Saying tata for a bit....with this post...Also...does your Water taste funny?

 It could be the salt in it.....or the Esters..

We drink this compound every day, bathe in it and wash food and our clothing in it.  It's one of the most abundant compounds on earth.  Yet it is getting ruined and unfit, even when it comes out of the faucet you or your child gets drinks from.  LINK  goes to the article from The Revelator.org

and there's This bit...Fourth National Global Climate Assessment

I will be AWOL...It could be a few months here....
Sorry to my meme friends and other readers, but I'm trying to retrain my hands to use the good thumb, and I find typing on a computer excruciating- mentally and physically.

One hand just doesn't cut it.  Tenor.com

So, meanwhile, entertain yourself with the circuses and maybe even some bread (hopefully it's good bread) coming out of Washington. and.....stay sane!  Despite the Gong Show in the Capital, I hope you can be cheerful and I wish you every happiness.

But I'm really missing the memes and my knitting.

See what he's doing wrong?  Tenor.com

It just started raining cats and dogs.  And it's sleeting!  That's incredible....I have to go see if I can get more doggies out of this....Yippie!  I want some small dogs especially poodles, for a traveling show!  Lots of fun...Life has to be fun some of the time, ya think? 

Thursday ..In the Jungle, the quiet Jungle....

there is a little revolution....

Rebecca Moore: Google Earth
"These are the people defending the rainforest, which are the lungs of the planet for all of us. "




Thanks to Mr. Z for the heads up on it... Late though I may be in getting it posted.....

New Scientist Site..

This doesn't look so bad until you see the time-lapse satellite images Horrors!

Maybe that's what you should look at first in the video.  It's dreadful.  No wonder the whole interrelated system is crashing.
This Absolutely Reminds me of what happened in King's Canyon in the 60's.  Only it's a thousand times bigger.  Or what happened in all the plains states.  Or British Columbia rain forests, or.. or.. or...
 Rest in Peace, Mother Nature... bye bye ...

Quoth the Raven, "Never more"... Sunday Stealing: Raven Claw Questions..

The Ask Game

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . 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. (Past hosts include: Our first - Judd Corizan, Mr. L, Kwizgiver and Bud)  

Cheers to all of us thieves!
Note:  If anyone reading would like to join in 
Go HERE

1. Do you have a passion project? What is it?
I'm not sure what that is.  And, it's too late to look it up.  If it's something like being the best that I can be, then No.  That particular ship has sailed, and long ago.
Oh wait!  My knitting is a passion project, but it's stalled.  I need to decide whether or not to get a thumb "back on line" with it's hand.

2. How many languages can you speak? 
Now? Only one.  English.... I can still read Spanish and French at maybe a Second Primer level, sometimes I can understand them when spoken, but I can't speak either of those two well at all.  

3. What was the last book you read?
Dead Mountain, by Donnie Eicher.

4. Where in the world would you most like to visit?
Australia, and the Islands of Tahiti and Samoa.

5. Top 5 fictional characters?
Say What?  I'm drawing a blank on this one.  

6. Something you miss from your childhood?
My Grandparents and their farm,  I loved being there, surrounded by all my Aunts and cousins.
I miss the farmland and the little creek, and just everything.  Mother was happiest there, too.

7. What skill do you wish you had?
I'd really like to be able to play a concertina.

8. Tell us an interesting fact
Do you mean one you haven't heard?  Well, that's not going to happen, considering our very special group.... 
How about a factoid?  White cats with blue eyes are sometimes deaf.  And if they have one blue and one green eye, they are also sometimes deaf in the ear opposite the blue eye.  I had a white cat named Thumper who was deaf.  I found him as a new born kitten, nearly dead from exposure, and I always thought is deafness was caused by it, along with his clomping walk.  This the name...

9. What was your favourite subject in school?
Geometry and I just wish more math would have been offered in High School.  It wasn't.

10. Favourite planet?
I like Saturn the best, and mostly because of the mythology surrounding it.  I like the Greek myths and the more modern myth that good people go to one side of Saturn, and the bad people go to the other side of it, an idea popularized by Edgar Cayce, a spiritualist and psychic from the early to mid 20th century.  His books were very interesting to read, especially for a very busy Mom with two toddlers.  I called them my "great escape".

11. Which historical figure fascinates you and why?
Tecumseh, the Native American political and military genius who together with his brother a medicine man, built an alliance of tribes to keep their lands out of the hands of the white man.  

