Saturday 9: Little Woman

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions. Answer the questions and link up with The Gal Herself right here.

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?

Cloudy all day the past two days! We had rain Thursday night and a little rain Friday. Very nice and cool weather which put me in the mood for making chili and thinking it might be Fall after all. Here is my Fall pic with Jeb!

2) Bobby Sherman sings that when he's alone, he imagines his "Little Woman" is right there beside him. Do you often daydream?

Sometimes I daydream about events from the past. I guess thinking about memories counts as daydreams? Days like this from a September long ago. We were moving from San Antonio to the Dallas area and looking for a house to buy with not too much time to find one. I loved this house and it was home for 30 years. Lots of memories there and I remember daydreaming to myself the first day we moved in how I believed I would love living there. My daydream came true. It was a wonderful home and many friends were made over those years.

The car in front was a 1972 Chevrolet station wagon. This was 1973 and you can  tell that by the colors and the wallpaper in the kitchen and breakfast area. You probably can also tell by the pantsuit I'm wearing.

Looks quite different now. I hope whoever lives here enjoys it as much as I did.

The crape myrtles we planted were beautiful in the Summer and Fall.

3) Bobby had a very bright smile. Do you ever use whiteners on your teeth?

I have in the past. My last experience was not so good as I filled the trays up too much and burned my gums. Ouch!

4) He was beloved for his shiny hair. If we were to peek in your bathroom, how many haircare products would we find?

Way too many! Unfortunately, I believe what they say their product will do.

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?

I keep a few little containers of applesauce for the kids or to use in baking sometimes. I don't care for canned fruit.

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)? No.

7) In 1966, Bobby did this rather energetic commercial for milk. Do you often enjoy a glass of milk?

Yes indeed if it's icy cold and accompanied by a fresh out of the oven cookie, brownie or cake. We keep mugs in the freezer especially for icy cold drinks and always have to sing, "Put it in a frosty mug for me, put it in a frosty mug. Glug, glug, glug, Glug, glug, glug, put it in a frosty mug!" The grandkids love their milk in a frosty mug and singing that song with Grandpa.

Notice the mug says "Frost Before Serving."

(Fill it up to the cow's ears for the kids!)

8) When his show business career waned, he became a paramedic. Have you ever called 911?

Yes. Once when I thought someone was trying to break in and another time I thought I heard gunshots, but it was fireworks from the baseball game a few miles away. Ooops!

9) Random Question: Which book do you think you could learn more from -- The Joy of Sex or The Joy of Cooking?

I think the Joy of Cooking. 

Friday Foto Friends

Friday Foto Friends!

Any guesses what this might be?

It is a tree stump with mushrooms growing on it!!

Pretty! 

This was taken by Amy's mom, Cindy.

One of my Facebook buddies suggested posting pics of flowers because we are being inundated with so much these days on Facebook that is negative. 

We finally made the decision to adopt Annie officially and I have been taking her along on my morning walks. She loves it and I wonder whether her previous owner lived in an apartment because in the mornings, she won't go in the back yard. She expects me to take her out the front door. I won't go out until it's light, but she does patiently wait. Annie's reward is a nice long walk. My reward for continuing in my walks is getting to see some glorious sunrises most every day. (I thought my reward would be to lose a few pounds, but that isn't happening. I wonder if the ice cream habit before bedtime could be the problem?)

Annie also follows me around the house 

and when she isn't on my heels or at my feet, this is her favorite place.

Watching for me as I pull into the driveway! This is what Trudy always did and as soon as I open the garage door, she is there! Such a sweet dog.

I have been looking for a good location to have our family picture made next weekend. This is going to be the spot and I am hoping and praying for everybody to be well and the weather to be nice. Our photographer is a friend who has won many awards for her photos and she is such a delight I just know everything will go well. 

We are going to have the kids pose in one of the unusual trees there.

photo credit

Here is a sample of my friend's work for Fall.

Happy Friday and I would love to see some of those Fall colors.

