Thankful Thursday: Musings about the beauty of friendship

This morning, while musing, I'm drinking some delicious Yogi chai Rooibos tea, a gift from a lovely friend who visited yesterday with her sweet and gorgeous daughter who happens to love books and cacti!  Yay!
~*~(((((((New Friend hugzzzzz)))))))~*~

 I thought of how friendship, and this particular one, has shaped my response to life, as well as making more bearable the inevitable downturns in my time on Mother Earth.  And I'm so thankful for having these friends!

 Friendship is the the pathway to extending families; as our children grow up and marry, this links other families to ours.  We build a network through friendship that expands in ways, both good, and possibly not so good.  But the beauty of the latter is that goodness and fellow feeling has a chance to work some magic on more people and might actually help them.

People live in an ever expanding network of fellowship, and it starts when kindred spirits meet, and say hello for the very first time.  What a beautiful cycle it is!

May you meet up with old friends this evening, and meet new kindred spirits in this new year!  Happy New Year!

Wordless Wednesday:

Sunday Stealing: The Year End, 2015 Meme!

December 26, 2015
The 2015 Year End Meme

I like the Thieves Credo so here it is in full...  Cheers to the Thieves!  On to 2016!

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 of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme.

Let's go!!!

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before? 
Said goodbye to an organ.  Lolz!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Absolutely.  I learned to Breathe properly.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, but a sweet friend's daughter is going to have a little baby soon!

4. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned in 2015?
I learned that there is a connection, through an Eastern Orthodox mystic, to the sayings of Christ regarding many, many things.

5. What was your favorite new TV program?
Sorry, TV is not in my lifestyle.  But I do like the things I see from PBS and Discovery channel and National Geo that are on streaming.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015? 
I'd like my organ back.  It wasn't it's fault.  A medicine chased it all the way into oblivion.  Some of these new medicines can't be trusted with the human body.  Sorry if this is gross but you did ask.

7. What dates from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
 The dates for the creation of the three new National Monuments created the President.  Why?  Because it was the right thing to do.  Like presidents before him, he has set these lands aside for all Americans to enjoy and take pride in.  These monuments, 13 of which President Obama created in his tenure, are safe forever.  

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I've gotten braver.  The American kids are, too.  I'm so proud of them!

9. What was your biggest failure?
I failed to recognize the signs of something that is going to be trouble for my dominant hand.  

10. What was the best thing you bought?
The iPadAir.  But I didn't buy it, it was sort of a gift from my sister in law and Mr. Z.

11. Whose behavior merited celebration? 
The Hilliker Family!  Hilliker's Egg farm is going cage free!

Whole Story is Here

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted? 
There are so many, all are politicians.  Some of the merited people were politicians, too, but because of the way we get our news, the bad got a lot more press than the good.  

13. What song will always remind you of 2015? 
I'll have to pass on this.  There isn't a song I know that was produced in 2015, not a single one.  

14. What do you wish you’d done more of?
 In life of just in this year?  I've done just about everything I could humanly do in this year.

15. What do you wish you’d done less of? 
I've gained 10 pounds which is not going to help in the near future.  I've got to get it off!

16. What was the best book you read?   

 The one I just finished about Ebola.  It was non-fiction.  It was so close to us and sooner than last year, and most of us did not know.

17. What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?
 Getting a wing fixed when it got broken over 18 months ago.

18.  Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.




"I don't really care if no one else believes, I've still got a lot of fight left in me."

Saturday9:

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: Happy Holidays! (from the archives)

1. As you can see, Sam loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. Yet some children are reluctant to climb into Jolly Old St. Nick's lap. Did you enjoy the tradition or were you shy? Or did you by pass it altogether -- either because you wrote him a letter or because your family didn't celebrate Christmas?
As a child, Christmas was celebrated as just Christmas.  Mother liked to put out a manger, and sometimes did.  I don't think I ever went to "see" Santa but I remember taking my little sister to do so.  We wrote him letters.    

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there?
OK, I'll be honest about this.  It will all come out in my memoirs. Just kidding!  However, I'm struggling to stay on the nice list because I'm just so fragmented over this holiday.  I'm sure Santa understands.  I'm a kind person most of the time.  Still and calm, but I have some deep seated resentments I have to learn to lay aside,  which have to do with the way my little family was treated, growing up here.  I have to learn to let go of a lot of hurt which always arises again at this time of the year. There were several carnivorous moments to live through.  Most parents probably have these sort of things to deal with, especially mothers who have a sort of radar for it.

3. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If so, which one traveled the farthest?
We never ship presents.  It's way too expensive and once when a package to one of the kids was swiped off of a mailbox that put the Kibosh to that!
Here is something very sweet, and I want to shout out to the Tampa Police for being so kind:

HERE is the Story

4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year? 
I sort of did.  I bought a bunch of jigsaw puzzles from two apps.

5. What's your favorite holiday-themed movie?
I like "One Magic Christmas" at the moment, as well as about a dozen others that we didn't bother to watch this year.  

6. Thinking of movies, Christmas is lucrative for Hollywood. Have you ever gone to a movie theater on Christmas Day?
No, that's one thing we never, ever did.

7. Have you ever suffered an embarrassing moment at the company Christmas party? 
Sorry, we never went to any of those things.  That's for the marketing people anyway, yes?  Aren't they the ones who have all the parties?

8. What's your favorite beverage in cold weather?
I like Lemon Ginger tea sweetened with honey.

9. Share a memory from last Christmas.
Since Christmas is yesterday, I'll share one from that.  We stayed home and texted the kids.  

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 next week for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!  

Friday5: Todayish

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!

1. When were you last up on the house top?
Probably 5 years ago.  

2. What’s a cookie you dislike?
I don't like licorice flavored ones.

3. How many people named Carol (or Carole) do you know?
I've only had one friend named Carol, and to tell the truth, I wish I'd never met her.  It would have saved me a LOT of physical pain.  Carol's the one who totally badgered me into riding her horse, a notorious BEAST if there ever was one.  That horse should have been in a rodeo in the bronco division.  

4. How much snow have you got on the roof?
There is Zero snow on this SoCal roof.

5. Whose lap did you last sit on, and who last sat on yours?
I haven't sat in anyone's lap since I was a small child, so the answer to the second part of the question is "my dog."  
Thanks for participating, and Merry Christmas!

I am so Thankful every once in awhile...

... For the BLM.

http://theguzzler.blogspot.com/2015/10/cadiz-chief-to-tackle-desert-water.html

Sometimes, they just get it right.  So right you want to kiss one of them.
Merry Christmas to the Mojave Desert!

Thank you, also, to Senator Feinstein.  Kisses!!

Wordless Wednesday: Park in stormy Fall.

Women of the World, Unite!

What do we want?

When do I want it?

For Heaven's Sake, let's at least do this for the sake of the children!

Christmas Questions.. whooohooo!

December 19, 2015

Christmas questions

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 of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim's post. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme's best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme.  


Let's go!!!

Christmas Questions Meme

From the archives!

1. Have you been naughty or nice this year? 
Yes, and on a regular basis, too.  It's good to be naughty and nice, right?  Or is that bad? Oh!  you said "or". Hmmmm?

2. What do you want most for Christmas? 
I want the house painted, and new baseboards.  Every time we decide to do them, I get sick!  Now it's like a "boogie man in the closet" sort of thing.  I think it's time to nail that sucker shut, so we can get on with our lives, don't you?

3. What is your favorite Christmas movie? 
I don't remember what I said last time, so I'll pick a random favorite out of several.  How about '"The Twelve Dogs of Christmas".  It's fun.  There are TONS of great and inspiring and great and funny Christmas movies out there.  I also love, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

A neighbor's display

4. How many Christmas cards do you normally send out? 
I send around ten or twelve.  I used to send out 30 or so.  Times change!

5. Do you still get a stocking? 
Nope.  But I can eat all the fudge I want, yes?  

CBS stock photo

6. What is your favorite Christmas song? 
Oh Holy Night

7. What is your favorite Christmas tv special? 
I don't know of any besides Hallmark.  They've done some nice ones.  The Christmas Miracle of Johnathan Toomey is probably my favorite one of those:



8. What is your favorite way to wrap gifts? 
Shiny paper and bows.  Sometimes I make little boxes out of old Christmas Cards to put small things in.

9. What do you look forward to most at Christmas? 
Seeing the DDs if they are coming.  And then there is the decorating of the whole house.  I have a lot of garlands, and swags, little trees, and two tall trees, and just a ton of stuff.  I really love decorating for Christmas.  I also like to go see the lights around town.  Very lovely.

