Music Monday---Frank Sinatra

There are no links for Music Monday today, and I'm very late getting this posted, but here's my Music Monday choice for this week.

"I've Got You Under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra

Cotton Candy in the Sky

The males of my household traveled to Detroit for the day today to watch the Cleveland Indians lose yet again (gluttons for punishment), so I had the day to myself here at home.

This afternoon, I visited my Mom, did some reading, paid the bills, went shopping for a little while, and watched a little bit of TV (I had the remote all to myself!!). I also went for a walk, as usual. It was a quiet day, but it passed by quickly.

I have just a few photos to share with you from over the weekend.

Friday night the sky was filled with cotton candy clouds. Every direction I looked I saw pink spun sugar up above me. It looks like there must have been a carnival going on in Heaven and the cotton candy machine was running amok. ;)

Saturday morning we had some much needed rain that helped green up the grass and washed the dust off of everything. The flowers looked bright and clean afterward.

These honeysuckle are growing in some one's yard about a block away from me. Attracted to the scent of the flowers, the bees were humming all around them. If you look closely at the photo below, you can see a bee crawling out of the center of one of the flowers.
(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)

These are still wet from the morning's rain as you can see on the petals.

I saw some strange looking fungus growing on the trunk of a tree in the park.

What?! Is it Christmas in July?

Oh. No, it's not Christmas.

Someone is having a garage sale and using a giant candy cane to hold the sign for it.

I saw this fire hydrant leaking water. There was a large puddle around it.

I might have to let my next door neighbors know about this.

Their son is our town's fire chief. Have I ever mentioned that I live in a small town? ;)

Today, I saw this crazy looking bearded guy in the clouds.
You can see him too, can't you?

I think I've seen this guy at the library. HA!

Reasons To Smile---Truly Grateful Series

These are just a few of the reasons I've had to smile lately. If you look around today, perhaps you will find some reasons to smile too.

* * * * *

A Coworker With a Sense of Humor

There is a young man who visits the library where I work who always wears his pants sagging down and droopy so that the top of his underwear shows. I'm sure you've seen someone like this.

This habit drives me crazy. I have never understood this fad. My coworker knows how I feel about this fashion "statement," and she feels the same way. She decided to have a bit of fun with me.

She could see our saggy pants patron coming to the desk for me to wait on him. She was in our supervisor's office and was visible to me, but she was not visible to Mr. Droopy Drawers. She immediately pulled her pants down so that they were drooping just like the patron's. She then swung her backside around in a little swagger dance to make sure that I could see her.

Of course, I laughed. I had no choice. I laughed as I checked out his items without giving him an explanation and continued to giggle as I told him to have a nice day when I handed him his books.

The patron just said, "Thanks, you too," and looked at me as if I had gone around the bend.

* * * * *

Ducks

Baby ducks swimming with their mother would make anyone smile.

* * * * *

This Place Is Amazing!


A little girl came into the library with her father. She was a very cute, little curly-headed blond gal and looked to be between three and four years old. This was apparently her first visit to the library. She was bubbling over with excitement and quickly ran back and forth and up and down the aisles while her Dad returned some items to the desk. She appeared back at her Dad's side with this comment, "Daddy, did you see all the books?!! This place is AMAZING!"

Amazing indeed---too bad the Governor wasn't there to hear her and see her face. It might have been enough for him to think again about his proposed budget cuts.

* * * * *

Flowers

The flowerbeds in the park were exploding with colors.

* * * * *

Sons

My sons washed the dishes and cleaned the garage without being asked.

* * * * *

Bless You!

I was sitting in the dining room of the nursing home with my Mom while she ate her lunch along with the other residents there. On the far side of the room, one of the residents sneezed very loudly. From the other side of the room, another resident called out just as loudly, "Bless you!"

For some reason, this little exchange amused Harold, one of the old gentlemen sitting at my mother's table. He began to laugh a quite infectious laugh. My Mom, seeing Harold's shoulders shake and hearing him laugh, began to giggle too, which turned into an uncontrollable giggle fit for her. Watching the two of them got me laughing as well. In an instant everyone at our table had joined in the chuckle fest.

It was just a few moments out of my day--moments of silliness over nothing, really, but they were great moments and were worth remembering.

* * * * *

Sunset

I saw this sunset over the trees in the park and could hear James Taylor singing in my head.

"There ain't no doubt in no one's mind
That loves the finest thing around.
Whisper something soft and kind.
And hey babe, the sky's on fire,
I'm dying, aint' I?
I'm goin' to Carolina in my mind."

