songbird's crazy world

And today's topic? Songs about the end of Summer Well, this summer never really got started...and now it's over. Sigh. As they say in baseball, "wait until next year." So...the music. These folks had a great summer,,, I had a huge crush on Travolta back in the day. More nostalgia for summers past: And some Don Henley: Let's go First Class A classic And we close it out with Chad and Jeremy

Buttered Popcorn 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: Buttered Popcorn (1961) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here . 1) This Saturday, the treat's on Sam. Will you have buttered popcorn, caramel corn or cheese popcorn? Depends on my mood.  At the movies it must be buttered popcorn but I do like caramel corn. 2) This record represents the Supremes as they are seldom heard. Florence Ballard is singing lead, with background vocals provided by Mary Wilson, Barbara Martin and Diane Ross. That's right, "Dia...

 The Mets and Yankees are about to begin a double header.   At least I think there will be a double header.  The Mets opted to not play the Marlins last night.  They took the field, had a moment of silence in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and after 42 seconds they exited the field.  A BLM tee shirt covered home plate. I was in tears. It’s been a weird season, hasn’t it? So today is Jackie Robinson Day.   And if they play ... Two games, each 7 innings long.   The Yankees are the home team for game one.  Of course. But game two is a makeup game, for a game that was supposed to be played at Citi Field last week.  A game canceled because of Covid. So for game 2, the Mets will be the "home" team and the Yankees will be "visitors" in their own stadium. They play one game tomorrow. And another double header Sunday, with the Mets as the "home" team for game 2. If this isn't the weirdest baseball season....

 Friday + summer = more Jones Beach photos #skywatchfriday

 Drew and I are members of the  Wildlife Conservation Society   That means we support the Bronx Zoo, the Queens Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo and the Central Park Zoo, and the   New York Aquarium. We first visited the aquarium  last year. The Aquarium closed in March because of the pandemic.  It reopens to the public today, but reopened to members -- with Covid precautions in place --- on Monday.  Drew and I went on Tuesday.  It's a small aquarium on the Boardwalk at Coney Island, you can easily see the whole park in 2-3 hours.   You'll start seeing fish the moment you walk into the main building. We decided to take in the sea lion show.  The preshow  was done by two employees with stuffed animals. Notice that they're wearing masks. And then it was time for the sea lions. I loved the shark building. I couldn't get a good picture of the sea turtle, so here's the one I took last year. I love this: What a great weather vane. The...

  1. The Hodgepodge lands on National Dog Day this year (August 26th). Do you own a dog? Did you have a dog when you were growing up, or maybe some other kind of pet? Would you say you're more of a dog person or a cat person? Neither is okay too : ) Right now I am more of a cat person, but I have always loved dogs, too. Molly the Beagle earned her place in doggy heaven. Molly was our "baby" until we really had babies.  And then she became very protective of our daughters, especially Jen.  She would sleep under Jen's crib.  And when Jen was learning to walk, she'd use Molly as leverage to get herself into a standing position; she'd grab that poor dog by the ears and then pull herself up, and Molly would let her do it. 2. Last time you felt 'dog tired'? When I worked in Manhattan, I had a very long commute.  I'd leave my house at 7 AM to get to work by 9, and I wouldn't get home until 7:30 PM or later,  By Friday night I'd be "dog ti...

It's a "your choice" week This album dominated the summer of 1978. Here's the best of the album: Love the Phil Rizzuto moment in this one: And the title track:

 So now I'm taking restaurant recommendations from my daughter.  Jen and Matt enjoyed a dinner at  Bella vie  a few weeks ago, and so Drew and I decided to give the place a try. We were seated outside, on the deck, right with a great view of the water. We saw something swimming around, but never got a clear look at what was swimming -- just their backs broke the surface of the water. But you don't go to a restaurant only for the ambiance.  You go for the food. Our meal began with bread, of course  -- Drew loved the artisan bread with butter, while I enjoyed the  bruchetta.  Appetizers  --Drew had the baked clams. Those are whole Little Neck clams, not chopped.  I had tomato and mozarella caprese: I drank prosecco, Drew had sangria. By the time our entrees arrived, it was too dark to take a picture,  Drew had Duo of Duck -- Duck Breast, Duck Leg Confit, Butternut Squash Puree, Mixed Vegetables, Pomegranate Gastrique.  ...