Saturday, August 31, 2013

Today At The Office

I went to work today.  I saw change.  I felt change.  I know there will be change.  It is welcomed with open arms.
 
 
 
karma [ˈkɑːmə] n
 
1. (Non-Christian Religions / Hinduism) Hinduism Buddhism the principle of retributive justice determining a person's state of life and the state of his reincarnations as the effect of his past deeds
2. (Christian Religious Writings / Theology) Theosophy the doctrine of inevitable consequence
3. destiny or fate

Friday, August 30, 2013

Hard To Say Goodbye

Saying goodbye to a coworker and friend I've worked with for the last 8 years. Tough and emotional for both of us. He told me not to cry so he wouldn't.  I tried like hell and mostly succeeded until I checked my phone after he left for good. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

"I Have a Dream" Tagxedo Word Cloud



Today marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. I used a program called Tagxedo to take just a part of the speech to make this word cloud.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Mid Air Snack

Seagull putting on the brakes to catch the cheeto the man was feeding it on the Miller Ferry to Put-In-Bay

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Finally!

Today is the day my mother moves back to Ohio after some 30 odd years. It's been 27 years since I've lived in close proximity to her! It's about time is all I have to say!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

The Folly Of Speculation

In 1985, Ebony magazine commissioned a Chicago artist named Nathan Wright to depict what he thought black stars would look like in the year 2000 for an article in the August edition. One of those young stars was Michael Jackson.  Here's Nathan's depiction:
 
 
MICHAEL JACKSON
 
"At 40, he will have aged gracefully and will have a handsome, more mature look. In number, his fans will have grown tenfold by the year 2000."
 
 
The way Michael Jackson actually looked in 2000:
 
 
 
 
 
      "There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: when he can't afford it, and when he can." - Mark Twain

Thursday, August 22, 2013

"Old Black Witch"

One of the best memories I have of my childhood is the excitement of getting to watch reel to reel movies my mother would bring home from school (along with the projector) when she was teaching in the 70s.  There were several she would bring home, but my absolute favorite was called "Winter Of The Witch."  It's based on the book "Old Black Witch" by Wende and Harry Devlin (which I also owned and read over and over).
 
 
When Nicky and his mom buy an old New England house to turn into a tearoom, they are startled to find they must share the house with its resident troublemaker, Old Black Witch. "Boo! Scat, and Ratcha Fratch!" Old Black Witch calls out to all the tearoom visitors. Zooming about on her dilapidated broom, she manages to stir up plenty of fuss and excitement. Old Black Witch and its sequels originally sold more than one and a half million copies, now the "Blueberry Pancake Witch" makes her triumphant return after nearly fifty years! Try your hand at serving her delicious blueberry pancakes using the bewitching recipe that's included on the back cover.
 
 
 
 
Bewitching Blueberry Pancakes

1 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted fat or oil
1/2 cup washed blueberries

As you stir in the blueberries (this is the magic part) say three times:

Gobble dee gook
With a wooden spoon,
The laugh of a toad
At the height of the moon!

Pour on a hot griddle and watch.

You can make things disappear just like the Old Black Witch. Put three pancakes in front of any hungry boy or girl and watch them go.
 
My mother would let me make these special blueberry pancakes occasionally on weekend mornings and of course, the best part was getting to say the magic spell.  (It worked every time)!
 

A couple of years ago I discovered the old movie on YouTube. It's not the best quality, but it brought back some really good memories watching it.  It's only about 25 min long.
 
 
 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Blue Moon, Full Sturgeon Moon, Full Red Moon, Green Corn Moon and Grain Moon

Moon on 8/20/2013
Findlay, OH


Blue moon because it's the third full moon in a season with four. (Most seasons have only three).
Full Sturgeon moon because the sturgeon fish can be caught easily this time of year. The name came from certain tribes who caught the fish in the Grest Lakes.
Full Red moon because the atmospheric and weather conditions can often make the moon look reddish during the current season.
Green Corn moon or Grain moon because crops grow tall at this time of year.

(Moon info by Clara Moskowitz - space.com)

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

A Hidden Love Message

Solve the puzzle and reveal the secret message. 
 
 
(Make your own at Discovery Education's Puzzlemaker by choosing your secret message and your list of searchable words).
 
 
N R O A N C E Y N O T F R E U 
F O E H T A G O V E E E O N R 
L R I S E T I N A R N R M A U 
R N I T P T A E I N D V A M O 
D E T E A E S C O N E O N O M 
E O L R N U C I H L R R C R A 
O R O I O D T T V M N A E E P 
E D I R S A S A Y O E U E D A 
A W O M L H I H F L S N L Y S 
H M A U D V E L I N S E T A S 
A R D O R A R N E P I D T O I 
L A N O I T C E F F A I V E O 
D E V O T I O N O I T O M E N 
C I T O R E I C H E R I S H J 
L S M F A I T H F U L U L S O 

 
ADMIRE
ADORATION
ADULATION
AFFECTION
AMOROUS
AMOUR
ARDOR
ATTACHMENT
CHERISH
DEVOTION
EMOTION
ENAMORED
EROTIC
FAITHFUL
FERVOR
FRIENDSHIP
INFATUATION
PASSION
RELISH
RESPECT
ROMANCE
TENDERNESS
YEARNING

SOLUTION

_ _ _ _   _ _ _   _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _   _ _ _ _ , 

_ _ _  _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _  _ _ _ _ .

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial, Put-In-Bay, OH

The Perry Memorial was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie during the war of 1812 and to celebrate peace between Canada, Britian and the U.S. The Doric column rises 352 feet over Lake Erie and is situated 5 miles from the longest undefended border.


Put-In-Bay
August 17


Sunday, August 18, 2013

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Christina Bianco - "Divas' Total Eclipse Of The Heart"

Christina Bianco, vocal impressionist, really impresses with her 19 diva impressions singing "Total Eclipse Of The Heart," live at 54 Below. Amazing and hilarious...

 
 

Monday, August 12, 2013

My Adorable Grandson

 
Aiden's first day of voluntary prekindergarten.
He looks like he's in for a happy day.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

A Frog At Home


This new found friend has made himself quite at home the last couple of weeks around and in the pool. He's cute, but a pain in the ass nevertheless.  I guess I should try to come up with a name for this newest club member of 45 Pines, but for now I will just keep calling him Get The Hell Out Of The Pool...

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Neon Purple Nails

May I present Miss Sophie with the neon purple nails.
(You're a sweet dog Miss Sophie for putting up with our antics). 



Thursday, August 1, 2013

Perception can often be more influential than reality.

-BC