§ Oooooo, how I'd love to join the circus!!

...at least to work with the tigers and elephants.
When the Ringling Bros. Circus was in town, and Bud and I were walking along the seawall, at the back of the Civic Center they were hosing down the tigers and feeding the elephants before their long journey to the next city. Bud and I watch. Altho, I didn't have my camera with me, I snapped a few photos through my smart phone. I would have loved to reach through the fencing, unharmed, and scratched the tiger's belly....
















CONNECTING TO:

August Themes for Photo Hunters
3rd ~ Oooooo
10th ~ Numb
17th ~ Can
24th ~ Chocolate
31st ~ Quiet



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WEEKEND FUNNIES


A man is caught by cannibals. To escape the Island of Cannibals he has to survive 3 tents. In the first tent is ten bottle of Vodka. In the second tent there is a tiger with a toothache. In the third tent he has to sexually pleasure a lady. So he goes into the first tent and about 10 minutes later comes out so drunk that he is about to pass out. He goes into the second tent. For about 20 minutes you here the man screaming and getting scratched. He comes out and he says: "Where's the lady with the toothache?"

*

Two guys were hiking through the jungle when they spotted a tiger. One of the guys reached into his pack and pulled out a pair of Nikes. His friend looked at him.
"Do you really think those shoes are going to make you run faster than that tiger?"
"I don't have to run faster than that tiger. I just have to run faster than you."

§ One of the top songs from 1949---

Click button to Join

...a meme where you match photos to song lyrics

From PopCultureMadness, I checked this morning for the most popular songs of the year 1949, since I celebrated 62 years yesterday. One I recognized was Les Brown's "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"...written by Irving Berlin.


My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher


So I will weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?


Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm...




Photos: Top- Valentine's Day Mantel in our home this year. Middle- my home state and the area I grew up in [this was taken this past winter, by my niece - she still lives up there] ...see? Now you know why I dislike snow as I got older. Can you imagine getting kids ready for school...or getting to work with this. Not to mention getting out of the driveway to the state highways. Bottom- Two tigers in love. On the coffee table this year.
You Tube Song Link


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And on this note, I want to thank everyone for their wonderful birthday wishes left here and in my email inbox. You're tops! I was a bit busy being on the phone most of the morning, so I'll try and catch up with y'all today. Thanks again. The local weathermen warned us it was heading our way!!! Even tho the temperature plummeted in just a short few hours, after my sister and I chatted on the phone a long while [as we talked the two of them were getting MORE snow after the beginning of this front, they got another 18 inches of NEW snow] , by the time I hung up finally, Bud was readying to take me to lunch. When we got up yesterday, the temp outdoors was 67 degrees according to our atomic thermometer...that was around 6 a.m. ---around 11:45 it was a whopping 38 degrees and raining. I thought sure 'nough we'd get to the restaurant and the bridge would be closed by the time we were finished eating, and the only other alternative way [since the Port A's ferry on the island usually shuts down in extreme cases] home would be up through Victoria Texas about 90 miles from here; circling around and intersecting with the interstate heading back south to Corpus. Around 1 pm then, it was 36 degrees and still falling....there was a lot of strong 45-60+ mph winds along with the drizzle and going over the bridge it was hectic to say the least....hard to keep the car on the bridge at that speed of wind, and the bridge being so very high. We got over it, Bud wanted to stop and get my gift he had seen the other day and also bought me a small...small! strawberry cake and some vanilla frozen yogurt for dessert last night. The photos I took at the table [Blackbeard's by the Bay], are somewhat blurry, but I thought I'd share anyway. The shrimp? Delectable!! You just can't beat Gulf shrimp...so big, so so sweet!!! Trust me, next year, I'll go back. Tho, I love my shrimp meals...fried, not grilled or blackened, I do know it's very high in cholesterol, so I make it a special effort to enjoy it on my birthday. Oh and the gift was a really cute dazzling, twisted-double-heart necklace and earrings. I will show it on Valentine's Day; it's a gift for my birthday AND Valentine's Day. [he bought me something else, but I will wait and show that, too, at a later time]

§ IS is a PURRfect day? ---Read more....

