Mellodee musings....

"We Are Family"

2012-02-08T00:19:00.001-06:00

After spending most of the evening learning how to use our scanner correctly, I finally figured it out!! And I am proud to share with you some of our family photos. There isn't anything special about these photos or these people, except that "We Are Family". I love them and I miss all who are gone. But now, thanks to my lovely Little Sis, I have lots of photos of treasured faces and the wonderful memories they bring. Here are just a few shots of random people at random times and random places. I am happy to share them with you.

(*They will enlarge if you click.)

My mom (mid-blink) and I in Phoenix in the late 1990s.

Little Sis and I around 1961.
She's a lot bigger now, but she's still just as cute!

My mom and dad, 1957

My dad always smiled for photos,
except this one!! 1957
(I wasn't much help either!)

Dad, Mom and I, 1953

My cousin Sherry and my Gram, 1952
(I'm not exactly sure who was teaching who!)

Me and my Gramps, 1950
(He never smiled in photos....except this one!)

"Goomby" and Me, age 2, 1948

My Gram, two of my aunts, and me.
1947

One of my aunts' wedding, 1945
(from L to R: my great-grandmother,
my grandfather -- see? No smile --
the happy couple, and my grandmother -- who always smiled!)

This lovely pin-up is my Mom, 1945
(There is writing on the back indicating that she sent the photo
to my dad overseas....and he brought it home all safe and sound!)

My mom, Lorraine C. Lisk, 1930
First Holy Communion

My grandfather, Norbert M. Lisk, Sr., 1921
(I think this is the oldest photo in the bunch.)

Yes, we are family and I love "seeing" them all again!! I miss them every day!

"The Way We Were"

2012-02-07T02:00:00.000-06:00

For reasons that I never really understood, my dad was absolutely opposed to owning a house or property of any kind. He didn't mean for everyone, just for himself or his immediate family. They always rented a house or an apartment. The biggest thing they ever owned was a car (when they had one). Both he and my mom worked hard to make our lives comfortable and to meet our needs.   We were a solid, hard-working, on the low-end-of-middle-class family. We were never truly poor. We never were in need. They never needed assistance from anyone. Our family was always self-supporting and we never suffered from "want" of anything important.

Neither did we ever accumulate great wealth or expensive possessions. No antiques, no valuable family heirlooms, no jewels, no artwork by Old Masters (or even New Wannabees!). There was nothing of monetary value to be handed down to the next generation.

The heritage our parents handed down to Little Sis and I was much more important. We received love, morals, intelligence, values, judgement, humor, and tolerance. And memories, wonderful, loving memories (mostly...for times were not always terrific....but the good surpasses the not-so-good by a country mile!) But when it came to "things" there wasn't much.

There was one significant exception.  It was a treasure beyond price.

In the back of my parent's closet, there was a medium-sized canvas suitcase (for lack of a better word). If I was very good and caught Mom at just the right moment, she would allow me to bring it out and examine the contents once or twice a year. It was one of my very favorite things to do when I was a child. I found those contents fascinating and never grew tired of looking at them.

Fast forward now to Little Sis's visit here last week. When I picked her up at the airport, I teased her a bit about her luggage because she had two suitcases, plus a good sized carry-on. After all, she was only staying for five days! She explained that she needed the extra suitcase for the ice packs for her arm )a rather large contraption that held two ice packs that would surround her arm on two sides and a couple of other things. Well, that made perfect sense; I was a bit embarrassed that I teased her.

That night, after dinner and getting settled, we were just talking and such. I went to get something and when I got back to the room, one of the suitcases was sitting on my sofa. She said that what was inside was for me. I teased her again, asking if something was going to jump out at me. She said no. I didn't have a clue what was inside, but I slowly unzipped the case and lifted the lid. It only took half a second for me to recognize immediately what the case contained. I threw my arms around my Little Sis and started to cry.

Of course, it was our family treasure! It never occurred to me that that would be inside. It stunned me but made me very happy and of course, I cried for happy. My Little Sis brought me the best possible gift.

By now, you have probably figured out what it contained. That case held all of our family photographs going back years and years, even before I was born. Pictures of my grandparents, my mom's brothers and sisters and cousins. There were pictures of old boyfriends, old wedding photos, and photos of events from my childhood and then much later from Little Sis's childhood. It was our family history in photos. As I said, it was a treasure beyond price.

Over the course of years, several attempts were made to identify, date, and sort all the photos. Invariably, however, we would get distracted by just looking at the photos and hearing the stories that went with them and the sorting project would go uncompleted. Mom did, at some point, sort and date most of the photos by year. But many of them remained unidentified. We always thought we would get to it one day.

After Dad's death and Mom's declining health and move to a nursing facility, Little Sis had all of Mom's things put into storage where they remained until a couple of years after her death. Little Sis ultimately removed them from storage and kept them, still in the canvas bag, in her home in Phoenix. And there they sat. I think it was two years ago that Little Sis made copies of some of the photos for me. As I had no photos at all from my childhood or of some of the relatives, this was a big thing to me and I was grateful. Still, there were many more old photos that I remembered, but hadn't seen for over 25 years.

I stayed up three nights in a row until 3:00 in the morning, just looking at them and remembering.   There are a very few that are from the early 1920's making them over 80 years old! Most are from the 1930's to the mid 1950's. Some of them made me laugh, some made me teary, but they all filled me with joy.

Most of the people in those photos are gone now, but they will be with me always.   For us, our family heritage is memories of "The Way We Were" and these photos are truly a treasure.

Mem'ries light the corners of my mind,
Misty water-colored mem'ries
of the way we were.

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind,
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were.

Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again,
Tell me, would we, could we?

Mem'ries may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember,
We simply choose to forget.
So it's the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were,
The way we were

What a wonderful thing for my baby sister to do for me. I love her to pieces anyway, but this was more than I ever expected. She is the real treasure beyond price!

I love you Little Sis, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

(If I can figure out how to do it, I'll try to scan a couple of them to include here. NOTE: Darn! Didn't work, I'll try again tomorrow.)

"Little Kid Sister of Mine"

2012-02-05T21:14:00.000-06:00

After five wonderful days of visiting, shows, memories, hugs, and lots of laughing, we dropped off that "Little Kid Sister of Mine" at the airport about four hours ago. Her visit was just the best! The only thing that could have made it better is if we had been able to convince her to stay longer or even better, to move here to Austin. Despite my very best efforts, she had to return to Phoenix. But I'll keep working on her!

We crammed a lot into those five days she was here. Wednesday evening we talked and caught up on all sorts of things that tend to be overlooked when you only communicate by phone, email, or Facebook. Thursday was Maddie-the-Great's class play and D, the Great Aunt, was able to see it! That made M-t-G very excited! My pick-up rehearsal was cancelled for that night, so I was able to go too!

It was a darling show with the entire fifth grade participating. They recreated the songs and characters from "School House Rock", a TV kid's program most of their parents grew up with.   And, yes, they included "Conjunction Junction"! It was a very cute program and the kids were great. M-t-G sang in the chorus and her Mom and Dad and Grammy and Great Aunt D were pleased as punch to be there!

We went out for dinner afterward and talked and laughed some more!

Friday Little Sis and I did a little bit of thrift shopping and then after dinner she came to see my show and she enjoyed it. We hung around with the cast for a bit after the show and I think she got a feel for what I mean when I chatter on about theater folks!

Saturday afternoon, Mikey cooked for us and we had a real family dinner, just like old times. Afterward, Ratchlet, T.A., and Little Sis came to see the show (seeing it twice is definite proof she loves me! lol!) while M-t-G stayed here and played Nerf wars (or something!) with her Poppa.

Today, we all got together for lunch and our last chance for chatting and catching up. Then off to the airport we went! Little Sis should be arriving home before too long. We had a wonderful visit and I am so very glad that she was able to stay for five whole days!

I'm sure Little Sis will be glad to get back to her own home and her own bed. But, if I could, I'd get her back here permanently. I think my best tactic would be to work on my niece and nephew to convince one or both of them to move to Austin, then getting my sister here would be a slam dunk!!

Now I must admit, just reading over the above, the visit doesn't sound all that interesting or challenging, but, au contraire, my friends, au contraire! I mentioned awhile back that Little Sis fell and broke her wrist. Well, the break was much worse than I realized. Her hand was pretty much disconnected from her arm!   She has three pins sticking out of her arm inside the cast.   She brought her x-ray to show us. Major EEK!!

Even after nine days, she is still in a lot of pain and had to ice her arm a couple of times a day. She was taking Ibuprofen to ease the pain and bring down the swelling. And several times a days I would see her face go kind of pale, she'd go still, her eyes closed, and I'd hear a quick intake of breath, and I knew that somehow she had hit it, or move it, or someone had bumped into it. You could just see how much it hurt!! It was painful to see! And there wasn't anything we could do but wait for it to go away! Poor thing!

Even though she is right handed and she broke the left wrist, there are lots of things she cannot do! I helped her with her socks and sneakers every day. I washed her hair for her. Someone had to open sugar packets for her and on and on. She had gotten to the point that she could dress herself as long as she wore something that buttoned down the front! I don't know how she is managing by herself!

One of the reasons we couldn't talk her into staying longer (because she will be off work for 4-6 weeks!!), is that those pins I mentioned have to be "tapped in" by the doctor on Tuesday. "Tapped in???"  Seriously?? OOOOWWWWWWIIIIIEEEE! OW, OW, OW! That makes my tummy go all wonky just to think about. Icky, icky, pooh!

So this whole trip was a real challenge for her. But that just makes me all the more grateful that she came anyway! You are a champ, kiddo! I was so glad that you came and I'm sooo sorry that your arm pained you so much in the process. All her life Little Sis has been a joy in my life! "That Little Kid Sister of Mine" is a great sister and I'm immensely glad that she's mine!

So, thanks Little Sis! Having you here was a real treat. It was great to see you. I hope your arm gets better very, very soon. And I know that this puts the ball directly in my court and that tables have turned! (In other words, it's my turn to visit her!) I'll try to manage a visit someday before too long, but I'll try to be sure that it is with two "whole" arms!

Love you bunches, Little Sis!

P.S.

So, would you like to hear about the enormous bonus gift that came along with Little Sis's visit?? Well, come back tomorrow and I'll tell you!

A Capella

2012-01-30T21:55:00.001-06:00

Okay. I know I've been very remiss in writing but you all know the reasons why. I can sum it up in two words....show business! Only two more weeks and it will be done (at which point I will become depressed for a while...just a little warning. lol!)

Even though there are words actually appearing in my blog space with today's date, this isn't really a blog post. This is more of a "I can't believe it" post. Have you ever had one of those moments??

My sister is arriving on Wednesday, so I am "sprucing up the house and sweeping out the bed" ("Sweet Magnolias"). One of the chores I had to do was to finish up some laundry that I have been putting off. There really wasn't much but it was all blouses and shirts....with buttons. I hate hanging up shirts and blouses 'cuz you have to button at least some of the buttons ( I swear buttons shrink over time and so do the holes they are supposed to fit through!!), and get the collar to lay just right. It's just a pain. I'm not really a detail person for this kind of thing.

I debated if I should split the load, but there really wasn't that much. It all needed to get done so I chucked it all in the washer, added soap, hit the cold water cycle, and went on my merry way. A pattern I have repeated a gazillion times over the course of the 50+ years I have been doing laundry.

When the cycle finished, I started to put the stuff in the dryer. But then I noticed a pink shirt. I don't own a pink shirt.  Uh-oh! I pulled out a few more things and found another pink shirt and a pink-ish blouse. About this time I started to get a headache. Down at the bottom of the washer was one of my favorite blouses....a salmon colored 100% silk shirt that I just love. A 100% silk shirt that has been dry cleaned in the past. Oh crap! I didn't even realize it was in that bundle.

Did I mention that I mixed together whites and colors? I have done that before and it was okay. But I never washed the salmon-color shirt before.   So I now had three pink shirts and I don't even like pink very much!

The pink sisters are currently going through another cycle; this time with bleach. Hopefully this will return them to their pristine white! (Well, I've got my fingers crossed!)

I'm afraid the salmon colored, 100% silk, wonderful shirt that I loved may not recover.

The only bona fide good news is that none of Mikey's shirts were in the load!   Whew! He REALLY wouldn't like to have pink shirts.

I can't believe it! How could I not have caught the salmon shirt? I mean it's practically orange!!Arrrggg!

"Tradition"

2012-01-25T00:01:00.005-06:00

If you have read my blog for any period of time, it will come as no surprise to you that our family is big on "Tradition." Usually, the traditions we have relate to holidays, like always making leek for holiday dinners, or singing Christmas Carols while we clean up after Thanksgiving dinner, or going en masse to see fireworks on the 4th of July. Nothing particularly unusual or interesting....just habits we have developed over the years. Some of them are more important to us than others, but if we repeat something for more than two years in a row....bang! We've got a new tradition!

I have recently realized that we seem to have another tradition, that isn't so great. In truth, it probably can't be classified as a tradition exactly. It's more of a curse! A mild one, but a curse nonetheless.

The women in my family seem prone to falling....and in the process of falling, manage to break something....usually a wrist! For example:

* I fell at age 11 and sprained my right ankle so badly the doctor said it would have been better if I had broken it.
* Ratchlet fell off a horse when she was 11 and broke her right wrist.
* Maddie-the-Great fell during a soccer game at school when she was 8 and broke her left wrist.
* I fell while roller skating at about age 25 and broke my right wrist.
* I fell at a dance rehearsal at about age 42 and broke my right wrist AND my left elbow.
* Little Sis fell at home while getting dress last week (her age is lots younger than mine) and broke her left wrist.

M-t-G and her broken wrist
just in time for her First Communion!

Other than my additional elbow and ankle injuries, all the casualties of our falls have been the wrist! Weak wrists must run in our family! Or maybe we all fall in exactly the same way, i.e., putting out a hand (or 2) to catch ourselves. Ergo, most of the weight is then borne by the wrist and voila, compression fracture! In a cast for 4-6 weeks! Major inconvenience!

For those of us who are right handed and broke the right wrist (that would be Ratchlet and I), it is amazing all the things you cannot do with your right wrist out of commission. Things like writing, holding a pen, picking up a telephone (the old style receiver), combing, washing, or styling your hair, putting on socks or hose, cutting your food, carrying anything heavy, driving stick shift, or typing with any speed whatsoever. We got very inventive in finding new ways to do things! Those breaking left wrists have a somewhat easier time of it. For them, their "main" hand still works!

Luckily, our breaks were mainly simple or greenstick fractures not even requiring much in the way of manipulation to get the bone re-aligned before the cast was put on. Little Sis was not so lucky. She had to have it repaired surgically. So she not only has a bone that must knit back together, she also has an incision that has to heal. Major ouchie!! Heal up quick, LS!

So as you can see, the females in our family have a tradition, or a curse, or just stupid bad luck that results in a similar experience we all go through. It ain't fun and it's a pain we all could have done without.

So far Little Sis's daughter has remained on her feet and has all of her bones intact! I'm pulling for her to stay that way! This is one tradition we really don't want to extend to any more of us!!

