songbird's crazy world

 Rest in peace, David Clayton-Thomas

 So it's summer and the produce in the supermarket … I made a huge batch of ratatouille, froze half of it for  later. The neighborhood fireworks have already started …  by Saturday it’s going to be amazing …or annoying …depending on your perspective. Brought my car to the repair shop yesterday for my annual state inspection.  Usually I wait for the car, but yesterday they were so busy … I wound up walking home (two miles) and several hours later Drew drove me back to the shop to pick up the car.  (Drew leases the Pacifica and gets the car serviced at the dealership.  I own my Prius and have it serviced at a repair shop that’s literally across the street from the dealer.) That two mile walk was a bit challenging, but only because the weather was hot and humid and I didn’t bring any water; we did two miles at the beach Friday night without difficulty.  Just a few years ago I couldn’t walk a city block without stopping to rest … the AI in my Google Health...

 Another lovely walk at the beach.

  Cadillac Ranch 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: Cadillac Ranch (1981) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1)  In this song, Bruce Springsteen sings about taking his father and his aunt to see The Cadillac Ranch. Have you recently taken a road trip? If yes, where did you go? Road trip fall 2025, we went from Long Island to Virginia.  We visited Colonial Williamsburg. 2) The Cadillac Ranch is real. It's an outdoor art installation in Amarillo, TX. Tell us about a statue, mural, or other piece of outdo...

 Trauma! Someone had to go to the v-e-t last week.  Routine check up, but so traumatic … A traumatic day for Miss Duchess Cat.  She’s getting older — she’s 13 years old today.  (Yes, it’s her birthday today!)  Routine visit, just making sure she’s doing ok. She literally fought tooth and nail to avoid the pet carrier.  Complained the whole time she was in there … until the doctor wanted to examine her.  Then she refused to come out.  Complained the whole ride home, too.  But was soothed with a few cat treats … Shadow was waiting for us in the kitchen window, of course. Back home, and back to dominance games.

 From Jones Beach … #skywatchfriday

Welcome to the 21st century, where you don’t have to take a sick day when you’re under the weather because you can work from home.  Nothing too horrible, but I just couldn’t see myself getting dressed or driving to the office.  Felt better after breakfast and was able to get real work done today. But this summer weather is making me feel lazy. At least the weekend is coming.  Busy weekend, Drew has the final two Gilbert and Sullivan shows — Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. It’s supposed to rain Saturday.  So no opportunity to go to the pool.  Sigh. Maybe next weekend.  We’ve got the bbq on the 4th and friends coming over on the 3rd, but there’s always the 5th. The yard looks terrific, I can’t wait to show it off. Maybe the bunny will come back?

Toy Story 5  is yet another warm and fuzzy ode to childhood.  We loved it.  Saw previews for the live action Moana  and something interesting called Hexed. Both are on our list.  Yes, we will see animated films.   My favorite in the series is  Toy Story 3. That’s the one where Andy goes off to college.  It resonated, Jen was in college and Becca was about to graduate from high school when the movie was released.  They were 5 and 3 when the original movie was released. Who could have imagined, back in 1995, that an entire section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (one of the parks in WDW in Orlando) would be dedicated to that franchise. I thought the Buzz Lightyear ride in Magic Kingdom was great, but … yeah, I love the newer rides, too.  Maybe it’s time to plan another Disney trip? Glad to see House of the Dragon  is back. Love that show. Really loving Matt Smith.  His character here is so different from The Doctor. Still working o...

 And the theme? Wimbeldon kicks off soon. Let a tennis star, the game, England, or  traditions  guide you in your music discovery picks! Hmmmm… British Invasion music, anyone? We start with the Beatles, of course. Or maybe you prefer the Stones The Kinks The Who The Animals The Yardbirds  The Hollies The Zombies  And finally, one of my favorites  Yes, that’s Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits. And some fan video

 We went to Jones Beach Friday night, took a great walk on the boardwalk.  The first of many this summer, I hope. I took a walk in the neighborhood Saturday afternoon and saw a bunny.  Drew tells me he saw our bunny Friday, he needed something from the backyard shed and the bunny watched him retrieve it.  But sadly, I found a robin’s egg in the lawn.  It was under the bird house, Cracked, so it won’t hatch.  Sad.   Last night was the first performance of Yeoman of the Guard,  one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s lesser-known works.  There are two more performances next weekend (Drew opted out of today’s performance because today is Father’s Day.) Drew is a yeoman in the ensemble but also has a small role as a priest.  I man the box office and sell refreshments. Today’s activities include brunch at  Rothman’s .  I haven’t been there in years, but as I recall, the brunch is incredible. Later Drew and I might head to the movies. Drew’s ...

