OUT OF THE MOUTH OF BABES - NO APRIL FOOL JOKE

Three-year-old detective.

We all know not to say dirty words in front of our children, or they will be spouted out in perfectly enunciated English in church or school, and that has caused many embarrassing and hilarious moments, depending on whether or not you are the mother or grandparent of that little precious one, right?

Maybe the lady in the above story should start practicing a few seconds of discretion when she partakes of her daily enjoyment, or else, provide the kid with something fun to keep his mind off of what she is doing, like putting him in the floor with blocks or a puzzle, and possibly, the words, "Mommy's weed," should be totally eliminated from her vocabulary!  

Fortunately, I am on the hilarious side of this story, and it started my day off on just the right note!  IT WASN'T ME!  Anytime I can say that, and laugh at the unfortunate person being embarrassed by her child, it's a good day! 

THURSDAY'S NEWS ROUNDUP

This is the scenario:  You are an air traffic controller.  You have been taught well, and you know what to do in absolutely any situation.  You see a small twin-engine plane on your screen, and nobody has spoken to you from that plane for over an hour.  There is a full-loaded Southwest flight from Phoenix, preparing to land at the Florida airport where you are employed.  You:

    a) Immediately contact the military to scramble jets because this could be a terrorist act that is about to take place.

   b) Ask your supervisor for direction on how to handle the situation.

   c) Chat up the pilot of the Southwest flight and convince him to fly near the little plane and look inside and report to you whether or not you think there is reason for worry.

Video  

After you watch the above video, let me know if you made the correct decision.

And this story is pretty much equal to the five that I would like to post about today. 

Happy Thursday!  Hope you aren't planning, as I am, to fly anytime soon as air traffic controllers are starting to act like zombies. 

TUESDAY'S NEWS ROUNDUP

Hello?  Is this thing on?  That is what you may be asking yourself since there has been a very lengthy hiatus happening here at "My People."  And I have missed it...well, I miss my people...have not had a whole lot of time or motivation for blogging for a bit, but because of a few news stories I have been following, I have decided to publish a news roundup.  Feel free to jump in and post YOUR favorite news story of late!  

I am ashamed, ashamed, I tell you, to admit that Charlie Sheen's over-the-top publicity stunt (if the man is crazy, he's brilliantly crazy) has kept me pretty much riveted, but today's Charlie Sheen story made me laugh out loud at 6:30 this morning.

Charlie Sheen's Warlock Threats 

Maybe the greatest part of this is that Denise Richards did not even give any response to the Tweet, which is what "mirthed" me.  (I made that word up because it seems very Warlock-like).  And hey, I am not making fun of the Wiccan life because I am acquainted with a couple of very sweet Wiccan people and love them dearly.  But, Charlie Sheen spouting Warlock threats all over the world in every public forum he can, is great reading, you have to admit.  I find myself slightly embarrassed for him, but do not want him to stop.  GO CHARLIE, GO!

The other story that makes my top three, (Sorry, I wanted to go for five, but the stupid clock keeps ticking over there to my left), is The one about the Florida teen who forced her mother to drive to a car dealership and buy her a car.  Forced her?  That was what went through my head.  It would be a cold day in the underworld before my teenage daughter forced me to do anything, much less purchase a car for her.  Of course, my daughter would never pull a gun on me, either. 

Out of Control Teen 

And probably the story that really made my morning was this one from Air New Zealand.  It makes me want to take one of their flights!  Richard Simmons climbs onboard to help everyone become Fit to Fly by exercising to the flight crew instructions.

Fit to Fly Air New Zealand

And that, my people, would be my favorite stories of the day, Tuesday, March 29, 2011.  I don't know about all of you, but I have begun to seek out almost anything that does not contain the words "radiation" or "earthquake" for my early-morning start-up routine.

I hope all my people have an awesome day by finding something to laugh at!   

ARE WE THERE YET?

I remember, as a child, the excitement of taking a trip in my dad's 1957 Bel-Air.  It was pink with the gray wings, at least I thought they were wings.  They seemed like wings when we went flying down the highway.  Weren't things so much simpler then?  I remember lying in the back window of the car, looking out at the cars behind me as we flew.  I would have thought my mom, being the worrier and over-protector that she was, would have had a fit about the danger associated with that posture because nowadays, what happens if you see a kid in the window of a car or on the back of a pickup truck?  "OH, MY GOD!  WHAT HORRIBLE PARENTS!"  

