Saturday 9: I Would be in Love (Anyway)

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 song?  Here it here

1) Frank Sinatra sings, "If I knew then what I know now." If you were giving advice to a recent high school grad, based on that phrase, what would you say?  I would now say, "You'll need to 'Toughen up' Buttercup, but also remember to always be kind."

2) This song is about a man looking back on his marriage, which has ended. While he is sad, he is not sorry he loved her. Do you believe that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?  Yes, but never having had to do it makes it sound like it's survivable.  Something that I don't believe at all. Who can survive without any love at all?

3) Sinatra married four times. He met his first wife, Nancy, when he was 19. He saw a pretty girl sitting on her front porch, giving herself a pedicure, and he rushed home for his ukulele so he could serenade her. Have you ever sung to anyone? Has anyone ever sung to you? No one has ever sung to me, but I sang a lot for a long time. I sang to my babies, my hubby, my sister, just about anyone I loved or took delight in. I used to sing all the time.  I sang a duet with a guy who brought a guitar into the twin's pre school.  It was quite magical. 

 

4) According to Barbara, his final wife, they met when they were neighbors in Rancho Mirage, California. Sinatra had his own tennis court, needed a fourth for doubles with his houseguests, and invited the lady next door to play. Tell us about your neighbors.  I have had some very good neighbors across the street who have been here longer than we have but most of the others who were friendly from very the beginning are gone.  I don't know the ones who replaced them very well though they are all really nice people and will help you with any problem, so I see then as good neighbors, too. 

5) When not performing before an audience or cameras, Sinatra often wore hats and caps because his hair was thin and his toupee annoyed him. Is there anything you wear for "dress up" that you're happy to ditch when you go casual?  Shoes and that darn bra. 

6) Frank had a sweet tooth and to the end of his life, he enjoyed chocolate-covered apricots, ordered from Lepore's in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ. If you could have any sweet treat right now, what would you request?  Jamocca Almond Fudge Ice cream.  It is my go-to Heavenly Decadence. 

7) This song was written specifically for Sinatra by Bob Gaudio, best known as a member of The Four Seasons. That 1960s quartet is now legendary. In addition to 25 Top Ten Hits, they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and inspired the Broadway play and movie musical, Jersey Boys. Do you have a favorite Four Seasons song?  sorry, I haven't got a favorite.  I barely remember them.

8) In 1970, the year this record was released, The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered. Were you a fan?  Yes, I really loved that show. 

9) Random question: Have you ever named your car or truck?  Yes, we had a huge. White station wagon I named "Moby Dodge" because it was 21 feet long.  It was like a Big White Whale!  

 Everyone, Go HERE to the Linkie.  

Sam, thank you again for all your amazing patience every week without fail, in producing this little MEME gem. 

Three on Thursday: Missing

1. I miss the smell of coffee brewing, fresh air after the rain, pine trees, the scent of the ocean spray.

2. My mother was an Avon lady for at least two decades.  Remember them? I miss my mom. 

3. I miss riding my bike all over “Hell ‘n’ Back” with my daughters and my hubby.

Wordless Wednesday: Bygone Remembrence ..

 

Music Monday: If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot.

 This is such a beautiful song.  I hear it in my mind an awful lot these days.  

Saturday 9: Diamonds

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: Diamonds (2012)

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

1) In this song, Rihanna sings that when she looks at her lover, she sees the light in his eyes. The internet is filled with makeup tips for making your eyes look brighter. Drugstores sell eye drops that promise to get the red out. Are you bright-eyed this morning?  Not really, I just couldn't sleep much last night.  Hopefully I can take a nap later on. 

 2) She likens him to a shooting star. Astronomers tell us that shooting stars aren't that rare at all. They occur when dust, asteroids or comets enter the earth's atmosphere, and are often visible on clear, pollution-free nights. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Yes, I've seen scads and scads of them.  We used to be out in the deserts in California for long rockhound trips, and as a kid my bro and I used to be out there in the desert helping the paternal unit build houses.  The stars were magnificent in those clear desert night skies. 

