My Mom wrote this in my High School book:

Beware of boys with eyes of brown, they will kiss you once and let you down.
Beware of boys with eyes of grey, they will kiss you once and then go away
Beware of boys with eyes of blue, they will kiss you once and never get thru.

There is one missing but I cannot remember it anymore, sorry.  Cute tho.

WJoan

By the way I have blue eyes, I am told just like my grandmothers

Marilyne   Only thing is now as people seem to be more and more using Contact Lenses then you can have eyes any colour you want.  Not to may have deep blue eyes by nature. You can be sure that movie stars are not real. Other than Paul Newman. remember his.?  My one Granddaughter does. But she tried contacts in brown. No longer wears them . She got the Nordic look. Blond hair, blue eyes and nearly 6 ft. tall. One of her twins about the same other than not tall yet.  I think a few of the other Grands have blue.  My mother had one blue and one green. You could really see the difference.

One thing with the DNA report from Ancestry is that you get a list of possible relatives from cousins to multi-times cousins.  I don't bother being interested in anything over fourth cousins because those would be descended from my third-great grandparents.  The first ones listed for me are brothers and Ancestry has one of them as a second cousin once removed and the other as a third cousin.  Their father was my second cousin and their grandmother was my mother's first cousin.  My boss used to roll his eyes when I would mention a cousin being "once removed".  Only someone in genealogy would carry things that far. 

Annie is interested in her background because her mother was adopted.  Her mother is not interested in finding her birth parents, however, her grandmother would not mind; Annie's uncle (also adopted) found his birth mother (I think the father was deceased) with his adoptive mother's consent and they now keep in contact.  Annie has a nose that no one in either of the families has and she and I are curious about it.  Her mother does know the nationalities of her birth parents; she is just not interested in contacting them.  The DNA doesn't give names, only initials and, of course, in my case, I recognized the initials.  If you don't know what you're looking for, you're not going to recognize initials.  I'm waiting for Annie's information to show up on my list, however, it will take about a month before we see anything.

I've written a book about more than you wanted to know.

It is another overcast day here and it looks like one more day around 40 degrees, then by the weekend it will be in the high 20s, however, February is just around the corner, then comes March and Spring!

Joan, maybe the missing color is green, but I don't know what it would mean.

Marilyne, I've noticed so many TV people have blue eyes and we probably notice them because a lot of the shots are head on.

Jeanne, my art teacher in high school had eyes of different colors - blue and green.

Mary Ann

Joan, I'm sure you've heard that old saying about curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back? I was curious so I Googled and I found it.

Beware of Boys a poem by Tamara Moir

Beware of boys
With eyes of brown
They’ll kiss you once
Then let you down

Beware of boys
With eyes of green
They kiss you once
Then let you dream

Beware of boys
With eyes of blue
They’ll kiss you once
Then ask for two!


I did not see the part about gray eyes so I looked further. I was unable to find anything else.

EDIT:

Everyone in my immediate family had brown eyes except for my mother whose eyes were blue. I look like no one in my family, so much that some people assumed I was adopted. Of course my older, by two years, sister heard this and of course used it on me. I went to my mother and she told me about her mother and showed me photos and I could see that I looked just like her. I am what is known as a genetic throwback.
However, I act more like my father's side of the family, I'm told and have his three moles on my back in a same pattern and all of his allergies,(Thanks Dad!).

MaryAnn, both of my folks used the saying, once removed. I had forgotten.

W. Joan, I find eyes can tell us so much. They show if someone is sick, or they sparkle with happiness, or they can be dull with depression, or alarmed if afraid. I really enjoy what your Mom said, and hope you can remember the rest. My Dad had deep brown (what I call Irish eyes) or Latin eyes...the mysterious ones in our world. My Mom had changeble color as a I recall. My brother was most definitely green, with blonde hair. I am a what my sister in law called a "watery" blue. I did not feel complimented, but I like my blue eyes. They show it when I am sick, or on the days that I feel my 92 years..dull and vacant.  All eyes are so beautiful, and so wonderful, and give us so much. I could bear to lose any other bodily function, but I pray God allows me to keep my sight.

