Saturday 9: Photograph (1973)

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

1) In this song, Ringo stumbles upon a photograph that reminds him of a lost love. Are there any photos displayed in the room you're in right now?  There are photos in every room of the house (except the bathrooms). Here in the living room you'll find photos of my grandparents on their wedding day, my grandfather's family, our kids' senior photos, the grandkids' school photos, a photo of our daughter holding a koala in Australia, a photo of Tim and I on a cruise, a lovely landscape our daughter took several years ago, and an assortment of my favorite photos of the grands.

2) While there are approximately 180 published songs credited to Lennon-McCartney, this is the only song written by Harrison-Starr. When you think of Ringo's old band, the Beatles, what's the first song that comes to mind?  Twist and Shout, thank you Ferris Bueller. 

 
3) George and Ringo wrote this song while on a yacht in the South of France. They, and their wives, had just attended Mick Jagger's wedding to Bianca in Saint Tropez and decided to take a little holiday together. What are your vacation plans for 2025?  We've rented a house just a little south of Erie, PA for a week in July. Our daughter and grandchildren are going with us. We'll spend time at the beach on Presque Isle, visit some family, and explore some other fun things.

 

4) At 5'8, Ringo was the shortest Beatle and the only one with blue eyes. How tall are you? What's your eye color?  I'm 5'5" and a brown-eyed girl.

5) Ringo gave his first wife, Maureen, a one-of-a-kind birthday gift. Frank Sinatra recorded "The Lady Is a Tramp" with special lyrics, written just for her. Do you have anything that's personalized? (It could be a monogram on a scarf, it doesn't have to be as cool as a gift from Frank Sinatra.)  A blogging friend wrote a book about journaling several years ago and my name appears among those she thanks on the dedication page.

6) Ringo appeared as Mr. Conductor on Thomas the Tank Engine. He recorded the narration for the entire first season in just a week. Tell us what you did last week.  Worked and made beaded stuff.

7) As a boy in Liverpool, Ringo loved watching American westerns. Do you like cowboy movies/shows?  Sometimes, but they aren't really a favorite.

 

8) In 1973, when this song was a hit, former President Lyndon Johnson died. Who was President when you were a kid?  Nixon, Ford, and Carter.

 
9) Random question: When you woke up this morning, did you know the day and date (before looking at your phone)?  Yes. I'm still a working woman so I am very aware of days and dates.

Thanks, Sam, for the music and questions!

Join the fun here.

Currently...

I am

Reading... The Christmas Tree Farm, which is book 3 in the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore.

Watching... It's Thursday so...the latest episodes of Swamp People and Swamp Mysteries.

Listening to... today at work it was a mix of 70's AM radio hits, Motown, and 90's country.

Loving... the nicer weather that is coming more and more often. Winter isn't done with us yet, I'm sure, but the past week gives me hope!

Thinking... about work. It's kind of hard not to these days. I am working my regular job, my hours with the older gentleman I care for (which just increased due to one of the other caretakers quitting without notice...and there are no plans to replace her), and I'm driving one of the short van runs for the next month or two while the regular driver is off due to a surgery.

Feeling... busy, purposeful...and maybe just a bit stressed because this Saturday is the craft show my daughter and I have been creating beaded items for.

Celebrating... nothing at the moment, but St. Patrick's Day was fun at work. This is the staff I work with every day.

Grateful... the doctor finally got back to Tim and set up an appointment to see him on the 31st. There were several concerning findings in his last round of blood work.

Enjoying... the time I've been spending with my daughter. Busy hands tend to open up the paths to good conversations.

Looking forward... to the craft show on Saturday. The hard work will be done and I can't wait to see how we do. I'm so glad my daughter has been enjoying this and hope we do well enough to keep her encouraged.

Here are a few of our most recent creations.

The weather... is cooling off again, but not back to winter cold. Our coldest days in the next week are supposed to be in the mid 40's.

Giggling at... 

Saturday 9: South Side Irish

Not familiar with this week's song? Hear it here.

 

1. This week's song was chosen because it's something of an anthem in Chicagoland around St. Patrick's Day. Can you name another song that makes you think of St. Patrick's Day or Ireland?  Danny Boy is the only one I can think of.

 

2. The Irish Choir sings that the "craic" is always best among the Windy City Irish. "Craic" is Irish for "fun" and "high spirits." Are you planning anything fun this weekend?  I'm going to a bingo fundraiser on Sunday, but that's about it. Tomorrow (Saturday) is for cleaning and laundry then my daughter and I have to get busy making more beaded items for the craft show we are going to next weekend. It will probably end up being later when I get around to visiting all of you.

