Muttering to Yourself?

It seems that September went by far too quickly and October is almost here. Just one more day for September to do her magic and then voila.. October makes her grand entrance.
Already the sky is changing, the sea is cooling down, the light filters differently through the woods and air is crisper and brighter somehow.
The kids went to the farm yesterday and brought me home a really perfect pumpkin! Its wonderful. All I have to do is decide if it should be made into a pie or just used for decoration.
Today is a bit overcast and chilly.. not bad all in all, but humidity is pretty high and that is nasty I think.

By popular request, namely Linda Conley, the Perfect Pumpkin from the farm in photo to the left.


Meanwhile,  Toni (whom we are all praying diligently for) posted another unconscious muttering and I thought I would give it a try myself.

 I say and you Think:
1 .Brace ~ for impact
2. Upgrade ~ first class
3. Run ~  for the Roses
4. Construction ~ Worker
5. Lazy ~ man's carry
6. Email ~ spam
7. Hide ~  and seek
8. Hornet 's~   Nest
9. Wonder ~ ful
10. Hesitate ~ He who hesitates is lost

There is a story to number 5.
When I was first married, my husband (who is deceased) and I lived in an upstairs apartment. It was very nice but you had to carry groceries up a long flight of stairs. We got them out of the car and I had 3 bags full in my arms. I was 20 years old and in very good shape.
 My husband warned me that this was the "lazy man's carry" and that if I didn't listen to him, disaster would result. I was strong, agile and athletic and said, "I can handle it". Famous last words!
Well, sure enough, the bags broke all down the stairs and we had to do twice the work we would have had if I had just listened to him and carried one or two at a time.
I have never forgotten that lesson. He had a good laugh at my expense, which he usually did.. He thought I was "the cutest thing on earth" and got a kick out of the fact I was clumsy and a bit of an  airhead.   He found it cute.

Until next time..

Sunday Stealing

Time for another Sunday of Theft and Thieves from Sunday Stealing hosted by Bev.

 This week's questions come from Markandangel

If you could instill one piece of advice in a newborn baby’s mind, what advice would you give?
Trust in God and don't learn by experience.  Learning by experience is the stupid way and the painful way.

What is the most desirable trait another person can possess?
Morality

What are you most grateful for?
Life

Is stealing to feed a starving child wrong?
No, it is not wrong, if you have exhausted all other avenues first.

What do you want most?
Peace and love.

Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
I am more concerned with doing right things in a right manner.

What has life taught you recently?
That things are becoming more black and white in the world.


What is the one thing you would most like to change about the world?
People and their attitudes.

Where do you find inspiration?
In a ton of different places and different times and situations.

Can you describe your life in a six word sentence?
I try to dance in rain.

If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?
Because mistakes hurt and mostly we only partly learn from mistakes.Mistakes and misjudgements, etc. are born of our inability to see the world and ourselves clearly and one experience does not fix that at all.

What impact do you want to leave on the world?
The world is a huge place with billions of people. I will not have any impact on the  world, just perhaps on my own little section of it.

What is the most defining moment of your life thus far?
There is not one thing I can point to. Many things go into making life, experiences, etc. and they are ongoing every day.


In the haste of your daily life, what are you not seeing?
I don't know since I can't see it. 

If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
Because we like some of the wrong things and want more and more of what might not be good for us.

What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?
Good people.

Have you ever regretted something you did not say or do?
I suppose I have but in the end not everything you think has to come out of your mouth and many of the things you regret not doing were probably just not worth it in the first place.

Has your greatest fear ever come true?
I don't know what that would be but evidently not.

Why do we think of others the most when they’re gone?
The same reason people want autumn in the summer, summer in the winter, etc.  People always want what they can't have more than things right in their grasp.
People take others for granted as well.

What is your most beloved childhood memory?
 I can't think of one specific thing..sorry.

Shaking it Off.. Saturday 9

 Shake It Off (2014)

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

Join in above

1) This song makes Crazy Sam want to dance. What song inspires you to get on your feet?
There are a lot of them and I love dancing. LOVE IT.  Uptown Funk is a good one  but the Waltz No. 2 by Dmitri  Shostakovich is wonderful too.



