8th Night of Hanukkah

1. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.

2. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.

For 8th night a bit of history and a really different recipe you might want to try:

Malawach, Yemenite Bread

Yemen is located on the southernmost tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The first Jews were sent to Yemen during the time of King Solomon. They sailed the length of the Red Sea to Yemen to find gold and silver for the Temple in Jerusalem. The Hebrew preserved by this community is said to be the most authentic articulation of Biblical Hebrew. The majority of the Jewish community of Yemen was flown to Israel in the summer of 1949 on Operation Magic Carpet. With them came malawach, now a staple in Israel.

This recipe is from Sephardic Cooking by Copeland Marks

• 4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups water, or enough to make a soft dough
• 1/4 pound margarine, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

Mix everything except the margarine together, knead a bit for smoothness. Then let the dough rest, covered, for 3 hours. Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Flatten out one piece to about 6 inches in diameter. Incorporate about 2 teaspoons of margarine into the dough circle, pushing and kneading it in but maintaining the circle. Cut a line open from the center of the circle to the outside edge. Take one end and roll it around counterclockwise into a ball. Flatten out the dough to about 10 inches in diameter to make a pancake that is not more than 1/4 inch thick. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Fry the pancake until brown and crisp, for about 5 minutes on each side.

From: The Cyber Kitchen.

Serve the malawach hot, straight out of the pan, with the tomato-schug dipping sauce.

Tomato dipping sauce with Schug (spicy pesto)

• 1 cup tomato puree
• 2 bunches cilantro
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 Serrano peppers or 4 Thai red chili peppers, stemmed
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Cut and discard the visible, leafless stems from the cilantro and parsley. Wash and pat dry. Place the cilantro and parsley in a blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend at low speed, stopping often to smash down the ingredients as they combine. Turn up speed and blend thoroughly. Mix one teaspoon (or more to taste) of schug into one cup of tomato puree.

Traditions

7th Night Of Hanukkah


The flicker of these lights echo the flame of our souls.

Searching. Hoping. Longing to find their place in the world as children of the Most High.
A G-d who promises us redemption through miracle and prayer, seeking and knowing.
He is our guidance who dispels the darkness and opens caverns of hope and salvation to our minds, eyes and hearts.

On this Festival of Lights, this miracle of days, we rekindle the Hanukkah flame in search not only of what has already come, but for the steps we have yet to journey.
And we do so as did our ancestors: in truth.

Praise be to our G-d the Heavenly One who spins the world into adventure, and us into its illuminated song.

Amen.


BOXING DAY


Boxing Day is celebrated in most countries of the British Commonwealth.  Exactly why - Well who knows, it's a tradition.  The two best guesses trace the origins to the Carol "Good King Wenceslaus"  According to the Carol he went out on The Feast of Stephen (December 26) to distribute charity.  This became an day for charity with the encouragement of the Church of England.  The alternate version is that this day was when the nobility provided a celebration for their employees complete with the distribution of presents (boxes) - A sort of company Christmas Party and bonus.


Which is true, probably neither or both.  Either way.  It's a tradition.





Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

"Hither, page, and stand by me
If thou know'st it, telling
Yonder peasant, who is he?
Where and what his dwelling?"
"Sire, he lives a good league hence
Underneath the mountain
Right against the forest fence
By Saint Agnes' fountain."

"Bring me bread and bring me wine
Bring me pine logs hither
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear him thither."
Page and monarch forth they went
Forth they went together
Through the rude wind's wild lament
And the bitter weather

In his master's steps he trod
Where the snow lay dinted
Heat was in the very sod
Which the Saint had printed
Therefore, Christian men, be sure
Wealth or rank possessing
Ye who now will bless the poor
Shall yourselves find blessing

Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gath'ring winter fuel

6th Night

Nun, gimel, heh, and shin,
See the wooden dreidel spin.
Nes gadol hayah shin,
If I'm lucky I will win!

I play with my new dreidel 
upon the shiny floor.
I ask some friends to play with me-
we must have two or more.

I give the players pennies-
the same amount to each. 
We sit down in a circle,
the pennies within reach.
Each player puts a penny 
in the proper spot.
The middle of the circle 
is what we call the pot.

Next I take the dreidel 
and spin it round and round.
Which letter does it land on?
What fortune have I found?

