Conversation Starters

Five comets are coming into our area today and for thousands of years they have brought with them epidemics, wars, crisis, earthquakes, volcanic eruption and earth changes of huge proportions.
No, it isn't superstition, its real. And we've been experiencing problems for a while now from these super comets headed our way and reaching perihelion today.
We are also undergoing a Grand Solar Minimum which can bring on earthquakes, volcanic activity and ice ages.  Things are changing folks, so hang onto your hats.
The Yellowstone Caldera, a super volcano, is rocking and rolling this week and we have super cells extending up over 80,000 feet..which is unprecedented in our times. Yellowstone has a 35° slant to it.. very odd and ominous. We do not want that going off. But worldwide many volcanoes are acting up the last few years. Yesterday was a 7.7 earthquake near Cuba felt all the way to Miami.
Weather and earth magnetism also effect human behavior. Think of it this way, you can feel the weather in your bones as they say. Why? A Drop in  barometric pressure can being headaches, bone
ache, sickness and mental changes.  Grand solar minimums are known to bring about depression and mental instability.
Are we going through a pole shift? It seems like it as a mysterious anomaly is hovering over us and weakening our magnetic fields.  Magnetic north has moved over 750  miles in the past 6years compared with o nly 450 in the last 90 years.   It's moving toward Siberia and at the same time the

in just 5 weeks time...

earth itself is tilting on its axis. We notice it in sun angles in rising and setting. I've noticed the sun setting in a different location for the last few years.   Indians in Alaska have used the sun and stars for orientation and can no longer do it, due to the change in the earths location.
So folks, we are in for some really hairy stuff .
Pole reversal is known for extinction events.

And now, with the USA on fire and burning to the ground  and comets headed our way, lets take time for a little fun and diversion.  We need it!
Let's try Sunday Stealing. with Bev Sykes.

 "Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!"

Stolen from Two Drifters

1. What do you think is the greatest television show of all time?
That's a hard question! But honestly, after looking at Rolling Stone's list of the top 100 TV shows of all time, I think most of them are less than mediocre at best. TV had never really hit the nail on the head with good programming. There are programs I have enjoyed but, great? No, none of them.

2. Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Academy Award?
A Nobel prize since its a million dollars and the Academy Award is just  a statue.

3. What one food would you banish from this earth if you could?
Cultural foods that use  dogs,cats, etc. Ugh.

4. What’s the scariest story you’ve ever heard?
I really don't like horror movies and so I don't watch the stuff.  I think I found Jurassic Park a bit scary back in the day.

5. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
 Quite a few actually, people you'd know of very well. We knew them from horse shows .
My former hubby sat on the Duke of Windsors lap as a little boy. We have home video of that day. It was at the Breakers in Palm Beach. The Windsors were good friends of his grandparents.

6. What’s something you’ve done that most people wouldn’t know or guess about you?
Probably a ton of things as I am pretty private about my personal life and when I do mention something people are generally surprised and I am left wondering why.
 I think people might be surprised  that I danced, that I did barrel racing, and have a strong medical background as well as quite a bit of knowledge of anthropology/archaeology and  have a few awards for running.

7. You’re strapped in a rocket ship about to go to the moon. Are you thrilled? Or terrified?
Neither because it isn't possible to go to the moon with rockets. Werner Von Braun said so.
And no, the space station is not the moon, they are in low earth orbit, not space.

8. What is the correct way for toilet paper to sit on the roll?
According to my first husband, who passed on, the paper should fall over the front of the roll. So his advice was usually good so that's how I do it.

9. Talk about a mistake you made, or something you regret.
I wrote a caricature  piece that hurt someone's feelings. They were very wrong in their impression , but still, if you hurt someone, you do and that's that.

10. What would be the best gift I could give you?
My spine back in one piece.

11. What makes you feel better when you’re sad or stressed?
Things don't last .

12. What is the most romantic movie you’ve ever seen?
You've Got Mail / While you Were Sleeping. It's a tie.

13. What is the worst date you’ve ever been on?
With a guy from Harvard who was just so snooty and thought way too much of himself.

14. What is the glue that keeps couples together?
Fear of alimony.

15.  What was your first crush.
 A boy named Michael I think.

16. When did your parents talk to you about the birds and the bees?
They never did.   I learned from other kids but the day before I got married my grandmother talked to me a bit. It was so sweet and kind of her.

