Wordless Wednesday.... shhhhh

Thanksgiving in Prison: and Article from The Marshall Project: By Keri Blankinger

HERE is the article,

And here is a picture from that article.  

 

My personal thoughts on our failure as a nation to address properly some of these critical issues are these:

It's too easy to forget about how many people are in prison at this time in this country.  It's something that we pretty much share with only the rest of the worst systems.

It is long past due to be remedied, starting with addicts.  Instead of treating anyone addicted as a cash cow for "for profit" prisons.  It is not working for Rehabilitation.  It's almost nil, actually.  

Why should it be this way?  This isn't Russia.  This is, "We, the people".  Personally I want it to change because I am ashamed of our for-profit prison systems.  That's slavery, you know.  I really can't think of what else it could be called.  Can anyone honestly not call it that?

And lest any Christians have thoughts about this being a "well, it serves them right..." situation, Christ himself said to visit the captives in prison.  

Just remember this.... not everyone is in prison for killing or maiming or doing evil deeds.  Some are just little people whom the system failed to save from brutality at home or myriad other crushing family home situations that lead to drug additions, as well as all the ills that drags a person down.

Mathew 25:36  "I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."

Saturday 9: "Two Black Cadillacs": Carrie Underwood

 

 

Saturday 9: Two Black Cadillacs (2011)

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

1) This week's song is about two women who share a very dark secret. Are you good at keeping secrets? I am very good at keeping secrets.

2) Carrie Underwood's favorite author is Stephen King. In fact, she credits King's Christine as an inspiration for this song. Have you read much Stephen King, or seen movies based on his books? I've only read one that I can remember, and that was Cujo. 

Gah!  Once, at a camp ground, a Ginormous FUZZY dog came up behind my back and tried to get around me to sniff my tiny puppy Jasper's butt.  I yelled to my hubby, "Cujo!" and swooped Jazzie up into the air over my head.  Jazzie weighed all of 2 pounds. lol

3) Carrie first came to America's attention when she won on American Idol. Prior to competing on that show, she'd never been on an airplane. Crazy Sam takes at least one round-trip flight every year and pays using the miles she accumulated from credit card purchases throughout the year. Do you try to earn miles, points, or cash back when you make purchases?  I'm not the flying type, so no.  I mean I do fly, but it's rare.  I'm not afraid to do it, I just no longer go anywhere on a plane.

4) Black is this week's signature color because November 25 was Black Friday, when retailers historically have slashed their prices and the holiday shopping season begins. Have you begun your gift shopping?  No, not yet.

5) Black Friday began as a local event initiated by store owners in Philadelphia back in the early 1960s. When you think of Philadelphia, what comes to mind?  I think of  our Constitution, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.  That's what Philadelphia stands for in my mind.  I think both those men are probably spinning in their graves about now.  But that's just me....😉

6) Black Friday always comes after Thanksgiving, a day of feasting. What was the best dish at your holiday table this year?  Hands Down.. it's home made Cranberry Sauce! Or is it the pies??  My sweet tooth actually comes in to play around the holidays, a bit, not much, but a bit.

7) Thanksgiving is also a big day for watching football. Did you watch any games?  Sometimes if we go to SIL's for the meal I do.  Who's Playing.. let me find out..... welllllll   I guess the question should be, "Who ISN'T playing?"! 

8) What are you thankful for this year?  All the usual suspects.. but also that I don't wake up some morning and find that I'm finally dead?  Then I would be happy I think to go Haunt the living Hell out of certain politicos, Yes?  heehee

9) Random question: You're in a public restroom and have a choice between paper towels and a hot air hand dryer. Which do you choose?  Either is good enough for me.  But not one of these hideous towel roller thinga.. eeeeee

Thank you Sam, and I hope that you are enjoying your more relaxed life now. (((hugs)))

Reader's please go to Sam's blog HERE and go down to the linkie to see other Niner's offerings.  Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, and that you didn't get trampled at the Black Friday Sales.  

