Hot then, hot now

This is Jim Morrison in the front and the Doors drummer in the back. I had the hots for him back then, and I can see why. Oh my.

Never refrigerate...

I got hooked on a headline that said "foods you should never refrigerate..." and here they are, with my comments:

potatoes - never would
honey - never would
tomatoes - never would
apples -- always do because I like them cold
peanut butter - never would
bread -- we've had this discussion, and I still don't refrigerate it
bananas - never would
avocados -- rarely buy them, but I wouldn't put in refrig
peppers - always do (they mean like a green bell pepper)
winter squash - never would
citrus fruit - always would so it's cold
berries - always would
stone fruite - always would
pickles - always would
garlic - don't typically buy it
hot sauce - don't typically buy it
coffee - never would
soy sauce - never would
some salad dressings like oil and vinegar -- always would
nuts - never would
dried fruit - don't buy it but I wouldn't put it in refrig
herbs - always would
maple syrup -- nope
cereal - nope
vacuum packed tuna - don't buy it

and you?

With apologies to cat people, but I love this sentiment & photo

Fascinating Pictures @Fascinatingpics

"A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor. All he knows is that he loves you very much."

View on Twitter

from Twitter

I suggest your opinion will go from being chagrined by this to smiling when you read the whole thing

 -- all within two seconds. I wish I had been this aware of myself when I was in high school.

 

 

 

Garden Progress

Everything is blooming. I hung a banner Mary had given me a year or more ago. I couldn't think of where to hang it in my apartment but thought it would be a peaceful reminder in the garden. Here's how the garden looks on Wednesday.

In case you can't read this, Buddha is saying, "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserves your love and affection."

What I'm Reading

I have culled my books a few times, given away dozens, and now I'm going through and reading the ones that remained unread, but still held my interest. This is one of them. When you read the description, it doesn't really sound like something that I'd grab, but on Amazon it said that this was Book of the Year in 2007. There must have been a reason I bought it, but that escapes me. I wonder if it's sat collecting dust since 2007. Very possible.

What Amazon says:

In the waning days of World War II, Sheilagh Fielding makes her way to a deserted island off the coast of Newfoundland. But she soon comes to suspect another presence: that of a man known only as her Provider, who has shadowed her for twenty years.Against the backdrop of Newfoundland's history and landscape, Fielding is a compelling figure. Taller than most men and striking in spite of her crippled leg, she is both eloquent and subversively funny. Her newspaper columns exposing the foibles and hypocrisies of her native city, St. John's, have made many powerful enemies for her, chief among them the man who fathered her children―twins―when she was fourteen. Only her Provider, however, knows all of Fielding's secrets.

"Make a Mess"

There's a current commercial on that annoys the heck out of me. (Barbara claims I'm going to die from annoying myself to death...)

But it's a mother and father sitting on either side of this kid in a high chair. Just remembered it is for Tide. And the father says something like "you make a mess" to the kid and the kid repeats it whereby all three of them start chanting loudly "make a mess, make a mess" and it so reminds me of parents who are oblivious to people around them when entertaining their offspring and do so loudly.

Barbara can correct the details on this if I got them wrong, but the sense of it is accuate. She was out in a nice restaurant, trying to enjoy herself, and she had her back to this couple with their kid and the kid would repeatedly let out this squealing sound.

Barbara finally turned around to give them the evil eye when she realized that they were intentionally making the kid squeal by doing a "peek a boo" type thing.

So Barbara asks nicely if maybe they could cease and desist whereby the parents angrily turned on her.

Changing Times

I was telling Brad this morning about the Gettysburg photo... and he mentioned that on vacation in Costa Rica the hotel had three phone booths in the lobby which were actually house phones. One of his sons was fascinated, had never seen a phone booth in real life, sat in it and Brad said to pick up the phone and pretend he was making a call and Brad would photograph him. The kid did that, but quickly hung up. Why? The phone was making "a funny sound" -- Brad asked him to make the sound and it turned out to be a dial tone. The kid had never heard a dial tone!

Later in the conversation, he mentioned his wife had to go to Hong Kong for work, what a long flight, etc. and Brad said, "She sent me a selfie from the airplane." That's something we totally take for granted... that somewhere over the Pacific, you can take a photo of yourself and send it instantly to your husband. Now, THAT's a change.

For totally accuracy, he said, "She sent me a selfie of herself" and I pointed out that just may be redundant!

Snarky Comment

I typically have sympathy for anyone's emotional/physical situation, but this morning, another celebrity "collapses" from "exhaustion."

Why just celebrities?

How about the single mother of four who is working full time and going to school at night while taking care of an ageing parent? Sounds fairly tiring to me. You don't hear of these people collapsing from exhaustion.

I am willing to be wrong on this, but I don't get it.

