4th of July!!

Welcome to Tuesday 4 in memory and honor of our friend Toni Taddeo.
This week, let's talk about the Fourth of July.



1. Do you think the 4th is an important holiday?Why , why not?
Very important! It is Independence Day. Freedom day! We celebrate freedom from tyrannical government.

2. How do you celebrate? If you are not American, do you celebrate your nation's national holiday?
We celebrate with flags, fireworks, picnics, bon fires on the beach , reading the Declaration and singing.

3. In the time of Laura Ingals Wilder,  all Americans read the Declaration of Independence every year on the 4th and lemonade was a big treat for the town picnic.
 Do you read the Declaration of Independence? Or, your nations important papers?
Yes!! It is extremely important to keep reading it over and over again and memorize it and the preamble to the Constitution and to know the bill of rights by heart.
Don't be surprised that young Americans don't know history or have patriotism when you neglect their home education, which should include reading and the telling of the story of America!!

  How about lemonade? Are you a fan?
Lemonade is good but I don't drink sugary things anymore.

4. Picnic, eat inside the house or eat out for the 4th?
We eat outside if the weather permits!
Now.. watch why the Star Spangled Banner is SO important!!
And by the way, FAcebook.. that rotten organization of anti-American pigs, censored this video. It contained too much truth for them.

Thunking

Meanwhile,in NYC, hundreds want the police de-funded.
In a city that hosts  nearly 10,000,000 plus millions of commuters on a daily basis, that is a drop in the bucket.  The city is dying a painful death. Those of my neighbors who work in the city are all working from home now as it is also just too dangerous to go there.
 Folks, politicians are the worst enemy of the people, regardless of their politics,  right or left. Politicians are the ones who destroy nations.

God save us from governments!

Now let's get on to Sunday Stealing, which, in this case, is a laudable activity!


Questions from Thursday Thunk


1. If you could be a Muppet, which would you be?

     I would be Kermit. He is green, I am green. He sings, I sing.He' cute, I am .. well, okay 2 out of 3.

2. Why is a chicken crossing the road in the first place??
to get to the other side you silly head!


3. What's your favorite muscle?
    gastrocnemious.
4. Cheerios or Rice Krispies?
    I don't want either of them. GMO and they spray cereal boxes with Round Up. Remember weevils? You don't see them anymore because the boxes are sprayed with cancer causing crap.
I only buy imported cereals from Europe where it's illegal. Wake up America. Sheesh.

5. Is summer ever going to get here?
             It is here. Are you sleeping?

6. Have you ever had a utility turned off by mistake or some other reason besides weather or nonpayment?
Electricity so it could be worked on. Water when they took us off wells and onto the crappy city water. What a scam that was! Our well water was pure and tasted good. City water is not good at all.

7. What was your "last day" of something?
    Last week I had a last day of understanding and became totally fed up with people.

8. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which one would you choose?
  Oh, I would love to be with Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple for a month. Oh, yes I should say I would!  I would also enjoy a month with Rosemary and Thyme, a series that didn't last long enough at all!

9. Did you have any type of class trip, band trip, etc in high school? Where did you go, what did you do?
We had tons of them.  Usually we went to the museums in New York City like the MOMA, the Natural history, Metropolitan Museum.
 We went to Carnegie hall for rehearsal shows, we visited shipping ports and naval installations, we went to the statue of liberty. Classes went to Mystic , Connecticut for the tall ships.
We went to Valley Forge and Revolutionary sites throughout New Jersey like Washington's winter headquarters in Morristown. We visited dairy farms and learned how they work, etc.

10. Do your feet smell?  No they don't. Both my mother and I never had that problem or much need for deodorant. It is in the genes. Japanese have genes like that and like many Orientals, I have no body hair.So, I must have some Oriental genes in me somewhere.

11. Do you know how to french braid?
 Yes and often do my hair in one.

12. Two guys are walking down the street. One drops his hat and reaches down to pick it up, the other kicks him in the ass. Do you laugh?
No. I would be disgusted .  That's a downright rotten thing to do.  I dislike people who do things like that intensely. They are like those who pull chairs out from under people.
Injuring the tailbone leads to paralysis, loss of bowel and urinary function and it doesn't take much to cause that.

