songbird's crazy world

  My office assistant Look what I hit at Trader Joe’s

 Manhasset Bay.  This was taken a few weeks ago, before the leaves changed. #skywatchfriday

 Large sections of the country got snow yesterday.  We got rain.  I can live with that. But we do have our snow blower, it’s been fully serviced and it’s ready for action — if we get snow. My favorite YouTuber/podcaster has announced changes to his schedule that mean more content. More MrBallen?  Yay!  He seems to be fully recovered from his recent illness. Funny how much we care about our favorite entertainers.  It’s almost like we know them …but all we really know is the public persona. It’s almost time for our annual visit to the v-e-t.  It’s never fun, for any of us.  Duchess wails and caterwauls the entire time she’s in the pet carrier … I think she’d rather brave the huge dogs in the waiting room than stay in the carrier, but Shadow prefers the carrier to the dogs … I swear the entire carrier jumped when she saw a dog …  Drew is actually thinking about getting a dog.  A small one, like a dachshund.  Drew’s father once had a da...

 Yes, I’m obsessed 

 I am by no means a stereotypical Jewish mother … but I do bear a resemblance to one when it comes to feeding guests.  If you leave my house hungry, it’s your own fault, This is what I put out in the coffee table before dinner Saturday  . It was devoured … But I still have a refrigerator full of leftovers.  We made too much food. No one went home hungry.   It’s time to take down the Thanksgiving decorations.  I’ll put everything away for next year. So Thanksgiving is in the rear view mirror … the holiday season has begun. We’ve got plans — a trip to Rockefeller Center, holiday lights at the Bronx Zoo and Jones Beach, one (maybe two) Christmas concert, and a few movies.  Christmas Eve at The Melting Pot. The usual.  And during Friendsgiving the gang decided to accept our invitation for New Year’s Eve. We used to go out for New Year’s celebrations, spend a lot of money and not really enjoy ourselves. When we do the holiday here, everyone enjoys. ...

 A new month, and new possibilities.  But as the year winds down, also a time for nostalgia and to reflect on the past. First up, a song from an animated movie that my girls loved when they were little. And one from my younger days, in which the singer reflects on a memory  Meteorologists say winter begins December 1st, so … And And finally …

 Four holiday gatherings — two in my house.  Which means cleaning before  everyone comes and cleaning again when they leave. And the cost of food … even with the free turkey from  BJ’s  and the free ham from  ShopRite . And need I mention the “joy” of driving in Manhattan?   Lots of leftovers in the fridge.  Lots of great memories. My wallet is empty. My stomach is full, my heart even fuller. She looks like I feel … wiped out.  Like, totally done. And her grace the Duchess supervising… Such hard work that she had to take a nap. Come to think of it, I could use a nap …

  Thank You Girl 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: Thank You Girl (1964)   Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) Who were you talking to the last time you said, "thank you?" I say “thank you” all the time,  can’t pinpoint the last time I said it. 2) Paul McCartney recalls that "Thank You Girl" was inspired by all the female fans who had written them fan letters, pledging undying love. Have you ever written a fan letter? If yes, did you receive a response? I don’t recall writing any f...

 Moonset #skywatchfriday

First, a repost.  Bird watcher.   And now … which cat is in charge?

 Didn’t have a chance to take my walk yesterday until late afternoon turn8ng to evening. Yes, that’s the moon… The first of many that flew over my head. Can you tell which holiday we are celebrating? But also And this house is ready for both Happy Thanksgiving!

 I’ve mentioned before, I live under a flight path and hear planes overhead almost every day. But I also live under a different kind of flight path.  Over the last few days I’ve seen or heard migrating geese overhead. It does make things interesting, The local birds are still hanging in my yard.  Which delights Duchess and Shadow. It’s almost time for their annual visit to the v-e-t.  I am preparing for the caterwauling… You know we love  Jeopardy! Last night’s Final Jeopardy was all about 80’s TV …Of course we both knew the answer … Local news stories — the Thanksgiving Parade tomorrow, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree to be lit next week, and in Times Square there’s a new crystal ball that will be dropped on New Year’s Eve.   I guess the holiday season has arrived. We’ve already seen the light display at Eisenhower Park, and we are planning to visit Rockefeller Center and the light displays at Jones Beach and the Bronx Zoo.  Not to mention, driv...

 So some comments about Wicked  irk me.  I guess if you’re upset over a heroine who fights for marginalized people and a narcissistic, amoral leader who uses propaganda, rumor and misinformation to demonize the heroine  … maybe you need to examine your moral compass. Art, literature and music are not here just to “entertain “ us, but rather, to teach us about the human condition. The arts stir our emotions because they address the things in our lives that are important to us.   I mean, I like mind candy — I watch enough vacuous material on YouTube, which entertains me.  But what moves me goes deeper.  Maybe that’s what’s wrong with our society, too much internet and not enough reading.  I love the foreshadowing and symbolism in the Wicked  movies. I could write an essay … …but I won’t.   Not today. But the former English major aches when she hears people disparage literature.

 The very last of the fall foliage  Getting ready for Thanksgiving  But some neighbors are looking ahead My house is ready for Thursday

  And guess what’s on my mind? And an encore … because Idina … You have to go to YouTube first this one, it won’t embed … Defying Gravity Yeah, I saw the stage production twice, saw the movies … 

 Sometimes I hate being right.  My favorite YouTuber/podcaster, MrBallen, has a pattern: a new video on YouTube every Saturday.  New material on the podcast every Monday.  And on Thursdays he does a podcast that recycles material from YouTube.  But during the last few weeks he hasn’t published anything new on YouTube or on the podcast, just recycled stories. I speculated that he might be seriously ill.  Sure enough, a few days ago he posted to instagram from his hospital bed, where he is recovering from cardiac surgery; I really like this guy and I hope he fully recovers soon. Another favorite YouTuber is Charlotte Dobre, who seems to have made a career out of reading and reacting  to Reddit posts and TikTok.  Pure mind candy.  And I have a “sweet tooth”. My other favorite time suck …Wordle.  I’m actually getting pretty good at it.  Starting to tackle the Connections puzzle, too.  I subscribe to The NY Times for the insightful ...

  The Lady in Red 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 memes, however, and here is today's meme! Saturday 9: The Lady in Red (1986) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) Is red a color you often wear?  No.  I do have some red things in the closet, but my favorite colors are purple, burgundy and black.   2) In this song, Chris De Burgh is thrilled to be dancing with the woman he loves. Do you recall what was playing the last time you stepped onto the dance floor? Sort of.  My cousin’s daughter got married in February.  Traditional Jewish wedding.  I specifica...