 

 2) Paul McCartney met Taylor Swift at the SNL 40 Anniversary special and told her he really enjoys playing and singing this song. What's the last song you sang along with?

Once Upon a December from Anastasia


3) The lyrics tell us Swift "shakes off" nasty gossip and unfair criticism. What about you? Do you worry about what others think of you?
To a certain extent, yes, but I don't let it get to me or get me down.  People have a nasty habit of judging others without any real basis and I've seen them do that and so if they criticize me, I realize it is their problem.

4) Her parents are big music fans, and were going to name their baby (boy or girl) "Taylor" after their favorite artist, James Taylor. Can you think of a singer that your mom and/or dad really enjoyed?
 No. I never heard them talk about music of any kind. The songs my mother enjoyed were mostly instrumental.

5) She grew up on an 11-acre Christmas tree farm. Do you get a fresh tree every year, or do you have an artificial tree, or do you not put up a tree at all?
I am surrounded by woods on a couple of sides..so fresh trees daily 365 days a year 

6) Taylor Swift is 5'10". According to the CDC, the average American woman is 5'4" while men are, on average, 5'9". Are you taller or shorter than average?
At 5'6" I am a bit taller than average.

7) She enjoys good, old fashioned mysteries, especially those by Agatha Christie. Are you currently reading a book for pleasure?
I also enjoy Agatha Christie but I am not reading a book currently.  I do a lot of reading online, however.

8) Her brother Austin is a freelance photographer who took the official pictures for her 2008 concert tour. Who took the last photo of you?
My daughter took this photo with her phone  and snap chat a couple of months ago.

9) Random question: What's your go-to comfy outfit?
I like cotton blouses and tops in summer, and sweaters or sweatshirts with a blouse in the winter or fall.

Autumn Begins . SkyWatch Friday, Friday Photos

...Oh! how
 beautiful
is Autumn?

Summer lingers on the east coast for a bit even through September and into a bit of October, though it is called Indian Summer.
Leaves are turning now, nights are chilly sometimes.
You feel the difference in the air, in the light and shadows.
All photos are my neighborhood and taken by me.

Just Thought I'd Ask.. Tuesday 4

Autumn is here! My favorite season of the year. What is your favorite season?
It is time, once again, for Toni's Tuesday 4! I hope you are also joining in and letting us know more about you. The logo below links back to Toni.

Just Thought I'd Ask
1.   Have you ever spent ages writing something on your computer when it suddenly crashed and you lost it all?:  I think I may have, but even worse for me.. I was painting something with Photoshop.. 9 hours of work and lost it all.   I usually always save my work as I go along.(I can also do paintings using a simple Photoshop brush  as well as in acrylics or oils.  It is 100 times harder to paint that way, but I like the challenge)

2.   Are you one of those people who can sleep through anything?:  I sleep well, not sure that I sleep though anything though.


3.   What type or kind of art do you like? And do you draw or paint yourself:
I enjoy looking at impressionism because of the talent necessary to make brush strokes resemble things. It is much more advanced than realism, in my opinion. 

4.   If you went to London, where would you go first?:
I would go out to eat some steak pie which, unless I make it myself, can't be found in the US.
I might enjoy going to see St. Paul's Cathedral .  Mostly I would like to see some Hercule Poirot  film sites I think. Other than that, I really don't think London would be number 1 on my list. It isn't the city it once was.
 I would also rather visit Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but not England really.

 

Autumn's Arrival

...Don't  you just
 LOVE
Autumn? 

Yes Joe,
 I love everything in the autumn.
It is a season that makes you feel good to be alive.
I think it has the perfect blend of color, temperatures and that certain crispness in the air that heighten the senses. At least, it does that for me.
I think we sense the change of seasons in the shading of the shadows, the filtering of light from the sun, the changes in the feel of the air, the breeze.. everything begins to change as autumn settles in.
Fall announces itself with masses of falling leaves.. hence the name "Fall".