 

3) In ancient Rome, shooting stars were considered good luck, especially for those going into battle, while some tribes in East Africa believed shooting stars were a harbinger of doom. Are you superstitious? No.  I do believe in Karma but I'm not superstitious. In fact, I started walking on cracks and lines in the sidewalks at a young age. lol 

4) The singer of "Diamonds" hosted a lavish Diamond Ball to raise funds for education programs in Malawi, Senegal, and the country of her birth, Barbados. Rhianna named her charity initiative the Clara Lionel Foundation after her grandparents. If you were to name your foundation after your grandparents, what would it be called? What would you ideally like to do in their honor?  I really don't think I'd name a foundation or charity after my grandparents.  

I do honor them by remembering them, especially how good they were to my mother and I, and by praying for them.  They were all, except for one bad apple - my paternal grandfather - very good people. I know my other grandpa and my grandmothers prayed for their grandchildren. 

Here's a little Plug for my favorite charity called, "Women for Women". It has a mission of helping poor women in countries all over world who have been impacted by wars.  

It helps them in many ways, and one is by making loans to  start small businesses so that they feed their families.  Sometimes, because so many women are widowed or abandoned, it is the ONLY money that is coming in. 

 

5) Rhianna recently had her first baby, a boy. According to the Social Security Administration, the top names for baby boys in 2021 were Liam and Noah. Is there a Liam or Noah in your life?  There is a Noah.  He's a cool guy. 

 

6) When she was still in her teens, Rhianna entered a beauty pageant on a dare, and won! Can you recall a time you acted on a dare?  I can't recall one.  Normally I just don't take dares.  To be honest, you can find enough trouble for yourself without being prompted by hecklers. lol

Alex Honnold c/o The Atlantic Mag.

7) While on tour, she likes to sneak out into the audience, just to get the vibe from out there. To disguise herself, Rhianna slips on a black oversized hoodie. Are hoodies a staple of your wardrobe?  No. I do have one for camping, but that's it.

  

8) In 2012, the year this song topped the charts, London hosted the Olympic Games. If you won a trip to London, what would you like to see?  I would like to see Big Ben and the BBC building.  Then I'd high tail it to Scotland to meet some of my clan. I am a McCay.. or as the Americans spell it, McCoy.  I'd buy me some tartan fabric. I have a piece that my grandma gave me, or had.  Not sure where it is anymore.  But I'd take it along with me so as to match it. 

 

9) Random question: Did either or both your parents go to college?  Dad was a law student at USC before the war rent his plans in twain.  

Mother graduated from a Business School, near Pasadena, which is sort of college.  She was amazing.  I'll always be in Awe of my Mother.  God Love and Bless her..

Thank you kindly Sam, for this lovely meme each Saturday.  I love it. 

Readers, Please go HERE for the Link up, and to see OP's post links.  

Three On Thursday

One sad, one interesting, and one unforgivable.

1.) 

Ah, so Blue Haiku

This is me, it's true, so true

Do you feel this blue?

2.)

"I gather all the News I need from the Weather Report"
~Simon and Garfield~

3.) I am reminded of a Genocide  

I stand with Ukraine! 

At least 4 million Ukrainians starved to death in prison camps, or in their own towns, as Stalin took food train after food train out of Ukraine fields to feed his armies, and people in Russia 

I will not forget what happened to Ukrainians under Stalin.   It is a mistake for anyone to think that Ukraine is, "a founding member of the Soviet Union” as was said in an opEd for the New York Times.  They were not. They resisted collectivization by Stalin and were starved to death or transported to Siberian labor camps in their millions. Russia under Putin is at it again. Infiltrating, meddling, annexing, and then going to war with Ukraine. 

Putin is claiming a false ownership of the Ukraine.  He is not being truthful. He is stealing people, including teenagers, children, and sending them deep within Russia.  Don’t believe him. Don’t trust him. 

Wordless Wednesday: Tiny Ocean

 

Music Monday: Tracy Chapman "Fast Car"

 It will always be the song I remember of hers.. 

She is amazing as a singer, inovative guidarist, and songwriter.  

An Inspiration forever. 

Such sweet sweet sounds...

 

Saturday 9: Brandy

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

Saturday 9: Brandy (1972)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.  *And what a pretty song this is!*

 

1) This song opens in a bar where lonely sailors reminisce about their homes. How long have you lived at your current residence? Does it feel like home?  