* * * * *

Good Kids

I went to the grocery store and bought about two weeks worth of groceries. A trip like that pretty much fills up my little Geo Metro that I drive. It had been a long day, and I was tired. I knew my husband and sons weren't at home, and I wasn't looking forward to having to carry all the groceries that I had just bought into the house. I had no choice, of course, because there were items that needed to be put away into the refrigerator or freezer, and I couldn't just leave them sitting in the car in the July heat.

So I arrived home and carried in the first couple of bags and set them down on the counter. As I went back outside to get more, I was met by two teenage boys (friends of my younger son). They were both grinning big and had their arms full of my bags of groceries and were heading into the house with them. They had been riding by on their bicycles on our street and saw me coming into the house with the first two bags. They stopped to help. They told me they'd take care of it for me. So I held the door while they lugged everything in for me. I thanked them, of course, and when they finished, I asked them if they'd like a pop or a bowl of ice cream or something because it was so hot outside.

They just smiled and one of them said, "No thanks, we're good." Then just as quickly as they had appeared, they were off on their bikes and gone again.

Good---yes. They were good. And they made me smile.

* * * * *

A View of the Moon

I love seeing the view of the moon from my front porch.

* * * * *


Lord, for giving me so many reasons to smile, please let me be truly grateful.

Music Monday---'S Wonderful

It's Monday, how about a little Gershwin. Here's Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn from the movie Funny Face.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Wheelchair Joust

Wheelchair Joust

Riding their wheelchairs like silver steeds,
wearing no armor,
just sweat shirts, sweat pants, and house shoes,
two old gray men roll down the hallway at the nursing home
straight towards each other in a slow motion joust.

They creak along in a bizarre geriatric game of chicken.
At the last moment, one steers slightly to the side.
There are miscalculations and their wheels collide.

They look surprised and then suddenly angry.
Each grabs the armrest of the other one's chair
tugging and pushing and swearing.
The air turns blue with their spewed words of frustration.

Frustration more than just tangled wheels.
Frustration at being old, at lost years and lost freedoms.
Frustration at missed opportunities
and days that are numbered.
Frustration that causes a rage that runs deep and sad.

A young aide notices the jousters.
She gently pulls back the chair of one,
untangling the wheels with ease.

Just as suddenly as the old men flared,
their fire is put out.
They sizzle and fall silent,
with just a puff of smoke drifting up from their ears.

They spur their steeds on the sides
with their gnarled arthritic hands,
jabbing at the turning wheels,
continuing in opposite ways.

This skirmish is over.
Just a practice run
for the final battle still waiting ahead.

A Song For a Sunday: Man Of God---Neil Diamond

I like this.


Man of God
by Neil Diamond
(lyrics)

I'm a man of God
Though I never learned to pray
Walked the pathways of a heart
Found them there along the way

And I am, yes I am I'm a man of faith
And faith is somethin' you can't see
But if we want to make it through
Faith is how it's gotta be

I'm thanking you, Lord, for givin' me song
For makin' me strong and for takin' my hand
I'll go up to Heaven when I reach the end
But up until then gonna do what I can

And I can, yes I can be a man of peace
Plant it like a tiny seed
It grows a little when you give
And gives you back when you're in need

No, I am, yes I am I'm a man of song
Gonna sing it far and near
Gonna make a joyful sound
One that every heart can hear

And singin' for Him is like touchin' the sky
I don't need to why I just know that it is
Each time I sing out I want to rejoice
Cause when I hear my voice I believe that it's His

And I am, yes I am I'm a man of hope
I haven't stopped believin' yet
And while we're headin' down that road
Hope is what we can't forget

And I am, yes I am I'm a man of God
No, I am, yes I am I'm a man I'm a man of faith
I'm a man, yes I am I'm a man I'm a man of peace
And I am, yes I am I'm a man I'm a man of song

I'm a man of God
Man of God

Life in Daisyland

I haven't blogged for a few days so today I'm going to "catch up" all at once and give you a few glimpses of how things have been in "Daisyland" this past week. It was a busy, but fairly quiet and mostly uneventful, week for me. I spent my time visiting my Mom, working at the library, and walking in the park, among the other usual things I do most weeks.

The photos above and below are ones of my Mom. I'm not sure of the years they were taken, but I think she was probably in her very early twenties in these pictures, so these pictures were probably taken some time between 55 and 60 years ago. Both of these photos were ones my Dad kept and carried in his wallet for as many years as I can remember. His wallet would wear out, and he'd get a new one, but these pictures were always transferred to the new wallet.



On Friday, my brother and his family came up to visit from Dayton. I haven't seen them since last Thanksgiving, so I was glad they could make the trip. His family and mine all went together to the nursing home. (There were 10 of us altogether---there would have been 11, but one of my nephews is working at an internship job in Missouri this summer.)