This quote from one of my all time favorite movies, "You've Got Mail" was so true, so sweet, that I had to make a graphic for it.
Don't you just love Autumn?

Candy Man.. Saturday 9

THE CANDY MAN (1972)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) This song is from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. The movie was remade as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. Which Wonka did you prefer?
I never saw either of them and really had no interest in seeing them. I am not a big fan of this kind of movie. Candy Man is a euphemism for a drug dealer.  Drug dealers will give away free or at super low prices to get you hooked, then jack up the price.  Hollyweird knew the real meaning of the story.

2) In the movie, this song is sung by Bill, the candy store shopkeeper. Think about the last counter person you dealt with. We know that he or she likely didn't break into song, but did you two engage in conversation?
Yes. We talked for a good part of the afternoon and usually talk a lot when I go in. I like her a lot.
3) The lyrics tell us that The Candy Man can make the world taste good. What's the last thing you ate? Was it delicious, or just OK?
 It was nice. Not overly delicious and not just okay either, but in between.
4) The most popular recording of this song was by Sammy Davis,  Jr. Sammy was in an horrific car accident when he was 29 years old. His cheek and nose were broken and he lost an eye. That he survived at all left him reflective and after his hospitalization, he converted to Judaism. Do you still worship in the faith you were raised in? 

It is a  modified version   which I feel is more normal ,rational, thought out and natural. I  based  my beliefs on  studying into things  for myself in depth. I spent less time learning what    they" want you to learn which usually is the company line with an agenda to keep you hooked on whatever religious spin they are selling at the time.  Much is emotional, syrupy claptrap that has little relationship to rational though.  God says he can be reasoned out and you can know him by looking at his creation. That's reasoning, not emotional response. Now it might evoke an emotional response, but sappy sentimentalism  is not religion.  Facebook is famous for this sappy, syrup. Supposed religious stuff is displayed, usually with a feel good story or tear jerker sentiment that has little resemblance to truth.  One famous one is the dirty homeless guy who deigns to honor God with his presence at a church and gets judged for his appearance. Well.. rightly so.  Every house of worship has a bathroom. Dust yourself off.. wash yourself , bend down and wipe your shoes off and be clean to come before God.  Be as presentable as you can be. No, this homeless man has no excuse. If you tried that in the original temple in Jerusalem you'd have lost your head.. literally.  God does not accept filth, or second best.  Get to the washroom and clean up first.  But see, this is an example of what people think religion is supposed to be : judging by pure emotionalism. People would not enter the White House or Buckingham Palace looking like they do to go to some houses of worship.   In their jeans and Tee's they look as if they are going to paint the barn. And anther Rant comes to an end. Aren't you glad?  

5) Sammy was proud of the honorary college degrees because he received because never formally attended school. As a child, he performed on the road with his father and uncle. In addition to depriving him of an education, that lifestyle kept him from kids his own age. He would later describe his childhood as, "in a word, 'lonely.'" Give us a one-word description of your childhood.    "childhood" (this is a one word description)
 I don't  know and really don't like to give definitions for things that can't be defined in solid terms. If someone says "lonely" does that mean they were lonely and miserable 24/7?  It seems stupid to say that.  People go through varieties of feelings and emotions even in a day , let alone an entire childhood.

6) Because he spent so much of his youth on the road, living on buses, trains and hotel rooms, he loved eventually having his own kitchen and being able to cook his own meals. This weekend, will you spend much time in the kitchen?
I spend the time in the kitchen that it takes to prepare meals. 
7) Sammy enjoyed experimenting with clothes and jewelry. What about you? Do you consider yourself conservative in dress or are you fashion forward?
I dress in styles that are more classic  but I also keep up with the times.    I try to dress nicely most of the time and dress up more to go out.    I  avoid the current style of trailer trash lazy... sloppy pants and T shirt that seems to be the uniform of the standard American today. 
<another rant >In Rome, etc. you can always tell an American tourist by their sloppy appearance. I don't want to be like that.
People's excuse is that it's comfortable.  Years ago there were dress standards in schools and business and many still have them. Why?  Because you do better in everything when your take care of your appearance.  So if you are over 10.. ditch the sloppy baggy pants, shorts,  ugly running shoes, doofey sandals and T Shirts and begin to dress like an adult. And yeah, the Baby  Boom generation(1945 - 1965) is the worst at this!    Even teens dress better than they do. The Baby Boomers always look like they just dressed out of a roadside bin. or always ready to go muck out the horse stalls.  Come on...  How you dress is how you act.</rant

8) When he died, Sammy was in debt to the IRS. Do you handle your own taxes, or do you use the services of an accountant?