JeanneP - How could we ever forget Paul Newman's blue eyes!  

Besides Paul - others who were known for their blue eyes were Jack Benny, ("as blue as the lint in a Navy laundry"), and Frank Sinatra, (Ole Blue Eyes.)  Elizabeth Taylor's eyes were always referred to as violet, but when I see a close up shot of her in a technicolor movie, or a photo, they look blue to me. 

Angel, thanks.  Still missing green eyes.

June, I have always been able to 'read' eyes and for the most part was always correct.

It is usual for a person with Red hair to have green eyes.  My mum was a red head and I had one brother who had beautiful Red hair. I got black after my fathers side. Brown eyes  and to big of a nose.
I always remember the poem father said. "  And the Lord said unto Moses. Give all those Scholes great big noses." And he did.

After reading what Marilyne just spoke of reminds me of something that I have always believed :The eyes pretty well tell the story...By looking at eyes, you can tell a baby is not well,  how much personality a person has, and sometimes of how much brighter people are compared to others...Usually conversation brings all that out, but eyes are pretty well as described: as the windows of your soul.

This post is not about my eyes which are dark brown, but about our trip to Ireland some years ago.  My husband was not yet ill and we had a wonderful time--just going from town to town visiting pubs and exploring the towns.  We went to a huge race at one of the big race tracks--lots of young women there with no jackets, sweaters, or coats but in lovely short sleeved dresses and big very expensive hats--(I'd priced them in expensive department stores).  We had walked down to the rail to watch a couple of the races. 

A couple of men approached us and said, "Say are ye Yanks?".  Of course we said yes and when they asked why we'd come to Ireland, Bob told them my mother was a Carney.  One of them said "Oh, me mother was a Carney!  (she probably spelled it Kearney).  We chatted for a while and enjoyed the conversation.  Meanwhile there was a bar above the seats we had for the race.  It was enclosed in glass and was full of men (all ages) drinking beer.  Every now and then a huge yell would go up--we finally learned that they were watching a soccer match--which is the third favorite pastime (at least it seemed to us) with drinking beer in pubs and going to races!

It rained almost every day of the 3 weeks we were there, but it was usually a "soft rain" and we walked everywhere.  We'd rented a car and just went from village to village and some cities, too.

SCFSue

Sue, that sounds like a lot of fun.  When I was in Ireland (Northern Ireland) and Scotland, we were part of a tour so could not travel on our own like that.  Most of the trips Jim and I took were tours, only one to North Dakota was by car.

Mary Ann

I would love to go to Ireland, (Not N. Ireland); and do as you did Sue. My ancestorial names were Tinkler and Shannon, and we came from the area around Carrick on Shannon. The English transported the family in 1741 to Charleston, S. Carolina as indentured servants. It took 25 years for them to be able to come together again.

My maternal great uncle was able to trace the family back to 1601 pre-computers which was a lifetime obsession. He died in 1963 without ever having married or produced children. He had nine books self-published with his findings, one for each head of household at the time. Fashioned in two sections, the first was genealogy and "begots" while the second listed the information he was able to piece together. My older sister and I are listed in the "begots" section while my youngest sister was born too late to be included.

Hi everyone.  It is cooler this morning but headed up to a sunny 72 degrees this afternoon.  We had to get up earlier this morning as Pat has a Physical Therapy appointment at 9:15.  Fortunately it is only about 15 minutes from the house.  On the way back I plan on stopping at the City Hall and paying the taxes so I can get a new tag.  Pat expects to get a call from COSTCO about her new glasses sometime today.  This evening I will have dinner with Scott and Jennifer at the church.  So it is going to be a full day. 

As seems to be normal now at doctor's offices, we were kept waiting more than an hour past Pat's appointment time to be called back into the exam room.  The doctor was very pleased with the report on Pat's CPAP machine and she won't need to see him again for a year.  On the way home we stopped at the Longhorn Steak House and had our main meal for the day. 

JeanneP, I had the same thought about eye color with the wide use of contact lenses.  However, interesting discussion by everyone on eye colors. 

