Actors

~Gig Young~
Suicide at 64

~Richard Long~
Heart Attack at 47

Their eyebrows are shaped differently.  One has a rounder nose than the other.  Their hair is similar as their mouths are.  Different chins.  Both had brown eyes.  Close to the same height.  Both married more than once.  Both drank.

TEACHER'S PET WITH GIG YOUNG,
DORIS DAY AND CLARK GABLE

When I watched an old 1958 movie TEACHER'S PET with Doris Day and Clark Gable in it, Gig Young had a great part in it as a brilliant author.  He reminded me of the television actor on the Big Valley, Richard Long who played one of the sons. 

GIG IN THE MOVIE ARENA

LONG ON FAR LEFT IN THE BIG VALLEY

They resemble.  Think they could have been brothers.  They weren't, but they could pass as related.  It doesn't really matter.  This is a little do-nothing blog and sometimes I like to find people who resemble one another.

Who do you resemble?    

Have a nice day,

d

Green Turquoise Birthday

Coming into this world weighing 7 pounds 14 oz. at about 7:40 in the morning on July 14th was a hot mess.  This morning I was up and going before "I was born...." still a hot mess.

JUST A PRETTY CAKE

Woke up early.  Had my cup of coffee and made plans for my BIRTHDAY.  July 14th is my special day of celebrating 62 years of life on planet earth.  Husband took time off so we could spend the day together.  HAVE TO LET this number soak into my bean...62. That's old enough to know better.  What am I going to do to make a difference where difference needs done?  

Had a great day with my best friend and all went well.

HOT today.  Birthday greetings on the phone and in person. My Dear Husband gave me a beautiful birthday card with cash so I could buy some turquoise.  I have wanted some turquoise jewelry for awhile and this would be the day.

McDonald's Breakfast and a trip to get my Driver's License renewed with a different address at the Court House. From there it was off to go looking for jewelry.  

https://www.facebook.com/PaxicoLongbranch/

Off to the little town of Paxico to get an old fashioned hamburger, but LONGBRANCH was closed.  Didn't see that one coming.  Disappointed, but not Off.  Change of plans have to take place.  No other place to eat indoors in this little town so we'll go to the next tiny town and eat....if the place is open.  PUFFY's.

Thought that it would be better to eat first before shopping.  Eating in the small town of Maple Hill crossed our minds.
  

We dropped in where PUFFY's used to be and boy were we shocked at the upscale restaurant that was there.  NextGen's Chop House.

https://www.facebook.com/nextgenschophouse/

We've ate at Puffy's many times, but didn't recognize the interior of this eating establishment as it had changed drastically with contemporary design to enhance one's eating experience.  It was a whole new world.  Very nice surprise for an old Lady.  We had a STEAK meal in a pleasant environment.

OFF to shop.
RETURNING to Paxico.

                         https://www.facebook.com/Mill-Creek-Antiques-169140773098366/

Pleasant shopping experience at Paxico.  I left with a very nice green turquoise ring on my finger.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to meeeeeee.  

The heat was hard to take.   The heat makes you a HOT MESS and keeps you a HOT MESS, but we went ahead making our way to WAMEGO's THRIFT SHOP,  a gift store, the SONIC for a FREE Cherry Limeade.  Ready for a nap and time to cool off.   A little television, a movie or two and the day ended with Pizza bits and iced-tea.

I had a very nice day for my BIRTHDAY.  
62 years old and LIFE continues.   My turquoise collection started on this day.  Will be studying up on this colorful gemstone.  You CAN teach an old LADY some newer things.  Why wait.  BE A HOT MESS. 

Started at HOME, went to Alma, Paxico, Maple Hill, Paxico, Wamego then HOME.  Small towns.

May you have a good LIFE and let it be a HAPPY one that is satisfying,
d

The Music Man "Seventy-Six Trombones" (finale) + lyrics link

                                            

PRAISE THE LORD!  I have made progress.  It has been a very long process of going through boxes, polishing curio cabinets that will be used for dishes instead of curios, digging out the Blue Willow dishes, placing them just so-so in the cabinets, etc.