17. What is your greatest achievement?
My family.

18. Were you close to your parents growing up?
No.

19. What was the most life-changing event you’ve ever experienced?
Spinal surgery.

20. Have you ever had a falling out with a friend? What happened?
I had 2 friends blame me for something I did not do.  They made my life miserable for 2 years.
They wanted to come back into my life, I said no. 

Uncle Albert.. So Sorry

Well, this week went by quickly it seems. It's been rainy and chilly for most of it, but Friday the temperature jacked up to 87°F.  But storms are all around and I feel uncomfortable from the low barometric pressure.

On to 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 to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!""


Saturday 9: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (1971)

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

1) The lyrics tell us Paul believes it's going to rain. How's the weather where you are today?
Well, its weird. Been very cool but Saturday is supposed to be back up to 80°F again. I can do

small craft warning

without hot weather and especially without humidity.  I dislike summer because its just too hot and humid most of the time.  Tonight we are under a small craft advisory since the water is rough.

2) Paul sings that he is sorry because he hasn't "done a bloody thing all day." What do you hope to accomplish this weekend?
I hope to finish a painting I am about done with.  

3) He also references butter pie, which is made primarily with potatoes (with onions and, of course, butter). That dish is not popular on this side of the Atlantic. Last time you had potatoes, how were they prepared (baked, mashed, hash browned, french fried ...)?
Smashed with butter, onions, parsley and garlic.  
And it's really Lancashire Butter pie. Just make a pastry.. puff preferably, layer in par boiled potatoes, sauteed onion and pats of butter, pepper, salt if you like and bake.  Its the onion and butter that flavor the potato.  Its delicious!!! If you just layer potatoes and onion and add some beef or kidney etc. you can make it Lancashire Hotpot which is also good.  There are great recipes online I am sure. Just make sure you look for Lanchashire Butter Pie.. not just butter pie.

4) Linda McCartney is credited as co-writer and performer on this recording. Paul and Linda were partners in real life, too; married 29 years, they raised four children together. They often said they tried never to spend more than a few hours apart. Do you enjoy a lot of togetherness, or do you value your personal time? Has your experience with Covid19 and quarantine changed how you feel about this?
I always value my time with loved ones.    I am alone most of the time, meals included and it gets old in a hurry.   So I love being with people and always have.  

people who hate people

I love it so much that I took an instant dislike to a vlogger who stated that she hated company and having people in her home or being much in their company. I just couldn't watch her videos after that. She seemed so friendly but it was all fake.
My problem not hers though.
On the next subject, quarantine of healthy people is wrong and makes no medical sense at all  but it makes you appreciate people more I'd say.
 
 5) Paul and Linda came from very different backgrounds. His family was lower middle class, lived in Liverpool's public housing and received government aid. She grew up in affluent Scarsdale, the daughter of a wealthy theatrical attorney. Do you think it's more important for a couple to share a common background, or to share common interests?
Yes, very important to share religion, political views, similar outlooks and a common financial background if possible.

6) Paul is known for his work ethic. At age 78, he's still making music and performing live. What's your favorite Paul McCartney song?
Well, I like Lennon/McCartney songs best. We Can Work it Out, Michelle, If I Fell, And I Love Her, Here, There and Everywhere, but by Paul alone: This Never Happened Before.


7) In 1971, when this song was a hit, Bobby Fischer was the world's most famous and highest-rated chess player. Do you play chess?
Yes but not very well because I don't play often enough.

8) England's Princess Anne turned 21 in 1971. The occasion was commemorated by a formal portrait, taken by celebrated fashion photographer Norman Parkinson. Who took the most recent photo of you?
The Famous Anonymous or the Ever Popular HollyNoelle.


9) Random question: Do you find it more satisfying to work with your hands, or your head?

I like both equally I think and get satisfaction from a job well done or that I worked hard on.

Photos on Friday

A rainy night by the sea and I am listening to Rainy Night Coffee Shop Ambiance with rain sounds on my computer as I write  I really enjoy the ambiance vids which come in all flavors.. trains, stormy night in old library, Victorian street sounds,rain on windows, thunder storms, forest sounds etc. Something for everyone.
At the end I will share this one with you.
For now, I will just share my Skywatch Friday photos and my regular Friday Photos. I hope you enjoy them. As usual, all are from the area .

Ruffles!!

I wish I had gotten a clearer photo.

storm

Good Old Days

 

Good Old Days

Welcome to Tuesday 4 begun by Toni Taddeo and kept in memory of her.
This week's subject is the Good Old Days.


