Saturday Nine: Forever Your Girl.

 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 wishing to join in should go HERE

And Thank you Sam, for Saturday 9!

Saturday Nine: Forever Your Girl

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

Saturday 9: Forever Your Girl (1989)

1) In this song, Paula Abdul tells her boyfriend he's got to remember, she's forever his girl. How's your memory? Do you remember things easily or do you leave yourself notes and reminders? I'm starting to use notes.  But what happens is that I don't even read them. heehee.  

I usually can remember just about everything, but that is starting to change.  Some things just aren't worth remembering. 

2) Paula reassures her lover that she can't be swayed by another man, even if he gave her diamonds or pearls. Tell us about a piece of jewelry that means something to you.

My mother's little wristwatch.  The jeweler rebuilt it and gave me very strict instructions about how to wind it (telling me exactly how to) and telling me not to be wearing it for everyday things.  Mother wore that watch ALL the time and I can only imagine how shocked the jeweler was to find it full of dirt from the garden and other stuff.  It's a little 50 watch and looks majorly cool. Mom kept BIG big Gardens. 

 

3) Paula is best known as one of the original judges of American Idol. Without looking it up, can you recall the men who sat on either side of her? No, sorry.  Didn't watch the show but I have seen a couple of them on YouTube. I've liked the shows I saw, but I'll be darned if I know who was sitting with whom.

This is titled, "Clueless Grannie".  So very ME!

4) Paula has been dancing since age 8 and moves very well in heels. Tell us about your favorite shoes. My favorite shoes are a pair of Clark's Mules.  They have been re-soled and had the lining replaced in them and I don't think they can last much longer. 

 

5) A lifelong dancer, Paula admits she's not a trained singer. For this record, she worked with producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, who won accolades for his work with singers including Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson. Who is your all-time favorite female singer?  She's an opera singer, Beverly Sills.  As far as Country or Pop singers, there are at least two dozen of them - Paula Abdul is one of them -that I think are amazing.  But Beverly Sills is my favorite female singer. 

 

6) She advises young girls to "keep the faith and don't lose your gut instinct." How about you? Are you more logical or instinctive? I call that last thing mentioned , "Emotional Intelligence". I'm sort of balanced in between the two forms of intelligence.  By balanced I mean that I respect both ways of looking at Human Existence and Human interactions. 

 

7) Paula is excited that Richard Branson has chosen her song, "Straight Up" as the theme for his Virgin Galactic Spaceflight company. Would you like to orbit above the earth?  No, I've never wanted to do that.  Earth is so very beautiful to me.  I just want it to outlast man. 

8) In 1989, when this song was a hit, the Sears Holiday Wish Book was big on  bathrobes. Men and women alike were tempted with brightly colored, belted robes with hoods and patch pockets. Tell us about your bathrobe. I don't have one.  I've thought about this for awhile, but never have come up with one that I'd like for a long time.

9) Random question: What do you consider your best quality? Honesty.  Not the Brutal type but one that is tempered with kindness, unless , that is, you are a brutal monster.  Then I wish I could kill with a look.  But that's just me. LOL

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

Just for Fun! Lord knows we need it!

Zero Gravity Socker!  

What a Kick in the Head.  so to Speak.. That's not allowed in real games.

💥😊  Here's a LINK  

See you later, Alligator!  Enjoy!

Three on Thursday: Really REALLY Random thoughts

To DO list... 

 1. Ask Big Bro to please Knock a certain aspiring oligarch “off his horse” and blind him for three days.  Yep, I'm down with that....

2. Thank God for little frisky Miniature horses.

3. Visit fellow blogger’s blogs and leave a nice comment.

 I AM a slacker. 😔 sorry, Gals…

Wordless Wednesday

 

Monday Music: The group, Home Free singing, "Man of Constant Sorrow."

With a Didgeridoo!  

Saturday Nine

  

This Night Won't Last Forever

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!

1) This song begins with, "Everybody likes a celebration." Do you have any birthdays or anniversaries coming up on your calendar?

 In November, there are three birthdays coming up: Hubby's, two of our daughters, and our Tim. 
 
