ODE TO A MOCKING BIRD
 By David E. Shearer

Sing out, sing out, sweet mocking bird,
From your lofty tree top perch.
I wonder if you sing for joy,
Or is life an endless search,


To discover who you really are,
With no song of your own.
Do You copy all the other birds,
To pretend you're not alone?


When late at night or early dawn,
You prepare your repertoire.
Be it full moon, street light, shooting star,
You rehearse your Aria'.


Then like an actor playing parts,
Your throat the sounds engage,
As you begin your great performance,
From you high and worldly stage.


Your concert fills my heart with joy,
Sweeter sounds I've never heard,
So it matters not the reason,
Just sing on sweet mocking bird.

   
LIFE

The horse and mule live 30 years
And nothing know of wines and beers.
The goat and sheep at 20 die
And never taste Scotch or Rye.

The cow drinks water by the ton
And at 18 is mostly done.
The dog at 15 cashes in
Without the aid of rum or gin.
   
The cat in milk and water soaks
And then at 12 short years it croaks.
The modest, sober, bone-dry hen
Lays eggs for noggs, then dies at 10.

All animals are strictly dry:
They sinless live and swiftly die;
But sinful, ginful, rum-soaked men
Survive for threescore years and 10.

And some of them, a very few,
Stay pickled till they are a 100 and 2.

   
"If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced."
Vincent Van Gogh

 
   
Sounds Of Words Forgotten
by Putney

There are sounds on the wind
that tell me of you.
The night has a voice,
and I hear you there too.
Sometimes a shout,
more often a sigh.
The language not spoken,
but known from days bye.

I want to remember,-
to recite every line.
Hold fast the meaning,
and make it all mine.
Tho I know what you're saying,-
on the wind, and the night.
By morning, and stillness,-
I doubt that I'm right.

Good Morning Everyfriend! 

BUBBLE, Thank you for cleaning us all up again.  I'm a poetry lover so all those neat poems went straight to my heart!  You do such a good job here and I'm so glad to know you!

I'm going to go get dressed and take Cooper for a walk.  It's already daylight here and heading for the mid 7os later today.  However, there's going to be some rain in the late afternoon but it's coming with the higher temps so I can handle that. 

I wish you all a good day...better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow!

Good morning

Starting off at 54°  and heading towards a thunderstorm later on today.

Planted our potatoes yesterday, and just have a few more seeds to put in but will wait till threat of frost is over. Besides, today is a much needed day of rest.

Jane ,each day I eye up the rhubarb and I would think after a day of rain it will sprout enough to make your rhubarb juice. I was reading up on the benefits of rhubarb and it covers a wide area!

Bubble, thank you....you always do a beautiful new start.

Time to get ready to meet the day.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.
 

Good morning everyone, my AC is in and my 2 sons were here working together, love seeing that. When I pulled up my shades this morning I saw one other one was installed, too. That lady is like me and cannot tolerate heat. After2 miserable nights of not sleeping last night I slept great, even had a light blanket on all night. When Bill called me on Friday he asked if I wanted the AC installed and of course I said yes.  Any thing over the mid 70's is too hot for me and add the humidity and I need to cool off.

PHYLLIS  antibiotics work great when the one providing them knows what they are doing. When a CNA told me last Wednesday that same dentist was doing the same thing to her husband as she did with me. He called about a possible infection after she pulled a tooth out. He called and she sent in a script to the pharmacy for the anti biotic, he took them all and still not cleared up so she sent another one to the pharmacy and this CNA knows enough about them after what happened to me and she noticed the new ones he got were more that twice the strength of the first ones she had him take. He called his doctor to ask about it and was told NOT to take them. That dumb dentist needs to go back and learn  more about the profession she picked and the right pills and strengths to use.  I am still scared of finding a different dentist to get the rest of my teeth out.  I know they have to come out but how to find one I can trust now?

PATRICIA  I did not notice it was a Friday the 13th until the afternoon but I am not superstitious and had a brother a SIL and a BIL all born on a Friday the 13th and always said that was a lucky day for them. This building and 2 others are owned by the same group. Only one time since I have been here did some of that group come and talk to some of the tenants they met walking around in here. I don't think any of the senior housing buildings here are owned by the state.

SHIRLEY  beautiful work Jack did with that new program. I love wide open spaces and my daughter takes after me, just thinking of where they are now living and no matter what direction she looks in she sees mountain ranges in the distance. Love the photos of all the birds but especially  the Cardinals.

