songbird's crazy world

 You are not going to believe this one. To refresh your recollection… Drew bought the grill on May 5, and was initially told it would be delivered May 11.   It wasn’t.  They cancelled and rescheduled 7 times.  At that point, Drew told them to cancel the order and refund his money.  The customer service rep tried to argue with him, but agreed to cancel the order.  Right after he canceled he got an email indicating they’d deliver the grill that week.  He thought that was an error. Obviously there was no delivery, Today he got an email saying they’re delivering the grill Wednesday!   So he checked with his credit card company.  He did get a refund from Sears … for $20.  Not for the full price of the grill.  Apparently during one of his many phone calls to complain, a service rep decided to issue a small refund to pay for the inconvenience of having the order delayed. Lawyer brain just kicked in …

 We’ve lived her almost a year, I know the area well from my many walks.  But I can still find something new every now and then. The neighbor’s dormer is coming along nicely. Think someone might be celebrating a birthday? Yeah, sounds like a significant birthday.

It seems all my favorites from the 60’s are leaving us. Bobby Sherman passed away last week. Let’s not forget he was on a tv show … Here Come the Brides He guest starred on another show And who is that blonde surfer in this video?

 I will have two posts today.  The first will be about today’s theme, And the theme?  National Day. So what could be more appropriate than songs about the founding of a nation? I am a history geek.  I admit it.  I revel in it.   I am also a Broadway nerd,  especially musicals. So when the two cross paths … 1776 . I saw it on Broadway with Brent Spiner (of Star Trek fame) as John Adams. I saw it at City Center, in a production where everyone wore modern clothes and John Larroquette played Benjamin Franklin.  I saw a production at a small Long Island theater. And every year, around the 4th of July, I watch the 1972 movie starring William Daniels. I’ve seen the movie so many times I can recite dialogue. They strove for historical accuracy but occasionally missed the mark.  It’s a movie, they have to take some dramatic license.  But … Well, what they did to Caesar Rodney … Rodney was a delegate to the Continental Congress from Delaware. ...

Shadow was excited, her tail was whipping around… Want to see the view from our window that got Shadow so excited? I know what it sounds like when doves cry … It was cloudy and a bit cool when I took my walk the other day.   I walked to the pool — took exactly 8 minutes.   The poor lifeguard was in sweatpants and a hoodie.  But surprisingly there were two kids in the pool.  Go figure. Seen on that walk. The last day of public school was Friday.  I think the graduation signs will come down soon. The construction site on my street …the old house is completely gone. So, a bit more about the grill misadventure.  Drew always bought appliances at Sears. There was a huge Sears store located in Hicksville.   He’d also buy a service contract for each appliance.  As you may know, Sears went bankrupt a few years ago.  They closed all the stores, but reinvented themselves as Sears.com, and also continued to provide repairs pursuant to their many service ...

 

  Consider Me Gone 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: Consider Me Gone  (2009) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .     1) In this song, poor Reba McEntire confronts a lover who makes her feel like she's not good enough. Let's go in a more positive direction: Who in your life makes you feel happy and secure? Drew.   2) Reba hopes her lover will look back on her as someone who used to make him laugh. Who did you most recently laugh with?   Drew constantly tries to make me laugh.  He’s got a repertoire of Dad joke...

 He walked into a store, decided what he wanted.   The sales person checked inventory.  The sales person said  “We can deliver it on the 27th.  That’s a Friday.” The phone rang Thursday night.  ‘They will deliver it between 8 and 12  Friday morning.” They were here by 9. We have a grill. No runaround, no cancellations, no excuses.  Just simple fulfillment of a sales contract. Thank you,  Lowe’s .

 I was sad to hear she died yesterday.  If you don’t know who I talking about, you might want to watch a movie,  The Long  Island Incident , where she was portrayed by Laurie Metcalf. Until December 7, 1993, Carolyn’s life was ordinary.  She was born Carolyn Cook in Brooklyn, NY on January 5, 1944.  She became a licensed practical nurse and married Dennis McCarthy; they raised their only child, Kevin, on Long Island. Carolyn’s world turned upside down on December 7, 1993.  On that date a crazed gunman boarded a crowded Long Island Railroad train and started shooting.  He killed six people, including Dennis McCarthy.  He wounded 19 people, including Kevin McCarthy. Carolyn became a gun control advocate.  A lifelong Republican, in 1996 she ran for Congress as a Democrat and beat the Republican incumbent.  She ran because the incumbent voted “no” on major gun control legislation. She served until 2015.  Earlier this year President...

 They love the couch. Up in arms Face to face Bird watching A miracle! The closest they’ve ever gotten without growling or hissing 

 Commentary on the weather Yes, the heat wave broke.  We get two newspapers delivered every morning, and I’m usually the one to fetch them from the driveway.  When I went outside this morning, it was 75° and I could feel a cool breeze.  What a difference!  I even managed a walk at lunchtime.   A neighbor is adding a dormer.   Should be interesting when it’s done. There’s rain in the forecast for late today, but the weather should be nice for the weekend. If you feed them, they will come.  This afternoon I spotted four doves, three sparrow, two grackles and a mockingbird in the back yard.  No robins, and I haven’t seen the cardinal in awhile. The cats are in 7th heaven.  Today is Duchess’s birthday. She’s 12. Speaking of  “12” … My bathroom scale uses Bluetooth to send data to an app on my phone.  Every time I weigh myself, the scale talks to the app …and the app transmits my weight to Fitbit and My Fitness Pal.  One day la...

I let the downstairs water bowl go dry … Miss Moon Shadow thinks I’m terrible.   Never mind that she gets Fancy Feast and Temptations and Meow Mix and Greenies.  Never mind that she gets licks and bites and tastes of food from my plate (butter and whipped cream are her favorites).  Never mind that she has a cat tree and a scratching post and more mousies and toys than any other cat in the neighborhood. Never mind that she’s got this beautiful water fountain upstairs. I am a terrible cat mom because I let the downstairs water bowl go dry and she had to trot her tiny indignant self up the stairs to get a drink of water. (The bowl is filled again …)

 It hit 103° yesterday. I think we broke a record. Commentary on the weather. That song was recorded in 1966.  So long ago …  … we lost another artist from that era yesterday.  Bobby Sherman passed away.  Tribute will be posted Monday. Nothing like losing the performers from your childhood to remind yourself that you’re getting older. Though, to be honest, I feel better, healthier at 65 than I did at 55 or 60.  I’m actually taking care of myself, and it feels good.  So … I am determined to keep my mobility and flexibility as long as I can.  Lately I’ve been doing a lot of walking, as you know, but I’ve also used some workout videos I found in YouTube.   But I’m wondering if I should go back to the gym.  Pre-pandemic I joined Planet Fitness, but stopped going in 2020.  There’s a club here in Levittown, and they’re building a club in East Meadow — the new facility is actually closer to my house than the Levittown club.  I’m wonde...

 Commentary on the weather. I wanted summer weather.  It’s here with a vengeance.  At least the house is comfortably cool.  Thank goodness for modern technology. So, some good news in the neighborhood.  The police found the missing person, the guy they were looking for the other night.  That’s a relief. Waiting on the gas grill.  It should be here Friday.  We’re expecting about 15 people for the July 5 barbecue, so the grill better be here … We’re doing to usual hot dogs, burgers, sausages … I’m going to make my caprese salad, of course.  Cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil in balsamic vinaigrette.    I used to make a cucumber salad in vinaigrette, but apparently my friends didn’t care for it.  I’m going to try a creamy cucumber salad, one with a sour cream base.  Almost like tzatziki. I’m thinking of making Oreo truffles.  You crush the cookies, mix them with cream cheese, shape into balls and dip in melted c...