2) The lyrics tell us Michael Johnson is stuck at a party while his heart is breaking. He finds it awkward and painful to pretend there's nothing wrong. Are adept at "putting a good face on it?" Or is it easy for others to tell how you're feeling?

I am very "adept" at putting on a good face. I learned this early in life, as the very tiny child of a terrifying, short tempered father.

3) Michael feels like this is going to be a long night. Is there a part of your day when time tends to drag? Or when it flies?  

Time always flies for me. I wake up on Monday and by bedtime, it seems like it's already Friday.

Time Flies away

4) As bad as he feels right now, he's still hopeful about tomorrow. What are you looking forward to for Sunday?

I'm looking forward to reading more of my book.  I'm also looking forward to concentrating on sitting quietly in communion with my Friends' Meeting, and to eating extra chocolate. Sunday breakfast comes with extra chocolate.  It's a tradition. lol 

 

 5) When he was 13, Michael taught himself to play the guitar. He went on to take formal lessons and mastered classical guitar. What's something you would like learn more about/do better? 

I'd like to understand how Demagogues think. Why they become what they become.  You know, what makes them tick.

Mussolini

I'd like to learn how to properly play a piano.  My girls all had music lessons, so music lessons sound like an interesting thing to do. 

I'd like to learn how to play more than a few chords on the Ukulele.  I dust off my "Little Flea" every once in awhile and pluck various chords on it.  I'd probably not take any formal lessons but just use the classes on YouTube. 
 
6) For a time he performed with a trio known as Denver, Boise & Johnson. The Denver was John. Do you have a favorite John Denver song?  

This one... I like this new rendition of Country Roads...I like A Capella Singing. This group has a perfect blend, don't you think?

7) He retired to Minneapolis to be near his adult daughter. But he never stopped performing entirely. For years he delighted loyal local fans with with an annual holiday concert on December 26 at Orchestra Hall. Is there a performer you've seen in concert more than once?

Not a single performer more than once, no. We did attend the San Diego Opera and the San Diego Symphony, and held season tickets for quite a few years. 

8) In 1979, when this song was popular, the cable channel ESPN launched. What's the last sporting event that you watched? 

The last was a basketball game.  I love basketball.

9) Random question: Do you play Wordle? 

No, I don't, but Hubby likes it.  

I play another on-line word game called "Spelling Bee".  That's enough for me! I love Spelling Bee.

Thank you, Sam!  

Readers, would you like to see other Saturday Nine Adventures?  Go HERE to Sam's  Saturday Nine Blog. 

Time to go outside and entertain the neighbors.....

This is just for fun.  I love my neighbors

 

Three on Thursday:

 One:  Yah... Right....

 

Two: Modern Art. 😁

Three: Durga is watching us....

 

 

The West has Mother Nature, and guess what? These two talk to each other. 

Mother Nature is upset.  Nobody want to upset Mother Nature.  

You think Mother Nature is bad.  You do not want to meet Durga in a dark alley either. 

Saturday 9: In and Out of Love (1967)

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!

Friends: This is a two spoon day.  So this is a bit bare bones 

I've always loved Diana Ross, and Motown Records, too. 

They both had a HUGE influence on the way Music went after they took it down the road. 

 

Saturday 9: In and Out of Love (1967)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Diana Ross is disappointed that she hasn't yet found lasting love. Do you think you can fall out of love? Or do you believe that if you fell out of love, it wasn't true love to begin with?  I'm sure you can even fall out of true love IF the person you love that much just turns into an utter Snake.

2) When is the last time you literally fell, tripped, or stumbled? The last time I fell was just as the pandemic hit.  I broke my elbow and shoulder and dislocated the shoulder. 
 
3) This record was a hit with American Bandstand viewers. For weeks it was voted the song they most wanted to dance to. Did you watch American Bandstand? No. I really didn't get to be a kid much at all growing up. I was the eldest and I had to take care of so much stuff that it took most of my time not dedicated to study and to school.
 
4) This is one of the last Supremes songs that featured the most successful hit-making line-up: Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard. Florence's great-nephew, Christian Ballard, was a football star at University of Iowa and briefly played pro ball for the Vikings. The 2022-23 NFL season just kicked off. What team do you root for?  I no longer am a fan of any sport.
 
