Tuesday 4 Meme- The Fourth 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?  
Of course.  I am American, so 

the 4th of July is the celebration of our country's Independence.  It is a day 
to remember we are free. 

I wonder if it will offend someone this year and be canceled?  
It will not be at my house and my flag will be flying high!

2. How do you celebrate? If you are not American, do you celebrate your 
nation's national holiday?

 We used to go to fireworks displays.  These days, we may cookout

 and then we will have to stay inside with our

 dogs all day because of the fireworks.  They are

 deathly afraid.  We usually watch a baseball game

 on tv too.

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?  How about lemonade? Are you a fan?
 I do not read any of that stuff on the 4th of July, but it is a really
 good idea.  I LOVE lemonade.  Maybe I can read the
 Declaration of Independence this year while I am sitting
 with my dogs.

4. Picnic, eat inside the house or eat out for the 4th?  

We will cook out, but we will probably bring

it in because of noise.  You never know when fireworks 

will be set off around my house.  I live

in the country, so anything goes.

Saturday 9- Beautiful People

Saturday 9: Beautiful People (2019)

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?  I am not sure envy is the word, because I am happy people can buy things for themselves.  I do wish we could have nicer things and be able to travel.   We are healthy though and that is important.

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?"  My friend Kris.  She is silly like me and also my friend Lori.  I love doing things with them.  This is Kris and I being ourselves.  I am on the left.

3) The lyrics refer to Hummers and Lamborghinis. What's your dream ride?  I would just like to have a brand new Toyota Camry.  I drive a Camry now and it is the best car I have ever had.  I have no desire to have a super expensive car...although Camry's are not cheap....no car is.

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?  We give to a place called Victory Mission which feeds the hungry and we also give to Convoy of Hope that comes to the aid of disaster victims.  They are both local charities...Convoy helps everywhere.  Then we give to St. Jude.

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?  I do look away, but I wouldn't say I have a fear.

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?  ketchup, mustard, steak sauce, maybe some tartar sauce.  I am not sure what else right off the top if my head.


7) Ed is a natural redhead, a trait he shares with only 2% of the population. Does red hair run in your family?  My husband  Karl has red hair, but no red hair on my side of the family.  Josh has dark brown hair.

8)  In 2019, when this song was release, the FDA recommended the approval of a drug for treating peanut allergies in children. Do you suffer from any food allergies, or sensitivities?  no

9) Random question: What of these do you think is the biggest contributing factor to success -- hard work, luck or talent?  luck...someone told me years ago that it is all who you know.  I have found this to be true in my life and while I do feel talent and hard work does help many, I am going with luck.  I have seen a lot of people get really good jobs that are not as deserving as others.

Tuesday 4 Meme- Summertime..

1. What activities did you enjoy as a kid in the summer? Riding my bike, listening to music, writing stories, swimming, spending time with friends, visiting my Grandparents in Oklahoma.

2. Did you go on vacations? Where did you go?  We only went to visit my Grandparents in Oklahoma.

3.Do you have a favorite summer time dinner? Share it with us please?  not really, but my mom made BLT's a lot in the summer when I was a kid.

4.How often do you sit outside and enjoy an iced tea or coffee?  rarely because of the mosquitos.  In May I spent several days outside.  I was out all day, but the mosquitos are here now.

Saturday 9- Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast

Saturday 9: Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast (1972)
... Because it's Father's Day weekend.

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

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 was probably trying to get to a child at recess at school.  I do not run much anymore.

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?  Our church choir used to do a Christmas special and it was televised.  I was in choir, so I was on tv during that.  I didn't really think anything about it because our choir was big...but people from my hometown spotted me and told my parents.  That is my mom's story anyway.  I can't imagine anyone was paying that close of attention to notice.

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?  I never fly, we don't go anywhere, so I was last at an airport dropping off my Grandma so she could fly to California....I was with family.

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?  Josh and I recently caught the end of Blue Hawaii on tv.  Elvis was so handsome.

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?  Mean people irritate me.  If you met me in real life, I am very nice to people and I try to be thoughtful with my words.  I do not understand why some people are so ugly to others.

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?  Ok, so when the quarantine started I did not really want to go out shopping at Wal~Mart, so I went through my bathroom cabinet and I dug out things I could use up.  I am still using moisturizer I found.  I figured it was a good time to use up the things I had been collecting in my cabinet.

7) It was her father who taught Sam to drive. Are you a better student or teacher?  I am probably a better student for driving, but I wasn't even a good student.  Maybe I should say teacher.  Josh has decided to try driving again and I have been teaching him.  This requires much patience and encouragement to keep him going.  He is doing very well.

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?  My husband takes care of all of that, but when I did I always made sure I had my oil changed and I have to have my windshield washer fluid filled up so my windshield is nice and clean.

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 do, but they are always different snacks.  My mom also loves Butter Rum lifesavers.

Tuesday 4 meme- Magical Tuesday

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!  

Abracadabra...no, I do not do any magic tricks.

 2. Have you ever been to a magic show or watched

any movies about magic? Do you have a favorite 

magician? 

I like to watch magicians on America's Got Talent.  

I don't really have a favorite one.  I liked the movie 

Doctor Strange and also the Now You See Me movies

about magic.  I read a book last summer called The Night 

Circus that was about magic too.

 3. Have you ever been out on a magical date or had

 what you considered a magical evening?  

Karl took me to the theater on our first date.  We saw 

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  It is 

still one of my favorite musicals.  Another date that

was pretty magical also involved the theater.