1.Do you know who supplied the voice of Lamb Chop, Hush Puppy and Charlie Horse? It was Shari Lewis according to Reminisce.com.
It was a very popular kids show in the 50's and 60's.
 What childhood program meant a lot to you or taught you things you feel were important to you.
There are a few kids programs I like...but not many of the really old ones.
 I liked the Friendly Giant. Here is a quick 2 minute clip of that show.


 2. Is there a memory from your past that makes you feel at home, warm and nostalgic? Maybe you would share it with us. Perhaps there is  a story your parents told you that brings back good memories.
Coming home each day for lunch with my maternal grandmother who always had a wonderful lunch prepared for me.
 When I was in Kindergarten through about 2nd grade I went to my paternal grandmother before my other grandmother came to live with us and I was with her mornings to go to school and after school. At breakfast we would march around the breakfast table to radio music. After school, she made tea for us.
My paternal grandfather gave me allowance once a week and took me to see the trains several times a week. I am a huge railroad fan to this day. We went to see trains come and go and ride them all the time.

3.Dirty Dancing was a big hit movie of the 80's. Mullet hair dos for guys and huge puffy hair for girls was a hallmark of those days.
Did you dance at school dances, Proms, etc? What kind  of dancing did you enjoy?
I like the 2 step and danced it every weekend for many years in large western style clubs.

4. Do you think we have passed by the good old days or do you think we will be able to look back and see these as the good old days in the future? Will your kids or grand kids think they were?
I don't think there were ever any good old days in reality. Certainly not since the Garden of Eden. After that the world was left in a mess.
But today, I don't think this is a time anyone will look back on as good.  It is a time of ugliness and governmental harshness that simply does not have to be.
Every generation had it's hard times, however. We just need to look for another world and stop relying on this one which will never be right again.
The good place, Paradise, is not in this world and never will be. We go to it, it does not come to us.

Memorial Day

dough boy memorial WWI in my home town.

We say happy out of habit, but there is nothing happy about a day for honoring the people killed in
horrible wars.
 Death is an enemy, not a friend.
The memorial to the war dead in my little childhood home town is in front of the library on the main street. It was dedicated in September of 1923 and is called "Iron Mike".
I have my poppy again this year.
I keep them on my purse all year long usually.
There will be no parade, no gatherings in my hometown or in my new town either. I find this very sad and cold.

 It is 60°F here on the Mid Atlantic seacoast and a bit humid and cloudy. I can easily stand cool weather for the rest of the summer and would be happy as a clam if it never rose above 70°F.
On the sea we are cooler in summer and warmer in winter than in state, though winds of winter on the beach are extremely frigid.




The last of the Wisteria is hanging on for a few more days but fades a bit more with each passing day.
It is a metaphor for life. We fade each day as well.
 Spring does not last long, though it is 3 months long like all of the other months.  Flowers come and go as quickly as they blossom it seems and on June 21st is the summer solstice.  That's when we start to long for Autumn and her spectacular fall days.
I learned a few years back that autumn and fall are different. While Autumn is the season, fall is when the leaves begin to come down off the trees.  I also learned we don't capitalize Autumn, but, I prefer it, so I do!

Time for Sunday Stealing..

 "Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!"

Stolen from I can Sabotage Me by Myself

1. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?
It was a long time ago. But, yes, I would.

2. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red?
 Rodney my little metal ant who sits on my computer monitor.

3. Did you meet someone new today?
No, I didn't.

4. What are you craving right now?
I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.

5. What comes to mind when I say “cabbage.”
Delicious.  I love the stuff especially mixed with mashed potato.

6. What does your last text say?

It was a link I sent to a Star Trek lover.
  You can view the link(short music)  HERE

7. Do you bite into your ice cream, or just lick it?
lick it.
8. Do you like your hair?
Yes. I love it.
9. Do you like yourself?
Yes I do.
10. Do you like cottage cheese
With pineapple yes. Otherwise no.

11. What are you listening to right now?
The score from the original movie Pink Panther by Henry Mancini. Great music.

12. Is there anything sparkly in the room where you are?
I have a mercury glass lamp that sparkles.

13. How many countries have you visited?
Just USA and Canada.

14. Are you sarcastic?
Yes, I can be very sarcastic
.
15. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Many times, yes. As a kid all the time as it was the way to my grandparents porch on the 2nd floor. We lived with them and later when we moved I was with them all the time. (Loved being with them).
As an adult, I crawled through my neighbors kitchen window all the time. Olive was elderly and kept locking herself out. I would haul myself up to her kitchen window and break in for her at least 2 times a week for years.

