This Musical Message is For We'll Come Clean

We'll Dance In the Garden

It is a hot, hot Saturday here in sunny Southern California. Time for Saturday Scavenger Shots, fo sho. This week's word, CLUB, was chosen by the inimitable AlienCG (aka Jasen) @ Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections.  This word had me a bit stumped, almost as though I'd taken a CLUB to the head :)  Finally, I just went traditional...

Here's a CLUB for you! Could've shown you all 13, but I went with this simple, elegant shot. Join my fan CLUB?

And...that's it! My CLUB offering is complete. We will see, in the fullness of time, who Jasen tags for next week. Stay cool and stop in tomorrow for a Musical Message if you are so inclined.

PS- If any of you have a Fan CLUB, I will SOOOO join it! xx

I've Seen What's In Your Heart

It is Wednesday here in my world and time for a little Choose and Defend to break up the week. Are you feeling charitable? I like to imagine myself a charitable person, but in point of actual fact, I do very little in the way of giving. I excuse myself by recognizing that I haven't even got a savings account and just don't have enough to give away, even for the best of causes. Less easy to excuse is not being giving with my time. Either way, though, excuses, excuses, excuses. 

Let's imagine for a moment that we all had extremely adequate (is that even a thing?) time and resources. And we all have our causes, I feel certain. Given that, and your bounty, which would you prefer to give to the charity or charities of your choice?

Money 

OR

Time

 

Maybe you already do one or even both of these things. The odds are good that you do. But given a choice, and again, plenty of resources...which do you prefer (Choose) and why (Defend)?

 

Thx!

This Musical Message is For We Can Whisper Things

Enough to Make Me Lose My Mind

Thanks for joining me for a DELICIOUS Saturday Scavenger Shots, courtesy of the adorable Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti!  At first I couldn't decide what I would use to show you DELICIOUS. So many DELICIOUS things in the world :) Then it hit me that I had a ready-made cache of DELICOUS photos from my posts on a Facebook group called "2013 - The Year of the Burger". Burgers, burgers everywhere, and each of them so DELICIOUS.

Here, let your eyeballs taste these babies....

A McDonald's burger...DELICIOUS in its utilitarian way.

 

Carl's Jr. is my go-to place for a DELICIOUS treat. It is the closest place to my home and my work.

 

The Habit is a DELICIOUS treat of a place. Just opened one near me and I am pleased.

 

♪ Red Robin - Yummm!♫ What a DELICIOUS, delightful burger.

 

Hands-down favorites are the DELICIOUS burgers DR makes. He is a wonderful cook!

 

Now you know what a truly DELICIOUS life I have :)  It isn't all about the burgers, but they sure do help. Now, let's just see who Tara tags to choose for next week....

All I Ever Wanted

We have gotten to Wednesday once again, which means it must be time to Choose and Defend. This is, as I've whined about incessantly, our busiest time of year here in the library. Our six week Summer Reading Program is our "signature event" and each year it seems like we add another element or two to keep the fun ramped up. It is fun, but tiring...and we are STRONGLY discouraged from taken time off during these six weeks.  So, of course, I am fantasizing about vacations. This thought leads us right back into Choose and Defend Wednesday. Okay...first, please remember that money is no object here.  Given these two choices, and these two alone, which would you Choose for your week-long vacation? Please remember to vigorously Defend your choice :)

Lounge on an Exotic Beach

OR

Outward Bound Adventure

 

It is your vacation. Your choice. What will you do? Choose and Defend! (And dream)

Philosophizin' and Such

Happy birthday to my awesome middle child Cory Social Animal, who is turning 24 today! Social Animal is a man of such outstanding qualities. Intelligent. Handsome. Driven. Kind. Thoughtful. When he was growing up, I think the main characteristic associated with Social Animal was his great sense of humor. Of course, he is still a very funny guy. But as he has grown up, his major interest has become philosophy. He reads everything he can get his hands on. And more importantly, he talks to people. He listens to what they have to say and remains open. It seems like a fairly rare and wonderful quality.

Last Sunday's Musical Message was chosen in his honor. I looked for something that felt like a meditation on an unknown future and the idea of having to walk our own path. I have every confidence that Social Animal will continue to make good choices and keep his mind and heart open to all that lies ahead.

Happy Birthday, Social Animal!

Your Lips Were Synching

It is Monday and I am just getting around to my Saturday Scavenger Shots.

 Saturday was quite the day, as my Social Animal had his graduation from Citrus Community College and a little party afterward. He's turning 24 tomorrow, so yes, he kind of meandered through that...but he did get both an AA and an AS. Plus, in the fall, as I've proudly mentioned, he is off to Berkeley to finish up with a degree in Philosophy.

As for Sunday, I have no excuse. I was very chill all day and didn't really do anything that was all productive. Although I do think recharging my internal batteries isn't a bad use of time.

Anyway...getting back to the task at hand....Saturday Scavenger Shots. I chose the word CHANGE for this week. I thought I could find a couple of good things to post and I think I did. Here is some CHANGE for you -

Here is a blue, blue picture of small children and their artistic CHANGE into a pair of animals.