"Life Upon the Wicked Stage"

2012-01-24T00:33:00.000-06:00

We opened on Friday night and it was grand. We had about 70 people in the audience and they were in a good mood and laughed in all the right places. They even seemed to enjoy the second act more than the first (not unusual, plays are generally written to start a little slowly and build to the conclusion at the end of the last act.)   Because the audience was having a good time, the actors had a good time too. There is usually an air of excitement both on-stage and back stage on opening night. Opening night audiences are primed to like a show. It is just something that happens practically every opening.

Our audience was a really good one. Not only did they laugh, they applauded at the end of each scene and for a good long time at the bows. Heaven!

It is the tradition at this theatre company to have a small reception after the show on opening night. There is a "meet and greet" with the actors and the audience is very happy to share their impressions of the show and the performances. We provide nibblies and champagne (or cider) and the audience sticks around awhile to nosh and chat with the actors.

I have been working with this group on and off for the last 8 years or so, but this was the first show I've done in nearly two years. Many people in the group gave me lovely compliments on the performance, the show, and said they were glad to see me back on stage. That is very gratifying. Now admittedly, this audience was made up of a lot of season subscribers and "regulars", so I wasn't surprised by their nice comments (I have always received a warm response to my roles), still it reminded me yet again how lovely it is to have a group of people tell you to your face how much they like you!

Now Saturday night was a bit different. Firstly, it was a much smaller audience (only about 35-40). As we all know laughter is contagious, but with fewer people there are fewer laughs (people don't laugh by themselves!) Nevertheless, they laughed, just not as much as Friday. Although there was no reception after the Saturday show, most people like to come over to congratulate the actors and give their "reviews".

After doing theater for over 30 years (oh, wow, I'm older than dirt!), I have developed a theory on audience behavior, based on observation and experience over those years. To wit:

Friday Night Audiences:    They have just finished their work week. They are out for a good time. They are relaxed and happy. They pay attention and catch all the subtleties. They laugh at everything and they love you.

Saturday Night Audiences: They have spent the day doing a gazillion things errands, laundry, shopping, little league, and so on. They are pooped. They are slightly cranky and a little impatient.
They sit back in their seats, cross their arms, and look like they are thinking, "All right, I'm here, so entertain me!" They will laugh and love you too....but not right away! They make you work for it!!

Sunday Matinee Audiences:   There are many Seniors who come in groups from retirement homes and community centers. They are quiet and polite. They seem to enjoy it but they don't laugh much. They smile a lot, but they don't laugh. However, after the show is over they will tell you it was the best thing they have ever seen! But they don't laugh!

My theory played out to a tee for our opening weekend (although we didn't have a matinee).

There was one odd occurrence Saturday night that I have never encountered before. I open the second act on a telephone call. It is essentially a fairly long monologue with pauses built in just like in a real phone call. During the first 6 or 7 lines (and pauses) of the monologue, there were two women in the audience fairly close to the front who were having a full-voice conversation complete with laughing, at the same time I was doing the monologue! They appeared to be totally oblivious to my presence! I found myself having to speak over their voices which kind of threw me. Of course, there was nothing I could do but carry on, but I was seething! How rude! Finally someone in the audience very loudly "SHHHHH-ed" them and they stopped but it was still very distracting. I don't think it caused me to drop any lines, but it was tough. Did they think they were watching a movie or TV??? I don't know, but they sure weren't watching me! Strange.

After weeks of rehearsals four nights a week, it is odd not to be at the theater tonight, but we will have a speed line run on Thursday night and then 2 weekend performances. There will be a total of seven more performances over the next three weekends. Each weekend we complete is rather bittersweet, knowing that the number of performances remaining keeps dwindling. One of the things I like the best about doing theater is that each production has a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is a scheduled cycle. We have finished the beginning, finished the middle, and are on our way to the end.   That is the way it always goes, once we have opened we are on a countdown to the end....and that part always makes me sad.

"Comedy Tonight"

2012-01-20T02:17:00.001-06:00

I got home from our final dress rehearsal at about Midnight and our show opens tonight (Friday). I am glad to say, we are ready. In fact, at this point we need to have an audience to respond to. Without an audience there is nothing more we can do to improve it. The energy that flows between actors and audience is an almost tangible thing and without it, a performance will always suffer from it's lack. We have a great cast. The director did a fine job. The Stage Manager is keeping on top of all the gazillion things he has to do. Costumes are set, props are at the ready, the set is complete....in other words, it's time for curtain up!

I think it is a very funny show. Actually, we all think it is a funny show. Nevertheless, past experience has taught me that there are no guarantees in theater. Something I think is screamingly funny, doesn't get a giggle from one audience, while a different audience will carry on like the show is a mix of the Marx Brothers, the Three Stooges, and Robin Williams. There is no predicting how people react. All we can do is present the lines in the best way we know how and hope for the best.

There is some confusion about who actually said this, but a very wise actor from some earlier era was heard to say on his deathbed, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard!" Ain't that the truth!

Here's hoping for a great opening night....after all, its "Comedy Tonight"!!

The Senator and the Reporter

The "Private Eye" and the "Mortician"

The Senator

The Relatives

The Couple

The Crusader

All photos the work and property of http://www.crakephotography.com/

"Getting to Know You"

2012-01-15T00:20:00.000-06:00

Well, okay, this post is really more about "Getting to know ME" lol! I've mentioned before how much I enjoy these quizzes and today it felt like one of those days. So I hopped on over to Sunday Stealing here and in their time-honored tradition stole this meme. Feel free to use it if you like, your choice....but I hope you enjoy it!

http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

Today we ripped off a blogger named Tense Teacher of the blog Tense for a Reason. She does not say where she got it from. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft's thieves might take some time. Take the time to comment on other player's posts. It's a great way to make new friends! Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Sunday Stealing:

The Never Ending Meme, Parts One and Two

1. Song that always makes you sad?    "Slippin' Through My Fingers" (from Mamma Mia soundtrack). It is a beautiful, bittersweet song that I completely understand.

2 Last thing you bought?   A red purse for part of my costume needs.

3. Last person you argued with?   The Big Guy, but, not to worry, we argue a lot....bicker, bicker, bicker.....it's one of our favorite activities!   LOL!

4. Do you put butter before putting the peanut butter on?   No, but Mikey does!

5. One of your stuffed animals’ names as a kid?   I named my teddy bear, Teddy, I was so creative!

6. One place you could travel right now? Anywhere I can get to by driving! I do not fly anymore.

7. Favorite day of the week?   Since I've retired, any day I wake up still breathing is my favorite!!

8. Favorite sundae topping? Hot Fudge!! Is there any other kind?

9. Did you take piano lessons?   No, but I always wanted to play piano. I didn't want to "learn" how, I just wanted to KNOW how!   (lazylazylazylazylazy)

10. Do you use umbrellas?   I have one located very handily in my car door. I don't believe it has ever gotten wet! (Thus, the answer would be NO.)

11. Do you know all the words to the Canadian national anthem?   No, why ever would I? I live in Texas!

12. Favorite cheese?   Almost any food is improved by Cheddar cheese!

13. Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?   I loved being blond! I'm more than a little sorry I gave it up.

14. Best job you ever had?   I worked at Camelot for four years....(fodder for another post on another day.)

15.  Did you go to your high school prom? No. Nobody asked me. Men! Hmmppf!

16. Perfect time to wake up? About 7 hours after I go to bed.

17. Perfect time to go to bed?   When I can't keep my eyes open one minute more.

18. Ever been in a car accident?   Yeah, darn it! More than once. Luckily, I have never been injured (nor has anyone else!)

19. Closer to mom or dad…or neither?   My mom and I were very close, but I miss them both!

20. What decade during the 20th century would you have chosen to be a teenager?   The 60s were the perfect time, I'm glad I lived then.

21. Favorite shoes you have EVER owned?   When I was in my 30s I had several pair of absolutely killer heels, and the legs to show them off! I loved them all, but my all time favorites are a black suede pump with a slim braid across the top, and a not-too-high heel with a slight flair at the bottom. They are a great, sexy shoe! I truly miss being able to wear great heels. (But NOT the current style of sky-high platforms....they make my feet hurt just to look at them!! They look ridiculous and no one can walk in them gracefully!)

22. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school?   Heavens No! Do you know how old that would be??? Fabrics don't last very well over centuries, you know!

23. Were you ever in a school talent show? Yes, I sang (now there's a surprise!) It was in college and I sang "I Can't Say No" from Oklahoma. I didn't win, but they all laughed when they were supposed to!

24. Have you ever written in a library book?   I've never written in ANY book! And I haven't dog-eared a book since I was 11 years old!

25. Allergic to?   The only thing I might possibly be allergic to is scallops. This is unconfirmed, but twice I was violently ill very soon after eating them. I will never eat them again!

26. Favorite fruit?   The forbidden one! :)

Cheers to all of us thieves!

"Another Openin', Another Show"

2012-01-13T01:11:00.000-06:00

As of tomorrow I will be officially one week away from "Another Openin', Another Show". It's been a couple of years since I've done a show and I have missed it desperately. I am looking forward to being back where I belong.

I have been acting in theaters for over 30 years. I've had wonderful experiences, and not so wonderful experiences. The company of actors, staff people, tech people together are responsible for what happens on stage. In general, they have a combined commitment to do the best they can, whether it is a Broadway show, a professional touring company, or your local community theater.

During my 30 years in "show biz", I have encountered all sorts of audiences and sometimes I'm not sure that those audiences really understand what theater is. So in case, you are contemplating going to see a show anytime soon (which I heartily encourage!!), here are some things you should know.

You may not be aware of this, but live performance means exactly that...it's live with real people up on the stage actually saying the lines, moving around, trying their best to entertain you. It is not a movie or television. It is not being broadcast from something that was filmed at another place and time.

Nope, those people you see (the actors) are truly right there, creating a reality for you to enjoy....and we can see you and hear you! We can see people coming in 10 or 15 minutes after the show begins. We can see the guy texting in the third row. We can hear the couple carrying on a conversation in the middle of the show. Actors can see if your hubby nods off or looks around and fidgets during the whole show. We can hear you rummaging around in your purse for something. We can hear you coughing or sneezing. We can and often do find all that distracting, annoying, or just rude.

We are up there after weeks of rehearsals, running scenes over and over to get them as good as we can make them. We work hard! We practice dances and songs until our toes bleed or we lose our voices. We memorize pages and pages of dialogue. Truth be told, we love it and that is the main reason we do it, but we do it for you too! An audience can make or break a show.   Without an audience there is no point in doing what we do. We love having an audience, but we love some audiences better than others. Here are some things that make a great audience:

* If you find a scene or a line funny, go ahead and laugh....please!

*  Tears are okay too! However, except in the case of a melodrama where you have been instructed otherwise, talking back to the actors is an absolute NO-NO!

* Please arrive early enough to get to your seat with a minimum of disturbance to other patrons.

* Most theaters will try very hard to have "Curtain Up" at no more than 5 minutes after the announced curtain time. Please respect that by arriving well in advance of the start time.

* Some things beyond your control can make you late for "Curtain up"! These things happen. The ushers may bar your way into the theater until such time as your entering will not disturb the integrity of the scene. This is what they have been instructed to do. Please cooperate with them.

* If refreshments are allowed in the theater, please keep the opening and crinkling of candy bags as soft as possible. If refreshments are not allowed, please don't try to sneak it in. There is good reason to keep food in the lobby.

* DO NOT bring phones, pagers, or the like into the theater unless they are muted! This is important. A phone ringing in the middle of a dramatic scene from Hamlet is wrong on so many levels!

* If you become ill, or have a need to leave the theater for any reason, if possible try to leave during intermission.

* By  all means read and enjoy the program we give you....but do so at intermission.

* Please do not bring young children to a show that is not appropriate for them to see! Many shows are directed toward children, but many are not! In fact, many are clearly adult in nature and children should not be in attendance at all. If in doubt contact the theater before you make plans to attend. The staff will be happy to help you.

* If you do bring a child to a show, please remove him/her from the house immediately if he begins to cry or misbehave.

* At the end of the show (and at the end of scenes) please show your appreciation by your applause. In many cases this is the only payment actors ever get!

There are a few specific things that relate to community or independent theaters:

* If you really enjoy a show, tell your friends! Encourage them to see it too! Word of mouth is the best advertising we can get. This is particularly true for independent and/or community theaters.

* If you feel so inclined, make a donation to the theater. Many theaters are not-for-profit organizations that run on a shoestring. Your financial help can help keep them going!

* If you think doing a show looks like fun, that's because it is fun!! Volunteers are always welcome! There are a lot of ways to help and you don't ever have to go on stage unless you want to! .

* Most importantly, don't go to just one show! Sign up as a subscriber or buy a season ticket, or at the very least come back any time there is a show you'd like to see....and there is always "Another Openin', Another Show", I guarantee it!

"Bits and Pieces" (for January 10)

2012-01-12T01:08:00.001-06:00

Just a few bits of this and some pieces of that in my world on January 12....

1. I have finally finished the Defensive Driving online course!! At last! Now I will admit I did procrastinate on getting it done. Sometimes having a deadline that's too far away just seems to encourage sloth. Time is such a funny thing. It never lasts as long as you (well, I) think. One day can last an eternity and three months can disappear in a blink! I didn't exactly wait until the last minute. I have been working on it in sections since weeks. I just didn't build in any extra time for problems. What a dunce! There are always problems when a computer is involved! I know that or at least, I should.

So I was working on the last section and it took me three times to get through it because my computer kept conking out! And then once I finally got it finished, the silly think wouldn't print what it was supposed to print. When I called the company to find out how else I could handle it, they have NO back-up system in place to be able to get the documentation to you if you cannot print it!! What?? Really?? Their advice? Go to another computer and try it there. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't happen to have an extra computer laying around waiting for emergencies. I would have to go to the library and deal with an unfamiliar system in public use. I would have bet money that once I got there all the computers would be in use or broken. Ok, let's come up with Plan C. Call daughter, talk her through process and see if the documentation would print for her! And, it did!! Now all I have to do is pick it up. Then wait for the Completion Certificate to be overnighted, take it to the Court, wait in line, hope that everything is there and finally, get my record clear! I have to have it done by the 25th. Piece of cake, right? We'll see!

2. It is hard for me to believe it, but the show I've been rehearsing since before Thanksgiving will open a week from Friday! Having the holidays come in the middle of the rehearsal period really make the time fly by!   Sunday we start Tech Week (or as some call it, Hell Week.....because it can be!) On Monday evening we start will full costume runs. Now that doesn't matter much to anyone but me! The entire rest of the cast has one costume. Their part of the show takes place all in one day with several different scenes, but still just one day. I, on the other hand, am in three scenes and I have three different costumes. At least none of them are quick changes as I open the first act, open the second act, and finish up in the final scene! I'll have lots of dead time back stage while everyone else is onstage. Strange construction.

I actually think it just might be a really funny show. Of course, predicting what makes an audience laugh is like telling fortunes....sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't. It is also true that no two audiences react the same or laugh at the same things. It's live theater, that's part of the territory!   Tickets are available! (If any of you from this area are interested in coming to see it, let me know and I'll shoot you a flyer with the info.)

You may not hear anything from me next week, because we could end up having late nights and we go right into performances Friday and Saturday. Just so you know....

