Saturday Komeekz - on a Sunday...

c/o and many Thanks to Bil Keane for all the lovely years

Tuesday Tails meets Saturday Komeekz: Some real Pickles...

Wolfie went to the the groomer's today and came home with a sleek and shiny coat.  He loves his groomer!  We love her!  Unfortunately I have no picture of him today, as he's already snuggled up and snoozing on the bed right up next to his favorite alpha male, who is also my favorite alpha male.

Good night y'all!  Happy Dreams!  Everyone needs them.  They keep your brain (as Bee used to say when she was a tot) from " essplodeene"

Saturday Komeekz: Snert, adorable Snert...

Hagar, he's pretty funny even if he is horrible and smelly.

I did about five rows of knitting, but of course then discovered a mistake and had  to re-do several.  Happily it's corrected and a few more rows added.  It still looks like a Mushroom.  At least now I know how to knit mushrooms for all the little gnomes to live in.

I needz betr feengrz

Saturday Komeekz... Luanne

I want to live in the Funny Papers, where life is beautiful all day long.

Saturday Komeekz: Millie and Mooch take a nap....

Zzzzzzzzzz.  *smiles*

Happy Halloween, Saturday Komeekz, and everything Saturday9: "Thriller"!

I loved all the halloween cartoons today...

but had to settle on just two.  I think they are great!

Now!  For Saturday Nine!
To PLAY along go to SAM'S Blog and Go for it! We hate rules so we don't have any.  And, if you want visits,  be sure to use the Linkey at the bottom of her page so we all can go Blog Visiting to see your jottings!

Saturday 9: Thriller (1983)

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

1) In this video, Michael Jackson is transformed into a "werecat," with fangs, claws, yellow eyes and whiskers. What  monster or ghoul frightened you the most?
To be perfectly honest, Psycho humans frighten me more than any monster.  I suppose the frightening idea that aliens might not be benign but might want to hunt us down and eat us sort of scares me.

2) Michael sings that evil things that will be lurking "close to midnight." Where will you be at midnight tonight?
I hope I'm asleep but we'll see.

3) Horror movie icon Vincent Price does the voice over on "Thriller." What's your favorite scary movie?
That would be, "Pitch Black".  It's really horrible!

4) Mr. Price's House of Wax, made in 1953, was one of the first 3D movies. What's the most recent 3D movie you saw?
I've never seen one.  I know, so dull of me....

5) Horror fans might be surprised to know that, despite his sinister image, Mr. Price enjoyed very genteel and relaxing hobbies, like cooking, gardening and painting. What would we be surprised to learn about you?
Since I've written a blog for almost 11 years, I'd be surprised myself if anything was a mystery to any of you.  You do know that I liked Ike, and thought he was about the best president we've ever had.  I totally respect the man as POTUS.  That might be surprising but I doubt it.  Everybody liked Ike.

6) A Halloween tradition is the jack-o-lantern. Did you carve a pumpkin this year?
I will carve two plastic ones if I get the time to do it.  I've found some lovely faces that will enhance the collection.

From HERE

This comes from HERE, the Disney Family fun page

7) According to Yahoo!, the most popular costume of Halloween 2014 was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Will you be in costume this Halloween? If not, who or what would you most like to dress up as?
I hand out candy and usually don't dress up.  It scares the dog.  hahahaha  But, really, I have two things I do: Witch/hag or Gypsy Fortune teller with gobs of old trash jewelry.  It's fun.

8) When you went trick or treating as a kid, did you usually wear a store-bought costume, or was it DIY?
I was always in a costume my mom made me, or later, one I made up myself.

9) When trick-or-treaters show up at your door, what candy will they get?
Their favorite little mini choc bars.  That way, if there are any left over..............lol

Saturday Komeekz! Luann, art teacher extraordinaire

THIS is the life!

I've followed, and loved, this cartoon from the beginning.  Happy young adulthood Luann!
Yes, I know she isn't real. heehee

Saturday Komeekz a little early .August Happiness Challenge.

The funny papers always make me Happy.  It's something I look forward to on the weekends when we get the "News" Paper.

This is cute, but you'll have to make it bigger to read it.

It's almost Christmas!  Hahahaha ~*~'Tis the Season!~*~
I"m off to cast on those sleeves.  Yesterday, the stove got cleaned.  Really, I should do something about my priorities!  lol

Music Monday: "Suzanne", Leonard Cohen & Judy Collins perform. August Happiness Challenge #3

This is just a beautiful, beautiful song...



Now for August Happiness Challenge, #3. Sunday Comics always uplift me. They always make me very happy.

Thank you Stephan Pastis!

Saturday Komeekz.. Potato song, Life Lessons from a very kind and wise man...and web jigsaws - yay!

