tUESDAY tUNES; JOY

tUESDAY tUNES  is one with one of my favorite couples, Ariella & Nickolaas, who will be performing on the 5th at the Continental in Houston. 

If they are ever in your 'hood performing, go treat yourself to some easy listening. This tune was on tiny desks...

.JOY

MONDAY MUSINGS: = SENIOR LEARNING

 Musing about my classes this quarter as I was truant for the beginning  couple of weeks as they started during my volunteering in Costa Rica. Most, fortunately, are not dependent upon previous classes.  Also there was a week wo classes due to ice so the quarter will be extended.

This quarter I registered for :

Socialism: HISTORY and Significance is held mostly on Zoom as our instructor lives in Fayetteville. The course synopsis caught my attention I have shared that Natureman's parents are buried in the Socialist Jewish Cemetery in the Twin Cities. I never met them but I lived with their son who ensured his life would embody their socialist thought in protecting our society's socialist programs. He always pointed out how socialism is misunderstood and scandalized in American politics as does the class...

Travel the World through Film Armchair travel through international films with an instructor who not only acts, but creates her own films.  We will travel to Paraguay, Landfill Harmonic.Japan Departures, France The Chorus, India/ Australia Lion... Last week class participants donned berets and we enjoyed gastronomic learning with baguettes, cheeses, marmelades, madelines, etc ...

Socrates Cafe:Exploring  participant's life questions  in a public, non academic dialogue. Last week's class voted for the discussion question  "What is a friend?" 

On Screen with Philip Martin; a film critic who gives us insight and review of themes, actors and their work in various films/ TV series. 

Leisure Sketching with useful skills and techniques for all drawinglevels. This will be Ken's last class for a while and I will miss his informative, well-planned lessons, handouts, PowerPoint presentations and knowledge. This past week was STILL LIFE and he set up the subject matter for us. 

Line Dancing with a variety of genres: country, pop and classics. This class is a terrific way to exercise both the mind and body. It gives my cowboy boots a workout.

LifeQuest is so blessed with teachers who love their subject matter. New brochures arrived for the next quarter. It's wonderful to have the time to participate and learn with seniors 52+ and make new friends too!

FOTO FRIDAY: SOMETHING NEW IN 'DA KITCHEN

 

FOTO FRIDAY: You never know what might come home in your suitcase as a memory but after having eaten GALLO PINTO, dirty rice, the Costa Rican daily staple almost once a day. It now is part of where I spend a lot of time -my kitchen.

TBT: DEJA VU?

TBT: Three years ago this was my den scene. Fast forward to 2026, and the tax papers are again strewn on the floor, but on a different rug in front of a red leather couch. 

This year, there's another difference as I have to drop the papers in a 'portal' for my accountant. My scanner is being fickle, and I'm super frustrated and ready to throw in the towel. 

Then, wouldn't you know my financial advisor also decided to go out on his own in December, meaning he and his people no longer have access with the info re: stock gifts I made last year.  You know like : number of shares and company. So I am yearning  for yesteryear when it was so much easier...  I have some legwork to do.

It's one of those weeks... I am super thankful my plumber made it out to fix the faucet that burst while I was away!

Never a dull moment!

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: 1/534

One out of 534 Central High graduates was black and her name was Sybil whom we met this afternoon as Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton. Not one of those 534 white students ever dared to befriend her/even speak to her during her high school years there. It was a tumultuous time for racism especially in this all white Southern high school. 

Soft spoken Dr. Hampton read to us from her forthcoming memoir, A Guest in a Strange House.

In the Q&A we heard about Dr. Hampton's neighbors read about community affairs in the NAACP newspaper. 

 Dr. Hampton grew up where on opposite sides of the street of one block there were 2 grocery stores, one for the whites and one for the blacks. Little Rock was a very segregated city in the '50s. 

We heard about a lot of praying, especially when the National Guard descended upon the high school in 1957. The school was closed due to the violence (58-59). 

Forgiveness and grievance helped Dr. Hampton survive her past. Yet, race relations are still an issue in our country and sitting idly by is not helping anyone. Change is possible.  May we all have the patience and calmness Dr. Hampton exemplifies... We are all one race- humans. Let's share accountability.

Thanks to UALR's English department for sponsoring these readings.

 

tUESDAY tUNES:K POP LITTLE MISS...

tUESDAY tUNES: After spending a month in a beach city, I think I have seen it all. When you are my age and usually live in conversative cities, it's a bit jarring to see a lot of flesh and girls wearing underwear as clothing outside their bedrooms. Just saying. I am still of the mindset that the word " underwear" should be something you actually wear under your clothes... This is just a preface because seeing women, no matter their age, thong bikinis are just too much information. And burnt buns, oy... 

There is nothing demure about it, but I liked the catchy tune even if I don't like the fact 'young' girls grow up way too fast nowadays...

Take a listen this week's tune by GIRLSET's :LITTLE MISS  

MONDAY MUSING: WRITING

 MONDAY MUSING embraces the possibilities to be introduced to strong but very different authors and their writings and their life experience due to Black History month.

 

Today I will write about Thursday night's speaker, the unabashed prolific writer Reshondra Tate born in Smackover, Arkansas, who has penned 54 books.  

Her audience got to hear many details and inspiration after her newest published book, With Love from Harlem, about the 'bold, brave and flawed' Hazel Scott, the fearless 1940's- 50's, Queen of Jazz Piano, the first woman to have her own television show. a powerhouse who blended classics with swing, boogie woogie and her own wild improvisations. A powerhouse who was blacklisted during McCarthyism.

An activist who surrounded herself with legends like Billie Holiday, Langston James,  James Baldwin, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. The main man in her life was her husband Adam Clayton Powell,  had the wedding of the century with 3 thousand guests,  power couple whose light eventually was dimmed by him...  This book is historic fiction using researched facts including others's autobiographies to validate Ms Tate's work. 

Thursday night was filled with laughter as we sat enthralled with an auditorium filled with Ms Tate's fans.

 Ms Tate followed her own advice to a young author during the Q& A : "Don't wait for someone to validate you. Do your own self promotion" and then she videoed the audience holding up their new copies of With Love from Harlem... 

She won at least one new fan in me Thursday night...

Thanks to our library system for their wonderful programming.