3. I got some great news!! Because the show will be running for four weekends, Little Sis was able to arrange her work schedule so that she can come and see it!! Yahoo! She hasn't seen me on stage for twenty years or more and she has never seen me in a non-musical! Living so far apart for so long, she wasn't able to see any of my favorite roles, which is too bad. This one won't be at the level of some of the others (it's just a piece of fluff), still I am so excited that she is coming!! Whee!

4. Christmas is slooooowly disappearing, verrry slowly! From the outside it looks like Christmas has left the building, but inside is a whole other story. I've been dealing with a little bit (a very little bit) each day, When you have as much stuff and Mikey and I do, it takes a long time. We store most of it in storage bins (around 15"x17"x12") and they are all lined up on shelves along the side of the garage. The large things (mostly outdoor stuff) goes up to the attic. Because I keep acquiring more stuff, we keep having to add bins too! We will probably reach full capacity this year once it all gets put away. Of course, I've said that before. We just keep reconfiguring things to maximize the functionality. I suppose I really should make it clear to Ratchlet that she may not get much of a monetary inheritance from old mom and dad, but boy, will she have Christmas stuff!

5.   Someone asked me yesterday, how my winter has been this year. It made me remember that just like every year, the fact is that there is still 3 more months of winter AFTER Christmas.   I have always thought that was just so unfair! Christmas and winter can be pretty (from the inside) and some folks even are disappointed if there is no snow, but once January hits, I am ready for Spring! Right away! Enough with the cold, enough with the grey, enough of the rain (or possibly snow or ice). Enough of sweaters, and socks, and scarves. I do not want to wait until March for Spring!! I want to see the little daffodils and irises poking up through the soil. I want those cute little buds that suddenly pop out on the trees. I'm ready for my Spring coats and brighter colors. Let's skip right to Easter! Anybody with me?

6. You may have notice, that not only is my house still full of Christmas, so is my blog! I just haven't had time to play around with the background and stuff to move it into January. One of these days,,,,maybe I'll go right to February!

I keep telling myself, be careful what you setup in life, it will become a requirement and you'll need to do it all the time. Do I listen to myself? (That, my friends, is what they call a rhetorical question.)

7. I have noticed over time, that the first few days of a New Year can really set the tone for what the rest of the year will be like. On New Year's Day, our dryer went kaput! It took nearly a week to get the necessary part (the whole circuit board!!) to fix it. But fixed it is. I started the try to catch up on the mountain of laundry tonight, found I had no fabric softener stuff....aaand, the ceiling light blew out. Can't reach it myself and can't do laundry in the dark, ya know?!!

2012 could have gotten off to a better start....but then, it could have been a WHOLE LOT worse!

"The Best Gift"

2012-01-09T03:36:00.002-06:00

It's not that we have an official competition or anything. We don't really. On the whole, we're not that competitive. Still we all (that would be the Big Guy, Ratchlet, and me, the official Christmas shoppers), try very hard to find gifts that are suited to each other....books by favorite authors, the newest CD from a favorite artist, a canister set that would be just perfect for a newly-remodeled kitchen (but wasn't), the toy a child just can't live without....I'm sure everyone does that kind of thing to some extent.

We go a step or two further than some. If we should happen to stumble upon something we had never even thought about, that would be absolutely and completely right for someone in our family, well, that is a definite mitzvah, a blessing! (Hey, I'm playing a Jewish mother in my upcoming show....it wears off, you know?) If we find that something we know in our hearts, will touch the recipient with some emotional connection, well, we know it will be "The Best Gift". I wrote about this breifly in a previous post, (from a Christmas-Past.) The ultimate, most successful and wonderful-est gift is the one that brings the tears.

Please don't think we are weird! It isn't that we want to make each other cry! It's just that we each hope that one special gift (always the last one to be opened) will be truly perfect! We do this with all the love in our hearts for each other. It doesn't happen every year for every one of us. In fact, some years no one gets a "best gift". And that's okay. It is a matter of happenstance or serendipity or divine inspiration or possibly just good luck to come across the best gift. It is rarely the most expensive thing received. The monetary value has nothing to do with it. It doesn't come from the most exclusive store. In fact, sometimes it has been purchased in a thrift, resale, or consignment store, it might have been found in some random catalog, or a small specialty store, or a big department store. It may be not much more than a small memento of some event or experience or interest. There’s no planning it. It’s one of those “know it when you see it” kind of things. It might be new or it might not. It might mean absolutely nothing to anyone one else in the world, but for the right person....ahhhh, it brings a lump in the throat and tears to the eyes and great joy knowing that someone in your family knows you so well, that they managed to find a best gift just for you.

Over the years, we have hit it many times with Ratchlet, we did it frequently with my mom, occasionally with my sister, even few times with my dad. I am an easy mark....I cry more often than anyone. If you've never had a similar experience, this may not mean much to you. But in our family getting a "best gift" is the ultimate in happiness and love. I know that M-t-G is still too young for us to identify a "best gift" for her, her tastes are still forming, she is not overly sentimental, she is enamored of everything she gets….to her they are all “best”. TA is another story. Gifts are not important to him. His family functioned differently and sometimes he just doesn’t quite get the whole gift thing at all. His enjoyment comes from the togetherness and family.

My mom was a magician at Christmas. She was able to give us all a wonderful Christmas every year, no matter how low the coffers might have been. She started this “tradition” many, many years ago. She was the most loving and giving woman, and at Christmas, Mom was at her very best. She always went overboard as far as numbers of gifts and she, too, would hit with the “best gift” for one of us nearly every year. So this has been a part of Christmas for my whole life. Mikey and I have always tried for the same loving and happy Christmas that Mom gave us. We love our family’s Christmas and all it’s traditions.

And this year, there was a “best gift”. It was perhaps, the best “best gift” ever! And it was for someone who frequently was able to give “best gifts”, but had never experienced one himself. Yes, the recipient of the best gift this year was my Mikey! Despite years of thinking that maybe this year will be the one. This will be the time, I manage to find the perfect gift for him, the “best gift”. There have been many times that he has really liked one gift or another, but the ultimate indication of the “best gift” never occurred. No tears. No “crying for happy.” No special feeling of sentiment and emotion all tied up in love and joy. And year after year, I felt let down when my hopes were dashed again. I just never hit it quite right. I wanted to find the perfect thing that would let Mikey feel the same happiness that the rest of us had felt knowing that we were loved so much and known so well! It didn’t happen. It was frustrating, but I kept trying.

I am almost reluctant to tell you what it was. It wasn’t incredibly expensive, it wasn’t all that exotic or rare, it wasn’t something that everyone would want, or even something that would be special for most people. But it was special for my Mikey. Mikey's heritage is Irish, his grandparents came here from County Mayo. His Dad had spent some time in Ireland as a young man. That heritage is imporant to Mikey. The last present he opened this year was a genuine, Irish Shillelagh, made by hand from blackthorn wood harvested from remote areas of County Wicklow, Cork, or Kerry in Ireland along with a certificate of authenticity. It was beautiful in a gnarly sort of way, highly polished, and just the right height for a walking stick. He absolutely loved it.

This isn't it, but it is very similar!

It was a great moment! After forty plus years, Mikey finally got his “best gift”!! And he cried for happy!

Merry Christmas, Bunky!

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"

2012-01-06T23:56:00.177-06:00

(The first of my make-up posts. Warning: It is loooong!)

One by one I have watched my neighbors and friends put away Christmas, sometimes even starting on Christmas Day itself! By New Year's Day nearly everyone has dismantled Christmas for the year.

It is our feeling here at this house, that we have until the day before Christmas Eve to get all the decorations UP for Christmas. But after Christmas Day, there is absolutely no thought about taking things DOWN until the day after January 6. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" are the days to enjoy the lovely things one has. It is so much more pleasant then. No rushing around, no special cooking, no grumpy guests who don’t know when to go home!
Here in one swell foop (I just love that Spoonerism, don't you?) Are a few of the photos from Christmas 2011 at my house. Now you all know what a miserable photographer I am, so I basically took about four times as many photos as are included in my collage, but these are the ones that didn't go all blurry!

Going from left to right (mostly) these are captions for the individual pictures: (If you click the collage, it will enlarge, I think.)

Some of our Christmas favorites this year!

1) The large free-standing Christmas Girl Ratchlet gave me for Christmas. Goes along beautifully with the white, ivory clear, and gold on the white tree.

2) One of "our" first ornaments, circa 1966.

3) A charming small Nativity ornament given to me by a dear friend of our family, Mrs. L. She's been gone many years now, but I remember her fondly every time I put it on the tree.

4) Our main tree. It looks a little sparse this year because so many of our ornaments ended up on our White tree.

5) "Santa and the Phone Call" figures. Another thing we've had since our first Christmas together. They are so sweet!

6) One side of our mantle with a vintage photo I found in the Antiques Mall, in mid-December. It too is very sweet!

7) Our white tree (inspired by Susan at Ash Tree Cottage http://ashtreecottage.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-in-moms-solarium.html?showComment=1323417120373#c4491435746232471206. The gold is much more prominent in the photo than it is in reality. Thanks Susan, I love how it turned out!

8) A handmade memento from one of my actor friends after a production we worked on together. Suits me to a tee!

9) Another view of the white tree.

10) Some random ornaments to show how varied our collection really is!

11)   I finally added two cloches to my growing collection of vintage-look things. Here is one dressed with a little pink-cheeked angel.

12) The very first Christmas ornament made by Ratchlet at Nursery School, when she was four!

13) Some of my collection of white ceramic Santas, along with the new snow globe featuring a white Santa (another lovely gift from my darling daughter.)

14) (I can't believe it, a duplicate!!) The corner of the mantle again!

15) The sofa table dressed for Christmas....first thing you see when you go into the family room.

16) A photo of my mom (along with the antigue snow lady, just out of sight) in the place of honor on the white tree!

Yep, the 12 Days of Christmas are my favorite part of Christmas. My house never looks as good as it does at Christmas time. Why is everyone in such a hurry to put it away??

As I said, we don't start taking it down until after the Epiphany (Jan 6). That is also known as Three Kings' Day, because that represents the day that the King's arrived to present their gifts to the Child.    In addition, it is the actual twelfth day of Christmas. So, as far as I'm concerned Christmas is still ongoing until this day.

There are a few stalwarts around that still have their lights up and their tree twinkly, but not that many. When I was living in Chicago, it was more of a rarity to see it taken down sooner. I think it probably has to do with being raised Catholic (or maybe certain nationalities like German or Irish.) For Catholics, January 6 is a Holy Day and is the official end of the Christmas season on the Church Calendar. But then Chicago has thousands of Catholics, Austin not nearly so many and it doesn't appear that many of the Protestant churches recognize Epiphany with anything special.

Anyway we've enjoyed our Christmas decorations very much this year. After years and years of pretty much the same things in the same places, after inspiration from other bloggers who put together beautiful displays, we have changed things around and added more new stuff than usual. And even though, my photos don't do it justice (big surprise!), our home looked wonderful.

I was so pleased with the way our white tree turned out, even though after four cans of white spray paint, plus one can of "snow", it still wasn't really white but more of a green & white! Here is a better picture of the finished product. The gold still looks too prominent than it really is, but I just love it. I think it will become a permanent part of our Christmas tradition!   Oh, by the way, do you see the green tree skirt under the tree? My mother made that for us some years ago and I didn''t have a place for it for the last few years. I am thrilled to be able to show off her handiwork again. Mom will always be a big part of our Christmas.

I have to admit that even I can't come up with any legitimate reason to hold on any longer. All of the Christmas cookies are gone, both the lovely meal Mikey prepared for us for New Year's Day (a day late) and the different leftovers are long gone. There is still a small amount of fudge left but we are rationing that and it should last a few more days, but I can't stretch that into a reason for keeping Christmas going. It was a wonderful Christmas, but its really truly over.

Now all we have to do is put it all away......hmmmm, wait a minute, a lot of the things are red or white.....do you think anyone would notice if it all stayed around til after Valentine's Day??

Okay, Okay, it was just a thought!

"A Capella"

2012-01-05T02:19:00.000-06:00

Hello dear ones! I have been seriously remiss in my posting for the last two weeks and at Christmas time too!! Shame on me!

The Big Guy was on vacation for the last two and a half weeks and that just messes with my routine. Don't get me wrong, it was nice to have him around, but what with his presence, the rush and bustle surrounding Christmas prep, the actual holiday, then a "quiet" week leading up to New Year's (we went to a party for the first time in YEARS....it was Ratchlet's party, but still...) We had a great time.

Then on top of all that rehearsals, this stupid driving test that I am taking in chunks, and the cold-ish weather that makes me want to stay at home in front of a lovely fire in the fireplace, well, the bottom line is that nothing got written.

It's not that there wasn't anything to write about. I started several times to draft a post, but it just wasn't happening. Too much distraction I guess.

At any rate you all got gypped on my lack of Christmas stories and photos and stuff. I am sorry about that, especially for the sweet souls who keep checking every day even though the cupboard was bare! Might I suggest that you go back to Christmas 2009 and 2010 (look in my archives in the sidebar) if you really need a Christmas fix from me! Ha! (If I only had a ego, I would be perfect! Silly me!)

Well, I am bound to get back on track now that all of that holiday whirlwind is over. If you can stand it, I will try to catch up with some "make-up" posts over the next few days. In the meantime, just so you know, we had a WONDERFUL Christmas....I'll share some stories, I promise.

(I feel like such a slacker, but the truth of the matter is my brain can only deal with a certain number of thoughts and concerns at a time...and I guess I hit that number and something had to give, sigh....)

See you soon!

"May You Always"

2012-01-01T01:39:00.001-06:00

"Auld Lang Syne" has been the semi-official song for New Year's for decades (centuries?), but not many really know what that means. I think "May You Always" is a better choice for sending best wishes to all the new friends that I've met through blogging. "May You Always" is a song of farewell to a lost love, but for tonight, it works pretty well as my wishes for you!

So, dear friends, I hope you all have a wonderful and Happy New Year, and for all of 2012, here is what I wish for you!

May you always walk in sunshine,
Slumber warm when night winds blow;
May you always live with laughter,
For a smile becomes you so.

May good fortune find your doorway,
May the blue bird sing your song;
May no trouble travel your way,
May no worry stay too long.

May your heartaches be forgotten,
May no tears be spilled;
May old acquaintance be remembered,
And your cup of kindness filled, and

May you always be a dreamer,
May your wildest dreams come true;
May you find someone to love
As much as I love you.

Happy New Year!

Hugs and kisses,

Mellodee

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"

2011-12-24T01:24:00.002-06:00

With my Warmest Wishes for a Wonderful Christmas

and all the very best in the New Year

to all my Friends, Followers, and Visitors.

It's always grand to see you've stopped by!

"Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas...."

from all of us!

Melly and The Big Guy

Ratchlet, T.A.,

Maddie-the-Great
and

FloraDora

2011-12-20T00:16:00.000-06:00

I don't have a bunch of time for writing (as I warned you a few days ago). Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about you all and hoping your Christmas preparations are going well! I am moving forward, but slowly. This may be the year that it doesn't all get done!

This is not an unusual situation exactly. It's just that this year we have a couple of unusual distractions/ intrusions that are not a normal part of our Christmas. I already told you about my rehearsals and tomorrow the Big Guy will go to have one of his cataracts removed....so he'll be out of commission for at least a day and a half or so. A masterpiece of planning, I must say. Still, I have FINISHED my shopping a full 7 days before Christmas. That's pretty miraculous! However, there are soooo many other things to do....sigh.