CLICK EITHER BUTTON to join



SHOW N TELL









In the Chinese Zodiac, this is the Year of the Tiger! There's a small collection of stuffed tigers in our master bedroom below the windows. On baskets, in baskets, and on the floor! Can y'all hear 'em purr?



















Also, with Bud's collection of Oriental pieces he has the Zodiacal Tiger...we have a family member born under this symbol!! [read more of characteristics of those born "Tiger".]









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FLASH FICTION

The neighborhood high school held a dance.
A theme was set, decorations in the gym...
Their mascot was the mighty tiger.
Drink they did....blood alcohol - infaust.
The pride's prize drove his girlfriend home.
His magnificent roar was heard the very last time!
She wept tiger tears beside his bloodied mane.
Ignorance was the cost.









I read somewhere where there is a published work entitled Tears of a Tiger, this instigated the fiction for me today. It's supposedly about teen deaths - heavy drinking involved. Sadly, this time of year, from Valentine's Day celebrations, up to graduation day -with school dances, parties, and drugs/drinking, the news coverage shows us what happens; all too many times, unnecessary lives being lost.








POSTED: Friday, February 19th, 2010
2:15 A.M.

§ Tiger...by the tail?

I have a favorite big cat. And, that's a tiger. Siberian is my all time bestest. But all tigers are beautiful if you ask me. Their eyes are so mesmerizing! Their thick, striped coat...wow!! And the color markings. Just fantastic. I drew one. This smaller photo is the beginning of my preliminary outline sketch. Then, putting in the shading and the stripes, and the eyes and hair and whiskers. Normally I can sketch a picture in less than a couple of hours if I stick to the project, but this one took me a few days. I even had to set it down and leave it for a while, then came back to it before the two domesticated cats sat atop my sketchpad too long [LOL]....

Finished -----




As stated above, for as long as I can remember I've been infatuated with tigers' beauty. But, lately, the cheetah has slowly become a favorite big cat also. I will try and sketch that animal next I think. But I have to sit a while and envision their markings in my mind before I begin anything. Stay tuned.


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Thom and Allie so graciously passed this sweet award on to me and I love it. I'm always so very much appreciative of such recognition! Thank you dear friends. My heartfelt thanks!!! There are some rules:

1. Click on the award to open in a new window, copy, save, and upload the award on your blog.
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her [I think I'll link the award to HIS blog, 'kay?] blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!





10 Things That Make Me Happy are:

Warm, comforting sunshine
Walking on the beach
My dear man
My kids
My grandkids
My kitties
Good food
Good health
Good Sports
My computer friends

And I'll pass this great award to all who visit me today and leave a comment for me-----
[let me know if you accept it and post the ten things that make YOU happy!]




POSTED: Monday, January 25th, 2010
12:01 A.M.

[Wordless Photo is below this 'blogger news of interest'!]




BLOGGER NEWS FLASH --

Finally, the day has arrived [after I've attempted so many ways and 'know-hows' with help of friends who know xlm coding and are known to me as 'experts' because they continually put up with me and my questions and helping me online {mainly my son's girlfriend who programs computers} trying to help me adjust and redo several things with Blogger's layout]. Especially the commenting section. I have never cared for their comments either opening up in a pop-up window OR a whole new window. My preference has always been the inline commenting as you find with Wordpress Blogs. But either I could get the comment to be on the blog entry itself ---and it would work, then something ELSE with Blogger's xml wouldn't work properly.

NOW!! Blogger has heard our voices and pleas! With Blogger you can now chose to embed your comments UNDER your blog's entry!

If you have tweaked your blog's layout in any way, it may take some 'doing' on your part to get it to work properly. It's supposed to now open your blog's entry and the clicking of the comment link will take you directly below the blog post to the comment window itself. ALL on one page. It's still not Wordpress, but it's getting there! [I am trying yet to figure out how some of blogspot's bloggers have the comments right in view of the blogpost without clicking. I will continue to see if I can get it to be exactly like Wordpress. Someday.]

