songbird's crazy world

 Today’s theme  Songs inspired by fiction/non-fiction people or historical events I’ll stick with history.  It’s one of my favorite subjects. We start with the War of 1812    Some tragic times from the 1960’s and 1970’s    The early history  of rock music     A tragedy on Lake Superior     And this last one …when my daughter was in high school her Social Studies teacher built a whole lesson around the song.  The students had to identify all the events mentioned in the song.

  Joanna 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: Joanna (1983) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) The subject of this week's song, Joanna, is described as someone who never lets you down and can always be counted upon. Who in your life is like that? My daughter Jen is one of the most reliable people I know.  I’m so proud. 2) Kool and the Gang vocalist James "J. T." Taylor sings that he will do his best to do what's right for her. Reflect on the last week. What did you devote special effor...

 The Battle of the Couch             

 Today is a Jewish holiday, Tu B’Shevat, the new year for trees.  It’s like Arbor Day or Earth Day.  The traditional food for this holiday?  Any kind of fruit that grows on trees.  I had a mandarin orange with my lunch. I finally got my refund from the supermarket.  It only took 5 days.  But now I have to shop again.  I have been trying to eat more vegetables, and I’m running low. I did a Leslie Sansone workout today and I feel good.  I usually do her one-mile walks (when you’ve completed the workout it’s the equivalent of walking a mile), but today I pushed myself to do a two-mile walk.  My legs were getting tired by the end of the video, but it was a good kind of tired. I’m trying to work up to a three-mile  workout.   I like walking outside, but it’s been rainy all week.  At least it’s not snow. Or pine needles.  The Great Pine Needle Drop lasted for weeks!   Seriously, it felt like an invasion, there were pin...

                   

 It snowed …

 So I felt very, very lazy Saturday.  The weather was bitterly cold and snowy and I really didn’t want to  go out.  I live about a mile or so from the supermarket but I decided to spend the extra money to have my groceries delivered.  Opened up the app, placed my order.  A few hours later a truck pulled up, the driver handed me several bags … I emptied the bags quickly — Shadow likes to “investigate “ grocery purchases — and immediately realized I was missing two items.  I had ordered two bags of frozen vegetables.  The vegetables were the only frozen foods I ordered. I checked my receipt …yes, I paid for those vegetables. So I opened up the app and notified the store about the missing items.  Four days later I’m still waiting to hear from the store.   I was doing a little on line shopping Sunday.  I needed  Command hooks .  I ordered some from an online store.  Shipping was free, but I paid an extra $3 to have the pr...

 Another “your choice” week Ready to dance?  Let’s go to the disco                     

I mentioned this the other day, I’ve decided to add exercise to my weight loss plan.  If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you’ve seen me get enthusiastic about exercise and then lose interest.  And get enthused again. Wash, rinse, repeat. This time I hope to make exercise a more permanent habit. Wish me luck. Anyhow, the two activities I’ve been doing are fitness walking and chair yoga. Activities I can do in my living room. I used to take a yoga class, absolutely loved it.  But then I felt pain in my right knee … well, it’s hard to do warrior pose when your knee won’t hold your weight. Welcome to the wonderful world of osteoarthritis, both knees.   So, the solution?  Flexibility exercises that can be done in a seated position.  Much gentler on the knees.  I signed up for a subscription service, but there are plenty of free videos on YouTube. I’m enjoying it. I love to take walks in my neighborhood, or at the beach, or in the park.  But w...

  Young Girl 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: Young Girl (1968) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) The song is about a girl who is too young for romance. How old were you when your parents allowed you to date? 17 2) Lead singer Gary Puckett mentions the girl's perfume. What scent do you wear most often? Lavender  3) "Young Girl" reached #2 on the charts and stayed there for three weeks, but it never hit #1. It was stuck behind Otis Redding's "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the B...