I think I am on round 5 of peeking into a box to see if there is any Blue Willow in there.  The empty boxes and bubble wrap are piling up.  I moved the walnut buffet from one side of the Dining room to the wall that it will stay up against.  That was a great feeling to see it along the wall I want it to stay at.  The curio cabinets are positioned where they will live.

I had hoped to have already cleared out all the boxes that were in the Dining room this past week-end, but didn't make it.  Things are taking longer than I thought they would.  Deep breath and carry on.

Today, I worked at going through more boxes.  Missed out on doing laundry.  Whah.  Think I will do laundry later.  I've been placing glass pieces and some crystal on top of the buffet and table.  They sparkle.  Wish I were done, but am making progress.

It's decision making time.  Am I going to KEEP all the glassware or what?  I'm 61 and I'm not sure if I NEED to KEEP so much glassware.  The Blue Willow is in the cabinets and I've taken pictures for inventory.  Soon a mirror will be hung above the buffet.

More paperwork to do and I think I am a tad bit cranky.  Nerves...thyroid issues...not sure.  My attitude needs an adjustment.  I know what it is....birthday in a few days.  62 is near.  62.  I started thinking of the tune in THE MUSIC MAN.  Had the number of trombones off, but read that the movie was made in 1962.  A great year.  62!

As I watched this trailer, it made me SMILE.  

Now I'll have to watch the movie.

BLESSINGS to you this HOT 'OLE DAY,

d

 THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ARE HERE.

When I lived in Manhattan, stores would have outdoor sales

with awesome bargains.  
Many times while I was standing at the sales tables 
looking at the goodies available to buy, 

I could feel the sweat running down my back.

No comfort in the shade.

Air Conditioning was the answer.

Today, I was thanking God for air conditioning.

So hot outside made doing errands difficult.

As soon as the inside of the car started to cool off

I'd go ahhhhhh.

It took me by surprise of what the phase 

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER was based off of.

I hadn't wondered where this wording had come from.

SO I looked the wording up and found out that 

DOG DAYS  OF SUMMER

comes from....

dog days

• Word Origin 

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

plural noun

1.

the sultry part of the summer, supposed to occur during the period that Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun: nowoften reckoned from July 3 to August 11.

2.

a period marked by lethargy, inactivity, or indolence. 

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/dog-days

May you be able to stay cool enough 

in this heat,

d

HOT Summer Days

AS A CHILD it was rare if we were given money to purchase ice cream treats from a traveling vendor.  RARE.   The musical calling card would be heard playing a tinkling tune to let those near by know the truck would stop for all that gave correct change.

The guy that would drive slowly down the street near the Middle School while kids were walking home had a red hot business.   Not sure if there were city ordinances about this way back when, but all is fair in a small Town during HOT WEATHER.  It didn't matter if the vendor drove his truck down a public road or not, he'd simply stop the vehicle wherever and deal with the young customers hungry after the very long drawn out school hours.

AT HOME Mom would allow us on a few occasions to run outside to holler at the vendor to stop...we wanted a treat.  WE HAD MONEY.  We'd find ice cream in a carton in the freezer, but that wasn't the same.  This guy always had brightly colored items individually wrapped for his customers.  It was custom designed to make us smile.  

During the SUMMER months, we'd go to Dairy Queen as a family or the local Ice-Cream Store where I'd always get sherbet.  What a treat to eyeball the different flavors of frozen gooey inside the glass covered display case.  I remember the short heavy set woman working behind the counter eager to dish up what we requested.

It's been years, but these are memories that I recall and hold dear as they were happy ones.  Our dog Happy would be fed her own ice cream cone as my Mom would hold it for her as it disappeared with each lick.  We'd sit in the car enjoying this refreshment.  It seems just like it were yesterday.  More like half a century ago.  

Trips to the Dairy Queen, walking inside of the local ICE-CREAM SHOP and running as fast as we could to stop the Ice-Cream Vendor as he polluted the air with musical tinkling surrounding his vehicle.