I read the letter facing up-
it tells me how to play.
The letters are in Hebrew,
and here is what they say.

Nun means I do nothing-
I neither give nor take.
Heh means I take half the pot-
what a lucky break!

Gimel means I take it all.
It looks as if I'll win!
But I must put a penny back 
when it lands on shin.

We go around the circle-
it's lots and lots of fun,
till one has all the pennies.
Then the game is done!

Nun, gimel, heh, and shin,
See the wooden dreidel spin.
Nes gadol hayah sham,
If I'm lucky I will win!

A Visit From St. Nicholas

5 On Friday - Chanukah Edition

Five on Friday is a delightful meme invented by our friend Travis of Trav's Thoughts.  To participate, click the link, sign in and go forth to share your selections for the week.

This week's Five on Friday just happens to fall on the Fifth Day of Chanukah.  The first song is my favorite Chanukah song courtesy of Peter, Paul, and Mary.  Then four samples of Klezmer music which is one of strains of music plus jazz that was woven into the music that became the Great American Songbook.

4th Night

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us by his commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukah.


Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, 
Who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

Sufganiyot

A well-known bakery in Jerusalem produces over 200,000 of these each day during the month leading up to Chanukah.

• 2 packages yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 or 5 cups. flour
• 3 egg yolks

• Jelly of your choice for filling
• Powdered Sugar

Mix water, sugar, juice, and yeast. Let stand 10 minutes. Melt margarine and add to yeast mixture. Beat in eggs and salt. Add flour, mixing and kneading by hand to form a soft dough. Let rise 1-1/2 hours. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick and cut circles (approximately 2 inches). Let circles rise 1/2 hour.

Deep fry at 400° F about 3 minutes, turning once. Pipe in jelly and roll in powdered sugar.

Third Night

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us by his commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukah.

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, 
Who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

BRISKET

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons garlic salt
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons celery seed
• 5 pounds beef brisket

Directions

1. Combine liquid smoke, Worcestershire, garlic salt, onion and celery seed in small bowl. Place brisket in shallow non-metal dish, fatty side down. Pour marinade over meat; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
3. Remove meat from marinade and place in an ovenproof pan. Roast, fatty side up, 5 hours, until tender.

Second Night

Baruch ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam
asher kideshanu be-mitzvotav, ve-tzivanu le-hadlik
ner shel Hanukah.

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us by his commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukah.

Baruch ata Adonai, Elohenu melech ha-olam
she-asa nisim la-avotenu ba-yamim ha-hem
ba-zeman ha-zeh.

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe,
Who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

Applesauce Noodle Kugel

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package wide egg noodles
1 cup reduced fat margarine
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 (16 ounce) jar applesauce
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain.
In a large bowl, mix together margarine, sour cream, egg substitute, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and applesauce. Stir in noodles and raisins.
Spread graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the noodle mixture over the crumbs. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
Bake 45 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. Cover with foil if it browns too quickly.

First Night

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us by his commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukah.

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe,
Who wrought miracles for our fathers in days of old, at this season.

Blessed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe,
Who has kept us alive, and has preserved us,
and enabled us to reach this season.

5 On Friday - Brand New Edition

Our good friend Travis invented this meme. To join in, hop on over to Trav's Thoughts for an explanation, sign in and share your musical selections for the week.

This week's 5 On Friday was a progression so this post got pushed a week out of time and you get two Fridays in the same week. There are weeks that I wish had 8 days or the same day twice. Sometimes in history it is feast and others it is famine.  This day in history is definitely in the feast class of music possibilities.  On December 16, 1893 Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony" premiered in New York City.  A mere 84 years later on the same date, set in the same city, the premier of Saturday Night Fever made stars out of The Bee Gees and John Travolta.





Full Symphony Orchestra and movements 2 through 4 are available on You Tube



Unusual ukelele version of the hymn "Going Home" taken froms the New World Symphony theme.

5 On Friday - Travel Progression

Travis has issued the following request for this week's Five on Friday. To join in, click on the link and sign in before sharing your progression with the world.

Remember this? Volume 3 was way back in April. I started thinking about doing another one to celebrate the end of the year. And wouldn't you know, Cherie suggested it in comments last Friday!

In case you don't remember what I'm talking about, the basic idea is to start with a song and then let something about the song...a lyric, the artist, the way the record was produced, etc...lead you to the next track. And keep following that progression until you have a 5 song Set.
When we did this back in April, I gave you the first song. This time around, I'll give you three possible avenues to take in building your Set. Ready?
This one is "easy". Just come up with whatever strikes your fancy.
Define 2011 with a progression that reflects how your year went.
Set the stage for what you expect in 2012.
What do you think? Are you up for it?

Let's set the date to post our progressions for 16 Dec. That gives everyone three weeks to get organized and decide on a Set. Then it's your choice whether to post the explanation of your progression with your Set, or post it later and give us all a chance to interpret it.
I hope you play along. And if you've never tried this fun way to enjoy music, this might be a good way to introduce yourself to it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As a small child, this was my favorite song.



March is my birthday month.  You will have to wait until next year for the story of why this video goes with that fact and why this far away place is the setting for  my favorite movie.



After attending 21 schools in many cities, I finally graduated from high school the year that the next song became a hit.




Now another "travlin' man", my son Christopher, got a promotion and as a result he has been traveling for one to two weeks out of every month this year from one side of the US to the other.  As a result instead of traveling everywhere, I've been stuck in place as grandmother in charge at home.





Almost to the New Year and I really need to hit the road!!!

5 On Friday - I Am Woman

Our good friend Travis invented this meme. To join in, hop on over to Trav's Thoughts for an explanation, sign in and share your musical selections for the week.

Dec 9, 1972: "I Am Woman" by Helen Reddy tops the U.S. pop charts.  This group of songs is dedicated to some of the powerful women Singers.  There were way too many possible selections (I changed my mind over and over), so feel free to nominate even more great ladies.





Helen Reddy



Sarah McLachlan



Billy Holiday



KD Lang & Melissa Etheridge



Emmylou Harris

The Tortoise and The Hair

Another good story from Philosophy Works


This is the version of the story that we've all grown up with.

1. Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. The tortoise and hare both agreed on a route and started the race. The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he would sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race. He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.

The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race.

2. But the story doesn't end here. It continues.

The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.

This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.

The moral of the story? Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady. If you have two people in your organization, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organizational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap.

It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.

3. But the story doesn't end here. The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realized that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. The tortoise and hare started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of miles on the other side of the river.

The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race.

The moral of the story? First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.

In an organization, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you.

If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The story still hasn't ended.

4. The tortoise and hare, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better. So the tortoise and hare decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.

They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. Both the tortoise and hare felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.

The moral of the story? It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you'll do poorly and someone else does well.

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

There are more lessons to be learned from this inspirational teamwork story.

Note that neither the tortoise and hare gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure.

The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could. In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.

The tortoise and hare also learned another vital lesson in teamwork. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

To sum up, the story of the hare and tortoise teaches us many things. Chief among them are that fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady; work to your competencies; pooling resources and working as a team will always beat individual performers; never give up when faced with failure; and finally, compete against the situation, not against a rival.



Author Uknown

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The Season Begins

5 On Friday - Turn Up The Heat

Our good friend Travis invented this meme.  To join in, hop on over to Trav's Thoughts for an explanation, sign in and share your musical selections for the week.

It's been cold and rainy in the northwest so I thought it would be a good time to create a little heat.
Find a partner and let the "dirty" dancing begin

World AIDS Day

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is about raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important for reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 34 million people living with HIV. During 2010 some 2.7 million people became newly infected with the virus, including an estimated 390,000 children. Despite a significant decline in the estimated number of AIDS-related deaths over the last five years, there were still an estimated 1.8 million AIDS-related deaths in 2010.¹

The vast majority of people with HIV and AIDS live in low- and middle-income countries. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents.

Requiem

SEAN HOLTON

November 29, 2011

“The path is one which we must all tread: why, then, mourn his death? He is not lost, but gone before.  Seneca The Younger”

For those who have been following Sean's blog Same Time Tomorrow, Sean's journey with brain cancer came to an end today.  He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, knew of him, or just read his wonderful words.  He was a man of humor, dignity, generosity, and intelligence.  The world is a little darker today, but you are all invited to the wake.  Bring your own Jamesons.

Home Is the Sailor

Home is the sailor, home from sea:
Her far-borne canvas furled
The ship pours shining on the quay
The plunder of the world.

Home is the hunter from the hill:
Fast in the boundless snare
All flesh lies taken at his will
And every fowl of air.

'Tis evening on the moorland free,
The starlit wave is still:
Home is the sailor from the sea,
The hunter from the hill.

A. E. Houseman

From Sean laying upon his hospice bed: Thanks to all who have left so many encouraging messages of support on my wall during the past couple of weeks. Your support has meant the world to me as I shrivel up in a state of near nothingness each afternoon watching cooking shows and storing my bodily waste in pickle jars and waiting for these damn Mormons to finish my blood transfusion so I can watch Ice Station Zebra one more time -- (with apologies to Howard Hughes).

5 On Friday - Discovery Edition

Supposedly this is Black Friday, but I refuse to go anywhere near a store when in recovery mode from the great American pig out.  Instead I will introduce you to a musician I discovered recently totally by accident.  His short life was sad, but his music was remarkable and influenced many of our most popular musicians.  You can read all about him here:  NICK DRAKE

To participate in this wonderful meme created by our friend Trav of Trav's Thoughts, simply sign in on his site and go forth and share your own music choices for the day.



Please give me a second grace
Please give me a second face
I've fallen far down
The first time around
Now I just sit on the ground in your way

Now if it's time to recompense for what's done
Come, come sit down on the fence in the sun
And the clouds will roll by
And we'll never deny
It's really too hard for to fly.

Please tell me your second name
Please play me your second game
I've fallen so far
For the people you are
I just need your star for a day.

So come, come ride in my my street-car by the bay
For now I must know how fine you are in your way
And the sea sure as I
But she won't need to cry
For it's really too hard for to fly.







Elton John playing Nick Drake's Way to Blue



Elton John playing Nick Drake's Way to Honesty

Thankful For The Simple Gifts

"May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy have never a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize, and may your

Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!"

PEACE LOVE & JOY TO ALL

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Let the Holiday Season Begin

If you have never heard a full production of "The Tender Land", you might want to check out the other arias on You Tube. For a description of this opera by composer Aaron Copeland created due to a commission from Rodgers and Hammerstein, check out the Wiki

5 On Friday - Piano Man

Our buddy Travis of Trav's Thoughts has invented this delightful meme. To join in simply click on the link, sign in and go forth and share your musical selections for the week.

A mere 33 years ago, Billy Joel had his first number one album with "52nd Street" on November 18, 1978.  Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of any of the songs on the album so I had to go hunting for Billy Joel songs that I did like.  As Travis would say, "My blog.  I can do what I want!"  :-)

Because I like history and this one is literally my life story:  We Didn't Start The Fire




You want to ask me out on a date? Irresistible: A Broadway musical or a Piano bar. I love a good piano bar, and I adore men who can play a piano.



Find me a dance floor: It's still Rock and Roll



A love song for a city that I really want to see



Saving the best for last. Billy Joel's music. Twyla Tharp's choreography. The 2003 Tony's featuring the music and dancers of "Movin' Out"

Once Upon A Time

Several decades ago I was a Republican.  This information will startle many, but when they started losing their minds, I left that side of the aisle.  They are still severely in need of white coats that buckle in the back, but I thought people might enjoy a blast from the past when I was really angry with Jerry Brown over the busing issue.  As a single, working mother, I didn't want the state carting my kids all over creation at a huge cost while forcing them to breath freeway effluvia a couple of hours a day.  Since I had access to an opinion column of a weekly paper in the San Fernando Valley, the following piece published in 1979 was the result and might be fun now that I am rooting for the former Governor to wallop Meg Whitman and become Governor again.  While re-reading it, I realized that absolutely nothing has changed in 31 years except that Linda Ronstadt and I have gotten a lot older, but at least she can still sing and I can still write.

Jerry Brown...bringing up the rear!

The recent gubernatorial elections have placed Jerry Brown in the politically enviable position of being as liberal or conservative as he wishes by the simple expediency of leaving town which avoiding the honor of being ridden out on a rail.

It would seem that with the prospect of the Presidency in the offing that the Governor has taken a cue from previous aspirants for that office and chosen to be viable without the necessity of fulfilling his present office in such a way as to draw neither praise nor criticism.

In our current society there are few who would begrudge Mr. Brown a vacation at his own expense or deny him the comfort and companionship of Miss Ronstadt, nor even accuse him of having gone from potential pontiff to peripatetic profligate all in one lifetime. But the question must arise as to how one governs a state in absentia, only returning long enough to rescind any Lieutenant Gubernatorial decisions he feels cast him in a politically ambiguous position with his party's hierarchy.

The degree of public participation in the elective process has been most noticeable recently by its absence. While apathy is not a laudable virtue, it can be understood if not condoned by the fact that we have been cozened once too often by empty slogans followed by little or no action. The citizens faith in our politicians can best be restored by those in office making their attitudes known on all issues and then making those attitudes available to the populace for acceptance or rejection.

Slogans are fine for sixty second television ads, but they have no place in the actual process of governing. It is time for hard practical decisions not double talk. When one is elected to lead, leadership is expected. Most particularly when it means choosing sides and making definite statements of position. At a time when several issues are coming to a head in our state from the curtailment of government spending and waste in the wake of Proposition 13 to one aspect of the methods by which all the children of the state may best be served by our educational system, it is improper for the Governor of that state to go from cant to recant.

The whole basis of our government is an informed and active populace. Ad campaigns do not inform. Buzz words and catch phrases coined by well paid PR men and speechwriters do not encourage the involvement of the electorate. It is a time for those elected to office and those who placed them in that position to assume their mutual responsibilities.

Jerry Brown can best demonstrate his ability to perform the duties of any elective office by having the courage to call a special election on the issues of government spending and forced busing which are now ready for the public's decision. If he feels this would tarnish his image, he could at least have the grace to leave town long enough for Mike Curb to do the job properly, and then Jerry can return and once more lead the way by bringing up the rear.

Catchy jingles may sell soap - once. They can even sell politicians - once. But unless the image is backed up by action, both the soap and the politician will go down the drain.

Owl Owls and More Owls

Too Many Choices

Today’s Rant: Would Amazon and Apple please merge or at least sinfully cohabit. Amazon has Kindle Fire. Apple has IPAD. Kindle has exclusive magazine contracts and books. Apple has I-Tunes (more than a 1000 that I have already bought). At some point if not now (I don’t know) I-Pad will make telephone calls. Both have games and videos. Does anybody talk to anybody else without standing on your head and twiddling your thumbs at the same time? … of course not. That would make people happy.

All I want is ONE thing that will let me read, write, listen, and call the few people who are still talking to me. Is that too much to ask?

Eletelephony


Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant—
No! no! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone—
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I've got it right.)
Howe'er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee—
(I fear I'd better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)

5 On Friday - A Country Farewell

(1945 - 2011)

A Special version of Five on Friday for the meme invented by Travis of Travs Thoughts.  To join in simply click on the link, sign in and go forth and share your musical selections for the week.


Last Sunday I received the sad news of the loss of a lady that I only knew from on line, but whom I considered both a friend and kindred spirit.  This 5 on Friday is dedicated to Patsi Bale Cox.  Her career in life was the "As Told To" writer for many celebrities, most of them the ladies of Country.  So here for Patsi is a musical farewell from the ladies whose stories she told with links to the books she wrote.




Tanya Tucker - Nickle Dreams



Loretta Lynn - Still Woman Enough



Wynona Judd - Coming Home to Myself



Pat Benatar - Between a Heart and a Rock Place




Georgette Jones - The Three of Us

Patsi didn't neglect the men either.  Here are some of them:

Garth Brooks - The Garth Factor

Ralph Emery - 50 Years Down A Country Road

Tony Orlando - Halfway to Paradise

Dona Nobis Pacem -

As many are aware every Friday is 5 on Friday. A Chance to share music with each other started by Travis of Trav's Thoughts. This year Friday falls on the date set for the annual DONA NOBIS PACEM the Blog Blast for Peace started several years ago by Mimi Lenox also lovingly known as Queen Mimi of Bloggingham Castle.

Because of her actions, thousands of people in 55 countries now devote one day each year to these three simple words: GRANT US PEACE (Dona Nobis Pacem) and dedicate themselves to encouraging peaceful actions within and among the countries of this blue globe we all share.

Therefor, this week's 5 on Friday are songs of peace.  I hope you enjoy the music and heed the words.

By Royal Decree of Queen Mimi the return and command performance by 

Bear 339 and the Bear A Tones

All We Are Saying

Is Give Peace A Chance