Emotionally?  That will be during today's interminable smile fest with people whom I love and others that I love best from a distance, and whom I just try to get on with, who are in attendance.

9. IF YOU COULD INVENT ONE THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 
A.  A super secret Drone to watch the Senate's revolving door.  It would be able to multi-colorize, permanently, anyone using that door to steal from, or lie to, the American people.  And it would be able to turn colors when it was warning them of their impending fate.  I prefer pink and purple myself but I'm open to suggestions.

10. ROCK CONCERT OR SYMPHONY? 
A.  Both, but the rock concert would have to be short, and I'd have to wear a noise reduction headset.

11. WHAT IS THE WALLPAPER ON YOUR CELLPHONE? 
A.  Flowers, of course.  Sometimes it's the darling doggie but he's just a blizzard of dark hair so it's usually flowers.

12. FAVORITE SODA? 
Tonic water, and I'm not kidding.  I like the taste.

13. FLAVOR OF PUDDING? 
A.  Homemade chocolate tapioca pudding.  That stuff that comes out of a box, I'm so DONE with it!

14. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A PEDICURE OR A MANICURE? 
A. I can still do manicures.  And, sorry, I couldn't sit still for a pedicure.  I'd rather go to the thing they have in Korea where the little fish in a pond clean your feet.  that sounds a lot better.

15. ANY BUTTONS OR BLINKIES IN YOUR SIDEBAR? 
A. Buttons that just sit there, Quietly? Yes, I have them.  Blinkies, well, I just can't stand those little demonic creations.

16. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON YOUR BLOGROLL? 
A. I moved all my older blogging buddy buttons to another site, and have that pink  flower linking button in the side bar.  I must read at least 200 blogs.  I love blogs.

17. WHAT’S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BOUGHT?
A.  How odd that so many questions about clothing come up in blogs in the Spring.  I'd say it was at least two years ago I bought sun dresses in a Ross close out.  I caught up with sandals last year and purses this winter.  I hate to go shopping unless it's beads, crafting tools, shoes or purses.  

Just a Sunday like any other.....

This Sunday is Mother's Day, but it's a day that is so bittersweet that I never want to celebrate it anymore.

And then there is this:

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,  whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by
irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking
with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be
taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach
them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice."

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons
of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a
great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each
bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a
general congress of women without limit of nationality may be
appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at
the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the
alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of
peace.

Julia Ward Howe
Boston 
1870


So I'll just say, to all the Mothering and Sweet People out there, no matter how you perform this loving kind service to other Earthlings, I send my heart out to you, and wish you well.

Hugs and Kisses