We would make the trip to my grandparents' house in that car every Sunday for dinner.  My grandmother was, and I still believe this after several years of living and eating, the best cook in the world.  One of my finest memories was having a belly full of chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, and fresh-picked green beans, embracing that dull sleepiness that would follow, and curling up in the sun-warmed back window of the car.  I would give up any responsibilities for my safety to my most cherished adults riding shotgun, and sleep all the way home...that kind of sleep that only sated children can accomplish.

What is your traveling memory?  

Let Tuesday roll! 

MONDAY MONDAY...GOT AWAY FROM ME!

Hi, to all my peeps.  I hope you all had a fantastic 4th of July, and that's what I'd like to know about you this week.  How did you celebrate?  What did you eat?  Who did you visit?  Fireworks or no?  Discuss, por favor! 

MONDAY - JULY 28, 2010

If you were making a bucket list, what would be number one on the list?

TIME TO REVISIT MY PEOPLE

Good morning!  It's beautiful here this morning, but stormy.  That doesn't keep all the breakfast bunch of the Aviary Club, Robin, Dove, Jay, Mr. Cardinal, and the snitty little Ms. Chickamouse from arriving at the bird feeder, though.  They just rush a little more.

I have had several requests to revive the My People Blog.  When I was doing it, I made it way too much work for myself, so I will, on Mondays, begin posting a question, and everyone can just post their answers, long or short, it's YOUR blog, really.  Just keep the posts somewhat clean since I don't want to tag it as an adults only site and eliminate some of the kids.  That way, we will learn a lot about each other and maybe make some new friendships along the way.  If you connect with someone here, please let us know about it, because I might have to change it to a matchmaker's site!  LOL.  

And please, don't be shy about bringing your friends along to play My People on Mondays.  The more people at the feeder, the better!

And thank you for supporting the blog.  Welcome to the blog that is all about you.  


With no further ado, I will post this and then post the question of the week. Have fun!


K.

THE NEXT WEEK

I have begun to lose track of whole weeks now.  That happens when the weather warms up and the outside becomes my main attraction.

But I have a question for you:

If someone told you you could eat only 1 food for the next month, which food would you choose and why?  

Happy April 1!  

WEEK 2

Okay, time for a new discussion.  Thanks to you guys for participating in the travel one!  That was fun.  

Next question:  When someone starts talking about books, what book pops into your mind as the one that made the biggest impression on you, good or bad?  

M

Maybe we should all start thinking about getting to those places we would love to go!  

 

WEEK 1

If you were told you could take a vacation for 2 weeks anywhere in the world and money was no option, where would you go?

QUESTIONS, ANSWERS, DISCUSSIONS, AND OTHER THINGS

Hi, everybody!  I wanted to apologize for dropping out of the My People Blog for awhile.  Man, work picked up and life took over and I couldn't keep everything going at the same time.  

Now, though, I have an idea.  Instead of me taking the time to edit and post all your stories, I am going to simply post a question, and I'll leave that one up for a week.  You can all type comments with your answers and responses, and we can read and respond back to you.  

So, happy blogging!  I'm anxious to get started and will post the first question soon!

Love,
K.

TRACY

I just wanted to take a moment to wish my cousin and best friend, Tracy, a happy 50th birthday! 

Tracy and I have had a few years of ying and yang.  I can go, she can’t.  I’m working, she’s not, she’s working, I’m not…she’s got money for a trip, I don’t, I have money for a trip, she doesn’t…you get the picture!

But today, Tracy has caught up to my decade and I am expecting us to just ying together, at least until I leave her decade for the next one. We have, the way I see it, seven years of yinging before we start yanging again!

Cheers to my “sister” and pal!  Let’s party for the next seven years, Trace!

I love you!

HEEERRRREEE’S PAM!

Sometimes someone tells me a story that just strikes a chord, you know what I mean?  It is almost like driving along and hearing some song on the radio and having to pull over and cry.  You do not really understand that emotion, cannot really remember a specific moment when something memorable happened while that song played, that tugs at your heart strings.  You just know that it does. 