16. have you ever made a prank phone call..
 Oh baby, yes!! I was a pro at it as a kid.

Battle Hymn

Cool weather is making May very nice for me so far. May it continue all summer long. If it never got above 65 I would be one happy camper.
Just a little of May left but I hope to make the most of it if I can!
 Today ... my answers for 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!"

  Battle Hymn of the Republic (1963)

Unfamiliar with Judy Garland's rendition of this week's tune? Hear it here.
 Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle.

1) On May 30, 1868, President Grant presided over the Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery. Have you ever visited Arlington Cemetery?
I believe I have, but it was as a child.  I would like to visit the grave of President Kennedy.

2) On Memorial Day, it is customary to fly the flag at half-staff until noon and then raise it to the top of the staff until sunset. Will you be flying the flag at your home this weekend?
Yes. It's a good thing to do.

3) Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, because flowers and ribbons were left on graves of soldiers.  Do you find solace in visiting cemeteries?
No. I really do not visit because there is no one there, just dust.

4) The lyrics to this week's song were written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861. Her inspiration was a White House visit with Abraham Lincoln. In 2020, under normal circumstances, public tours of the White House are available but you must request your ticket in advance from your Member of Congress (House or Senate). When you travel, do you plan your trip weeks before you go? Or do you decide how your days will unfold once you reach your destination?
When I traveled, I did plan ahead.

5) Judy Garland performed this week's song before a live audience as a tribute to President Kennedy, who had been assassinated just weeks before. She knew Kennedy personally and considered this a farewell to a friend. While the performance was difficult for her -- at one point she flubs the lyrics -- she believed it was important, and could perhaps help the country heal. Tell us about a song that reminds you of someone you loved who is no longer with us.
The Welsh lullaby All Through the Night or Ar Hyd y Nos in Welsh
6) John F. Kennedy served in WWII and was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps medal and a Purple Heart. His brother Joe also served and was awarded the Navy Cross, but he received his citation posthumously, having died during a flying mission over East Suffolk, England. Here at Saturday 9, we consider everyone who serves a hero and want to hear about the veterans and active military members in your life.
My family have served in all wars including the Revolutionary War in 1776.

7) Memorial Day is considered the beginning of the summer season. Will you be enjoying warm weather this weekend?
I hope not.  Weather says no.. 50s and maybe 60 by  Sunday, which is plenty hot enough for me.

8) Berries are especially popular in summer. Which is your favorite: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries?
Blackberries of those named but I can do without any berries really.

9) If you could attend a Memorial Day picnic with any fictional character, which would you choose?
Spenser.

Friday Photos

Hi friends
I am joining Skywatch Friday today.
There is never anything boring about the sky is there?

above the house

See you tomorrow for Saturday 9.

No Food Today

Sick of the no hair cut, no nails posts I see all over the place.
One said, "no haircut today again".  Oh boo hoo you simple minded spoiled woman.
Get your priorities straightened out.
Here is one I call... NO FOOD TODAY.
Too much of the world is self centered and privileged without a thought to what real life for millions is actually like on a daily basis. And while we have the right to enjoy blessings, let's not whine about them.

No food today.. or tomorrow.

Tuesday 4 Planes Trains and Boats.

Welcome to Tuesday 4 in honor of the memory of Toni Taddeo!  Today.s subject was inspired by Elena Leno, Toni's daughter. Toni and I shared a love of many
things including Agatha Christie, upstate NY and trains, trains and more trains!
 

So.. Let's talk about Trains, Planes and Boats this week.
The Orient Express was a long-distance passenger train service created in 1883 by Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. Fares range from
£2,200 per person for a Venice to London journey, up to £40,000 for a Grand Suite on the Istanbul journey.

1. Do you enjoy riding on trains, planes or boats? Got a tale to tell us? I enjoy trains more than I can say and have since I was little. My Grandfather and I watched them come and go every weekend. The train station was a block from our home.   I am not fond of airplane travel as the air in them is pure poison.  story:  I used to fly in home from university in a private plane with student pilots.      I was like this little girl in the video below.. She even looks like I did!
  2. The Orient Express is super luxurious with 5 star accommodations including real bedrooms, cocktail bars, etc.
  It stops along a route that includes, London, Paris, Berlin,
Bucharest, Venice, Paris, Prague and Istanbul.
Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is set on the train.
 You can choose your itinerary from the lists their site offers.  Of the places shown here, which cities interest you the most and why?
I would like the whole shebang really.. except for Istambul. I will leave that alone. But I would love to visit all the rest. Mostly I would just love the ride of the train!

