Saturday 9: Little Woman (1969)

Saturday 9: Little Woman (1969)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song contains many weather references (clouds, rainbows, sunshine, rain). How's the sky where you are today?  It was clear and sunny all day until this evening when black clouds rolled in and we got some much needed rain.

2) Bobby Sherman sings that when he's alone, he imagines his "Little Woman" is right there beside him. Do you often daydream?  I do some daydreaming, but I don't know about "often." I'm an introvert by nature so I spend a good bit of time in my own head, just not necessarily dreaming or fantasizing. 

3) Bobby had a very bright smile. Do you ever use whiteners on your teeth? Not any more. All the diet Coke has done a number on the enamel so I use toothpaste that's supposed to restore and strengthen it. Whiteners are actually hard on enamel.

4) He was beloved for his shiny hair. If we were to peek in your bathroom, how many haircare products would we find? Lots and lots. It takes all kinds of stuff to tame curly hair.

5) After high school, Bobby attended Pierce, a community college in the west San Fernando Valley. For culinary students, Pierce offers courses in canning --specifically apples and peaches. If we were to peek into your pantry, would we find canned fruits? Yes, but none that I've canned...though I have canned in the past. Mostly, you will find pineapple and Mandarin oranges.

6) As an actor, one of Bobby's earliest performances was on the TV show Honey West. That series revolved around a female "private eye" adept at martial arts. Do you have any self-defense moves (that don't involve a weapon)? A well placed knee to the family jewels or fingers in the eyes.

7) In 1966, Bobby did this rather energetic commercial for milk. Do you often enjoy a glass of milk?  No. I hate milk...unless it's flavored. I do like almond milk, but again, only the chocolate or vanilla.

8) When his show business career waned, he became a paramedic. Have you ever called 911?  Twice that I can remember. The first to report a wreck near my house and the second when my daughter was 3 and had a couple of seizures due to a fever.

9) Random Question: Which book do you think you could learn more from --The Joy of Sex or The Joy of Cooking? At this point in life? Probably The Joy of Cooking.

Please be sure to stop by the Saturday 9 site to find links to other players and for the complete(ly non-existent) rules if you'd like to play along.

Here Comes the Hodgepodge!

My answers to the Wednesday Hodgepodge are going to press a bit late, thanks to an early dismissal in the school district I work for. I didn't have time to get to it this morning, but it is nice to get home by 3:30 P.M....you know, like normal people do!

Anyway, on with the Hodgepodge...and please, don't forget to stop over to visit our hostess, Joyce, at From This Side of the Pond.

1. What pets did you have while growing up? Tell us a little something about them.

We had a tri-colored (black, white, and tan) Collie named Prince. Then there was Nikki, a black miniature Poodle we got from a family with 3 young children who terrorized her. She did not like kids. Not even a little. Not even me, until I grew up and went off to college...then she tolerated me when I came home. We had a chocolate Poodle named Hershey for a while, but as a male who refused to quit marking his territory, Mom said he had to go when we got new carpet. Other than those, I had turtles, fish, and while they weren't technically my pets, when we lived in the wildlife preserve my best buddies were some of the tame research deer and a ferret named Jellyroll.

2. What is one thing you absolutely must accomplish today?

I've already done the one thing I had to do today and that was zip up to my stepdad's farm and pick up the last of the wedding stuff and say goodbye to my aunt who was flying back to Florida today.

3. Where were you ten years ago? What were you doing there?

Right here. Same house. Same job. Our daughter hadn't graduated from high school yet. Our son had quit college and was living with our future daughter-in-law. We didn't have any grandchildren yet.

4. September 26th is National Dumpling Day. Did you celebrate? Apple dumpling, xiao long bao (steamed Chinese dumpling), chicken and dumplings, pirogi, matzoh balls, or gnocchi...which dumpling on this list would be your dumpling of choice? 

No, I didn't celebrate. I didn't even know it was a thing. Of those choices, pierogies are my favorite kind of dumpling...not that I've ever thought of them as dumplings before. I live not too far from Pittsburgh and aside from the Irish, the other big heritage around here is Polish/Hungarian. Pierogies are a common meal or side dish. They're very versatile.

Have you ever made homemade dumplings of any kind?