 Commentary on the weather Welcome to summer. First world problems.  Back in March I bought two pair of linen pants from Old Navy.  Perfect for summer.  They fit like a glove … … but now it’s summer and the pants are too big.  Sigh … Certainly not the worst problem to have. It’s been tough to be a Mets fan this week.  They’re breaking my heart. Finally got to meet my neighbor with whom I share a back fence.  He rang my bell and asked to go into my yard to retrieve his kids’ beach ball. Fingers crossed, our gas grill is supposed to be delivered on Friday. Very scary incident last night.  A police helicopter circled our neighborhood for about 30 minutes.  Folks on the Ring app said the cops were looking for a missing person, a 77-year-old with dementia.  I hope they found the person they were looking for,(My Ring app picked up a police car driving past the house while the helicopter was circling, but he didn’t have lights or siren going, s...

 Sad news.  Lou Christie passed away. Before I post a tribute … a word about internet hoaxes.   Most of the time they’re false, but sometimes they’re actually true. Christie apparently died June 17, but  his family did not announce it publicly until the next day.  The rumors were flying, though.  I never believe a celebrity has passed until I see it from a reliable news source. Of course, celebrity death hoaxes predate the internet. Remember in the 60’s there was a “Paul is dead” hoax about McCartney, who just celebrated his 83rd birthday.  Ironically he already outlived two of his bandmates.  And while I hope that Ringo continues to enjoy a long and happy life …  what irony there’d be if Paul is the last Beatle standing? But … back to Lou Christie. I got to see him perform live in the 80’s, at Nassau Coliseum, as part of a massive oldies show. He was exciting, electric, dazzling.  That falsetto … Here are a few of his best songs.  ...

 Two shows down, three to go.   We do the show at various venues.  Saturday night we were in a school auditorium.  I sold tickets and refreshments.  Sunday afternoon we were in a real theater.  The theater has a cafe, so we didn’t do snacks, but we did a 50-50 raffle.   I love my iPhone.  I shot some photos from the back of the house.  They’re not nearly as good as a professional could do, but they’re not bad.  See for yourself.

 Inspired by recent events

 Do you remember your high school mascot?  Or the one from college? What feelings does your mascot evoke? I don’t usually talk politics on this blog.  But something is happening here on Long Island … you may have heard about it … As you may know, many of the towns here on Long Island have Native American place names: Manhasset, Setauket, Amagansett, Montauk, to name a few.  And many of the school districts on Long Island used to use Native American names and imagery as their school mascots.  I said “used to” because two years ago the State Education Department issued a directive that schools remove such mascots.  That these mascots were caricatures and stereotypes, that using such imagery violated the civil rights of Native Americans.  A district could get an exemption to this directive only if a local tribe agreed that the district could keep their mascot. Of course, no local tribes would agree to an exemption. So most of the affected school districts...

 Yesterday was the summer solstice, summer has officially arrived.  And with a vengeance.  We are expecting a heat wave starting Monday. Thank goodness for air conditioning. And, of course, my pool pass. But the boys of summer are disappointing me.  It’s tough to be a Mets fan right now.  They need to get their act together, and soon … Summer also means the Fourth of July  is coming … and with it the endless rounds of fireworks and firecrackers.  Most fireworks are illegal in NY (unless you’re a professional, of course), but it’s a law that’s frequently broken.  Independence Day is still weeks away, but we’re already hearing loud booms echoing down the street. The whole neighborhood will be lit up for the holiday. The saga of the grill continues.  Drew had to file a dispute with his credit card because he didn’t get his expected refund.  The bank gave him a temporary credit while they wait for the seller’s response. In the meantime, the ...

  I Fall in Love Too Easily 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: I Fall in Love Too Easily (1945) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) In this song, Dinah Shore admits that her impetuous romances don't work out. Do you consider yourself impulsive? Yes and no.  Or, more accurately, I can be impulsive occasionally. 2) The songwriting team of Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne composed this in a single evening. Since the song is rather short Sammy considered adding another verse, but  Jule thought better of it, saying, "No. That...