I plan to do both of these things- Keep Calm and Carry on, and Keep Calm and Speak up for Animals.
The Crab, I think is cute but not very huggable, but the watchdog, I want to adopt and bring home to an all new life of lots of hugs and kisses!  The funny little crab reminds me that you can be angry, even damned angry!  But, you should calm down so you don't suddenly turn up your toes with a coronary!  So, then you can then carry on.
This is one of my newest stress busters.  They are just Brilliant fun!

Elle gave me a first Gen iPad, and this is my prezzie from DH.
So, I can read books and do puzzles on two little machines.  Yes, I know they aren't mechanical but I love machines so there you go.  Everything that does stuff inside is a machine to me.

This is just crazy fun!




Have a great weekend!  

Saturday Komeekz Wiley.. Cave man Escrow

Where would we be if we didn't laugh?

I've just started reading the first book of Jane Smiley's Trilogy

I have to read like a demon because it's an ebook and on loan from the San Diego County Library.  If I'm not around much, you can blame Jane. heehee

Oh you bet it's good.  

Forgot the Saturday Komeekz... Bizarro

I'm one of those people who attempt to murder to prevent Puns, Choking Punsters is as far as I'll go so it really isn't Death in the True sense of the word.

I hope this wasn't up before.  I'm just losing brain cells in a convergence of random (or is it radon) strings that have escaped from theories in the Physics dept.  Damn them! Damn them to hell!  I have a 327 Magnum baguette with some of their names written all over it with permanent markers.  Oh, and pardon my French.  

Saturday9 and Saturday Komeekz

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 week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Lesley Gore premiered this song on an episode of Batman. She played Pussycat, the protegee of Catwoman. (That explains her outfit in the video.) How many of Batman's nemeses can you name?
A. The only two I can recall are the characters portrayed by Jack Nicholson and Danny Devito.

2) At least five actors have played The Caped Crusader already (Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale) and Ben Affleck will play him in 2016's Batman vs. Superman. Who is your favorite Batman? (If any Batmen were inadvertently omitted, Sam apologizes.)
A. That would be Val Kilmer.  I just love that actor.  He's great in just about anything he does.  One movie he was in that you've probably never heard of, and in which he starred, was, "Thunder Heart"

3) Unlike most superheroes, Batman doesn't have any superpowers. This Saturday, you're more fortunate. We're bestowing any superpower on you that you want. Which would you like?
A. Wah!  Just one?  OK. Invisibility.  Now if I could have flight while wearing a cloaking suit, that would be better than any amount of chocolate, really.

4) Though she's singing of warm California nights, Lesley Gore was a New Yorker, born in Brooklyn and, in February of this year, dying in Manhattan. Which coast have you spent more time on, the West Coast or the East Coast?
A. Lesley Gore is dead?  I wanna cry!  She was too young!  A moment of Silence.........

To answer the question, I'm fully acclimated to the West Coast.   If re-incarnation was a fact, I'd come back here, over and over, until this whole coast - or the human race - was gone, I guess.

5) Not many people know that while she was making records, Lesley was also a student at Sarah Lawrence and graduated with her BA in 1968. What's something we would be surprised to know about you?
A. I'm really an Extra terrestrial but then I'm sure some of you knew that already.  Watch my eyes... did you see it?  Really, I'm too ordinary for words.

6) In 1967, when this song was popular, the best selling new camera in the United States was the new Polaroid Swinger. Think about the most recent photo you took. Did you use a camera, a tablet, or a phone?
A.  I used a Canon teensy.  It's Spy cam.  Lol!  I told you.... Actually I just came to this planet for the chocolate and the Cadillac Margaritas.

7) The big fashion trend of 1967 was bright tights, in shades like Hot Pink, Shock Orange and Grass Green. Tell us about something you wore when it was trendy but now you look back and think, "Oh, God, that was awful!"
A.  O God!  I missed it!  Let's see, trendy.....  I never saw a polka dot I didn't like.

I still love them

8) In 1967, drivers complained about "gas wars." The price  was unpredictable and would rise and fall, day by day, as much as 30¢ per gallon. How much does it cost you to fill up your tank today?
A.  Probably about $50.  But then there is the RV.  That thing is awesomely expensive to fill.  We take it once a year somewhere and PARK it.  We were going to buy an old schoolbus and rip out all the seats and just bolt handy things to the floor but our Rockhound friends talked us out of that.

I still think this is a very cool MakeOver.
It's probably heavier than The Dome at Yosemite... probably.

9) Random question: Are there dishes in your kitchen sink right now?
A. Wow, that IS really random....  Have to check. Brb...

The flower pot is soaking to get it cleaned for a new plant.


The words from our hostess, Sam:

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!

An exercise in Readability, what a wheeze, and Saturday9, as well as Saturday Komeekz.

Sheesh, who knew?

Written for The Machine.  I jargonized and hyperbolized. Who would want to do this to anyone?