No. I'm a slacker in that department. My mom has made them, but I've never even tried.

5. 'There are two kinds of adventurers: those who go truly hoping to find an adventure and those who go secretly hoping they don't.' William Trogdon

So which kind are you?

Bring on the adventure! I love seeing and trying new things. The same old, same old gets to me after a while. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our daughter's wedding turned out beautifully! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Well, a bit cooler would have been nice since I ended up with a moderate case of heat exhaustion.

The best compliment I received was from one of our nieces who used to work as a wedding planner for a large luxury hotel. And that compliment was, "Omg, everything is perfect!!"

And it was from the setting (both for the wedding and the reception)...

The "altar" was an arch made by my husband from antique doors
and a small wooden table, painted to match. Straw bales
formed the "pews" with sunflower printed cloths and
pots of mums in bronze and white.

The tables were clothed in ivory linen, navy napkins,
and burlap runners. Center pieces were log slices
with decorated mason jar vases, small
pumpkins and votive candles.

...to the last moments with a daughter before she became a wife...

Sharing a moment and a bit of advice.

A last moment for Mom and Dad before the ceremony.

...to the ceremony...

The lovely Matron of Honor...and also our niece-in-law.

Our beautiful granddaughter pulling our grandson.
The sign on the wagon announces to Daddy
that Mommy is on the way! Behind them, two
sweet grandnieces are the flower girls.

This sweet girl charmed everyone.

Here comes the bride!

The unity sand ceremony, symbolizing that
two shall become one.

Watching with pride and delight between my husband and my son.

Mr. & Mrs....sealed with a kiss.

...to the amazing, yummy goodies...

Here in southwest PA the cookie table is a tradition.
My 73 year old mother made ALL of the cookies herself!

The custom cupcake display by a very talented neighborhood lady.
We are very sad that she's retiring at the end of the year.
Our little grandson's 1st birthday will be her last event.

...to all the fun and memories made at the reception...

First dance as husband and wife.

A special dance between the bride and her son.
Part way through she invited all the mothers and
their children to join her on the dance floor.

Pappy and our oldest grandson bustin' a move surrounded by cousins.

The bridal party at the head table. My husband built the wall
of pallets behind them. He also built the bar for the event from
pallets. Our son thinks he should take it up as a side job or
a retirement plan!

A quiet moment with Mommy.

Dancing with my son during the mothers' dance.

Dancing with my mom during the mothers' dance.

A sweet moment between big brother and little sister.

Mom and Dad are the last to dance the bridal dance and kiss her
goodbye as the groom tries to break into the circle to claim
his bride. He's a skinny thing so the first time his friends
picked him up and ran across the field with him!

Daddy dancing with his baby girl.

The bride and grandma.

The next generation of cousins! And would you
believe 5 of them are missing?

...to the start of a happy life together.

Sunday Stealing: I Survived the Wedding Edition

Sitting here at 12:01 A.M. trying to get my legs to quit cramping so I can go to bed. It's been a long, long day...but a mostly good one.  Our daughter's wedding was today. I'm sure the bridal party is still partying up a storm, but those of us who have been up since before the crack of dawn to make it all happen are whipped. If these darn cramps ever let up, I'm sure I'll sleep better than I have in ages. Too bad the men all chose 8:00 A.M. as the time for us all to meet and clean up so everything can be ready to go back to the rental place.

Still, it was a beautiful day and my stepdad's farm provided a lovely setting.  Here's a peek (more pics on Monday, if you're interested).

Our hostess, Bev, says today's meme was written by a Marissa Seymour for a post titled Today is a Fashion Show & the World is My Runway

1. A way to win your heart.
Be kind, be funny, be honest about who you are, and treat me like I matter to you.

2. Something you feel strongly about.
Snakes. I loathe the things and have never met one I like.

3. A book you love.
Nobody's ever heard of it, but one of the best books I've ever read is called Lottery by Patricia Wood. It's about a guy who is a little, okay a lot, slow....but he's not retarded as he points out right at the beginning. He's one IQ point above the cut off for that. Anyway, he and his grandmother have always played the lottery and they finally win, but Grandma goes and dies.  The rest of the story is how people look out for him or try to take advantage of him and how he's a lot smarter than people think he is. It was a beautiful story and beautifully written. It deserves to be a modern classic, but it doesn't seem to have gotten any recognition.

