songbird's crazy world

 It doesn’t officially open until Friday, but we got to see a special preview last night. I’ve seen the stage production twice, so I knew what to expect.  The movie makes some m8nor changes, two songs are  added,  but overall the movie is true to the original. The special effects are amazing — we saw it in IMAX and …wow.  And you could tell it was a New York audience, used to live theater — they applauded at the end of each song.  Great movie.

 A freedom of choice week. When I was in junior high (early 1970’s) every child had some sort of musical education.  If you played an instrument you were in orchestra or band,  singers took chorus.  Everyone else took general music.   I took chorus.  The teacher said I was an alto. The sopranos usually sang melody and we altos sang harmony. Except when the teacher chose a Karen Carpenter song. She had the most incredible alto. And when the chorus sang her songs, we altos finally got to sing the melody.  So today I will be playing some of her best. And before I play the last one …a memory. It was sometime in the mid 1990’s.  I was in a store in Penn Station, commuting home from my job in Manhattan.  A Carpenters song was playing … and I overheard a teenage girl say “It sounds like Christmas!” She had recognized the voice, but never heard any Carpenters music except their Christmas album. It’s a bit early for Christmas, but …

 I know it’s not feline Friday but I fad to share this I feed the birds for the entertainment of my cats. Five minutes after I fill the bird feeders   Every bird in the neighborhood found its way to my yard. Mostly fives and sparrows, but I just saw a blue hay and a cardinal .  It seems like every time I go to  the supermarket someone is collecting for the local food pantries.  The richest country in the world should not have so many hungry people!  Of course I donated.   Another addition to my kitchen: My mother had a set of these. They’re great for cappuccino. Now I have to learn how to make cappuccino… Though I must say that last batch of pumpkin muffins came out really good …yeah, from a mix.  Trader Joe’s gluten free pumpkin bread mix.   Today I’m going to get out the bread machine and bake a loaf from scratch. I’m getting so domestic lately. Drew retrieved the snow blower, now fully serviced, from the repair shop.  Let it snow! Wel...

 So the other day I posted a photo of what I thought was the Levittown water tower as seen from my bedroom window.  I was finally able to get a look in daylight.  To my chagrin, it’s not the water tower. Clearly it’s not.  It’s the county hospital. The hospital is over two miles away, but it’s the tallest building in the area: 19 stories tall.  Do you see it?  Right near where the tree meets the roof. Yeah, I should have known. Did you catch The Golden Girls  special the other night?  I can’t believe the show is 40 years old.  It was such a funny show. And now that I am older I appreciate it in a way I couldn’t in my 20’s and 30’s. Thanksgiving is coming, which means a lot of socializing and a lot of cooking. Last year, you may remember, I agonized over how to cook the ham we got to supplement the turkey at our Friendsgiving.  I’m much calmer this year.  Local political scandals are brewing … The first one affects me because it’s in...

  Rings 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: Rings (1971) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) This song is about a young man who is happy to hear his phone ring. How about you? How do you feel when your phone rings? (Excited, annoyed, surprised, etc.) Usually annoyed — it’s spam    2) He's got James Taylor on the stereo. Are you a James Taylor fan? I like him but I’m not super excited about him.   3) He tells his girl he's been hanging with his buddies, Tony and Mario, but they're no substitute for her. What frien...

Shadow decided to perch on the microwave. But she still prefers the couch, Ditto for Duchess, it’s ’her“ couch … Or is it?