3. Do you think you would enjoy a cruise? Where would you go? I would cruise to Europe I think.

4. Given the time and the choice and money being no object will you travel to Europe via plane or luxury liner? Luxury liner.. like the Queen Elizabeth. Would be very thrilling.  But today's ocean liners are not like the ones from the old days. They are huge  blocks of strip mall like ambiance. Ugh.. not nice.

Dining on an Orient Express car.

Questions About Life

Hello friends and welcome once again.
I am joining in for Sunday Stealing!

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. 

This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Excerpted from For Ty and Logan
1. Where did your name come from

It is Hebrew and means Grace. I was named after my father's grandmother. I have seen her grave in Scotland and it is just beyond odd to see your own name  on a headstone! (I have all 3 of her names)

2. Where were you born?

In  Rahway, New Jersey. Originally the place was called Spanktown because an original settler spanked his wife in public there and the name stuck!
All the towns in this area are rich in Revolutionary War history.

3. What was your house like, growing up?

Just like these windows.

I spent years with my grandparents and then my father bought a little Victorian house on a hill in our town. It was filled with twists, turns, balconies, hidden rooms and stained glass windows. I loved it and later my kids did as well.  My whole family, aunts, uncles, grands, all lived in the same neighborhood.  There was always a place to go.

4. What was your childhood bedroom like?

My bedroom was shaped like the side of the house with a bow window forming one entire wall. The
windows were floor to ceiling and outside they had real hurricane shutters on them.

5. Did you travel as a child? Where?

Yes, we went to visit relations in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts and  New York.

6. Write about your grandparents

 My grandparents were always around and it was  wonderful. I was really loved by them so much.

I miss them to this day.

7. Who taught you how to drive?

My father taught me to drive  on little winding roads.

8. When did you first leave home?

I went away to university, but, I really left home to get married. I don't believe kids should leave home to just live on their own. But if they do it is better for boys than for girls.

9. What did your parents do for work?

My father was vice president and chief chemist of  well known chemical company but by the time I came along he was retired from it and owned a  little store.
 My mother was a registered nurse.

10. Who inspired you as you matured?

  A clergyman who was the most  righteous and decent man I have ever met.

11. What was the best part of your 20s?

Being in my 20s was the best ever. Spent a lot of time riding up into the mountains to camp. Loved fishing and camping so much.

12. What as the best part of your 30s?

 The music, my job, kids.

13. Where is the most fascinating  place you’ve visited

The United States of America. Driving across it was the best thing I ever did. It's huge, gorgeous and well worth the time. I would do it again in a heartbeat

14. What is your favorite family story? 

 .My father was arrested on the castle grounds  in  Edinburgh. He was 5 years old and would not listen to my Grandmother who warned him again and again to stay off the grass. Finally she called over a policeman who "arrested" my Dad!     He never forgot that.

15. What was your most memorable birthday?

      The year I got the National Geographic book on Indians and a real pair of hand made moccasins.
16. What was your favorite food as a child? 

I had a few favorite things.  I loved, loved, loved  Bubble and Squeak (Colcannon), I adored and still do, Cornish pasties because I was allowed to eat them with my bare hands, a big deal when you are a child!

Breakfast was a boiled egg with toast strips to dip into the yolk. I had my own little kid's egg cup!

  Pickle and cheese sandwiches were the highlight of my Saturday lunches 

When I was a teenager  Welsh Rarebit with  ale in it (Yes Nanny, I knew) I got that rarely but it was a real  treat when I did.

And always and still today, Italian spaghetti and mock kishka which I am crazy for.

Remember Us

The week sped by and while Thursday required a sweat shirt, Friday was 88 F . With the Grand Solar minimum, things will be very up and down and unsettled for the next several decades.

Now, let's do Saturday 9...

 Always Remember Us This Way
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!

Always Remember Us This Way (2018)

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

1) In this song, Lady Gaga sings about the Arizona sky and California gold. Have you visited many of our western states?
I used to live in Utah,so, yes. I have been to a lot of the western states.


2) She sings that she's overwhelmed and can't find the words to express herself. Do you find it easier to share your feelings verbally or in writing?
Verbally. Written words don't convey the same things.