JANE  like you I don't know why I have lived this long, in my family no one lived beyond 72 or 73 and here I am at 91. WHY?  There is a lot I would like to do but the body is pretty w ell worn out and it says no no. I always took pleasure in having a clean home, washing, polishing, dusting etc. I loved to cook and bake and now I cannot do any of those things. So why am I still here, makes no sense to me.

AMY  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to you and Kyle. You still on your Honeymoon? My oldest son and DIL will be celebrating 48 years on the 25th. Does not seem possible that  many years.

SHIRLEY  I would never turn down mashed potatoes, could make of meal of just that.

BUBBLE  love your western graphic, hope that miner was looking at gold. Love the Ode to a Mocking bird. Only heard one once. Woke listening to it. Thought it was about time to get up in the morning, was very light out and could hear all the birds waking up. Laid there listening and it dawned on me the sounds were all coming from the same direction. Looked at the alarm clock and it was 1:30 am. There was a full moon that night.  Life is good, I am not 102 and I am not pickled either so where do I fit in? Thank you for today's goodies.

boy am I messed up this morning. Thought it was Monday, turned on the TV for the local overnight news and it wasn't on. some crazy selling commercial. Changed channels and nothing I am used to seeing was on.  Wondered if every thing was changed and they did not let us know. Very quiet here, too. Dawned on me at last it is Sunday- not mid week.

Time for a second cup of coffee and maybe I can drink this one while it is at least warm and not cold.
Have a good day and stay safe.

So far here it's another grey day. The ground is very wet so it must have rained. Warnings about thunder storms for tomorrow with a chance of a tornado. Unusual for here.  But then the heat will move in.

I'm here. I'm trying to use voice input instead of texting. It takes a little practice I'm learning. I haven't had breakfast yet. I'll be back later. Take care, all.

Light rain here after a roll of thunder. THANK YOU JANE for the information on Rescue, gave Babe some and she has stopped her shaking.

Rick, hope you do not get the tornado!!  We are 63° at the moment , C/A has been turned off for the time being.

  "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" even if it is  . 

Hope Everyone finds something to Enjoy. 

    

Good evening.  Busy day around here getting our patio cleaned up for the season.  We started early power washing the furniture, cushions and then the deck.  It took us hours and we are tired.  Yesterday we planted flowers in all the pots.  Another big job. Hopefully we can begin to enjoy some nice patio time.

GLORIA, sure glad your sons got your A/C installed.  It has been pretty warm here but we have not needed the air yet.  We still are having the awful winds.  Not good for all the wild fires that are burning 🥵

AMY, belated HAPPY ANNIVERSARY wishes to you and Kyle. What restraint....saying no mashed potatoes 🤪🤪🤪. Turkey, stuffing need mashed potatoes ‼️

JANE, happy to read you and your sister had a nice visit together.  Now you are back and jumping right back into your routine. 

Hope EVERYFRIEND will have a good night of rest.

Jenny

Good Morning Everyfriend!  I took off for the haystack without even checking out of S&F last night!  I was so tired all I could think of was that comfortable haystack. 

We had rain overnight and it's so foggy I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face if I was out in it.  I hope it clears fast because Frankie has to drive in it to get here and then to work!

DENVER/JENNY, it was so nice to open up and see you here!  It sounds like you're ready to enjoy some "outside time" on you patio.  I've already had a little time on my porch swing and I love it out there!  Enjoy yours!

Today, Cooper will be here to join me so I better get a move on and be ready for him.  I love having him here.  He fills an empty spot in my heart!

My trip west was supposed to begin with Cindy's arrival this past weekend but due to the time wasted by the contractor, the work on her house isn't finished yet so we're being flexible and will start when she's ready. 

Christy is coming up this weekend from Maryland and they are in the process of ending the lives of some of their older chickens who can't produce eggs any more.  Her husband called me yesterday to find out how many I wanted so I could make chicken broth to can.  We ended up with him sending me enough to can 8 quarts of broth to keep on hand for recipes.  Sounds good to me so we'll be busy with that project later this week! 

I guess I better go get dressed so I can meet Cooper when he arrives.  I wish you all a good day...better than yesterday but not as good as tomorrow.  And I hope you all had a restful night!

Good morning...

Woke to the sound of rain falling. Picking a few things up in town this morning then home to see what needed to be done first.