SCFSue, that was certainly a nice visit you had to Ireland.  I guess all that rain has a lot to do with how green it is there. 

I've been back to Ireland several times since my husband died.  I joined tours as wasn't sure about driving there by myself.  It's just the most beautiful country with lovely villages and even Dublin and the large city in the north (Belfast) were nice to visit.  The Irish really know how to welcome visitors!  Of course, you need to be always ready for a "soft" day with soft rain--and sometimes hard!

Sue

It was just announced that Mary Tyler Moore had died today at age 80. She was certainly a television Icon.

Sue, as I said, we were in Northern Ireland and Scotland.  We were part of a group from a Presbyterian Church.  As you said, the scenery was beautiful.  In Scotland, we crossed the Isle of Mull to go to the Hebrides Island Iona.  But driving across the Isle of Mull was interesting because we were in a big bus on a two-track road.  The road was not paved and when we met another vehicle, one of us had to turn out so the other could pass. 

Today we had our weekly family luncheon.  Terry is in Indianapolis helping daughter, Erin, move but his wife, Jan, and MIL were with us, as was Dot, plus Tom and me.  I had a Michigan Cherry Salad which was very good.  As usual, I brought half of it home.  Tom and his lady friend are going to get some food to take to James and Alicia for supper tonight, so the half of my salad I brought home will be my supper. 

I think they will make the decision today whether or not the babies will be born now.  We all realize that the longer they can wait, the better it will be.  The baby in California is coming along fine and he is to be born March 8.  James and Alicia's babies were scheduled for late March but we all know they'll never make that date.

It's kind of dreary here today, however, the precip is mist so far.  Our temperature is near 38 degrees and I doubt we'll reach 40, although we were forecast to reach 41 degrees.  Snow is forecast for the rest of the week until the weekend.

Patricia, I think I had read that Mary Tyler Moore was in poor health some time ago.  So often when something like that is published, the person dies soon after.

Mary Ann

Tom is home from the hospital and said things are going OK for the present.  It sounds as if plans are to have Alicia stay in the hospital for another two or three weeks and not take the babies now.  That will give the various organs time to mature.  After birth, the babies may be in ICU for a few days to make sure things are OK.  So we have rather good news tonight.

Mary Ann

Mary Ann, I'm glad to hear the good news that Alicia's doctors are keeping here in the hospital in hopes of delaying delivery for another 2-3 weeks.  The babies will be larger and will be able to go home sooner then--even though they'll probably stay in the hospital until a certain weight is gained.  One of my nephews first child was born very prematurely and stayed in the hospital for about 5 months.  Fortunately, his sisters who came after were closer to a good birth weight and didn't stay in the hospital as long.  He and his next sister are both teenagers now and the "baby sister" is about 11.

Sue

I just returned from giving away all my money to various bill collectors, utilities, and rent, not surprisingly my wallet's a bit threadbare. We had two presentations today, both asking for volunteers and donations. I wanted to say, "Hey, cash-poor seniors here!" But I reined myself in.

One is a cafe, Stone Soup, that serves free breakfast and lunch to the homeless and street people. Part of volunteering would be sitting with the folks and actively listening while you are cleaning and they are eating. The Directer calls it a service ministry and they have a huge garden in the back where they grow fruits and vegetables in the summer.

The other one is a Men's shelter where they are starting up a recycling company using residents to bring in cash. Both are conservative and faith-based but the soup kitchen guy sounded honest and didn't pull punches, and the shelter director seemed very slick.

In any case, I don't have the money, and after he said, inebriates are welcome without bringing in booze. I wasn't keen on sitting around chatting with someone who is inebriated. That makes me shallow, but oh well. I am more likely to bring in food donations which they also always need.


We have lost among others, in the last sixty days, Florence Henderson, Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, Mary Tyler Moore, Liz Smith, Ron Glass, Prince, David Bowie and George Michael. I'm sure there were others. There always seems like more around the first or last of the year.