3) Her real name is Stefani Germanotta. She took her stage name from the Queen song, Radio Gaga. Do you have a favorite Queen song?
We Will Rock You

4) Her dad is Joe Germanotta, president of GuestWifi, a company that enables hotels and restaurants to offer high-speed wifi to their customers. Do you consider yourself tech savvy?
Yes to a certain extent.

5) Early in her career, Lady Gaga performed songs for a children's audio book called The Portal in the Park. Tell us about the last book you finished -- did you listen to an audiobook, or read a download to an electronic device or a bound book with pages?
I read bound books.  The last book was a re-read of 44 Charles Street by Danielle Steele. It's a very good book by the way.
Here is a summation:

A magical transformation takes place in Danielle Steel’s luminous new novel: strangers become roommates, roommates become friends, and friends become a family in a turn-of-the-century house in Manhattan’s West Village.
The plumbing was prone to leaks, the furniture rescued from garage sales. And every square inch was being devotedly restored to its original splendor—even as a relationship fell to pieces. Now Francesca Thayer, newly separated from her lawyer boyfriend Todd, is desperate. The owner of a struggling art gallery, and suddenly the sole mortgage payer on her Greenwich Village townhouse, Francesca does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders. Soon her house becomes a whole new world.
 Over the course of one amazing, unforgettable, ultimately life-changing year, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, heartbreak, and, always, hope. In the hands of master storyteller Danielle Steel, it’s a place those who visit will never want to leave.

6) She prefers dogs to cats and tea to coffee. Do you agree with her?
No. I like them all the same though lately I prefer coffee over tea. Tastes change over time.

7) Back in 2015, she appeared at the Academy Awards, performing a medley to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music. The movie's star, Julie Andrews, graciously came onstage to thank Gaga for her showstopping performance. Whom did you most recently thank?

I thanked a  friend for a dream catcher and the Famous for playing some great music for me.

8) In 2018, when this song was first released, retailer Toys R Us closed all its stores and went out of business. What's the last toy you purchased?
A murder mystery game that I picked up at TJ Max in December.

9) Random question: How has social media made your life better?
It has enabled me to stay connected to the world and make tons of friends.

Nature in Springtime

Welcome to Friday Photos and also to Skywatch Friday.
I hope you have had a good week, considering the nonsense going on around us.
It can be hard, but nature can keep you sane if you get enough exposure to it.
 

Matsuo Basho 1644–1694.The 17th-century Japanese haiku master Basho was born Matsuo Kinsaku near Kyoto, Japan, to a minor samurai and his wife. Soon after the poet's birth, Japan closed its borders, beginning a seclusion that allowed its native culture to flourish.

Twilight whippoorwill . . .

whistle on,

sweet deepener

Of dark loneliness

— Basho

In the sea-surf edge

mingling with

bright small shells ..

Bush-clover petals— Basho

Temple bells die out.

The fragrant blossoms remain.

A perfect evening!—Basho 1644–1694.

Must springtime fade?

then cry all birds . . .

and fishes

Cold pale eyes pour tears  — Basho

Pondering with Tuesday 4

Grand solar minimum! It's here and in full earnest. During a grand solar we have increased earthquakes and  much increased volcano activity. (Krakatoa just exploded  again throwing ash up 50,000 feet into the atmosphere on April 10 )
A Grand Solar Minimum was also the cause of the 1800 and Froze to Death back in 1816, famously called  the year without a summer. More people migrated west during that time than ever before as crops failed and cattle froze to death.
 So,  here we are into May and my heat is still on and nights are very cold.

Krakatoa

As we enter hurricane season, let's hope it does not make things much, much worse.
A Grand Solar Minimum can cause a mini ice age and last for 50 years. Welcome to the new age my friends.
Here is a definition:  " A periodic solar event called a "grand minimum" could overtake the sun perhaps as soon as 2020 and lasting through 2070, resulting in diminished magnetism, infrequent sunspot production and less ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching Earth — all bringing a cooler period to the planet that may span 50 years."

Questions to Think About

Welcome to Tuesday 4 in honor and memory of our dear friend Toni Taddeo.


1. What kind of setting do you like in a book as in nation, country, city, beach, resort, village and
why? If there is no preference, how about a type of character?
I find myself interested in old British settings like those found  Agatha Christie novels.   The time period is usually the 1920's, a fascinating era of tremendous change where things hovered between the Edwardian and the Jazz Era.

I also like the Boston, Massachusetts setting of Robert Parker's Spenser novels . The descriptions of the area, the people, the food is wonderful.

