Small Talk: Out of Genoa

[Capricasix]

Ooh, Starsky! They have the most delicious sweets counter...

[Cupid Stunt]

2 hours ago, pearlite said:

Aha, ruggies! Just bought some cream cheese* for the cookie batter. And then thumbprints--discussions on what to fill them with will ensue--seedless raspberry jam here.

I have just eaten the first borscht of the season [the slightly sweet and vinegar kind, mit dill and sour cream]; we hit Starsky, the greatest European supermarket in the GTA. The fridge doesn't want to close--gravlax, debreziners, more things made out of cabbage than I want to count, strudel, caraway rye, Russian carrot salad, actual eating cream cheese* [not Philadelphia, the stuff for cookie dough--the real stuff], raw dills, Russian pierogies, cabbage & mushroom pierogies, at least five kinds of cheese, huge oranges... And so on.

This portends an evening of lying down. Another seasonal tradition.

WANT!

<drooling> 

[OhioSongbird]

Man...I loves me some Christmas cookies.  My SIL bakes an assortment every year....at least 10 kinds.

And I really like fruitcake.  It's always a holiday joke but I like it!  My Mamaw used to make her own and it was soooooo good.  We kids got the PG version of course but the grown-ups got the brandy and/or rum soaked ones.

[Petunia13]

 @jewel21 and I hope Steve feels better soon ❤️💕 he deserves the best of everything and I am sorry family shit is piling on what is already stressful AF right now w him, work and your own health. 

I love this fun size dude who has the makeup and hair game of David Bowie & personality the size of a building and I know his mom fights every day for him and all those in her orbit. Sending good thoughts and vibes 

[jewel21]

8 hours ago, Petunia13 said:

 @jewel21 and I hope Steve feels better soon ❤️💕 he deserves the best of everything and I am sorry family shit is piling on what is already stressful AF right now w him, work and your own health. 

I love this fun size dude who has the makeup and hair game of David Bowie & personality the size of a building and I know his mom fights every day for him and all those in her orbit. Sending good thoughts and vibes 

Aww, thanks so much, Petunia <3 He seemed a bit better yesterday. Not flying or singing, but playing with his toys and he stayed on top of his cage most of the day. I still think one of his nails is bothering him so I'm looking forward to having them clipped on Saturday. And hopefully there's nothing more serious going on. I'm going to have the vet check  his breathing too because gramps had the downstairs bathroom re-tiled and didn't tell me and there was a lot of fine dust in the house. I keep my door closed and had a towel under the door and Steve has an air purifier right next to him, but he had aspergillosis in the past and it can come back and that always worries me...

How are you and your little guy doing?

[valleycliffe]

petunia 13, hows about a work update.  is everything going well for you at the new store?

anyone stealing your lunch?

jewel 21, glad steve is feeling better..

[Cupid Stunt]

Grammy award-winning singer Nancy Wilson, whose hits ranged from R&B to jazz and funk, died at age 81 on Thursday after a long illness. Wilson, who came to fame as a torch singer in the 1960s, called herself a “song stylist” and resisted labeling as a jazz singer for most of her career since she could cross many genres. Jazz, blues, pop and even funk. She did it all. She was one of those rare vocalists who could do it all and effortlessly. Wilson, who retired from touring in 2011, died after a long illness at her home in Pioneertown, a California desert community near Joshua Tree National Park.

Influenced by Dinah Washington, Nat “King” Cole and other stars, Wilson covered everything from jazz standards to “Little Green Apples” and in the 1960s alone released eight albums that reached the top 20 on Billboard’s pop charts. Sometimes elegant and understated, or quick and conversational and a little naughty, she was best known for such songs as her breakthrough “Guess Who I Saw Today” and the 1964 hit ”(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am,” which drew upon Broadway, pop and jazz. She resisted being identified with a single category, especially jazz, and referred to herself as a “song stylist.”

“The music that I sing today was the pop music of the 1960s,” she told The San Francisco Chronicle in 2010. “I just never considered myself a jazz singer. I do not do runs and — you know. I take a lyric and make it mine. I consider myself an interpreter of the lyric.”