 

I am SO Doing my Black Friday shopping this way...

 

 Tata!  

Woman, Life, Freedom!

A Getty Image of a Demonstration in Europe in support of the Women of Iran

 Just to be clear, we do not want to have to fight that fight here. 

The Religious Right is dangerous, this is because they are burning our Constitution and our right to control over our own mind and heart.  We are diverse, the founding fathers understood this, some of them knew it personally.  Our freedoms are not something that can be handed over to any Idealogs without the Nation suffering bad consequences.

Three on Thankgiving....

I'm remembering to be thankful for these three Freedoms

Life

Liberty

and

The Pursuit of Happiness.

 

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Politburo Komeeks

 

Thank you Señor Ramirez!  Merci! ¡Gracias! Дякую тобі!

Music Monday......Carole King - So Far Away (BBC In Concert, February 10, 1971)

Saturday 9: Leslie Gore: Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows

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!

Thank you Sam!  This meme is always a lovely thing to look forward to doing every week.  

Readers, please go HERE to see other posts from the rest of the Saturday Nines.

Lollipops and Rainbows (1965) 

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

1. In this song, Lesley Gore sings that sunshine is wonderful. It's hard to argue with that. Is it sunny where you are today? No not today.  It's over cast. and it's cold...... Brrrr!

2. Tootsie Roll is the world's #1 manufacturer of lollipops, and cherry is their most popular flavor. Do you have a sweet tooth? If yes, what's your favorite sweet treat?  My  favorite treats are salty ones.  

3. According to myth, you'll find a leprechaun's pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. If you suddenly, unexpectedly came into $100,000, what is the first thing you would buy? I would buy Land - Central Coast Farmland. And, I'd let my younger generation of farmers live on it in a Tinyhouse, or two, built just for them.

4. She feels brighter than a lucky penny. Abraham Lincoln was the first person to appear on a U.S. coin, when the 1909 penny was struck in honor of his 100th birthday. Thomas Jefferson is on the nickel, George Washington is on the quarter, and John F. Kennedy is on the half dollar. Without looking, do you know which President is on the dime?  Yes, it's FDR.  

5. Lesley Gore was very popular in the 1960s, with 11 Top Ten hits. Most people don't know that, while she was making records, she was also attending Sarah Lawrence College and graduated with her BA in 1968. What's something most Saturday 9ers would be surprised to know about you?  I have driven a stock car well over a 120 miles and hour.  Pegged it.  Don't tell Mom!

 6. She performed "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" in the movie Ski Party. Do you plan to ski this season?   Alas, I've never skied. I wanted to do it, but never actually got the time to learn it.

The Title of this is: "Just Don't Fall Down"
it comes from THIS webpage

7. This song was written by Marvin Hamlisch, who would go on to win three Oscars, four Grammys, three Emmys, a Tony, and a Pulitzer Prize. That's quite an impressive list! But we believe our Sat 9-ers are impressive, too. So give yourself an award this morning. (For example, Crazy Sam is now Meme Mistress of the Year.)  "The Gadfly On the Mesa" ?  Yes, that suits me.  However, I do not want to have to drink the "Fatal Koka Kola".  It's Nasty Tasting.  

SEEKPNG Site.. 

8. In 1965, when this song was on the charts, I Dream of Jeannie premiered. This supernatural sitcom, about an astronaut who finds a genie on a beach, competed for viewers with Bewitched, which was about an advertising executive who marries a witch. Do you prefer Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie? Gee, let me see... I never knew that about where Jeannie came from.  Hmmm....🤔 Anywhooo, it would be, "I Dream of Jeannie", because I never watched "Bewitched".

9. Random question -- Which would you rather have, tacos or pizza? I like Tacos just a tiny bit better, but I'd like them to be home-made and with a chrispy shell, like we used to make them. Chipotlé makes them, and they are OK, but still not like homemade.  😋  Yumm!

Thanks go out to Sam, The Meme Mistress,  for this fun Meme every week!