My Pet Hodgepodge

Hodgepodge Fun!

1. What pets did you have while growing up?

My dad often tried to introduce us to pets, but sadly, my sister and I weren't crazy about dogs and also, the dogs had to stay outside, so that was no way to get to know them. In hindsight, I feel so badly for the pets.

Such a cute little dog.

When my brother came along, our uncle gave us one of his show dog boxers named Whiz. He was a beautiful and very good dog ... especially protective of my little brother. It wasn't until I was married that I discovered how much I love dogs and each one has been very special to me.

Tell us a little something about them.

Max and Liesl were my first dogs. They went everywhere with us, including camping vacations and visits to relatives. Those two were such a pair and had two adorable litters of puppies and I got to witness Liesl give birth to them. Our vet recommended Max as a stud, but every attempt was a failure as Max wasn't interested in any other female dachshund but Liesl. His eyes popped out only for Liesl and, well, you can imagine the rest! Haha!

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

No matter the topic, it seems I can never whittle it down to just one. I MUST get to Bible Study Fellowship this morning and after that I MUST explore parks in the area to find a good setting for family portrait next week. Then I MUST get my new dog Annie to the boarders to have them test her out for personality and getting along with other dogs!

3. Where were you ten years ago?

Ten years ago I was still working for a ministry.

What were you doing there?

I had moved out to the location where my boss did her writing and was I ever blessed to be in that beautiful home. It sat on a bluff overlooking an amazing view of the lake and there were dense woods surrounding three sides of the house. My job at that time was to research illustration material and facts. I also read the material she had written searching for appropriate, relevant Scriptures to weave throughout the material. I typed and typed and read and re-read until my eyes were ready to pop out. The people I worked with were a joy and great encouragement to me as I learned daily from the Word and her teachings.

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? Have you ever made homemade dumplings of any kind?

I did not know about this National Dumpling Day. I've never made dumplings of any kind, but maybe it's time to learn. Today is not that day. I love chicken and dumplings.  But thinking about chicken and dumplings triggered a craving for chicken pot pie for dinner last night. Oh my goodness, it was delish!!

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?

I like to find an adventure if it isn't too scary. My best friend and I used to go on adventures - not intentionally, but any time you went with or did something with her, it turned out to be an adventure (or catastrophe!) Same with my DH.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

It's about Noah again. He's so sweet and says cute things. His soccer team got new uniforms and Sara told him she thought they were cute. He said, "Mommmmm, they're not supposed to be cute! They're supposed to be menacing!"

And here he is all spiffied up for a memorial service this past Saturday.

It was both boys first time to attend a memorial service and Sara said it was an especially meaningful one as several people shared their memories about the young man who had passed. I remember my first funeral service at the age of five and the impact it had on me due to the hysterical weeping of some people as they said good-bye to their friend, my great-grandmother A little scary. My parents never shied from taking us to funerals as death is a part of life. I rejoice at the services of those whom we know have gone to be with Jesus. The saddest funeral I ever attended was that of a professed atheist. 

Saturday 9 Da Doo Ron Ron

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions! You can link up your answers with The Gal Herself right here.

Saturday 9: Da Doo Ron Ron (1977)

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

1) This song begins by stating that he met her on a Monday and his heart stood still. How did your past week start? It may be a lot to expect you to report that you met someone who made your heart stand still, but did anything noteworthy occur?

Not really. We had a routine visit at the doctor's office and the only noteworthy thing was we were there 2 1/2 hours due to having to wait. We don't mind too much because our doctor spends so much time with each patient and we appreciate that. It just might be better if they scheduled her patients further apart. One thing I did find interesting about this visit was the new forms which had to be completed due to their computer changeover. We had to initial that if we were 15 minutes late, they would have to reschedule! What? I really wanted to say something, but I didn't. We are never late, but that seems unfair!

2) While making hit records, Shaun Cassidy also starred as Joe Hardy on the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books have been popular with generations of American kids. Were you a fan?