  My ex is an IRS agent and handles it all for us both. He put a lot of people in jail in his time.. so watch out and pay up you guys!!

9) Random question: If you had to tell nothing but the truth (not even the tiniest white lie) for 24 hours, do you think you'd get yourself in trouble?
     Well,  no one forces you to tell the unvarnished truth to anyone, especially if it would hurt feelings, cause harm,or make matters worse. You don't have to say everything on your mind all the time. Of course we live in a time when people think their opinions must be heard to the point of displaying their sayings on Tee shirts, etc!  People are so in your face today.
 What I am saying is you can hold your tongue on certain subjects to avoid trouble. You can change the subject or just plain refuse to answer.   

Moscow Skies

Joining in for SkyWatch Friday and Friday Photos.

All photos taken in Moscow, Russia earlier this week.

Bits,Pieces,Tuesday 4

Each week, Toni supplies 4 questions to answer on your blog.
You can click her logo to join in.

Just Bits And Pieces is her title this week and that makes me think of the Dave Clark Five's song Bits and Pieces.
On with the questions.
1.   What is one quote that you love to quote?

"What has been will be again,
    what has been done will be done again;
    there is nothing new under the sun." King Solomon.  

We don't live in the worst times in the history of the earth, not at all and I get tired of people trying to say we live in the worst of times since the beginning.  Plenty of proof out there that that just is not so. There were times when things were far worse. History, weather, catastrophes, all of it come in waves of ups and downs.

2.   Do you ever at times see the world in black and white?
I never thought about it really and not sure what this really means. If it means do I see good and evil, yes I do and the line between them is very stark.

3.   What is something that you never want to do again?
Write parody or a  written caricature that can hurt someone's feelings. I have never in my life deliberately tried to hurt someone but long ago I did through a caricature I wrote and so I can't do them anymore at all.

4.   Do you believe there is life somewhere else in the universe?
No. God created life here and here only. There is other life, but it is spiritual and not to be interacted with as it was before the flood. There is too much about the creation of earth and the reason for it and the ultimate goal for humans for there to be life anywhere else.
Wernher Von Braun told his assistant Carol Rosin:

" first the Russians are going to be considered to be the enemy. In fact, in 1974, they were the enemy, the identified enemy. We were told that they had “killer satellites.” We were told that they were coming to get us and control us – that they were “Commies.”


Then terrorists would be identified, and that was soon to follow. We heard a lot about terrorism. Then we were going to identify third-world country “crazies.” We now call them Nations of Concern. But he said that would be the third enemy against whom we would build space-based weapons.

The next enemy was asteroids. Now, at this point he kind of chuckled the first time he said it. Asteroids – against asteroids we are going to build space-based weapons.


“And remember Carol, the last card is the alien card. We are going to have to build space-based weapons against aliens and all of it is a lie.”

Well, there you have it and another Tuesday 4 passes into the great archival hall of Blogger.
Have a lovely day friends.
 

A Bookish Sunday of Stealing

Welcome to another day of friendly and inquisitive theft.
Bev Sykes stole these questions from booktraveler.
Join with Bev by clicking the logo below.

 

Who is your favourite author?
 I enjoy Agatha Christie and  Robert Parker. I am coming to like the work of Ace Atkins as well. I like fast moving, books without a lot of silly word smithing going on.  Just get to the point. For that reason, while I like movies made of Jane Austen's books, I am no fan of her writing.
I like Dickens and enjoyed David Copperfield and my all time favorite is A Christmas Carol, so I have to add Charles Dickens as a favorite as well.