Readers.  Want to join in, or see other Saturday  Niner's offerings?  Go HERE

Alexei Navalny is now in Solitary Confinement Permanently.

See the Article  HERE 

Now, let us look at our OWN democracy ......

Democracy, as long as Vulture Capitalism doesn't get the upper hand, as it has almost done in America, is the best system for ALL the people in the world, Hands down, the BEST!  

And, here is the problem: If women and mothers are not included in the total array of rights and freedoms in a Democratic Society, it is no better than what we see happening to women all over the world.  They are marginalized and voiceless.  And so are  the voices of their children.  

Children are the future. Every society anywhere in the world recognizes that.  Ladies, women are slightly over HALF the people in the world.  There IS no justice if we are excluded, or precluded, from having a VOICE and a VOTE. 

Corporations in America now have the same rights as a MALE individual.  American women, as a whole, should enjoy those rights as well.  Equal rights with not only Men, but with Corporations.  It is the American way! 

Three on Thursday

 Three Movies I watch over and over while knitting:

Enchanted April

Princess Bride 

Cold Comfort Farm 

Wordless Wednesday

“Welcome Home” by Peter Ralston

Jesus is Just Alright - Doobie Brothers; Jesus is Just Alright With Me....

This is my favorite of all times.... 

Rest In Peace Beautiful Elder…

Here is Ela … an extra ordinary human being. 

Saturday 9: Patsy Cline, "Walkin' After Midnight"

 

 

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!

I never realized just how beautiful Patsy Cline was.  I'd only seen her a few times; I was 18 or 19 when she died.

Saturday 9: Walkin' After Midnight (1957)

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

 

1) The lyrics tell us Patsy Cline was out walking after midnight. Where were you at midnight last night?  No, I wasn't.  And this was because we had the absolute "Miracle of RAIN"  last night.  It was not a good time to be outside in the dark. lol

Isn't it preeety..  It's a Wallpaper....

 

2) She's sure she hears the night winds whispering to her. Is it windy, breezy, or still outdoors right now?  Right now there is a slight breeze, and lots of sunshine.  Everything is fresh and lovely because of two days of good storms. 

3) When she was 13, Patsy came down with a fever and throat infection so severe she ended up in the hospital. She believed the illness changed her vocal chords and enabled her to sing in a lower key. How are you doing this cold and flu season?  I'm not having any problems with my vocal chords.  They are 80 years old and have been singing right along with  the "La Linda", the Doobie Bros and other bands recently.  "La Voce" might not sound all that good anymore but I don't give a hoot.  I think I was supposed to sing my whole life and I intend to do it. I put the headphones on and belt it out.  DH likes to hear me whistle and hum along to our music.  I spare him the screechy vocals and other stuff. LOL

4) Patsy is well remembered today not only for her voice but for her generous spirit. Loretta Lynn, Dottie West and Barbara Mandrell all considered Patsy a trusted personal friend and professional mentor. Have you ever been a mentor?  No, I don't think I have been.  I have had a mentor though.  It was my Western Civ Prof at college.  I will always remember him with great fondness.

 

5) Patsy had a tough side, too. While traveling by bus and playing one-nighters, she found she and her band sometimes never got paid for their efforts. So she began demanding payment -- in cash -- before they would take the stage. She'd insist, "No dough, no show." Tell us about your tough side. Good for Patsy!  I haven't got a tough side.  But I am cautious about anything to do with money exchanges, being stiffed once for custom earrings I made for a flaming nut case.  She was picking up two pair of earrings and so she pretended to be making the check out for both when she was only making it out for one. She already had them in her possession because it was an exchange.  Well, well... Live and learn.  She said that one pair was for another woman and I'd have to get my payment from her myself and literally RAN away.  She was a re-lapsing mental case, that one. 