Hi everyone on a rainy 64 degree morning.  However, the rain is not suppose to last very long and should be over by the time I head to coffee and later to the Wisdom class.  Yesterday as we returned from Pat's PT appointment we stopped at the City Hall and I went in and paid the taxes on our cars.  I was very pleased when I realized the receipt also had the tags I needed for the license plates.  I came home and put them on and that was it for another year.  There was no line and I was in and out in no more than 5 minutes or so.  Pat did get notice yesterday that her new glasses are ready so we may go over to COSTCO to get them later today.  This will be our exciting day. 

Patricia, I was sad to hear about Mary Tyler Moore as I always enjoyed the programs she appeared in.  I wasn't aware of some of the earlier programs she had appeared in. 

Mary Ann, glad to see they were not going to take the babies so soon even though that will be a long hospital stay.  At least there won't be any rush to get to the hospital in time since she will already be there.  Hope you don't get too much snow. 

Patricia, is the Liz Smith who died last year the columnist?  I used to enjoy a column by a woman of that name and I don't know how I lost contact; maybe the paper discontinued her column.

I used to give $5 to various charities, all good ones, but it got to be too many.  A few years ago I concentrated more on local food banks, PBS and NPR.  I felt I could do more good with larger donations.  The food banks - one is north end (so am I), one is denominational (my church) and one is the head of both of them.  I used to do computer work for the north end bank (20+ years).  All tolled I may not give as much as I used to (not sure about that) but I feel it is being better used. 

I noticed a dusting of snow this morning so I hope we're not in for a lot of snow.  Our temp is 35 degrees here and won't go up much.  Most of January is gone and we've gotten through from November to almost February with not too much snow. 

Mary Ann

MaryAnn,  I, too, am wondering  about Liz Smith, who Patricia mentioned.   I remember a Liz Smith from different news shows on TV.  I also liked her.  Do not remember reading any columns that she wrote, tho.   Will have to look her up.

As to donations, I get so many calls from different police and fire departments and medical charities.   And, also so many in the mail, also.  I only give to the Christmas Seals now.  You can only use so many address labels.  I also have limited my other donations to local charities. I know where that money goes. I have a friend who is chairman of our local cancer drive for their Relay Walk....  I always give her a donation and then they make up luminaries that you can sponsor for either in memory of someone or to honor someone. They hold this relay at a local high school, and  the night of the walk they line the whole perimeter of the track with the luminaries.  I have always wanted to attend but have never had a way to get. But, the pictures I have seen, it must be a very moving event. I keep telling her I will get there one of these days.  And, our town police dept. sponsors a "Shop with a Cop" at Christmas where they give needy children $100 and take them shopping to buy gifts for their families.  I know where that money goes, also.  I always get a nice thank you note from the officer who helps with this.  So many of these national charities spend too much of the donated money for office expenses.  It gives me a good feeling knowing where the money I give goes to.  And, I always give a couple dollars to the Salvation Army Kettle drive.  My mom was a great believer in the Salvation Army, so I feel like I am giving in memory of her.  And, this past year, I did donate several wreaths for the Wreaths Across America that lay wreaths at Arlington National Cemetary.  A friend of my son 's is very active in working with the military and she was sponsoring a group to go lay the wreaths this year. 

I don't like to be rude on the phone, but sometimes those callers are so insistent, that I just hang up.

It does get to be too much.  So, when I get a call, I just tell them that I give to my local charity. 

Joy

MaryAnn,  I did "Google"  Liz Smith and learned that she started out as a Gossip Columnist and is still living. She was born in 1923.
She started out with the New York Dailey News.  She also worked for Fox in her later years.   She did some political, and women's issues columns, for several New York papers. 

So, must be another Liz Smith that Patricia was referring to. 

JOY

Joy - I get so tired of questionable charities calling on the phone, and starting out by saying. "How are you today?" . . . then launching into their reason for calling.  When I say "questionable", I mean the ones like Firefighters Fund, or Police League.  I have heard that the men who make those calls are not firemen or police officers.  They are paid telephone solicitors, and that if you do donate, only a small fraction of the money goes for the actual charity.  Like you, I don't want to be rude, so I tell them immediately, that I never donate to ANY charity that solicits over the phone. Then if they keep talking, I hang up.