  The Men in My Little Girl's Life 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: The Men in My Little Girl's Life (1965)     Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . Chosen for Father's Day. 1) In this song, a father shares the story of his daughter's life through first the boys, then the men, she brought home. The first is Rod, a little kid who wants to play in the backyard. Who were your playmates when you were young? Did you find it more fun to have them over to your home, or to go to theirs? I have three younger sisters,I th...

Just hanging out.  

 So yeah, Knicks in 5.  The parade will be Thursday.  Chaos in lower Manhattan. I will not be there.  And yeah, I’m really enjoying our patio; nice place to hang out for a couple of hours. But there’s absolutely no shade on the patio, so we’re going to need a canopy  if we’re having a barbecue. And we are planning one for July 4.  So we ordered a canopy, one that comes with mosquito netting.   The New York political primaries are June 23.  Early voting has started.  Drew and I voted yesterday, in the same building where they’re handing out community pool passes.  The pools open Friday.  I can’t wait! Meanwhile I a still  obsessing over yoga.  I’ve found several yoga channels on YouTube that I am really liking. Namaste.

 Your choice again... ...so today I choose Fleetwood Mac. The Rumours album was one of my favorites.  Released in 1977, the music evokes memories of my junior and senior years of high school. I must have played that album until the vinyl wore out.   I finally got to see Fleetwood Mac in concert in 2013, at Jones Beach.  Great show.   So here are some of my favorites from Fleetwood Mac. And my absolute favorite -- how can you resist Stevie Nicks singing about a breakup with her lover while said lover accompanies her on the guitar?  

 So with temperatures in the 90’s and the humidity level reminiscent of Florida,I decided that I should take a walk early Friday morning, when it was still relatively cool. I  saw a lot of birds, some squirrels, and three bunnies.  And it occurred to me that I haven’t seen our backyard bunny in several days.  I miss the little critter. I hope he’s ok.

 I am really enjoying our patio.  A lounge chair, an umbrella for shade, my iPad, a cold drink, and I’m all set.  I look a long walk Saturday morning then vegged on the patio most of the afternoon. Sunday promises to be more of the same. Saturday night we saw Disclosure Day. A mature Spielberg explores the same themes as in earlier works, like Close Encounters and E.T. Government conspiracies and alien entanglements.  Emily  Blunt is amazing.   Afterwards, we grabbed a bite to eat at the diner, and listened to the Knicks game as we drove home.  Got home in time to see the last five minutes of the game.  Final score 94 - 90, Knicks won and became the champions!    Some of our neighbors shot off fireworks to celebrate. On to the victory parade! Now we move on to FIFA, the World Cup games being played at MetLife …er, NY/NJ Stadium. I’m not a soccer fan, I don’t anticipate getting caught up in the excitement. Sad news about one of our f...

We’ve had real summer weather these last few days.  Too bad the community pool hasn’t opened yet. It’s hard to get motivated to exercise when the temperature is 94°. I donated blood Thursday night.  I’m an O+, the Red Cross really loves me.  I am a member of the Gallon Club, but it had been awhile since my last donation.  I went to a blood drive where donors were given a reward —a coupon for two tickets to a Mets game. I can’t wait to redeem my coupon. Their record is abysmal but we enjoy Citi Field. And will have fun regardless. The excitement for tomorrow night’s Knicks game is building.  We’re going to a movie tomorrow night, but I think we may be home in time to catch the end of the game.  Fingers crossed … We now have tickets to see Rod Stewart at Jones Beach at the end of July.  You may remember that we saw him at Jones Beach in  2014 , and that we had tickets to see him during the summer of 2020, but that concert was postponed for obvious r...

  Accidentally in Love 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: Accidentally in Love (2004) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) In the video for this song, a young man dances alone in the kitchen while making breakfast for his lady love. When no one's looking, do you often bust a move? Dance like no one is watching! 2) "Accidentally in Love" was featured in the animated movie  Shrek 2.   In this video, a plushie from the movie is shown on their bed. Do you have any plush toys in your bedroom?   Y...

 So Shadow decided to sneak up behind Duchess and bop her on the rear …but was absolutely shocked when Duchess raised a paw and tried to hit her … They have the same new place to sit …but not at the same time, of course. All hail the mighty hunter Moon Shadow But what is she hunting? In the morning she hunts birds at the feeder.  But at night? Yes, it came right up to the back window … And Duchess went hunting too …