Wilson’s dozens of albums included a celebrated collaboration with Cannonball Adderley, “Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley,” a small group setting which understandably could be called jazz; “Broadway — My Way”; “Lush Life”; and “The Nancy Wilson Show!” a best-selling concert recording. “How Glad I Am” brought her a Grammy in 1965 for best R&B performance, and she later won Grammys for best jazz vocal album in 2005 for the intimate “R.S.V.P (Rare Songs, Very Personal)” and in 2007 for “Turned to Blue,” a showcase for the relaxed, confident swing she mastered later in life. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded her a “Jazz Masters Fellowship” in 2004 for lifetime achievement. Wilson also had a busy acting career on television, film and radio announcer, her credits including “Hawaii Five-O,” ″Police Story,” the Robert Townsend spoof “Meteor Man” and years hosting NPR’s “Jazz Profiles” series. Active in the civil rights movement, including the Selma march of 1965, she received an NAACP Image Award in 1998.

Wilson was married twice — to drummer Kenny Dennis, whom she divorced in 1970; and to Wiley Burton, who died in 2008. She had three children.

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio, the eldest of six children of an iron foundry worker and a maid, Wilson sang in church as a girl and by age 4 had decided on her profession. She was in high school when she won a talent contest sponsored by a local TV station and was given her own program. After briefly attending Central State College, she toured Ohio with the Rusty Bryant’s Carolyn Club Big Band and met such jazz artists as Adderley, who encouraged her to move to New York. She soon had a regular gig at The Blue Morocco, and got in touch with Adderley’s manager, John Levy. “He set up a session to record a demo,” Wilson later observed during an interview for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “Ray Bryant and I went in and recorded ‘Guess Who I Saw Today,’ ‘Sometimes I’m Happy,’ and two other songs. We sent them to Capitol and within five days the phone rang. Within six weeks I had all the things I wanted.” Her first album, “Like in Love!”, came out in 1959, and she had her greatest commercial success over the following decade despite contending at times with the latest sounds. Gamely, she covered Beatles songs (“And I Love Her” became “And I Love Him”), Stevie Wonder’s “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” and “Son of a Preacher Man,” on which she strained to mimic Aretha Franklin’s fiery gospel style. She was so outside the contemporary music scene an interviewer once stumped her by asking about Cream, the million-selling rock trio featuring Eric Clapton. “It took me years to know what that question was about. Remember, I was constantly working or I was traveling to perform. The ’60s for me were about work,” she told JazzWax in 2010.

In the 1970s and after, she continued to record regularly and perform worldwide, at home in nightclubs, concert halls and open-air settings, singing at jazz festivals from Newport to Tokyo. She officially stopped touring with a show at Ohio University in September 2011, but had been thinking of stepping back for years. When she turned 70, in 2007, she was guest of honor at a Carnegie Hall gala. The show ended with Wilson performing such favorites as “Never, Never Will I Marry,” ″I Can’t Make You Love Me” and the Gershwin classic “How Long Has This Been Going On?”

“After 55 years of doing what I do professionally, I have a right to ask how long? I’m trying to retire, people,” she said with a laugh before leaving the stage to a standing ovation.

In accordance with Wilson’s wishes, there will be no funeral service, a family statement said. A celebration of her life will be held most likely in February, the month of her birth. 

She is survived by her son, Kacy Dennis; daughters Samantha Burton and Sheryl Burton; sisters Karen Davis and Brenda Vann and five grandchildren.

NPR's 'Jazz Profiles' documentary series profiling the legends and legacy of jazz. Hosted by singer Nancy Wilson.

[Cupid Stunt]

Devin Lima, whose pop band LFO released the hit “Summer Girls” in 1999, has died following a yearlong battle with cancer at the age of 41, November 21, 2018,

“It is with a truly broken heart that that I confirm that Harold ‘Devin’ Lima passed away early this morning after a valiant battle with cancer,” LFO’s Brad Fischetti said in a statement to CNN. “Devin, as the world knows him, was an extraordinary talent, a doting father to his six children and a loving partner to their mother. He was a beloved son and brother and a friend to so many. On behalf of the LFO family, thank you for the tremendous outpouring of love from friends, family, fans, media and those in the music industry.

“A few days before he passed away, he said to me, ‘Bro, when it’s over, just tell them I disappeared,'” Fischetti adds. “My friends – Harold ‘Devin’ Lima has disappeared.”

In October 2017, Fischetti revealed that Lima had been diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer and he underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his adrenal gland, CNN reported.

“I wish we had better news to share,” Fischetti said at the time. “It’s devastating news but at the same time, there’s nobody I know stronger than Devin Lima. No one has a stronger body, mind or soul and if anybody can defeat this, it’s Devin.”