Jesse Stone

There isn't a lot as the writing is spare and to the point, but, what is there is lovely.
I confess to  having  a love affair with Massachusetts so the series of Spenser and Jesse Stone, appeal to me quite a bit.
Of course I very much like the writing of Robert Parker.    I am not fond of books with endless description. I prefer the crime noir that speeds along to a conclusion.
The Jesse Stone series is also played out against a beach community in Massachusetts. Jesse is the very conflicted sheriff of Paradise, Massachusetts. Much like me, he lives by the coast.
The recent Jesse Stone  made for TV movies starring Tom Selleck was beautifully filmed in Nova Scotia, which has similar coast lines to the northern east coast of the states.

2. Can you tell us about a favorite character in a book you've enjoyed or a program you watch?
I like the character of Miss Marple in the Agatha Christie mystery series.  Jane Marple is an elderly

Miss Marple

lady in her 60s or 70s who knits and gardens and sticks her nose into the affairs of others. She loves a bit of good gossip and has learned, in her little village of Saint Mary Mead, an awful lot about human nature.  As her friend once said, "Isn't she marvelous?"  Indeed she is as she cuts to the core of things and finds the solution every time.  Her mild manner and unlikely looks disguise her razor sharp wit and ability.


3. Why are you interested in the TV programs or movies you watchor books you read ? That is, what attracts you to them.
Right now, I am attracted to Legacies because the Famous Anonymous and the Little are and I love watching TV with them and talking about the programs and the characters. I love hearing their opinions and views and letting them hear my thoughts as well.
I like mysteries and whodunits and programs that build on a premise and string you along until the final episode of the season.  We sit there and talk for hours about the characters, their problems, their strengths, weaknesses and whodunit!  Nothing could be better than TV with your kids my friends.
We began watching programs with  Lost, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Riverdale, Tagged etc.
It is important to share and watch television and movies with young people.

4.   Do you get upset if the routine of your day is upset or can you go with the flow?
I can't afford to. My days are always up in the air one way or another and I need to be able to switch gears quickly.
I go with the flow having learned  that it is the better way to live your life.

Please friends, as Toni asked, and I now see what she meant.. Do NOT answer the questions on my blog or someone elses' blog . Answer them on your own blog and join in.  The key here is giving you something to blog about and questions to help you along. Toni deleted comments that answered the questions on her own blog.

Sunday Stealing on Mother's Day

The first day of the week began as a chilly, windy day but, we should see 60 later on.
Yesterday was cold and windy. Even 40 feels very chilly when the temperatures were higher during the week. But, I am never sad to see chilly and windy days. They make me feel good and I love the lower humidity so much.
I got a new 50 inch tv and a new powerful computer for mother's day. I hope your mother's day is a happy one.

May you day be happy and bright

I am joining in with Sunday Stealing because even on Mother's Day we are thieves and must keep up the tradition.

"Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!"

Excerpted from Black Feathers and White Ashes
1. Do you prefer writing with black or blue pen?
  Usually blue ink. I use black if the situation calls for it and purple from time to time. I loved purple ink when I was in 8th-9th grades.
My favorite pen is the Pilot G2 Extra or Ultra fine in navy blue.

2. Do you prefer living in the country or the city?
Generally the country as its more private. Small town over city.

3. How do you drink your tea or coffee?
I drink my tea strong with milk, no sugar.
I only like coffee with Coffee Mate Powdered creamer , no sugar.

4. Do you prefer bath or shower?
 Showers. I never had a shower until I got married. My parents house was a little Victorian with a very old original claw foot tub but no shower. I took my first ever shower in my husbands apartment which we moved into after our wedding. I loved it!   I like not sitting in the old soapy water of a tub.I felt cleaner in a shower.

5. Do you prefer reading paper or electronic books?
I like real books. I love having a big library of them to choose from too.

6. Would you ever want to be famous?
No.  I think fame would be too much loss of privacy and too much bother. I don't think a lot of famous people are very happy with it in many ways.

7. Are you a restless sleeper?
 I don't think so, no.

8. What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?
I don't believe I've eaten anything strange really. Does buffalo count? I don't think buffalo is strange though and I like it better than beef. 

9. Do you like cereal crunchy or soggy?
I don't eat box cereal but I used to like crunchy and my favorite was Fruity Pebbles.
 I also like oatmeal so both I guess. I only eat imported oatmeal because Europe bans GMO foods and the USA allows box cereal to be sprayed with Round Up. No thank you.
I also only buy imported canned tomatoes (23mg sodium as compared with 300mg in American foods) and canned beans  from Italy  as they are very very low in sodium and non- GMO.