4. Five pet peeves.
Drivers who go really slow then break all land speed records when you try to pass them.
Any sentence that begins with "I don't mean to judge (speak ill of, be nosy, etc.), but..."
Drivers who pull out in front of school buses so they don't have to be behind them...only to take the very next turn.
Drivers who run the red lights on a school bus. It happens way more than you'd imagine, even out here in the sticks where I drive.
Getting a drink at the drive-thru and the beverage is overflowing the lid and running down the sides and they don't know/care enough to wipe it off or at least hand you some napkins to wipe it off.

5. What you ate today
Not very much...too much excitement and waaaay too hot...but there were plenty of options available at the wedding (roast chicken, barbecue pulled pork, baked ziti, potato casserole, green beans with bacon, baked beans, pasta salad, fiesta corn, and lots of cookies and cupcakes).

6. How important do you think education is?
I was raised to think that it was the only way to get ahead and make something of yourself, but I don't agree any more. I think, that yes, everyone should have a basic level of formal education, but these days the kids who get some kind of technical training seem to have far more job opportunities than someone with a liberal arts degree.

7. Five people you find attractive
My husband, Kyle Chandler, Simon Cowell (I have no explanation for that one), Sam Elliot (and most cowboys), and Toby Keith on a good day.

8. What you wore today.
A deep wine colored lace dress and silver sandals.

9. Something you always think “what if” about.
Usually it's about the choices I made when I was younger concerning school.

10. Something you’re proud of
Losing 30 pounds and I'm not done yet.

11. Something you lust after.
Ford Mustangs. Grabber Blue with black rally stripes, please?

12. A word/phrase that makes you laugh.
Can't think of any specific one.

13. A quote you try to live by.
There are a bunch....love everyone, treat people the way you want them to treat you, it's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt (think before you speak).

14. Something you like and dislike about yourself.
I like that I am fair. I make it a point to try and understand where someone is coming from and allow them some grace.  I don't like being an introvert.

15. A problem that you have had.
Well, the biggest one I had today was realizing that we totally forgot about napkins for the cookie table and the bar. Luckily, Mom had quite a few in the house. 

Don't forget to pop on over to Sunday Stealing to find links to the rest of the quizzers!

Falling for the Hodgepodge

1. What's something you'd rate a 10/10? Tell us why. 

The customer service at Lane Bryant stores. I hadn't been in one for years until this morning. I was in search of a bra that would work with the dress I have for my daughter's wedding and that also happened to fit and feel comfortable. The saleswoman and the manager both helped me. They have large comfy dressing rooms that are reserved with your name on the door until you are done shopping and the saleswoman did all the running back and forth to get me new styles and sizes so I didn't have to keep getting dressed and running out of the dressing room. The manager even came and helped me with fitting.

2. What job would you be terrible at? What makes you think so? 

Being a waitress. First of all, I'm sort of not graceful and I'm sure folks would rather have their food put on the table than dumped in their lap. I'd probably also have a hard time staying "nice" when people were yelling and complaining at me as much as I've witnessed some doing. People can get pretty cranky when it comes to their food!

3. When did you last take a fall? What's something you're falling for (in a good way) these days? 

My last fall....I think it was two winters ago, or maybe three, on the icy parking lot at work. It's gravel so it gets plowed, but they don't salt it. It just gets a few cinders now and then. I've wiped out there several times and my left knee accumulates fluid now and then because of all the falls.  What am I falling for? The new Holley Gerth book that came in yesterday's mail. It's very good and I will be posting a review in October.

4. According to the Travel Channel here are some of America's best fall festivals-

National Apple Harvest Festival (near Arendtsville PA, close to Gettysburg), Harvest on the Harbor (Portland Maine), German Village Festival (Columbus Ohio), Wellfleet Oyster Fest (Cape Cod), and Wine and Chile Fiesta (Santa Fe NM)

Have you ever been to any of the festivals listed? Which one appeals to you most? Does your hometown have any sort of fall celebration, and if so will you make it a point to attend?

