FOTO FRIDAY: TASTE TESTER

 

You know every product needs a tester and sometimes they are not easy to find ... 

Well, you need an extra special non- partial  tester who can't be swayed by popular opinion. 

It may surprise you to know it's my first granddog TEDDY.

TBT: THE TUNDRA SWANS

TBT: 2010. Ever year the week before Turkey Day they start arriving and their  deafening noise is like children out on the playground... 

25,000 tundra swans stopping over en route south along the upper Misssissippi... they will usually take off when the temps dip...  each year I see them, I am in awe...

 

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: BEING THANKFUL

MIDWEEK MUSINGS this week encompasses a very emotional past 7 days. Hey, it happens to all of us, and we just have to realize it's temporary. Thankfully, we'll all eventually regain enough shuteye.

Thankfully, the Atlanta family's on the mend with hopes doctor visits'll become less and less frequent. Healing, physically and emotionally, takes time...  

As little Jacob almost made it past our seats with his PreK-3 classmates for the Thanksgiving program, he sobbed out loud and yelled, "I am just sooo tired," before collapsing into his Dad's lap. 

He did join in for the class pic. ( upper row far L) 

           Don't you love how each child has a different focus?

I am thankful to be able to also share Ms Hannah's Turkey Day school lunch before the airport run. 

Now that this Bubbe finally has the kids' schedules and locations down, and completed the 'to do' list, it's time to return to my much less hectic lifestyle.

        

                       Thankfully yours...

TUESDAY TUNES: MAKE NEW FRIENDS BUT KEEP THE OLD

TUESDAY TUNES: Some lyrics never go out of style. One of the first songs we learned in scouts as Brownies was called Make New Friends. 

New verses have been added over the years and now they even have Daisies before Brownies. One can never start too young nor be too old to make a friend.

This is a different version than I have shared before and perhaps more appropriate as I lost both a new friend and an old friend in the same week.      

MAKE NEW FRIENDS but keep the old...

          

This was a friendship since Brownies when we were 6 years old...

Kaye Phillips Miers, 71, passed away on

Sunday, November 16. She was born and

raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. She

attended Little Rock public schools and

earned her nursing degree from the

University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She

is survived by her daughter, Olivia Lea

Easterling, cousin Cathy Cooper

Anderson and her Chosen Family: Clark

Benton and his children, Jason, Kelsey

and Morgan. She was preceded in death

by her parents, Lea and Fe Phillips, her

brother, Patrick Ward Phillips, and her

husband Charles Sheppard Miers.

We have lost a masterful storyteller with a quick-witted sense of humor who seldom met a “stranger” since she was a friend to all who knew her or spent any time with her. She loved to tell stories wrapped in stories, keep everyone entertained, share jokes, and she always nailed the punchline.

Famous as the toughest one in every group, a blend of bone-headed stubbornness and relentless grit, her stubborn streak, paired with humor and heart, helped her endure seemingly years of illness and yet remain a beacon of strength and laughter for all who loved her. She was indeed one of a kind, especially for her crazy, unfiltered sense of humor.

She cherished an extended circle of lifelong friends who gathered monthly for birthday luncheon celebrations. She found a second home in the Riviera Condos, a community of friends and fellow dog lovers who meant the world to her. Her friends and the memories they created together were a constant source of joy.

She and her late husband, Shep, showed their love to family and and community in their kitchen. They churned out hundreds of home- made meals for friends, neighbors, and church members; a testament to their love and support in times of happiness and sadness. She never met a recipe she wouldn’t try, and her kitchen was a place where love, laughter, and fellowship simmered together. The meals they prepared together were not just food, but a daily celebration of their bond and the community they lifted up.

A decade-long tango with cancer never dimmed her sparkle. She was deeply grateful for the extraordinary care of doctors and nurses, whose compassion and dedication made her feel seen and supported through so many unknowns and curveballs, turning uncertainty into steady encouragement and unwavering care.