But for now, it's quite simple.

BACKUP YOUR ORIGINAL TEMPLATE/LAYOUT FIRST!!!!
You need to go to Blogger's Dashboard Draft [while logged in of course], Settings, then go to comments tab. You will then see three options under 'COMMENT FORM PLACEMENT' ---

1. FULL PAGE
2. POP-UP WINDOW
3. EMBED BELOW POST

Click on "Embed..." and save settings.

It should then have the comments/and comment window directly below the day's blog post! Good luck!!

If for some reason, it doesn't work, you have your backup layout to re-ad to the edit html

...and now, on to the
↓Wordless Wednesday Photo↓




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Join Here

This week's theme/prompt is:



Ahhhhhhh mother.
[My link found just below about my mother should open in a new window!]

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Well since I did a whole write-up about my OWN mother with the Fun Monday prompt for "hero", I had to come up with something of a different perspective for the word mother ---I'll use each letter to represent something associated with ME -'cause I'm a mother of two myself and grandmother of two. Here's my rendition of the "heads" toss for this week....


M

I love Movies! And this is a new print hubby purchased a few days ago for me -of one of my favorite love stories...Casablanca [Rick & Lisa played by Bogart & Bergman]



O

I like Ornamental objects! The left photo is my Miska™ Crystal cross that's on my bedstand, an the right photo is my newest crystal windchime I found at a store on the island!



T

I collect some Toys!!! Of course some are 'movie' themed while others aren't. The top left is "Tom Mater" from the animated movie, CARS [small frontal insert too]. I fell in love with that character! The top right is a gigantic stuffed tiger that is lounging at my bedside. On the bottom left is a soft sculpted stuffed tiger [I have several] propped up by my bookshelf in the bedroom. The bottom right photo is a monkey puppet. There's a story behind this. It's old! I bought it when Irene and Erik were VERY small, and I'd use it...while the kids would ask him questions and I'd answer in a 'monkey voice'...they giggled beyond belief at this...we had hours of fun with it, and they both always comment upon seeing it hanging from my rattan room divider! It's a family thing, and he's a great piece of family history.





H


Hawaii is a favorite of mine! If we could afford it, we'd be livin' there right now. We spent two weeks on the island of Oahu, with our son as the tour guide. He took a two week leave from the Marine Corps when he was stationed in Okinawa and we met him there in Honolulu! It was an awesome, unforgettable trip! I still bring up the fact that the first night I wanted to see the sun set over Waikiki Beach, the two guys [Bud and Erik] told me it was the same ol' sun I see over in the continental America, but boy howdy did they every shut up when we got there from the hotel that first night and the 'whole city of tourists' were there also! I turned around and got the one photo of Diamondhead at dusk, and the other photo is taken off Pali Highway --a tourist stop is on the divide...and what a view of the bays and Pacific Ocean!! [This is also where I fell in love with the flower -state flower- the Hibiscus!]




E

A favorite sandwich of mine is EGG SALAD! I could actually gorge myself on this stuff. Thing is, now, I must limit my cholesterol intake, and I've learned a delicious way to fix this favorite....

6 large eggs [or in my case I cook Egg Beaters and chill to well cooled]
1-2 tablespoons no-fat mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
A tiny squeeze of lemon juice
2 stalks celery, washed and chopped finely
1/2 bunch chives, chopped
2 small handsful of lettuce
8 slices of whole grain bread, toasted

[recipe can be halved for two sandwiches]


R

I have seriously learned to take time to Relax! And I've learned from the best of 'em!! Here are my mentors on relaxation skills! Left is Tahoe, on the desk to the left of the computer...on the right is Winston, stretched over the keyboard's keypad! [Both are at the same time, AND I'm in the middle typing away with one finger, not to disturb our royal family! They both always come up on the desk with me in the morning...it's a ritual.]