I haven't been to any of the festivals listed, but I'd love to go to all but the German Village Festival. I don't know why, but it just doesn't appeal to me. The one in PA is close enough to me to be doable and the rest involve the shore and seafood or New Mexico...all of which are among my favorite things.

My hometown doesn't have a fall celebration, but many of the towns around us do. The most notable being Fort Ligonier Days, which is recognized as one of the top arts and craft festivals in the country. It also has plenty of food, music, history reenactments at the fort (the gateway to the American frontier during the period of the French and Indian War), and a huge parade. We never missed it when I was growing up, but since my dad died we've only gone a few times. It's still great but it's grown so much and the crowds are huge...I'd rather not deal with them.

5. What is your goodbye message to summer?

Dear Summer, 

You know you were never my favorite season so it should come as no surprise that I am not sorry to see you go. Lovely Autumn with her gilded colors, vibrant scents and scrumptious flavors, is the one who holds my heart. Go back to where you came from and bide your time until next year. By then I will be glad to see you again.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I did a crazy thing today. It's just three days until our daughter's wedding and I bought a new dress to wear for it. I already had a dress...a long, beaded, formal affair that I wasn't in love with from the start. Then yesterday I tried it on with my shoes and found that I've lost enough weight that it now fits rather loosely in the chest. 

I went shopping today hoping to find a strapless bra that wouldn't show and possibly make the dress fit better since it's a bit late for alterations. The dress would have sufficed, but I was not happy with it at all and I also feared that with the heat that's being predicted for Saturday I would be hot and miserable.

After finding a bra at Lane Bryant I decided to look around the store since I hadn't been there before. As I walked up to the front of the store...THERE IT WAS. A beautiful, wine-colored, lace dress. It's not a gown, but it's very elegant in a simple way. It's comfortable and it will not be so hot. I absolutely love it! I don't feel like a dowdy old grandma in it.

That's it for this week's Hodgepodge. 

Please besure to stop over and visit 

Joyce @ From this Side of the Pond.

Wedding Week Update

Here we are a mere four (4!!!!) days from the wedding of our daughter, our youngest child. Am I panicking? Not yet, but it may come. There is more danger of the bride imploding than of me cracking. She is one who dwells on things and also tends toward seeing the cup as smashed, broken, and totally emptied out rather than either half full or half empty. It makes for some stressful moments as each thing can quickly become a make it or break it in her mind. Thankfully, she usually calms down after taking a few moments to process it.

This is so true! I can't believe how rude
people are about not responding. We even stamped and
addressed the RSVPs. All they had to do was check
yes or no and drop it in the mail. Even when asked
or called quite a few refuse to be pinned down
one way or another. Keeping all THEIR options
open, I guess, is the reason for it.

Yesterday was a busy day. I was out the door at 8:30 to head to Walmart in search of paint for the arch my husband built (to the bride's specifications, ala Pinterest) out of two old doors I bought just for the purpose. Then it was off to meet the caterer to get the table linens from her so we can set up the centerpieces ahead of them coming in to set up the buffet.

My doctor's office is, thankfully, just across the road from the caterer's day job in a podiatrist's office so I was able to be on time for my appointment. (Another check up on my weight loss journey with Adipex-P. I am down another 4 pounds and it turned out that I can be on it for one more month before having to take a break.)

Walmart only had part of the paints I needed to get so my next stop after the doctor was Lowe's to find the the rest of the paint. A friend of mine, who is also the wedding photographer, texted me while I was waiting for the paint to be mixed and asked if she could come out to the farm and have a look around and scout out potential photo sites. I hadn't counted on that, but up the ridge to the farm I went (with lunch from Arby's in a sack and a HUGE soda to give me some extra oomph). I was there a bit before she arrived and she spent a good while looking around and talking to the bride and groom...and me, too.

I ended up having just enough time after my friend left the farm to swing by the florist's to ask if they could save the flower petals they remove or that fall off for use in the flower girls' baskets. They can't...said it's too hard. (I asked because I've heard of other florists that do. I guess more phone calls will be made today.)

