songbird's crazy world

So last week two of my coworkers were gushing over a musical artist I’d never heard of.  Said he was a modern Bob Dylan/CSN type, that he was absolutely wonderful.  Guy named Noah Kahan.  I said he sounds interesting… Saturday night, while Drew and I were getting drenched at the Ducks game, people were gathering at Citi Field for a concert.  Eventually the concert was cancelled because of the weather.  The artist?  Noah Kahan. I would never have recognized the name of the artist who was supposed to appear if I hadn’t been talking about him earlier that week.  Guess that means I’m going to have to explore his music.    So of course after the monsoon on Saturday we get perfect summer weather Monday.  Sigh. Though we’re expecting bad weather today and tomorrow. We can’t catch a break, can we? I haven’t seen front yard bunny in person recently, but he did show up on my Ring camera Sunday.  Yay! There have been no further sitings of back...

 My local municipality — the Town of Hempstead — owns several community pools.  Use is restricted to residents, who must pay a small fee to use the pool. But those of us who live in Levittown … when Bill Levitt built these houses, he also created community parks and swimming pools.  Levittown, and the parts of Wantagh and Hicksville where Levitt built, Is a special tax district.  If you live in the district, you can use the Levitt pools, and you don’t  pay a fee. You simply go to Levittown Hall, fill out the paperwork and show proof of residency, and they will hand you a season pass to the pools. The pools open Father’s Day weekend and close right after Labor Day. Of course I get a pool pass every summer. It takes about 15 minutes for me to walk to the nearest pool. Between the weather and other commitments,I haven’t had  a chance to go to the pool.  Until yesterday, that is. And it felt so good…

And the theme?   In ancient times, “Dog Days of Summer” was connected with bad luck, mad dog attacks, unexpected thunderstorms, heat, and drought.  These days gained the “Dog Days” name because they are connected with a star in the Canis Major (Greater Dog) star system known as Sirius. Nowadays, “Dog Days of Summer” is associated for summer’s long hot days. Based on these interesting tidbits use your imagination to find music that’ll make us howl on the dance floor! Long, hot days! And then I came across this humorous piece, love the reference to dogs … Getting back to more serious stuff And from Broadway Yeah, it a bit hot out there

 So the weather yesterday …a series of thunderstorms in the early afternoon (including flooding, especially in NYC), a lull I the late afternoon, and more storms at night.  The Yankees postpoed their game, Noah Kahan cancelled his concert at Citi Field … …but in Central Islip, the Ducks were determined to play. The FIRST PLACE Ducks, I might add … While waiting for the gates to open we saw Seriously, cars had to honk at them to get them to move. And while we were waiting, we discovered that the national anthem would be sung by …a friend of ours! Well, actually by a group, the Long Island Choral Society.  But she is a member. Oh, and the conductor?  He also conducted the orchestra for Yeoman last month. Oh, and my daughter Jen was at the game.  Not with us, she was with her best friend and the friend’s family.  Just a coincidence that they came the same night we were there. And she told us that the guy acting as master of ceremonies for the Ducks was also th...

 I am not a particularly observant Jew.  I no longer belong to a synagogue. My practice is limited to holidays and lighting candles on Friday night.  But yes, I do engage in those rituals, I need to feel the connection. The spiritual connection, and the connection to heritage and community. Along with resuming my yoga practice, I’ve started to meditate again.   Mindfulness/meditation is inexorably linked to the practice of yoga. And both practices are linked to the culture and religious beliefs of India and other Asian cultures. But Judaism has its own traditions.  Not just spirituality via prayer and ritual, Judaism has its own tradition of mysticism - Kabbalah.   I’ve done reading, on and off, about Kabbalah - it’s a lot more than Madonna wearing a red string bracelet.  I think I’m going to dive more deeply into it.  Just downloaded a book to my Kindle,  And I have now (re)discovered a Jewish YouTube channel that’s amazing.  Every day ...

  Kung Fu Fighting 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: Kung Fu Fighting (1974) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) Have you ever taken a martial arts class?  Does tai chi count?  During the pandemic a local yoga/tai chi studio was offering Zoom classes.  I tried a few classes, but the Zoom connection was so poor I stopped participating. Recently I discovered some tai chi instructors on YouTube, so I’ve been experimenting again. 2) In this song, Carl Edwards sings about funky Chinatown. Many cities – in...

