songbird's crazy world

 And it’s another “your choice” week. So here goes. There’s a theme here, I’ll explain after the music .... So ... have you figured it out? Time for the explanation. I am moving.    I’ve been Drew’s houseguest since the pandemic started.  8 months is a long time to be a guest.  He loves me, of course, but he’s got two housemates ...and it’s crazy busy around here. So I decided it was time for a place of my own.  I’ve never done that before.  When I didn’t live with family, I had roommates. My new place is the upper floor of a two family house.  The downstairs tenant is my sister’s best friend, who I’ve known for over 30 years. So it’s not like I’ll be completely  alone. And the new place is about a mile and a half from Drew’s house. Cool, huh?

  1. It's Thanksgiving week in the US of A so let's talk turkey. And by turkey I mean the elephant in the room because it's still 2020 and our blogs are a record of sorts of the times in which we live.  Do you live in a state ( or if you're outside the US, a country ) that's instituted restrictions on the size of gatherings in your own home? What do we think about this?  (keep it classy folks) Long Island, NY.  We got hit very hard by the virus last spring, had a very extensive lockdown.  We began to open up during the summer, slowly of course.  Right now we have a mask mandate, the schools are doing a hybrid of in-school and remote learning, businesses are open but at reduced capacity,  and we have a restriction on the size of indoor gatherings at private homes.  Restaurants must close by 10 PM. Our infection rate is rising, however, and I fear we may have more restrictions coming back. Data for Suffolk County: On Nov. 23, 2020, 12,670 people were tested for #

This is why I call it "my soap opera life". So before the pandemic I was living with my 88-year-old mother and my three sisters.  I haven't been home since March.  Well, I have socially distanced visits with the family  on the porch and driveway, but I don't go inside the house.  We want to protect my mother from the virus. Before the pandemic I'd spend my weekends at Drew's house.  I've been Drew's houseguest since March.  Aside from protecting my mother, I began to work "from home", I needed  to set up an office.  Drew's den was the obvious choice.  Drew was home, too, because the school where he teaches went to "distance learning". We thought we'd quarantine together for a few weeks and then things would go back to normal.  Little did we know.  Eight months later, with no end in sight... It would have been fine....except that Drew has two housemates. Marc and Drew have been living together for decades, and have been frien

 And today's theme:   In honor of Thanksgiving, songs that spell out the word “grateful”. It's been a really unusual year, but let's all hope better days are coming. These songs are not about thankfulness or gratitude,  but their titles spell it out <!-- end LinkyTools script —>

 And it's another "your choice" week. My choice? Duets. Let's get started with some Bowie and Queen.... Remember when Elton John and Billy Joel toured together?  I would have loved to have seen that show! An unusual pairing, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga She's incredible, isn't she? A couple of powerhouses from Brooklyn, NY And speaking of powerhouses...Barbra and Judy, need I say more?

  All of Me Welcome to Saturday 9.  What we've committed to our rea ders is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so to speak.  We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! Saturday 9: All of Me (2013) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) John Legend sings he loves his woman's "perfect imperfections." Tell us something quirky or imperfect about a loved one that you would not change. I watch him put four packets of sugar into a cup of tea and I roll my eyes, but then I see our younger daughter do the same thing....   2) John wrote this love song to his wife, Chrissy Teigen. The couple recently lost their baby after pregnancy complications. To whom d

  1. It's the 11th day of the 11th month and bloggers often make lists on days like today. Let's go with a list of eleven things you're feeling grateful for today. -- no more campaign ads -- my candidate won -- Pfizer has a Covid vaccine -- we have a restaurant reservation for Thanksgiving -- I need to spend only $42 to earn a  free turkey at the supermarket -- I'm trying to figure out how to use the mango simmer sauce I bought at Trader Joe's -- it's chocolate and mint season -- Duchess has been purring up a storm since her visit to the vet -- Jen -- Becca -- Drew 2. What's something you decided to do or act on at the '11th hour'?   It's hard to be spontaneous in this age of Covid.  But I remember, before I had children...Drew and I were living in NYC at the time, and one Saturday we decided to drive up to Massachusetts.  We drove to Old Sturbridge Village , then went to an armory museum, and wound up in Boston for a seafood dinner.  We drov

 I love these photos No, that's  not a visiting princess, that's Jen on her birthday.  She and her boyfriend celebrated at Oheka Castle.   My beautiful baby girl is all grown up. Jen told me that she got the best birthday present ever --- the announcement that Joe Biden is our President-elect and Kamala Harris is our VP-elect. Like mother, like daughter.   Though to be honest, Jen isn't very political. She  holds the beliefs I instilled in her, but she's not watching  Meet the Press every Sunday and probably couldn't name any of the anchors on MSNBC. Becca, on the other hand, holds a degree in Political Science and actually interned in Chuck Schumer's office when she was in college. This is the face of a person who is determined to drive me crazy. She went to the ER last night, and I found out about it when she posted on Instagram.  By the time I spoke with her, the medical issue was resolved and she was home eating dinner.  If I hadn’t invested 28 years in rai

  And the theme I chose for today -- In honor of my daughter, whose birthday is in November, make a playlist from singers/musicians who were born in November. Let's get it started with someone my daughter used to love, Miley Cyrus As a mom I spent many hours watching the Toy Story movies, so I had to include this one. Now some music for me. Tina Turner. Eddie Rabbitt Glenn Frey And Joe Walsh Bonus hit from a performer born in June:

  For All We Know Welcome to  Saturday: 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to  answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions! Saturday 9: For All We Know (1971) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) This song is about newlyweds looking ahead to a happy life together. What are you looking forward to today?  I don't have much on my agenda today.  Just grocery shopping and Chinese food tonight. However, it's my daughter Jen's birthday.  Her boyfriend has planned a special celebration for her, just the two of them, and I am really looking forward to hearing all about it. 2) They

 

 "That is the president of the United States. That is the most powerful person in the world. We see him like an obese turtle on his back flailing in the hot sun, realizing his time is over." ~ Anderson Cooper

 The magic number is 270....

 Please pass the Xanax. Seriously, I have never felt this nervous about an election. But at least the campaign ads go away today...

 I am honorary co host this month.  We begin this month with a "your choice" week. I'm choosing "covers". Panic! At The Disco covers Queen: George Michael covers Elton John: Kelly Sweet covers Aerosmith: Jimmy Buffett covers CSN Elton John covers The Beatles: Jagger and Bowie cover Martha and the Vandellas

 So last night we went to a local Mexican place,  Margarita’s Cafe . The decor in this place always reminds me of El Dia de los Muertos , the Mexican holiday that celebrates the deceased. Chips and salsa, queso fundido, steak fajitas with pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream, Mexican rice and refried beans ... we even shared an order of flan for dessert. The place is called Margarita’s for a reason — the best margaritas in the area.  Of course we had to order them.  And that nice young woman offered us some samples of Patron. Halfway through the first drink, the tequila kicked in, and I remembered my high school Spanish. Actually I was fairly good at Spanish back in the day ... but now I need a little shot of courage to speak it. And did I mention the mariachis? LIVE MUSIC! Yes, I said “live music”.   Two gentlemen, one with a guitar and the other with a violin, wandered from table to table, singing in Spanish. I think I was more hungry for the music than for the excellent meal on m