Lima’s death comes eight years after LFO lead singer Rich Cronin died at the age of 36 after a lengthy battle with leukemia. LFO disbanded following Cronin’s death in 2010, but Fischetti and Lima reunited as a duo in 2017.

The Massachusetts trio – LFO was short for Lyte Funky Ones – scored a hit in 1999 with their “Summer Girls,” an ode to Abercrombie & Fitch-wearing girls that reached Number Three on the Billboard Hot 100 and was named one of Rolling Stone‘s 50 Greatest Boy Bands Songs of All Time. LFO’s follow-up single “Girl on TV,” with its Jennifer Love Hewitt-starring video, peaked at Number 10 on the Hot 100. The trio’s self-titled debut album also went platinum in the U.S.

 

However, the trio’s 2001 album Life Is Good arrived as the boy band wave was crashing, and after the LP’s limited success, LFO broke up in 2002.

[Cupid Stunt]

That's good news, Jewel. Not one of the Lord's creatures is forgotten. 

 

15 hours ago, OhioSongbird said:

Man...I loves me some Christmas cookies.  My SIL bakes an assortment every year....at least 10 kinds.

And I really like fruitcake.  It's always a holiday joke but I like it!  My Mamaw used to make her own and it was soooooo good.  We kids got the PG version of course but the grown-ups got the brandy and/or rum soaked ones.

I'm with you, Ohio. I've had fruit soaking in brandy for four days, in anticipation of making fruitcake.

My grandmother and Aunt Trinket came to town Thursday to do some Christmas shopping. Saturday morning they came back with cookie baking supplies and it's been sweet treat baking and filling cookie tins ever since. I had to send Mr.Stunt to the charity shop and party store to buy more tins

Sandbakkels

Krumkaka

 

They're slave drivers. I'm waiting on the oil to heat up to make rosettes.

 

 

Enjoy!

[OhioSongbird]

So sad to hear about Nancy Wilson.  One of my all time favs.  Her rendition of "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You" is the best.  Got to see her speak at Central State U once and she was a wonderful speaker on race issues. 

Time to pull out my LPs.

Edited December 17, 2018 by OhioSongbird

[Petunia13]

8 hours ago, valleycliffe said:

petunia 13, hows about a work update.  is everything going well for you at the new store?

anyone stealing your lunch?

jewel 21, glad steve is feeling better..

😂 my store has video surveillance of lunches in the break room and a stern sign saying if anyone’s property is taken or altered it will mean disciplinary action and cameras are watching. I still can’t believe in a workplace of unlimited entire kitchens of free food in a staff of omnivores someone would take the quirky vegan food (which was the only thing I could practically eat and that I brought in). Had to be an intentional dick move. Work is 3-4x busier. And I have more responsibilities.

 

@jewel21 George is good. Tell Steve he said hi and to feel better. Take care of yourself too. I know it’s hard dealing w family’s health issues, plus work, and your baby. I have not been affected that well with my mother’s situation which has not improved. 

[Cupid Stunt]

 ‘Justice’ is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year

 

Reuters Pictures of the year: Sports

 

Santa Claus was everywhere this weekend:

People dressed as Santa Claus enjoy the snow during the Saint Nicholas Day at the Alpine ski resort of Verbier, Switzerland.

 

Participants warming up to take part in the annual race know as "Run Santa Run" at Fundidora Park in Monterey, Mexico.

[Cupid Stunt]

CBS denies former CEO Les Moonves $120 million severance

[Cupid Stunt]

Penny Marshall, actor and director, dead at 75

 

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"

[peacheslatour]

Well that's an L of a thing. 

[Capricasix]

I had forgotten that she used to be married to Rob Reiner.

[Cupid Stunt]

Reuters Pictures of the year: Conflict

A child sleeps in a bag in the village of Beit Sawa, eastern Ghouta, Syria, March 15, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

 

 

 

 

 

Yard decoration at a Christmas party we attended last night

[peacheslatour]

That melted snow man is genius, I love it.

[valleycliffe]

peacheslatour, were you affected by the tornado that occurred yesterday?

[AngelKitty]

My big orange kitty, Rusty, has been missing for a week now so I guess I've got to accept that he's not coming home. It's kind of funny that I've been trying to prepare myself for the death of my almost 18-year-old Nelson and never imagined anything would happen to my 11-year-old. 😢

[Cupid Stunt]

Goodbye 2018! Hello 2019!

 

Reuters Pictures of the year: Natural disasters

 

Oh, Christmas Tree,

Oh, Christmas Tree, 

Your ornaments are history.