 We’re expecting rain tomorrow.  That should thin out the smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Good news, right? Well …  The rain is coming in the form of severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes. We can’t catch a break, can we?

 Duchess is a lady.  She claimed a chair in the living room, and that’s where she sits. Shadow, on the other hand …

 The smoky haze from the Canadian wildfires was even worse last night.  I seriously thought about using one of my old Covid masks today. I may bring one to work with me, just in case.  The air quality alert expires at noon. Unbreathable air, cyclosporiasis in the produce, and an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease in NYC …oh my! I think I may have mentioned that my company has a wellness program.  You can download an app with all the tasks.  You earn points by doing activity that focus on your physical and emotional wellbeing.  You can earn points by bringing your lunch to work, or connecting your fitness tracker to the app, or keeping a food journal.  Visits to your doctor or dentist earn large amounts of points.   When you earn a sufficient amount of points you’ll receive a gift card.  Earn more points and you’ll get a discount on next year’s health insurance premiums. Earn 6,000 points and you’ll be recognized on the company internet. A lot o...

 Still healing from the dental procedure, but I’m feeling much better.  I skipped yoga last night, but I’m going to try to make it to the pool this weekend, I usually walk during lunchtime. I do laps around the office building.  Four laps is just over a mile. Guess what I saw while walking yesterday? Yeah, I’m a bit obsessed. I walked again today.  It was hot and sunny, typical summer weather. But when I left my office at 5…overcast, with the smell of smoke in the air.  Smoke from Canadian wildfires.  Very strange, I don’t remember it ever being an issue until the last few years. We are expecting thunderstorms later, maybe that will clean the air …

 So, as I’ve mentioned, Drew is of Sephardic Jewish heritage.  His mother’s family came from Greece and Turkey.  Drew introduced me to Greek food long before it became popular.  Now it’s one of my favorite cuisines. Drew’s parents moved to Florida in 1990.  The area where they lived did not have any Greek restaurants. So every time we planned to visit… Drew would drive to Astoria - a Greek neighborhood in Queens - and buy bourrkas,  a savory pastry made with phyllo dough  - to bring with us. I haven’t seen this pastry in any of the Greek places on Long Island.  But the other day Drew saw a review of a local kosher good store that features Mediterranean foods, including bourekas..   Yesterday he went to that store and bought burekas. Including  I can’t wait to try them! Now, if we can only find dolmadas the way his mother made them  either a neat stuffing instead of rice.  The only place he found them was in  Tarpon Springs...

  He’s alive!

 Are you aware of the Celiac Safety Act and the ADINA (Allergen Disclosure in Non-food Articles) Act?  Two bills currently pending before the House of Representatives.   The Celiac Safety Act would require manufacturers to clearly label all products containing wheat, barley, or rye. By expanding the list of federally recognized major food allergens beyond just wheat, this legislation  seeks to provide safe, transparent choices for the 3 million Americans living with celiac disease.  The ADINA Act would require  plain-language labeling of major food allergens and gluten on all prescription and over-the-counter medications . Named after a Minnesota teen who suffered severe reactions from undisclosed ingredients, it aims to protect patients with food allergies and celiac disease. I spend so much time reading labels and I still miss some items that contain gluten. But I did find a new gluten free product. Banzai makes chickpea pasta.  The soup is definitel...

Rest in peace, Bonnie Tyler

 Still healing, feeling much better. Let’s just call this a lost weekend and move on … But I did learn how to make my favorite comfort food with gluten free pasta. You cook one cup of stellini in two cups milk to which you’ve added  one tablespoon of butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pasta absorbs all the milk and becomes a soft porridge. Today I’m going to try a new product.  Campbell’s just came out with a gluten free chicken noodle soup.   And did you know that the sleep tracker in your Fitbit now measures naps? Drew had a good time at the cast party.  I wish I’d felt up to going.  The party hostess has a small dog.  Dress wants a small dog.   It when he was telling me about the party and said the word “dog”…Duchess protested. I don’t think she likes the idea of sharing this house with a canine. Trying to catch up on our shows.  Last week we saw a few episodes of Dr. Who.   And there was a character named Rogue who looked v...