What was the last book you read? 
I re-read books  I like over and over again.
The latest re-read is Paul F. Boller, Jr.'s Presidential Wives, an Anecdotal History.
What book reminds you of your school days?
Dick and Jane reader which my school hung onto long after other schools dropped them.
Also the biography of George Washington Carver.

Dick and Jane Reader

What book releases are you looking forward to?
I don't keep up with that, so I really don't know what is coming up.  Well, now wait.. on further thought, I would like to read another  Spenser novel. Though Robert Parker passed on, Ace Atkins did a novel for him in the Parker style and hit it dead on!  I would love to have a new Jesse Stone or Spenser novel.  Oh,yes indeed!

What movie releases are you looking forward to?
None that I know of right now. I've been watching free movies on YouTube lately, mostly disaster movies about comets, earthquakes ,floods and volcanoes and enjoying them a lot.
Also have watched the original Peyton Place and really enjoyed that.
I like old movies much more than the new stuff.

What 3 books are you planning to read?
I am not planning to read anything. I spend time reading about anthropology, history, etc. I read most of the day but, not novels. I read something  if the cover calls to me or something about the book grabs my attention.

Have you ever damaged a book? 
Yes I have, but that was through reading and re-reading it.

How long does it take you to read a book?
Depends on the book. If its awful and boring .. forever.  If I like it.. hours.

Books you haven’t finished?
Ah, the list would be extremely long and boring.  I never liked to read as a kid and used to find it a waste of time when I could have been outside playing.
Now comic books like Archie were a different story. I liked them and read them every chance I got!
No, I wasn't doing bad in school. I was a straight A student by the time I graduated, but I just never liked reading.  I think it was the books we were forced to read:
Silas Marner..UGH!!
Great Expectations... YUK.. ptooey.. spit.. gag.
Now, mind you, these are my 7th and 8th grade  opinions of these books.   But I won't bother with them now either. Just can't get interested. It left a bad taste.
By high school, we had to read Shakespeare and memorize two soliloquies from each play. I didn't mind that at all.  So four years reading Shakespeare was not bad and though not terribly enjoyable, not awful either.
If I like a book, I finish it.

Popular books you didn’t like?
I've not read too many "popular" books. Could not be bothered with Harry Potter or Twilight or that ilk and I don't know of anything else.

Is there a book you wouldn’t tell people you were reading?
No. why would I?  If you are thinking 50 Shades of Gray.. I wouldn't bother with it as reviewers say it is very badly written.  If it were well written,that would be another story. I would prefer an autobiography on the subject  however, as that would interest me. I like to delve into the why and wherefore or people's interests and habits  and to know why people do what they do, like what they like, etc, I will research things to death.
 I read what interests me or what I am researching or learning at the moment. I don't care what others think.

How many books do you own?
Several hundred mostly hard cover books and many of them biography, history, scholarly works that I enjoy a lot.

Are you a fast or slow reader?
It depends on what I am reading. If it is technical or intricate I will read things over a few times before moving on.

Do you read better in your head our out loud? 
Either way. I read well.

Café cubano y Desi Arnaz... Saturday 9

Today's Saturday 9 is about Desi Arnaz and his song about a straw hat.
It got me to thinking how much I like Cafe Cubano, Cuban coffee and Cuban Black bean Soup.. with a touch of lime in it. Oh, baby!
If you've not tried doing a Saturday 9. why not consider joining in? You let your blog friends get to know a bit more about you that way.


The Straw Hat Song (1955)
Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it below:


This presentation of the song is adorable and was featured on an episode of I Love Lucy.

1) In this song, Desi Arnaz encourages us to laugh and sing instead of concentrating on our troubles. Is this an approach to life you could adopt? Or are you a worrier?
Yes, this is a philosophy anyone can and probably should adopt. Worry brings nothing but a waste of days and time.