Folks picked up their trugs yesterday.........first trip they brought their Bernese Mountain dog and the second trip they brought their Standard Poodle. Next came friends to drop off "stuff" and I gave them "stuff" and they left their dogs at home Sent dog treats home with them.

Jane, many years ago I worked on a farm during school holidays and the lady there would take old hens.soak them in water with baking soda ,then roast the next day......they were delicious! Meat wasn't tough and they were flavour packed!

Jenny, thank you. Hope you can relax today after all the work yesterday.

Gloria, for the past ywo days it has been a stinker. I am so glad we have the C/A and if it breaks another one will be put in.  I see our Flowering Crabapple tree is full of bud and soon it will be dressed in pink blossoms.

Lloyd, good morning to you and Nancy.

Patricia..    

Better get dressed for the day.

Enjoy your day and stay safe.

Hey, AMY, that sounds interesting about the chicken in baking soda.  Maybe I'll try to find it with amounts and time on line....unless you already know that!  And maybe I'll ask for another chicken to try that out! 

good morning AMY an evryone else that follow. I had a good post made and the grilmens got it. so here we go again, I went to VA yesterday, they scolded me for comming on sunday,they seam to think you can not get sick or hurt on sunday. but they seen me and put a patch on my chest monetering my heart. it is suposed to be in place for seven days I do not know what the plan is after that. they shaved the hair oll of of that aeria . and glewed the patch on that monerters my heart. well I am watching the barn swallos come and go , they are very bussy again today building building on there new nest.  Have a great day everyone.  sun is very bright this morning. rained very hard in me yesterday as I went to VA, but here at the house we only got 1/2" in the gage. so I should be abel to push the planter and plant seeds in th garden on the ground. we have , letietcs, carrets, redashes, beans, peas,cabbage ,culaflower,  and tamatoes in the raised beds and mabey some that I can not think of now.Have agood day.

Lloyd

I am back again, yestery day I picked up some gerocerys at sam,s club. I got one pork loin, the one that is about 4" in dieameter and 30" long. I cut it up in slices about 5/8" thick. I usualy stop about 4-5" from the end. but got carried away and did not keep enough for a roaste.  so I cut the last part and some of the stakes up into stew meat. Nancy is it the ketchien , Makeing ster fry out of it. oh well it all goes to my wasteline any way. I seam to be on a sea food dieat,see food and eate it. Have a good day.

Lloyd

Good morning everyone. I noticed yesterday -late afternoon another AC was in a window. Not the big one she has but a smaller one in her living room. I know she has trouble getting someone to put the big one in her bedroom. She sleeps in her recliner so maybe she will be OK with that smaller one. She is a nice lady and was the life of the party when we were on the porch or in the library in the cold months. Now we seldom see her, a different group now but still very pleasant. 64° and I have the bedroom window open but the AC was on all night, did not run the whole time. Took awhile for me to remember the settings I used last year so it goes a little under what I have the temperature to set at so it goes off when it reaches that. Was comfortable all day. Just saw the local weather, yesterday it was more than 20 degrees warmer here than at the airport near the ocean where they have the "official" temperature.

RICK  yesterday they said we had a chance of thunder storms last night but nothing happened, no even a drop of rain. Like many places we could use some rain, getting very dry and warnings on TV about no burning or any kind of grilling outside. My daughter and SIL have a weather station at their house-not an official one and yesterday she emailed me  picture she took of the humidity there. It read 1-ONE. That is way too dry. Sure hope everyone there  in Arizona is careful.

CALLIE  I had some thing to be happy about. My sons installed my AC Saturday so was comfortable with the first of the hot temperature of the season.

JENNY  with only 2 windows in these apartments and mine are facing south-west get the sun the hottest part of the day, all afternoon till sunset. No breeze at night around here so I really need the AC to be able to sleep. I don't think there is much-if any-insulation in these walls. I know in the winter the walls are cold.

JANE  I envy you and Amy and my daughter with all the canning you do. If I could still can like I used to I would have no place to keep the jars. I can  cook few things that freeze good but the freezer is not big. Both sons try talking me into TV dinners but they are full of preservatives and some burn my throat.