5) Mary had a connection to sports, too. She donated her time and talent to raising money for Figure Skaters of Harlem, an organization that helps young people train for the Winter Olympics. Tell us about a charity you support.
Doctors Without Borders and also, Women for Women.  The both are great causes and careful with the money they get through donations.

6) There's a children's playground in New York's Central Park named for the last surviving member of this trio, Diana Ross. It has swings, slides, a rope bridge, and a fountain that kids are welcome to splash in. If you were suddenly little again, which would you play on first?  In a playground? Maybe a slide.  But I would absolutely ride my bike. Freeeeedommmmmm!
 
7) Diana owns an estate in Greenwich, CT, with lush gardens, a tennis court, and a pool. While the grounds are spectacular, she maintains the house itself is "nothing special" because the kitchen hasn't been renovated in more than three decades. Could your kitchen benefit from a makeover? Or are you fine with it as it is?  It's fine as it is because it was remodelled about 20 years ago.
 

8) In 1967, when this song was popular, the best-selling camera was The Polaroid Swinger. When did you most recently take a photo? What was it of? It was of a Pizza that we got for dinner last night.  I took it with the cell phone.

 
9) Random question: Come clean! Are there dirty dishes in your sink right now?  Nope.  I just finished eating lunch, so I asked the chief cook and bottle washer, and he said,  "Just one, your Yogurt bowl." 

Thanks again, Sam!  

Readers: here is a link to the page where you can read other responses to this week's Saturday 9. 

Three on Thursday: Three Heroes for the Planet

Wordless Wednesday: Shhhhh

 

Where has all the money gone, Long time paaa assing......

From the Marshall Project website. 

Where most of the money went from the American Recovery Act. 

 So much for public health.  Don't you just love it when someone actually "follows" the Money?  

So many disgusting things happening ( described as "burying the facts" on a bad news day) that it's a good time to get what you want off the stimulus money, 'Eh👈?

 I love charts and other

💥 "visual Aids". 💥

This is delivering "Justice"?

Echos of 9/11

 From the Marshall Project.   An essay by an American citizen being held in Prison in New York in what is essentially a hate crime against his religion in the fervor after 9/11. To my mind, there's no other explanation of what he has had to face.  

Sometimes I think people like Tariq Maqbool just never get a hearing.  He deserves to be heard.  

This man is a Muslim, a successful American businessman who had nothing to do with September 11th.

I want this seen as widely as possible because it's a travesty that has happened in the mad rush to justice after September 11th.

I've heard of another prisoner, who was known to be innocent, who had been SO very mistreated that the jailers would NEVER let him go. He was a teenager of 14 when ripped out of his own country, and brought to Guantanamo.  

And here was an young man who had become   an American as soon as he could be, who had American relatives, and who was most likely caught up in the mass hysteria and angst that was the aftermath of September 9/11.

The Marshall Project is an incredible organization dedicated to "Freeing the captives from Prison".  

Christ would understand this.  I am a Christian, a Quaker,  and I believe in human rights, for everyone.  Color, Race, they mean nothing to me.  

God's commandments do.

Sunday Komeekz! Too Funny to be Ignored: Ron Charles...

A very droll and hilarious book review that will make you smile, or even shriek with laughter....

See it HERE, by Ron Charles, Columnist for the Post.

Two of the comments made in this review on The Washington Post: 

Ragmansnake: “James Patterson’s new thriller, “Blowback,” asks us to imagine what would happen if a narcissistic psychopath were elected to the White House.”

 

Linda Comacho: "We don’t have to imagine that; America elected a narcissistic psychopath in 2016." 

And on and on. This is a return to Sunday Komeekz feature on my blog, in the belief that a little humor, snarky or otherwise, is good for the soul. 

Saturday 9

 

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

 No Roots (2017)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a woman who has moved a lot and is always packing boxes. Do you have packing materials (boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, etc.) in your home right now? Do you have them on hand to ship things, or are you preparing for a move?  I have it to ship things with.  I used to do that when I ran my business.  Nowadays, I still send stuff out, but not regularly.
 
2) She sings that she moves from place to place, collecting memories. Would you rather travel light and travel often, or put down roots?  I have the heart of a Nomad.  I could have easily and happily lived as one.  