2) Because Desi's public persona was carefree, people are often surprised to learn his early life was hard. In 1933, his wealthy family was targeted by Cuban revolutionaries. Their home was destroyed and were forced to flee the country. In Miami, they lived in a warehouse and 16-year-old Desi helped support the family by cleaning cages for the man who sold canaries outside a drugstore. Think about your friends and acquaintances. Whose life story turned out to be very different than you originally thought?
No one really because I generally knew about their circumstances for a long time. I also don't really assume much about people.
I also grew up with Cuban refugees who had a difficult time there but made a big success in America.

3) While still in his teens, Desi got his first job as an entertainer. As a boy in Cuba, he expected to be a lawyer, not a musician. He only began playing guitar because he noticed girls like musicians and he liked girls. Tell us about a hobby of yours, and what inspired you to pick it up.
I have several different hobbies.. if they are considered hobbies really.  I play piano, paint and like reading history and science.
I don't really know what inspired me, if anything. They are just things I like doing very much.

4) He discovered he was not only a talented musician but a natural leader. By the tender age of 19, he had organized The Desi Arnaz Orchestra and they were performing in Miami hotels. Have you ever been a boss? If so, did you enjoy it?
Yes and sure, it was okay to be a boss and I think I handled it well.

5) When he was 23, he went to Hollywood to try his hand at movies and met a 28 year old actress named Lucille Ball. In Hollywood back in 1940, it was considered embarrassing for a woman to date a younger man. Their initial attraction was so powerful she quickly got over it. Do you think age matters when it comes to romance?
It matters if the person is way too young, yes or if they are way too old.
But an age difference is alright if you are over 30.

6) Desi was the first person to call that famous redhead "Lucy." Throughout her entire life, friends, family and coworkers always referred to her as "Lucille," as she preferred. But Desi insisted on "Lucy." He said that name was his and his alone. Ironically it became the way the world referred to her. Do you have a pet name for anyone?
I had pet names for my pets but not really for people, though I used to call my youngest daughter Zoo Little. It was kind of baby talk for  You Little based on a set of little  rubber squeeze animals I had gotten her called Zoo Little Pets.

7) Lucille and Desi named their son and daughter after themselves. Were you named after anyone?
I am named for my paternal great grandmother. She is buried in Scotland and one time my aunt took a photo of the grave stone and there was my complete name on it! I have her first name, her maiden name and he married surname.

8) Desi was the founding force behind Desilu. One of the first great production studios of the television age, Desilu grossed $15 million in 1957 (more than $135 million in today's dollars). He credited his success to his unconventional and creative approach to problems. Are you a good problem solver?
I can be yes. I research and go deep on finding solutions.

9) Random question: Who annoys you more, a know-it-all or an ignoramus?
Always an ignoramus because it is usually willful ignorance or stupidity from laziness.
Some so-called know it all people, really do know quite a lot and people just feel a bit stupid next to them so they put them down for being smart and knowledgeable.

Meanwhile.. back at the ranch, Bill Cabrera will show you how to make a dynamite cup of Cuban coffee and if you don't try it then we will all know something has gone terribly wrong with your brain... just saying... Oh, Bill plays a mean guitar too.

Watching the Sky...

Sky watching is a great pastime. Everyone does it to one extent or another. Or, at least, they do watch something.  I even will just stand and watch the sky in a parking lot. Do you do that or am I alone in that?
When I lived in the west, I watched the mountains as they changed throughout the day. Yellow, pink, tan then to purple in the evening.
The ocean changes too with the time of day. It can be gray, green, navy blue, turquoise, purple and pink as it mirrors the sky above.
All of these photos are in my neighborhood and taken with my Android phone and I am joining Skywatch Friday and my own Friday Photos.   You can enlarge any photo by clicking on it.

When the sun is going down....

Gray in the early part of the day. Clouds like cotton dotting the horizon.

More sunsets below. Oranges, reds and pinks reflect on the water.

In my backyard the sky and trees are reflected in the big pond.

I love when the sky is bright powder blue and the water goes with it.. If you peek through the phragmites(frag-mighties) you Sautcan see it in all it's glory.

Saturday is Saturday 9 and hopefully I won't forget to participate. See you then.