10. What did you do for Christmas this year? 
Mr. Z finally had the time to put all the outside lights up.  Yay!

11. Who do you want to kiss under the mistletoe? 
Mr. Z of course.  We don't do the mistletoe thing anymore.  We used to go gather it in the mountains with the whole family.  Then we started buying it from enterprising teens who gathered it and sold it door to door.  That was a fun neighborhood thing back in the day.

12. What kind of Christmas tree do you have? 
This year we have the artificial green tree up.  And a few little trees here and there.  The white tree will go up later, after Christmas.  I've had some down time and of course it couldn't be in hot days of summer when there is absolutely nothing to do but sit in the cool air and read.  Dang!  

Bah!  Humbug!

Anyway,  Ahem.....I like our decorated 18" trees and the ones made from wire coat hangers and garland. and the sock monkey tree from last year...

And the white tree

From a few years ago

One of many, I'm a total Nut about Christmas

13. Did you take part in a Secret Santa? 
No, not this year but we usually do.  We share the joy of the season in other ways.  Also, we help out all year by helping to feed and shelter people throughout the year.  It makes me feel joy all year that way.

14. Did you go to any Christmas parties? 
Not so far.  There's one coming up though.  Yay!  We did miss the Rockhound Christmas Luncheon which was something we look forward to all year.  Bah! Humbug!

From the Olden Days, A camp out in the 60's at Quartszite.

15. How early do you wake up on Christmas morning?
Around the usual time.  If the kids were here this awakening would be about 7:00.  Then I want to be up and into the "action".  :o)  Bustle Bustle!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Saturday nine..where's Grandma?

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: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (1979)

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

1) According to a marketing research firm, this song is both one of the most played and most hated songs of the season. Do you like it?
I think it's a horrible song.

2) In this song, Grandma's troubles start when she drinks too much eggnog. Do you like eggnog?
I do.

3)  In the song, Grandpa recovers from losing Grandma by drinking beer and playing cards with Cousin Mel. Will you be celebrating the holidays with cousins?
No, because almost all my cousins are very scattered and some I haven't seen for years.  I only have a few left.  I will be celebrating with our nieces and their children who are all second cousins, and their parents.  We dress up:

An unreasonable facsimile of our holiday attire. lol

We feast a lot, laugh a lot, and play a game called LRC with quarters before exchanging small baskets of goodies.  It's really fun.

4) When did you most recently drink a beer? Was it in a bottle, a can or a glass?
I drink NAB, from a glass or the bottle. 

5) The lyrics refer to "pudding of fig." In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," the carolers demand figgy pudding. Yet despite its popularity in holiday songs, Sam has never tasted fig pudding. Have you?  I've tasted it once, and despite the excitement of  getting to have some, I didn't like it much at all.

6) Thinking of holiday sweets, would you prefer a gingerbread cookie or slice of pumpkin pie? 
A Pie always is always going to win with me contest!  

SOURCE Betty Crocker

7) This song was recorded by a duo named Elmo & Patsy. It occurs to Sam that she has never met anyone named Elmo. How about you? Any Elmos in your life?
There were never and Elmos, though I did know an Eloy, and old neighbor's brother.  Cool name.

8) Do you need snow to get "into the spirit?"
My Christmas spirit depends on family, and it's been slowly declining through the years.  Next year I'm celebrating Yule instead.  Seems more appropriate, given what I know now.



9) Random question: Are you going to get/have you gotten a flu shot this year?

We both got a flu shot in October.  We get one every year.  Having flu isn't a good thing for anyone.  Hope you all got yours.

Friday5! Know how?!

This is friday5. Sorry that the numbers don't make any sense but this is the ancient iPad, and all iPads have minds of their own!  I cannot make it behave!!! #%¥?!**!

If  you would like to join in, the button is in the side bar, and it s fun for a Friday.  Simply leave your link in a message at the friday5 blog site.  It's a nearly 10 year old meme!  Yay!

1. What’s something you know how to do beneath the hood of a car?
2. I can check the oil and transmission fluid levels, antifreeze,  and more put more fluids in if needed.  I can check the fan belt, the water pump belt, check the battery cables and look inside the cells for trouble; with older cars that have more to do and I can do those things too.  Newer cars, that's about it.
3. What’s something you know how to fold a piece of paper into?
4. I can make cranes and owls and paper planes, and cootie catchers.  I will be learning more asap because it's too much fun to quit when knowing so few things!
5. What’s something you know how to do in the outdoors?
6. If you mean gardening, I know how to make raised beds and have done it,  do French double dug beds, grow just about everything, make starts off of woody plants and anything that pups.   
7. What’s something you know how to do with a length of rope?
8. I know how to tie  slip knots, maybe called lariat knots, and square knots.  I have done macrame for years so most of the other knots I know come from that, not ropes.  Mr. Z, the son of a fisherman, knows MANY more useful knots.  
9. What’s something you know how to do with a deck of cards?
10. I wish I could tell fortunes, but alas.  I like card games like gin rummy, war, and other kid's games like war.  I can play three types of solitaire, and free cell, if it isn't a form of solitaire.

Thanks for participating! And have a terrific weekend!

Thankful Thursday: Music is bliss!

Yesterday was Beethoven's birthday,

He, Beethoven, has given me the idea for grateful blessings - Such as being able to hear.   Now, the poor man's hearing could be restored with a simple operation.  

Moving on with blessings, it's plain that as long as we can hear, We are all blessed with music, either the performance of it or the enjoyment.  And to think it probably all started with bird song, so let's add the birds into this blessing.

http://youtu.be/s9dbAfjlrks
You can watch some cute little English Robins for, I think, a little more than an hour.

It is forever a wonder to me that the songs of a Humpback whale, when sped up, sound like birdsong. Isn't life a constantly amazing journey that is IF the "Alpha Dogs" let a person alone long enough to find some peace and contentment in music and learning about the the rest of our world?

We need some down time, and we need it now!  It's time to live in the moment, play with the mutts, and eat, maybe, chocolate strawberries!  Or perhaps take time to enjoy the sunsets...

 I'm very grateful for beauty in nature, since it's available all the time, the sky shows, the freeway daisies, the tiny guerrilla gardens in public blight.
Have a great weekend coming up.  Don't get too harried.  I'm going to celebrate more Yule this year than think about the rat race  that Christmas has become.  

Something interesting for M.

http://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2015-12-cultural-revolution-gut-microbiome.html

For Smellyann.  My daughter found this, and I'm no where near a computer, so am sharing it in hopes you, a very brilliant lady, will see it soon!  We share an interest in such things, the three of us.

This is from my kindle.  I hope it is helpful, exciting even.
Ps,  a kindle is a bit of a pain to blog from!  Lol!

Tuesday tails: Reasons.... Wolfie at sister's and the CK9 Dogs of Science!

Two really good reasons to live.  

Though I'm not trying to wish his life away, and I want him for just as long as God leaves him in our care, we talked about this to a group of women one night at the fish market we love to go to.

We can become foster parents after this little fellow.....  I can't do that heart breaking parting forever thing again after Wolfie is gathered into his ancestors.  But, I can be a foster parent to some more fuzzballs, to give them a chance to have a Good Life after their own heartbreaking experiences of being unwanted, abandoned pets.

I'm absolutely willing.

Mr. T, the little white dog up in the side bar with Wolfie, found his forever home by the simple kindness that is in the heart of my sister in law.  Mr. T, a wonderful little fellow, was left homeless by the death of his master.

We have a few more in us, I hope.  And, it's a reason to live, to be able to rescue, and help in this great need.

Check out what pound dogs are doing for Science that doesn't entail either betrayal and hurt.

 Read about Conservation, the CK9s right HERE, at the Sierra Club website.

  

Why do you want to know that? Why Why??: Sunday Stealing

December 12, 2015

Why Do You Want To Know That Meme, part two

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!!!  

Why Do You Want To Know That Meme, part two

Stolen from: Love me some surveys

25. List 3 activities that you can only enjoy by yourself. 
Is that you you, or is that you,people all over the world?  I'm going for meme.  Meme enjoys thinking, drawing, and reading, all by memeself.

26. If you could live in any biome* (and survive) which biome would you live in? (*a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.)
Wild parts of Big Sur.  There is nothing like it anywhere else on the planet.  

27. How do you like being roused in the morning? 

his is one of the first
pictures of the newly discovered Tibetan Wild Cat.
LOLhome.com snagged it from a newsreel somewhere.

With a cup of tea,, and after I've mumbled ,"Good Morning" to Mr.Z. in the other room, he who gets up at the crack of dawn. 