3. They tell us that their fathers came over from Mayo, Cork and Donegal. Where did your ancestors hail from?  England, Scotland, and, believe it or not, Cork.

4. The lyrics mention the rivalry between Chicago's two baseball teams. As Spring Training 2025 draws to a close, how do you feel about your baseball team's chances this season?  I don't follow baseball so I don't have any feeling about it at all.

 

5. The Chicago River is dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Does your community do anything to special for the holiday?  They had their first ever St. Patrick's Day parade last Saturday. I'm guessing they did it so early because Pittsburgh has a rather large parade this weekend.

 

6. While this week's song focuses on the Irish population of Chicago, it's not the U.S. city with the highest percentage of citizens of Irish ancestry. According to the 2020 census, Boston is #1. Have you ever been to Boston?  We had a stop there when we were on a cruise in 2019. It's so beautiful and there's so much history. We barely got to see a tiny bit of it. I would like to go back again some day.

7. On Monday, which is St. Patrick's Day, do you plan to wear green?  Of course! I will also be sporting a St. Patrick's Day headband with fuzzy pompoms, clover, etc.

8. Clovers are a recognized symbol of St. Patrick's Day, and a four-leaf clover is believed to bring good luck. Have you ever seen a four-leaf clover?  I have picked and pressed a few over the years.

9. Black coffee with whiskey and whipped cream is Irish Coffee. What's your standard coffee order?  I don't drink coffee.

Thanks to Crazy Sam at the Saturday 9 for the music and questions!

Sunday Stealing: Countdown From 5

It's good to see Sunday Stealing back again. I've played along off and on for years and while the last few years it's been more "off" I do like to join in when I have the time. I wonder about our former host, Bev. I know her health was not good so I hope and pray she is okay.

COUNTDOWN FROM 5. Stolen from Kwizgiver, ca. 2011. She originally counted down from 10, but we are not that ambitious.

FIVE people who mean the world to you.

(I'll skip the obvious answer, Jesus, because he means more than the world to me, anyway.)

1. Husband

2. Daughter

3. Grandson

4. Granddaughter

5. And even though he has chosen to have nothing to do with us...my son will always be my son.

FOUR things you fear.

1. Snakes

2. Swimming in the ocean (Thanks, Jaws!)

3. Being old and alone

4. Being old and stuck in a nursing home

 

THREE words to describe how you feel right now.

1. Sick

2. Achy

3. Tired

 

TWO things you're excited about.

1. Making beaded items with my daughter and our first craft show coming up this month.

2. Actually having vacation days to use this year.

 

ONE thing you'd like to say to someone.

1. I'm retiring. Sadly, that is not to be for several years yet. I need my job for the insurance and also because at this point I have to work until I'm 67 to get my full Social Security benefits.

Blast off! 

Saturday 9: I Can Love You Like That

Well, I don't have the full-blown flu that is sweeping through my workplace, but I do have something that has me camped out in the recliner, still in my pj's. I'm achy (mostly in my back) and I have a weird wheezy cough with no congestion or runny nose. Mostly, I just don't feel like doing anything, but after a few hours of napping and reading and watching a Murder, She Wrote marathon on Hallmark I'm feeling the need to do something. Saturday 9, you are my something.

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

1) This week's song is about a girl who grew up on the fairy tale Cinderella. The online teaching platform study.com says Cinderella has been remained popular for centuries because the moral is that kindness is a virtue that will be rewarded. As an adult, do you still believe that's true?  It should be and I try to be kind to everyone, but do I think it's always rewarded? Not here on Earth. Our society has become so backwards of the morals and values I was raised to have...it seems the mean and ugly reap the rewards more often than not. Thank goodness I have the assurance of heaven and its rewards to look forward, too.

2) This girl also likes romantic movies. Think of your favorite screen couple. Did they live happily ever after?  My two favorite romantic movies are Dirty Dancing and While You Were Sleeping. They don't exactly tell us, but I assume that Johnny and Baby did not have a happily ever after beyond that one summer. Now, Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman (one of the cutest screen couples ever), their characters sailed into the happily ever after sunset.

3) While "I Can Love You Like That" was a Top Ten hit here, it reached #1 in the Canada and Zimbabwe. Could you find Zimbabwe on a globe?  I can find Africa. Zimbabwe will take a minute.

4) The members of this week's group, All-4-One, hail from Mojave, California. July and August are the hottest months in Mojave, when the afternoon temperature hovers between 87º and 97º and often climbs to 100º+. Do you thrive or melt in hot weather?  It depends on how hot it is. I'm good until the mercury gets above 87 or so. Unless it's humid. Humidity can lower my tolerance a good bit. Anyway, if it's hot/humid there'd better be AC or a swimming pool.

