songbird's crazy world

  With or Without You 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: With or Without You (1987)    Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) "With or Without You" is about the pain of love. What song reminds you of an old romance? Is it about the joy of love or the pain?   2) U2 lead singer Bono has admitted that, when the group recorded this song in the 1980s, he was wrestling with his real-life commitment issues. He was trying to resolve the responsibilities of being a husband with the demands of his career. He worked it through,...

 So it rained all day today, melting most of the snow pack that was still on the ground  Just in time for the nor’easter to hit Sunday.  We are expecting 10-13 inches of snow. Here on Long Island we expect cold weather, we expect snow and ice.  But this winter has been colder and with much more snow than usual. Can it be spring soon? Time to hunker down.  Again.

 For the first time in forever I was able to take a walk in my neighborhood. There’s still snow in the ground, but the sidewalks are clear. The snow on my lawn is filthy, car exhaust has turned it black … But it felt good to be outside, to get some fresh air.   Some of my neighbors still have Christmas decorations on their lawns, a few have decor from Valentine’s Day, and one has already decorated for St. Patrick’s Day.  I hope to be able to walk again soon. They’re forecasting snow again this weekend…

The spy  Interesting place to sit  So regal … we knew what we were doing when we named her Duchess.

 Winter …ugh … #skywatchfriday

 This song is on my mind today. Gee …I wonder why …

 So when I was offered this job it was considered hybrid — two days a week in office, three days remote. The office isn’t far … 20 -30 minute commute.  Not bad. Then last week there was a Town Hall.  That’s what corporate America uses to describe a meeting when the higher-ups talk to the rank-and-file about major events in the life of the company.   (When I worked at AIG during the government financial bailout we had some very scary Town Hall meetings.) Well, last week’s meeting was all about remote vs hybrid vs “in office” scheduling. So it should come as no surprise that we got an email today.  The new policy, starting at the end of April, will be four days a week in office, with Friday being an optional work-from-home day. Wish i’d known that when I was job hunting in December.  I would have taken the job anyway but my expectations would have been different. We were told that overall we are more productive in office, more collaborative.  That does n...

 Today is Mardi Gras.  It is also the Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year).  And it is also the start of Ramadan.  Three holidays calculated by the moon. And in the ethnic salad that is the NYC metropolitan area, I’ve got neighbors celebrating each holiday. Yes, I called it a “salad”, not a “melting pot”.  We can debate the terms if you like … I just keep counting down the days until spring.  We got 3 inches of snow Sunday night.  Not a lot, but on top of what we still have from the big storm in January,  three weeks ago, it’s too much.  But spring training has begun, the first televised game will be Saturday.  Yay!  It’s 37°F right now … another sign that things are looking up.

 Short girl problems … when you are only 5 feet tall, when you buy dresses, skirts and pants, you have to factor in the cost of hemming each garment.  Some brands have “petite” sizes, but most do not … on Saturday I took several new items to my tailor. You don’t want to know what it’s costing me.   And then there’s the supermarket issue …asking strangers to grab an item from the top shelf because I can’t reach it. Ugh. But I’m pleased to report I have an absolutely brilliant son-in-law.  He fixed a problem we were having with our smart TV. Yay! We messed it up while streaming Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.  Really enjoying the series.  Next up will be Discovery  followed by Star Fleet Academy . We’ve also also have to catch up with Dr. Who, we haven’t seen the most recent Doctor … We’ve also been streaming The Pitt . Great show. Streaming … what a different world. I remember when broadcast TV was the only option, when cable was considered cutting edge....

February ‘s birthstone is the  Amethyst  and flower is the  Violet . Both are  purple  in color. Find song picks inspired by these things. Let’s start here — roses are red, violets are blue …  Add a little Stevie Nicks Amethyst is a purple stone … so Hendrix And then And finally 

 

  Won't You Be My Valentine? 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: Won't You Be My Valentine? (1961)   Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) Dore Alpert sings that while he considered asking others to be his Valentine, he's sure that this is the girl he wants to love "forever more." What do you think is the secret of a long-lasting romantic relationship? If there really is a secret I wish someone would tell me.  Relationships always require effort to maintain. 2) Dore is better known as Herb Alpert. He us...