Just so you have something to read from me (so you don't forget me til I get back to writing more regularly), here is a REPRINT from Christmas 2009. If you change the dates, it pretty much fits every year! :)

December 14, 2009: "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

Every year, all year, I look forward to Christmas. I think its "the most wonderful time of the year". I love the decorations, I love the traditions, I love the music, I love having my family close, and I love the look on my daughter's (and granddaughter's) face when they open a particularly perfect present. Ratchlet gets all teary and sniffly because a present is a sentimental connection to something important to her. I've managed to hit the mark with one of her gifts nearly every year. As she has done with me! (We are an odd family, the gift that makes you cry is the best gift!)

Maddie-the-Great has loved Christmas since she was old enough to sort of know what it was. The look of excitement when she sees that "Santa's been here!!" (usually yelled at the top of her lungs), brings a lump to my throat each time. She gets so happy as she opens each present. She says, "Santa brought me just what I wanted!"

The Big Guy is an even bigger fan of Christmas than I am. He is the one who insists we bring out all the old Christmas things again and again, even tho they are becoming tattered and torn. (And I pretty much agree with him.) I've been trying for years to rein-in his gift- giving some, but he seems convinced that more is always better!

Poor T.A. had the misfortune of marrying into a family of Christmas-addicts! His reactions are more controlled and he is not as sentimental about the traditional things. But each year he understands a little bit better than the year before. Ratchlet and M-t-G's feelings about the holiday, must be rubbing off on him by now!

Every year I promise myself I will get things all done early so that they can be enjoyed throughout the season. And every year the promise goes by the wayside. Even if I get an early start, I am still playing catch-up at some point. Maybe its because I buy too much, or decorate too much, or delay wrapping too much, or several other "too muches" or it might be because everything absolutely must be finished by 3:00 pm Christmas Eve, whatever the reason or combination of reasons, about a week before Christmas, I get to feeling like a Grinch! It all becomes overwhelming and too much work and I start to snarl at my loved ones. All I want to do is go back to bed and skip straight to Easter, a much less high-maintenance holiday.

I thought this year, being retired and all, I could get things done in a leisurely manner.....no rush, no fuss. Take my time, do a little bit every day until its all done. Doesn't seem to be working so far. I'm behind, as usual. I haven't completely given up hope for no rush, no fuss, but it most probably will become big rush/big fuss, just like always.

Then at about 3:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, I'll take a deep breath, and all of a sudden, its "the most wonderful time of the year" again. Its a tradition.

I Will Survive!"

2011-12-18T10:12:00.000-06:00

Just some memories for pondering.....and a break from Christmas for a little bit...Not my creation, and there was no indication who the author was. Whoever it was, the author nailed it, dead center!

To All Who Survived the 1930s, '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s!!

First, we survived

Being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank

While they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,

tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep

On our tummies in baby cribs

Covered with bright colored

Lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,

locks on doors or cabinets,

And, when we rode our bikes,

We had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.

As infants and children,

We would ride in cars with no car seats,

no booster seats, no seat belts,

No air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes..

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day

was always a special treat.

We drank water

From the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends,

from one bottle,

and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes,

White bread, real butter, and bacon.

We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.

And we weren't overweight.

WHY?

Because we were

Always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day,

as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day.

-- And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps

And then ride them down the hill,

Only to find out we forgot the brakes.

After running into the bushes a few times,

we learned to solve the problem..

We did not have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes.

There were no video games,

No 150 channels on cable,

No video movies

Or DVDs,

No surround-sound or CDs,

No cell phones,

No personal computers,

No Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS

And we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth,

And there were no lawsuits from those accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons,

Switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand,

And no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt,

And the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,

22 rifles for our 12th,

rode horses,made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and

- although we were told it would happen -

we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes

Or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell

Or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts

And not everyone made the team.

Those who didn't had to learn to

Deal with disappointment.

Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out

If we broke the law was unheard of.

They actually sided with the law!

These generations have

Produced some of the best risk-takers,

Problem solvers, and inventors ever.

The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion

of innovation and new ideas..

We had freedom,

Failure, success and responsibility,

and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are one of those born

Between 1925-1970

CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others

Who have had the luck to grow up as kids

Before the lawyers and the government

Regulated so much of our lives

For our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids,

So they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house

with scissors, doesn't it ?

-- Author Unknown

"I Wonder as I Wander" -- Part II

2011-12-15T12:13:00.000-06:00

Okay, May appears to be out. Evidently certain people (the B.G. and Jimmie E) who shall remain nameless refuse to share their birth month with either Thanksgiving or Christmas! (Selfish, selfish, tsk, tsk!) So it's back to the drawing board.

Let's see, what about....

January? -- No, December-January is just as bad as November-December....besides, too many people are hung over from the New Year.

February? -- No, it already has Groundhog, Valentine's, and Presidents' Days....

March? -- No! All those St. Patrick's Day ~~militants~~...um....celebrants will arise en masse in defense of their green beer!

April? -- No, April is tricky, sometimes there's Easter and sometimes there isn't. Too hard to keep track of! (Maybe that's why there is April Fool's Day!!)

May?? -- No, NO, a thousand times NO! Those stingy boys just don't know how to share!

June? -- Don't be silly, that's for MY birthday!

July? -- Uh-uh, that is for the whole country's birthday!!

August? -- Hmmm, maybe August??? Well, no, everybody is on vacation and it's usually too darn hot!

September? -- No, that's when the kids go back to school and they are generally too darned grumpy to be either thankful or merry!

October?? -- No, Halloween! All those ghosties and ghoulies would frighten Santa's reindeer!!

Nove.... -- Oh, that's right back where we started. Well, darn!

Sooooo, Thanksgiving evidently cannot be anytime except November and Christmas has permanently claimed December. Oh Bah! Humbug! Sigh....

I withdraw the suggestion. Carry on.....

"I Wonder as I Wander"

2011-12-14T14:30:00.000-06:00

My mind is always at work. "I Wonder as I Wander" all the time. Do you? At Christmas time, did ya' ever wonder.....

1, Why Santa has flying reindeer? Why not flying moose? or flying horses? or better yet geese?? At least geese actually DO fly!

2. On average, how many trees are cut down each year for Christmas trees? On second thought, I don't want to know!

3. How many times a department store Santa gets peed on each year? Or how many times he has to change his suit?

4. Why Macy's chose ginormous bags filled with hot air, painted to look like really overgrown cartoon characters as their iconic Christmas parade tradition?

5. If Santa might moonlight as a chimney sweep in the off-season?

6.   What genius scheduled the two biggest holidays of the year within a month of each other? Why not one of them in May? Absolutely nothing important happens in May and the weather is better!

7. How many elves Santa actually has? And do you suppose poor Mrs. Claus has to cook for them all?? Who does all those dishes??

8. Why does Santa say HoHoHo? Why not HaHaHa or HeeHeeHee?

9.  Why the Kings brought gold, frankincense and myrrh?   Diapers might have been more useful!

10.  Why did Santa choose those names for the reindeer? I understand Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and the others, but Donner? Makes no sense! What's a Donner??

11.   Do you suppose that Santa is sick of cookies by now??

12. If a Yule Log is related to Yul Brynner? (This is Mikey's contribution! Silly man! He's been making me laugh for 45 years!)

Bonus question:    Did ya' ever wonder, why I am spending time on this, when I should be wrapping, decorating, or finishing up that pesky shopping??? Okay, okay, I'm going!

"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

2011-12-13T23:50:00.001-06:00

Yep, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"....just not too much around here! "Why not?" you might ask.
Well, first there's a lot of decorating to do. I love a Christmas-y house and every year is different about when that gets done. To be absolutely truthful, the outside of the house is decorated with lights, and stars, and reindeer and snowmen (it isn't as over-the-top as it sounds!) But the inside is definitely a Christmas mess rather than a Christmas delight!

This has happened many times before, so it's nothing new. The outside is done because Mikey does that by himself. The inside however, is on hold. But there's a reason! Really!

You see, I'm frequently involved in a show around this time and rehearsals can seriously eat into my evenings. When Mikey was doing shows too, it was really hard to get it all done. The show I'm in now is better in this regard because the part I play is a bit of a peripheral character and is in only 3 scenes. That means I don't have to be at rehearsal very often. But still I have tons to do.
Part of the problem is that the Big Guy has been making needed repairs to several lighted decorations for both inside and outside, including the tree. The tree is in three pieces across the living room and until he has the time to finish the repair, there they will stay. So that puts everything else on hold. It is great that he doesn't want to just toss out something without at least trying to fix it, but his time is limited to weekends. So the rest has to wait.
And it's also a horrible time of year for doing things like writing blogs! My days are all wrapped up in Christmas prep. And I have tons more to do!! Luckily (and very unusually), my shopping is just about done. And I would like to point out that it is only December 13!! But the shopping is sort of the easy part. It's the wrapping that bogs me down every year. I swore to myself I would get it done several days BEFORE Christmas Eve. Considering I haven't actually started wrapping....I'm in deep trouble already! lol!
So why can't I at least write when I can't do any of the other stuff?? That, my friends, is a question with no real answer! I guess my tired little brain is just not focused in the right direction,or something. It's like I'm stuck in neutral! I am pretty sure this is just a minor little temporary absence from blogland.
Oh yes, the wrapping will get done, the decorating will be on display, the lights will glow, the tree will stand, and I will write again! Just not tonight! sigh.....

"Oh Christmas Tree"

2011-12-09T10:18:00.000-06:00

Our family (well, at least the Big Guy, my daughter, and me) are staunch traditionalists when it comes to Christmas. Green tree, white lights, every ornament we own, 3 different garlands in gold and red. Our tree has essentially looked the same every year since 1967 with just minor tweaks (mostly the tree got bigger!) If I remember correctly we only had a "real" tree once in all that time. We decided on artificial mainly because of safety concerns (my mom passed her concern on to me!) But I just didn't want to deal with tree needles embedding themselves in our carpet, never to be seen again until March or April when they would suddenly reappear, poking themselves into the foot of any hapless family member who might like to walk around barefoot when Spring and Summer arrive!!

We have gone through several trees over the years. They generally are not known for their longevity! Evidently the life span of an artificial tree tops out at about 10 years (if you have been very careful!). At that point they look pretty bedraggled and small little accidents over the years have left some limbs broken, the stand somehow won't hold the tree straight anymore, and all those needles that were supposed to stay on the tree still end up in the carpet waiting to sabotage us in the Spring just like a real tree.

We bought our most recent tree about six years ago or so, I think. This one was a major step up for us. The lights were already attached to the tree. In our family the worst part of Christmas was always the same....Mikey putting on the lights! Awful process!! There is a recording that came out a few years ago that reminds me of our former misery with lights so well. The guy who sings about putting up the lights, is spot on! Of course, I can't remember the actual name of the song or who recorded it, but it is a parody of The 12 Days of Christmas . It is very funny! But I digress....

Getting the pre-lit tree has made Christmas a gazillion times better. For us the shape is the most important thing. With all the different types of fir trees there are, that gives tree makers a lot of options of what tree to imitate....Douglas fir, Nobel fir, Frasier Fir, Austrian Pine, Blue Spruce, and the others. But the tree that we like the best is whatever one is constructed in such a way that the boughs and needles sort of sag downward in a graceful fashion. Just like you might see in a snow covered tree in the forest. Obviously that is not the actual name of the tree. No one would name anything "The Boughs-and-Needles-Sort-of-Sag-Downward-Gracefully-Just-Like-a-Snow-Covered-Tree-in-the-Forest Tree" for obvious reasons! (What that means is I don't know the name of that kind of fir!)

Well, our current tree is beginning to show its age. It loses needles and pieces of the boughs, one of the light sections won't light, and we have all but run out of room for all the ornaments we have. So I imagine we will need to buy another tree in a year or two.

However, I have been inspired to do something a bit different this year. I'm going to take our very old tabletop size Christmas tree that we bought decades ago and could never bring ourselves to discard and if I can convince the Big Guy, I am going to spray paint it white and move all of our white, cream, ivory, and gold ornaments over to that tree which will fit very nicely on the round wood antique table we inherited from my mom's cousin which currently lives in our Family Room. That will also help solve the overcrowding ornaments on the main tree! (Surprise Mikey! What do you think of my latest brainstorm, Bunky??)

If he says yes, (not necessarily a given), and if all goes the way it should, and the way I want it to, we will end up with a second tree that looks a lot like the one below that made me want one too! Isn't it delightful?

http://ashtreecottage.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-in-moms-solarium.html?showComment=1323417120373#c4491435746232471206

Thanks to Susan (and Bentley) at Ash Tree Cottage, "Christmas in Mom's Solarium." Go visit her blog, she has a few more photos!

I think it would look great! Don't you? Then every year we could sing, "Oh, Christmas Tree-s!"

"Baby, It's Cold Outside"

2011-12-07T22:15:00.001-06:00

For the last week or so, we have been having winter in Austin. " Baby, It's Cold Outside"! The low temps overnight have been in the high 20s, with daytime highs right around 50F. Not my favorite weather, but bearable. This, however, is not one of my usual (and futile) complaints about cold weather! As I said, the highs around 50F with the sun shining, really doesn't feel too bad. My entire exposure to the outside air is limited to the time it takes me to walk from my car to the entrance of the store, restaurant, house, or whatever I am visiting. Hardly long enough to even get a real chill.

Some plants, on the other hand, do not stand a chance! This, of course, is not their fault. It is just that there are some people who insist on planting things that are not meant to grow in this climate! Not only do they plant the wrong things, they do nothing to protect them when the temps fall below their tolerance level. Some folks just don't get the idea that in a battle between Man and Nature, Nature will ALWAYS win. ALWAYS!

For instance, there is a house not far from here that I pass everyday on my way in and out of the neighborhood. Several years ago, they put in a pool in their backyard. The house was subsequently on the market and I went to an open house, The backyard pool area was a lovely tropical paradise. In the middle of summer it looked terrific, like a resort in the Caribbean, filled with lush plants and gorgeous blooms. And in the corner of the yard were planted several Banana plants. Banana plants have lovely, long leaves that can look like fronds due to how easily the leaves can be torn by wind.

I know from the years I lived in Florida, that in the right place, these trees can practically grow wild. They are a lot like bamboo too, in that they spread over time. They can grow to as much as 30 ft. tall, but are usually smaller than that.

And as long as they are in the right climate they will grow for years. But that is the trick. The right climate....and Austin is not the right climate in the winter time! Every time the temperature drops below freezing, the banana plants freeze! The whole plant turns brown and the leaves just hang there dejectedly and look pathetic.

The house close to us has had their bananas freeze about every other year! Well, of course, they do. Austin is not tropical, despite the 100F temps in the summer. In the winter we can get frost, and snow, and ice and that most definitely is NOT tropical.

The first few times those bananas froze, I thought the owners must have replaced them because by Spring the bananas were lush and green. But they have gone through this cycle several times now. Either those plants can recover from the effects of a freeze (who knows?), or those people are spending beau coup bucks replacing a plant that doesn't belong here in the first place!

It must be incredibly annoying to the plants, cuz believe me, "Baby It's Cold Outside!!"