Kaye was grateful to all of the Doctors and Nurses who worked tirelessly to help her through her many health challenges. Dr. Stan Burns the best friend and doctor a girl could ask for, Dr. Rhonda Gentry and staff at CARTI, Dr. Fritz van Rhee, Erica Ajoku, APRN, Dr. Emily Newsom, and all staff at UAMS.

A service celebrating Kaye’s life will be held at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Monday, December 1 at 2:00 p.m. with a reception immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (310 W. 17th Street, Little Rock, AR 72206) and to the Society of Saint John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA (ssje.org/donate)

  

MONDAY MUSINGS: LIFE'S DIVISION STRATEGIES

 This MONDAY MUSINGS is about division. We definitely have political division issues in our country. Yet, I was faced with a different division upon my first day visit with one of my grands. It had to do with that day's homework.

It was third-grade math division homework. Have any of you done the new math lately? Her frustrated Mom had already resorted to calling another Mom, and I overheard something about a tutorial video parents could watch. As my daughter was lamenting her demise, I joined the exasperated, tired grand at the kitchen table, asking her if she would explain how she was tackling the problem. This retired educator felt if she could explain what she was doing, this division obstacle would be resolved.

Upon viewing the incorrect final answer, we needed to backtrack. There were so many boxes and lines to fill in.  She explained she had to find the closest thousand and then subtract it. To add to my confusion, to the right of the problem was a column of multiplication problems to solve."Are you supposed to fill those in before tackling the problem?"  She retorted, "I guess." 

The calvary arrived before we could go any farther. Her Dad, who deals with numbers every day, translating architectural building plans to order materials, sat down with her. Boy, was I relieved.

Is 3rd grade division really teaching us something bigger?          

Perhaps we as a nation need to reflect on using different approaches because we all need to benefit from the outcome... 

FOTO FRIDAY: MUM'S THE WORD

 

FOTO FRIDAY: Today was my Mom's birthday and I am so glad these decided to come back and show off their brilliant colors.  We had a little cold spell last week and I was worried they were zapped before bloomin'. I promise I won't tell since Mum's the word...

.Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was MORE THAN JUST WHITTLING

TBT: MORE LOSS

TBT: Yesterday continues to be a day of loss and if I ever needed a hug, today would have been it. It's been a decade since my Mom passed. As a survivor of WWII and its ugliness, always distrustful of man turning against man. 

May the goodness in all of us work hard in proving we can be better. 

     We were all together to celebrate Mother's Day in 2015.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: POLITICAL ANIMALS

I skedaddled out of town after the last Political Animals get-together at the newly remodeled main library and my mind jumped to Fall in the Midwest...

Let me digress and share with you what was an interesting dialogue from two-time Pulitzer award-winning journalist, John Archibald. Mr. Archibald has been commenting on Alabama politics in his column since 2018 and on southern politics since 1973.

He has many daily readers, and they all don't love him. He spoke of changes, of how hate has grown in this country, reflected in some of his readers' comments. Archibald's reactions are respectful. He has not only attended these same readers' funerals but has been asked by families to write eulogies for those very same souls. Imagine that!

Also, there was mention of having to dirty our hands to deflate the hate dialogue of Christian Nationalism and improve the political climate with change, and not change that worsens others' daily lives. Martin Luther King even spoke of the church becoming sick. 

So what has happened to literacy?

People aren't reading books or newspapers. Where does one find the truth? 

Mr Archibald isn't optimistic and added we need community conversations and real news, not just social media quips.

 How can one argue with that?

MONDAY MUSINGS: ADAM & ME ,.IT'S OVER- THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

MONDAY MUSINGS & TUESDAY TUNES: I had to end it... You just went overboard and it was obvious by your actions Sunday night. You knew it. 

You spent most of the concert with your back to my side of the arena. (west) And the light show was overboard... Don't think that I didn't notice...

So dear Adam. We have to call it quits. Your addition of tattoos has been extreme. You might not have to look at the ones at the back of your neck, but I do.  

I'm feeling our 25 year age difference more than ever...

 I wish you luck in your future endeavors and all your songs, specifically Sugar, and of course, thanks for the MEMORIES.  ( click and skip ad) 

FOTO FRIDAY:MORE THAN JUST WHITTLING...