 

6) Patsy became the first female country star to headline at a Las Vegas showroom. Who is your favorite country performer?  I'd say that it's probably Glenn Campbell, or maybe Gordon Lightfoot.  I have liked that genre for so long it could be Roy Rogers. hahaha  My Grandpa played all the Western Songs for us when we were teeny tiny and we sang a long with him.  There were 6 of us little kiddlets at our grandparent's house during WWII.  

 

7) In 1957, the year this song hit #2 on the charts, embroidered cotton handkerchiefs were a popular present for the ladies on your gift list. Do you own any handkerchiefs?  I have some of my mother's and Grandmother's hankies. Mother used to make them for herself and even some for me.  

 

8) 1957 was a banner year for Elvis. He released four hit records, two top box-office films, and his TV appearances topped the ratings. 65 years later, he is still recognized the world over by his first name alone. Can you think of another performer for whom one name is all that's required?  Sade. Ever since she first hit the airways, here, I have loved her music.  There's another one too.  Trying to remember her exact name.  Cesária Évora: I have her "Cabo Verde" album.  But she uses both names... sorry...

Here's some of her music...very lovely sounds..

9) Random question: What's the most embarrassing story your parents (or siblings) tell about you?  My father was a Narcissist, so EVERYthing was about him, and though Mother may have had stories she told her friends or her sisters about me, she never told them when I was near enough to hear them. I can remember a story my aunt tells about me.  I was getting a tan and asked her for real butter to put on my skin.. she lived in Sunny Arizona.... to get a better tan.  She gave it to me but she told that story with a sort of affectionate growl whenever I was in earshot and could hear it. 

Thank you Sam!  It's always a pleasure to read and to post for this fun meme....

READERS: If you would like to join in the fun, or see other Saturday Niner's Tales.. go HERE

Houston, we have a problem....

Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash

As the country has faced more and more challenges, something that would make any person become anxious, it, We,  are failing our young people in a big way.  That has to change or we can just lose another generation to God knows What.   

HERE is an article from the Washington Post about what the younger generations, I mean Teens, and Twenty-somethings, and their middle aged parents are up against.  These, to me, are the younger generations...

Can't we, as a country, do better than this?   

Three on Thursday... Sanity Savers in a world that is becoming so sadly Authoritarian.

This is a fun something to do on Thursday,
 a difficult day made kinder.

Three on Thursday

1.  "May you walk with Beauty all around you."  A Navajo Saying and one that is a definite sanity saver... 

Happy Fiftieth Birthday to our youngest two! 
I hope you have a lovely Birthday!  
Wish we could get together for CAKE!

2.  Keep on Knittin' Mama,  knittin' those cares away.  I am going to rewrite the knitting charts for flat knitting the Aran sweater.  This is so that they make sense to me and don't cause my brain to FREEZE before knitting wrong side rows (and every single stitch in them) in a complicated design.

3. Meditate more, ( almost typed, "Medicate"!😜) but also I need to, "Sit in Silence" more, as I do at Friend's Meeting.   That's Quaker Friends. And because it really is a great comfort to do so.

🙏 Peace Be with You 🙏   

 

 

Wordless Wednesday ... shhhhhh

 

Music Monday: Doobie Brothers... "Listen to the Music"

 Love it, Love it!!!

Music Monday: I Ask if She Knows Journey and This Nashville Singer Steals The Show

This is Awesome!

Saturday9: New Attitude Updated...

 New Attitude (1984)

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! 

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

1) In this song, Patti Labelle sings that she feels good from her hat to her shoes. Do you often wear hats or caps?  

Yes, I was a Desert Rat while young and later a Geology student, then a rock hound, for most of my life.  So, I spent a lot of time climbing on hills and chasing for rock specimens around the deserts.  So you learn early on to wear a hat all the time. Not fashion but necessity.

 

2) The lyrics tell us that Patti's worries are few. Is anything particular bothering you as you answer these questions?

If you read this blog, you know what's bothering me.  I'm not so jolly anymore.  The S..t just got very serious M'lady.  I've been anti war ALL of my life, and this is just so very dangerous a time that it's getting hard to breathe.