We saw  Arsenic and Old Lace.

 4. Holidays are said to create magic. How do you 

create magic during the holidays?  I always try to

decorate our house really pretty and watch

Christmas movies and listen to Christmas music.

When Josh was little I did a lot of fun things with

him like baking and talking about Santa. 

For me, the magic was mostly when kids were

around or when I was a kid spending time with family.

Saturday 9- The Rain, the Park and Other Things

Saturday 9: The Rain, The Park, and Other Things (1967)

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


1) The Cowsills were a family band who had three hit singles. Can you name another group of popular singing siblings?  The Jonas Brothers.

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.

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?  Oh yes, at the time I just loved it.

4) In the song, the narrator takes a flower from a girl in the park. Are there flowers in your home right now?  no, there were flowers in my house for months when the quarantine started.  One student gave me flowers right before Spring Break and another a few weeks later.  They have died now, but they were beautiful.

5) He isn't sure if the girl was real, or if he dreamed her. Tell us about a recent dream you had.  I always forget my dreams once the day starts.  They are so stupid anyway.

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

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?  Well, when I traveled to visit my Grandparents, I preferred to stay with them, but I would not want to stay with anyone else.  So, since my Grandparents have passed now, I will say hotels.

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?  The last wedding I attended was my nephew last summer, but I have another one in the fall...it is a friend of my family.

9) Random question: Are the bottoms of your feet ticklish?  yes.

Tuesday 4 Meme- All That Glitters

All That Glitters

Welcome to Tuesday 4 where we keep alive the weekly meme started by our good friend Toni Taddeo. I think she would be pleased to see people joining in.

 Let's talk about all that Glitters!

1. Everyone has a   birth stone and a birth flower.
 What are yours?  My birth month is September, so my birthstone is Sapphire....which was one of my dad's nicknames for me and my mom made sure I had a lot of sapphire jewelry.  I still love sapphires to this day.  My birthday flower is the Aster or Morning Glory.

2. Gold glitters and California is the Golden State.  What is your
state called?  Missouri is the Show Me State.  The internet says it comes from this speech:

This phrase has several origins. One is popularly ascribed to a speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver in 1899, who declared that "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me."

3. "All that glitters is not gold' goes the old saying.
 Do you have a favorite saying or biblical verse you will share with us?  I live by this verse.

 .   4.Glittery greeting cards or plain?
 Which is your preference?

Glittery!  I work with a teacher that does not like glitter and I love it.  It is an ongoing joke with us.  I really do enjoy a beautiful glittery card though.

Saturday 9- When Love Goes Wrong, Nothing Goes Right

Saturday 9: When Love Goes Wrong (Nothing Goes Right) 1953

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


1) This is from the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Have you seen it?  I am not good at remembering movies, but I do not think I have seen it.

2) The lyrics tell us that, when love goes wrong, "a match won't light." When did you most recently light a match?  I can't remember.  I do not have matches anymore.  We have those long BBQ lighters.  I use them to light my candles.

3) The duet is performed at a French sidewalk cafe, where Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe are (literally) sharing a cup of coffee. With whom did you most recently have coffee?  I do not drink coffee, so that has never happened.   I have only met up with a friend once for drinks and that was hot cocoa at a bookstore probably 20 years ago.  It is more common for me to get together with my friends for full on lunch.

4) The tune was written by prolific composer Hoagy Carmichael. He was influenced by his mother, who earned extra money for the family playing piano during silent movies. Who in your life influenced your career choices?  My dad...he was a teacher and so I took that path also.

5) Jane and Marilyn shared something beyond movie stardom. They were both married to Hall of Famers. Marilyn Monroe was married to Joe DiMaggio, who was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. Jane was married to quarterback Bob Waterfield, inducted into the football Hall of Fame in 1965. Which sport would you rather watch: baseball or football?  I love both, I mean Kansas City just won the Superbowl and that was awesome for me.  I would love to be watching the St. Louis Cardinals right now, but so far no.  Thanks Covid-19.

6) Jane and Bob Waterfield were high school sweethearts at Van Nuys High. The Southern California school was used as a set for the 1982 movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Tell us something about your high school.  We have a really beautiful football stadium.  We were able to purchase a turf from a college team that was getting a new surface.  

7) Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio met on a blind date at a Hollywood restaurant called Villa Nova. Have you ever arranged a blind date? If so, did the couple hit it off and end up dating?  I have been on a blind date and we dated for a year before we broke up, but I have never set anyone else up.  

8) In 1953, when Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was released, a tornado did severe damage to Waco, TX. Tell us about a major weather event that you endured (tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard, heat wave, etc.).  We have a lot of tornadoes here, but I am going to go with the ice storm we had probably ten years ago now, it was devastating.  It killed trees and brought down power lines.  The city north of us lost power for a week or so and it was winter of course.  They had to go get showers at YMCA.  It was awful.  I imagine those with no wood heat had to get motels.  We have also had tornados flatten complete cities in Missouri...Joplin was one that was recent and my nephew was living there at the time.  They are all fine.  They moved back here though.  Tornadoes are worse, but I have been spared so far by them.  Thank-GOD!  The ice storm however is still causing limbs to fall from my trees.

9) Random question: You see a filthy puddle. Floating on top are cigarette butts, a leaf, and a $1 bill. Would you bend over and rescue the dollar?  It depends.  If this is somewhere by my house where I know no one is going to find it, I would grab it, but if I am in the city, I probably leave it for someone who needs it.