150th Metamorphosis Monday!

2011-12-04T23:35:00.003-06:00

I am not a Do-It-Yourselfer. I don't have the skill, the patience, nor the persistence to take a project to completion when it involves painting, sanding, repairing, or any of the things to take a crumbling piece of furniture to a beautiful addition to a room. But boy do I admire the people who do!

When I discovered all the wonderful DIY bloggers that share their projects and make it look so easy, I get antsy and want to join in the fun. However, knowing my limitations I stick to things I can do like this!

I think every home has a space like the one below. It's a catchall. Things that you don't know what to do with end up here....and there they sit for the longest time. As you keep adding more and more things that have no real home. After awhile, it becomes intolerable. It becomes the BEFORE!

Pretty awful, huh? I would never show this except in this circumstance, believe me!

Well, somewhere I saw a makeover of an old Library catalog and I was in love! What a perfect kind of cabinet for a bunch of my little stuff that was scattered all over the kitchen and family room. I had to get me one of those! So I searched. It wasn't even difficult to find several different sizes, Unfortunately, the reality was that the multi-drawer units were too big for the space, the smaller ones weren't as useful. The ones that needed re-doing were still pretty expensive and the ones that had already been re-done cost waaay more than I wanted to spend anyway. Okay, no Library catalog. On to Plan B!

At this point the Big Guy began to search on-line and for a few weeks, each evening he was home, I would occasionally hear "How about this one?" coming from the family room while Mikey scoured the Internet. I began to despair and tried to come up with Plan C.

I should have had more faith. My guy came through (he has lots of persistence!), On my birthday I received the perfect thing.

Well, it was almost the perfect thing. Very, very close, but it was a muddy, baby poop color that just wasn't very attractive. And to top that off, one of the rear corners had been broken in transit. I was so disappointed at first. But the Big Guy came to the rescue again! He contacted the artisan who made it and she agreed to replace it with an unbroken one and she even offered to paint the replacement to the color of our choice! Oh Happy Day! Don't you just love responsible merchants??

So we sent Mr. Muddy back and after a bit, we got the new one that was just exactly right! It was yellow! (I know it doesn't look much different in the photos, but it is!) I was so excited. After shopping the house, this is the display I came up with: What do you think?

Here is the AFTER:

The little bronzed-baby shoes were worn by both me and my sister, just 12 years apart!

This is a poem M-t-G wrote for her Poppa in 2008 for Father's Day.
(She was 7 years old.)

It isn't quite complete. There will be Library catalog type label holders added to the drawers just as soon as the holders are painted and I figure out what goes where. But I love the little nook and at night it lightens up a previously dark corner of the kitchen just beautifully (again the photo doesn't do it justice.)

So I am so pleased with this, I am sending it to the 150th Metamorphosis Monday (if I can figure out how!) at

And... Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kpfOZWJ-ISM/Tt2HfDww6YI/AAAAAAAAQuE/1nxgXno08Qw/s1600-h/beforeAndAfterButton%25255B3%25255D.gif

Go visit all the lovely links with changes of their own. You'll love it! I do!

Compared to all the beautiful Metamorphoses and Before and Afters, this is kind of small potatoes, I know. Still, it's a big change for us!! Hope you enjoyed our makeover!! I think we may have started something around here! Yep, "There'll Be Some Changes Made!"

'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch'

2011-12-04T11:00:00.001-06:00

I am not at all Mr. Grinch. I love Christmas. I love everything about it. Well, most everything, except for just one or two teeny little things....or maybe it's a few things. But I love everything else, really....sort of.....Oh, all right, there are some things I just do not get! At all! Ever!! And if that makes me a Grinch, so be it, because somethings that are associated with Christmas just make no sense at all.
For instance:

--- People who don't like Christmas. They hate to shop, they pay the store to wrap their gifts, they won't listen to or sing Christmas songs, even the funny ones. They get depressed, they get cranky, they get snarky and short-tempered. I can't imagine why people get that way. They must have had a bad experience with a reindeer or something!

--- On the other hand, there are those who put out a gazillion decorations, string enough lights around their house to light up the whole block. These folks always have the newest Christmas lawn ornament. Their kids have the newest gadget of the electronic sort. They have a new car every other year (whether they need it or not.) For them it is all about conspicuous consumption. But the joys of Christmas spirit never gets anywhere close to them. They're too busy shopping for the next new thing. And heaven help you if you try to grab the last of this year's toy craze at Toys R Us if they are reaching for it at the same time! Very colorful, but significantly un-Christmasy language will spew forth and you might find yourself sprawled on the floor with empty arms.

--- All of those people who are so busy, so important, so involved with every possible activity filling every waking moment, that they cannot find time to go to visit their elderly relatives who live in another city or who live in a nursing home just waiting to die. This one really angers me. Parents who gave their best to their children and did without themselves, but yet their children can't spare a few minutes to go and spend time with that parent....or aunt, grandfather, sister, or 3rd cousin twice removed. (And I feel very guilty about this one. My track record with my mom and my aunt, who were both in ill health, is not one I am proud of.)

---Then there are those folks who put up their decorations well before Christmas, but they rarely turn them on! What's the point of that? And they are out in their yards on Christmas Day taking it all down again! Why ever did they bother??

--- There's a special sub-species of real jerks that not only don't get the whole concept of Christmas and joy of the Season, they go around spoiling it for everyone else! These are the vandals, the thieves, the low-lifes who chose the Christmas season as the time to wreck someone's lovely Christmas display, or break into a car or a home to illicitly and illegally and illogically steal items that are meant to bring happiness to someone who is loved. One of our neighbors had their Baby Jesus stolen from their outdoor Nativity display! We had a visit from vandals two years ago. They destroyed two of our favorite outdoor decorations for absolutely no reason! It was hurtful and mean and I hope they (whoever they were), have stabs of conscience over it forevermore!

--- Then there are the stores who are so anxious to squeeze every penny they can from consumers, that they start selling their Christmas merchandise in August! This annoys the heck out of me! I am almost physically unable to shop for Christmas until we at least hit fall! The bulk of my shopping doesn't get underway until after Thanksgiving, no matter what the stores do! Enormous kudos to Nordstrom's this year for holding off their Christmas frenzy until the day after Thanksgiving. They took a chance on reduced profits in the name of logic and rationality. Three cheers! I truly hope that they don't lose a penny!

--- There are other things that bother me, but they fall into the realm of religious vs. secular, and that is a can of worms that I really don't want to take on! Not only would it be offensive to many, but it would pointless as well. A person's belief system is their own business.

I guess what it boils down to is that I just don't understand why the joy of the Christmas Season, appears to be such a problem for so many. Why can't everyone celebrate and share and enjoy all the positives of this time of year? "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men" really shouldn't be that hard!

Deer! Deer! What can the matter be?

2011-12-02T17:32:00.003-06:00

It's December and I haven't yet come up with my seasonal design for this month....been kinda busy! But in anticipation of the season (winter hasn't arrived yet in Austin) I wanted to share this delightful photo. I stole it from a friend on Facebook. I don't know the source, but you all know I could NEVER manage to actually TAKE a photo like this myself!

This is just so bittersweet funny, I wanted to share it with all of you!

Times are hard in the the forest at this time of year!

P.S. In looking at this photo now after posting it, I am filled with the feeling that I have used this photo before. I looked around a bit, but didn't see it. That means precisely nothing though, I've been writing for 2 1/2 years now....that's a lot of posting to look through! Anyway, if it is a duplicate of a previous post, I apologize. Still, it's worth a repeat even if I have used it before!

"Tell Me Why"

2011-11-30T01:30:00.001-06:00

I have a question to direct to Google (and Facebook, Microsoft, HP, Creators of any Software programs, etc., etc., and so forth)

"Tell Me Why." Just, why? I really need to know why!! Why do you keep changing things, willy-nilly, for no discernible reason other than to drive us all crazy?? I have heard that Google's latest fruit basket upset is to eliminate Google Friend Connect. I think that means that the collection of lovely little thumbnails representing all the people who have signed up as a follower for a blog will disappear! Pffftttt, Gone! Why???? They aren't hurting anybody! They don't take up much space. It is just a nice visual showing all the people who like a blog well enough to become a follower. But Google says "No more". Suddenly my very respectable 54 followers will disappear and that probably means the number of followers will disappear too. It took 2 1/2 years to rack up 54 followers! They're MINE, leave them alone, darn it!

Members (54)

Aren't they cute??

Now look here, I've worked hard on this blog, trying to make it attractive, interesting, funny sometimes, informative other times.....all for the express purpose of making this site a place people would like to visit regularly. And now Google just says, "No more". Well, that just sucks! I'm proud to call those followers, friends and I don't want them to disappear. Leave them alone!

Oh I know there will be some new something to replace Google Friend Connect, but it will undoubtedly be a pain in the neck (or lower) to figure out the new thing and it will be different enough to make it not as useful to me. So why can't you just leave well enough alone? I understand that progress requires change, but do we have to have change ALL THE TIME?

As for Facebook, Microsoft, and all the rest....you all do the same darn thing. I spend two years getting really proficient at using something you have created for OUR use when some bozo will get a bee in his bonnet that it's time to change everything around. It is as if, without warning or alternative, I suddenly rearranged every single piece of furniture in my house when everyone was out and then kept the rooms completely dark so no one can see anything familiar and they keep falling over things that aren't where they used to be and they can't even see!

Most of the time any improvements brought about by these gratuitous changes are totally overshadowed by the frustration, aggravation, and downright anger that we have to go through to be able to use a replacement for something that wasn't broken.

Why do you keep doing this kind of thing to your loyal (but not for much longer) customers? So, can you "Tell Me Why??" And you'd better make it good!

"Back in the Saddle Again"

2011-11-29T01:04:00.000-06:00

Ever since 1979-ish, I have had an on again-off again affair with theater. I have mentioned my love of performance and directing in live, volunteer, community theater. Unfortunately (for me, anyway), Austin and its environs are chock full of theater venues. This town has about 20+ different venues and companies performing live theater. This should be great news for theater lovers, and for audience and professional or semi-pro performers and techies, it is great news. Starting with the big houses (3000+ seats) (e.g., Bass Concert Hall (UT), Long Performing Arts Center, the Paramount, Erwin Center, down to small makeshift spaces made to work with imagination and just a little bit of money.

The reason this is not good news to me (and others like me) is because these venues are restricted to professional, for-profit companies. The employ ONLY Equity or Equity-eligible (them's the pros, folks)actors. There are only 3 true non-professional, volunteer, community theaters that operate on a non-profit basis. All of which are more than 20 miles from where I live. Thus opportunities are slim for the non-professional actor or director. In, fact, only one of the three theaters is a true community theater, in the standard of community theaters across the nation.

About 2-3 years ago, I had a very unpleasant experience with that community theater, the group I had been working with for several years. I removed myself from the group due to my frustration and disappointment and I have spent the last three years, thinking that my theater "career" was over. That made me very sad and I missed being able to do what I love.

Well, as we all know, life is waaaay too short! We have to take advantage of opportunities when they come along because who knows when your last chance is coming along! So, I auditioned for a role in a play called "At First Sight", a comedy in two acts. The play is being done by the group I pulled back from not quite 3 years ago. Aaaand, I was cast!

I will be playing a Senator who is the male lead's mother. (the guy playing my son is, in reality, old enough to be my.....brother!) My character is a strong-minded, tenacious, outspoken, and larger-than-life kind of character (Think Bella Abzug.) It isn't a huge role, butI have three good scenes and that is just fine! My rehearsal schedule is a lot easier than that of the other principals. Considering the time of the year coming up, that is very good news. Rehearsing around Christmas is very stressful. Luckily we don't open until 1//21/12 and will run for 4 weekends (total of 14 performances).

We had the first read-through tonight (Monday). Even though we have a lot of work ahead of us, it's a cute play with some pretty funny moments. I gotta tell you, it felt just great to be "Back in the Saddle Again". I'm going to try really hard not to get thrown again!

This may (or may not) have an impact on my blogging. I won't know for sure until we get further into the play. But if (and that's a big IF) I seem to disappear for awhile, that's why. It really shouldn't be a problem, after all I used to do this several times a year, while I was working a full-time job, Ratchlet was still in high school, and I was active with a couple of singing things. It's amazing how much energy you can find to do what you want to do!!

I'm hoping that is still true when one gets to be my age. We'll see! And if you happen to be in Austin, around the end of January, you could come and see the show!

"Thanks For The Memory"

2011-11-27T13:41:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It was so good to have our family together for a lovely, happy, well-stuffed (and not just the bird!), holiday meal. We didn't exactly have a crowd, there were just the five of us (Mikey, Ratchlet, T.A., M-t-G, and me) for dinner and later we were joined by T.A.'s mom and her beau. Oh, plus Dora (the dog). That's all the family we have close by. Little Sis and her kids gathered (I gather) in Mesa for their own Thanksgiving traditions. I have a multitude of cousins and the Big Guy has six siblings and their multitude of offspring and cousins, but they are all scattered across the country. It's too bad in some ways, I have always loved entertaining a crowd. I would love having more family at our family celebrations, especially my sister, but it seems unlikely that there will ever be a large gathering of family as we used to have. Try as I might, I haven't been able to convince anyone to come and join us here in Austin. Still, my favorite part of the family was here!

The Big Guy is our official chef and he put together our delicious traditional dinner (with last minute help from Ratchlet and T.A.) My job is decorating, planning, arbitration (mostly unneeded this year!), troubleshooting, presentation and ultimate decision-maker. All that means is that mostly I have very little to do with the preparation of the actual meal! (Hey, in our family we go with our strengths! It's safer that way!)

Because things always take longer than we plan for, there's a lot going on at the last minute and things get a little chaotic. At that point there isn't a lot for M-t-G to do, but this year I had a brilliant idea. I gave her my camera and made her the official event photographer! I figured she would enjoy having a "job" with real substance and we would get at least a few photos to record the day. She did a pretty great job! I told her to just take pictures of the people, the decorations, and whatever else caught her eye. Here are some of her best efforts

And our P-P-P-Pies!

Best Pecan Pie Evah!!

Pumpkin - with the cutest little leaves!

Peach
Mikey's first fruit pie effort -- Wonderful!

And a few more photos that didn't turn out quite as well. She started to play around with the settings. :)

We were caught nibbling before dinner!

A little canoodling on the side!

Uhhhhhh.....beats me!

There were many more -- some good, some more "artsy", but all in all she did a great job, especially for a 10 year old.

Portrait of our budding photographer

So M-t-G, "Thanks for the Memory"! Great Job!

And here is one last one of all of us. We all look a little bit overstuffed, understandably because it was Thanksgiving after all! Nevertheless, we had a great day! I hope that your's was the best ever!

[I tried to fix the scary "pet eye" thing that made Dora look possessed.
But this "repair" is just as scary! She's a nice little dog, really!
As long as you don't enlarge it, it's not too bad, but don't make it bigger, okay??
Don't say I didn't warn you!]

2011-11-24T02:35:00.000-06:00

Many blessings and best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving to all !!