Mary Ann - Thanks for keeping us posted on the twins!  Two or three weeks is a long time to stay in the hospital, but it will result in a happy and healthy birth.  Have they named the babies yet?

Liz Smith was an English actor, "Betty Gleadle, MBE (11 December 1921 â€" 24 December 2016), known by the stage name Liz Smith, was an English character actress, known for her roles as Annie Brandon in I Didn't Know You Cared, as Bette and Aunt Belle in 2point4 Children, as Norma Speakman ("Nana") in the BBC comedy The Royle Family, as Letitia Cropley in the BBC comedy The Vicar of Dibley and as Zillah in Lark Rise to Candleford."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Smith_(actress)

I also used to donate more than I do now and also began to pull back after reading about questionable practices. I now donate to very few in cash, although I volunteer for a few places here and give time and effort to a couple of others, all of which are local.

I just feel uneasy about people coming to a disabled seniors apartment and soliciting. The Stone Soup Director was asking mainly for volunteers whereas the men's shelter director was angling for cash.

I used to try not to be rude. Now I just hang up on them, sometimes simply saying no and then hanging up.

We are warming up again, mid-twenties and of course, snowing. February has always been our worst for a cold year, a typically last winter's grasp. Now we shall see if that is the same as this winter has been a throwback year.

I also feel that the more Alicia rests in the hospital, the better it will be. It seems when we are home there is always something to be seen to and in the hospital, you tend actually to rest. Of course, I don't know all of the particulars, or need to, so that is simply my opinion.

Well, I do donate to more than those I mentioned, but I am fortunate to have Caller ID and if I don't recognize the number, I don't answer.  Probably only one in 100 leave a message and if it is someone I know, I pick up the phone.  Caller ID costs me $10 a month, I can afford it and it is well worth the charge.  I got it years ago when AT&T had a promotion - free installation.  I was so tired of getting calls from so many charities, later for candidates during election, that I jumped at the chance when the promotion was offered.  I too have heard that many of the people calling for those charities are not connected with them.

Patricia and Joy, obviously the Liz Smith who died was not the one I had heard of.  She lived a long time; so has the columnist Liz Smith.

With Alicia, I was concerned for her because their bedrooms are upstairs, as is the main bath.  They have a half-bath downstairs.  I didn't talk to James or Alicia about this, but my thought was they should rent a hospital bed for downstairs and she'd have to take a sponge bath instead of a shower.

I haven't been to the hospital to see Alicia yet so I suggested to Tom that I'd like to go sometime.  He usually is on the way to somewhere else when he goes, so we will see if I get there or not.  They live in Holland MI so I won't be able to see the family once everyone is under the same roof.  I understand Alicia's mother will be with them for the first month and James' mother will be there the second month.  After that I guess they'll be on their own.  I cannot help.

Mary Ann

We thought the trips to Ireland and the one to Nova Scotia were the best for meeting friendly people. 

I dabble in genealogy - it can be too time consuming.  We did our DNA and I am almost all Swedish and Finnish but one of the Vikings  must have gone to northern England and Ireland to bring back a lass because the DNA shows a bit of that venture.      Light blue eyes - they must look different as people have commented over the years - thinking I look Irish. 

It is sunny and chilly here today and two crockpots are working - the largest one has a ham bone with split peas simmering for soup and the medium one has leftover French bread for a bread pudding - sweetened with Agave syrup for Don does not need the sugar. 

On donations - you can check out the percentage the charity gives, what the executives are paid and so much more on the computer.  We like the Semper Fi Fund that helps wounded military from all services and we send to the Salvation Army.  Look at the overhead costs and if they are using the money wisely. 

Well, back to what I was doing before checking in here - looking at a couple of books to download.  Free library, of course. 

Mary Ann: It sounds like the doctors and nurses are taking tender care of mom with the twins. 

Thanks, Carol, we're praying and crossing our fingers and toes (!) that Alicia can hang in there for another month, maybe more. 

Mary Ann