Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Been Tagged...
Here is it - ~d, this is for you.




7 HABITS
1. I get up early. Wake up almost without fail, around 3am. Not a happy habit, but a habit, nonetheless. No idea why on earth I have to go through such insomnia either. After becoming conscious, I lay there, pondering the problems of the world, which seem to be compounded by the millions... maybe it is the dark or something. Then I pop the tv on, so softly I can barely hear it, hoping I won't wake the sleeping Bear beside me. After watching the travel channel until about 6:30, I usually get up and make coffee. After the sun comes up, the dreads of the night don't seem so threatening.

2. I feed my birds. Dang things are eating me out of house and home. Tons of peanuts (unsalted, in the shell) I buy for the Stellars and Scrubs, the Acorn Woodpeckers and the squirrels... ; dried corn cobs for everybody, plus grain for the ground feeders... the doves, bandtailed pigeons, juncos, tohees and sparrows...'; next the black oil sunflower seeds for the house finches and titmice..., the thistle for the goldfinches... etc. etc. etc. Don't forget the suet I hang up in the hawthorne tree... nor the sugar water in the hummingbird feeder which the chickadees and orioles also nip at...I spend money to lure them in, the exchange being me being allowed to see and observe them. This is more than a habit for me... it is a ritual. Early early in the morning, they are all there in my yard, making a racket and clamouring for their breakfast. It is glorious :-D


3. When it is one of the kids' birthdays, I will break my neck to make sure they have a balloon in their room when they wake - IF they are under my roof. I had to draw the line somewhere. When they were babes, that was the routine. It meant having to go to the store late enough that they didn't see me escape to do the deed, sneaking it into their room without waking them up , but not so early that the dang thing deflated before the following morning when they woke up in their room to find a lovely balloon floating there on their special day. Once, on my own birthday, I woke up and almost had a heart attack after seeing some gigantic, blow-up butterfly looming over my face... my daughter had decided to reciprocate :-D

4. I must confess I tend to put too much Coffeemate into my coffee. Sweetie abhors it... he tries to substitute 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee for health reasons when I'm not looking, but it doesn't taste good at all that way. This too has grown to be much more than a mere habit. It is a full blown addiction.


5. When in need of comfort, some folks turn to meatloaf, macaroni or chocolate cake. I turn to SUSHI. Nothing like it - and it soothes the savage beast like nothing else. ummmm.


6. I have a habit of checking my email. It is like my other "habits" ... on par with obsession. I LOVE getting email, and check it rabidly all day, every few minutes. I'm no longer allowed to blog at work... otherwise I would claim that as one of my habits. As it is, I now have to blog in the wee personal hours at home... whenever I can fit it in. It is a terrible loss.

7. Okay, most of my habits involve creature comforts. What does this say about me? Let's not go there. Habitually, I travel. Can't help it. Can't stop it. Can't afford it! Love it, and worry about it. Think about it, dream about it, crave it, plan for it, and eventually, DO IT.








****************************************************

7 FAVORITE SONGS

This is too hard. I have a kabillion favorite songs. Pinning them down to a mere 7 is unrealistic and impossible.

Here are a few songs I like alot:


RIDERS ON THE STORM: Jim Morrison and the Doors
This song, was "our song" in 1971. Now it is still our song, after all these years. Nothing like it.





JUST A SONG: Crosby, Stills, Nash
Love this song - the words make me imagine parting from my sweetheart and it is always so bittersweet.


FOR A DANCER: Jackson Browne

I came to know this song when my husband died in 2004. I can not hear it without being lost in the words - it just makes sense.

Keep a fire burning in your eye
Pay attention to the open sky
You never know what will be coming down
I don’t remember losing track of you
You were always dancing in and out of view
I must have thought you’d always be around
Always keeping things real by playing the clown
Now you’re nowhere to be found

I don’t know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
It’s like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I can’t sing
I can’t help listening
And I can’t help feeling stupid standing ’round
Crying as they ease you down
’cause I know that you’d rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
(right on dancing)
No matter what fate chooses to play
(there’s nothing you can do about it anyway)

Just do the steps that you’ve been shown
By everyone you’ve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Another’s steps have grown
In the end there is one dance you’ll do alone

Keep a fire for the human race
Let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don’t let the uncertainty turn you around
(the world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound

Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you’ll never know



LISTEN TO THE MUSIC - Doobie Brothers
This, is the best song ever made. Rock and roll, music just at its flowing best.


















