The 4th on Tuesday 4

 

The 4th on Tuesday 4

                                                           
It's time again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 and this week our friend Susan suggested the topic of decorating our homes for the holidays, especially for the 4th of July as it is the USA's 250th birthday. So, lets do that.

On July 4, 1776 we declared our independence from the British Empire and King George III when the First Continental Congress set forth the Declaration of Independence.
We became a free and sovereign, independent nation on September 3, 1783

 
1. Will or have you decorated for the holiday? If you don't reside in the USA, do you have a special holiday you decorate for on the outside of your home?  I put flags outside, we have a big flag we have on our house and I have some smaller flags that I will put in our plant pots.  I tried to decorate with red, white and blue flowers.  The rain has messed up my red flowers though.  The rain has stopped and I looked at them today and it looks like they are trying to grow back.

2. What special little touches do you add to the outside of your home? Do you enjoy puttering around in your yard?  I have flowers in my yard.  Our house is white, so the plain white needs some color.  I have a wreath on our door too for some color.  We have several yard lights too.

3. Are plants and shrubs an important part of your house decor?  We used to have shrubs, but they died several years ago.  We have mostly plants and flowers now.  We have a lot of trees.

4. On which holidays do you spend time decorating either inside, outside or both?  I decorate with flowers in the Spring/Summer.  The extra flags come out on the 4th of July.  I switch to mums in the Fall and I have some fall yard decorations too.  I used to decorate for Halloween, with lights around our door and an arch in our year that was black with lights.  I don't anymore though.  That was mostly when Josh was little and we had a lot of trick-or-treaters.  We decorate inside and out for Christmas.  I used to decorate inside for Thanksgiving, Easter and Halloween, but my decorations are outside in the shed and I have seen snakes in there, so I do not go out there anymore.  Karl would get them, but he works so hard, I hate to ask.

Have a wonderful 4th of July!!!  Happy 250th birthday America!

Saturday 9: Cadillac Ranch

Saturday 9: Cadillac Ranch (1981)

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

1) In this song, Bruce Springsteen sings about taking his father and his aunt to see The Cadillac Ranch. Have you recently taken a road trip? If yes, where did you go?  I haven't been anywhere different.  I go to my mom's house on Fridays to pick up her mail and I go visit her at the assisted living facility.  The summer isn't over though.  We will see. 

2) The Cadillac Ranch is real. It's an outdoor art installation in Amarillo, TX. Tell us about a statue, mural, or other piece of outdoor art in your community.   I live in a small town.  There are none.  Springfield and Branson would be the closest to find these things.

3) Not only is Bruce singing about a real place, he mentions three real people. The first is "James Dean in his Mercury 49." That refers to the 1949 Mercury driven by James Dean in his first starring role, Rebel Without a Cause. Though he remains a legendary star, Dean made only three movies before his death at age 24. Have you seen any of his films?   I saw Rebel Without a Cause.

4) The second is "Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline." Junior Johnson was a folk hero, famous as a NASCAR driver and notorious for running moonshine through North Carolina. He was the inspiration for "Midnite Moon," an animated old Ford in the 2017 Disney movie Cars 3. What Disney movie did you enjoy when you were growing up?  Beauty and the Beast...Cars was mentioned above.  We live close to Route 66 (Springfield) and we drove that to Joplin one day with Josh.  That was fun.  I would do it again, but go more north toward St. Louis.

5) The third man Bruce sings about is "Burt Reynolds and his black Trans Am." This is a reference to Burt's biggest hit, 1977's Smokey and the Bandit. Burt also had success as a restaurateur. He co-owned Burt and Jack's, a popular steakhouse at Port Everglades, right on the water. Tell us about a restaurant that offered both good food and a memorable view. We do not travel much, but when we visited Orange Beach, AL, we ate at Lulu's in Gulf Shores, which had a nice Gulf view and served seafood.  This is about where we sat, so by the water.

6) For decades, Cadillac was the gold standard of luxury. For example, an eatery referred to as "the Cadillac of restaurants" would be best or most prestigious. Think about your neighborhood. Tell us about a restaurant, hotel or business that is "the Cadillac" of your community.  Not much here, but I will say Dollar General for me.  We have a restaurant just down the road from us called the Double E (we live off a road called EE HWY and we live near a bar called Wacky Jacks.  There are some other things here, but those are probably the most visited besides the gas station.  There is not a big item here.  If you travel to Springfield, you will find the original Bass Pro Shop and if you go toward Branson you will find Silver Dollar City, the lakes and music shows.  It is quiet where I live.  Here is a picture of Wacky Jacks.  I do not drink, but they have good food.