Lurking within the unknowable, the chronically overused multi-syllabic words that are spewed forth to make blogs smarter and wiser seeming are almost impossible to calculate for worth in any true sense of the word.  What happens when you write entries with syllable length in mind?  Does the entry make sense to fewer people or does it enhance their overall reading enjoyment?  These questions and others along the same lines are only answered by the readers themselves who leave in droves when syllable license is exercised!

This was only a test.  I'm going back to the monosyllabic utterances that seem to better suit my life as it is and not as it was.

 Reading Text ...

Reading Ease

A higher score indicates easier readability; scores usually range between 0 and 100.

Readability Formula	Score
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease	51.2

Grade Levels

A grade level (based on the USA education system) is equivalent to the number of years of education a person has had. Scores over 22 should generally be taken to mean graduate level text.

Readability Formula	Grade
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level	11.5
Gunning-Fog Score	14.6
Coleman-Liau Index	13.8
SMOG Index	10.5
Automated Readability Index	13
Average Grade Level	12.7

Text Statistics

Character Count	432
Syllable Count	136
Word Count	86
Sentence Count	4
Characters per Word	5.0
Syllables per Word	1.6
Words per Sentence	21.5

Go HERE to give it a whorl.  There is another site, the same results basically but it would only accept one thing.

Back to Real Life: Saturday9

Battle Hymn of the Republic

He was in my Mother's Generation.  So Sad...

Memorial Day was introduced to honor the men and women who died while serving the in the United States Armed Forces. We want to make sure that message is not forgotten this weekend.

 

1) This recording was made live at St. Patrick's Cathedral, during Sen. Robert Kennedy's funeral. (Hear it here.) While both of Bobby's older brothers were decorated war heroes, he served too -- enlisting in the Navy in 1943. Are you a veteran? Are there veterans in your family? (We are grateful and want to hear about it.)

The Paternal Unit and my little brother are disabled Army vets.  My uncle retired from the Air Force.  

 2) Memorial Day also kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food? 

  My Grandmother's Potato Salad.

3) Name a scent that reminds you of someone special in your life.

 Lavender.  My mother grew it and nibbled on it.

 

4) When was the last time you had your hair cut or trimmed?

 Last week.  I trimmed the split ends.  This is sort of random?

 

5) Crazy Sam runs on Dunkin'. Are you loyal to a particular brand of coffee?

I don't drink it anymore but Mr.Z buys two brands of fair traded organic coffee, TJ. Pajaro, and Starbucks. 

 

6) If money was no object, what home improvement would you like to make this summer? 

I'd love to have the whole interior painted except the kitchen, but why stop there, let's do a makeover.  I'd like landscaping done in the side yard and the whole exterior re-stuccoed.  We are talking BIG bucks here but, Hey, this is fantasy so what the heck.

All it needs is a picket fence, yes?

7) What was the last thing you bought purely for your own enjoyment?

 Dove Darks!  

8) When was the last time you rode a bike?

 Sadly, about 1995, I gave away my favorite bike, a second hand 60's Motobecane (which I'd ridden almost daily for nearly 35 years).  This happened when I started falling.  It was a sweet ride.

 

9) Sam worries that many of her song selections reflect her decidedly Baby Boomer sensibilities. Is there a song or a performer that you'd like to see featured in a Saturday 9 this summer?

Actually, Sam, I'm a sort of pre-baby boomer, so I don't mind your choices at all.  You do a great job!  And thanks!  This is not an easy meme to create!  I ♥ this meme!

Saturday Komeekz

I can SO relate to this cartoon.  

Have a Happy Weekend!

Saturday Komeekz

Thank you Pina!

"And thus spake Zarathustra"!

Please, just call us Seamstresses -or even "Tailors" for the males in the business!  Those are a couple of great old words for people who create fitted patterns, and seam cloth, hides, whatever, together into clothing, sails, draperies,etc.. Windwings?

Saturday Komeekz!

heehee  those mind reading classes must have really work well.  Actually, she just enhanced her natural abilities as a female of the species.

I'm of the opinion that Swamis,Gurus and Buddhist Monks have nothing on women.  No contest! 

Saturday Komeekz and some sad news about the wee tort.

And, we found the baby tortoise but it was dead.

He got out of his yard.. it is the way of torts to wander far and wide.

So, RIP little Majik....

Saturday Komeekz, water and droughts. And, introducing the newest baby tort.

Yesterday being the First Day of Spring, and all, it makes me think of celebrating- thus the cartoon. First day of Spring, isn't that the day when all that snowing in the Midwest turns into all that raining, unless your state is in drought.

In that event, it means that IF the Spring rains don't turn into Miracle March or something soon, in dear old SoCal, there is another record year of dead plants unless you don't stay home, where you belong after all, and hand water everything with a bucket and a cup.