SUMMER TIME WHEN THE LIVING IS EASY,
d

Beautiful Entertaining

Wonderful week-end to you,

d

Living Proof In Shower Styler/Over 60 Beauty

                                             

Hello Blogland Buddies.

Summer heat is going to my head.

  

A  few days ago I discovered Melissa55 

on the internet.  

A 60ish Wife, Mom and Grandma.  

Every once in a while, I get hooked on videos and become a fan.  

Stay cool.  Stay sweet.

SUMMER Blessings,

d

Middle Of The Week

As I sit in my Husband overstuffed chair this evening, the tireds settled over me.  I am tired.  Had a full day rising early, folded towels and shuffled the linen closet.  Had my cup of coffee while looking over the bills.  

Polishing two curio cabinets with beveled glass fronts and glass shelves, I got my cardio work-out right at HOME.  Sweating as I rubbed the glass smudge-free over and over.  Glass cleaner, soft paper towels with old lady power did the trick.  They sparkle.  

Looking good and are ready for dishes and crystals.  Didn't think I'd ever see them again after the fire.  Really thought they were too far gone to save, but I was wrong.  Kind of like when Jesus gets a hold of someone awful and turns them into someone that shines. 

This week I hope to dig out of the boxes my china that has been boxed up for over 8 months.  It will be wonderful to place the dishes in the cabinets.  I don't have my bowed-front china cabinet back yet, so I decided putting my china in the cabinets and when the china cabinet returns, all the glassware will go in that.  It will be a few more weeks before the other furniture arrives.   

As the morning wore on, I waited for Lil Miss to come by.  Made some phone calls, looked over the bills and made a hair appointment.  Measured the floor for where some sofas hopefully will go when they arrive later this SUMMER.  Scrubbed a sink, tidied in the Kitchen and made some Christmas-themed coffee in July.  Sugar Cookie and Peppermint Coffee.     

Lil Miss had a doctor's appointment this morning and will spend the rest of the day with me.  She was eager to chat about her new doctor and how funny he was.  Having a sense of humor is good medicine.

We had a McDonald's sandwich for Lunch, stopped off at the Library, went to the Dollar Store, took a drive to Alta Vista where a wonderful Hair Dresser works magic with my thyroid hair.  The ride over was a hot one as my car does not like the heat and wouldn't cool properly.  Windows down and hair a mess we walked into the salon where it was comfortable to be.  

Within an hour my hair was washed, trimmed and styled.  Lil Miss told me that I looked YOUNGER!  haha.  I needed that as my birthday is next week and I will be older than dirt.  We had a lively conversation knowing that my dear Husband had said he'd fix spaghetti for supper.  He has been ready to use the kitchen.  We are still in our boxes.  Slowly we are making headway, but the Kitchen is still a mess.  

Car ran better on the way home across the Flint Hills.  Smiles.  The air was working just like that.  Cooler.  The heat hit 91 today with the humidity high making it hotter than comfortable. 

AS promised Supper was cooking by the chef himself when we arrived HOME.   I sat in front of the fan and Lil Miss colored in her new coloring books.  

We had a delicious meal together and chatted about LIFE,
d     

My Friend Joan

Joan no longer lives here as she and her husband sold this lovely rock house before they took off to sail the ocean blues.  Joan would become ill while on their adventure and become very frail with cancer.  She died before I knew it and didn't attend her funeral.  She's been gone a few years.  

She would open her HOME for Bible Studies and share her faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.  Always a sweet lady and helpful. 

I came across this picture on the internet advertising a new business in her old house.  Sure brought back memories.

 JOAN'S KITCHEN

I miss my friend Joan, but am so glad I knew her.

LIFE goes on and we must as well.

d

Colorado Memories

When the skies are overcast with grey and the outdoor temps are in the 70s, memories come to mind  of my childhood family vacations that were spent in the Colorado mountains.  It's pleasant to be able to recall those SUMMER days when I was a child.  

