Blue Monday: Blue Skies Smilin' at Me

Haven't done a Blue Monday post in quite a while (can it really be more than a year?), and I'm very happy to see the meme is still around. Many thanks to Magical Mystical Teacher for keeping it going!

We had quite a few cloudy, gloomy days in March and April, but not a whole lot of rain. So the drought in central Texas continues, although not as dire as it was a few years back. Lake Travis is no longer at 100% capacity, but it's full enough for boating and other aquatic activities. I kind of like it when the lake is down a little because it produces a nice beach-like area leading down to the water.

So far, late April and early May have brought mostly nice weather — a little cooler than I'd like, but lots of lovely sunshine and blue skies. The photo below was actually taken on our first "Ozone Alert" day of the year, right at the end of April. Asthma and allergy sufferers (yeah, me) were warned to stay indoors as much as possible. But out here in the hill country, the air was pretty nice. This shot is looking off towards Austin, and you can just barely make out a little bit of smog stuff on the horizon. Otherwise, though, just a lot of blue, blue sky. Which I love.

Happy Monday, everyone! Hope you have a lovely, blue sky (smog-free) week.

Blue Monday is now being hosted by Magical Mystical Teacher.

Click here to see more or add your link.

Sunday Stealing: Sleepy Rambles Survey

Time for a little Sunday Stealing (hosted by Bev Sykes)  -- questions stolen from all over the blogosphere. This week's list was stolen from Steph at Love Me Some Surveys.

1.   Would you ever try Fear Factor for one million dollars? Why or why not?

Fear Factor is a TV show, right? One of those contest/reality shows where people do crazy/stupid/dangerous things for money? I've never seen it, but I've seen commercials for it, I think. Not my thing. Not even for a million dollars. Why? Probably just too old.

2.   If you use hair spray, what brand do you use the most?

I try not to use a lot of hairspray. But when I do use it, I use Suave Max Hold (No. 8). It's inexpensive and doesn't make my hair sticky or brittle, and the scent doesn't make me gag. Also, I tend to develop eczema patches on my scalp if I use anything too harsh -- the Suave seems to be pretty gentle.

3.   Is "Catcher in the Rye" in your library by any chance?

Yes, it is. Both hard cover and paperback versions. 

5.  What is the best thing about a Barbie doll?

Most of them are relatively inexpensive, so you can have a LOT of them, if you're into collecting or playing with dolls. And some of them are actually very attractive. I just recently bought one of the new Amelia Earhart dolls for my collection.

No, she didn't come with the airplane. Bummer.

6.   Cherry or peanut ice cream?

Chocolate. 

7.   From one to ten, how big of a movie buff are you?

Probably about a six. We never go out to movies anymore, but I see quite a few on TV, either by streaming or on DVD. I used to be more of a movie buff than I am now, so I've seen pretty much all the classics. But I lost a lot of interest in movies when filmmakers started filling them full of CGI nonsense.

8.  Who is a celebrity you think will never get into trouble?

I wouldn't dare make that prediction. Not in today's world.

9.  What is a museum you would like to go to?

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris. I'd love to see all those impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. And it would give me an excuse to go back to one of my favorite cities. Also maybe the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago -- I worked there back in 1979-80, and I'd love to see how it's changed.

10.  Personally, do you look better with short hair or long hair?

I think I really look better with long-ish hair. But it's a pain to take care of long hair, so I keep it short.

11.  What is the first thing you think of when I say ‘Jack’?

Rabbit.

12.  What do (or did) you call your grandparents?

On my mother's side, they were "MawMaw" and "PawPaw" (but we spelled it MaMa and PaPa). On my father's side, I had a "Granny." My father's father died before I was born.

13.  What color do you usually paint your nails?

Lately I've been using a shade called "Shell We Dance?" by Sally Hansen. It's an almost-transparent very pale pinky eggshell color.

14.  What would be a cool earring design?

??? I'm probably not the best person to ask about earring design. I'm not very adventurous in that area, and I don't wear much jewelry anyway. I tend always to wear the same couple of pairs of earrings -- one pair is a small gold hoop and the other pair is a tiny round gold ball. I have a gorgeous pair of diamond studs that my husband gave me, but I don't wear them very often. 

15.  Besides nightmares, what is the scariest thing about sleeping?

Insects crawling on the wall over your bed. And of course, the possibility of not waking up. 