One of the nurse's aides commented, "It looks like an invasion!" when we all entered the building at once.

We took my Mom out to lunch and had a nice visit. My brother and I even got my Mom to laugh. Any day we can get that to happen, it is a good day. She was thrilled to see us and her grandchildren coming to visit her.

* * * * *

At work, our patrons have been coming to the library in droves wanting to send in faxes to our legislators and/or sign a petition against the governor's proposal to cut library funding. They've also been phoning and emailing them.

Although originally the vote on the proposal was scheduled for July 1st, it has been pushed back to at least July 7th and perhaps to July 14th before the vote to decide the budget will be held.

So we continue to be on pins and needles, waiting and wondering what will happen next. Some of our regular patrons have voiced the opinion that they'd rather see the governor take a 50% cut in his salary than to have the library lose that same percentage of their funding. I don't suppose the governor would be in favor of that idea.

We are already operating on an earlier 20% cut in funding. The governor is proposing an additional 30% cut. If the proposal is passed as it stands now, I will lose my job. It is nice to know that our patrons, at least, appreciate the work that we do and the services we provide for them.

* * * * *

I took pictures of some flowers this past week.

These little pink ones are growing on one of my neighbor's shrubs.

An alumni group from Ohio State University maintains this particular flower bed in our local park. They plant "scarlet and gray" flowers around this white wishing well.

Here is the "O" for Ohio, of course, in flowers.

In another bed I found beautiful lilies in three colors: red,

yellow,

and orange.

My daisies in my flowerbed at home have been blooming for a while but are nearly done flowering. They must be a different variety than these I found in the park. Mine grow on individual stems, but the ones in the park were in huge glorious bunches as you see here.

* * * * *

My husband works as a school psychologist for the county schools here. Since he works in the education field, he has the month of July off for his vacation time. This past week, he spent one day volunteering for charity by parking cars with some of his teaching/golfing buddies at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic golf tournament.

He came home with this incredibly pink T shirt. One was given to each of the volunteers for them to wear while working at the tournament.

This is a video he took of golfer Natalie Gulbis the day he was there.

* * * * *

My younger son had some grape salad at his girlfriend's family get together recently. He loved it and asked his girlfriend's mom for the recipe. I was a little surprised by this but welcomed his interest in food preparation.

I had just bought grapes at the grocery store and had them on hand without knowing he had asked for the recipe. He wanted to know if he could make the same salad for us. I said, "Of course!!"

I didn't have on hand all of the ingredients that he needed, so he went to the store and bought what we lacked.

At fifteen, I think he is plenty old enough to be set loose in the kitchen with a recipe and ingredients to prepare whatever he wants to make, so I wasn't even home when he was making his grape salad, and he was completely unsupervised.

Well, the recipe called for a mix of red and green grapes, but I had only bought green grapes. We decided it would make the salad less colorful but would not affect the taste that much if he just used all green grapes instead of half and half as called for in the recipe. So I was aware of that small planned change in the recipe. However, my son, unbeknownst to me, had decided to make another change.

Because he "liked the topping part the best," he decided to double the ingredients for that part of the recipe. The topping part of the recipe consisted of just two ingredients, peanuts and brown sugar. HA HA HA HA HA HA! Crazy kid---that sounds like something his mother would do!

Anyway, you can see the finished product in the photo below---perhaps not the most appetizing dish to look at with all the extra brown sugar and peanuts he added and no red grapes to add more color, but it tasted pretty good.

It ended up being extra nutty and extra sweet---just like my son is. ;)

The original recipe the way it was INTENDED to be prepared is below the photo.

Grape Salad

1 pound red seedless grapes
1 pound green seedless grapes
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts
1/2 cup brown sugar


Mix first six ingredients together thoroughly.

In separate bowl, mix together chopped peanuts and brown sugar for topping.
Spread topping over rest of salad and chill for one hour before serving.

* * * * *

My older son, although he has searched, has not found a job for the summer. He has done some babysitting and some odd jobs and yard work, but that is all. Jobs are pretty scarce even for adults in this area, let alone for teenagers looking for temporary summer jobs.

Fortunately, he is spending his summer vacation from college wisely. He has had plenty of time to visit with his friends, eat popcorn, and watch rented movies on the DVD player. Most importantly though, he has had time to learn the best means of attacking and killing zombies so that he will be prepared to protect us in the advent of a zombie invasion.

Thank goodness for that!! I'd hate for us to be unprepared. (Yes, I am rolling my eyes.)