5) After having several hits in the 1990s, All-4-One saw their popularity wane in the new millennium. While they never disbanded – and will be touring throughout 2025 – the members have pursued separate interests. For example, co-founder Delious Kennedy started a YouTube channel featuring interviews with celebrities from the 80s and 90s. Do you spend a lot of time on YouTube? If yes, what do you watch?  I watch a podcast now and then at home, but mostly I only use it at work. We are always playing music or books or watching videos to learn about a particular topic.

6) In 1995, when this week's song was popular, Michael Jordan "unretired" and returned to the Chicago Bulls. Tell us about a decision you wish you could undo.  Giving in to my husband and son about him going off to the big city for college. I knew he wasn't ready to be on his own and sadly, I was proved right as he got involved in not so great things, made bad decisions, and ultimately rejected his entire past and everyone in it.

7) 1995 saw Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in GoldenEye. 007 was also played by Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Daniel Craig. Do you have a favorite Bond?  I grew up with Roger Moore in the role, I love Pierce Brosnan (not particularly as Bond), but Daniel Craig is, in my opinion, the perfect Bond.

8) One of McDonald's best-selling 1995 Happy Meals featured The Power Rangers. 30 years later, those Happy Meal action figures are still available on eBay. Have you recently purchased anything on eBay?  I don't think I've bought anything on there since I bought a flapper dress for our son's wedding in 2008.

9) Random question – Which compliment would please you the most: to be smart, great looking, or likeable?  Probably to be well liked.

Thanks to Sam at the Saturday 9 for the music and questions.

Play along here.

Currently

I am...

Reading... The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, book two in the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore.

Watching... nothing. The television is off tonight. I stayed up way too late last night watching the State of the Union address and the awful behavior of the Democrat portion of Congress.

Listening to... the wind.

Loving... the new curtains I ordered from Amazon that are almost a total match to the living room's area rug.

Thinking... about work and where we go from here. The new supervisor for my department, the one that's been there for maybe a month, gave her two weeks' notice on Monday. Next Friday will be her last day. 

Feeling... relaxed and content.

Celebrating... nothing at the moment.

Grateful... Our daughter and son-in-law continue to work through their problems. Our daughter has been sharing the things her friend is going through with her ex and custody. It's so ugly and the damage it is doing to the kids... So sad.

Enjoying... the sneak peeks of Spring we've been having. Yesterday we took the consumers out on the deck in the afternoon because we hit 70 degrees! 

Looking forward... to going to bed. Ha! I am getting old.

The weather... is changing its mind again. That above mentioned wind is bringing back colder weather and snow for tomorrow.

Giggling at...

Currently

I am

Reading... Book One in the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore. I stumbled across the first two books at Walmart. So far I am loving the story and the funny characters. I will be hunting up any other books in the series.

Watching... Cities of the Underworld, a Travel Channel show about secret tunnels, catacombs, and the like under the cities of the United States. I do love the weird stuff.

Listening... to Tim's snores from the bedroom.

Loving... our granddaughter's feisty spirit. This girl is going to take the world by storm.

Thinking... about the conversations I have every Tuesday with a coworker. He is young enough to be my son and he is a gay man. On the surface we don't have a lot in common, but as we spend more time together we've begun to have these deeper conversations. It's been really interesting (and often surprising) to learn his views on things. He's far more conservative that I ever would have thought and he is truly interested in my take on politics and religion. Do I see myself leading him to Christ? No, but he does listen and ask questions so seeds are being planted.

Feeling... pretty good. The major flare up of inflammation I'd been experiencing finally passed so I'm only dealing with the aches of arthritis at the moment. Plus, life is pretty good and I am content.

Celebrating... Tim saw the doctor again yesterday about being tired and out of breath. Chest x-rays ruled out pneumonia so he is being treated for bronchitis. Hopefully, this will finally kick the bug he's been fighting for weeks.

Grateful... our grandson is doing so well with his new meds and the anxiety and behaviors that had been making life miserable are very much reduced. Him being calmer and happier has made everyone else calmer and happier. Our daughter is also doing really well on her adjusted meds and with her focus on the beading projects and jigsaw puzzles rather than dwelling on the negative things in life.

Enjoying... the little bits and pieces of spring that are starting to show through the winter weather.

Looking forward... to going to the high school's production of Grease on Saturday.

The weather... is cloudy and 39 degrees. Tomorrow we will see mid-50's!

Giggling at...

Enjoy the rest of the week!