CLAIRE DE LUNE - Debussy

Well, not exactly what I envision when I think of Claire de Lune, but it seems to fit the bill at the moment. Love this beautiful song, and feel joy when ever it happens to come on the classical channel (which is rare) :-)





OH HOLY NIGHT - My mother used to sing this song to me, as we were driving up for Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Northern California... I remember it quite vividly as we drove up over the San Marcos Pass above Santa Barbara off 101... It is a memory I treasure and that comes to mind yet every time I hear it around Christmas time. She had a lovely deep alto voice, and I miss her so.













OH MR. JOHNNY REBEC


Okay, you most likely haven't heard a song like this... my Mom and Dad taught it to us kids and we have sung it with great gusto over the years ever since. I happen to love dried Italian salami, but unfortunately, this is exactly what comes to mind when I hear this song... :-D

(Chorus)
Oh Mr. Johnny Rebec
How could you be so mean,
I told you you'd be sorry for
Inventing that machine....
Now all the neighbor's cats and dogs
Will never more be seen
They've all been turned to sausages
In Johnny Rebec's machine


A little boy went walking
Went walking in a store
He bought a pound of sausages
And laid em on the floor
He puckered up his little lips
And whistled out a tune
Then all the little sausages
Went dancing round the room

Hey Oh(Chorus)

Machine it wasn't working
It simply wouldn't go
So Johnny Rebec he climbed inside
To see what made it so
His wife she had a nightmare
Went walking in her sleep...
She gave the crank
A HECK OF A YANK
And Johnny Rebec was meat!

(Chorus)



42 comments:

~d said...

THANK YOU!!
I wanted to put in a Christmas song, too! It is this majorly groovy one by Robert Goulet! Maybe I will go change it! Birds. We try to feed the birds, but they don't stay. Raccoons eat their food, and then we forget to refill it. I feed my children.I wake up way to early and cannot go back to sleep. For about 2-3 hours. Then I can sleep again!
(is that pic from Casablanca?!)

Thank you soo much for playing!

Miz BoheMia said...

Oooh! Yummy post!

For insomnia, which I rarely have though when I do it's a bitch, I tend to lie there and revel in fantasies of what I want and what makes me feel good... shopping, coordinating outfits, SF, decorating and the list goes ON! That tends to work and if not, the internet is where I'm at (and a HUGE email checker I tell you! Oy!)...

Sushi is a fabulous (and lean) comfort food! Faboo FO SHO!

As for a good sugar substitute, the best, healthiest, and most beloved (by us) substitute is stevia extract... might take a little getting used to but once you do, 'tis addictive FO SHO!

I loved getting to know all these juicy tidbits about you amiga mia! Keep 'em coming!

javajazz said...

WOW WOW WOW!
another Terry work of art!
jeez, girl,
you really put your heart and soul
into these beautiful creations!

such gorgeous photos again!
and i LOVE Claire's big tushie!
ha!
xo

Mona said...

wonderful photos!
So much for a tag!
I was tagged too.. a different tag though... :)

Autumn Storm said...

Wonderful how you put 110% into these posts, the detail, and the time it must take you. Not just the words, but the art work too. Very, very nicely done.
Happy Thursday, G&T, xo

Jeanne said...

Terry, Terry, Terry!!!!! I KNOW THAT SONG!!!!!
My version:

Oh, Mr Johnny Rebec,
How could you be so mean
to ever have invented
the sausage meat machine.
Now all the neighbor's cats and dogs
will never more be seen.
They've all been turned to sausages
in Johnny Rebec's machine.

One day a little boy
went walking in a store.
He bought a pound of sausages
and dropped them on the floor.
The boy began to whistle,
he whistled up a tune.
And all the little sausages
began dancing around the room.

Oh, Mr. Jonny Rebec....

One day the machine got busted.
The darn thing wouldn't go.
So Johnny Rebec, he crawled inside,
to see what made it so.
His wife was having a nightmare
and walking in her sleep.
She gave the crank a heck of a yank
and Johnny Rebec was meat.

What a funny place to overlap!

Anonymous said...

I love the way you've blended superb photographs with your answers.
I love feeding my birds too, cracked corn for the squirrels who don't mind sharing it with...yes pigeons, they have to eat too. Mourning doves, blue jays, starlings, sparrows.
We even have some ducks that come every day.
My yard is like a fishtank, there's always movement going on.

Great music choices terry.
tc

Keshi said...

Terry ur a very interesting soul!

U like Sushi...me too.

The Doors..like em alot.

:) Have a wonderful wknd!
Keshi.

G said...

I love that Jackson Browne song:

Into a dancer you have grown
From a seed somebody else has thrown
Go on ahead and throw some seeds of your own
And somewhere between the time you arrive
And the time you go
May lie a reason you were alive
But you’ll never know

Could this be talking about you with your birds?