 

People sure do CHANGE over the years, don't they? Here is a picture of Social Animal and Girlie Girl about 15 years apart. On the left, they are footballing and cheerleading at ages 9 and 5. On the right, they are enjoying a graduation party at (nearly) 24 and 20. What didn't CHANGE? They're still buddies.

 

And sometimes, CHANGE is just CHANGE :)

 

That is all the CHANGE I can handle for now. I'm anticipating a busy week...actually a busy six weeks to come. Summer Reading Program is upon us and the library really kicks into gear. But I will be around. Nothing keeps me away!

 

Tagged for next week is Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti. What'll it be Tara?

 

 

 

This Musical Message is For If Your Cup Be Empty

Do You Like How It Feels?

Hello there, fellow humans and others. It is time for some Choose and Defend Wednesday. This one addresses a couple of possibly uncomfortable situations. Or maybe not. It's all you, baby! Maybe you'd love both options...maybe you'd really, really dislike them both. Either way, you must still Choose, and you must Defend. Which of these things would you rather do?

Hold a Snake

OR

Speak to a Huge Crowd

For the sake of our Choose and Defend, let us say that the snake is probably not dangerous, but it is big. And let us also say that you must give at least a five minute speech to that huge crowd.

So...what will it be? Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For The Northern Star

I Do Alright For a Girl

Welcome to Saturday and Saturday Scavenger Shots. Our own Scientist-in-Residence, Jasen @ Swamp Gas & Moonlit Reflections, chose this week's word.  The word he chose? KEY. Seems pretty straightforward, although there at least a couple of different directions you could wander with KEY.

I went fairly standard today. Take a look -

Here at KEY, there a KEY, everywhere a KEY KEY. The real KEY to me, though, is that little tag :)  Yes, you have finally met me...the #1 Mom!

 

I don't think I can beat that accomplishment. And surely this is the highpoint of your day...so I'll just end this here.

 

I will close by noting that Jasen tagged me for next week. He didn't yet know I was #1 Mom, so he probably just tagged me because it is my turn :-D

 

Next week's word will be CHANGE.

Where I'm From

I stole this from Secret Agent Woman @ Blogging Incognito. Well, maybe not so much stole as saw it there, thought it was cool, and decided to try it. If you haven't read hers, you should. It is very poetic. Mine, not so much. I followed a template, did my best, and enjoyed it quite a bit!  So here we go -

  I am from peanut butter and jelly, from doughboy pools, and warm towels. I am from the suburbs, the neighborhood gang, the long summer days roaming wild. I'm from the sun.

I am from the elephant ear, the yucca, and thick shrubs to hide in. I am from the sand of warm beaches, hot deserts, damp caves. I'm from the moon.


I am from hidden depths, poetry, and ice-blue eyes. I am from the avoidance of conflict, a certain reserve, protective fierceness. I'm from truth.

I am from Norway, Scotland and England.  I am from the burning of family photos, unknown cousins, the loss of self in old age. I'm from consequences. 

I am from everything my mother keeps and everything my father lets go. I am from loneliness that feels more real than anything else.  I'm from love. 

I Foresee Terrible Trouble

Hey, hey. How's it going? Finally getting to Choose and Defend Wednesday, even though it has been Wednesday for ever so many hours already. It is my busy season at work. Do you have one of those? What is your job like? What would you like your job to be like? Let's explore a bit...you know, just one little surface thing. Because this is Choose and Defend and that is what we do!

Would you prefer to be....

A Company Employee

OR

Self-Employed

Think it over...they each have their pros and cons. Then go ahead and Choose. It is nice to explain yourself a bit...Defend yourself, man! Have you no spunk! Not that kind of spunk. Put that away. 

Choose and Defend!

This Musical Message is For Just Tell Them That We Met in Jail

Don't Mean a Thing

You came back! I knew you would *sob* *sniff* I knew you would. It is time for some Saturday Scavenger Shots. This week's word was chosen by my dear friend Tara @ Eclectic Spaghetti.  The word she chose, SUMMER, is lovely in a couple of different ways. For one, SUMMER is my favorite season. It somehow evokes very strong memories for me, the ripeness of SUMMER. Here are a few things that come to mind when I think of SUMMER -

I think I've posted this photo before, but SUMMER is definitely for bare feet. At least it was for me when I was a kid. And it seems to be for these here kids too!

 

The first hot days bring the beginning of wild fire season here in Southern California. Can you see the smoke back in the foothills? SUMMER burn.

 

I love SUMMER evenings with the front door open to let in some air. Have to put up the screen though, or the june bugs and moths and what have you invite themselves in. They are not welcome at my SUMMER party.

 

Fabulous 80s fashion aside, I'd say this picture was probably taken in the fall. However, SUMMER always, always makes me think of the first boy I ever really loved. It was definitely a SUMMER romance that lingered some months after. I've mentioned before that we're still in touch, still great friends. And SUMMER brings me a lot of very sweet memories of young lurve. It seemed so simple :)

 

Weather-wise SUMMER certainly seems to have arrived. The first official day of SUMMER is June 21, so another 3 weeks or so. I am ready though! I am ready for SUMMER and all that it brings.

 

Have a great weekend, you hotties. Can I see your SUMMER too? I showed you mine! Dangit....