12. Favourite mythical creature?
I'll pick the Mermaid.

13. Do you believe in any conspiracy theories?
Not that I'm aware of. Well there is one.  Microsoft wants to run our lives.

14. What is your favourite word?
Usually I pick the word *Slice*.. as in a slice of cake or a slice of pie.  *dreams of cream pies*

15. Do you have any obsessions right now?
Right now, I'm a little obsessed with the length of this meme.

16. Do you play any instruments?
I've tried my hand on Guitar, Banjo and ukulele.  And also the Recorder.  The Guitar is the only one that I actually mastered.  

17. What’s your worst habit?
Answering memes when I should be reading in bed.

18. Do you have a collection of anything?
I collect several things but anythings isn't one of them.

19. What’s your biggest ‘what if’?
What if John Kennedy had lived and brought the troops home from Vietnam like he was planning to do?  

20. What is your favourite fairy tale?
The one where Humpty Dumpty falls off a wall.  Oh wait, that's a nursery rhyme.  Hmmm
I reckon I have no favorite fairy tale.  But I do really like "Princess Bride."  
A lot of fairy tales are being told in Washington, but do they have the lasting power of Grimm?  Well, there is one about how Climate Change isn't real, but even the little kids know that's a lie.

21. Have you ever dyed your hair? Is there a colour you’d like to dye it?
Yes, once and I dyed it Scottish Black.  It was pretty but I didn't want to go through the hassle after that one time, so it died a quick death.  Now I am very "MEH" about it all.  

22. If you could learn one language overnight, which would you choose?
Latin!  Or maybe Mandarin Chinese.  I'm torn.  *gets all itchy* 

23. What’s the most useless thing you know how to do?
I can kill a chicken with an hatchet, and so that it feels no pain or terror.  But I'll never EVER have to do it again.  Thank you, Jesus!

24. What’s the most important change that should be made to your country’s education system?
Make colleges and Trade Schools free for all students.  Let's give all American kids a real future!  This is a copy cat rider on one of Country Dew's suggestions, I think it was Country Dew but it may have been Bev.  
Anyway, I think that it is a rather dark side of all this, but it would be unpatriotic to say so.... People who know how things were, say, before Vietnam, will know that I mean.  

To Exist or not to Exist... was that the Question? Love Affair, Paul Davis

Want to join in?  Go HERE for the Linkie... 

Many thanks to Sam, aka ,"The Gal", for doing this meme for scads of Saturdays and for making it unfailingly interesting.

Saturday 9: '65 Love Affair (1977)

Oh!  It's Doowop! Plop!

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

This is all "Stream of Consciousness" stuff.  Sorry, it gets a little silly....

1) The first line of this song is, "I was a car hop." Car hops used to take orders and bring diners food to eat in their cars. Today, the drive through lane has pretty much replaced car hops. Think about the last time you went to a fast food restaurant. Did you order at the counter or at the drive through window?
To be honest, I can't remember the last time we even ate at a fast food place.  Side note:  When I was in high school, and even as a young mother,  the drug store in my town still had a soda fountain, and there were car hops at the local hamburger joint.  Actually, I still miss that.  

2) Mr. Davis sings that his girlfriend was "bad with her pom-poms." Presumably she was a cheerleader. Share one of your school's cheers.   This is the one that I remember from my old high school, the one that I didn't graduate from: 

Maroon and White Fight, Maroon and White Fight, 
Fight Maroon and White, Fight! Fight! Fight!
Aztecs! Aztecs! Sis boom bah..
Mark Keppel High School Rah! Rah! Rah!

Odd how this stuff stays with you..  Oh!  That was .... painful....

3) The lyrics tell us he believes that if he could go back in time, his girl would still be his. If you could travel back in time to your high school years, what would you enjoy doing again? What would you do differently?
I'd still want my same little group of semi outcast friends.  And, I'd get someone to tell me how easy Trigonometry was.  I'd study it on my own.  It's easier than Geometry!  Don't let anyone tell you it's never too late.  That's just not true.  It's too late for Trig... which could have changed my whole life!  But then, existentially speaking, that would have been the way the cookie crumbled... or not.  They never get anywhere because of Paradigm shifts.  Give it up already!

4) During his performing days, Paul Davis sported a full beard and flowing hair. We're using that to check your powers of observation and recollection. Think of the last man you spoke to. Who was he? Describe his hair, and tell us whether he was clean shaven. 
He was the admitting nurse at the hospital when I had my eye surgery.  His hair was dark and short.  He had a partial beard.  Obviously, I don't speak to guys face to face that often.

5) Paul Davis was born in Meridian, MS, and that's where he returned to when he went into semi-retirement in 1982. Meridian's biggest employer is the Naval Air Station in Meridian. Do you know anyone who is currently in, or employed by, the military? 
No.  Not any one.  Not a soul...

6) He was a pool player and a golfer. Which sport are you better at? 
Sports questions are sort of N/A to me.  

7) Sadly, he died in 2008, on the day after his 60th birthday. His best friend remembers him as "a homebody," who enjoyed staying up long into the night with his friends, playing and listening to music. Describe your perfect way to spend an evening.
I'd say that the perfect way would to be in Santa Cruz, doing anything at all with Mr. Z and the kids.

8) The publishing rights to "'65 Love Affair," as well as Paul Davis' bigger hits ("Cool Night" and "I Go Crazy"), are owned by another Paul -- Paul McCartney. Sir Paul's MPL Publishing Company has made him a very rich man, and Paul says that's because he chose to invest in music, something he loves. What about you? If you were to invest in a business or industry you love, which would you choose?
N/A  Sorry... I won't be investing in Business or industry.  We are investing in our grand nieces.  It's a 7th Generation thing.

9) Random question --You're at a party and one of your host's best friends is a real egghead who tries to draw you into a conversation about paradigmatic counter existentialism. Would you: a) just listen politely while letting your mind wander; b) admit you don't know what the hell he's talking about; c) explain why you personally feel that the counter existential paradigm just adds unnecessary complexity to the individual's search for meaning?

Left field questions ....Super Califragilistic Existentialitosis..

Yawning in his face, I reckon
 Is rude and is out?  
This seems a lot like a snake biting it's own tail... 
But.... Be that as it may.....

Obviously I would try all three, 
starting with the last, to see the anxiety
on his face (Though for 2, I'd change the wording).

 I would refrain from telling the Egg that
 he was a major PITA, but only because he was
 the host's best friend.  
I wouldn't tell him, for instance, that, in truth, 
Existentialism is passé 
so if anything, 
counter existentialism will carry the day.
  
Existentialism has got
 most of the people who are 
exponents of it absolutely nowhere.  
I think it would be fun
to spill a martini on him, too.  
But that might be 
just too existential. 

Would this make a halfways decent Country Western Song?  Probably not...sad though...

Where in the heck is the North Pole off to?

Earth's Magnetic Pole Is Wandering, Lurching Toward Siberia

And here is the LINK that follow the story...

Meanwhile, back in the land of the midnight sun....

"Earth's north magnetic pole is on the move, unpredictably lurching away from the Canadian Arctic and toward Siberia."

One thing the article doesn't mention is the effect these shifts have on migrating birds and whales.

And, as if that isn't enough to worry about, there are all of these things....

Nine Ways the World Could End...

Have fun kids!  Maybe the Earth will really get us little boogers before we can finish it off.

From the Article Linked Above

 Thanks to Mr. Z, for pointing out the article.

The destruction of Joshua tree...Edited to add.....

..A pdf map of the area, and information on the proposed urbanization of the southern border of Joshua Tree added at the bottom...

https://www.npca.org/articles/1995-paving-paradise-massive-development-proposal-advances-at-the-doorstep-to

The Destruction on Joshua Tree has been a last straw for me.  I've camped there for over 50 years, first as a child, then with my own family, and again, recently, in retirement.

These brigands also cut a new road with their 4x4s.  I'm sure you saw all the photos.

I lay it all at the feet of Riverside County, who can't seem to say NO to a development that is cheek by jowl to the southern edge of the monument.

This development features 800 homes, plus commercial properties to support it, and is, basically, a new town.

This is almost half way to Twenty Nine Palms, and it's surrounded, mostly, by wilderness, so, in order to sell it, the developers had to provide a LOT of the support and infrastructure for a new town out there. 

Here is the latest on the fight to keep Urban Sprawl from Impacting the Park....

https://www.npca.org/articles/1995-paving-paradise-massive-development-proposal-advances-at-the-doorstep-to

The place in Question....
PDF map of Joshua Tree National Park

Two Sunday's of Stealing...

First.... Last week...  If you would like to join in the conversation, or see other's contributions, go HERE to the Sunday Stealing blog, run at this time by Bev.  

Joy 

 

From THIS blog...Sleepy Rambles

1.   Are you filled with joy today? Nope.  I just like to roll along with a calmness that comes with raising a Taoist mind within...

2.   Has it been a rough week?  Physically yes.  Spiritually it's been calmer.

3.   If given the opportunity, would you like to star in a musical?  Back in the day, I would have.  I could sing then... But not now.

 4.  Name one person you’d take a bullet for.  My DH.
  
5.  Did you trip over anything today? No.
  
6.  Last time you painted a picture?  When I was 29.  And then.... the twins were born. 
I mostly just drew with pencils and painted other things at classes I took at College.....oh wait, I did some oils in a painting class, too.  Plus some Chinese watercolor painting....

Not mine: Just an example...

 ...and some Japanese Sumi e on the ceramics I made.. forgot for a bit about that.  That all happened up until the beginning of 2016 when our daughter died.  I quit making or painting ceramics after that.  If I get my hand fixed, I'll do some of it again.  It's in the planning stages.
  
7.  Is your favorite color yellow?  Close.. I like a lot of colors but I really do love yellow.
  
8. Were you born in a hospital? Do you know the name of the person that delivered you?
   No, I wasn't born at a hospital.  I was born at my Grandparents' farm house, and yes I remember the name of the doctor who attended.  He was my doctor, off and on, due to my mother returning several times to Ohio, until I was almost 6.

 9. Have you ever had a friend or relative that’s incarcerated? Oh, Yes.  It was in the 60's!  Really, who from that time hasn't had a friend or relative in jail? 

10. Do you enjoy romantic movies, even when they’re cliche? I really do enjoy Romantic comedies.  They are fun and don't involve a lot of gunfire, car chases, and gore.

11.Would you rather watch a movie or listen to music?  Why would a person have to choose?
 
12.Ever been to Rhode Island?  Not that I know of... I might have been there back in the 40's.

13.Can you tell the difference between a Scottish and an Irish accent?  It's dead easy!  Particularly because of soccer.  Lots of foreign soccer players came over to California and stayed, and we became friends with them as well as with their families.
  
14. Can you read music?  Mostly in the treble clef.  I know of the existence of the bass clef but never had to deal with it.  *wink*
 
15.Have you been to McDonald’s in the past month?  Nope, and not in the past 2 DECADES either.

And away we go to this week's Sunday Stealing... as soon as it's posted....

Storywise  And Bev says:

"This is kind of weird.  It's from a set of "Storywise" cards that were made for Alzheimers patients, which they have at the facility where my mother lives."

 

1. The strangest place you've ever been.
 There are some caves in Arizona, down near the border in traditional Apache land.  They are very slightly developed, mostly to be studied by Archeologists, and nothing like Carlsbad Caverns.  It is eerie down inside them.  You realize that all of land in that area has these caves, and that knowing that the Apache could just melt away under the noses of their pursuers makes the Apaches and the caves even more intriguing. 
 
2. Unusual food combinations you enjoy.
I really like pickle and peanut butter sandwiches.  I'm not really sure how odd that is.  I don't like them with Kosher dills, like those in the photo, but with REAL dill pickles.

3. Your best cure for hiccups.
Holding my breath and calming way, WAY down does it for me.  
 
4. Something you have never done but would like to try.
I'd like to try living as a monk in Japan.  But I don't want to stay long, just try it.
 
5. A routine you do every day without fail.
I feed the wild birds.  But recently, DH has been doing it.  

6. Something new you've recently learned.
Does this mean a skill?  I've learned more ways to make my ancient digital camera do more and better things.  I just haven't applied it yet.

7. Your keenest sense.
Intuition.  And boy, did I ever need it.

8. Whether you prefer cooking or cleaning up.
I clean as I cook.  And, I have no preference.

9. Where were you the last time you saw the sun rise.
I was in my own back yard.

10. A recent time you were embarrassed.
 I was at a relative's house. I kept trying to join into a conversation, and kept getting loudly talked right over. Time and time again.  I realized it was that they thought they owned the conversation, and I just decided that "speak when spoken to" applied to me, so that's the rule I now follow.  I could easily by a monk.  See #4.

11. An everyday sound that delights you.
 I love my husband's voice.  And, I love the sound of water, the rain... a brook.. but not the steady drip of a faucet or a leaking roof. 

12. The last conversation you had with a stranger.
It was at the doctor's office.  Another patient had a beautiful purse, and I complimented her on it.  We struck up a conversation, and it was very pleasant.  She was a very cheerful lady. 

Two weeks of Satuday 9,

Two Saturday 9's... First up is: The Stylistics..  

You are getting the bare bones version from me this week...

Hear it HERE

1) As 2019 kicks off, what are your hopes for the brand new year?
To be honest, I hardly notice when a new year starts.  Generally speaking, I haven't noticed the New Year was any different than the last day of the year before.  My to-do lists from one year just get updated,  and then, all over again, I know that they still need to be done.

2) Just because an item isn't brand new doesn't mean it isn't valuable. Have you scored any fabulous finds at a second hand store or website?Nope, and it's probably because I never go shopping anymore.  Not even on line.

3) This song is sung by The Stylistics, a group from Philadelphia. Have you ever been to Philly?
Probably when I was too young to know it.
 
4) This song was co-written by Thom Bell, a Philadelphia-based musician/producer who was born in Kingston, Jamaica. The average daily temp in Kingston in January is 87º. Do you have plans to get away this winter and go somewhere warm?
No, and this is because I live in Winterless Southern California.
 
5) The Stylistics took their choreography very seriously. As you can see from the video, they even carefully synchronized their hand movements. Do you use your hands much when you talk?
Yes, I do.... I am a one half French, Spanish, and Native American, so this comes naturally to me. 
 
6) The lyrics tell us that the singer is grateful for a friend who will walk with him along a path that "sometimes bends." Looking back on 2018, tell us about a time that life's path took a bend you didn't quite expect.
2018 was a relatively quiet year.  I'm grateful as heck for that.
 
7) In 1974, when this song was popular, Chicago's Sears Tower opened and was for years the world's tallest building. Its elevators can carry you to the 103rd floor in approximately a minute. When were you last on an elevator?Yesterday, meaning the 10th.  I had a follow up meeting with the eye surgeon.  She's on the second floor but it's easier to just take the elevator.

8) Also in 1974, the 55 mph speed limit was imposed nationwide. When you drive, are you careful to stay within the speed limit? Or do you have a led foot?  California has a 65 mph limit.  I'm too old to speed now so I don't. 
 
9) Random question -- It's time to pose for your Saturday 9 yearbook picture. Will you show us your right profile, your left profile, or will you look directly into the camera?
Never gave it much thought.  Let's see.  Straight I think.

 


Saturday 9: I Forgot to Remember to Forget (1955)

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

In honor of Elvis' birthday (January 8.)


1) Elvis sings that he thinks about this girl all the time. What person or topic is on your mind this Saturday?  Anyone want to venture a Guess?  A clue:  His name rhymes with Humpty Dumpty....

2) He wants to forget the day he met his girl, but simply can't. Think about someone very important in your life. Did you know right away that they were going to be influential?  I knew right away.  I just knew... Angels told me. Lol...

Since this week's song is about memories, let's check on how well you recall events in your own life.

3) What was the first concert you ever attended?
In High School.  It's not very exciting but....I attended a concert given by the Redlands University Symphony Orchestra.  
 
4) Where did you get your first piercing? (Not only where on your body, but who did the deed and where did they do it?) 
My Aunt Jo pierced my ears when I was sixteen, and did it in her kitchen.

5) What's the name of the bank where you had your first checking account? 
I opened an account at the Credit Union where I worked.  So, no bank..
 
6) Tell us about your first bicycle.
I  rode a home-built bike in Ohio that was my aunt's.  It consisted of a frame, handlebars, pedals, brake, and two wheels.  I learned to ride on it, and then had to beg to be let ride it on the long curved driveway behind the farm house, because I couldn't reach the seat.  My second bike, when I was seven was exactly like it.  Poor kids, and kids who grew up in the war years, were lucky to have any sort of bike.  We had a grand old time with our 'cruisers' as they are now called.
 
7) Who received the first text you ever sent?
My hubby.  
 
8) What had you been drinking when you suffered your first hangover?
I've only had one hang over, and it was from beer, when I was in my twenties, out at the Colorado river with family and friends.  I hated the feeling, and it never happened again.
 
9) Whose was the first wedding you ever attended?
My own.  And yes, what planet did I grow up on!?  That is a very valid question!

 You all have a lovely weekend.  Go HERE  to see other peeps answers and join in if you want....

Big Brothers never sleep.....

Read it and weep:

https://www.cnet.com/news/how-your-personal-data-is-used-to-create-a-perfect-midterm-election-ad/