TUESDAY TUNES:I WON'T LET GO

 TUESDAY TUNES : Standing by those you care about is what friends do... I WON'T LET GO by Rascal Flatts.

FOTO FRIDAY: SPACE TAKEN

 

FOTO FRIDAY:  I thought the parking space 4 was open... Silly me.

TBT: CONFIRMATON

 TBT: CONFIRMATION was this past Sunday and it was a very small class just 3 in this year's class.

Look what showed up on my feed. This was me at Confimation in 1970 (10th grade) 

By alphabetical order my classmates included: Ann, Brad, Frankie, Keith, Lynn, Ron, Stan and Terri.  Did I forget somebody? I thought there were 10???

MIDWEEK MUSINGS MUSIC CORRECTION

MIDWEEK MUSINGS RE: MUSIC CORRECTION  I need to make a correction to last week's commentary re: my enjoyment of all types of music. 

I stand corrected since attending the first of the summer Wednesday Spins at the Arkansas Fine Arts Center. Attendance far exceeded former visits as hundreds of folks came to socialize and enjoy DJ  Nick Hud.

As soon as one entered the building one was hit by what was happening upstairs. You see there's nothing in this modern structure that absorbs sound. We quickly entered a gallery to see the amazing student art.  We do have some very talented young artists in our schools being fostered by good art programs ...

After oohing and awing, we wisely chose the elevator over the stairs. After exiting, we found folks using all the hallway seating probably to hear each other talk and save their hearing.

Have you ever been in a space where the DJ is trying to overpower the chatting of the 'attendees'. The noise was deafening and thank goodness the next gallery gave us a reprieve. The 70's exhibit was a flashback for sure... I donned a fro myself back in my senior high school year and Southern humidity gave me a good one.

Obviously, we had to eventually exit back into the crowded gathering and we wasted no time heading downstairs towards the exit with a quick stop in the gift shop where we were greeted with a " Hi, how are you?" No brainer on that answer " DEAF " I quipped. We all laughed and the young worker replied. "If I had known I would have brought my earplugs." No kidding. 

So my correction to liking all genres of music is that when a genre is just noise, I am not a happy camper.

TUESDAY TUNES: I JUST WANNA BREAK THE RULES

 Being a goodie two shoes, I had never even dared to not follow the rules.  How boring, but no worries my brothers made up for my good behavior.

Now, I wonder if I missed out on a lot. How many of you can relate to the lyrics of this song by Charli XCX?

BREAK THE RULES

FOTO FRIDAY: BATHROOM ART

FOTO FRIDAY:  FaceBook may have its issues but there are also the positives like  connecting us online and different ways of informing us about outside world activities. It was there  I learned about a local workshop a couple of Sundays ago.

Here's my end product to the Mannequin with Plants workshop. She now dons my Master Bath window.  I think she'll love the steam from the showers, don't ya think? 

 

TBT: WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY BLOOM 2017

 TBT: This popped open 8 years ago today in my front flower bed in the End of the Rainbow Valley. There are some things I can't get to grow here in the South. Oh well,  I have flowers here that don't need to be dug up yearly like cannas. 

BUT I have to admit missing my poppies and lupines...

TUESDAY TUNES & KIM SCOTT

Take your TUESDAY TUNES a day late but with Kim Scott no matter what day it is since this was from the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival's  at the Pabst Theater  in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last summer! Think of the big flute as the male and the small one as the 'pretty young' thing...

KIM SCOTT

MONDAY MUSINGS & MUSIC

 Summer brings back all those wonderful possibilities for music. I don't mind what genre as I love it all!

Even my weekend services was gifted with soulful, breathtakimg beautiful musical moments by Aleksandra Dubov as her 2 years as our guest cantor comes to an end...

Sunday, the River Bottom Winery's parking lot was jam-packed late afternoon due toa favorite duo, Cliff & Susan playing Western Live Music. The frozen drinks are perfect on a warm afternoon and my order always contains a charcuterie board for the table! Below you can get a taste of the quality entertainment and their future guest musicians.

Here's a sampling from Cliff and Susan. Take a  listen. So much fun...

2025 June's Schedule

June's Wednesday Spins kick off in the Cultural Living Room  weekly in the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts beginning with DJ Nick Hud 5-8 where you can also imbibe craft cocktails and take advantage of experiencing 'captivating art'  and experience a new photo booth .

Nick Hud: June 4, 18 & 25

Jordan Cox: July 2–16

DJ Afrosia: July 23–August 6

Mike Poe: August 13–27

June is off to a great musical start, don't you think?

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: PENNY WISE, POUND FOOLISH

 MIDWEEK MUSINGS   

 I hold fond memories of helping my Dad wash our cars growing up and I also afforded my own kids the same memories ... water play with the hose and buckets of sudsy water and sponges. 

Nowadays washing one's car is basically a thing of the past for many as the long lines at automatic carwashes attest. It's even difficult to find the basic self service carwashes with those long water wands and  push buttons for soap and rinse. 

It is fun going through the touchless carwashes now with colored soaps / lights and having vacuums and cloths available to finish up the cleaning job. So when a new automatic carwash Glide Xpress was built across the street from my grocery store, it was a no brainer to subscribe. And after buying Red Hot, the 2010 BMW hard top convertible, she too was added for the same treat.

You know that' pride in the ride'. Then one day after going through the carwash while drying off some undried areas, I noticed the driver's side roof top hinge cover had popped up. (It's a cosmetic plastic piece covering  the hinge). One of the carwash's felt fingers must have gotten caught at one end and as the track moved the car forward pulled it up and broke it. 

A Glide Xpress worker filled out the accident report for me and relayed that the claim would be evaluated. I decided to be proactive and go straight to the BMW dealership to see if the part was in stock. No such luck.

In fact, both sides have to be purchased as a set @$530 not including installation and it was my responsibility to find a body shop to paint the pieces. The BMW mechanic looked at Red Hot  and said a new hinge also was needed. Now Red Hot's estimate jumped to $1,743.00 w/o labor and painting.

Upon returning to Glide Xpress, the manager shared he'd speak with the boss and call me but in many cases management will not cover  damage due to the age of the car. * There was a period when workers  taped down back windshield wipers (my SUV) before you went through the wash. Obviously, an adjustment to prevent damage... 

I told the manager I was planning to shop around for the repair  regardless for lower quotes. There was a sign saying certain age cars would be exempt for damage compensation. 

Next stop for me was the dealership where Red Hot was purchased and their mechanic said the hinge was fine and to look online for the part. Lo and behold left plastic covers could be purchased separately and he could install it once it was painted. 

I did receive a voicemail while I was out of town saying Glide Xpress  had said NO to the claim. After returning home, I revisited the manager.  Since there was a meeting that day, he would reapproach management.  

As you can guess the response was a  'NO,'  

Well, the body shop of my choice would paint and install it .

Total cost including part $152 vs BMW's  quote plus paint + labor. ~2,000 

                                                                                                                 I have cancelled both my Glide X press subscriptions,  will post a less than stellar review, and am sharing this with you all on my blog. 

 Glide Xpress might be penny wise but pound foolish,  

There is what appears a new/ cleaned sign along with a lot of green cones to prevent members from just coming to vacuum their cars...

All I can say is Buyer beware ...  

Seriously, how many of us have cars less than 3 years old? 

                                                                                                              

FRIDAY FOTO: IS THIS MY GOOD SIDE?

FOTO FRIDAY: Sweet Ms. Maggie Moo is up for adoption now that she has had recuperation time with me as her Foster Mom.

 

It's so very tempting to keep her but I am on the go a lot

Which photo do you think should be used as her profile pic?  A/B?

A

B

MONDAY MUSINGS:DISRESPECTING THE PEOPLE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT

I was not surprised that it poured yesterday because it was from all those tears shed by the families who have fought for this country. Lives lost and families forever changed. It's beyond embarrassing when a person elected by the American people delivers a speech like the following. The following are his words...  

There is nothing OK about the following speech when yesterday was a day to remember those who gave their lives for their country and all the men who fought along with them...

From the Man in the Oval Office

TUESDAY TUNES: WHOLE LOT OF SHAKIN GOING ON...

 TUESDAY TUNES: Jacob Tolliver met his musical hero... and there was a whole lot of shaking going on:JERRY Lee Louis 's 85th.

FOTO FRIDAY: POP, POP POPPING

FOTO FRIDAY comes from one of my many walks last week in California. An entire front yard was covered withthese poppies. I bet you can guess what kind of poppy... 

                                      Yes,  California Poppy!

TBT: THE CHIPMUNK LOOK

TBT: last posting of this pic FB tells me was 14 years ago... 

Nothing like a true flashback during this new decade year for me. Back to a time when 'middle school' now was called 'junior high' back then. I attended Forest Heights Junior High School...

We were being 'prepared' for high school with changing classes in a school with outside covered sidewalk hallways. You could do that in the South with such mild winters. They didn't help you stay dry on windy, rainy days though. And that corrugated roofing leaked...

At a time when you wanted to look older, I definitely looked like I was still in elementary school. I'll have you know that was a velour top. Isn't it something I can't remember what today's date is but I remember a piece of clothing from 57 years ago?!

I also remember the purpose of that bow in my hair was to make it look like I had pulled my hair back like all the other girls when realistically that straight look lasted perhaps 10 minutes before the curls/frizz started popping up. 

Yep, those were the days... remember exchanging those little photos from the photo set with friends?

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: PLASTIFICATION

Diane Harper's Plastic Legacy exhibition opened Saturday at Gallery 26 in Hillcrest. What a nice early dinner and welcome back for my return from the west coast.

This local artist who happens to also be a social worker shared  her upcycled plastic "tchotchkes" (pronounced CHOTCH-kuhs), a Yiddish word referring to small, often cheap or ornamental, trinkets, knick-knacks, or novelty items... 

You know I love the idea of upcycling into art and these pieces had both play memories/ deeper cultural messages. Whether it was Disney, action figures/ those army men, we can conjure up our own interpretations...

Diane's diversified encaustic paintings and plastic figure art filled one wall anchored by driftwood floor sculptures and mobiles both at eye level and above our heads.  Her resin work was easy to spot sprinkled throughout the gallery.  

That rack on the far right held dangling spray-painted old phones. If only those princess phones could talk... Oh my, would we get an earful of our younger selves!

Notice our artist (R) is also color coordinated below- My kind of person.

You, the reader, can interpret this piece below on your own. Yes, that's a ram's head and human skeleton in the upper right and this author 's mirrored reflection. 

                              Can't wait to hear your captions...

I'll share mine after you share yours...

TUESDAY TUNES:: HEAL

 TUESDAY TUNES today is going to introduce you to Americal Idol 2025 Jamal Roberts  if you haven't heard his new single he.tells us what we as a nation need to do in his new single and that is HEAL.

Take a listen...

FOTO FRIDAY: A ROSE IS A ROSE, IS A ROSE/IS IT?

FOTO FRIDAY: Pasadena may be known as the City of Roses but as far as I'm concerned taking walks this past week with the grand/ grand dog you could have fooled me up here in the burbs of San Francisco.

Each day I marveled at watching gorgeous roses changing... How could I not share their beauty? Gertrude Stein wrote the line: A rose is a rose, is a rose which encapsulates the act of one stripping away all memory, all presumption and see this rose, smell it, touch it, taste it if you will and if you are very lucky listen carefully and hear each petal move....and this first time, this first experience is and is and is and is."

TBT: Unweavings...

2014: Here's a wonderful throwback as this year I am 2 hours west of this locale enjoying the newest grandchild in Cali while helping pack for my youngest's move into her new home at the end of the month. 

Enjoy:Birds of Longing Unweavings by Laurie Wohl continue to share what binds us all...

MIDWeEK MUSINGS: DON"T LET THE SUN BLIND YOU, BEWARE.

Midweek Musings have me appreciating California sunshine as it is not as blinding with 60 degree temps. Perhaps changing one's scenery helps recentering. .  

One thing about having one's own blog is I can be as frivolous with topics as I desire. Since Natureman isn't around for me to talk politics,  it has definitely been a hole during these first 100 days on Capitol Hill. Thank you for those who have shared various aspects of the deals occurring. The smoke screens are sometimes more transparent than others. But as they say, buyer beware / should we say seller beware?  This was shared with me this morning on Feminist News and is definitely worthy of a read. Read on... 

"Can we pause for a moment and let the gravity of this sink in...

The Qatari royal family bankrolls Hamas. This is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, relative of the man who the US Defense Department has identified as the funder of the mastermind of the September 11 attacks and helped Khalid Sheikh Mohammed evade capture for many years.

Now they just bought their way into Trump’s inner circle.

This is the same regime that:

• Finances Hamas
• Was found guilty of bribing hundreds of European Union officials to sway policy in its favor
• Financed 9/11 attacks

And it's not just Trump with his snout in the trough:

• Pam Bondi – Qatar’s registered lobbyist $115,000 per month
• Kash Patel – Security consulting for Qatar
• Eric Trump – Building Qatari-funded golf resorts
• Jared Kushner – Took \$1.5B from Qatari and Emirati funds
• Lee Zeldin – His firm was paid by a Qatari-linked company
• Steve Witkoff – Business ties with Qatari interests
• Barry Bennett & Doug Watts – Secretly lobbied for Qatar
• Joey Allaham – Arranged Qatari meetings with Trump insiders

Qatar doesn’t spend billions for friendship. They don't give 'gifts'.
They invest to control. They've been cited as one of the most corrupt countries on earth, specifically for bribing targets and people it deems necessary to cultivate.

Terror money is still terror. No matter how big the check"