 

Mele Kalikimaka! (Merry Christmas in Hawaiian)

Edited December 19, 2018 by Cupid Stunt

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, valleycliffe said:

peacheslatour, were you affected by the tornado that occurred yesterday?

We had horrific winds but no tornado here. Thank god we didn't lose our power, my fridge is stuffed to the gills with holiday fare.

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, AngelKitty said:

My big orange kitty, Rusty, has been missing for a week now so I guess I've got to accept that he's not coming home. It's kind of funny that I've been trying to prepare myself for the death of my almost 18-year-old Nelson and never imagined anything would happen to my 11-year-old. 😢

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I have however heard of cats coming back after being missing for a lot longer. I will keep my fingers and toes crossed that Rusty will come marching home.

[boes]

Oh angelkitty, we'll keep good thoughts for Rusty's return!

It's pretty awful, I know......

[Cupid Stunt]

1 hour ago, AngelKitty said:

My big orange kitty, Rusty, has been missing for a week now so I guess I've got to accept that he's not coming home. It's kind of funny that I've been trying to prepare myself for the death of my almost 18-year-old Nelson and never imagined anything would happen to my 11-year-old. 😢

Keep a good thought, AngelKitty. If you have a blanket or piece of clothing you regularly wear, leave it in a sheltered area near the door, with a little bit of food. Rusty may be around when you're not, and is confused. Something that smells of you, with a food incentive might keep him close by, so you can find him.

[PatsyandEddie]

Oh AngelKitty, how awful! 

One of my guys went missing for about 15 days during-35 C. We walked up and down our farm property twice a day for two weeks before we put out a live trap with a towel and sardines in it. Caught him the first night., skinny but no frostbite. 

Cupid’s idea is a great one.

Our vet said they rarely go far. 

Big hugs to you as it’s very hard when this sort of thing happens. 

[jewel21]

Oh, AngelKitty, I hope you find your little one. I can't imagine how worried you must be. I'll keep you guys in my thoughts *hugs*

[AngelKitty]

Thank you all so much. I knew you guys would give me words of encouragement and comfort.

[Petunia13]

Praying @AngelKitty baby Rusty makes a safe return soon ❤️

[Cupid Stunt]

Then one foggy Christmas eve, reindeers got connected

 

Reuters Pictures of the year: Animals

 

 

Santa Cat knows when you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake!

Edited December 21, 2018 by Cupid Stunt

[Cupid Stunt]

The winter solstice is Friday: 8 things to know about the shortest day of the year

 

Taro Nakai, a weather researcher, 2012 time lapse

 

 

Ta-ta 2018, keep your chicken coops and, yes, the Floss

 

And the glorious Darlene Love sings a signature Phil Spector Christmas song, 

[AngelKitty]

Once again, thank you all for your support. Unfortunately, we found Rusty's remains last evening and buried his bones in the side yard along with Nelson my angel kitty, Petey the pig, Skylar the german shepherd, and several bunnies and chickens.

We will miss him.

[valleycliffe]

so yesterday another major wind storm happened..

this time, it blew down our fence in the back yard and toppled the blue spruce tree which fell on our house..luckily the spruce was only about 15 yrs old and it fell on the corner of our house but only damaged the eaves troughs...hubby had to go and get his chainsaw to cut the tree so he can clear our driveway...

when the tree hit our house it startled me so bad it made me yell out..

also, since our dog is an escape artist we have to take him out on a leash so he can do his business instead of just letting him out the back door.

hubby is going to be very busy for the next couple of days.

[Capricasix]

1 hour ago, AngelKitty said:

Once again, thank you all for your support. Unfortunately, we found Rusty's remains last evening and buried his bones in the side yard along with Nelson my angel kitty, Petey the pig, Skylar the german shepherd, and several bunnies and chickens.

We will miss him.

I’m so sorry 😢

[Gloriole33]

I feel awful for you and your family, AngelKitty. 

[peacheslatour]

I am so sorry AngelKitty. 

[boes]

AngelKitty, that's devastating, I'm so sorry.  There really aren't words.......

[Cupid Stunt]

(((AngelKitty)))

I'm so sorry. To lose Rusty is heartbreaking. Take care and we are here for if you.

[jewel21]

I'm so sorry, AngelKitty *hugs* I was really praying for a happy ending. 

Steve goes to the vet tomorrow. I hope it's nothing serious or too expensive. Fingers crossed, guys. 