Amazing Twitter Photo

This is a photo from 1938 and shows veterans from the Battle of Gettysburg (Civil War) dropping flowers from an airplane. It's hard to imagine the changes these men saw -- from fighting in the Civil       
 War to riding in an airplane!

Battle of Gettysburg vets poised to drop flowers on battlefield from plane, Memorial (Decoration) Day 1938: #LOC pic.twitter.com/eDtydhhV8h

             

Kitchen Disaster

It's  been a long time since something went terribly wrong while I was cooking, but it happened tonight. Something as simple as a baked potato.

I washed it, stabbed it a few times with a fork and stuck it in the oven at 375 degrees. So far so good.

Well, I guess I didn't stab it deep enough as when I went to get the potato, it had exploded. Luckily I had it on a cookie sheet so the insides of the potato was all the cookie sheet, and I was left with an intact skin that had been opened and split in half.

Actually I enjoyed the skin, but now I know to stab deeper!

Scam Warning from Fran

I haven't heard of this scam, so if it happens, here's what to look for via Fran.

She writes:

Beware the fake Microsoft blue screen of death-- it popped up on my laptop the other day when I was talking with Pat. SEE LINK AT END

 

There was something bogus about it. I have seen REAL blue screens of death, which fill the entire screen and has dot matrix typeface signaling The End is Near. Or Here. 

 

This fake Microsoft warning appears as a web page and is superimposed in whatever files you have open.

 

It asks you to call Microsoft tech immediately and not turn off your computer or risk loss of your data. Also goofy is that text of the warning actually bears the words "Blue screen of death" as well as the acronym BSOD. Really? 

 

As Pat said, "Microsoft couldn't give a #@!"" Or originate this type of  message. 

 

FYI This fake window will not close. Superimposed on it:  odd tech-sounding warnings like, "your twerp-exec drive is not running....    Ignore them.

 

I tried a quick security scan while BSOD was uo and there were no problems. Then I turned off the computer. Started up again  and  ran Kaspersky "critical" areas and "vulnerability" scans and there were no threats. Guess there would have been if I called the fake tech folks folks and had them "fix" my computer.

 

Should the Micrisoft BSOD screen appear,turn off your computer and reboot. Should be fine. 

 

These scammer creeps know how to alarm you.  Oh noooi a BSOD..    a virus! My data will be lost! A very special place in hell is reserves for them.
 

http://sdpcfix.com/computer-security/ransomlock-fake-blue-screen-tech-support-scam/

That Ageing Feeling Again!

I was researching something for work today and Googled "airplane anniversary 2015" and came upon the semi-shocking news that 2015 marks 50 years since the birth of Jefferson Airplane. Had to do the math... yeah, 1965 was 50 years ago...

remember this album?

Shaving

God only knows when the last time I shaved my legs was -- and they've gotten to the point that I either take a part time job as Sasquatch or shave them... I have hesitated because of the blood thinner I'm on in case I cut myself. Just a small cut takes a long time to stop bleeding.

Ok, and I didn't want to do Nair/depilatory because it usually doesn't work well for the first time and I can't stand the smell, although maybe that's been improved.

So last night I bought an women's electric razor -- you can use it wet or dry -- from Panasonic via Amazon. Spent $18 and I'll be interested in how it works. The reviews gave it four stars and most of the commenters said they preferred to use it on dry legs.

Anybody have any experience with electric razors?

Current Reading

I'm enjoying my Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley book... and here are two things I've learned about Annie who was a sort of odd character.

Her real name was Phoebe Moses, and she took the "Oakley" from the area of Cincinnati where she lived... and I spoke with my client in Cincinnati who confirmed Oakley is still a neighborhood.

She was so modest about her body that she arranged to have a female undertaker, which had to be hard to find in those days, but they found her one. Now, THAT'S modest!

Fran's Photos for Tuesday

She writes:

Lazy afternoon for Valentino...ahh so peaceful And another shot of flowers breaking through a fence on  Fessenden St.

If I had a temper...

I would have no electronic devices left. My computer would have been thrown against the wall a dozen times when out of the blue it decides to do something odd. I still don't get how I can turn my computer off, correctly, at night and in the morning the gremlins have taken over, albeit temporarily.

Same thing with my TV. Last night, out of nowhere, I couldn't change channels. Turned it off (hey, that works with the computer) and then couldn't get both the cable box and the TV in synch with both remote controls. Rebooted the cable. Screwed around, knowing that by accident, I'd get the right combination. It's maddening and I mean sincerely my foot would have gone through the effing screen if I had a temper. Eventually I got the right combo, and it's almost like the normal TV programming mocks me... what was the big deal? See? I'm working, it seems to say.