28. How was your day? What did you do? 
Theoretically my Sunday just started, so I have no idea where it's going from here.

29. What did your last text message say? 
It was to a friend who is struggling with an ISP from Hell. 

30. Do you respond to texts quickly? 
Only if I hear them come in.  My phone isn't surgically connected to my body yet, though I realize that that's becoming the norm for the pesky things.

This doesn't seem like a terribly good idea either.

31. Who was the last person you called? 
My doctor's office.  I know, I'm just SOOO much fun today!

32. List 5 things that are on your wish list. 
1.Complete and utter World Peace, in a "And the Lion shall lie down with the Lamb", sort of vegetarian Heavenly Peace!  

Source is Alisina.org

2.A new iPod
3.A house like this:

In Scott's Valley for the kids,
(and for us to stay at when we visit them.)

4.Another little Fuzzball
5.For my hip to heal miraculously

33. If you were famous, what do you think you would be famous for? 
Keeping Secrets

34. Winter or summer? 
If we didn't have those two "seasons" here, we'd have no seasons at all.  In fact, my Turkish friend laughingly told me that I was spoiled because I lived in a winterless climate.  The thing is, when it's 39 degrees overnight, we think it's horrid!  Heaven forbid that the day temps stick right at around 50 for a few days.  Southern Californians can come down with chilblains at those temps.  I can see you laughing but truly it's a pathetic experience.  heehee  Really, it's too cold for the lizards,too. It's truly sad.

Huffington post

35. What is a quality that all people should have? 
All people need a well developed sense of humor.  It's an absolute requirement for sanity.

36. If you could have a large collection of one item, what would that item be? 
I love small rusty things, in fact I love LARGE rusty things, but small is best for Mr.Z. sanity.  This photo from the web gives me rust lust.

37. What have you been thinking about lately? 
How to make all the hateful ones feel the pain they dole out to others.  Mostly so they will stop it.

38. What is the secret to a happy life? 
Take whatever Life hands you and run to the edge of the nearest cliff and chuck that rascal over it.  But not if it's alive.  Those you keep and love the dickens out of.  Really, take Life the way it comes to you and make it better.

39. What are some phrases you say often? 
"The first hundred years are the hardest."  My best buddy and unofficially adopted big brother Jay used to say that all the time.  I like it, too.

40. Favorite food? 
Oranges.  I try to eat one every day.

41. What is your wish for the world?
That there will be peace in the Human Family, so that the children and other earthling can catch a break!

42. What are some of your greatest fears? 
Loss, but who doesn't?  I'm a little afraid of earthquakes, too. Not a lot, just a little.

43. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? 
That picture up there of a bunch of rust.

44. Most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen (in real life)? 
Yosemite Valley.

45. Spicy food: Like or dislike? 
Love it but it doesn't like me anymore.

46. Scary movies: Like or dislike? 
I like some of them.  Hate thinking about the kinds I don't like. 

47. Do you like to travel? 
I'm basically equipped to be a nomad.  Just didn't get to do it.

48. Any regrets? 
Wish I'd done more with the old paintbrush.  I could kick myself about this one.  

49. Do you like rain?
Oh yes.  And now ensues a water rant!
Rain is such a rare thing for this desert in the South since we live on (but don't like to admit it) stolen water.  
Shame on Mulholland, and the Cato Institute should just stfu!  
In 1986, Owens valley supplied 75% of the water for  the city of Los Angeles.  
Son of a Gun, do I like rain.  San Diego may have reservoirs but most of the water is stolen from Mexico, because we have had a river that doesn't reach, and hasn't for decades, it's estuary.  Would the US put up with that?  No, they wouldn't.
HERE'S a lovely story from National Geography about the Mighty Colorado finally getting to it's estuary in Baja.

Saturday9: "Chuck E.'s in Love". Are you?

Friday, December 11, 2015

Chuck E.'s in Love

Saturday 9: Chuck E.'s in Love (1979)

Want to join in this great meme?  There's a button in the side bar, so come on over!

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

1) In this song, Chuck E.'s friends look for him at the pool hall and the drugstore. If we want to find you on a Saturday afternoon, where should we look?
I'm usually doing this meme.  But this week it's early to bed so it's really Friday night.

2) The lyrics tell us his friends know something up with Chuck E because he's even combed his hair. So here's a question about your hair: do you usually use a blow dryer or let it air dry? 