Remember.

Mom and Dad loved Colorado in August.  We'd sleep in a green tent on the hard ground in our bedrolls.  As the morning hours arrived it would be overly cold.  Bundling up in a heap of shivering, my little body shook to stay warm.  It would be so cold in the early morning hours.  Felt more like WINTER.  

We'd shiver until Dad built a fire for us to warm up as we stood around the flame with hands outstretched.  So many times, the smoke would burn my eyes.  Moving to the other side of the fire pit was required.  Mom would serve up her HOME-MADE hot chocolate made from the powdered mixture she had fixed especially for our FAMILY VACATION.  

Mom had wanted to relocate to Colorado.  We never did, but she sure wanted to. Mountains.  Fishing.  Chilled air.  

Dad loved to fish in the rippling stream waters.  I wasn't fond of fishing.  The worms weren't my cup of tea.  I'd play with pinecones that there were in abundance with no shortage of them.  Little towns made out of pinecones.  No need to clean up these little towns.  They'd be left behind for others to find.
  
As a grown woman, I have only returned to Colorado a few times.  
Never to camp,
d    

It was never like this.

If it had been, I might have gone CAMPING once again.

SOLUTION

From an older post.  Hello.
A Sunday snippet.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST:
Don't be fooled by the saying that 40 is the new 20.  It isn't true.  40 is 40 and 20 is 20.  As I've aged and thought a lot about what should have been done differently in life, I have come to the conclusion that it is always best to do things right the first time verses having to labor at cleaning up a mess when working at getting on the right track.  It seems like there are times during the clean up that the resistance one faces is like trying to raise one's head up while riding a roller coaster and the force makes it very difficult to do that as the chin is now somehow stuck to the chest.
With God's help, guidance and grace...difficult things can become doable.  I know in my heart that doing things God's way is the best way.  The way to get Blessed is by doing things God way.

If you wake up one morning and see that your destructive habits and actions have ruined your life by having done so much wrong, being remorseful turning to God with a contrite heart and asking HIM for forgiveness in godly sorrow and guidance on how to fix this thing will be a strong place to begin the clean-up.

BLESSINGS,
d

June Bugs In May

June Bugs came out in the month of May.  June Bugs in May, Lightning Bugs in June then Locust buzzing in the background.  Birds singing their native tongue to tunes they know by heart.  By God's design.  

Just like that the month of June became JULY.  Vanishing before me like a Kansas sunset behind the clouds on the horizon.  I couldn't hold onto the month if I had tried.  Quickly disappearing.  Every day was full of activities.   So busy. 

June had many pleasant SPRING DAYS with cooler temps early on then heating up as SUMMER ARRIVED.  The rains were welcomed but not the thunder storms with strong winds.  Tornadoes are the worst. 

MOVING is a big ordeal to me.  This move is very different to some from years ago.  Each move has to be dealt with the best way we can handle them.  One day at a time.  Every item must be handled.  Just get a dumpster and throw everything away?  No.  Not so.  As we go through all the boxes we will set things aside that are no longer needed in our Estate. 


THIS 4th of July will be one that I cannot ignore as we have our HOLIDAY of INDEPENDENCE to think on things far greater than just another SUMMER DAY.  
Independence is victory over oppression from tyrants.  

Still have to guard our freedoms 

which requires sacrifice. 

     
Families will have get togethers and Family Reunions with Bar-b-ques galore. FIRECRACKERS will be set off and watched by many admiring their glittering glory that lights up the dark skies with a host of displays that declare our independence from across the pond Royalty.  

HOT temps in the air will be cooled by distracting our attentions elsewhere looking upward toward the skies ablaze with brilliant sparkles.  Sparks.  Besides Summer's sweltering heat will be booming sounds of man-made thunder ringing out to remind us that freedom isn't free.  Echoing that INDEPENDENCE came.

Will it be allowed to stay?

Many people have laid their lives down so we can call to remembrance their great sacrifice through the years not just with the military personnel, but also with those desiring to make a go of it in this country being their home allowed to live a better way.  