From there I went home to let the poor puppies out and grab a 30-minute nap before heading up the mountain on Rt. 30 to Jennerstown to meet up with a woman selling wedding stuff on one of the Facebook flea market sites. Had she posted a few months ago I probably would have bought most if not all of what she was selling....beautiful and perfectly matched to my daughter's theme of fall/sunflowers. As it was, I purchased an adorable sunflower headpiece with dreamy long streamers for our granddaughter to wear as the junior bridesmaid (and puller of the wagon holding our little guy with the sign asking "Are you ready, Daddy? Here comes our girl.").

By the time I got back home and got dinner ready it was 8:00! I was quite glad afterward to clean up after the meal, get into my jammies and relax in the recliner for a while.

So far today there is no where I HAVE to go, except for Bible study tonight...I need that sanity in my week even more than usual! I am hoping to use the day to get started on a thorough cleaning of the house. I don't expect much if any company to come here (they are all staying with other family) but you never know.

Have You Ever? Why I've Never!

Joining in with our hostess, Bev, and the rest of the cool kids for Sunday Stealing.

1. Have you ever had chicken pox?  No. The only one of the childhood "diseases" (do they still call them that?) I've ever had is the mumps. Both of our kids had chicken pox...our daughter even had them twice as it turns out you can get them again if you don't get a full-blown case the first time...and I STILL didn't get them!

2. Have you ever shopped in Home Depot?  Of course! My husband has always worked in the construction trades so I've been there many times with him. I'll also have to admit I love to decorate and redecorate and I am always thinking up new projects for the house or yard so we go to Home Depot and Lowe's a LOT.

3. Have you ever spied on your neighbors?  Spied on them? No, but I do live in one of those old neighborhoods where most people have been here all of their adult lives and a lot of us "kids" have either remained or moved back to raise our families. Everybody knows everyone and keeps an eye out for trouble. When I was growing up the families were so close all of us kids called the adults "Aunt" and "Uncle" because we knew them too well to call them Mr. or Mrs. and back then kids did not call adults by their first names.

4. Have you ever ridden in a limo?  No and I can't say I feel deprived.

5. Have you ever had a pet fish?  We had three aquariums when I was growing up and I had one large aquarium for the first several years we were married.

6. Have you ever lied about your age?  No. When I was young I never got carded so I never had to lie and now that I'm older than 39 I just don't care so I don't lie about it.

7. Have you ever fired a gun? Many times. I own several of my own.

8. Have you ever been ice skating? Not since I was a kid. I wasn't good at it. My ankles were too weak and I didn't enjoy wibbling and wobbling all over the place or falling down.

9. Have you ever played golf? A little. I took a few lessons as a kid and in college I took it as a gym class and my teacher thought I was good enough to play competitively, but I never did.

10. Have you ever hidden on Halloween because you had no candy for trick or treaters?  No, but one year I had been out of town and arrived home just a little bit before trick or treat was over. I was literally in the driveway lifting my suitcase out of the trunk and a whole herd of kids ran up yelling trick or treat. I had to point out the obvious (which you'd have thought the adults with them would have picked up on) that I'd been away and just that moment arrived home and didn't have candy.

 
11. Have you ever made a prank call? Moi? Never! Okay....maybe once. Or twice. Or too many times to remember.

12. Have you ever gotten a tattoo? Just one on my ankle. I'd been wanting one and on my 45th birthday I was feeling like it was "now or never" and my husband encouraged me to get one.

13. Have you ever had a massage? Not one that I've paid for. I have a friend who is a massage therapist and she's done a little bit on me, but never a full blown massage. She's offered, but I don't want to take advantage.

14. Have you ever locked your keys in the car? A couple of times. Always such a pain in the rump, not to mention terribly embarrassing.

15. Have you ever ridden a horse? Sure. I was a horsey girl when I was growing up. I couldn't read enough about horses, collect enough horsey stuff, or ride enough. I took lessons and though I didn't have my own horse I rode every chance I got.

16. Have you ever been to the circus? Several times and I've taken my kids a few times, too. The Shriner Circus has always been big in our area, but Barnum and some others have been around, too.  The last time I went was for our daughter's 12th(?) birthday. We took her and three of her friends to dinner and then to the circus.

17. Have you ever been to Europe? No, I've never been across the pond.

18. Have you ever built a fire? Oh yes, many times, both inside in the fireplace and outside in the fire pit and on camping trips.