 Someone ( I won’t mention any names but she has white paws) found herself in the doghouse the other day.  She was sitting in my lap when she decided my arm would make a great scratching post.  She actually drew blood … And then she had the temerity to growl at me when I put a stop to her antics …someone got a manicure… And she ran to Daddy to be consoled.   She’s lucky she’s so cute… Both cats seem to think that kicking litter out of the box is an Olympic sport, and they’re both going for the gold. Why I need to wipe down the countertops over and over again The latest addition to my bookcase   My workout buddy Someone was sitting at the table … waiting to be fed? Lazy Sunday Doing the “cute thing” Sunbathing 

Another photo from the archive … spring day at the beach,   #skywatchfriday

(In my best Margaret Hamilton impersonation) It’s melting!   Yes, the snow is finally starting to melt.   There’s still a lot of snow blocking sidewalks, though. And considering yesterday’s icy  incident … I’m not comfortable taking a walk through the neighborhood just yet. I don’t mind walking in cold weather— I did it last year — but when the streets and sidewalks are dangerously icy … no, thanks. We had a Super Bowl party at work last week.  The football decor has now been replaced with …no, not Valentine’s Day hearts …but the shamrocks of St. Patrick’s Day.  A bit premature, but a glimmer of spring. Another hopeful sign … Pitchers and catchers have reported to spring training.  Games begin a week from tomorrow.   Maybe this year the Mets will get their act together…

 If you’ve been following the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping story, you heard that it took the FBI 10 days to retrieve the footage from her Google Nest cameras.  You need an active subscription to the service if you want to store footage, and she didn’t have one, but fortunately Google was able to locate and retrieve the images. Hopefully the footage helps law enforcement find her and the people who took her. I mention Guthrie because even though I love my Ring cameras, they are not perfect.  Far from it,  actually.  They run on batteries and they are connected to my WiFi.  And sometimes they miss things.  Like this morning.  I went outside to collect our newspapers — Drew is very old school and likes to read an actual paper, though I prefer read the news on line.  The cameras froze just as I opened the door to step outside. So they missed it. Yes, they missed it …  The weather has changed, our daily temperatures are above freezing.  So t...

 So we had a cold weather advisory during the weekend … woke up to 4°F Sunday morning.  We had a frozen pipe in the upstairs shower, but were able to defrost it without repercussions.  Some of our neighbors were posting about burst pipes … It’s supposed to be much warmer this week.  Still wintry, but above freezing.  Maybe some of the snow will melt.  I really miss outdoor walks, but the lackadaisical way my neighbors did (or rather, didn’t) clear their sidewalks … I did some baking Sunday afternoon.  Gluten free dinner rolls.  The recipe said to bake the rolls in muffin tins, and to proof the dough before baking.  The dough didn’t rise, perhaps because my kitchen was too cold.  So when I baked them …more like popovers than rolls. But they taste good, so I’m not disappointed.  But if I make them again, I will find a warmer spot to let them rise. I’m learning. So … the Super Bowl.  As I said, I had no real interest in the game o...

 Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night passed away last week.  We had the pleasure of seeing him at Westbury Music Fair, he was part of the Happy Together tour a few years ago.

 It’s Super Bowl Sunday.  I’m not a football fan, though I did buy a couple of boxes — you don’t need to know anything about the game, you just have to pick the right box/combination of numbers to win.   I won $500 a few years ago.  I had no idea who Bad Bunny is until he was chosen for the halftime show, and I’ll find all the good commercials on YouTube tomorrow. The rest of the entertainment … Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Charlie Puth will be singing the national anthem ahead of the big game. Additionally, Brandi Carlile will sing “America the Beautiful” and Coco Jones will deliver “Lift Every Voice and Sing."  I don’t really know any of them. But then I heard who is also performing at the opening ceremonies. Way back in 2005 I took my daughters to see a concert at Giants Stadium (since replaced by MetLife Stadium).      And tonight that band is playing the Super Bowl. (Skip the last two songs if you don’t mix politics and music. ...

  Remember this? A post I made about the oldest garment in my closet.  My favorite gray hoodie, that was no longer suitable to wear except at home. It finally fell apart.  

 So this arrived in the mail. Yes, you get a small treat for your birthday.  And since Drew and I celebrate our birthdays in February, we each got a postcard. So despite arctic weather we headed to Bobb Howard’s… Free popcorn and pretzel rods, and the star of the show … The elixir of life … And the person who found a heart drawn on the bottom of their cup won a prize…Drew had a heart on his cup, so he won a prize. And here’s my haul. Sugar Babies, Mary Jane, Bit-o-Honey, a Reggie bar, rock candy.  And my grandmother’s favorite, Charms Sour Balls. I’ll be enjoying for awhile.

  You Make Me Feel So Young 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: You Make Me Feel So Young (1956)   Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) This morning, do you feel younger or older than your years? Younger.  I’ve been focused on healthy eating and exercise.   2) In this song, Frank Sinatra tells us that every time he sees his lover's grin, he's happy. What's something you can reliably count on to lift your spirits?   3) The lyrics mention hide-and-seek. What games did you play when you were young?  Hide a...