7) Since he's been singing about America and cars for decades, it should come as no surprise that Bruce Springsteen has a collection of classic American cars. For the cover of his autobiography he chose a photo of himself leaning on his favorite, a 1960 Corvette convertible. Think about your favorite photo of yourself. What are you doing?  My favorite pictures are from Orange Beach, one of Josh and I on the dolphin tour and some at Lulu's.  There is another one taken at the top of the Pensacola Lighthouse. This picture is Josh and I on the dolphin tour.

8) In 1981, when Bruce released this recording, Dolly Parton had a hit with "9 to 5." What's your favorite Dolly Parton song?  I love most of her songs, but I will say I Will Always Love you and her version.

9) Random question: When did you last DIY and fix something around your home or yard?  It has been a while, Karl typically fixes things, but every now and then I fix something.

Tuesday 4 Meme- So Tell Me....

 

So Tell Me....

This week's questions come from Sparky! I hope you enjoy doing them.

Let's talk about you .....

1. Music. What kind of music do you enjoy? Are you musical?  I like a lot of different kinds of music, but I tend to listen to 70's, 80's and 90's music and early 2000's.  I listened to contemporary for a long time, but when I turned about 50, I didn't like the contemporary music anymore.


2. Travel. Where have we been? What's your favorite destination(s)?  We have been to Florida a few times, Orange Beach Alabama and San Antonio, TX.  Of these destinations, Alabama was my favorite.  We stayed on the beach and watched the dolphins every morning.  It was relaxing to be at the beach.

3. Occupations. Did you end up working at what you wanted to be? Do you wish you'd done something else, if so, what? etc.  I originally wanted to go into medical technology, but I changed my major to Sociology.  I started doing internships for that and hated it.  I went to school for teaching and I love that.

4. How do you keep from being bored?  I am an only child, so I am never bored.  I learned how to entertain myself a long time ago.  If I am bored, I will typically read, watch YouTube videos or Netflix.  When I was younger, I would talk on the phone a lot or go out with my friends.

Saturday 9: The Men in My Little Girl's Life

 

The Men in My Little Girl's Life

Saturday 9: The Men in My Little Girl's Life (1965)

 

 Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. Chosen for Father's Day.

1) In this song, a father shares the story of his daughter's life through first the boys, then the men, she brought home. The first is Rod, a little kid who wants to play in the backyard. Who were your playmates when you were young? Did you find it more fun to have them over to your home, or to go to theirs?  My best friend when I was a kid was Shannon.  He was the only kid in my neighborhood that was my age.  We climbed trees and made paths in the woods.  We would ride bikes all day and we even built a playhouse.  We did mostly boys things, but that was fine with me.  I played Barbies on my own.  I just enjoyed having someone to play with.  Shannon lived right next door to me.  Shannon passed away about 5 years ago.  I was devastated.  I believe he had a medical condition as a result from drinking.

2) Then his daughter asked if Lee could carry her books on the walk to/from school. During your junior high years, how did you travel to school (bus, bicycle, car pool, shoe leather)?  My house was very close to the junior high school, so I just walked home. 

 

3) Throughout this song, the father recalls that his daughter alternately called him "Daddy," "Dad," "Popsie," "Pop" and "Father." How did/do you address your father? He was "Dad" to me.  This picture was from my college graduation.  I was about 22.  He passed away about 9 years ago.  I miss him so much.

 

4) The song ends with the daughter asking her father to babysit. When did you last look after someone else's child?  I am a teacher, so I have kids in my care all of the time, but I am on Summer Break, so end of May was our last day and the last time I had kids in my care.

 

5) This record was a Top 10 hit in the US and it made the Top 20 in Canada. Much of its success was attributed to Mike Douglas' TV popularity. From 1965 to 1981, he hosted a daytime talk show. Do you watch much daytime TV?  I do not watch daytime tv anymore.  That is my time to read books.

 

6) Mike Douglas was a father himself. He had three daughters, including twins. Are there twins in your family?  Karl's Grandpa was a twin.

 

Now about Father's Day ... 

 

7) Retail chains like O'Reilly Auto Parts, Auto Zone and Jiffy Lube are all promoting gift cards and car-related gifts for Father's Day. If you got a gift card from one of those stores, how would you upgrade your ride?  My car is new and Karl put the dark film on my windows, so I am good right now.  I would give it to Josh or Karl for their cars.

 

8) Dick's Sporting Goods also enjoys a spike in gift card sales around Father's Day. Have you more recently given or received a gift card?  I got a few gift cards during teacher appreciation week.

9) In days gone by, ties were the #1 Father's Day gift. But as today's workplace has become more casual, fragrance has taken over the top spot. Dove Men+Care offers gift sets with shampoo/conditioner, body wash and antiperspirant. Think about your shower routine. Are your shampoo, body wash and antiperspirant all the same brand or the same scent?  They are different brands and different scents.