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, jewel21 said:

I'm so sorry, AngelKitty *hugs* I was really praying for a happy ending. 

Steve goes to the vet tomorrow. I hope it's nothing serious or too expensive. Fingers crossed, guys. 

Same, I was so hoping for good news. I am sure Steve Stunning will be found in excellent condition. Sometimes I think he just likes to mess with us.

[jewel21]

42 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Same, I was so hoping for good news. I am sure Steve Stunning will be found in excellent condition. Sometimes I think he just likes to mess with us.

Haha, I'm hoping he's just suffering from seasonal depression or something, heh. 

[PatsyandEddie]

Oh AngelKitty, I am so sorry. The loss of a furbaby is a heavy burden. 

[boes]

11 hours ago, valleycliffe said:

so yesterday another major wind storm happened..

this time, it blew down our fence in the back yard and toppled the blue spruce tree which fell on our house..luckily the spruce was only about 15 yrs old and it fell on the corner of our house but only damaged the eaves troughs...hubby had to go and get his chainsaw to cut the tree so he can clear our driveway...

when the tree hit our house it startled me so bad it made me yell out..

also, since our dog is an escape artist we have to take him out on a leash so he can do his business instead of just letting him out the back door.

hubby is going to be very busy for the next couple of days.

I'm glad the damage wasn't worse but what a pain.  Stay safe!

[Petunia13]

14 hours ago, AngelKitty said:

Once again, thank you all for your support. Unfortunately, we found Rusty's remains last evening and buried his bones in the side yard along with Nelson my angel kitty, Petey the pig, Skylar the german shepherd, and several bunnies and chickens.

We will miss him.

Oh no! I’m so sorry😭 I was thinking of you and your baby all day ❤️

 

@jewel21 I hope Steve’s vet appointment goes well. We will all be sending good vibes and positive healing thoughts to him. 

[Cupid Stunt]

10 science stories in 2018 that made us go, “Whoa, that’s awesome”

 

Reuters Pictures of the year: Fashion

 

A Dog Meets His Own Clone

 

That War On Christmas … Fugget About It.

[pearlite]

On another note...the darker, dirtier side of Christmas...at least chez Pearlite...

Cleaning the damn fridge shelves. Note: I do perform this more than once a year. But so many questions arise:

• Do jars and bottles mysteriously leak onto the shelves during the night, leaving no trace on said jars and bottles that this has happened?
• Do jars of mayonnaise mysteriously breed and multiply once the fridge door is closed, and it's dark in there?
• Why are there always two jars of partly used apple butter in there?
• Who decided we needed a huge bottle of Polish preserved cherries, then ate some, closed the jar, and left them to turn really interesting?
• Who puts back a jar of chutney with less than a teaspoonful at the bottom of it?
• Why, when I bought you a couple of really good cabbage rolls, did you take a piece off one, and abandon the rest?

These are the Yuletide questions that beset me. Maybe I should get out more.

[OhioSongbird]

Hugs here, too, AngelKitty.  It's tough to lose your furry friend/companion/confidant (I tell mine stuff I don't tell nobody)  Another one will come to fill the void.

Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa whatever to everyone! 

Happy cooking....I've been at it all week.  Have cranberries cooling and my eggs peeled for deviled eggs.  Boychild is coming tonite with pizza (I am not cooking tonite thank you very much) but the next 3 days are going to be a feeding frenzy.  I'm going rogue this year and making Cornish hens for a change, green bean casserole (haven't made that in a while), stuffing, cranberries, veggies & peaches awesome dip (as always) and salad.

Have a happy, happy!!

....and break out the Bromo....you old farts know what I mean...;-)*

*do they even make that stuff anymore?

[peacheslatour]

Quote

(I am not cooking tonite thank you very much) but the next 3 days are going to be a feeding frenzy. 

Same. I've been cooking all week and will be for the next three days. Pizza rolls or make yourself a sandwich. I ain't cooking.

[pearlite]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

Same. I've been cooking all week and will be for the next three days. Pizza rolls or make yourself a sandwich. I ain't cooking.

Haven't started cooking yet--turkey purchase is tomorrow; hence fridge cleaning. Christmas Eve is the Anglo version of the Italian feast of seven fishes--Hi, snaporaz! Homemade pizza tonight.

[OhioSongbird]

Amen, sister peaches!  Join me in a tall glass of wine?

Homemade pizza, pearlite?  Yummm and recipe, please.  Haven't made one in a long time.