10. Do you like ice in your drinks?
 If they are supposed to be cold, then I like ice.

11. Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean?
I like both.

12. What can you hear right now?
Longmire on the telly,  and the wind in the Cedar trees.

13. Where do you feel the safest?

Longmire

      In my faith.

14. What would you like your legacy to be?
Love and truth for my children and that I spoke up to help save America from the fascist evil of global government.
"Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it."


15. Do you like spicy food?
Well I like Mexican food, Cuban food, etc. 
 I don't mind a mild spicy but hot, no, not at all. I think it destroys the taste.

Saturday 9 Loving Mama

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

Saturday 9: I'll Always Love My Mama (1973)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's featured artists, The Intruders, sing that they don't know how their mama made it through the week without ever getting a good night's sleep. How did you sleep last night?

I usually sleep very well. Last night was no exception.
"It is vain for you to rise early: ye rise up after resting, ye that eat the bread of grief; while he gives sleep to his beloved."
―Psalm 127:2

2) The Intruders performed this song on Soul Train, a syndicated show that ran for more than 3 decades. What show do you try never to miss?
Right now, Legacies on Netflix. 

3) On Soul Train, the Intruders wore solid black shirts beneath their brightly colored jackets. Black, white, khaki, navy and gray are considered neutral colors, because they go with everything. If we were to check your closet, which would we find you wear most often: black, white, khaki, navy or gray?

I have some black and navy.

4) Especially for Mother's Day: Access Hollywood named Carol Brady of The Brady Bunch TV's #1 mom. Who is your favorite TV mom?

I like Carol Brady as well. Most others had little to no real part in their children's lives on the show. Carol was a hand's on mother.
I always watched this show.  Carol and hubby always had time for the kids, listened, kept a sense of humor and taught the kids with patience and kindness.  It seems that Carol Brady was one of the few mothers on TV Shows that had an actual part to play as a mom. On other shows the mothers were absent, or served only as background for the kids. 

5) Mother Winters always gave Sam peppermint tea to calm her stomach. Do you have any tried-and-true home remedies to share.
1 Proven to work in labs:duct tape will cure warts.Takes a few days but, does work.
2 boil potatoes in water til done, remove potatoes. add a couple Tbsp of baking soda to the  boiling water, breath in.. will help clogged lungs from bronchitis etc.
3 onion juice will remove scars.
4 boiled grapefruit skins, drink as a tea and take zinc.. its quinine. Cures colds, flu.

6) Sam's mother always tips 15% in restaurants. Sam has worked in food service and is more judgmental, tipping between 10% and 25%, depending on the quality of the service. What's your tipping policy? Are you more like Sam or her mother? How do you handle tips for carry out or delivery during this Covid-19 crisis?

15% is fair. I really can't afford much more.
 I do not order out for food nor do I really ever eat out. If I go out to eat a couple times a year, that's a lot. I never eat fast food or take out food either I just don't have the money and I think restaurant food isn't good for you as well, too much sodium and garbage in it.

7) When the tip of her shoelace becomes frayed, Sam's mother snips off the end and then paints the tip with clear nail polish. Good as new! Sam thinks that's crazy because you can just buy new laces for less than $2. Are you more frugal like mother or spendthrift like daughter?

I think being frugal is best. Waste not, want not is a true saying.
So is the saying 
"Eat it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."  We tend to be living in a time when people are a bit too big on buying and replacing easily.

8) Mother Winters loves how french vanilla smells and burns her Yankee Candles all year around. Do you use scented candles or air fresheners?
I use candles and Glade and , I like Yankee Candles as they really have a scent to them. I also use Glade and Air Wick scented plug ins through out the house.
Blue Jeans is one of my favorite Yankee Candle scents along with their Balsam Fir in winter.

9) Sam is celebrating Mother's Day with her mother's favorite, Hershey Bars. Would you prefer classic milk chocolate, dark chocolate or chocolate with almonds?

I will pass on the chocolate but thanks for the offer.

Spring has Sprung

Blue skies, smiling at me.. so the song says.
After a rainy week, Thursday skies were clear and blue and spring has sprung. Everything is beginning to bloom and green up.
Joining in for Skywatch Friday again today.

On the back porch, Wisteria climbs and blooms for the first time.

Scotch Broom

Vinca

See you tomorrow for Saturday 9