FOTO FRIDAY: Someone has some pretty sharp tools. Take your time admiring the newest art by Neal Harrington, a prof at Arkansas Tech,  greeting travelers in the Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock. 

TBT:WHO MADe YOU KING OF ANYTHING?

TBT : With No Kings Day having happened, this 2012 pic reappears on my memories from one of the many Madison protests back when Walker was wreaking havoc on Wisconsin, a state founded by progressives. 

 I am flanked by some of my favorite activists.

Left to right: Linda, Sue (z'l), George, yours truly, and Maureen. This is a wealth of years of protesting injustices. 

 Yeah, we still want to know WHO made you King of Anything? As relevant today when a 700 million dollar ballroom is built with the people's money... 

BTW I lent my sign to Maureen, referring to Sara Bareilles' song 

King of Anything.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS: THAWING/ HEATING UP?.

MIDWEEK MUSINGS:  My Wisconsin stay had unusually balmy weather for late October. Although temps dropped overnight with 2 mornings and thick frost on the rental's windshields, the days warmed up to high 50's-low 60's.  

Ironically, I came home to a cold Southern abode. Hmmm? Maybe the thermostat needed new batteries -  I changed them. Alas, still no heat kicking on. The thermostat read 62. Brrrr. Throws were added on sofas, the heavy bathrobe became an extra part of my inside apparel.  

I called my heating and cooling guys first thing the next day and left a message with the answering service. A return call - Did I hear correctly?  They wouldn't be able to come for 5 days? 

After looking high and low for my little space heater, it finally dawned on me, it was up in the attic. If I pulled down the attic stairs, it'd be colder in the house. Luckily, my sister-in-law's office had an extra one.  It just moved with me room to room. Even 64 felt a lot better than 62.

Last Friday I called the heating company again to plead for an earlier visit and lo and behold, someone would come out a day earlier. That would be Tuesday afternoon. One problem.  Tuesday arrived and no call and I had class, so I left a message on the front door in case they showed up earlier. I made it home close to noon to find the note still on the door. Whew.

A couple hours passed, and still no serviceman. Yet, when I went to call the company, there was an unknown number on my phone and sure enough, it was my service call. He had just arrived at another call but he would come to me next. Halleluyah!

Boy, was I glad to see this guy even if Little Rock is expecting 74 degree temps for the next 3 days! I definitely wanted the issue fixed before winter arrives. 

A loose valve was the issue. Now it's toasty and the sweatshirt and robe can be put away and the comforters are refolded for a later date.

The serviceman did apologize for the wait but they are booked for the next 2 weeks. I inquired why they didn't hire extra bodies. He replied they'd have to lay folks off in December when business comes to a complete standstill. It's dead. 

Well, this senior homeowner is mighty happy there will be heat when chillier temps arrive. 

tUESDAY tUNES:SUNDAY MORNING

TUESDAY TUNES this week delivers Maroon 5's Sunday Morning as if she's a veteran performer in the Voice's Blind Auditions Season 27. Meet 20-year-old Grace Miller-Moody from South Carolina. 

Take a listen to her rendition of SUNDAY MORNING

Impressive, right?

SUNDAY MORNING

MONDAY MUSINGS: MAKING PEACE

 MONDAY MUSINGS: Peace comes in all forms. Today's musing wasn't what I was planning on, but it is what it is.  I received a call this weekend from a childhood friend who has been struggling with her health for a myriad of reasons. Her cancers morphed and no matter how they tried to label her health and treat symptoms, success was elusive.  

Unbeknownst to me, she had been in the hospital since earlier in the week receiving transfusions.  The goal was to raise her blood cell count, but the transfusions couldn't do enough...                                   

For most of her illnesses, she has kept her setbacks to herself but this call was different. It was to let me know that she would be returning home, and would be on hospice, sleeping a lot.  I was to let others know. Perhaps friends would like to come sit with her even if she would probably be asleep most of their visit...  

 I am truly thankful to have received her call and most of all, to know she has chosen this path of peace...  

Friends forever...