--- Mellodee and the Big Guy

"A - You're Adorable" -- 2011

2011-11-23T22:17:00.000-06:00

I stole this idea from my friend C.Beth, two years ago . I really enjoyed doing it too. I haven't re-read last year's list(or the year before's) to avoid planting a word in my head. I hope that will keep me from duplicating. Amazingly enough, I actually remembered in time to do it again this year! So here is List #3....that's right! It is the

Third Annual Alphabetical List of

Things I Am Grateful for this Thanksgiving Season

(Whoo Hoo!!)

Here is my A to Z list of things I am grateful for, like.......

A - Accessories! They can make (or break) an outfit, a room, or a lifestyle! In the words of the insightful Clairee Boudreau ("Steel Magnolias"), "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize!"

B - Bacon! Cooked crispy and just right, there is no finer companion for pancakes and a BLT is hard to beat. However, keep it out of my casseroles, potatoes, salads, and so on.

C - Children! Their innocence, their curiosity, their observations, their cuteness, their potential. They bring joy just by being there!

D - Driving! I've always loved it. Long trips, short trips, makes no difference. Being on the road is the ultimate freedom! I dread the day when I can no longer drive, it pretty much is the end of independence.

E - E-Books! I never thought I would embrace anything electronic, but having a gazillion e-books on my Kindle actually has improved my reading experience in the area of convenience and ease of access. Not to worry, however, I still must hold a book in my hands from time to time! It's like comfort food, sometimes you've just got to have some! :)

F - Friends! After my wonderful visit in April with my two dearest friends, I realize how much I am grateful for friendships that last for decades!

G - Green! For months and months we had nothing but brown, but at last,with just a little rain and cooler temps, the grass, trees, shrubs, and plants are green again. Now the weeds aren't the only thing green outside.

H - Highways! Thanks to President Eisenhower over 50 years ago, the U.S. has a highway system that makes it pretty easy to get from any Point A to any Point B almost all the time! Except of course, this also requires one of the greatest annoyances of modern life....ongoing and never ending road construction!

I - Insurance! Most of the time the concept of insurance irritates me. You are essentially betting against yourself. However, when insurance pays the bulk of hospital charges, collision repairs, dental work charges, to the tune of thousands and thousands of dollars, I realize again how grateful I am. I'll try harder to remember that when I pay those premiums!

J - Jonquils! One of the early spring flowers that gives me hope every year that winter is really over!

K - Knowledge! I am grateful to those who pursue it and share what they learn with the rest of us. I am continually amazed by the things that I learn everyday.

L - Love! The love we give, the love we receive, the love we seek, the love we find.....love for people, love for things....the search for love, the comfort of love....in all its permutations. Life would be unbearable without it.

M - Mikey! Speaking of love, how grateful I am that we met and had the good sense to recognize that we were soul mates, best friends, true loves, and partners. This man is the perfect man for me! And I am grateful beyond measure for the life I have lived with this man. My guy, Mikey!

N - Nuts! Love them all....peanuts, cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds....healthy, natural, crunchy, easy, good for snacking, good for cooking (i.e., peanut butter!). An essential part of Thanksgiving! Really! What would Thanksgiving be without Pecan pie??

O - Orchestras! Music is one of the essentials of life, but the human voice is limited. It can only make one note at a time; but put a bunch of woodwinds, strings, percussion, and brass together, playing a gazillion notes together and you have the beauty of the fullness, harmony, rhythm, and joy of music at its best. For everything from sonatas to marches, an orchestra can make the music come alive.

P - Puppies! Simply the definition of cute! Funny, clumsy, excited, joy on four legs. If a puppy can't make you smile, you must be emotionally stunted!

Q - Quince! I am grateful for the lovely quince, because if it weren't for quince I wouldn't have any Q to be grateful for!! :)

R - Retirement! Retirement is a wonderful concept. Before it became financially possible (thank you FDR!) for people to stop working and receive social security, people would either work till they dropped or relied on the good graces of their children after they were too old or feeble to work. retirement is much more dignified.

S - Solitude! I have always enjoyed time to be alone. Time to read, to think, to sing, to wonder, to just be alone. Sometimes I absolutely must escape from crowds, even a crowd of just 1! Without periodic solitude, I would lose my mind.

T- Theatre! Watching, Acting, Directing, great writing, wonderful stories, humor, pathos, tragedy, farce, music, dance, drama, mystery, all of it! I am grateful for every minute I spend in the theatre!

U - The United States of America!! With all its foibles and follies, it is still the only place on this Earth I would be willing to call home!

V - Veterans! For every man and woman who served, fought, or died with any branch the U.S. Military in defense of our country or for the concept of freedom anywhere in this world, I give my thanks and gratitude, especially Uncle Norb, Uncle Tom, Uncle Joe, and most particularly my dad, Jim, who served with the Americal Division on New Caledonia and Guadalcanal during WWI in the South Pacific.

W- Words! English Words! Because of being a big reader I have accumulated a vocabulary that is better than some, not as good as others. I am grateful that our language is complex enough to support tens of thousands words. I don't pretend to know even half of them, but I know enough of them to make it possible for me to write a blog that some people find amusing, or thoughtful, or interesting. Without words how confusing life would be!

X - Xerox! I was already working at the time of the debut of the first photocopiers from Xerox. Oh my, how those machines changed how America (and the world, I guess) did business. As a working secretary at that time, I was more than glad to discard carbon paper, mimeograph machines, and onionskin! Of course, instead of making 2 or 3 copies of anything, we could suddenly make 50 copies (with a lot less work) and sending them to every single soul who might possibly be interested! It was definitely a good news/ bad new situation! Still, it made life easier in the long run.

Y - Yellow! My favorite color. It makes me happy to wear it, to decorate with it, see it in artwork. I just love yellow and I undoubtedly always will.

Z - Zoos! There is something fascinating about watching animals in synthetic habitats that all us to see these creatures up close. A well-run zoo is a joy to explore. I've spent many happy hours visiting my favorite animals.

Whoo-Hoo, I did it again! 26 things that I am truly grateful for. There are others, of course. The things we are all grateful for....our families, our health, our friends....those never change. But it's nice to be thankful for some of the less universal things that bring joy to each of us! The point is at Thanksgiving, we take the time to look at our lives and recognize those things. So what are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

"A Cappella"

2011-11-22T15:11:00.000-06:00

This won't be a long post today. (I know, I know.....you'll believe it when you see it!) Really, though, I don't have a bunch of time. Thanksgiving is only 2 days away and my to-do list has hardly been touched! The Big Guy has been really busy doing "big stuff", but there wasn't much point in trying to get started on the cleaning until the big stuff got put ~~away~~.....well, out of the way. Anyway, 80% of my to-dos remain, sigh!

But I digress.

This is one of the "I'll always remember" days. November 22, 1963. Even if you weren't born at that time, I would bet most of you would recognize that date. The Kennedy Assassination. I was 17, a senior in h.s., just back from lunch. It was a perfectly ordinary day. Thanksgiving was coming, so we were all looking forward to a couple of days off from school.

At somewhere around 1:00 pm my world changed. Everyone's world changed. As surely as if the earth's rotation suddenly went spinning off into space, nothing was the same. Kennedy was a hero to the young people of that time. He was the only President we had ever seen who didn't have grey hair! He was young, he was good looking, he was a war hero, he was married to Jackie and had 2 adorable little kids. He was the future. And we believed in him.

But on that day, with the actions of Lee Harvey Oswald, our young President was gone forever and it was the end of our Camelot days. (I will go with the conventional theory here ...the entire, whole truth of such an event, can never be known.)

It was 48 years ago today. I remember this day, this man, this loss. And I always wonder what our lives would be had Oswald missed!

May you continue to rest in peace, Mr. President.

"....ask what you can do for your country...."

"Poetry in Motion"

2011-11-20T00:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday in one of my Dear So and So letters, I asked the question, "Does anybody even know what an actuary is? I didn't really expect an answer, it was sort of a rhetorical question. Nevertheless, the ever-popular "Anonymous" replied that she actually knew an actuary, but still didn't know what an actuary does!

For whatever reason, this exchange sparked one of my infrequent forays into "Poetry in Motion". I was inspired to write:

The Actual Actuary*

He was an actual Actuary,

At least that's what he said.

"Whatever that is", I did parry,

With not one clue in my head.

He said 'twas important, even very!

To keeping them out of the red.

Still I was a little bit wary,

and refused his wish to wed.

Such a man I could not marry

No matter how he "pled",

For he only worked at a mortuary

Just counting up the dead!

-- Mellodee625

Not exactly "Poetry in Motion." I'm certainly no Frost or Yeats or even Nash. Still, it's a poem. There may be very little motion and not much poetry, but as I told Anonymous, it's not all that bad considering the lateness of the hour! lol!

* Just a gentle reminder all written content of this blog is my personal property and created solely by me unless credited otherwise. As such, please respect my work as copyrighted and ask permission before use and provide appropriate citation and credit. Thank you!

"Things I Couldn't Say" (aka Dear So and So)

2011-11-19T01:51:00.000-06:00

It's ~~Friday,~~ ....well, okay it's Saturday and I'm running a little behind, I hope no one minds too much! Nevertheless, here we go with my latest batch to Dear So and So....filled with "Things I Couldn't Say"....

Dear Visitors, Followers, Lurkers, and Folks who just landed here accidentally,

Let's try something completely different today, shall we?? If you are reading this, LEAVE A COMMENT. I'm not asking for "War and Peace" you understand, just a simple note....like "Hi, dropped in for a visit. Enjoyed your postings. Thought I'd say hello!"   You could even leave a comment on why you don't comment!!

See, isn't that simple?? It would make me very happy. Really!

(JE and C.Beth and Mona are exempt from this exercise! They always comment!)

Lonely here by myself,
Mel

******

Our Dear Wonderful, Darling, Delightful Automobiles,

In the last several weeks we have had a lot of activity revolving around repairs to you both. Although none of it was your fault precisely, we are ready to have both our very own cars back. No more accidents. No more faulty gas, fuel, melted, tank, pump, shorted out thing to go Boom! No more rental cars that are too big for our garage. No more new tires, or oil changes. No more anything that costs us money that I'd really rather spend on other things. We are done, thank you very much. So, little Kia and zoom-zoom Mazda, could we just please straighten up and fly right for a while (so to speak)....please!

Sweetly,
Drive 1 and Driver 2

******

Dear Insurance Company,

Thank you for being so prompt and efficient in getting all the various "car things" paid for recently. Having you take care of the car rentals was particularly helpful. Nice touch! I have just one more tiny little request, please do not raise my rates because of the accident. Not that I would expect that from such a well-run company like yours! But just in case there is some actuary or clerk or hatchet man lurking somewhere in your organization bumping up premiums anytime there is any kind of payout....please keep him away from our account. We already pay the moon! (Does anybody even know what an actuary is, for pete's sake?)

Thriftily,
Mel

*****

Dear Mother Nature,

Could you please forward this on to whomever it is in your organization who is in charge of rain for Texas. Thanks.

Just to remind you, this drought thing is getting pretty old, you know? Yes, I know there has been some rain, but seriously, would you please stop goofing around! Little showers that last for 20 minutes just ain't cutting it! There is more to ending a drought than getting just enough water to make the ~~grass~~.... well, weeds...green again! Today for instance, it was cloudy all bloomin' day long. Totally grey all day without one single solitary drop of rain. Are your pipes clogged up or something? Do we need to send a plumber to flush out the lines??

Thirstily,
Mel

*******

Dear Self,

Would you please get up off your derriere and take the stupid driving course, already!
They couldn't make it much simpler. It's on-line, for heaven's sake! No dopey class to sit through with a bunch of really bad "funny" instructors and a lot of other crummy drivers. You can take it here, in your very own home, in your jammies and everything. I've even heard that you can take it in sections, so you don't have to spend hours to get through it all.

What are you waiting for?? The 90 days you have to get it done are slipping away and if you don't get it done....you're going to have to go to court, pay the full fine, and STILL probably have to take the test. That's enough stalling! Get it done!

Get it in gear!
Me

*****

Dear Retailers,

Okay, this has got to stop! You are totally out of control. You are forcing everyone to begin to function on the retailers' calendar and it is making me crazy!!   Today is 11/18. Thanksgiving is still six (6) full days away. No matter how ridiculous it is, according to you all, Christmas is upon us!

There is not a pilgrim or a turkey, or an autumn napkin ring to be had anywhere!! Believe me, I have looked! A week before the holiday and as far as the stores go, it's too late to get anything for your Thanksgiving celebration! Thanksgiving is finished! That's nuts! (You can't find nuts either!) You are totally wrecking the lives of last-minute shoppers!

What are you going to do about Christmas? Will we have to get our shopping finished by December 1??? Buy our Easter bunnies in January?   Our 4th of July sparklers by St. Patrick's Day?? Really, I am here to tell you, you've gone too far!

Grumpily,
Mel

*******

Dear Blogland,

If you like Dear So and So, and want to give it a try, just pop over to Kat's Place at Three Bedroom Bungalow ( http://3bedroombungalow.blogspot.com/ ), hook up with her Linky and add your own! It's a great way to blow off steam, and you can read lots of other letters!

But first, LEAVE A COMMENT!

Your friend, Mel

"Sh-Boom"

2011-11-17T23:08:00.001-06:00

There are certain words or phrases that just should not appear within the same paragraph. When they do you know, the story is not going to have a happy ending. Words like "fuel pump", "electrical short", "melted", "gas tank" and most especially "boom"! Today the Big Guy was telling me about his car, which has been in the shop all week. The service department called him this morning to explain what was making his car engine just suddenly die for no apparent reason right in the middle of moving traffic!

In the re-telling, the Big Guy used four out of those five phrases! I don't exactly understand what was broken or what was happening. I couldn't get past hearing that particular combination of words relating to his car. The car he drives every day to work and back, in the middle of the night, when roads are empty and there isn't much of anyone around. Yikes, an electrical short? in the fuel pump?? melting some essential something? IN THE GAS TANK????

The word that was missing from the narrative was "boom"!! Thank goodness!

Can we talk about charmed lives here? Instead of just needing a tow to the car service department, it could have ended with a very different scenario. Shorts make sparks, sparks make fire, fire makes gas go BOOM! No more Mikey!

But it didn't happen because in addition to all of Mikey's strengths, my guy is charmed, blessed, fortunate, advantaged, chosen, elite, privileged, select, singled out, on a roll, on a streak, and can-you-flippin'-believe-it LUCKY!!

"Sh-Boom", indeed! Whew!

"It's the story of a man named Brady....."

2011-11-15T01:38:00.002-06:00

My good friend J.E. from Moment to Moment http://jimmyrf.blogspot.com/ posted this fun list a few days ago. Now we all know that I am a sucker for a good list! As J.E. and I have many of our likes and dislikes in common, it's fun to compare our answers. But when it comes to TV, however, I haven't watched TV regularly in about 8 years (give or take a year!) So some of the original questions in J.E.'s post that relate to current programming are complete unknowns to me.

Oh dear, what to do? What to do??

I know, I'll make it into a journey through Nostalgic TV-land....back to the days when there were programs even I watched religiously. There was not much need to censor what my daughter watched or what I watched either! There wasn't much that was too grim or gory or violent, or adult, or stupid to watch. The glory days! You remember the good old days, right? I miss those days of TV.

(Just to clarify all of my answers refer to entertainment shows only, not news, documentaries, interviews, live coverage or breaking news!)