New Box Spring

Since Mary's question went unanswered, here's what Consumer Reports says --

Do you need a new box spring?

Foundations can sell for as much as the mattress, even though they're generally just a wood frame enclosing stiff wire and covered with fabric to match the mattress.
We found that companies frequently pair the same foundation with mattresses in different price ranges. You can save by buying a higher-priced mattress and a lower-priced foundation. Once the bed is made, no one will know. If the old box has bouncy springs instead of stiff wire, it should be replaced.
If your current foundation is only a few years old, with no rips, warps, creaks, or "give," consider using it with a new mattress. Though most respondents to our recent subscriber survey replaced their foundation with their mattress, roughly 80 percent of those who kept their old one reported that they were sleeping better after replacing just the mattress. So if your box spring isn't broken and is still structurally sound, consider keeping it and saving several hundred dollars.
If your new mattress is ultrathick, consider pairing it with a "low profile" foundation, 4 to 6 inches thick, to reduce height.

What I'm Reading

Back to history --- some of you may know that Buffalo Bill did "Wild West Shows" for the general public. The troop even came to New York City which is weird to consider. I don't know much about Annie Oakley other than she is way younger (16 years old) than I though when she became famous.

The book proposes that Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, etc were the first media stars... sounds interesting.

How my Garden Grows...

The first morning glory of the season (look in far right)

I love the pin color of the petunias!

Thank God for the restorative power of taking a shower!

That's all.

Baby Adelyn is four months old.

Anyone know?

Mary knows when to buy a new mattress, but when do you buy a new box spring? How can you tell? Any experts out there?

Globetrotting Melissa

Melissa is in Geneva (Switzerland) for business. Talked to her yesterday when she had a layover at JFK... and told her to send pics. Here's her hotel room:

 

The name of the hotel is the Starling and Melissa says:

 

Very nice room — large by European standards.   The view isn’t so good, but the convenience is worth it.   Cool and raining here today, but expecting some sun over the weekend.

Weird Food

Embarassingly enough, this sort of appeals to me. The tweet says: My god. "Swineapple: Hollowed-Out Pineapple Stuffed with Ribs Wrapped in Bacon"

And more flowers...

This is an arrangment Mary got for her birthday.

Flowers!

Marilyn was here, and she searched for my camera battery charger to no avail. So I went ahead and had her buy a new one -- $47 which means I'll find the original one within a day or two, I'm sure.

But here is one photo I took of the garden about a week ago. Things are really thriving. The second one is what remains of a bouquet that Mary and Barb gave me when they were here almost two weeks ago... I keep changing the water and picking out the droopy ones, but there's still life here... they got their money's worth-- and I got my enjoyment from them, and will continue to do so.

More Milo

Mary says, "I got this basket out to take to the festival this weekend for serving rolls or bread. Guess I'll have to de-fur it."

May 14th is Mary's Birthday

Happy Birthday to the world's best best friend. It's been a pleasure growing older with you!

And then sometimes time goes the other way

Heard that it was 10 years since Natalie Holloway's disappearance -- and I would have guessed it was longer ago than that.

What Makes Me Feel Old

I was reading a story about a 13-pound baby born in PA... the kid looks like he's three months old! And I came upon this sentence:

"When I polled all the pediatricians from this hospital, some of them whom date from the early 1980s, there's never been a baby on record that's this size," Sword said.

To me, the "early 80s" doesn't seem that long ago... I would feel more comfortable if it said "early  50s" or "early 60s" -- I might even be ok with "early 70s."

Scattered Thoughts

I am a clean laundry sniffer... love sticking my face into something that's just come out of the dryer. And if it's winter and still warm from the dryer, so much the better.

I am on the lookout for the battery charger for my camera. It ran out, and I can't find it. Of course, I found one to a camera I don't have anymore.

I had accepted a subscription offer to Oprah magazine -- something really cheap like $12 for the year. And now I've been sent a bill for a renewal for the second year and I hemmed and hawed and finally wrote CANCEL on the invoice. I have been somewhat disappointed in the magazine as it seems so material... I swear 80% of it is stuff to buy -- that perfect olive cranberry soap that's $48 a bar. Who can afford that stuff?  So now I am patting myself on the back for "saving" money -- yeah, a whole twelve bucks!

In the meantime, I also started getting Martha Stewart magazine for free... it just showed up one day. And I enjoy that one more than Oprah. Each issue has "Martha's Calendar" for the month which always makes me laugh... she'll have things like, "change hay in hen house" or "trim blackberry bushes."   Mine wouldn't be quite that glamorous.

Milo's Saturday

Milo enjoys the screened in porch.