Oh, incidentally, we are going to watch the movie, "Nomadland" tonight.  Netflix had it on disc.  I'm so excited!  I know I am too old to live this life, but at least I've been able to be a partial nomad for a good many years. 

3) She can recall all the gates and house numbers of all the places she's lived. Does your current residence have a fence and gate? Did your previous one?  Our current home has gates and a tall fence.  We like (love) pet dogs, and I could never live anywhere that didn't have a gate and fences, so that answers the second part of the question.

4) This week's artist, Alice Merton, moved often as a child as her father's job took the family from Germany to the US to Canada to England back to Germany ... She wrote this song to help her deal with feelings of loneliness and longing. When you're feeling overwhelmed, how do you work through the feelings?  I meditate.  I've meditated nearly my whole adult life.  My life has been better for it, you know.... it's been Calmer.

5) Alice is still on the move. Soon she'll be performing throughout Europe. Have you ever had a job that required you to travel? If yes, did you enjoy it? I've never had a job that required travel.  But we did go to see some place with our  children when they were home, and camped out which was the best thing ever!  I love cooking on a campfire.

When they were all grown up and out on their own, we started traveling with our Rockhound friends, and a couple of relatives as well.  It was loads of fun.  We went all over the southwestern states with other Rock Hounds.  We also met up with the kids, for Thanksgiving at a halfway point one year.  Loved it.

6) "No Roots" is a favorite of Kelly Clarkson's, who has performed it on tour and on TV. When you think of Kelly, is at as a singer, a judge on The Voice, or as a talk show host?  Hmm... To be honest, I'm not familiar with that show, nor do I know who she is. The singer in the video has sort of harsh sounding voice, to my ear anyway.
 
7) In 2017, when this song was popular, Faye Dunaway made Oscar history by announcing the wrong winner for the biggest award of the night, Best Picture. It wasn't her fault as she was given the wrong envelope, but she's one who made the on-screen flub seen around the world. Have you recently had an embarrassing moment?   No, actually, but that shouldn't be surprising. I've been living "small" these days, and hardly see anyone to be embarrassed about much. 

My BADD home cut hair?  lol 

This is SIMILAR but NOT ME!

8) Wonder Woman was 2017's most popular movie. She was originally introduced in a 1941 DC comic book. Comic books remain a big business. Have you ever been to a comic book store? 

No, but when I was four and living with my grandparents, my two young aunts were part of a comic book swap.  they traded boxes of comic books with a group of friends weekly I think, and every Sunday afternoon we all laid on our bellies reading through them.  One of the best memories my four year old self has of being that age. Comics are easy reads, and I adored reading about teens like my aunts, in "Archie".

9) Random question: Is your skin itchy this morning?  I'm answering this on Friday afternoon, and have just had a shower. So, the answer is no. We take our showers when the solar water heater has had the time to heat up the water.

Thanks again Sam!  You know that I love this meme.  

Readers, want to see more entries?  Go HERE for the linkie.

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

Interesting Depression Era Pies!

Interesting Depression Era Pies! 

 

I just couldn't wait another 6 months to post this in celebration of PiDay. 

And, thanks for Rockhound club members, many of whom were depression era children like my mama, all of these pies are from that era, except for Funeral Pie, akin to the raisin pie my mother made. She didn't tell us the origin of it. 

Mother remembered her time of traveling the Midwest with her family, living out of an old car, and a tent, while Grandpa worked on the WPCA projects as a Heavy Equipment operator, mechanic and Engineer.  

Grandma made clothes (and even dolls) for her four little daughters, and she sold or traded goods for dresses and shirts she made out of grain or flour sacks.  My mother and her sisters took turns cranking grandma's Singer crank sewing machine while she sewed away.  

Here's some of the pies from that era:

Funeral Pie: From The Gastro Obscura Site:

Water-pie from the same site

Bon Appetit.com: Desperation Pies.   These are all Depression Era pies like Vinegar Pie, one of which is Chess Pie.  

There are some crazy good pies!  I've had three different kinds of them.  

Underbelly Vinegar Pie.. Yummy!

I just couldn't wait for Pi Day.  Enjoy!

 

Three on Thursday: little mental vacations, so as to have Inner Peace.