1. Name a TV show series in which you've seen every episode at least twice: M.A.S.H., Friends, Dick Van Dyke.

2. Name a show you couldn't miss: The Carol Burnett Show

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show: All the actors in the shows I watched. The Cheers crew, the M.A.S.H. ensemble, Tony Randall & Jack Klugman's Odd Couple, Mary Tyler Moore and her gang, Dick Van Dyke's show with Rosemarie, Morey, Amsterdam, Mary somebody, Carl Reiner, et al., plus the Bunkers and the Stivics! and of course, Laugh-In. Both Bob Newhart shows ( the tag ending of the last of the 2nd Newhart show was pure unadulterated brilliance!!) All the big name actors in the dramas presented by Hallmark, and so many more! They were all Actors with a capital "A"!

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show: Probably anyone born after 1970!

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from: Cheers, M.A.S.H. and All in the Family, and Laugh-In! ("Here come de judge!"--Sammy Davis and everyone else!) and of course, WKRP ("As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"--Arthur Carlson) (Nearly every sentence Les Nessman ever said!)

6. Name a show you like that no one else that you know enjoys: Wings (in reruns....before it got too dumb for words!)

7. Name a TV show which you’ve been known to sing the theme song: Designing Women (This isn't really a fair answer, Designing Women's theme song was Ray Charles singing "Georgia"....which is just flat out a great song!) And of course, "Gilligan's Island" theme was such a catchy little ditty!)

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch: There were many but many of the ones I like were quirky and disappeared before they could build an audience! Sports Night. for instance!

9. Name a TV series you own: None, I do, however, have the last episode of M.A.S.H.

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting choices in television:   I can't think of anyone specifically right now.

11. What is your favorite episode of one your favorite series? There were so many, but the funniest single episodes I ever saw included.....Laura trying not to open Rob's package....Rob convinced they had the wrong baby.... Niles trying to stay awake after taking a strong sedative accidentally on Frasier.

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven’t gotten around to yet: None, I don't watch any TV anymore.

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad? How much time have you got?? There were so many that were great, but stayed around too long and just got worse and worse....i.e., All in the Family, Designing Women (sorry, J.E.), Wings, Rockford Files, Becker, The West Wing (after Aaron Sorkin was forced out as the writer), and on and on.

14. Name a show that’s made you cry multiple times:    M.A.S.H.

15. What do you eat when you watch TV?   Potato Chips with onion dip! (See how long ago I watched tv! I haven't had chips and dip in YEARS!)

16. How often do you watch TV?   Never

17. What’s the last TV show you watched? It was probably something on HGTV, but I don't really remember.

18. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of TV? I could have watched musical variety shows all day long! I liked some of the game shows (who doesn't like Jeopardy??) Still I loved a well written sit com where the characters developed and grew!!

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with? I don't think I was ever "obsessed" with a tv show!

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched? None, I didn't ever watch things I didn't like.

21. What’s the weirdest show you enjoyed? Deep Space Nine, I just loved that show. You just had to love Quark and his brother/cousin (whose name I can't recall.)

22. What was the single most memorable progam you ever saw on TV? A production of "Ethan Frome" with Sterling Hayden, Julie Harris, and Kim Stanley from 1960 Dupont Show of the Month. Unbelievably good. It was stunning! I was only 14 years old, but I knew I was seeing genius! I have never seen a better production of anything ever!

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched? ALWAYS funny....Soap, M.A.S.H. for the best funny overall.

24. What show was canceled too early into its run? Sports Night....it had great potential and a great cast. What a shame.

Well, there in a rather lengthy nutshell are the shows I loved that are no more. Thanks for accompanying me back to the days when TV entertained. Without them (or others of the same caliber) TV is nothing more than that "vast wasteland" that Newton Minnow described way back in 1961. His exact quote??

When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better. But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there for a day without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.

-- Newton N. Minow, "Television and the Public Interest", address to the National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, D.C., May 9, 1961.

The man knew whereof he spoke! Well, at least in my opinion. :)

"Christmas Is Coming"

2011-11-10T10:07:00.001-06:00

Yes, "Christmas Is Coming"....but NOT YET! Many retailers are now displaying their Christmas merchandise as early as before Halloween. I even saw a few stores with things out in September! That's just plain ridiculous! In most years, I do nothing about Christmas until after Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving is still two weeks away!

It keeps getting earlier every year and it really needs to stop! I have absolutely zip, zero, nada, Christmas spirit that early. I totally ignore most of what I see. The sad fact is though, that we can't count on the stores still having the best of their goods still available if we wait too long.

So I was extremely pleased to see the following posted on a friend's Facebook page. Go Nordstrom!

It would be delightful if Nordstrom's action spread to other retailers so that sanity might return to the marketplace! Congratulations Nordstrom! I, for one, appreciate your decision to put reason ahead of greed.

Along the same line, a couple of days ago I saw the following cartoon posted on the blog, "Eternallizdom". I asked to use it (with credit), but she didn't reply. After thinking about it, I decided to use it anyway, because it was not her original work anyway and was available from other sources.

Anyway....this is perfect, don't you think?

http://eternallizdom.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-november-is-all-about.html

Yeah, "Christmas Is Coming, but first we've got to go "Over the River and Through the Wood".

"A Cappella"

2011-11-09T01:31:00.002-06:00

Have you ever noticed this button at the tail end of my sidebar? Were you ever curious as to what it means? Well, evidently some are, because one of my new blogger friends asked me! In answering her question, I realized that I should probably post the answer for anyone to see, because it is a great idea!

http://www.tartx.com/blog/?page_id=233

Blogging Without Obligation was a button I saw on someone's blog (I don't remember whose) very early on in my blogging history. I was intrigued so I clicked on it and I was whisked away to "Down the Rabbit Hole". The author is Tiffani and she is the one who developed the idea. Let me quote from her blog:

After coming across what seemed to be the 4000th or so post on someone’s blog starting with “I’m sorry I haven’t posted in awhile.” I decided it is time to rethink what makes a good blog and the expectations that have come to be part of it. I am thinking that no one should utter those words again . . .and with that thought I give you Blogging Without Obligation.

If you feel the same way, feel free to grab the logo, make a logo or whatever you would like to do! I release all the logos, thoughts and words mentioned here about this concept into the public domain. Take the idea and run with it. . .or walk away. It is all good.

As I understand it, the button alerts readers that I will write when I can and when I have a good topic. It means I won't post just any old thing just to have something posted every day. It means I will write when I write and I won't keep apologizing for not writing every day or for a stretch of several days or even weeks! Guiltless Blogging! It sounded like an excellent idea to me!

Tiffani gave a lot of great reasons for embracing the concept of Blogging Without Obligation.

So why should we blog without obligation??

* Because you shouldn’t have to look at your blog like it is a treadmill or a job.

* Because its okay to just say what you have to say. If that makes for a long post, fine. Short post, fine. Frequent post, fine. Infrequent post, fine.

* Because its okay to not always be enthralled with the sound of your own typing.

* Because sometimes less is more.

* Because only blogging when you feel truly inspired keeps up the integrity of your blog.

* Because they are probably not going to inscribe your stat, link and comment numbers on your tombstone.

* Because for most of us blogging is just a hobby. A way to express yourself and connect with others. You should not have to apologize for lapses in posts. Just take a step back and enjoy life, not everything you do has to be “bloggable”.

* Because if you blog without obligation you will naturally keep your blog around longer, because it won’t be a chore.

* Plus, just think you will be doing your part to eradicate post pollution. One post at a time.

Doesn't that all sound logical and reasonable and guiltless?? To my mind, It also implies that I don't automatically follow everyone who follows me. I only follow people whose blogs are interesting (or funny, or special in some way....)

Because I like the idea of no obligation, I don't do giveaways or contests, or have sponsors, or try to sell anything. I won't ask you to vote for me and I won't endorse or test products for manufacturers either paid or unpaid. If I think a product is good (or bad) I might write about it....but it's just my own opinion and no money changed hands.

Tiffani doesn't appear to be writing much anymore, but her blog is still out there and I hope more people are joining this particular bandwagon. Here are some buttons she provided for use if you feel so inclined.

——-

——–

——

——

So there you have it! That's my philosophy of blogging. Most of the time anyway. If you like the idea, and want to join in, grab a button and start guiltless blogging! If you don't want to be a part of it, that's okay too. As Tiffani said, "It's all good." I'm not trying to talk anyone into it, but buying into the philosophy sure helps me feel better on those days (or stretches of days) when I can't write a decent sentence to save my soul!!

Mellodee Musings.... may not post every day and it isn't going to be full of extraneous or exciting stuff....all you get is me. But I'll give you the best I've got....just probably not every day!!

"Spoonful"

2011-11-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.....sometimes, though, the words really help!

"Spoonful!!" Get it??? lol!

Don't know why exactly, but this just cracks me up!!

"I Got Plenty of Nothin' "

2011-11-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

They started arriving at about 6:30 p.m. It wasn't even dark yet, which was unusual in and of itself. The came in hordes, with full-grown witches, and baseball players, and even a pilot, as escorts who walked down the middle of the street. Their charges ran at top speed in five different directions up to the doors. Sometimes they rang the doorbell, more often they knocked, and a time or two they peered in through the glass window.

The first few sets were my favorites. The little bitty kids, sometimes being carried, sometimes carrying pillowcases almost bigger than they were. They would be clinging to the witch's or pilot's (mom or dad) hand for all they were worth. Eyes big and very unsure of what was supposed to be happening. After prompting they would either whisper or holler, some variation of "Trick or Treat" and look straight up at me as I brought the basket to the door. This group you have to watch closely. They are fond of pushing their whole hand into the candy basket and grabbing as much as they can hold. Almost always they put it back when mom or dad says so. They watched me drop 2 pieces of some candy or other into their pillowcase or pumpkin and turn around to leave. As they start to run (or toddle quickly) the mom or dad prompts again "Say thank you!" or "Happy Halloween". When the little angel, cowboy, ninja, princess, or raggedy ann, repeats the phrase it sometimes even sounds like "thank you" or "happy Halloween". Not always you understand, but sometimes.

As darkness fell the kids got progressively older. The costumes got progressively more clever and they groups got bigger and louder and more exuberant! Nobody needed prompting; they started yelling trick or treat in the driveway! And they just kept coming!

At 7:40 p.m. I opened the last of the big bags of candy. Adding up all the candy we had bought, there were about 400 individual pieces of candy. By about 8:15 p.m. even though I had cut back to one piece each, I ran out of candy! And still they came!

I started handing out pennies! By that time it was mostly teens and bigger kids. I had to admit that "I Got Plenty of Nothin'. I kept apologizing that I had no more candy, but the kids uniformly were gracious and accepted the couple of pennies each with aplomb! I lost track of how many pennies I gave out, but it was probably around 50 or 60 cents total, but that means there were at least 25 more kids after I ran out of Twizzlers, Jolly Rogers, Paydays, and lollipops! It was obvious I wasn't the only one to run out of candy as one by one neighboring houses turned off their outside lights, the universal signal that Halloween was over at that house!

At 8:30 the rush slowed to a trickle and by 8:45 it was done. The were gone like they had never been there at all. Not a ghost, or a zombie, or a ballerina in sight. Vanished into the night. The street remained empty. Silence returned to the neighborhood. I turned off our outside lights.

After being descended upon by somewhere between 250 and 275 costumed, polite, well-behaved children, Halloween was over at our house!

I guess next year we'll have to buy six big bags of candy! Maybe I should just get "Good 'n' Plenty" (remember them?) to begin with....lol!...or I'll end up with Plenty of Nothin' all over again!

"Three Little Words"

2011-10-31T13:46:00.002-05:00

“From ghoulies and ghosties

and long-leggedy beasties

and things that go bump in the night, good Lord, deliver us!”

FROM

MELLO-BOO

THE BIG GHOST

WITCHLET
RA-TA-TCAT
FLORA-DORA-BLE
AND

MADDIE-THE-GREAT-PUMPKIN

Oh, and what about those "Three Little Words"??
You'll be hearing them a lot tonight....

"TRICK OR TREAT"

BOO!

Silent Sunday

2011-10-30T12:32:00.000-05:00

I'm trying something new for me -- Silent Sunday. Obviously I'm not supposed to say anything, Just let the photo tell the story. So for the very first time in the history of ~~the~~ my world, I will now shut up!

http://www.mochabeaniemummy.com/silent-sunday/

"A Cappella"

2011-10-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm not sure if it is going to happen on Friday or not till Saturday, but very soon, my blog will receive it's 5,000th visit! The number of visits currently stands at 4995, so it will probably be Saturday.

How about that?? 5,000 times some one (actually lots of someones) has chosen to come and visit "Mellodee Musings". Sometimes they even stay long enough to read a few posts. What an incredible number!

Thank you one and all for visiting.

Those who read my stuff fairly regularly know that I don't do contests or giveaways. At this moment I wish I did! Because then I could reward my 5,000th visitor with something more tangible than "thank you". Sadly, I don't own much of anything that I could imagine anyone would want! I suppose I could try to resurrect an old head shot and give away an autographed photo of me.....from 15 years ago. But somehow that doesn't seem like that hot an idea! I don't make delightful crafty things. I don't even make un-delightful crafty things! I don't have anything I'm try to sell. I don't have advertisers or sponsors or the like who would offer gift certificates or samples. So what I'm telling you here is that whoever makes the 5,000th visit, won't be getting a thing for it.... except possibly a big "Ta-Da"!

It doesn't mean that I am an ungrateful sod. I am thrilled that people were interested in visiting so often. I wish some of them would come again!

According to my stat counter, I have been blogging since July 2009. In that time I have written 430 posts. My blog has 52 people who say they are followers (although I have never had that many visits to any post!) I have received a total of 1,352 comments on various posts. But that means that 3,648 visits resulted in NO Comments about anything!! If I were better with math, I could probably extrapolate all sorts of interesting statistical percentages showing how little activity my blog really gets.

All I know is that the most comments I have ever received on any single post has been 6. Everybody knows that statistics are just numbers that can be manipulate a million ways so I'll try not to dwell on the difference between a visit that gets counted and a visitor that actually reads!

I love the people who come and read and comment regularly. They are loyal, supportive, and complimentary. They are friends.  A couple even visit and comment on nearly every post Some others come regularly but never say a word....ever! And some visits are from folks who must land here accidentally because they don't stay long enough to read anything!

So to those who visit, whether a follower, a lurker, a drop-in, or a mistake, thanks for coming! And maybe if everybody who lands here actually read some you might find out you like it! And then we could become friends too!

And Mr/Ms #5,000, whoever you may be?    "TA-DA" That 8x10 glossy signed by yours truly (that I won't really burden you with....I promise) could become a valuable collectible some day!   (Nah, probably not!)

Seriously, thank you everyone!   I hope you come back soon. 'Cuz believe it or not, I probably still have more to say!

"Things I Couldn't Say" (aka Dear So and So)

2011-10-28T12:54:00.121-05:00

And again Friday has arrived and with it a new batch of "Things I Couldn't Say" or Dear So and So.....

Dear Auto Repair place,

Okay, you have had my car for two full weeks now. It should be done soon...right? RIGHT??!!
I understand about waiting for parts and the number of hours it takes to get it repaired properly. I really do. I know you will do a good job because you've done work for us before, so I trust you to do it right.