19. Have you ever been skydiving? No, and I will never, ever be able to answer yes to that!

20. Have you ever bought something at a garage sale? All the time. I love garage sales, flea markets, auctions, and the like!

21. Have you ever walked in on someone having sex? Yes, in college. 

22. Have you ever faked an injury to get out of something? No.

23. Have you ever been to a nude beach?  No and I don't expect that I ever will go to one.

24. Have you ever received a speeding ticket?  No. I've probably deserved one a few times in the past, but since getting my CDL I'm pretty well behaved on the road.

25. Have you ever run a marathon? Oh, good grief, no!

Saturday 9: Don't Talk to Strangers

Good morning everyone! Busy, busy times here (one week away from my daughter's wedding), but I'm taking some time to relax and join in with Sam and the gang at Saturday 9 for a little musical fun since I will be missing in action next weekend for both it and Sunday Stealing. So, put your feet up, sip your morning caffeine source of choice (Diet Coke for me), give the featured song a listen and enjoy the fun questions based on it.

Saturday 9: Don't Talk to Strangers (1982)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) When did you recently have a conversation with a complete stranger? What did you two discuss?  I can't remember who I was talking to, but it was yesterday and it was about my daughter's wedding and the fact that my boss managed to get my bus runs covered so I can be off all of this coming week.  Maybe it was a parent?

2) In the video for this song, a woman is having a "hot" conversation on a corded, rotary dial phone in her bedroom. Do you have a landline? If so, doyou have an extension in your bedroom?  We do have a landline and we have phones in the bedroom and living room. I keep thinking about eliminating the landline, but can't quite seem to bring myself to do it. We have a bundled package of cable/WiFi/phone and eliminating the phone wouldn't save us much. It's the least expensive component of the package.

3) This week's artist, Rick Springfield, says he wrote this song when he was worried that his girlfriend (now his wife) would cheat on him when he was touring. Would you describe yourself as suspicious or trusting? In general, I'm more trusting than suspicious, but I'm not stupid about it. It's been my experience that in a lot of situations if you treat people like you expect them to behave well or do the right thing, they usually do.

4) He became a daytime heartthrob as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. Do you think it would be cool to have a really attractive doctor? Or would it make you uncomfortable?  I've had a couple of seriously attractive doctors over the years and I was fine with them. I guess it would depend on the doctor himself, though, and how he acted. On the whole, the doctors I've disliked the most or felt uncomfortable with have been females...they didn't have very good bedside manners.

5) He's discussed how sad he was when, as a boy, he had to leave his dog Elvis behind when the family left Australia. While you were growing up, did your family often move?  Maybe not as often as some, but often enough. By the time I started high school we had lived in 8 different homes and I'd gone to 5 different schools.

6) In 1982, when this song was popular, Italy won the World Cup. Do you ever watch soccer? Nope.

7) "Smiley," the first emoticon, was introduced in 1982. Do you use emoticons in your communication? Or do you avoid them? I confess that I use the basics...smile, sad, heart.  On Facebook I've left the emoticons behind...I'm hooked on the GIFs. I know they drive some people nuts, but I do think they have their place in establishing your intent when comments made in texts and on Facebook are so commonly taken the wrong way.

8) The Vietnam Memorial was dedicated in Washington, DC, in 1982. Do you know any veterans of that conflict? If so, tell us about him or her. One of my cousins is a veteran of Vietnam. He's an.....well, he's just not a very nice person. He received a dishonorable discharge that President Ford later commuted to a general discharge. I've never heard the whole story, but my mom hinted that it was related to drugs. I could go on with examples of his not niceness, but Dad always said if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

There is another cousin (I never knew him) who died in Vietnam and is listed on the Wall.

9) Random Question:  Your friends are throwing a birthday "roast" in your honor. Which one quality of yours are you sure will be singled out for laughs? Geez...I don't know. My love of auctions, flea markets and garage sales? My obsession with books? My love of really bad reality shows (Alaskan Bush People, Mountain Monsters, etc.)? The way I talk to my dogs like I expect them to answer? I'm sure my kids could think of "something" since they find most of what I say/do either annoying or amusing.