Our Town

 

Our Town

Hello! This is Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week in an effort to get you blogging, thinking and learning about others.
Maybe we can discuss the town you live in. It might be nice to find out more about where you live and why you live there. Sometimes we just fall into a place and other times we \choose.
Here's a chance to sing the praises of your town or uncover it's faults.. have at it!




                          
Michelle Byrne painting

1. What are the good points to living in your town? Could you interest us in moving there?  I live in Southwest Missouri.  It is small, the population is 963.  It is quiet and there are a lot of trees and wildlife.  We have good air quality and water.  My favorite is that it is quiet.

2. Are the things you need convenient to your home? (shopping, library, schools, entertainment?)  It is not super close to a lot of things, but we do have a Dollar General, 2 restaurants, gas station, post office, schools, several churches and some antique stores.  If you drive about 10-15 minutes, you have access to a lot of restaurants, Walmart, libraries, lakes and rivers and amusement parks.  I live very close to Branson and Springfield, MO Branson is a tourist town because of the lakes, rolling hills and Silver Dollar City (1800's theme park) and the music shows.  This is the lake I lived near growing up.  It is more where I work.  I moved north a little bit and am away from the tourists now.  I actually enjoy the tourists.  This is Table Rock Lake.  I spent my childhood here boating and tanning.

3. Did you choose your town or did you just end up there?  I ended up here.  My husband had bought this house before we got married, so I moved here after we got married.  I like it here, but I would love to have the view above.

4. Is your town known for any special foods, activities, places or people?  This town is known for The World's Smallest Cathedral. When I first moved here, it was active and taken care of by a Catholic Priest, but it has sadly closed.  We actually used to have tour buses come to see the Cathedral and take tours.  The Priest died years back and the Cathedral was closed in 2010.  I went to visit it before it closed.  It was cute.

Highlandville is also known for The Pensmore Mansion. 

What it is: At 72,215 square feet, it is one of the largest private homes in the United States. It features exterior walls 12 inches thick, is equipped with 13 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, and was built using a specialized, reinforced concrete designed to stand for centuries

Saturday 9: Accidentally in Love

 

Accidentally in Love

Saturday 9: Accidentally in Love (2004)

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

1) In the video for this song, a young man dances alone in the kitchen while making breakfast for his lady love. When no one's looking, do you often bust a move?  I wouldn't call it busting a move anymore, but I do dance a little when I am driving.

2) "Accidentally in Love" was featured in the animated movie Shrek 2.  In this video, a plushie from the movie is shown on their bed. Do you have any plush toys in your bedroom? I have a small Beaker toy from The Muppets that Karl got me for Christmas one year.  It is a long story why, but I wanted one.

3) The lyrics liken falling in love to strawberry ice cream that he just can't resist. What sweet treat would hit the spot right now?  cookies sound good right now.

4) He sings about lightening. Astraphobia is the fear of thunderstorms. Have you ever suffered from astraphobia?  no, it storms here a lot, so I am used to it.

5) This song is about falling in love when he wasn't looking for it. Has this ever happened to you? Or have you usually found romance while actively seeking a partner (dating sites, blind dates, etc.)?  I was not looking for a relationship when I met Karl. I was happy being single at the time.

6) This week's artists, The Counting Crows, got their start in San Francisco. A famous quote, often attributed to Mark Twain, says, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." How has the summer weather been where you are?  It has been hot and humid this past week in the 90's.  It is a little cooler today and more rain tomorrow.

7) In 2004, when this song was popular, Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook. Have you checked Facebook today?  Yes

8) Also in 2004, we lost President Ronald Reagan. Before entering politics, he had a decades-long career in Hollywood and appeared in 53 films. Have you ever seen a Ronald Reagan movie?  I watched one with my dad when I was young.  

9) Random question: Describe your favorite pajamas.  Black cotton capri pants with a black shirt to match.  So comfy.

Tuesday 4 Meme- On Holiday

 

On Holiday

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4...
                               

Summertime means travel time for many people.
Let's talk about travel and holidays.


1. Will you be traveling this summer at all?  no, I like to stay close to home because of my mom being in an assisted living facility.  I like to go visit her and I would not want to be out of town if something happened.  Also, we found out Karl has lip cancer and he will be going through some procedures in July.  He had a spot on his lip that he had removed and it came back as cancer.  Hopefully it is already gone, but he has further doctor visits.

2. Will there be day trips in store for you? visits to the beach, evenings out:?  I am planning to go to the movies with my teacher friend Tanya next week.  I am not sure what else I will do this summer.

3. Do you eat out more in summer... do you go for ice cream or treats more?  We get more ice cream in the summer.  We do not eat out more.

4. What is your favorite place to visit and what is the most exotic place you've been to?  My favorite place was Orange Beach, Alabama because of the ocean front view we had and watching the dolphins.  We never go on vacation.  Karl is always working and does not like to take off.  The vacations Josh and I have been on have been with Karl's sisters and my parents before they got sick.