OK this gets long....

We've lived here over 50 years.  But It still  doesn't feel like home to me. I belong somewhere we never got the chance to live.  Our first house seemed like home though. It was ideally only a couple of miles from the beach.  

This place was a compromise in that we moved here because our little girl was so ill from the neighbor's keeping of horses and their colts in her tiny backyard.  That, among other things, was strictly illegal, mind you; but because she was an informant for the police, she got away with a LOT.  

As it turned out, one of our little kidlets was deathly allergic to horses.  She was going deaf, and her doctor advised moving away. So here we still are. 

2) Brandy is a waitress at the bar. Have you ever worked at a job where you received tips?

I got some when I worked at a hamburger joint when the two older girls were babies. They helped me buy my first guitar, since I never did get my grandpa's guitar.

 

3) Brandy wears a locket on a braided chain. Are you wearing any jewelry as you answer these 9 questions?

Not any right now, because I just took a shower. Usually I wear three sets of stud earrings, and my wedding set, and a couple of other rings.  And like any royal, I wear my little tiara. HA!

4) According to the lyrics, the sailors seem to prefer whisky or wine. What's your go-to adult beverage?  I don't drink very much. Maybe a little glass of  port or marsala wine from time to time. My adult beverage is very strong decaf coffee.  lol

5) This song was such a big hit that, after its release, Brandy became a popular name for newborn girls. Do you know anyone named Brandy?  No, but I have known a few pet dogs with that name.  It's a pretty name for a girl though. 

6) Barry Manilow scored a hit in 1974 with "Mandy." That song was initially called "Brandy," but it was changed to avoid confusion with this record. Do you have a favorite Barry Manilow song?  

Yes. This one from same album, "Could it Be Magic"

performed live on stage

7) In 1972, when this song was popular, residents of South Dakota endured a catastrophic flood when Rapid Creek overflowed. Give us a little geography lesson: what body of water is nearest you? 

The Beautiful Pacific Ocean.  If you discount a reservoir the city likes to call a "lake". Erie is a lake.. Lake Michigan is a LAKE! 👧

 

8) Also in 1972, the first women were permitted to run in the Boston marathon. Have you ever visited Boston?

I've never had the pleasure.  It would be nice to visit it. 

9) Random summertime question: Would you prefer to swim in a pool, a lake/river, or the ocean?

I prefer to swim in any of the above, except rivers.  The currents in them are a little tricky. 

Having said this, Rip tides in the Ocean here are pretty bad.  My husband and I had to strip to our skivies and dive in to rescue the "mad" twins who got caught in a riptide. They did this even though we warned them to not go in the water from the rocks we were on.  

Teenagers.. "Duh! What dangers?  Mom, you fuss too much."  

You scared yet?

Thank you, Sam for this fun meme every week.  It's a kick in the head to post and to read other people's Posts.  Readers, go HERE to see the linkie to this week's Meme. 

And NO that is not Sam up there... *points* 

Three on Thursday

 1. Why is it so hard to set up a new iPad? 

2.Looking up at the stars is wonderful.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/science/james-webb-telescope-images-nasa.html?referringSource=articleShare

3.  It’s time for me to get lost in the stars again. 

Wordless Wednesday: Shhhhhh

 

Music Monday: David Döring: Amazing Grace on the Pan Pipes with Orchestra

 Enjoy!

Time for Livin'

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

Thanks again, Sam... 

Readers, go HERE for the LInk

Saturday 9: Time for Livin' (1968)

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

1) This song is about taking "time for life." Do you have a busy, highly-scheduled Saturday planned? Or will you have an opportunity to just relax and enjoy? We will be staying in.  Our county has a quite a lot of scoff-laws, so it is getting hit hard with the new variant, whether anyone wants to admit it yet or not. 
 
2) Lead singer Larry Ramos begins by telling us he likes to kick off his shoes and go barefoot. How about you? Do you like to feel "the good earth under your feet?" I've gone barefoot almost my whole life.  Now, not so much but still love to do it.  I always want to feel that visceral connection with Mother Earth.
 