13. You wake up one morning and dogs are meowing and cats are meowing - what are fish, elephants and crocodiles doing?
They are having a party in the water and being kind and sweet. The crocodile is wearing a party hat and a tie with a double Windsor knot!

14. You are going to your high school reunion. What award are you going to win?
The I was nice to people award

15. You find yourself stranded on a deserted island. Soon you find a laptop with a lifelong battery & internet connection, then you find a cave with an endless supply of food and a spring of fresh water. A cruise ship comes along to save you - do you get on it?
Yes. Living alone is for the birds, trust me. Well, sometimes. Not always.

16. How many shortcuts do you have on your desktop?
A few.. a few..

17. I offer you a pie... the most delicious pie you have ever seen. You either have to eat the entire thing in one sitting or allow me to slam it into your face, which do you choose?
I will cut myself  the piece I want and no one who knows me would ever attempt to push a pie in my face.  You will sincerely regret it if you do. I will not find it funny and I will retaliate with  a more violent response.  I am, after all, a Jersey Girl.   

18. Are you a pen stealer?
No. I give them back.

19. A dude from China comes up and offers you German chocolate cake, French fries and a Boston cream pie... what color is your car?
It is Candy Apple Red of course. There is no other answer! Well, my car is NOT candy apple red but, it seemed like the right answer.

20. Sometimes you just have to tap your foot to your favorite song - which tv series season finale are you watching?
Just finished watching the season finale of  Legacies.

Beautiful People /Bloom Where You're Planted

Beautiful People

The weekend came quickly. It was just Saturday a day ago it seems.
But life hurries along doesn't it?
 I am joining Saturday 9 again this week.

 Beautiful People by Ed Sheeran
Unfamiliar with this week's tune?
Hear it HERE.








1) This song is about the fantasy of being one of the "beautiful people," but how hollow the reality
can be. Do you often find yourself envying others for what they have?
No. I don't dream about houses, things, buying, or being someone else.  It leads to envy and dissatisfaction with what you have. I don't want that in my life anymore.
I want to deal with things as they are.

2) Ed Sheeran sings that he and his girl don't fit in well because they're "just ourselves." Who among your close friends do you find it easiest to be "just yourself?"
No one really.


3) The lyrics refer to Hummers and Lamborghinis. What's your dream ride?
Again, I don't do this kind of fantasy dreaming anymore.  I want a car that is comfortable big enough and runs well. That's it.

4) Ed believes in giving back. One cause he supports is No Cold Homes, which helps ensure that everyone in the English city of Bristol has the fuel needed to keep their homes safe and comfortable. Here in the United States, he's raised funds for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Is there a cause that's near and dear to your heart?
Danny Thomas' Saint Jude hospital for kids.

5) Ed's arms are covered in tattoos, so clearly he doesn't suffer from trypanophobia, or a fear of needles. How about you? Do you look away when the doctor gives you a shot?
No. I want to see if the idiot is doing it correctly or not. Many of them have no clue really. 

6) One of Ed's tattoos is a bottle of Heinz Ketchup. What condiments would we find if we peeked into your refrigerator this morning?
I don't keep  nost condiments in the refrigerator. I keep them in the cabinets.  I have salt free Ketchup, Dijon mustard, Kosciusko Polish mustard and Nathans mustard.
All that is in the refrigerator is mayonnaise.


7) Ed is a natural redhead, a trait he shares with only 2% of the population. Does red hair run in your family?
Yes it does. My little girl had strawberry blonde hair. My uncle and great aunt were red heads and one grandfather had dark auburn red hair.

8)  In 2019, when this song was released, the FDA recommended the approval of a drug for treating peanut allergies in children. Do you suffer from any food allergies, or sensitivities?
Peanuts give me migraine headaches as does chocolate.

9) Random question: What of these do you think is the biggest contributing factor to success -- hard work, luck or talent?
Who you know is the underlying trick. Many hard working, talented people never get a break and those who know people, but have no talent and don't work hard do very well.
King Solomon spoke of this saying the evil prosper, the innocent are blamed etc.

Sea and Sky

Weeks are flying by it seems. Summertime is truly here once again.
I hope my constant photos of my neighborhood are not boring. They aren't to me anyway and I hope you like them as well.
 I am participating in SkywatchFriday and Friday Photos.