I Air dry it.  That's less electricity and it stays curly that way, too.

3) In this song, Ricki Lee sings that she spotted Chuck E. at the Pantages, a grand old Los Angeles theater. Nearly 100 years old, the Pantages was originally a movie palace and was renovated in the 1980s for concerts and theatrical productions. Tell us about a cool landmark in your town.

Back in the day, we had a beautiful concert theater right downtown, with wonderful acoustic properties.  Spreckles Theater.  We saw Jean-Pierre Rampal there one year.  Alas, the city  "fathers" let the building be torn down to make way for the ultimate eyesore. 

4) "Chuck E." is a real person. Chuck E. Weiss is a blues musician and DJ who hung around with Ricki Lee and her boyfriend ... until he fell in love. Have you ever had a friendship fall by the wayside when one of you entered a romantic relationship? 

No.  Happily, it was not my fate to have this happen.

5) Rickie Lee was once married to a French musician named Pascal Nabet-Meyer. Say something to us in French.

Je ne parle pas bien l'francaise.  

6) When her popularity was at its height, Rickie Lee appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone twice. Who have you seen on a recent magazine cover?

The last thing I saw was a rather pretty Christmas tree.  Or, perhaps I saw a gorgeous pink chandelier.  Can't recall which was last.  My sister gets some very tony Mags.

7) Rolling Stone called Rickie Lee "the duchess of cool." Who is the coolest person you know?

It will have to be someone I know OF.   That person would be Pope Francis.  If he lives long enough, expect phenomenal change.
  

8)  1979 was a good year for Rickie Lee, what with her big hit record and the Rolling Stone covers. But it was a terrible year for The Who, because eleven of their fans died during an Ohio concert. What's your favorite Who song? 

My absolute favorite is, " Baba O'riley"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gY5rztWa1TM

9) Rickie Lee moved to New Orleans, a city she fell in love with after a visit. Have you ever gone to a vacation spot and wished you could just stay there forever?
 I've wanted to live in Central Coast my entire free ranging life.  This was WAY back when the average person could afford to own land there.  I could happily live there forever.  It's beautiful there!  

friday5: Friday 5 for December 11: Alignment

You can play along by following the linkie in the side bar.  This makes you think a lot, and is fun.  I'm just a bit too old to know much about this though. Lol


 1. In Dungeons and Dragons, you are asked to select an alignment: Do you favor lawfulness or chaos? Are you on the side of good or evil? Your answers define your alignment: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Good, (true) Neutral, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, and Chaotic Evil. Which are you?

There's a problem with blind obedience to "law" because sometimes laws are made by bad people, so I would choose neutral Good.  It's a good striking position, you know? :~]


  2. In Veronica Roth’s Divergent, set in a post-apocalyptic utopian society, citizens choose factions based on competence and values. The Dauntless are the brave, the Amity are the peaceful, the Erudite are the intelligent, the Abnegation are the selfless, and the Candor are the honest. Which faction would you test most competent for, and which would you choose strictly on your values?

Frankly, I would move as far away from that Utopia as I could.  I do not like factions,  Soooo do not like them.

 3. You’ve probably answered this before, but answer it again. In J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, students are sorted into houses based (primarily) on character. Gryffindor values courage, Hufflepuff values loyalty, Ravenclaw values cleverness, and Slytherin values ambition. Which are you, and which is the most recent love of your life?
Gryffindor.  Definitely.




 4. In the late 1970s, a Saturday morning cartoon called Laff-A-Lympics pitted characters from different Hanna-Barbera programs in a Battle of the Network Stars kind of weekly competition. The Scoobie Doobies were captained by Scooby-Doo and made up of then-current Hanna-Barbera characters, including the entire Scooby-Doo gang, Dynomutt, Captain Caveman, Speedy Buggy, and Hong Kong Phooey. The Yogi Yahooeys were captained by Yogi Bear and made up of characters from the 50s and 60s Hanna-Barbera programs, including Huckleberry Hound, Augie Doggy (and Doggie Daddy), Quickdraw McGraw, and Grape Ape. The Really Rottens were the villains, captained by an original character named Mumbly and made up of original bad-guy characters who cheated at every opportunity. Which team do you belong to? And if you remember the program, which team did you cheer for?
I never watched Saturday comics past the time I was 9, and so, I have no idea what this show is.  As to teams, I once played a witch in a play, but that was all about MAGIC, not blaggards, so I can't play a villain, ever.  No fun...


5. In the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, players draw mana (energy) from any of five different lands, resulting in different magical abilities. The Plains generate white magic (healing, order, protection, light), the Forests generate green magic (growth, strength, life, ferocity), the Islands generate blue magic (deceit, logic, illusion, knowledge, manipulation), the Mountains generate red magic (fury, passion, freedom, impulse, fire), and the Swamps generate black magic (death, ambition, darkness). From which lands do you generate your power, and which tend to rub you the wrong way?Having to choose sides, it would be the Magic of the plains and the forests - of course, and I don't have any idea what this game is never having seen it, heard of it, or played it.  Sorry!

Thanks for participating, and have a terrific weekend!
Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Wordless Wednesday:

Tuesday Tails...

I am so tempted to get a cat.

We've had a lot of little adorable cats in the past.  Maybe when we are done traveling.....

Music Monday: "Strange Magic" ELO and a film from Industrial Light and Magic, and George Lucas.

This is in a feature length cartoon fairy-tale film that is so beautiful visually it will cast a spell on you. "I Garrantee!" (As the Cajon Chef on PBS used to say....)

The film is called "Strange Magic".  Amazing film!  It got a pan from Variety but Pffft!  Don't pay any attention to them...  meh...



Be sure to watch the extra bits afterward.  They are worth it.  This is a family movie for kids probably 7 or older.   The adults will love it, too.

Have a happy week everyone!  See you soon!

Sunday stealing... Squee!

Come join the thieves!  Button in the side bar!

Stolen from I love me some surveys

1. List 5 things you want to do before the year ends. 

The time is too short!  And I am too slow, so I'll name one.  I want to Breathe in and out!  Why do you want to know that?

2. What color are your pants? 

What pants? I'm still snugged up in bed drinking tea..and eating breakfast.  Edit, well now I'm up.  I have on Ash brown pants.

3. Favorite motivational quote. 

Move Your DNA!  It reminds me to walk around every half hour at least.  Your calf muscle acts like a little pump.  You have to activate it well, by walking around for a several minutes of every half hour at least.  

4. When was the last time you drank coffee? 

Last year sometime.  I like it but even Decaf is too strong for me.  But, now I want some.  See what you did?

5. What was the last thing you ate? 

last night, a snack of some tiny organic bites. But then by now I've eaten breakfast, oatmeal and orange, and some chocolate.  I eat chocolate on weekends. 

6. Favorite animal. 

I like them all.  They are having a hell of a time just making it to the middle of the century, God Bless 'em.

Domestic?  I love dogs,horses, as well as house cats who are inside the house.   

7. Favorite song. 

I used to say Evergreen, but in reality, I like anything,practically, except for rap, and progressive jazz.

8. Last movie you watched? 

We just watched the most beautiful full length cartoon called, " Strange Magic".  It's the best looking cartoon feature I've ever seen!  What a gorgeous thing it is!!  The music is amazing,too.  Lord, it's just given me an ear worm from ELO.  A lovely one....

9. Any turn ons? 

To what?  Breathing?  Mountains and Oceans where the air is freshest.  Music floats my boat, and accidental art, when it rolls in...

10. Any turn offs? 

Driving through Los Angeles.

11. List 4 big words off of the top of your head. 

Maleficence,prerogative, benignant, conjecture

12. What are some meaningful movies? 

Movies are entertainment  Documentaries are meaningful.  They can afford to be.  Movies absolutely have to  make money.

13. 2 most important people in your life right now? 

No way do I answer this because two is not anywhere nearly enough people.  There is only one truly important little furball though I want another one.  I can't have another one what with Vet bills and grooming, and teeth.....Should I ask Santa fro a white furball?

14. What are 3 things you want for Christmas? 

Let's start with world peace, go to having every child getting educated and fed, and the animals getting their forests back in Tasmania before a heartless multi-national wipes them out.  Yes, that's what I want for Christmas, Santa baby.  And a white furball from the Pound.

15. When was the last time you read a good book? 

Yesterday- I read a couple of books at a time.  One heavy hitting Non fiction, and something else to keep me saner.  Everyone does that, right?  

16. What was the last thing you studied? 

Tasmanian Rain Forests.  It will make you sick but if you're game, go for it.