3) He sings that once he took off his watch, he found he had all the time in the world. Tell us about your watch.  I have four wrist watches that I like to wear from time to time.  No pun intended.  Two of them I've inherited from my mother. Two of them are gifts from my Hubby.

4) With lyrics that include words like "grooving" and "hang-ups," this song is very much a product of its time. Share some of the slang you used during your adolescent years.  "Grooving" and "Hang Ups" as well as "Far Out" and "Outa sight" come from my youth.  Let's see.. "Fab" ''Blast" and that's just a few.  Anyway, as Sam says,  some of it's come around yet again..

5) He sings that his attitude has been rearranged. What is something you have changed your mind about? 

Don't read the following if you are easily upset by forthright views about facts of Matters.....You may be sorry you asked but: 

I am a Quaker, through and through, and I do not like what I'm seeing...

I'm sad to say, it's far right Modern Christians.  I've changed my mind about them all for the most part, by deciding they are going down a dangerous path.  From the Archbishop of  the Kremlin's Russian Orthodox Church who is the WORST manifestation of this phenomenon, to Bible thumping evangelicals in thousand dollar suits.  What's Christ got to do with it?  

They have, in my view, forgotten what Real Power is.  Real Power is the sort of thing that Christ himself displayed many times, and his disciples.  

I feel that far right modern Christianity has crossed a line and  is now a danger to our democracy. The forefathers were explicit about maintaining the separation of Church and State.  They saw what had happened in Europe. 

I feel like too many of the leaders now crave power for it's own sake and they love money more than honor, or even Christian virtues.  I've seen this coming for a long LONG time.  Ever since 1964, and a revival meeting that my neighborhood pastor and his wife took me to, I've watched this. 

The Christian right was just getting rolling to overtake the political life of the country, and it sickened me. And I've never forgotten it as the years went by.  They fell for Mammon in my view.  This got taken to a national level by the advent of those Breakfasts that Washington has had for decades.  You weren't anyone unless you were part of it.

 HERE is a link... But that is only One of the manifestations. We are in trouble now because a lot of so called Russian Ex-pats attended them during the 90's and early 2000's.  It's all public knowledge; you can research it.  I'm too old to keep this on my heart anymore.. 

I apologize if it offends people who feel it's inappropriate to the meme, but it is the only answer I could give.  I have changed my mind about the truth of the shifts in Washington.  I think every American needs to know this is happening.  It's not benign. 

6) This week's group, The Association, was founded in Hawaii. Hawaii produces more pineapple than other state in the union. When did you most recently have pineapple? Sometime last year.  I love fresh pineapple but it's hard to find.

7) In 1968, when this song was popular, Jacqueline Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis. Think about the last wedding you attended. Were you closer to the bride or to the groom, or were you equally close to both? The groom.  He is a friend's son.
 
8) In 1968, when this song was popular, Laugh In was America's #1 TV show and it made a star of Goldie Hawn. Do you have a favorite Goldie Hawn movie?  I loved the remake of  "The Out of Towners" and also, equally, "First Wives".
 
9) Random question: Who is the most recent person you made smile, and what did you do? That person was my hubby and it was this morning.  It was some dumb random thing I joked about, and we both had a good snarky laugh over it.  It was something Political about that world class Poot,  Putin. At the risk of getting Black Listed by the Bots, I won't repeat it. hahahaha!

As if!  And that is another Nineteen Sixties "ism".  

 
 

High Cost of Gun Culture

Photo c/o of NPR

Doctor Fauci Interview by Anna Peele, from the Washington Post Magazine

HERE is a lovely interview of Dr. Fauci by Washington Post writer, Anna Peele.

Here is the Link

Thank you to my in-house techie, who knows I have a soft spot for all things in the field of Medicine.

Saturday Nine. Back to the USA>

SATURDAY 9: BACK IN THE USA (1978)

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!

 

Readers: Like to see other Saturday9ers posts?  Please go HERE.  You'll love this group.  We can be so sassy.  OK, Gal.  I'm busy today so I'll go first.  

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

From the archives, with some tweaks

 
1) This song lists seven cities -- New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge and St. Louis -- that Linda just loves. How many have you visited?  If I had a map handy I could do this better, but alas....