AMY  you know how deep a blue the sky is when the humidity is really low? That is how the sky is here now. Always reminds me of the color of my Mom's eyes. No rain here today

JANE  back before WW2 my Mom had an egg/chicken man and he continued to supply us with both during the war. One thing she did with an old chicken was make chicken Fricassee (sp). We all liked it and I made it once and of course my husband asked if I was serving him garbage. The kids and I enjoyed it but I never made it again. His mother was a terrible cook. Friday was cans of Franco American spaghetti a can of tuna and cut up green pepper casserole. Just thinking about it upsets my tummy.

LLOYD   wish I had a see food diet. I see food and my hunger is gone.

Have a good day everyone and stay safe.

Good morning from a still raining Interior. We did have cloudy skies yesterday instead of all white, giving us hope. But then the rain began again—nothing heavy here, just steady. There's been some low-level flooding from frozen culverts melting to ice jammed sloughs and low-lying areas by rivers. The ice melts further north and rises in sheets to float downstream, only to jam and flood further downriver.

We've had the greening overnight; everything leafs out within an hour, but I've never been in the right place to see it as some have, just the results. We had forty for a low, forty-five presently, and later sixties promised by Friday. Another new record for a cold spring.

Gloria, we have the same here. The official temperature is taken by the southwest airport, surrounded by a river and several floatplane ponds.   Interestingly, the coldest temperatures lie at the southern end of this city, and as you move east, it sometimes rises by as much as eight to ten degrees, no two blocks the same.

Since they replaced the windows and balconies, we don't have the air whistling in from the cracks. But, I share others' alarms on the pooling melt, then rainwater. It has to evaporate with no place to run off, which may be a problem down the road.

I was supposed to have a quarterly subscription box, my last on Friday the thirteenth. According to the USPS tracking number, it had already stalled due to supply chain issues and spent two days in Washington state, with another 28 hours in Anchorage over the weekend. Today it is "promised" by nine pm.

I canceled the subscription; although I've enjoyed the offerings curated seasonally with always skincare, a wine glass, a  hardback book, mittens in winter, beach straw hat and coverup last summer, and other seasonally appropriate items, I'm no longer subscribing. I can order on my own if needed, but this is extraneous stuff I don't need.

JANE, your talk about chicken made me think of what I had in the fridge and is now sitting in the singing canner for 9o min. I was going to freeze but this way (more work) is better. Just grab a jar and finish it off the way you want.

We did have some nice rain and then the lightening and thunder came. Jane, your Rescue came out and now Babe is ok.......not panting or shaking.

Almost time for a break.

The sun has yet to come out, but it's warmed ten degrees; last night, greening occurred ( a time when everything for miles around spontaneously bursts into bloom within sixty minutes or less); and warming more after twice setting records for a cold delayed spring. It's presently 47 at 11:48. I posted an 11:06 Pm sunset in photos, and we're on our way to summer's 24/7 daylight.

https://www.seniorsandfriends.org/index.php?msg=217987

Patrica...is it hard to adjust to 24/7 sunlight....I can't even imagine that.....CC

..meant daylight.......

I knew what you meant, CC! And we do hear that from newcomers and military families. However, think of it this way, I noticed at four years old, while we were visiting relatives in Colorado, and remember everyone laughing when I came in upset at sundown. They said I asked what was going on and they had to explain to me why the sun was going down. I evidently was very worried and asked my mom if the sun was mad at us!

It was the same for the 15 years I spent in the south while a military dependent. I always felt cheated.

Hello, Everyfriend!  I had a return appt with the surgeon who did my jaw surgery last Novembember.  He said it's healing "great" and he doesn't have to see me again until late August or sometime in September!  That made me AND my daughter, Cathy feel great! 

I got some stuff out of the freezer last night and stuck it in the fridge to make something today and it turned out to be something I didn't think it was.  The meat was ok but I thought the other package was mixed veggies and it turned out to be mixed sliced peppers from my SIL.  So I put the chopped up beef in the crockpot with some broth and seasonings, let it cook for a while and added a jar of my canned potatoes and the sliced peppers and later added some peas and boy is it ever good.  I don't know what to call it, though.  Surprise Soup?  Beef Whatever?  Good Stuff?

I'm going to finish cleaning up some stuff and then hit the hay early again tonight.  I don't have my little buddy tomorrow because Frankie is off so I don't have to set the alarm.  That means I'll be up early because it's natural for me!

I wish you all a peaceful night's sleep and a happy tomorrow.  And may God bless us, every one!  And may He watch over the Ukrainians!

Good night and sweet dreams every one. JaneS sounds like what we used to make and called it Gulaish. that will woork if you Like to.

Lloyd