My granddaughter, Abigail, received a stuffed dog for Christmas from my brother.  It plays songs and teaches the child things if you press its paws, feet, ears, and so on.  There is a little song that it sings when you press one paw that says, “I love you, I love you, I do love you.”  Every time that song plays, Abigail’s bottom lip starts sticking out, and she cries a heartbroken cry, almost like she’s hearing from another world we do not see or hear. 

That is the way I felt when I read Pam’s story about her life moments.  So, without any further ado, here are her words.

“Oh, wow, my most memorable moment.  Well, I'm quite sure most memorable moments are yet to come. Like watching my  children and grandchildren grow and thrive and live long happy lives.  I must say my most memorable moment to date was meeting Tim, my husband.  Because without him, none of my fondest memories would exist.  Tim is the most caring, loving, helpful and tolerant person in my world.   Together we had two beautiful daughters raised with care and love and values.   We are blessed.

And my favorite things to do as a kid?  Oh my, where do I begin?  I guess at the beginning.  I was raised in a small coal mining town in Eastern PA.  This is hard coal (Anthracite) and not that soft coal (bituminous) coal from out in the western part of PA.  I had the best parents ever.   My mother was the nurturer my Dad was the adventurer.  I lived a great childhood.  We didn't have much, but always happy, happy, happy.   We lived across the street from a school yard with a great playground and part of it was  a hard surface where they used to flood it in winter and make an ice skating thing.  Well, as you could imagine, kids flocked there.  Who wouldn't?  Kids get hurt while skating.  So, the hurt ones would come to my house and mom and dad would clean them up.  Their parents always knew where they were.  They were in good hands.  Soon after they stopped flooding the yard.

Then, almost every Sunday afternoon my Dad would take the neighborhood kids on a hike up the North Mountain; however, only in Fall when there were no snakes.  We would hike up that mountain and cook potatoes at the top and hike back down where my mom would meet us at about 4pm on the other side.  How cool was that?”

I would say that was VERY cool, Pam!  Thanks for taking the time to share with us all here at My People! 

AHHHH, MY BOYFRIEND, DON GRAMELSPACHER

One Saturday afternoon about fifteen years ago, my son and his best friend approached me while I was doing dishes.  I can remember Ian saying, “Do you still have the football tickets for next weekend?”  I said, “Yes, I do, why?”  Chris, Ian’s friend replied, “Do you know my dad?”  Again the answer was, “Yes, I do, why?”  “He likes football,” Chris said, and the boys left.

About an hour later, my phone rang, and who do you think was on the other end?  After talking for about half-an-hour, Don said, “I would like to go to that game with you, if you would ask me.” 

So I did, and the rest is history.  We have been fast friends, confidants, parents, and in love ever since.

Tonight I asked Don what his most memorable moment was.

“Well, that’s easy.  It was July 1, 1970.  I was going to school in St. Louis.  I was nineteen years old, about to turn twenty.  I had classes from six p.m. until ten p.m. every night and had just gotten home and turned on TV in time to see the second lottery draw for the draft for the Vietnam War.  While I was sitting there drinking a beer, I heard, ‘Congratulations, July ninth, you’re the winner!’ and there it was, big as life, my birthday and a big red “1” beside it.  I couldn’t believe it.  I just sat there staring at it then yelled, ‘I’ll be damned, I WON something!’”

Of course, he and I laughed at that memory, but soon became very sober when understanding exactly what that meant.  It gave me chills, the thought of being a child, practically, about to be loaded up and sent to war, thousands and thousands of miles away from family, friends, and home.

Soon, though, we were smiling again when Don told me about swimming everyday as a kid with his brothers. 

“We would walk to the pool absolutely everyday!  There were six of us boys, and we would get there when it opened and go home for dinner when it closed.  Back then if you had a big family, you could get a patch sewn on your swimming trunks so you could get in everyday without paying, and we took advantage of that!  Boy, did we ever have a great time!”

So if you would, salute a wonderful man for serving his Country and for loving ME, neither of which has been an easy road!  S A L U T E, Don…and at ease! 

I love you, Mr. Gramelspacher!

 

THERE ARE ANGELS AMONG US – EILEEN O’BRIEN

In my life I am so blessed to have people surrounding me who are such loving, generous, kind, and caring folks. 

One, however, is honestly, I believe, an angel on earth. 

Eileen works tirelessly and endlessly to help find shelter and services for the homeless in Boston.  And as difficult, stressful, and tiring as that is, she still finds room in her heart for her friends. 

Say hi to Eileen O’Brien.  Words really cannot describe the capacity of her heart, so I am just going to publish her story here and let you all meet her and enjoy her words.

God bless ya, Eileen!

“I have two extremely memorable moments. The first has been mentioned by a few others, and that is seeing and hearing The Cowsills in 2000 at TORI. I remember sitting there before the music started, wondering will it be as good as I remember? How could it be? And then hearing those beautiful voices singing together again, realizing it was better than I remembered, and just feeling pure joy. And at the end of the Saturday show, when everyone was cheering wildly, having Billy come back to the front of the stage and say, "we really love you guys, too, and that ain't no bullshit!" It was such a lovely moment.

The second was watching the Boston Red Sox win the 2004 World Series, the first championship for the team in eighty-six years, with my dad. Earlier that evening I had received an award for my work, so my parents were in town. After the ceremony, we went back to their hotel to watch the game in the bar. Seeing this long awaited victory would have been sweet under any circumstances, but to be able to experience it with my dad, who had taught me about baseball, and more importantly, about how to be a Red Sox fan, was a moment I will hold in my heart forever.

As for childhood activities, I grew up in a semi-rural part of town with lots of wide open spaces. In the neighborhood there were five other families with kids all around the same ages and we often played all together as a group. Sometimes we played regular organized games, like baseball or tag, but much of the time we played games that we made up together. There was a big overgrown field behind were our houses were, and we would go into the field and set up camps and create our own adventures. There was a little brook running through the field, and we would hike the brook in the summer, and ice skate there in the winter. Our mothers knew we were together, so they pretty much left us to our own devices, knowing that we were safe together.  We often pretended we were all brothers and sisters; in retrospect I realize that we were a tribe. We spent as much time as we could outside--with no sunblock or bug spray!

My other favorite activity was reading. I have always loved to read and still do. I can remember waking up very early on Saturday mornings so I could read for as long as possible until I had to start doing my chores. My paternal grandmother gave me boxes and boxes of books when her cousin passed away, so I read a lot of novels that took place in the 1940s and 1950s. I still have some of those books today. Classics!”

AND NOW, FROM RHODE ISLAND, COLLEEN LONG!

Another cowsill.com friend of mine is from the original Cowsillland, Rhode Island.  It’s a tiny little state that has a huge personality!  The people there are just all genuinely nice East Coast folks who love their state and prove it by leaving nice, cozy, warm, Southern California and returning there time and time again. 

I love Rhode Island, too, and a lot of friendships have been formed and bonded on its beautiful shores. 

Colleen used to work for Continental Airlines and we nicknamed her Continental Colleen.  Having a pal behind that desk has been a lifesaver for people traveling to Cowsill events out there now and again.  If it wasn’t for Colleen, some of us might still be living in Rhode Island, whether we wanted to or not! 

So I’m introducing my friend, Colleen Long, here, by asking her to answer a couple of questions.  I was warmed by her answers, and I think you will be, too. 

When asked about her most memorable moment, this one sprang to mind for her with no thought having to go into it at all:

“There have been many!  But the one at the VERY top of the list is of the day the adoption agency finally called after a wait of seven years and said they had a baby girl for us to ‘consider.’ Seriously? Does anyone ever say, ‘nah, not that one!!??’  Twenty-six years later, and the memory of that day is as sharp as the moment it happened.  My beautiful daughter will be married on September 18, 2010.  Where does the time go?”

What a touching story, Colleen, thank you for sharing that with me and our readers!

I asked her, then, what her favorite thing to do as a little girl was, and she answered, “To play with my dolls.  We’d play school for hours at a time.  I really loved those dolls!”

A lot of women can identify with that pastime! 

Here’s wishing you and your daughter a very happy 2010, and it certainly seems to be gearing up to go in that direction! 