I grew up 10 miles from downtown Los Angeles so am pretty familiar with L.A.  Mother took us there a lot to shop for school clothes or Christmas.  

I haven't been to any of the other cities except for when I was a baby or toddler, and Mom and Dad were in Baton Rouge when my dad was stationed there; later I traveled through Chicago on a train to and from Ohio when I was a toddler and until I was a five year old.  

I am sure that the train went though St. Louis, too, but I remember clearly that it went through Albuquerque. because people came up to the train windows with trays of things to sell.  Mother let me choose a little sombrero pin.  I still have it.

I've never been to the other cities.

As a three year old or five year child, I was taken through some of them on car-trips with my grandparents, or on a train with my mother and little brothers.  

I remember going to Grandfather's family owned campground with my mother, and also of putting my hands into Lake Eerie, and seeing the wonderful clear and still water, with Autumn leaves floating on the top of it. Every thing was to CLEAR and CLEAN back then. It may have been Canada, because that's where his family is from.

But what I have no clue about was what state it was in.  I no longer have anyone to ask.

2) The lyrics refer to hamburgers sizzling on the grill. What toppings do you believe make a perfect burger?

I like Lettuce and Tomato, a slice of onion and a slice of dill pickle on my veggieburger.

3) The original recording of this song by Chuck Berry has always been one of Linda Ronstadt's favorites, one she used to enjoy singing along with in the car. What's the most recent song you sang?   

This is still in my range... wonder of wonders, and I've liked the lilt and the sound of it for ages and ages..  Personally, I don't have any problems like the song, but I love the line.... "so at least until tomorrow, I'll never fall in love again."

4) Linda performed The National Anthem at Game 3 of the 1977 World Series. The New York Yankees won both that game and the series. How is your baseball team doing this season?

Sorry Gal, I just don't follow baseball anymore.  But I did like our local Padres when we had season tickets.
 
5) On the sleeve for this record, Linda was photographed on roller skates. Emergency rooms report a spike in wrist injuries, with people falling off skates and skateboards and jamming their wrists catching softballs. Have you recently been to the Emergency Room or Urgent Care?  Not recently. Happily. 
 
6) It's July, so summer is in full swing. Bug bites are a big summer annoyance. Are you itching and scratching this morning?  No, happily not.

Since this is our last Saturday 9 before Independence Day, let's ask some questions related to the holiday.
 
6) The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence. What's the most recent printed media you have read (newspaper, magazine, newsletter, etc.)? This morning, I read the front page of our local Rag.

7) In high school, Sam was crazy about American history and got good grades. Science was her worst subject. In high school, where did you shine? In what subject were your grades not so hot?  I never got a lower grade than a B in anything. In Geometry I got an A+. Of Course, the plus never counts in the GPA, nor do the minuses.  But it gave me a thrill to get that grade from a Professor Emeritus who was teaching our class that year.  That was the ACME of my math career, as the rest of the Maths remained a total mystery! GAH!  Yes!  Hide the Chocolate!

8) The first 4th of July parade each year is held at 12:01 AM in Gatlinberg, TN. Will you attend a parade or fireworks to celebrate the 4th?  IDon'tthinkso...  Seen one fireworks bonanza, you've seen them all.  I must take pity on my OLD EARS!

9) Americans love to celebrate our independence. In fact, there are more than 30 towns all across the US called Independence. There are two in MN alone (one outside Duluth, the other west of Minneapolis). Please google it and let us know: does your state have an Independence?

Yes, Verily I say unto you, there is an Independence California, in the Unincorporated desert out Yonder in the back of Beyond....  

Independence California.  I have been through it.

And here I thought the universe was CRAWLING with Aliens... Hahaha

From an article written by Neal Hartman 

for "Nautilus Magazine":

"Who really found the Higgs-Boson?":

"Fresh opportunities for new genius abound. Gianotti singles out dark matter as an example: “96 percent of the universe is dark. We don’t know what it’s made of and it doesn’t interact with our instruments. We have no clue,” she says. “So there is a lot of space for genius.” But instead of coming from the wild-haired scientist holding a piece of chalk or tinkering in the laboratory, that genius may come from thousands of people working together."