Tomorrow is Saturday 9, and I will have the new Tuesday 4 meme up sometime between today and Sunday.  Hope to see you there.

Victorian Conversation

Manners and courtesy are never out of date.

Summertime

Auto post failed but Tuesday 4 is now up. Sorry about this.

 Today's meme is Summertime!





1. What activities did you enjoy as a kid in the summer?
bike riding, horses, surfing, swimming
2. Did you go on vacations? Where did you go?
Not vacations.. we went on 2 of them when I was very young to the shore at  Wildwood and Cape May where we liked walking the Promenade and visiting the Victorian seaside mansions.
I still love going for day trips and almost bought a B&B there. 
3.Do you have a favorite summer time dinner? Share it with us please?
I like Tuna fish with apples, celery, onion, balsamic vinegar, mayo and dill weed on a bed of lettuce, tomato and cucumber.
4.How often do you sit outside and enjoy an iced tea or coffee?
                                                    Whenever I can! I like sitting by the pond or by the bay.

Sunday Questioning

Our temperatures are up in the high 80°F with a bit of humidity.
The interesting thing is that people who report on the solar equinox.. that tells you when summer begins... are finding that measurements say summer is already over as the sun is heading back toward the equator.  Interesting no?
In spite of the summer..which beings or ends today... I am going to be stealing with Bev! Stealing on Sundays is a good old fashioned time honoured institution in this part of the world.
Here we go. with 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!"

Questions!

More questions from Sam Dobson, whose web site seems to be gone now.


1. If you could spend a day in someone else’s shoes who would it be and why?
  Superman so I could fix the world and take all government officials and all the rowdy morons to outer space and leave them there.

2. Which celebrity gets on your nerves the most, and why?
If only there was only one!!  No they are legion.
They are spoiled brats who live in a rarefied atmosphere and have no clue about ordinary people and ordinary life.

3. If you were going to bury a time capsule, what would you put in it?
   Nothing at all. Let them wonder why.

4. What is your saddest memory?
    death of my children

5. Would you rather be in your pajamas or a suit all day?
Rather be dressed.  Staying in pajamas can be a sign of clinical depression. It isn't good for your mind  So , don't do it if you can avoid it.

Get Up

Suit Up

Show Up

Never give up! 

6. What’s the strangest place you’ve ever gone potty?
In the woods in winter.

7. How old were you when you had your first kiss? I think 15

8. Do you have any strange or unique phobias? No I don't.. Nothing strange at all.

9. If you could bring back one toy from your childhood, what would it be? 
My metallic turquoise bike.. Schwinn

10. If you could be any Disney villain, which would you be?  I really don't know Disney villains and I don't want to be the villain. We have too many of them today.

11. If your life was a novel, what would the title be.
   "Keep on Keeping On"
12. What do you need more of in your life? Love and  company,

13. What are your top 3 quotes?

• "The secret to life is to keep looking up" — Snoopy
• “Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.”" — Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
•  “America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance — it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded.”
  ― Fulton J. Sheen

14. What do you want people to remember about you?
That I taught them a good path to follow.

15. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made? 
Getting married.

Tonight Tuesday 4 questions will be up on my other blog if you care to join in and I hope you do.

Saturday 9

 

✒Today is the 7th day of the week and another weekend is upon us.  Weather here warm but cool nights.

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: Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast (1972)

 Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here. 
 As for me, I don't like tear jerker songs/movies/books so this one is not one I like at all.

 1) This song is about a little girl who runs after her daddy. When is the last time you ran? Were you trying to get somewhere in a hurry, or playing a sport?
I am disabled. It's been decades. I walk semi okay though  😎

2) This song was a top ten hit for Wayne Newton. Mr. Newton is better known for his TV work, having made more than 150 appearances since 1963. Have you ever been on TV? Or in a YouTube video?   No to both questions!

 3) The road leading to Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport is named Wayne Newton Blvd. in his honor. When is the last time you were at an airport? Were you flying somewhere, picking someone up, or dropping them off?

1980 something

4) Wayne says Elvis Presley haunts Las Vegas, and believes that The King of Rock and Roll has given him performing and parenting tips from beyond the grave. When did you last see Elvis? On TV, on a t-shirt, poster or magazine cover, or as a ghostly apparition?