Cheers to you both!

AS IT SHOULD BE – HO, HO, HO! IT’S SANTA CLAUS

I will never forget the first time I met my friend, Santa Claus, or S. C. as his closest friends get to call him.  It was a few days before Christmas, and my mom had evidently pulled some strings to get him to come to visit my kindergarten class.  I have to admit that I was sort of wavering between excitement that this jolly old elf could keep track of millions of kids and afford to give us all a gift on Christmas morning and fear that he could keep track of millions of kids and afford to give us all a gift on Christmas morning! 

He and I have been best friends ever since!

I said, “You must have had a great childhood, what was your favorite thing to do when you were a littler elf, S. C.?” 

He said, “My favorite thing to do when I was a littler elf was feed the reindeer with my father! Oh, those were magical times, the sun glinting off the frozen tundra, sparkling like diamonds! My dad, Santa Claus, Sr., is why I love to give gifts and honor Christmas now, and I hope to pass it down to my son, Santa Claus, Jr., Jr. I also really loved sledding and making snowmen with my brothers and sisters, Andy, Donald, Amy, and Caroline Claus. 

“Santa?” I asked while sitting in his cozy living room sipping Holiday Spiced hot tea one day recently.  “What was your most memorable moment?”

He said, “Oh, Kathy, there have been so many! But probably the one thing that always fills my heart with joy is the memory of the Christmas morning that I delivered a very unexpected bicycle to a very special child.” 

I said, “S. C.  You must have delivered millions of bicycles over the years!”

He replied, “And every one of those bicycles became very special memories for me. There was one for Johnny, David, Claire, Chris, Michael, Bradley, Alice, Bill…”

His voice trailed off, and when I awoke, there arose such a clatter, that I jumped up from my chair to see what was the matter!  What I saw was amazing, beautiful, and such fun!  I saw a man in a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer taking off toward the heavens and I heard, “Ho, ho, ho!  Making more memories!  Here I come Tyler and Rose and Christopher and Michael and Nicholas and Emily and Tony and Laurissa…”

So tip your hat to that bearded man in the red fleece suit and hug your families close and hold your friends near your heart!  Santa Claus is watching!

 

JAMIE SAWYER SCOTT TAKES THE STAGE

Sometimes, just about the time you think you may be the only person in the world who enjoys sleeping in a lounger on the patio all summer so you can gaze at the sky, make wishes on stars, and fantasize about what it might be like on one of those distant planets, you meet someone who understands and embraces the same things.

That happened when I met Jamie.  We went from enjoying a weekend of music in the same club at the same time, to swapping photos and our dreams of time travel and zipping around through the Milky Way.

Applause, Jamie, for your heart-felt stories!  And undoubtedly one of the most patient people I know, judging by the below EPT wait-out tale!

“I have had so many memorable moments, but if I had to pick only one, it would be the day that I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I had just graduated college and my husband and I decided it was time to start our family. Only a few weeks later, I suspected that I was pregnant. It was the weekend, and I was going nuts trying to wait for Monday to get an appointment with the doctor.

On that Sunday morning my husband went out to play golf, and I went out for an EPT test. This was 1981, and the tests were somewhat new and not at all like the ones today. I took the test and it said if you were pregnant that a little black ring or "donut" would appear in the bottom of the cup. This took several HOURS, and I waited impatiently for the results. Finally, it appeared, a perfect little donut in the cup! I was so excited I wanted to run and call everyone I knew, but of course I had to tell my husband first. There was no way to contact him out on the golf course, so I sat at the window and waited for his car to pull in the drive.  Many hours later, I finally got to run out and tell him the news! It was absolutely one of the most exciting days of my life! My "little donut," Nicholas Andrew, arrived on April 5, 1982.”

When I asked Jamie what her favorite thing to do when she was a kid was, she was more than happy to relive this:

 
“My favorite activity as a child?  That's easy!  My Papa made us a tire swing out of an old tire and tied to a tall pine tree. It was back in the woods far enough that when I was on it I felt like I was in my own little magical world. I would swing and spin for hours, singing and dreaming. What I loved most was when Papa would come out and push me really high. He always said ‘One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and away you go!’ Then with that last mighty push I would fly through the air and throw my head back laughing. That was pure joy. What I wouldn't give to do that again!”