ALL rolled into one HOLIDAY is Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Independence Day where we can talk freely about our pursuits of happiness and liberties to keep alive to live by.  Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to be able to work at the things we desire.  Represented in the government and law making.     

Our RED, WHITE and BLUE Holiday will also be involved with taking care of details busy with polishing the inside of two curio cabinets that were returned to us this past week.  They were in the fire and taken away to be refinished in Kansas City.  

8 months later I am filling them with crystal and Blue Willow dishes.  Need to take a before and after pic.  Husband wants to clear out an area by the Carriage House to plant Day Lilies and Irises we brought with us.  Hostas will go else where in the shade.  We have already worked hard at moving on after the fire molested our home life.  This move continues to teach me a great deal about what it takes to setting up a place to live and getting settled into a new community.  We're going on 43 years of marriage this August and it feels like we're trying to squeeze 43 years of living into a time warp of three months.  It can't be done.  It has to be a new way of living.... a different way.  A new norm. 
         

JUNE REVIEW:   

JUNE passed by faster than I ever imagined.
With loading over 650 boxes into a moving truck to unloading them into our new home I wore out needing a vacation that I didn't get.  FEELING the burn in my old body.

A Church Pew was made available in the Dining room so I could sit and rest in front of a fan to cool off as I went through so many boxes.

A house full of boxes to shuffle throughout.  Where to begin comes to mind.  It already began.  Keep on keeping on.  We continued sorting through fire recovery boxes, carrying boxes into the proper rooms, packing more items from the COTTAGE to bring to our new home across the county line.  Utilities set up.  Toilet paper in the bathrooms.  COFFEE MAKER up and running.  Fridge filling up with goodies.  

Set up our mattress and boxsprings in our Master Bedroom.  Sleeping in comfort.  Made huge progress on fire recovery.  Hung some curtain rods and curtains.  Emptied many boxes.  Continued to wash smokies and recover even more of sentimental items that I am not ready to part with.  They may not mean a thing to anyone else, but they do to me.  I count.    

THE HIGHLIGHT of JUNE wasn't just getting into a different house filled with boxes of our things, but was wood furniture returned to us.  Could not believe how nice the pieces turned out.  Gedminas and Sons out of Kansas City did state of the art gorgeous work.  After all was unloaded into the house, I stared at the furniture in disbelief that they are here in mint condition.  I am in disbelief that furniture can look so good.  Un.be.lievable.

I will sing high praises for these people.

They are very skilled at what they do and it really shows.  

http://gedminasfurniture.com

Thunder storms are wicked here in Kansas and we've had a few.  Much rain in time to wet down the grounds before the Fourth of July.  Our oldest Son turned 42 and a Granddaughter had her tonsils taken out.  Creature comforts are beginning to appear in our new place.  Television is hooked up in the Living room.  The lawn had a cut.  JUNE has come and gone.

JULY HOPEFULS.  NOT NECESSARILY IN THIS ORDER. 
Wishful thinking for JULY....I will turn 62 on the 14th.  
Hope to eat cake.  
Insides of drawers and cabinets all sanitized.   
Clothes in closets and clothing neatly folded in dresser drawers.    
Kitchen up and going with all the makings.  
All the boxes out of the Living room.
The Dining room turned into my BLUE WILLOW Dining room.
The Dining room dishes out of boxes and displayed just so-so.    
The book shelves organized.
Family photos grouped.  
A couple of mattresses and box springs ordered.  
The Master Bedroom bed assembled with newly refinished headboard, sides and foot boards.  
Curtain rods and curtains hung in the other bedrooms.
Flowers planted about the Carriage House and along the fence.
Storage Unit emptied.

  


HOT DOGS and BAKED BEANS are on the menu along with  WATERMELON, POTATO CHIPS and Ice Cream with toppings on the side. 
    

Will July quickly fly by as FAST as June did?  Probably.  THIS Summer will be devoted to getting better settled.  

Aiming for Autumn,

d