17. Do you have any nicknames? 

Yes

18. Favorite kind of perfume? (fruity, alluring, etc.) 

Can't wear it. I love Rose and also lavender scented things though.  Are you sending me some?

19. Do you have any international friends / friends who live out of state? 

Many! without friends, a person could just not live.

20. What is something unique that you do every single day? 

Thinking.......Nothing I do is unique.  Anything I do is done by at least 20 million other people on the planet.

21. If there was a movie based on your life, what would it be called? 

"Doña Quixote"

22. When was the last time you bought a gift for someone? 

In May, for my sister.

23. Are you a shopaholic? 

I HATE shopping.

24. What are some songs that always make you feel better?

Handel's Messiah.  Not songs especially, but Rock bands, Bird song, and Classical music all make me feel better.  There are at least a half million songs I love to listen to, also.  They stop me dead in my tracks and I really listen to them.  Music is one of the biggies in life.

Saturday9! Come join this happy meme...

Button's in the Side bar.....

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Welcome to Saturday: 9. 

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

1) The "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" video begins with the gentlemen of Green Day dealing with car trouble. If your car overheated, what's the first thing you would do to remedy the situation?
Pull off the road, shut it off, look to see if the water pump had dumped it's guts on the road, and if it had, I'd call Triple A.  So many years have passed since I've had a car with a carburetor.  There's no thwakking on the side of anything or re-seating plugs that will cure a dead car nowadays.

Source with some advice

2) Thinking of cars, lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong has had his share of trouble behind the wheel and was busted for driving well beyond the speed limit. Was your last ticket for parking, or was it a moving violation?
I haven't had a ticket in so long that I honestly can't remember what it was all about.  I've had a warning in the last 20 years.  A very nice policeman gave me a warning.  And I've never done it again, "Honest Injun"!  

3) Billie Joe says "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" was inspired by the Edward Hopper painting, "Nighthawks." Tell us about a piece of artwork that you enjoy. (Yes, the macaroni picture frame created for you by your nephew counts.)
My teenage Bee did an absolutely beautiful pencil drawing of Freddie Mercury in leathers at a microphone.  I'd guess that's my most treasured piece of art, and it is Art.




4) Let's go back to childhood. Was the home where you grew up located on a boulevard, an avenue, a street, a lane or a road? 
No, it really didn't exist on the grid.  We moved in right after the war, and the paternal unit sold the house to someone else, but kept the land. Houses, at that time, without the GI bill, were not available for any price.  He was pretty much an idiot.  His whole family ended up on the "wrong side of the tracks" because of his ways....

The "house" we then spent the most years in was behind the top house, and in the valley by the river. It was a converted chicken coop, made livable and passably nice by Psycho Dad, who was not totally devoid of talent.  Now the whole thing is mostly gone, having been stripped of everything of value by all and sundry when we were forced to leave it because paying bills wasn't one of PD's talents.  I could write a novel.......

5) This song won Green Day a Grammy for Record of the Year. What positive feedback have you received recently? 
Hmmm, none I can remember.  

6) Green Day uses their Facebook page to let more than 32 millions know what the group is doing. What's the last thing you posted to social media?
Friday5?  I don't do more social media than that.  Is Google+ social?

7) In 2004, when this song was popular, Ken Jennings had a still unbeaten string of 74 wins on Jeopardy! What game show do you think you'd do well on?
I don't even know what's out there.  Sorry!  It's not a game show but I'd probably do well on "This Old House". *wink* *wink*

8) Also in 2004, Lance Armstrong was in the midst of his own Tour de France winning streak. Now we know he cheated. Tell us about a time you broke the rules.
I"m pretty much not a rule breaker.  I'm a "What you see is what you got" sort of person, like my mother.  Oh, one rule we broke, my brother and I, was that we would sneak snacks into a Saturday matinee when we actually got to go.  The snacks and the movie were not something we could easily afford.  Sometimes, Mother would give us another quarter to buy a candy bar, sometimes......  

9) 2004 is when Morgan Spurlock released Super Size Me, his documentary about eating nothing but McDonald's for a month. What's the last fast food restaurant you visited?
The only place, and the last place we bought anything sort of like fast food, is at Chipotlé, and that is because they so carefully source everything they sell in their food and it's prep.  
If I ever were to find out differently, I will be picketing them in my wheel chair!  

I SO do not like Corporate Lies and Malfeasance!

Gonna Getcha!