Mr. Z has harvested well over 300 gallons of rain water, some of which has already been used.  But I wish that I could have prevailed, several years ago in the drought, for the purchase of a cistern in which to store 1000 gallons of water off the gutters - "And, where would we put such a thing?"

If I had done so, it's more likely that the Rain Devil would have laughed himself sick and just poured rain water on our city  reservoirs in abundance.  Well, enough to drop the price of acre feet to an mind boggling fifty cents a dozen, and thereby making the paying for such a "mighty cistern" stretch out, from a little over five years, to amortizing it out to the middle of the Century, eh?

Isn't that what Rain Devil's are for?  Are not they in the business of making fools of mere mortals like me?

Happy Spring!
I'm still waiting for the Buddleias.

This is what I'm after.  This sign.

It's this goal that keeps me ticking over....  We've been eligible for years and years but now we should have the sign, I reckon.

Newest Baby Tort:

I suppose this qualifies us for the place to raise young.
Well, there's the doves, Jays, and Towhees, too.

For size comparison.  "She's" about 6 months old.

This little squirt spent the whole winter on it's own.  Mr. Z. found her/him tucked up tight against something under the small deck.  I wonder how many others there are out there in the tall grass.  We haven't named it yet but I remember Button.  I wonder if it's safe to name him/her Button?  She/he is brown eyed.

Saturday Komeekz

Saturday Komeekz

For Wendy...

I would link and credit the page but Google did NOT LIKE IT. I listen to Google.

Saturday9, Aretha and you are talking cars, Bebé! And, Saturday Komeekz - yet another use for bacon grease?

Freeway of Love

Welcome toSaturday: 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: Freeway of Love (1985)

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


1) In this song, Aretha's ideal car is a pink Caddy. What's your dream vehicle?
A Pink Porche Speedster.

2) Have you ever owned a convertible?
Owned, no, but I got to drive my mother's chopped 50's Oldsmobile, Oldsmobile Yellow, to High School and college.  My very first car was a cherry apple red 55 Merc. but the Paternal Unit needed money so he sold it.  I needed to get a REAL job but those weren't all that great in the back of beyond!

3) Aretha longs to "drop the pedal and go." Are you a careful, conservative driver? Or do you enjoy going fast? 
As does Aretha, I like speed.  I've driven several old muscle cars to the peg, Mama!  I gave it up for solid citizen status when I got married, except for one straight 6, overhead cam Pontiac Firebird Sweet, sweet car!

We had this after the older kids were born.  Lordy,  that was the BEST car!  I pegged it, too, on the back roads, sans family.  So yes, I like speed, or rather liked.  Amongst the motored beings, I love cars, Airplanes, and Sewing Machines, in that order!

4) Aretha's grandmother Rachel helped raise her. Tell us about one of your grandparents.
My Grandfather was a rich man's son, but he left home when his father died, and his mother remarried someone my grandfather could not stand.  He joined the Merchant Marines at 14 as a cabin boy, and traveled twice around the globe, earning his Master Mechanic rank while doing so.  He then came to land, and stayed, becoming a Heavy Equipment Operator and earning a Master Mechanic license which stood him well during the Great Depression.  Sadly, he died only a few years after my Grandmother did, so I only saw him a few times after we'd moved to California.  I loved my grandparents so much.  From my grandfather, I got the love of singing and of playing the guitar.  I was supposed to get his guitar when my aunt got it, but she got everything of value stolen from her, and two instruments, a violin and his guitar, were part of that theft.

5) Aretha played a waitress in the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers. Have you ever worked in food service?  Yes.  I did a stint at a non chain burger joint when the older girls were tiny, so that I could buy my dream guitar.   It was a Regal Dreadnought.  Lovely thing but not that cheap.

6) Aretha was a chain smoker for decades and had a terrible time giving up cigarettes. What habit do you wish you could break?  At my age I've broken all of them.  I was in the habit of knitting or sewing nearly every spare minute. I wish I could get that one back!

7) A sculpture of Aretha is at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in New York City. What's the last museum you visited?  There's a beautiful Museum of Modern Art in Santa Cruz that I'd like to see again soon.  We visited it a few years ago.

8) Since Aretha has many honorary degrees, it would be appropriate to refer to her as Dr. Franklin. Who is the last person you addressed by his or her title (Officer, Father, Pastor, Dr., etc.)?  Hahahaha!  That one's easy.  It is Doctor!

9) The daughter of a minister, Aretha enjoys singing "church music" and her 1972 CD Amazing Grace is one of the best sellers in gospel music history. Do you have any gospel music on your phone, iPod or MP3 player?  I have a lot of stuff on the nannie.  I'm not sure what because it can't be accessed anymore.

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!

And, now for something completely different!

Saturday Komeekz!

Make it bigger.....

Have a great Weekend!