Monthly Archives: December 2015

Early Christmas Gift

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“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”
Charles M. Schulz

An Early Christmas

My old iPhone 4 has been acting up lately. I mentioned it to my husband that my phone was acting up and to my surprise he presented me with a beautiful iPhone 6s this morning.

He said he didn’t want me to wait until Christmas to enjoy it. I thanked him a hundred times and then contacted our phone provider immediately to set up the phone. First I backed up my old phone on iTunes and then just synced up my new phone. It’s so cool not to have to spend hours setting up my new phone. I must say that Apple really does think of everything when it comes to their products.

My new phone is much faster and smoother than my old phone. Plus it has some very cool new features. My husband pulled up a YouTube video to show me all the new features and how to use them.

I feel so fortunate to have such a thoughtful husband. We normally don’t exchange Christmas gifts, so to receive this wonderful gift was such a treat. Thanks sweetheart for the early Christmas gift. I love you.

Shine On

The Day John Lennon Died

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“The Beatles are over, but
John, Paul, George and Ringo go on.”
John Lennon

John Lennon

John Lennon on Dick Cavett Show, September 11, 1971

If you grew up listening to the Beatles, no doubt you remember the day John Lennon was gunned down. The evening of December 8, 1980 I was at a record store buying an album when everyone in the store heard the news.

It’s been 35 years since that awful December 8th day. John Lennon left us with his music that crossed generations. He left us one of his most poignant albums of the 1980s.

By the end of December 1980, the album he hadn’t released yet when he died, Double Fantasy was his best-selling solo album. Plus one of the songs on the album, (Just Like) Starting Over hit number one on the Billboard charts.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono filmed a video to promote his new album, Double Fantasy, in the City of New York, November 26, 1980. Filming began in Central Park, then moved to a gallery in SoHo. The song chosen for the video promo was, (Just Like) Starting Over.

Unfortunately, John Lennon never got to experience the success of his album. He was robbed of that. I feel, we were all robbed the day John Lennon died.

Shine On

 

 

Remember Pearl Harbor

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“The lesson of Pearl Harbor ought never to be forgotten,
and of course the motto that came from that, 69 years ago,
the war which my dad fought, was ‘Remember Pearl Harbor,
never again.’ We need to keep that to mind.”
Oliver North

Remember Pearl Harbor

Today marks the 74th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The tragic day the USS Arizona was bombed and split in two killing 1,177 of its 1,400-member crew.

Most people may not realize that before Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona had a 25-year history of accomplishments. The battleship spent most of its career in Pacific Ocean waters, including many years at San Pedro, California harbor. This 608-foot-long, 34,000 plus ton battleship was also used in the 1934 movie, Here Comes the Navy staring James Cagney. The movie provided first rate images of the interior and exterior of this now famous battleship.

In July of this year two of the twelve oldest known Pearl Harbor survivors, veterans Ray Chavez, 103, and Jim Downing, 102, met for the first time. The two men shared the same eyewitness moments and deep memories of the horrific, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Still, for Downing, “most of what happened is just as clear as if it were last week.”

Four days after the bombing, everything was still burning said Chavez. He said they never told the public how bad it was. It was really bad.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is not a federal holiday, but maybe it should be. Just like Oliver North said, the lesson of Pearl Harbor ought never be forgotten. We must always remember Pearl Harbor.

Shine On

Frankenstein of Flora

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“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant.
You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or
just think it’s going to get on by itself.
You’ve got to keep watering it.
You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.
John Lennon

The Power of Plants

For decades I had a beautiful garden that I nurtured and cherished.

Then we relocated and most of my plants I handed over to friends and neighbors. I knew the relocation would kill my plants, and I didn’t want that to happen.

After a few years without plants, I’ve begun to slowly buy some indoor plants and see how they do in our new home. I tend to buy young plants or plants that are left for dead. I do this mostly because I enjoy bringing plants back to life and seeing the young plants grow into big beautiful plants.

The first week in November I bought a half-dead Aspidistra elatior aka Cast-iron plant. The plant was in a bin at Loew’s and had a $5 ticket on it. Seeing this sad looking plant, I snatched it up.

When I got home, my husband asked why I would buy a dead plant? I told him that I thought I could bring life back to the plant. Who do you think you are, the Frankenstein of flora? I ignored his snide remark and went about caring for the plant.

I cleaned the plant up, removing all the dead leaves, trimmed off the brittle tips and drenched it with water. Then, I waited for a few days to see if it came back to life. Slowly the pale green leaves began to brighten and perk up lifting itself up toward the sun light.

Aspidistra plants are common house plants and can tolerate a lot of neglect which is why it’s nicknamed the Cast-iron plant. Today I noticed new growth on the plant and how it looks fuller and the leaves a much richer green. But, I like to believe it was my care of the plant that saved the plant. Thanks to my hubby, I now think of myself as the Frankenstein of flora.

Shine On