😸

Saturday 9: Standing On The Corner

The Saturday 9  is hosted by Sam Winters. Nine questions posted every Saturday — sometimes random, sometimes with a theme. This week, the theme is...

"Standing On The Corner"
by The Four Lads (1956)

Listen to it HERE.

I loved this song when I was a little kid. I heard it on the radio all the time and I thought it was very cool. Or whatever the 8-year-old, mid-1950s equivalent of "cool" might have been.

1. In this song, four friends congregate on Main Street to look longingly at pretty girls. In your town, where is the best place for people watching?

Well, I live in a sort of semi-rural area without a lot of places to congregate. To do any serious people-watching, we have to go into Austin or one of the other towns in this part of Texas. Which is always fun.

2. This song was written for the Broadway musical, The Most Happy Fella. Who is the happiest person you know?

One of our neighbors. She's absolutely irrepressible. Always in a fabulous mood. Always enthusiastic. Always ready to get out there and do something. (I'm exhausted, just thinking about it.)

3. The members of The Four Lads met at Toronto's St. Michael's Choir School. Growing up, did you attend parochial or public school?

Public. A lot of my cousins went to parochial schools, since all my father's family were Catholics. But my mother was relentlessly Protestant, and we lived just a few blocks from the nearest public school.

4. The Four Lads always wore jackets and ties when they performed. Do you enjoying dressing up? Or would you rather keep it casual?

I enjoy dressing up in the sense of wearing costumes -- for a play or a party. Otherwise, I prefer casual. At the moment, I don't think I own any clothing that could be called "dress up" clothing. Really need to do some shopping one of these days.

5. While this song was a hit for The Four Lads, they were completely overshadowed in 1956 by Elvis Presley and "Heartbreak Hotel." Who do you think dominates today's music scene?

No idea. I sort of lost interest in current music back around the turn of the century. 

6. The Wizard of Oz aired on TV for the first time in 1956. Sam was never crazy about those flying monkeys. Tell us about something that frightened you when you were a kid.

OK, I won't get into my father's heart disease or my frequent childhood asthma attacks. And I wasn't terribly fond of those monkeys either. One thing I always remember as really frightening is the 1959 movie On the Beach, about a global nuclear war that ends all life on earth. The last earthlings have to wait around for the unstoppable lethal cloud to waft their way, and it just really traumatized me as a kid.

7. What scares you now?

Well, Donald Trump, of course. But I guess mainly losing control, physically and/or mentally. And having something bad happen to the people I love. And being diagnosed with some deadly disease. Just like most everyone, I suppose.  

8. Since this week's song is about pretty girls: 1956's Miss America was Sharon Ritchie of Colorado. Today Colorado has the distinction of being the home of more microbreweries than any other state in the union. Which are you most particular about -- your beer, your wine, or your coffee?

Definitely the coffee. I don't drink much beer, and the hubby is the wine connoisseur in our household. But I'm pretty picky about my coffee, I'm afraid.  

9. Random question: We all have small, irritating habits, like soup slurping or not replacing the cap on the toothpaste. What's your nasty little habit?

Well, I don't know about any nasty habits. And I don't think I'd talk about them if I did. But I do have some irritating habits. The one that comes to mind right away is the way I go around humming all the time. I even irritate myself with that one. My grandmother and mother both did it too. I also talk to myself a lot, and ask myself questions. Drives my husband nuts. Says he never knows if he should be listening or not. (Well, shouldn't he always be listening to me?) But it's OK if he doesn't listen because I usually answer myself, too.

Happy Saturday, everyone!
And have a great weekend.

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Unconscious Mutterings: Week 791

Mutterings for the week of April 1st. Unconscious Mutterings is hosted by LunaNiña. And here we go....

1. Error :: message; Microsoft (Why we switched to Apple.)
2. Kitty :: Miss Kitty and Mr. Dillon (Yeah, I'm THAT old!)
3. Delay :: Amtrak, Congress
4. Scale :: model trains (The Hubs has been getting back into the hobby.)
5. Calculation :: algebra, NASA, carpentry
6. System :: digestive, solar, subway
7. Innovation :: inventor, change, new stuff
8. April :: Mamma (My mother was born in April and died in April, a few days after her 80th birthday.)
9. Comforter :: duvet, bed covering
10. Frustrating :: April (I was going to say "Life" but that's a little pessimistic, even for me.)