 

3) The video for this song takes place in a high-end boutique. What's the most recent article of new clothing you bought, and where did you buy it?  

A few years ago I bought some tops on line at Zulily which is probably now out of business because of the pandemic. I can't seem to find it now.

4) In 2019, a street in Philadelphia was renamed "Patti LaBelle Way." At the ceremony, she was referred to as "The Godmother of Soul." Do you have godparents? If yes, tell us about them.

Mother's parents were my God Parents.  That was a long time ago but I've been thinking about them a lot.  They were wonderful people, patient, fun and kind, and I wish I could have had them in my life more. 

 

5) Patti dropped out of high school during her senior year. When she was in her mid-30s, she went to night school and earned her diploma. Do you have any diplomas or certificates framed and displayed in your home or office?

No. Though I have three and a half years worth of college credits, there is no diploma.  There are a lot of reasons, good ones, but it boiled down to poverty and discrimination.  After that, college seemed less and less important, as I just threw all my efforts into my own family and creating as much of a life as possible for them.

 

6) Patti was once engaged to Otis Williams, founder of the Motown super group The Temptations. Who is your favorite Motown recording artist? (Here is a list.) 

I have no favorite.  However, here's a short list of all the ones whose music I did listen to and liked a lot.. a LOT...

Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, Kiki Dee, Michael Jackson, Rick James, The Jackson Five, The Spinners, UFO, Boyz II Men, Jose Feliciano,

The Pointer Sisters, Queen Latifah.. in her Hip Hop days.. Love that gal! And the wonderful Lionel Richie.

Update!  I just realized who Michael McDonald IS!  Doobies are my favorite group of all times.  

7) A diabetic herself, Patti has volunteered her time to organizations that fight the disease. Do you know anyone currently dealing with diabetes?  

Yes.  Quite a few of my friends and family members.

Why haven't we got a cure for it yet?  It's a killer and there should have been a cure by now.  My grandmother and great aunt died of it, and this, before they were 50.  One of my mother's young cousins, a twelve-year old with fiery red hair, back in the 40's.  I remember looking down from a kitchen window at mother's cousin, and being told that this beautiful girl (and she was beautiful) would not be alive when I returned to Ohio.  I'm also sure two of my other aunts are dead now because of it. I have a long hatred for it. Managed care... grrrr

 

8) In 1984, when this song was popular, Angela Lansbury premiered in Murder, She Wrote, a show still seen in reruns today. Were you a fan?  

I was.  I really love the show.  It was one of probably two network shows we watched.  That and "Major Dad" which we found Hilarious and which is now on YouTube.

9) Random question: What's your secret to a good night's sleep?  

Now-a-days I'm lucky to have to take a medicine (for a chronic condition) that makes me sleepy.  So, I take that, read for about an hour and then lie down and clear my mind of everything.... Et Voila!  Zzzzzzzzz 😴💤

*Readers: Would you like to join in the fun?  Go HERE to the Linkie

💌 Thanks again, Sam, for this fun MEME to do every Saturday! 💌

 

 

Three on Thursday

http://caroleknits.net/

It's a very Thankful Three on Thursday this week...

1.  I am so very thankful for the rains we are having.  California needs them so much!

2. I am thankful, and grateful, for friends of all kinds from everywhere on the Planet, that blogging has connected me with.  I'm so thankful for my readers. 

3. I'm thankful that I can get back to my knitting again.  

The small project is the mate to this SF glove.
It's already done to the thumb/first finger break   

I'm figuring out the Aran sweater modification, since Covid hit about the time that I'd reached the front/ back division, and I was set to go into my favorite knit shop and get some help, it got shelved.  

I cannot figure out how to knit all that complicated charted pattern as FLAT knitting.  It's not going to happen for me.  So, I have to modify the upper chest and back to an easy columnar run of some kind.  I need to get this puppy DONE. 

Ta Ta for Now.

Wordless Wednesday ..... shhhh

 

💔🙏