Kindly note the date of this posting

Many of the readers can remember where they were when they heard President Kennedy was shot. Where they were when the OJ verdict came down 13 years ago (they got him this time though!!!!). Some might even remember the speech by FDR, (on the radio and not the TV!), about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Even I remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard Elvis Presley had died. Baby-boomers might recall the news of the day the music died, Buddy Holly, etal. Some in my very own building remember the plane crash which took their fellow band members lives, barely surviving themselves, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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Of course, for most recent memories, the terror attacks on our nation on 9-11-01. We know where we were and what we were doing when we heard about the first plane, and then the second, and the third, and the fourth going down in the fields of PA.

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I remember something else, which, at the time, was earth-shattering and momentous to me. And, silly me, thought it was the worse possible news one could ever get............we are so simple-minded as teenagers, aren't we? Anyway, I remember exactly where I was and what I was wearing and who told me the tragic news that one of my "idols" had died. Janis was dead, at the age of 27, October 4, 1970.

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As I search my memory banks, a little Star Trek lingo there, I cannot think of any of my friends at the time who were also Janis Joplin fans. They might have gone along, endured, but don't believe they were so caught up in the idea of Janis as I was. This didn't bother me in the least, not being one to be mainstream, as it were. I love that raspy bluesy jazzy Bessy Smith delivery. Present tense. I'm listening to Janis as I write, as is my custom ever since she died. Used to make my spouse crazy having to listen to it the entire month of October---well, that might be an exaggeration about the entire month...........

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For years I'd contact my sister, Lori, or she'd call me, and remind each other of what day it was, like I'd forget........

"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy...."

Plus sunshine on my face, arms, and reflecting off the water makes me happy. Oh, what simple times we used to live in! When Dolly and I graduated from high school, we had Senior Class Night at MLHS, where we performed “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, another John Denver song. We harmonized as Dolly accompanied on guitar. When we were younger, Dolly and I would spend hours on the roof of their storage building in the back yard reading magazines and dreaming about moving to San Francisco to be rock stars and run a craft shop. Lori, my sister, dissuaded that kinda talk by spelling out just what sort of inventory is necessary to sell in a shop and I just couldn't needlepoint THAT fast!!! This little trip down memory lane was brought to you by “Sunshine on my shoulders….” You know, I don’t think it ever got cold in the summers spent with the Meineke family in Mishicot or at their cottage in Little Sturgeon. Is that selective memory or is the earth not really heating????

Dolly in 2008

Speaking of global warming (ahem, ahem) our low temperature overnight was 59 degrees above zero. Gulp! The high is expected to be 81 which is perfect for a wedding, even though the one we are attending is indoors at a Holiday Inn Express. I wonder if it still counts as a marriage if its performed at a Holiday Inn Express?!?
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Justin will be coming over here before the wedding and I might have a little job for him to do before we go. My upstairs neighbor, Nancy, is having troubles hooking up her ATT Internet and wonders if Justin can help her. I’ll ask him but can’t imagine he’d be overjoyed at doing it. Might involve some climbing under the desk, etc., and he’ll be dressed for the wedding. It can’t hurt to ask him, though. He might need the practice for when I get mine!

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I’d resigned myself to staying home last night after Brenda cancelled and just hanging out, but then I chatted with my friend who is in town. She was going to take care of some business up the road from me and if she got done in time, would come by for a bit. In the meantime, my neighbor, Pat, called and asked me to come down to her place to enjoy her porch and have a drink. Great! One of my newer pool friends, Kathy, was there, as well, and we did enjoy the breeze off the river until it got too chilly. They asked me to stay for dinner so I did, as did Nancy, who showed up later. Kathy had made a tomato pie and we had salad plus corn on the cob. I’ll go on record saying that was the most delicious ear of corn I’ve ever eaten (not being a big fan of tomatoes or salad!). I sensed a conspiracy in place!

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It was past 9:30 and, not hearing from my friend, I opted to go upstairs to watch a movie I’d recorded. For some reason the movie recorded in a digitized fashion, so was unwatchable, and in my frustration, I shut it off and came into my room. Once ready for bed, I watched “International House Hunters” before dropping off to sleep. I love that program, often people looking for homes in France, Italy, or Greece. Not too crazy for the French ones, but Italy and Greece have quite the transporting effect.

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When Justin was here the other day, I had him take down a picture from up high in the river room for disposal. Evidently when the water leaked from above my unit, it got behind that picture without our noticing. Or, it could have happened when I was in WI and they had so much rain here. One day I was sitting here and happened to glance up at the picture, and saw it had what looked like moths all over the heads of the boys. What?! I got up to look and sure enough, it was mold or mildew coming through, right in the center of the painting.

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The good news is the painting was not one of my original creations, although I do have one of those hanging below it. Instead, it was a lovely mass-produced watercolor-looking picture of two boys, different ages, sitting on a beach, backs to the viewer. Many years ago, after Timmy had died, my niece, Lisa, and a couple of her friends came to stay at our house in The Preserve. Two of the girls came from WI and one, Gloria, came from CA, all staying with us. Loved it! Gloria saw this picture at Kirklands and thought it reminded her of my two boys, and bought it for me as a “thank you” gift. I loved it, of course, not only because it was beautiful but also for the sentiment attached. I’d put a small nail in the frame and suspended a plaster sea gull to the frame which added to the dimensional look of the piece. But now, it’s in the dumpster. All that remains is a black stain on the wall, about the size of a pie. Nuts!

The top picture on the wall partially out of shot is the one which was damaged. You can't see the sea gull on the frame, but it hung on the top left hand side.