songbird's crazy world

  Over There 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: Over There (1942) ... because it's 4th of July   Unfamiliar with this rendition? Hear it  here . 1) George M. Cohan wrote this song in 1917, inspired by our country's entry into WWI. It was not only popular with the young men who enlisted, it was reassuring to their families. Tell us about a time when music was a comfort to you. So many times! I think I became really aware of the power of music to comfort when I was a teen, when my aunt died and I found myself singing quietly to myself so th...

 Need I say more? Just got a doormat for the new house (we get the keys on Thursday) and guess who had to check it out?

 27 batters up.  27 batters down.  No hits.  No walks. Perfection in California last night. Congrats to Domingo German and the NY Yankees.

  And the theme: Yesterday was Global Beatles Day, let’s share songs about the Beatles, by the Beatles, or and the members of the band. Great theme, we're all picking songs from the same small group of artists and yet our playlists are not going to be alike at all. I doubt any of the other bloggers on this blog hop are going to choose the songs I am posting.  Well, maybe they'll choose the songs, but not the versions I am selecting.   Our beloved Shea Stadium closed forever after the 2008 baseball season, to be replaced by Citi Field in 2009.  The very first concert held at Citi Field starred Paul McCartney.  Sir Paul was given the honor because of the Beatles' history with Shea. The concert was held  on July 17, 2009.   And I was there!   One of the best concerts I ever went to! He reminisced about the Beatles, he saluted John Lennon and George Harrison, and he brought Billy Joel out to sing with him -- Sir Paul was one of Billy's guest...

  It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over 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: It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over (1991) Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it  here . 1) In this song, Lenny Kravitz sings about all the tears he's cried over this relationship. Scientists theorize that human tears fall into two categories: emotional and irritant. "Emotional tears" are most often shed over physical pain, empathy, compassion, depression, and anger/frustration. Think about the last time you cried. What triggered your tears? I...

 So this week I learned that Shadow likes peas and carrots.  And Brussels sprouts are not only food, they’re cat toys. There’s nothing quite like seeing a little white paw reach for the food on my plate.  She loved my (gluten-free) chili mac and cheese. She’s 10 months old now, no longer a kitten. This is from October, right after I got her. And now …   They grow up so fast …

 Went out to brunch on Sunday, and this guy was in the parking lot.     

 Yes, Drew and I are going to cohabit. He has to move, his landlord plans to sell the house.  I don’t have to move, but I want to. We found a great house, not too far from where we both live.   My biggest concern is how Shadow and Duchess will get along.

It's a "your choice" week. I'd like to salute my fellow Long Islander, Pat Benatar. Heartbreaker    We Belong   Love Is A Battlefield    Shadows of the Night    Hit Me With Your Best Shot   

 That cat will be the death of me.   Did you know that the pit, stem and leaves of a cherry are toxic to cats?  The fruit is fine for cats, but the other parts contain cyanide.  If you or I accidentally swallowed a cherry pit, we’d be fine.  But cats are so much smaller than humans, so the small amounts of cyanide in the stems could be very toxic to cats.  I did not know about the cyanide …until last week, when I was eating cherries.  Someone small and furry grabbed one of the cherries and ate the stem.    Don’t worry, she’s fine. But self preservation is apparently not her strong suit. And then there was the incident with the paper bag.  You know what kind of bag I mean, right?  The ones with the woven handles, like this  I brought my leftovers home  in this bag.  I apparently left the bag where Shadow could find it.  She somehow managed to get her head and front paws through one of the handles, so that the hand...

 Interesting night at the ballpark Wednesday night.  A passing storm wreaked havoc. While we were waiting to enter the park, I thought I saw a bear running across the sky.    Considering we came to see the Long Island Ducks, the fact that a rubber duck showed up was terrific. The storm moved from west to east, so at sunset … And just a hint of a rainbow after the rain. #skywatchfriday

 We went to another Ducks game tonight.  No tchotchkes this time around, but we saw a great game.  No more Daniel Murphy (his contract was purchased by the Los Angeles Angels), but Ruben Tejada (another former Met) has joined the team. The game was not well-attended.  It’s a Wednesday night, kids have to go to school tomorrow (our school year hasn’t ended yet, our high school students are in the middle of statewide exams) and it rained this afternoon.  But the fans who showed up saw a good game.  The Ducks won 2-0. And Drew won the 50-50 raffle!  It wasn’t a lot of money, only $69, but nevertheless…it’s still $69 more than he had when he walked into the ballpark. The other $69 goes to a charity, of course. And while we were enjoying the Ducks, we were also keeping track of the goings-on at Citi Field, where the Mets were hosting the Yankees.   I was home in time to watch the end of the game, including Nimmo’s walk off triple in the bottom of the 1...

    And the theme: National Children’s Day was yesterday. Let’s pick songs about children or by artists under 18. This is an interesting one.  There have been teen stars in many generations.  I’ll just choose a few, Let’s start with Ricky Nelson.   Leslie Gore   Donny Osmond    Debbie Gibson Britney Spears Jesse McCartney

 So Thursday night we headed over to the ballpark to watch our Long Island Ducks take on the Frederick Baseball Club.  It was supposed to be a single game, but since Wednesday night’s game was canceled because of the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, the teams played a single-admission double header Thursday night.  As per a Atlantic League rules regarding double headers, each game was 7 innings long. We could smell smoke in the air while waiting to enter the ballpark — I even wore a mask for a little while — but the air was much more breathable after a brief rain shower,  When we entered the ballpark we got swag.  Lots of swag. The local Catholic hospital network sponsored a rally towel giveaway. And a local bank was also giving out tchotchkes.   They had some employees handing out drawstring bags with a few items, and they had additional items on their table.   Here is what I got. This is a tote bag that folds up into its own pocket.  You can t...

  Big Spender 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: Big Spender (1966) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) In this song, Peggy Lee invites a gentleman to join her for fun, laughs, and a good time. What will you be doing for fun this weekend? Last night we went out for Chinese food.   2) Peggy was blessed with perfect pitch. It's estimated that just 1 in 10,000 has this gift. Tell us about something that comes naturally to you.    I’ve been told that I’m very good at writing and storytelling, ...

 An old favorite of Duchess She's a beauty And proof that Shadow not only survived the shoe incident, but that she’s firmly in control of my house.