I liked Nancy Drew books. I only had two, but I read both several times. I liked the books, but it was hard to identify with Nancy since she was older than me, apparently wealthy, and had a convertible!

3) Shaun went to Beverly Hills High School. Over the decades, BHHS has had many good footballs teams. Do you remember what sports your school excelled at?

My class of 67 was the best in the history of our school excelling in football, baseball, basketball and wrestling. Our class had the best athletes!

4) Shaun followed his older half-brother, David Cassidy, into TV/records/teen stardom. Do you have siblings? If yes, what career paths did they follow?

My brother is a CPA and Senior VP of a large bank. My sister recently retired from customer service with an insurance company. They are both good at what they do.

5) His middle name is Paul, after his maternal grandfather. Tell us something about one of your grandparents.

My grandad was a city boy whose mother was an evangelist. As an adult, he moved his family to live the country life in another state. He lost his leg in a mowing accident and went back to business school to prepare for a new career, which he did and moved his family back to the city.

Grandad had a "peg leg" until he was able to get an artificial limb years later. We grandkids loved to drop pennies in the artificial limb which had a hole in the side for some reason unknown to me!! It is incredible to me to do the math and see my Granny and Grandad in this photo are in their 40's!! The older lady is Grandad's mother.

6) Shaun's mother, actress Shirley Jones, reports that he was more than 3 weeks late and born by Cesarean. Have you heard family legends about your arrival into the world?

I was born in a garage apartment on my grandparents' property. My Dad, my mother's parents and her grandmother were present for the birthing. The doctor wanted to give my mother something to help with the pain, but my great-grandmother insisted it was good for her to experience! Say what??? Poor Mama. Actually, my Dad overrode my great-grandmother's orders and thankfully, permitted the doctor to help Mama with the pain in delivering this 10 pound baby girl!

This pic is of my Mom's family in front of the garage apartment where I was born. She and Daddy are the couple on the right and she was pregnant with me when this was taken. I wonder if she knew she would give birth to me in that building!

7) "Da Doo Ron Ron" was originally recorded by The Crystals. Can you think of another song that has been a hit by more than one artist?

Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You, sung by her and Whitney Houston and probably others as well.

8) In 1977, when this version of "Da Doo Ron Ron" was popular, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporated Apple. Are you Mac or Android? Mac

9) Random Question: You're exhausted. You collapse into bed and are about to drift into slumber when you hear the drip-drip-drip of the bathroom faucet. Would you kick off the covers and go turn it off? Or would you stay in bed, letting it drip until morning?

I would get up since it would be impossible to go to sleep with the incessant dripping.

Friday Foto Friends

Friday Foto Friends

Grandson Noah sent the pic of this sunset to me. He knows how much I love a beautiful sunset. I also have to share a quick story about him. His mom had a severe headache this week and had to take to her bed with it. The next morning she felt better and announced to the family she was feeling better and commented casually she was feeling better, and maybe a little sarcastically that no one had bothered to ask how she was feeling. Noah told her he had said a prayer for her while he was taking a shower. He said that he had "spare time in the shower" so he was able to say a prayer for her. Haha!! So cute. 

On the soccer fields

Noah and Brady are good sons!

(Palin is a sweet dog!)

And ... speaking of dogs!

We have been missing our Trudy.

Oh look! There is something new in our home these days. Is it the rug? No, I think it is a sweet dog named Annie who has come to stay. She has brought sweet love with her!

Linking up today with Deb at Breathing in Grace for Friday Foto Friends.

Just My Imagination!

Heaven

photo credit

Our Ladies of Grace group is studying the book on Heaven by Randy Alcorn. An assignment from  our leader was to draw or color our idea of what Heaven is like. Since I don't draw anything but stick figures, puffy clouds, little houses, flowers, trees, I will have to write my imaginations of heaven and even that won't be enough because, as one hymn says, "could we with ink the oceans fill and were the skies of parchment made," there isn't enough paper or crayons to describe my mind's eye picture of heaven, nor do I have the eloquence of speech to tell it.