 So I’m home, recuperating from my dental procedure - they actually placed both implants.  Mouth is kind of sore but nothing too terrible. I see the dentist again on Thursday to make sure I’m healing. And I was impressed that my pharmacy filled my prescriptions before I left the dentist’s office.  But I opted out of the cast party, sent Drew by himself.  I just wasn’t feeling it. I stayed home in my pajamas. And I don’t think I’ll make it to yoga on Tuesday.  Sigh.  Not to mention the hit to my bank account … insurance covers only a small portion of the cost. But I wanted the implants, I want to do whatever I can to keep myself healthy.  Too many of my friends are starting to have real medical issues.  

  There'll Be Some Changes Made 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: There'll Be Some Changes Made (1962) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) In this song, Ann-Margret sings that she's going to change her way of living. If you could simply snap your fingers and change something in your life, what would it be? There are some family members who aren’t getting along with each other and it’s putting me in the middle.  Can we fix that please? 2) She tells us she's going to change her name. Have ...

 The internet is often a scary place, but it’s also the source of a wealth of information. I am having dental surgery later today.  I’m getting an implant and today’s procedure is preparation for it …  At my last appointment the dentist explained the surgery and the intended outcome, but she didn’t describe the post operative recovery process.  That will be the job of the oral surgeon who actually does the procedure. But I was curious, and used my Google skills … The next two weeks are going to be “fun” …

 This week’s theme: Around the globe early July, World UFO Day is observed. Prompts this week you might consider is anything space related – stars, aliens, spaceships, galaxy, …. Get out of this world wild while having loads of fun discovering music to share! I think I can manage that one … Starting with Sir Elton John Which leads us to David Bowie Want to go to the moon? How about some aliens? And I must include

 So we had a nice time yesterday. Thanks to the heat wave and concerns about air quality we decided to host our friends in the living room.  Plenty of food, good conversation, Macy’s fireworks on TV (they started the fireworks 20 minutes early because they were anticipating thunderstorms).   Great display, I loved the effects off the Brooklyn Bridge. Lots of (illegal) fireworks around the neighborhood— one neighbor shooting fireworks at 1 AM was a bit much … May be the next cookout can actually be in the backyard… And the current occupant of the White House had a horrible 4th, didn’t he?  Tried to make  the 250th all about him so he owns the epic failure … I loved how there was a hailstorm at Mt. Rushmore and the Presidents looked like they were crying while he was speaking.  And in DC?  The artists all pulled out of the concerts, the fair was a failure, and the weather …the parade had to be canceled, the speech was delayed until after 11 PM, and who w...

  God Bless America SATURDAY 9: God Bless America  Unfamiliar with Connie Francis' version of this song? Hear it  here . 1)  Irving Berlin's lyrics celebrate our mountains, prairies, and oceans. Which of these geographical features is nearest your home? I live on Long Island, just a 15  minute ride to the Atlantic Ocean and a 20 minute ride to Long Island Sound.   2) Berlin donated his royalties from "God Bless America" to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America. Were you ever a Scout?   Yes, I was  a  Brownie  and a Girl Scout from 3rd grade through 6th grade. 3) While this week's song has been recorded many times, we're concentrating on Connie Francis' 1959 version. It was never intended to be a hit, released as the B-side to her popular "Among My Souvenirs." But it took off when it was played at school rallies and patriotic events. Do you know all the lyrics to "God Bless America?" Could you sing along with Connie? Of course. 4) Af...

 It’s hot and I’m wearing fur.

 Full Strawberry Moon #skywatchfriday

 Yep … at 6:09 PM tonight my Fitbit said the temperature was 100° We can expect to deal with this weather through Saturday. We’ve got room air conditioners and fans, so the house is comfortable.   But outside…feeling hot, hot, hot. I don’t think I’ll be taking a walk anytime soon.

 I have not seen backyard bunny, but front yard bunny has been making himself at home. My feathered friends are complaining.  I forgot to reorder birdseed and the feeders are empty. There was a Fourth of July party at work today.  Bagels, cupcakes and cookies.  Couldn’t eat any of it because of the celiac.  But there was a lovely fruit salad.  Sigh. I like fruit but … So when we go to the cast party next week I will have to stop at the gluten free bakery for some treats I can enjoy. Yes, the show is over.  They had a successful run.  They’ll announce next year’s show at the party. In the meantime we are gearing up for our bbq Saturday.  In a heat wave, of bourse.  But better than the rain we had for Memorial Day.  And they say things slow down in the summer…