Thank you for sharing, Jamie!  May you have an awesome Christmas, my stargazing buddy!

UNBRIDLED ENTHUSIASM – DARYL NAGAMINE!

I have a friend I turn to when I need to find a new band whose music I cannot live without.  Somehow, he just always knows what I cannot live without, and I have bought several downloads for my iPod based on his ideas.  He is always so enthusiastic about music, and now I have learned, he is just enthusiastic…period! 

Daryl set out to answer those two questions and then found he could not stop the memories once he began writing.  Luckily for us, he just let the music flow, and here is what music man Daryl came up with.  I found not only could he not stop writing, I could not stop reading! 

Say hey to Daryl Nagamine, and enjoy his stories!

“I’ve got two favorite memorable moments that I’d like to mention.  The first event took place in June of 1982 when I was still in high school.

My friends and I went to see the Peace Sunday antinuclear rally and concert at the Rose Bowl which featured these headlining acts:  Jackson Browne, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash.  I had not been to many rock concerts, so getting to see six great artists in one day was going to be a real thrill!  However, that was merely the beginning.  There were shorter sets scattered between the headliners, but these were not just a bunch of no-name filler bands.  Those sets included the likes of Jesse Colin Young, Donovan, Bonnie Riatt, Dan Fogelberg, three of The Eagles including Don Felder, Timothy B. Schmidt, and Joe Walsh, as well as Gil Scott-Heron, Tierra, and several others I cannot remember.  I did not know them at the time but probably do now.

Some of the headliners brought out friends to help them, too.  Stills and Nash, for example, brought out David Crosby for a brief CSN reunion set which served as a preview of their successful “Daylight Again” album and tour later that summer.

Then the trio announced another surprise guest!  For a moment I was hoping it would be Neil Young, but it was ONLY Joan Baez!  The crowd was still buzzing about that when Joan announced a surprise guest of her own, Bob Dylan!  Other surprise guests included Tom Petty, Nicolette Larson and Gary “U.S.” Bonds. 

The nonmusical portions of the event featured speeches by Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson, Jane Fonda, Muhammad Ali, Ed Asner, Patti Davis, Bette Midler who, by the way, performed an awesome a capella version of “The Rose” due to overwhelming crowd demand for her to sing.  Also there was Cesar Chavez, Michael Douglas, Mike Farrell, and many others.

The best part of this incredible mind-blowing day of music?  Tickets were only $12.50!

My second moment is a two-parter.

Part one:  I was in Anaheim for Game 6 of the 2002 World Series, watching the San Francisco Giants beating up on my favorite sports team, the Anaheim Angels.  With a 5-0 lead and a mere eight outs to go, it looked like the Giants were going to clinch the Series 4 games to 2.  I could not believe that the Angels’ attempt at winning their first championship after 40-plus years of misery was going to end right in front of my face!  However, the angels staged a miracle rally to win 6-5 and force a seventh game.

Part two:  I was in Anaheim watching rookie starter, John Lackey, leading the Angels to a 4-1 Series-clinching win, also right in front of my face, and on my birthday, no less!  Can you say, ‘Best present EVER?’”

Daryl told me that he cut his favorite childhood activity answer short, thinking nobody was going to read that far anyway.  I think he underestimates our entertainment thirst!  So here’s Daryl, finishing it up. 

“My favorite thing to do as a kid was going on summer vacation trips with my family and relatives.  It was so fun traveling around seeing cool sights with them.  Here are some off the top of my head:  Hearst Castle, Winchester House, Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, Grand Canyon, Royal Gorge, Pike’s Peak, getting soaked on the Maid of the Mist boat ride at Niagara Falls, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the White House, Capitol, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian, Proctor and Gamble Plant in Cincinnati, Hershey, Pennsylvania (I loved those street lamps shaped like Kisses), and Hawaii. 

I just double-checked and was surprised to see that I visited 20 different states back then. I have since been to four more, and that is only half of this great nation.  I still have a ways to go!”

Better start booking tickets, Daryl!  We are waiting to hear about your next adventure!

””