 Probably in photos long after he was dead.  I am not an Elvis fan.😛

My grandmother liked some of his songs though. 

5) When Sam walks with her own dad, the problem isn't that he walks fast. It's that he's always stopping to pick up litter he finds on the grass. Litterbugs are his pet peeve. What's your pet peeve?
 Drama Queens, Karens, stupid people who all seem to be in the spot light  lately.

6) Sam's own father often traveled for business, and always gave her the complimentary soaps, shampoos or body lotion he got from the hotel. When she went away to college, she used her collection of little bottles and was grateful for all the money they saved her. What's something you've done recently to economize?

I've always done this.. I don't buy paper towels. They are a waste of money.

7) It was her father who taught Sam to drive. Are you a better student or teacher?

for driving? I don't want to be either one.

8) Sam's father also always asks if her car in "tip top" condition. Most recently he reminded her to test her headlights, tail lights and turn signals while the car is parked to make sure they're all working. Do you have a car maintenance tip to share?

No, I don't.

9) Sam's father satisfies his afternoon sugar craving with an almost endless stream of Butter Rum Lifesavers. Do you usually enjoy a between meal snack?
I usually don't eat between meals. If I have anything other than a meal though it is celery or a carrot.

Tomorrow is Sunday Stealing and Tuesday will be Tuesday 4. 

The Art of Nature...

A beautiful week, weather wise, comes to an end. How is the weather near you?
Here it has been cool, dry and breezy which I think is perfect weather.
 Photos below are all from my neighborhood, which I rarely leave.
I painted lightning into the first one to add some drama to a story sky.

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."  — John Ruskin

 

"Come forth into the light of things
Let nature be your teacher"—William Wordsworth

"The air soft as that of Seville in April, and so fragrant that it was delicious to breathe it."— Christopher Columbus

"The earth laughs in flowers" —Ralph Waldo Emerson

One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.— William Shakespeare

"Nature is the art of God" —Dante Alighieri

  Joining  with  Friday photos and Skywatch Friday

Magical Tuesday

 
Happy Tuesday Friends  I hope you will be joining in  with our Tuesday 4.

Hello friends and welcome to another Tuesday 4 which is kept up in remembrance of  the originator, and our friend, Toni Taddeo. 

I think these questions and answers provide a bit of diversion from an otherwise stressful week. They are also a decent source of filler for your blog.

Let's talk about Magic this week, shall we? 

1. Can you do a magic trick of any kind? Will you tell us about it? If not.. what magic words do you know? I am sure you learned some from the movies!
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo.. from Cinderella!

 
 
 2. Have you ever been to a magic show or watched any movies about magic? Do you have a favorite magician?
I have never seen a live magic show. It might be fun.

I've seen Practical Magic and, a few Harry Potter movies. 
 
 3. Have you ever been out on a magical date or had what you considered a magical evening? 
Yes. Going to the Metropolitan opera and out to a formal dinner and staying at my beloved Plaza hotel is always magical for me.
I usually get upgraded to a suite at the Plaza.. sheer magical luxury.
And I love dressing up in an evening gown and being fused over by the Plaza staff. 
 
 4. Holidays are said to create magic. How do you create magic during the holidays?
Fairy lights.. candles.. beautiful decorations help make things magical. You simply can't do too much to create a wonderland and people enjoy it so much.  If you go to great lengths with food and a beautiful table setting with fine china.. it creates a magical experience. No one deserves this more than your own family.

Household Meme

It is a lovely cool weekend. How is your weekend going?
NJ is still closed down more than any other state because we elect morons.
I am joining in with Sunday Stealing which is pretty much my only vice and because it's fun. Try it!

" 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!"

This is a rather odd set of questions, stolen from MimiWrites
(Thanks for the suggestion from The Gal Herself)"

1. How many gravy boats do you have in your kitchen?
There are two. One Butler pantry white very large one and one Delft blue smaller one.

2. Do the clothes in your laundry basket need ironing?
They will when I wash the sheets tomorrow. Yes, I iron sheets and to let you in on a secret, I make June Cleaver look like a slob.

3. What is the last thing you wallpapered?
The bathroom, but it's since been covered over in cedar wood.

4.  Wooden floors or carpet? I have wood floors and room sized rugs.

5.  Why do we put out guest towels if no one is supposed to use them?
I don't. I put out the regular towels that I use and I hang a hand towel for guests by the side of the sink.