Great meme/nicely done Terry.

Anonymous said...

HAPPY FRIDAY xoxox

Minka said...

wow...I was gonna say something real funny-in my mind, after reading teh habits, when I progressed on to teh song section...funny somehow escaped me.
beautiful settled in. Thank you!

tsduff said...

~d - It was fun. Fun to do, but sad because the only time I have to do a meme is at night. Robert Goulet? Wowsa - either you are a diverse young person, or older than Methusula to be a Robert (or Edie) Goulet fan... tis a name I have not heard for a while :-D Hmmm, racoons eat the bird food? How do they get it? (and, WHAT is it?) The pic is from Casablanca - great movie ;-).

Tom & Icy said...

That was fascinating. But personally, I don't tag, just wag.

tsduff said...

Miz B - I think I shall try to take your suggestion to heart. Next time I wake up at 3, I shall begin to envision all the good stuff... all the dreamy great stuff I'd love to have come true.. maybe that will take me to a better place. Don't know why the dreaded worry usually comes instead.

Sushi does it for me. Sugar substitutes I do in extremely small form... it is coffeemate I can't do without. (creamer)

I love getting to know you too Miz B - your videos are priceless.

Lisa - Glad you liked the big tushie - me too. :-) That is why it is there. (self portrait?) HA HA.

Mona - I'm thrilled to see you over here. I always enjoy your long epistles over at various other places... thanks for stopping by. You had a nice tag too.

tsduff said...

Autumn - you are too kind. I just like pictures. Can't help myself. G says hello to A, M and A and your Dad. I second it.

javajazz said...

my tushie is my lifeline.

tsduff said...

Okay Ms. Jeanne - You are the very first one outside of my family to know this song. Your variation was quite similar - where did you learn this song? Is it regional? Obviously not Swedish! I believe my folks learned it at Stanford - although I may be mistaken.

Okay - Item # 2
Story rocks. It is like my own private store of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine! You wrote that? Geez Loueeze... Incredible!! It is my favorite yet!! I printed it from my email (YESSSSSSS, loved getting email :-D - you are so thoughful), and read it to him at home. We loved it... had a slight difference of opinion at first as I had to explain to him the meaning of the worms vs the lawnmower theory... LOLOLOL! (As a birdbrain, I feel I understand it much better than he does). Then he told me he wants to send you his late father's Snake story. It is a classic (I've read it) and he will send it as soon as he finds it. I may have to type it.

tsduff said...

TC: HA! A kitty that feeds the boyds.. yeah! Takes one to know one. I don't really tolerate cats well, but I can make exceptions. You are an exception :-)
Do you enjoy the starlings? I had one once (Arnie the darling starling) who love to search between my toes for lawn treats... he also loved grapes. What a character!

tsduff said...

Keshi - I always love your input. So unique and individual.
You have sushi in Australia? Cool.
The Doors? Yeah. Jimmy was incredible - wish he had understood that.

tsduff said...

G: Thank you for noticing this song. It seems to mean more to me than it should... it is one of those emotional, thought provoking songs that NEVER is neutral. It is intense, always. :-) ... me feeding the birds? Lovely and thoughtful interpretation... my most dear association is the part where:

"Just do the steps that you’ve been shown
By everyone you’ve ever known
Until the dance becomes your very own
No matter how close to yours
Another’s steps have grown
In the end there is one dance you’ll do alone"

I closed his eyes when he died. I wanted to share everything with him... but at the end, it was only me- alone.

tsduff said...

Annonynmous - yes, Fridays are the best day of the week - no matter what is happening on the weekend!

jillie said...

Great meme Terry! That Christmas song has always made me cry and I love it even more.

Your post reminds me I need to get some seed before I leave....ON THURSDAY!

Are you so excited Terry? I can't wait to compare notes. Harrie left me his 35mm camera but needs work. I don't know if it's working properly to take with us....oh well, I'll test it out when I get home.

xo

Anonymous said...

your comment regarding the starling made me smile.
I have a nice big bird bath by the feeder for all the birds to drink and bathe in.
I even have a birdbath heater I hook up in the winter so they always have fresh water.

Toby said...

Very nice, I didn't think to put "out of the box" selections in my selections. On a side note, remember when the Doobie Brothers made an appearance on What's Happening?

javajazz said...

Happy Mothers Day Terry!
to the coolest mom on
the west coast!
your kids are SOOOOO lucky
to have a mom as cool as you!
have a great day!
xoxo lisa

Doug The Una said...