 My kitchen is a bit drafty …. I think I’m going to have to find another spot for my candles,

 So true. You’ll remember the incident with  the bee .  That was in my old apartment. In this house we have recessed lighting in the upstairs bedroom, the room I use for my office. Shadow was keeping me company while I worked, and I noticed she was spending a lot of time staring up at the lights.   So of course I looked up to see what had captured her attention. A cobweb. A thin, gossamer strand, dangling from the lightbulb. Shadow tried to reach it.  She jumped up onto my desk, she climbed onto my chair, she even tried to climb onto the bookcase, And she was so disappointed when I grabbed the broom …

 So … no snow for 700 days, then we got our first measurable snow on Tuesday.  And it’s going to snow again tonight and tomorrow.  I guess the drought is over,   Glad I have the ability to work from home. Though working from home does pose some problems that working at the office would avoid.  I’m feeling incredibly frustrated with a coworker right now. A small problem blossomed into a major problem because she didn’t talk to me.  In the pre-COVID world, she and I would have been sitting in the same office, and the problem would have been resolved in a matter of minutes.  But now … I don’t even know this person, we’ve exchanged emails … I’m hoping to get everything resolved tomorrow. Speaking of COVID … the latest variant seems to be making the rounds.  I’m hoping to avoid it.  Another reason to appreciate working from home. So I’ll be home tomorrow, me and the cats.   If you’d asked me, four years ago, where I thought I’d be today … thi...

 So Elton John became an EGOT last night — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.  Well deserved.  You’ll remember we saw the  farewell tour  when he played Nassau Coliseum in 2022.    Working from home today.  I usually go to the office on Tuesdays, but it snowed … only a few inches, but if I don’t have to drive in that mess … I found a really, really wonderful gluten free product!   Chocolate chip cookie dough   Bought a package at Trader Joe’s, baked a few at home … I’d serve these to friends who are not gluten free.But at 170 calories per cookie … yeah, I have to limit how many I can eat. I’ve been sticking to my weight loss plan, trying to eat healthier, but I think I’ve reached a weight loss plateau.  Time to add exercise. I haven’t been walking much because of the weather (and to be honest, inertia).  Time to turn the living room into a gym, break out the Leslie Sansone walking videos … and I’ve started something new: chair yoga....

 And the theme today… Songs about visions, dreams, and hopes for tomorrow   Let’s start with a classic    A little something from Cass Elliot    Dreamweaver   Fleetwood Mac.     Sweet Dreams    And we end with some Blondie   

 Well, snow flurries anyhow.  Nothing accumulating .  Long Island hasn’t seen a real snowfall since … well, we never got measurable snow last winter.  Some flurries, maybe a dusting, but no real snowfall. Though that’s going to change on Tuesday.  Or so I’m told.   I’ve got my snow boots and I’m ready to shovel …

  Hotel California 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 are today's questions! Saturday 9: Hotel California (1977) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) In this song, Don Henley called the hotel's front desk and asked, "Please bring me my wine." He was told they haven't had wine since 1969. When did you last have a glass of wine? New Year’s Eve 2) The lyrics refer to wine as a "spirit." That is incorrect. Wines are fermented, not distilled, and have a lower alcohol content than spirits. When "Hotel Califor...

 Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters… It’s a miracle …

 A member of the 1969 Miracle Mets, a fixture in Flushing for most of his career, remembered for an infamous encounter with Pete Rose. And co-owner and longtime manager of the Long Island Ducks.  He showed up at games to greet the fans long after his active days managing the team had ended,   Bud Harrelson,  Dead at 79

 And it’s a ‘your choice” week So I’m choosing music from one of my favorite performers         

 It’s 2024, a presidential election year.  We will vote for President of the United States, 1/3 of the Senate, and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives.  The Iowa caucuses are happening on January 15, beginning a process that will culminate with Election Day on November 5.  It’s going to be an exciting and anxiety-ridden year. Did I say Election Day was November 5?   That’s true, but around here we have an election on February 13. You’ll recall that I live in the  Third Congressional District .  Yeah, the District that was previously represented by the now-former Congressman, George Santos.  With Santos’ ouster, we will have a special election next month to fill the seat. Although removing Santos was a bipartisan effort, now that he’s gone … There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives.  You need to hold 218 seats to be considered the majority party.  With Santos removed and two Congressmen having resigned, the Republican...

  This Could Be the Start of Something 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: This Could Be the Start of Something (1959) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . Welcome to the first Saturday 9 on 2024.     1) We're beginning the year with an optimistic song about starting something new. Right now, are you feeling positive about 2024? There are some good things happening this year, and also some scary things.  Overall I’m optimistic.   2) In this song, Jack Jones sings that because he's on a di...