 The First: 

Learn to meditate.  I did this approximately 60 years ago, so as to have a little vacation for my brain. 

The Second: 

Always look for the Beautiful, which is sometimes on the tiniest locations. Once my daughter Laura came in from outside filled with great excitement.  She had found a "pregnant pill bug" in the leaf litter of the trees.  We dashed back outside to see it.  

And there it was, with tiny, ghost like babies all lined up on it's underside.  She was delighted, and so was I. 

The Third: 

Listen carefully to the wind in a quiet place. Also, use singing bowls, or set up Japanese bells that move in the wind, in a quiet place in your garden. 

Namaste

Wordless Wednesday: Shhhh...

DIY pro Glass window Cleaner similar to Windex

Hi Georgie!  This is the way I've made it for years.  I used the Book of Formulas that I once had.  It's amazing!  And no streaking. At all...

This is no small problem we have here.

c/o Art is by Diana Nguyen for The Marshall Project

This is horrendous.  It didn't happen in, say, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, it happened here, in the USA, in New York. 

This exposes some very cruel places in the underbelly of America's Prison systems.  

The Link is to an article by Amy Yurkanin, on a site called, The Marshall Project.  

I highly recommend this site for articles on all sort of topics by responsible, fact-based reporting and writers who cover stories you will not see anywhere else. 

 

 A quote from the Article.

"When my baby was nearly 4 months old, the DA dropped the charges against me. The judge looked at me and said, “We apologize.” As if any apology could make up for my time in the system — and the fact that I delivered my baby while shackled to a bed, with deputies watching."  

The mother in this story is now working for her degree as a Substance Abuse Councillor for imprisoned women.  

OTTMAR LIEBERT & LUNA NEGRA ~ Concierto! 'Bombay' (1996 concert movie) 1... Monday Music

 I love everything that Ottmar Liebert does.  He is just a treasure of a guitarist and a songwriter.  

This is long, a little less than one hour, so I'm going to knit to it.  within it he explains his whole approach to his music. 

I'm having some serious issues right now and am sorry to miss Saturday 9 which is my favorite MEME.... Anyway, I can post next week I think.  Also, I have done a few things ahead.....

So, Please stay sane, stay as happy as is possible, and stay alert. 

Namaste....

Spiritual Listening and Emotional Intelligence

 This quote below is from an Article in Nautilus Magazine, which I found interesting and wanted to share...  

We certainly do need a new way to look at our Home Planet, and interpersonal relationships as well, and this reminded me of how most of the women I know actually listen to others.  They really listen to the whole person and not just empirically, but empathically. This is also called EQ, aka Emotional Intelligence. 

Think of jenji how practice in the same way as the "centering" done in Buddhist practice, or Christian and Islamic practice.  Something saints do. 

 

Here is a quote from the article:

"Our sorry state of being stems from the notion that we, as masters of the universe, can extract what we want from nature, which, in turn, leads to the “rich” mastering the “poor.” We need fundamental transformation. Adamu Jenitongo said that we need to listen to one another. We need to engage in deep listening. We need to be more modest about our capabilities, and we have to be much more respectful of the environment. If we don’t make these changes, our future will be exponentially worse. Listening is not just hearing what other people say. It’s tuning in to the other person. Such listening is a multi-sensorial experience. It does take a little bit of practice. In the end, these simple interpersonal practices can immeasurably enrich your life-in-the-world.  In my experience, the results are transformative."

I hope you can read the article at the link.  

 

Three on Thursday: If Wishes were Ponies...

1.. I wish that, suddenly, a host of beings with wings the size of Jumbo Jets would appear in all the capital cities of the world.  Russian Cosmonauts saw them once.  

HERE is the Story

I say, "Angels! Will you please make yourselves visible again?"  Puny little Man cannot hurt you.  We are likely still in the Seventh Circle of Hell, as described in Dante's Inferno.

2. I wish I could commune with Christ or Rumi.

A quote from Rumi, a 13th Century Muslim mystic:

 "I am not this Hair

I am not this Skin,

I am the Soul that lives within"

3.  I wish I still could ride my Bike.  It was a real joy.  Bike riding down to the lake several times a week was like having the Gift of Flight!