That was fun. I think you and I may be as odd as each other. Happy Mother's Day.

Autumn Storm said...

Happy Mother's day, Terry. :-)

Outdoorsy Girl said...

Ooooh what a batch of fun Terry Trivia! This was a great post! I love that you included Oh Holy Night in your faves. It is NO DOUBT my fave Christmas song! Unfortunately I only remember it once a year and would have forgotten to add it to my favorite songs list!

Anonymous said...

FYI--david is alive and back home :-)

Icarus said...

Way too much to comment on in detail, but the whole caboodle is great! Boy, Terry you really know how to answer a tagging challenge, which I am incapable of. Envy!!!!

The Old Mule said...

I love this post for many reasons. Here are a few:
1) Sushi *is* comfort food. I so agree.
2) My buddy drinks this nasty coffee with hazelnut flavored coffeemate that must have at least a dozen unknown chemical agents. But he swears by it too.
3) Feeding birds brings more joy than almost anything one can do.
4) That Jackson Browne song is really amazing. I am very sorry to know your husband passed away. I think we keep people as alive as ever in memory, thoughts, songs and prayers (of all kind).
5)You sound like a really cool mother.

tsduff said...

Hey JJ - I'm trying to catch up!

tsduff said...

Jillie - I'm excited for your trip starting so soon! Wowsa! Hope all is fun, safe, filled with beauty and well-being on you trip. As for your camera - I'd invest in a little digital or something if the 35mm camera has any doubt of working... When I went to Ireland I took a camera that actually seemed to be working (so I had no clue) but when I tried to develop the film, found that none of it had advanced at all and was in fact all blank. Not worthy losing the pictures.All my best to you - say Hi to Autumn for us :-D HAVE FUN!!!!!

tsduff said...

Minka, you are a funny girl = gifted with the knack of being consistently funny without even trying. One of those songs was funny - that's why we always loved singing it as a kid (Mr. Johnny Rebec)You have some funny Icelandic songs too I know = we sang a funny one whilst there last time at the family reunion.. Icelandic Cowboy or some such thing... :-D

tsduff said...

Good policy Icy = how can you be so strong? I just can't say no... :-)

JJ - I would share some of mine... I've got plenty.

tsduff said...

TC - Man alive - sounds like your birds are more spoiled than most....My birds would not know what to do with heated fountain. They are grateful for their 4 tiers of gently dripping water (of course mine doesn't usually freeze solid)

Actonbell - you are very kind with your comments. Not too happy with waking up at such a horrible hour, so regularly, but what the heck is a girl supposed to do? Pasta with red sauce is a go with me - but sushi is what hits that comfort button for me. Thanks, for your condolence.

tsduff said...

Toby - ah, my favorite savage face :-D Love to see it when your eyes blink :-D Sorry, but I missed out on "What's happening..."
never saw it. dang. I loved the Doobies so much that when I was in 9th grade, I named my beagle after them.... Dubee was a great pup.

tsduff said...

Lisa - you are truly a nice person. From one Mom to another - Cheers :-)

Doug - I concur. I feel honored somehow :-D Not bad either.

Thanks A - and back attcha - *better late than never... didn't know England had a different Mother's Day date than the U.S. If you are a mother - every day is Mother's Day anyway :-)

Hey Julie - :-D Love hearing from you. Some songs are just a deep part of some of us, and we carry them with us all the time. I'm sure you have some songs that never leave your heart - and will pop up with sentiment and feeling if you think for a moment.

tsduff said...

anonymous - Thanks for the update... I was so worried!

Icarus - tee hee - you used the word caboodle - haven't heard that in ages! I love that you are posting again - was so concerned for a bit. I sincerely hope things got sorted out for you - as your pictures are unsurpassed.

tsduff said...

Old Mule - hurrah. Never knew anyone but me considered sushi in the comfort zone.

I choke on hazelnut... please give me plain. But Coffeemate just the same. The other brands taste horrible. Only the pure unadulterated Coffeemate for me :-)

Yes, the birds bring a breath of wonder to my soul each time I look at them. It is worth every penny I spend on their food, just to see them up close and personal.

The song by JB is deep and one of my most meaningful. Thanks very much for the kind thoughts. I agree that each time we think of our loved ones who have died, we keep them alive not only to us but in the world.

G said...

I do love that part of the song and I agree it is always a moving song - always hits me no matter what frame of mind I am in.

Poignant and true and also - it was his dance to do alone as well. Very touching, Terry.

Oliviah said...

I just gave your blog a "thumbs up" and a review on stumbleupon. Because I think your blog is one of the most feel-good blogs I have ever read.