songbird's crazy world

  La vita e fatta di giorni che  non significano niente e momenti che significando tutti. Life is made up of days that mean nothing and moments that mean everything . That was written on the wall of the Italian restaurant where Drew and I ate dinner last night. I had the most delightful meal. Italian bread, warm from the oven, so very soft on the inside but with a very crispy crust. Sweet butter. A salad of arugula, pine nuts and Gorgonzola, with a braised pear, roasted tomato and olives. Rigatoni bolognese. A light, crisp Prosecco. And a decadent chocolate cake for dessert.

  Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy 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: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (1973) Unfamiliar with this song? Hear it  here . 1) Bette Midler sings that the bugle boy wakes up Company B every morning by playing reveille. What awakened you this morning (phone, alarm clock, sunrise, etc.)? Or did you wake up on your own? Alexa, set alarm for 7:30 AM... 2) This single was produced by Bette's arranger/piano player, who went on to have a successful singing career of his own. Do you have a favorite Barry Manilow song? Oy, the crazy fashion...

 I literally got up with the sun....this is what I saw from my bedroom window that morning.... (I think it's time to clean my windows....) #skywatchfriday

  1. Have you done more binge watching this past year than in 'normal' years? Any plans to break that habit in 2021? Tell us one or two shows you binged last year that you really liked.  My TV habits haven't changed much.  I loved The Mandalorian.  I'm falling behind on Mrs. Maisel.  2. January 26th is Australia Day. Have you ever visited or lived in Australia? Have you ever tasted Vegemite, and if so what did you think?  Is a trip down under on your bucket list? We answered a question about travel three months ago (the October 21st Hodgepodge), but let's revisit now...where are you when it comes to planning or even imagining travel  this  year?  I've never been down under, would like to go someday.  What on earth is "Vegemite"?  I've been curious about that since the 80's. Our 2020 travel was very local.  I'm thinking 2021 will be local too.  Eventually I want to go back to the Caribbean. 3. Something that zaps y...

 And another "your choice" week. Hmmmm.... And then a phrase popped into my head. Well, since I did "bears" on Winnie the Pooh Day... Yeah, gotta love the Tokens. Katy Perry knows how to roar.... And of course there's Survivor... Andy Williams salutes some of the most famous movie lions... But nothing can beat a live performance of The Lion King. This video doesn't fully capture the  experience.

  Why Did I Choose 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 to  answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions! Saturday 9: Why Did I Choose You? (1965) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) In this song, Barbra Streisand reassures her lover that, if she had it all to do again, she would still choose him. Tell us about a decision you've made that you never, ever regretted. I made the decision to alter my career path, to take a job that was less exciting but also less stressful than the path I originally laid out for myself. It was one of the best decisions I ever ...

Time to view the winter sky .... #skywatchfriday  

 I can't tell you how many times I cried today.  I lost count. Decency has returned to Washington, DC.

 And the theme is "Celebrating Winnie the Pooh Day" Well, Pooh and I are old friends.  I celebrated my 40th birthday with that silly old bear.  Yes, we had dinner in the Crystal Palace, in the heart of Disney's Magic Kingdom, with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore... So of course his theme song popped into my head. But Pooh isn't the only bear in Disney's world.  You'll find another old friend in the jungle: Did you know the Muppets are part of the Disney universe now?  Here's a song from Fozzie Bear. But there are other bears, too, aren't there? Yogi had to steal picnic baskets, but the Teddy Bears actually plan a picnic And Elvis wanted to be a teddy bear...

  Thank U, Next 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 U, Next (2018) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) In this song, Ariana Grande thanks her former boyfriends for what they taught her about love, life, patience and pain. Do you believe you have learned more from your successes, or your mistakes? Both, actually.     2) One of the young men mentioned in the song is Pete Davidson, a cast member of  Saturday Night Live. SNL  has been on for more than 45 years now. Who is your ...

Good news!  My mother, age 88, has an appointment to get the vaccine the first week of  February.  Thanks to Jen's hard work and perseverance ... and luck to be around when a new block of appointments opened up.

 My daughter-who-works-for-the-police-department has been vaccinated against Covid.

 There are only three options. He can still resign and save what’s left of his dignity. Pence and the Cabinet can invoke the 25th Amendment. The House, by bipartisan vote, will impeach.  And there’s a good chance the Senate will convict. He will never resign and Pence has rejected using the 25th.  So impeachment it is ... And not soon enough. I just want him gone. One week ...

Well, 2021 really got started with a bang, didn't it? With all that has happened in the last few days, I wasn't really in the mood for blogging.... But then I had to laugh. Back in November I placed an order  on Amazon. I ordered disposable face masks, a small package of them, decorated with the words "Happy New Year 2021".  At the time I expected a small group of us would be spending New Year's Eve in a restaurant, watching the ball drop and drinking champagne. I thought we could all wear those masks.   Well, the delivery date came and went.  No masks.  Covid got worse, a 10 PM curfew was imposed, and the masks became irrelevant as we changed our plans for the big night.   Amazon gave me a refund, and I forgot about the masks. Guess what showed up  in the mail on January 4? Our annual visit to Jones Beach for the Magic of Lights was a bit different this year.  It's always been a drive-through display, but this year there was no "Santa's...

 And it's a "your choice" week. See if you can guess my theme. If you said "songs about birds", you'd be right... For an encore.... here are some birds dancing to a song about  birds.

 The events in the Capitol yesterday have left me wrung out and exhausted. 13 days.  Can we hold on for just 13 days?

 Protesters overwhelm the Capitol, Pence and Pelosi ushered to safety, everyone else ordered to shelter in place ... Trump incited this.  This is what a coup looks like. He needs to go NOW!

  1. What advice would you give yourself as we begin this new year?  Take one day at a time, anticipate that the world is changing and be prepared for the changes. 2. If you could throw a themed party for yourself what would the theme be?  As I am now in my 60's, maybe a party about the 60's.  The 1960's. 3. Tell us where you were and something about what life was like when you were 20- 21. I was in college.  I was in  such a in hurry to graduate and move on to law school that I graduated early.  In retrospect I wish I hadn't, I would have enjoyed another year as an undergrad.  As an undergrad I was able to take classes that sounded interesting, law school was all business.  As an undergrad I had a much  more varied social life, by law school everyone was much more serious.      4. What's on the menu at your house this week?  It's just me, so...I hate cooking for one, so I'll cook a batch of whatever and freeze in...