Get Weary with Ignorance

Just read another news story about someone denied access to a business because of a service animal. This time it is a veteran who has a bunch of disabilities and had her service dog with her as she went into a hair salon. They wouldn't let her bring the dog in, kept saying "no pets" and this woman kept saying she is not a pet, she is a service animal. She had papers even with her to show it was valid. She told them about the Americans with Disabilities Act and they just would not listed. No pets allowed.

So she went to another place which happily took her, and now she has filed an ADA suit against the first place. I sympathize with the legal burden small businesses can face, but I also think it is incumbent on that business to understand the laws. For God's sakes, have they never heard about a seeing eye dog? This woman was not visually impaired -- maybe that confused them... but it sounds like they were obnoxious about it. The dog was even wearing a coat indicating it was a service animal.

What I'm Reading

I really enjoyed Dead Wake, the book about the Lusitania. His writing style is so engaging, and it's a fascinating and tragic story. Last night, I happened on a History channel show about the sinking, and there was one odd fact that I don't think was in the book. Turns out one of two giant propellers of the ship is on the lawn of Parkland Hospital in Dallas, the place where JFK was taken when he was shot. I don't know the connection and the show didn't mention it -- just that it's there.

So I have turned my reading to something a bit lighter. This is a novel about two scandalous sisters which takes place in 1899 New York City. Have just started it. It's called The Luxe.

Friday Evening

Wow, the week went by fast and once again, I have nothing in particular to say. I think I'll take some garden photos over the weekend and post those.

Migas

Corina said she started her Cinco de Mayo with Migas... had never heard of that dish and Corina supplied this description...yes, I think I could eat this!

Migas  = crumbs.     Corn tortillas cut into bite size pieces, lightly sautéed in butter with chopped onions, tomato [remove seeds]and Serrano peppers, stir in a couple of scrambled eggs and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder.  When eggs are done  sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese..cover pan just till cheese melts.   Mmmmmmmmm

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Corina sent the first photo... which Barb replicated with Boopers (yes, that's the dog's name). Barb reports, "Boopers is conflicted but it seems to me she is favoring the Tequila…."

 

 

More pictures from Fran

She writes:

Washington DC is incredibly beautiful in the spring. 

The Buddah of Harrison Street rests amid spring flowers. Love to watch him sit through the seasons. 

The others were taken as i meandered on side streets from Mary's house to my apartment. A little sunlight streaming through tree leaves, gathering of Lillies of the valley on someone's lawn...a lonely dandelion derermined to push through stone and cement and live his yellow life...

 

and then, Fran writes:

Pansy convention .....and another shot on Harrison Street.

 

Meanwhile, back in DC

Fran walked over to Mary's to feed Milo... beautiful walk along Military Road... here's what she saw on the way to Milo:

I don't know what these are, but they're gorgeous.

What a beautiful block!

Azaleas in bloom

Milo awaits his dinner.

A Good Time Was Had By All

Yes, you can fit 12 people with food into my living room. We did it tonight. First there were seven people for dinner -- Chinese food, followed by wonderful carrot cake and assorted cupcakes that Barb brought. I was super-organized so no one had to ask where are the serving spoons or whatever. I really kept it simple.

So it was Mary, me, Barb, Michelle, Tom, Corinna and Joanie (I just met Joanie tonight). They were here for dinner... then Mary Elizabeth and Scott and my nieces and nephews arrived for dessert. Good food. Good conversation. My apartment is totally cleaned up, including all garbage and recylcing taken out. I gave the leftovers (including the cupcakes -- I don't really need to eat four cupcakes!) to my sister and her family. Louisa, my niece who is in 8th grade, was my great helper. I can't even say helper --- she went around picking up stray glasses and generally cleaning up all those little things and I appreciate it.

We had great conversation -- talking about historical events we remember, childhood memories that seem like ancient times now... talked about ghosts, heard all about Louisa and Clark's 8th grade class trip to DC (including that their hotel rooms were taped from the outside so the chaperones would know if a kid left the room). Wow. They were also supposed to go to a fort in Baltimore, but couldn't because of the unrest. Clark declared the trip a victory when he said calmly, "No one was arrested." Of course, they are good kids, well-behaved lovely kids and I so love hearing their perspective on things.

Michelle had met my sister back in my college days when she was six...and she brought presents for the children. Bracelets for the girls and an Austin, TX t-shirt for Clark which he put on after everyone left.

So here are the pictures:

This is Joanie, who I met for the first time tonight, and Corinna who I've met before at Meredith's wedding. They are from Austin where Michelle and Tom live. 

The is Barb, who worked with Tom and Mary years (and years) ago and now lives in NYC. She brought the carrot cake and cupcakes.

Whenever a question arose, Tom (Michelle's husband) would find the answer on line.

Lto R:Mary, the birthday girl; Louisa, Clark

Charlotte being a teen checking her phone.

The hostess of the evening.

Michelle and Mary