But the thing is.....I like my car. It suits me. I miss my car. I need my car!! I want it back! NOW! (Or as soon as humanely possible, pretty please.)

Impatiently,
Mel

Dear Mother Nature,

You may recall that I have been quite vocal this year with my complaints about the weather. I don't mean to be a pest, but after a summer of unending days over 100F, no rain, and a whole summer of too hot, grumpy people, we'd like some "normal" please.

Two weeks ago temps were still in the high 90s. The rest of the country was pulling out their sweaters and jackets and enjoying a colorful Autumn. Did you overlook us? We had two or three days of 80s....that was very nice. But now we have a chilly wind blowing everything around (leaves, dust and dirt, and Halloween decorations!) The temperature this morning was 52F! Two weeks ago it was close to 100F, now its in the 50s??? Is our Fall really going to be only 3 days long?

After the summer we had, I think you could treat us a little better. We deserve it.

Uncomfortably,
Mel

Dearest M-t-G,

Congratulations Honey! You accomplished something that was very hard for you and it was a very BIG DEAL! I won't write specifics because I know you don't like to be the center of attention and it would embarrass you and besides, your mom wouldn't like it! But I just wanted to tell the world about my brave granddaughter who manages to surprise us frequently with her strengths! You are awesome, kiddo....especially when you follow your own timetable. Yep, you definitely march to the beat of your own drum! But you get where you need to be and you do it your way. Atta' girl!

Proudly,
Grammy

Dear Family,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (it's really not "bad" exactly), but I'd just like to alert you that it is only 56 days until Christmas! (Does anyone else remember when we used to say "shopping days"? That was back when stores actually closed from time to time!)

Anyway, just a couple of things:

1) Let's remember to try NOT to spend the National Debt, okay?

2) Please share your updated sizes, especially M-t-G and the Big Guy! Otherwise there is significant danger that you will spend a great deal of time returning things that don't fit!

3) Update your wish lists on Amazon, otherwise you'll be stuck with stuff I pick out!

Ho Ho Ho,
Me

Dear Kindle,

Would you please stop doing whatever it is that you do that makes you lose your connection to WiFi and prevents me from accessing the Kindle Store. It cannot possibly be anything that I am doing that causes this glitch!! So, shape up!

Irritatedly,
Mel

Dear Marie Callendar's.

Thank you for FINALLY (after 3 years!) bringing back Beef Stroganoff to your menu. It is the best thing your restaurant makes! You didn't even change it in any way (always a danger with restaurants)! It is the epitome of comfort food. When it disappeared the last time, it made a lot of loyal fans very disgruntled. So I am fearful that it is only back for the "season" (i.e., winter) and then it will go away for another three years! That would make me a lot worse than "disgruntled", and it wouldn't be a pleasant sight. So just accept the fact that this should be one of your standard items and go mess with something else!

Peckishly,
Mel

Dear Blogland,

If you like Dear So and So, and want to give it a try, just pop over to Kat's Place at Three Bedroom Bungalow ( http://3bedroombungalow.blogspot.com/ ), hook up with her Linky and add your own! It's a great way to blow off steam, and you can read lots of other letters even grumpier than mine!!

Your friend,
Mel

"The Counting Song"

2011-10-27T00:05:00.001-05:00

Another episode in my on-going collection of Things I Just Don't Get! In no particular order, I don't understand why....

1. Clothing manufacturers include extra buttons for clothes.....wouldn't it be cheaper and more efficient to sew the buttons on better in the first place?

2. Junk mail still exists....they don't call it "junk" for nothing!

3. Doughnut shops uniformly close by 2:00 p.m.....Are doughnuts even less healthy in the afternoon??

4.  Our expenses expand to match our income every time we get a "raise".....Couldn't we just coast for a little while?

5. It's so easy for people to judge others' failings.....but soooo hard to recognize our own?? And even harder to fix them!

6. Men's business clothes (i.e. suits) styles rarely change in any meaningful way (a suit is a suit is a suit).....and why don't they die of boredom wearing essentially the same thing day after day for most of their adult lives??

7.   Some young men and women are embracing stretched piercings for their earlobes.....have you seen them? Don't you think that is just one big icky??

8. Banks want to charge the account holder for using their own debit card....let's see that means we are paying to use our own money which we have allowed the bank to use for their own profit. Isn't that essentially extortion??? Or at least immoral? Certainly not nice!

9.  So many women's cardigan sweaters these days have 3/4 length, loose-fitting sleeves and don't button up....sweaters are for cool to cold weather, these latest designs sure don't provide much warmth!!

10. Many notorious assassins and serial killers are identified by three names....

John Wilkes Booth
Lee Harvey Oswald
James Earl Ray
John Wayne Gacy
Mark David Chapman
Jack the Ripper

LOL! Sorry, I couldn't resist!!

And that's all ~~she~~ I wrote!

"Bits and Pieces"

2011-10-26T00:35:00.000-05:00

There are some loose ends to clear up. So here are some little bits of this and a few pieces of that.

******

You may recall I was in an accident about a week ago. Just thought I would let you know that my wrist is fine. It never did develop much more than a twinge now and then. That's the good news. There really isn't any bad news except that I miss my own car! Driving a rental gets old real fast! There isn't anything wrong with the rental exactly. Just a few things that are annoying. Like the car is a good two feet longer than my car. It just barely fits in our garage! No joke! The car is black for another. In Texas in the fall, it still gets pretty warm and the sun just keeps on shining. A black car is not a good choice. I can't even use my window shade thingy because...you guessed it....it's in my car which is having an extended vacation at the auto repair shop. Sigh. No idea what the repairs will finally cost nor how much longer it will be till it comes home. It can't be soon enough! I want my car!!

******

We still have had no appreciable amounts of rain. We got about 2" a week or so ago, but nothing since. They keep saying it might rain, but the chance is only around 30%. Well, at least the 100+F days are gone.

******

The Big Guy and I finally put out our Halloween decorations on Sunday. I was going to have M-t-G help me on Saturday but she ended up not staying over after all, so my waiting had been pointless. It kind of funny though, we had all our trees and bushes trimmed a couple of weeks ago and now the same things that I put out last year, look a little puny because there is so much more open space now!
So off to Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, Dollar Tree, and Walgreen's, I went. It's still six days before Halloween and the stores' Halloween things are totally picked over and skimpy. The stores have moved on to Thanksgiving and, yes, to Christmas. It's getting as bad as buying clothes! You have to get your stuff weeks and weeks before you actually need it. That's a problem for me. I don't get into the holiday mood weeks and weeks before! Besides, you can usually get some great sales closer to the holiday. The few things they had were 40-50% off, but there wasn't anything worth buying.

Never fear, the intrepid last minute shopper did what all good bargain hunters do. I went to Goodwill! I found two cute little ghost-y brooms, a totem pole-like stack of pumpkins that light up, and three cute little signs that say BOO! They will help fill up the empty! And it only cost me $8.00! Don'tcha just love it?

******

It has occurred to me that buying books on the Kindle may just send me to the poor house! (I don't think they have those anymore, come to think of it.) Ok, so the Kindle may send me into bankruptcy a few dollars at a time! It adds up, you know? I looked at our Library's on-line section on downloadable books. No relief there. The didn't have more than about 50 books and most of those were travel guides! Considering I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. That's pretty useless. For the few other books, they include several old books no longer under copyright, but I've either read them or don't want to! For the few books I might be interested in reading there are waiting lists. Maybe it will improve over time, but as it stands now I won't be downloading anything from the Library any time soon.

I'll just have to try harder to find free books from Kindle and other sources.

Oh by the way, here in Austin, Goodwill has several free-standing book stores where they sell soft covers for $2.00 and most hardcovers for $4.00. That's a lot better than even Half-Priced Books! (They also sell books in their regular stores too.) Do their book stores exist in other parts of the country too? If so, its a great resource for big (or even small) readers....lol! They have fiction, non-fiction, kids books, DVDs and some reference books. The turnover seems good and while small little storefronts, they can have a lot of books in a small space! There is one located right next to the entrance to our neighborhood! I can grab a quick book either coming or going! Cool!

******

That's it for now. Have a good Wednesday!

"Monster Mash"

2011-10-22T12:21:00.003-05:00

Halloween is coming up soon. Somehow I am not as inspired this year as I have been in the past. The Big Guy even went up to the attic and brought down all my Autumn decorations and Halloween stuff....I hadn't even mentioned it once! (That is a first!)

Maddie-the-Great will be spending the night here tonight, so I am hoping that she will help me put out the outdoor Halloween stuff. Doing it with her just might give me the inspiration I need. We'll see.

Last year I really expanded my "stuff" for this time of year, due, in fact, to the wonderful ideas I had seen on so many different blogs. I bought a lot of stuff and I really got into it. This year?? Not so much.

Part of the problem, I think, is I really don't care for what I am seeing in the stores this year. Have you noticed? I assume what is happening here is happening everywhere. The whimsy is missing! There isn't any "fun" stuff! The vast majority of things for sale this year are really scary! Skulls, severed, bleeding limbs, grave stones, rats (RATS!!), big (really BIG) hairy spiders and all manner of other creepy, crawlies, ghouls, zombies, vampires, fake blood....it's enough to give you nightmares!

It isn't that I think there is anything sinister about Halloween. I'm not worried about devil worship, or other such nonsense that some people are always ranting about. The origins of Halloween were a mix of superstition and religion and may have had some of those sinister elements, but that was a long time ago and now Halloween is about 99% about fun for kids! That's all. A chance for kids to dress up in costumes and go get free candy!! That's about as much fun as a little kid can have! I support that wholeheartedly.
This current trend toward the really scary stuff is all related to the recent success of books like Twilight and the flood of books and movies about monsters, vampires and zombies. I've never gotten the appeal of any of those, but then I'm not a teenager anymore. And lets face it, is there anything scarier than a teenager in general?? :)

I don't want to turn my house into a dark, scary, creepy haunted house thing. We get a lot of little kids and I think some of the stuff I've seen is too frightening for a child under 5! I like the cute, fun stuff....friendly little ghosts, flying broomsticks, funny pumpkins, confused witches, happy smiling kids! Nothing threatening or disgusting!

A lot of it has to do with the companies that make or sell Halloween things. Manufacturers of novelties always are updating their line to come up with new, different, and very profitable merchandise each year. This year they seem to have focused on creepy. Well, no thank you....not interested. I hope they get over this scary stuff soon.

The only kind of "Monster Mash" I am interested in, is the song you dance to!

BOO!

"There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"

2011-10-21T03:15:00.000-05:00

I missed it! I've been holding on to this post since February! I just can't believe it, but I missed it. I let October 8 come.....and go without a word. Silly blogger! I can still tell the story, it just won't be on the actual anniversary....the anniversary of the day when every citizen could say, "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" because there was!

It happened one hundred and forty years ago in the city of Chicago....

The fire started at about 9 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, 1871 in or around a small barn that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street on the South Side of Chicago. The traditional account of the origin of the fire is that it was started by a cow kicking over a lantern in the barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O'Leary. That was considered to be the cause for over 20 years. However, Michael Ahern, the Chicago Republican reporter who created the cow story, admitted in 1893 that he had made it up because he thought it would make colorful copy. Nevertheless the legend persists because Ahern was right, the idea of a cow kicking over a lantern presents an image and concept hard to forget. The truth is that no one knows what was the exact cause of the fire.

For those of you unfamiliar with City of the Big Shoulders, Chicago (rather like Austin TX) is a city that is longer (N to S) than it is wide (E to W.) Also like Austin, a fairly large river runs generally E to W right around the middle of town, effectively cutting the city into two parts North of the river and South of the river. The corner of State and Madison in the middle of downtown Chicago is the official dividing line between the North Side and the South Side. The Chicago River runs a few blocks further north, but it is a more physical division that just street numbers.

The Chicago River has played an on-going role in the history and customs of Chicago. For instance, at some point in the late 1800s, civil engineers actually reversed the flow of the River, changing it from going toward Lake Michigan to flowing from Lake Michigan. The reversal was for the purpose of keeping waste and icky stuff (that's a technical term, truly!) from getting into the Lake. It was accomplished through a series of locks that are still in use.

The River also magically turns green every year on St. Patrick's Day. No one knows how this is accomplished but it makes the large Irish population of Chicago extremely happy! (LOL!)

In reality tho, the Chicago River was actually instrumental in saving the city from total destruction in the days that the Chicago Fire raged in 1871.

The fire's spread was aided by the city's overuse of wood for building, a drought prior to the fire, and strong winds from the southwest that carried flying embers toward the heart of the city. The city also made fatal errors by not reacting soon enough and citizens were apparently unconcerned when it began. The firefighters were also exhausted from fighting a fire that happened the day before. The firefighters fought the fire through the entire day and became extremely exhausted. Eventually the fire jumped to a nearby neighborhood and began to devastate mansions, houses and apartments. Almost everything that crossed the fire's path was made of wood, that had been dried out for quite a while. The fire eventually got to the River where it mostly stopped, as the River served as a natural firebreak and protected the North Side from burning as well. After two days of the city burning down it began to rain and doused the remaining fire. It is said that over 300 people died in the fire and over 100,000 were left homeless. It was devastating to the city and it's people, but it lead to development of the best trained firefighters and a stringent fire code which is maintained even now.

Interestingly, the Chicago Fire Academy is located at 137 DeKoven Street, the site where the fire actually began.

Chicago Fire Academy (Site of the Origin of the Chicago Fire of 1871)

Now there is one other little-known fact about the Chicago Fire, probably unimportant in the overall scheme of things but it is extremely important to my mother's family. My maternal Grandmother's mother (my great-grandmother) was about 3 or 4 years old at the time of the fire and she remembered the fire! At that time, the family lived somewhere south of the river. The family fled their home and went to the North Side of the river to escape the fire.

She remembered crossing the river with their belongings. After crossing she recalled being set down on a trunk or valises right on the dock and being told by her mother (or father), "Do NOT move until I come back!" Sitting next to her on the suitcases was a rather large parrot in a cage! She could still see the fires burning around her and it was a bit hard to breathe, though the parrot seemed fine!

Not too far away was St. Michael's Catholic Church and Elementary School. Because it was brick and on the North side of the river it survived the fire. The family never moved back to the South Side but remained on the North Side from then on. My great-grandmother subsequently attended St. Michael's school.

My great-grandmother told the story to her children and my grandmother told it to her children and her grandchildren, including me. I can't recall now if there was more to the story. I'm sure there was but it was a long time ago and I don't remember. I'm even kind of fuzzy on some of what I do remember! All I know for sure is that she and her family survived that horrible fire and lived on to raise their children and their children's children and on and on and I am grateful!

Addendum....

Oddly enough, in another of those funny little coincidences that are scattered through my life, my mom, dad, and I had moved to Florida when I was six, but when I was seven, Mom and Dad thought they missed Chicago so we moved back for just one year (before they came to their senses and took us back to Florida!) Nevertheless that year in Chicago was just in time for me to go to second grade. There used to be a gazillion Catholic elementary schools in Chicago. In fact there still are a lot of them! You go to the one that you live closest to. With no particular plan in mind, my parents rented an apartment somewhere that determined I would attend second grade at....St. Michael's Elementary School! Sometimes life just feels like an endless loop going round and round!