I see first of all Jesus ... my dear Savior at the very center of all who've been redeemed. We encircle Him with clasped hands and arms raised, in perfect unity as He prayed for, yet perfect uniqueness as He created us - one with Him, engulfed in love. 

The rainbow is over Him, the Light, brilliant light of the glory of God in Christ Jesus. Joy permeates the air -- all are infused with the fullness of love, peace and purity in our fellowship - the glory of God resting upon each beautiful face, hearts made blameless and pure reveling in complete satisfaction - no comparisons, a heavenly language understood by all as unraveled mysteries of God are disclosed and the secret things revealed. 

There's no paper or canvas large enough to capture the imagination of what Heaven will be and certainly not big enough to capture the reality of the indescribable beauty. 

Heaven is like Him - in that it is too wonderful right now for comprehension and beyond our understanding. 

Just as no one can look at the face of God without being blinded, falling at His feet - so we cannot imagine until we are there abiding in Him in our dwelling place - eating at His table - shouts of joy and victory resounding in the dwelling places of the righteous. 

It will be a place where every longing I ever had, longings I never even knew I had, will be fulfilled because Jesus is there. It will be full of my very favorite things - mountains, trees, gorgeous flowers, beautiful waters, streams clear and sparkling, lush ferns and exotic plants, soft thick grass to walk on without pesky insects such as chiggers, the sounds of children laughing, people rejoicing, birds singing, everything in its perfection to delight and thrill. The sound of His voice, the touch of His hand, His embrace to those who responded to His invitation to His table:

 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. ... What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What festivities await us inside your holy Temple. ... In that day [we] will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." ... How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. ... “At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.” ‭ "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city."

Revelation 3:20 (NASB); Psalm 65:4 (NLT); Isaiah 25:9 (NIV); Psalm 36:7-9 (NIV); 1 Timothy‬ ‭6:15-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬: Revelation 22:14 (NIV)

Connie

50 years!

This past weekend was the 50th reunion for my high school class. It was a fun time -- maybe somewhat maybe a lot boring for DH. But I'm glad we went and happy he is such a good sport. I really don't have a lot to say about the pictures. What I enjoyed most about the entire weekend was the ladies' luncheon on Saturday and the opportunities I had to visit with a few old friends. 

We survived it!

Still young at heart

The organizers after the weekend is done!

Turn out the lights! The party's over!

What great memories and how wonderful to see all the old familiar faces again after 50 years - although some I have seen at three of the past reunions. Still ... what matters more to me are the memories I've shared and the faces of those I have lived with and loved over the past 50 years. So many people weave in and out of our lives. One day there will be an eternity to spend with our loved ones. We will never run out of time to share together our tales of the goodness God has shown to us in our life on this earth!

And another exciting release of information (which we already knew, but couldn't share) there will be another addition to their little family.

A Hodgepodge for all Seasons

Bible Study Fellowship begins today for me and this year we are studying the Book of Romans. It will be a great study and if you are interested, check out a study near you at https://www.bsfinternational.org/.

Hodgepodge Fun!

1. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Sometimes. Elaborate. Sometimes it just creates more questions.

2. Have you ever driven any part of the Pacific Coast Highway? If so what was your favorite stop? If not, is this sort of trip on your bucket list?

It has been on my wish list for the past few years. Many years ago I did the planning for my boss to take a trip there and ever since, I have longed to go. It just hasn’t happened.

3. How do the changing seasons affect you?

The cooler temperatures in the Fall give promise to many delightful things that follow, such as the changing of the colors of nature around us, a feeling of refreshment from the heat of summer, a more routine structure and the holidays.

 

A trip to the Arboretum with these dear ladies.

Leaves!!!

I also find that Spring brings promises of a different sort, everything coming back to life, enjoying that gentle caress of a Springtime breeze, summertime and vacations to look forward to, but along with that, wondering if I will be able to take the heat.

As the seasons change do you find yourself looking more forward or backward?

