TUESDAY TUNES: MAKE A DOOR 'N WALK THROUGH IT

TUESDAY TUNES is one of my AGT 24 favorites with Dee Dee Simon auditioning with this great one  "AND I'M TELLING YOU..."

MONDAY MUSINGS: SHANDA

MONDAY MUSINGS is about words that encapsulate so much. In Yiddish the word SHANDA is perfect to decribe the man our country elected to represent our country on the world stage. 

The dictionary describes SHANDA as :  to shame, disgrace, or embarrassment. It often refers to a situation or person that causes public humiliation or is seen as a scandal.

No need to say anything else...

FOTO FRIDAY: THE DREAM OF ONE IMMIGRANT :ST JUDE"S

FOTO FRIDAY: Immigrants and their dreams have built our country. This week I witnessed the dream of one such immigrant whose idea has and continues to save more than our nation's children from life-threatening diseases.  

Danny Thomas... St Jude's Founder

TUESDAY TUNES: SO FRESH,SO CLEAN...

 TUESDAY TUNES: Big Freedia & Clara share  $100 BILL, so fresh, so clean... Jazzercise jazzed me up!

MONDAY MUSINGS:COuCHSUrFING HOLIDAY BREAK

COUCHSURFING isn't for everyone as opening one's home to complete strangers has a lot of unknowns but this past weekend I had  Maggie Moo, my foster dog, in addition to 2 Chinese men who befriended each other a couple of years ago through Couchsurfing and similar interests.  Now they meet up to enjoy new adventures in different state parks, and other tourist interests. 

We would be experiencing some now in Little Rock together.

The two travelers might have assumed an Easter weekend of home activities but they had arrived to a Jewess's home celebrating the end of Passover, no Easter egg hunt /church/ family meal. So that was an interesting discussion in itself and also about their spiritual traditions. I had my memorial light on... SO we began with family.

The elder by 11 years is on a J-1 visa teaching Chinese in a New Orleans private Catholic boys school and the younger CS'er works for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. 

Before arriving, they had stopped to hike one of Petit Jean Mountain's scenic trails. They arrived later than expected as they needed to stop for dinner and get lost taking back roads. Due to the late hour, we didn't have time to visit, but I got them oriented to the house layout- their bedrooms, bath supplies,etc... and promised to visit at breakfast when we all would have a good night's sleep.

The den lights were still when Maggie and I awoke, as the youngest had konked out on the den sofa. He slept through all our breakfast prep noise too. 

Breakfast chitchat revealed he had read my profile carefully and felt we had shared numerous experiences and wanted to talk about my travels and hobbies. He enjoys gardening specifically heritage vegetable varieties and sharing cooking with his GF. He shared videos of his participation in  Chinese Lion  dancing and also performing  capoiera, "a physical discipline and movement originating among Brazilian slaves, treated as a martial art and dance form." Fascinating. He was raised in Tennessee. 

The teacher CS'er  shared his teaching experience and attempts to make his culture and language more interesting to 10th-grade boys who of course, just want to learn cuss words. I have definitely experienced the motivation of learning new words with my students. 

The guys had done their homework and knew what they wanted to see in Little Rock. They soaked it all in with interesting discussions of segregation due to Central High, a 2-hour visit with the Diego Rivera exhibit at the architectural Fine Arts Center, and they returned after six after absorbing the Clinton Library. 

The teacher had insisted on making a Chinese dinner, and the house still holds the wonderful aroma of our late dinner. It was a great way to break Passover.

We all benefited from being Couchsurfers and MaggieMoo lost some of her shyness during the encounter with new friends in spite of an early evening 2 tornado siren warning! What a holiday weekend...

FOTO FRIDAY: HOLY MATZAH, NOT ONE, But 3 SEDERS, OH MY!

FOTO FRIDAY: HOLY MATZAH, NOT 1, NOT 2,BUT 3 SEDERS, OH MY!

Yep, call me a glutton for punishent but this year seemed even more important to be with community. 

 I attended 3 seders this week: one with mispocha (Family), and both of my religious congregations- each special in their own ways...

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?

 MIDWEEK MUSINGS have me bewildered about how to broach this subject as we try to exhibit caution trying to 'play nice' in our sandbox like we were taught to do as children. 

During these tumultuous political times, I really miss Natureman to talk about these things. It is so important to remember our humanity.  

When we witness injustices, we need to speak up. 

I appreciate lay leaders alerting us to political actions affecting those marginalized in our society. The particular sector targeted lately in the politcal arena are citizens on the Autism spectrum. Seriously, how low can you go?

One of the Rabbis in our community shared the following on FaceBook and said it could be shared re: a congregant "who at his Bar Mitzvah then 13 spoke powerfully and publicly about how he viewed his autism as a gift. He also led the service capably, read and chanted Hebrew flawlessly, and in perfect pitch.

This congregant was only one of many autistic people I have taught, collaborated wish, and cherished as congregants and/or as personal friends or loved ones.

When I watched the Secretary of Health and Human Services speak about autistic people as so fundamentally cursed, flawed, and incapable, I did not recognize any of the autistic people I know. And I know many. People with meaningful and productive employment, stable relationships, and loving families. Children and teens who do well in school, have friends, and have every reason to look forward to the future.

Secretary Kennedy has told America to view the lives of autistic people as worthless. The result will be increasing stigmatization of and discrimination (or worse) against autistic people. 

Secretary Kennedy is harming, not helping, autistic people, and that is shameful.

And that’s before we start counting deaths caused refusal to vaccinate based on the baseless conspiracy theories peddled by our nation’s top health officer."

Dear Readers, Let us remember to not sit idly by...

TBT: 11 YEARS AGO TODAY

Sunny Springdance came home with me leaving her Oddest Goddess gals in St Paul but joining this Odd Goddess at the End of the Rainbow... Embrace life !

Natureman told me she reminded him of me...

TUESDAY TUNES:IT'S MY LIFE

 Bon Jovi is responsible for this TUESDAY TUNE. Lyrics included.

IT'S MY LIFE 

MONDAY MUSINGS:SMILES ABOUND

 MONDAY MUSINGS left this volunteer pretty exhausted as this past weekend ARMOM: Arkansas's Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic and the Pulaski County Master Gardener's Spring Plant sale coincided on the same two days but in different cities.

What's a girl to do? I just made sure I arrived early to help restock the empty plant shelves with what remained in the Little Rock greenhouse and then headed over to the dental clinic to interpret in Conway Saturday . 

Both events had excellent attendance with a lot of happy customers.  

As of 2AM Saturday, yes I said a.m., there were already ~350 folks in line for the dental clinic which means by the end of day 2 over 1500 patients had been seen, treated and helped by some 500 volunteers. 

It's a shame more young doctors don't volunteer as more restorative and extractions could have happened.  Over a million and a half dollars in care was provided over the 2 days.

As for the Master Gardener greenhouse project: Well  ~ $18,000 of plants were grown and sold. Those earnings help sponsor the other Master Gardener community projects. 

Kudos to all those volunteers.

There's a lot to smile about for these two community projects in my life.

FOTO FRIDAY: NEIGHBOR SURVIVES THE STORMS...

 

FOTO FRIDAY:  'Hair- on' / Heron survives our stormy weather. Did you ever think about where birds go during wild winds?

Hidden Valley Creek Pleasant Valley resident survives storm...

TBT: STILL HAVE YOUR BRAINS?

 TBT: Remember when we marched for the environment and sciences. My buddy Chris knitted this cap for me to use during the protests against dumbing us done. 

I guess enough people weren't fortunate enough to be able to wear one...

Look at what's happening to the market and who is buying stock after creating tariffs for the countries whose products we need...

TUESDAY TUNES: CAN WE TALK?

TUESDAY TUNES: Can we talk?  No matter our age we also have to work on our actions matching our words, don't you think?  Talking is a good place to start...

Tevin Campbell's CAN WE TALK?

My new charge this week is Elwood. Poor guy needs a forever home as unfortunately even as chill as he is, the other dog in the adoptee's home wasn't happy with his presence.  

Doesn't Elwood look he's saying , "Can we talk?"

FOTO FRIDAY:: YOU'VE GOT MAIL

 

FOTO FRIDAY: Can you tell this recipient is beyond excited to find this package awaiting her return from northwest Arkansas. 

Great timing had it dropped off after the rainfall. 

Yes, flowers need water but not this kind....

'Can't wait to frame her!

tUESDAY tUNES: WHAT A VIDEO: Hello Ms Johnson

tUESDAY tUNES 's video is something else too... Jack Harlow 

Hello Ms Johnson. See what you think!