6.  If your spatula could talk, what would it say about your duvet?
That is is fluffier, prettier and not as filled with holes as the spatula is.

7.  Have you replaced the batteries in your smoke alarms this year?
 No.

8. If you could put thyme in a bottle, what is the first thing that you'd like to do?
Well in the song:  ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬
 "The first thing that I'd like to do
 Is to save every day
'Til eternity passes awayJust to spend them with you"      But in reality  I'd add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, parsley, basil and a dollop of mustard to make salad dressing.

9. Do eggs really crack or do they merely have a nervous breakdown?
No they actually crack up a lot but, it relieves the tension so all is well.

10. Why are you whipping the butter? What did it ever do to you?
I don't whip it! I gave up the dominatrix gig for Lent.

11. Do your spoons spoon in the drawer? Have you ever noticed? And more importantly, if wooden spoons spoon do they get splinters?
Yes, they actually do. Wooden spoons do not get splinters because they are too smooth for that kind of behavior.

12. You hear: "Dumpling, my Dumpling, come hither." The candles are lit, the fondue is dipping, the Godiva is pouring, the scallions are steaming and the music is playing.....but wait, the windows are open.  Why did you close them?
I didn't close them you are hallucinating.

13.  Do you need a recipe to cook or are you a bohemian chef?

Pot calling kettle black

I bounce back and forth.

14. Is your pot black?
No, and neither is the kettle.

15. What is the sexiest spice or condiment in your cabinet?  What makes it so? Ceylonese Cinnamon because it costs a lot but it is the only real cinnamon. Others are a substitute and not good for your health.

Tuesday 4 is actually up right now . Please join in! We'd love to have you.

The Rain, The Park and Other Things

Another Saturday.

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!"

  The Rain, The Park, and Other Things (1967)

 Hear the song HERE



1) The Cowsills were a family band who had three hit singles. Can you name another group of popular singing siblings? Here is a short list:

• The Osmond Brothers. 
• The Lennon sisters
•  Carpenters. 
• Jonas brothers.
•  Nelsons. 
• Everly Brothers. 
• Isley brothers. 
• Van Halen.
• Jackson 5

2) This was their first hit, and it reached #2 on the Billboard charts. It was kept out of the #1 slot by the Monkees and "Daydream Believer." What's your favorite Monkees song?

I'm a Believer and 2nd would be  Daydream Believer.


3) After seeing the Cowsill brothers perform with their mother and sister, TV producers were inspired to create the sitcom, The Partridge Family. Did you ever watch it?

Yes. I liked the Partridge Family.
But the true Cowsill story was sad.
You can read about that HERE

4) In the song, the narrator takes a flower from a girl in the park. Are there flowers in your home right now?
Yes in my front window plants.

5) He isn't sure if the girl was real, or if he dreamed her. Tell us about a recent dream you had.
I don't recall any current dreams, sorry.

6) At the height of the Cowsills' popularity, they were hired by the American Dairy Association to promote drinking milk. If we were to peek into your refrigerator right now, would we find any milk?
Yes, always. I love milk.

7) After the band stopped performing together, John Cowsill went on to become a back up musician for the Beach Boys. His job has kept him on the road much of the time. When you travel, do you enjoy staying in hotels, or would you rather stay with friends/family?

Depends on the hotel and on the friends/family too.  A really nice place I have no problem staying, otherwise no thanks I will camp out.

8)  In 1967, the year this song was popular, Elvis married Priscilla in Las Vegas. Have you attended any weddings yet this year? Are there any weddings in your future?
I haven't been to a wedding in a very long time and none are planned either.

9) Random question: Are the bottoms of your feet ticklish?
I suppose, probably most people's are

Friday Photos and Skywatching

Another week draws to a close. A week that saw both very chilly and very hot weather and several raging thunderstorms.  Thursday afternoon had torrential downpours.
Life on the bay does not really change much from day to day though the mood of the water changes. Birds fly, animals forage, people go about their business, fishing boats come in and go out again. There is a rhythm to it all and I like it quite a lot.

Setting sun

Weather changes quickly and a storm  comes in from the open ocean

I love to capture sunset in this spot. I like how the bay sparkles with golden light.

Thanks for your visit.