I think in the Fall, I remember the past events and the joy it brought, and it makes me a little melancholy. Now it comes with some confusion and some disappointment when things don't meet with expectations. There is relief that comes when it all works out anyway. (This entire answer about feelings has probably left you confused.)

Which season-season transition bothers you most?

Fall to winter.Why do you suppose that is?

Probably some of the disappointments mentioned above, but working hard on focusing on what really matters.

4. It's your birthday and you get to pick the dinner menu. What are we having?
Either pot roast with all the trimmings or a Farmer Brown supper of Pinto beans with cornbread, fried potatoes and onions, fresh tomatoes, (cottage cheese and ketchup are special additions to the Farmer Brown supper.)

Do you ever lie about your age?

No, it wouldn't change anything. When I was 18, I did borrow a friend’s ID to order a drink in a club where our office staff went for lunch. The waitress was a little too smart for me. When she looked at the ID I gave her, she asked me to tell her what year I was born! Haha!! Our Oklahoma driver’s license back then had no photo on them.

5. What's a life lesson you've learned recently?

What I learned about love and forgiveness from the pearl.

When I have trouble with something someone has said to offend, irritate or hurt me, I always have to refer to what the Bible teaches about forgiveness, and 1 Corinthians 13. The other day as I was reading, I learned something new about the oyster and the pearl. Maybe you paid more attention to how that works. But I had missed something about the process of how the pearl is formed. I read:

"A hurtful particle intrudes itself into its shell, and this vexes and grieves it. It cannot eject the evil, and what does it do but cover it with a precious substance extracted out of its own life, by which it turns the intruder into a pearl."

Now somehow before I had missed that the oyster extracts a substance out of its own life. And what I saw in that is that the Holy Spirit has shed abroad the love of God into my heart. God is love. And so if my heart is full of the love of the God, when I am hurt or offended or irritated in some way, I can extract that love inside of me to cover whatever the provocation. Love covers a multitude of sins and now, when hurt or offense comes, rather than letting it remain and fester, I can make a pearl. I remind myself I'm "making a pearl."

And the more I thought about it, I realize that's what Jesus did at the cross. All the rejection and hatred against Him, He being God, being Love itself, extracted that love from His heart to cover our sins.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This weekend is my 50th high school reunion. I am excited about it and a little nervous at the same time. Crossing my fingers and hoping for a memorable time with old friends. 1967 seems like only yesterday and yet, it's so long past. Wow. 50 years. It went by in a flash. Lots of water under the bridge. So many clichés and ways to say, yikes! I never really believed I would be this old! I gives thanks to God for keeping watch care over me all these years. He has been good. He has been faithful.

A Pink Saturday Recap

Me and my shadow on the trail today!

Unlike so many other places, right now we are enjoying beautiful weather.

Some of the sunflowers are still holding up.

Most of the others are a little bedraggled.

First neighbor with the pumpkins out!

Another neighbor really gets the orange on. I love this fire bush.

We were FREEZING the other night at the Olive Garden.

Fortunately, Alice had two sweaters in their car for DH and me.

I thought he looked kinda cute in her sweater.

Bill is probably one of the smartest guys I know! Really!  He speaks way above the rest of us when it comes to science and here he is explaining with the coffee cup why the evolutionists can't explain the lower strata. (Or something like that!)

Senior moments are getting to be the norm around here for both of us. After breakfast, DH took his plate to the kitchen sink and says, "What are these eggs for?"  I had forgotten to put them on his plate!!!!

A friend of mine from Oregon posted this pic from

the local TV station. I love it because I love firefighters

and they are heroes in my book!

This weekend is Patriot's Day at our church and the military, veterans, police officers, firefighters and first responders will be honored. It is always a great service and our pastor's goal in this service is for the next generation to see the people who serve be honored and respected. My heart is always full of pride and gratitude for those who have served. The replica of the Viet Nam memorial and desert boots representing Texans who gave their all are on display in our church parking lot.

All gave some, but some gave all.

Linking up today with Bev at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday.