🎵Cliché Month: Stop and Smell the Roses 🌹
It seems like everything is a rush and a hurry these days. The chaos of trying to do all, be all, and have all keeps us striving on a regular basis. But does it bring the results we truly long for, like contentment and peace and happiness? And if not, how do we get there?
I think taking a detour that leads to someplace beautiful could be a great start.
Where Did “Stop and Smell the Roses” Come From?
While the sentiment feels timeless and like we’ve been hearing it forever, this modern idiom is often traced—not so far back—to professional golfer Walter Hagen. In his 1956 autobiography, The Walter Hagen Story, he wrote a famous piece of advice: “You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
I guess many people’s favorite flowers are roses, so over the decades, popular culture refined “the flowers” into “the roses.” Eventually, it turned into a universal shorthand for slowing down to appreciate the blessing of the present and whatever is going on in the moment. Even though my favorite flower is the carnation, somehow Stop and smell the carnations doesn’t have the same ring to it. 😉
It’s a Blessing to Focus on What Matters
When the pace of life becomes overwhelming, stopping isn’t just about freezing in place; it is an intentional act of redirecting our thoughts toward sensing all the goodness around us. Thinking, seeing, hearing, touching, and smelling all take just enough time to help us focus on the moment. King David needed a break like this during his time of exile:
Psalm 143:5-6 BSB
[5] I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands. [6] I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.143.5-6.BSB
Taking that mental detour allows us to shift our gaze from the chaos of our schedules to the steady faithfulness of our Almighty Creator.
Releasing the Worry of the Rush
Much of our rushing is driven by the anxious belief that if we don’t hold everything together ourselves, things will fall apart. Anxiety isn’t just a topic on commercials advertising some new pharmaceutical relief; it’s a very real part of many lives. Even Christians with all the reasons in life to be at peace often struggle.
I don’t think I’ve shared yet about my diagnosis of severe PTSD (found when I was tested for Adult ADHD), but it has had effects on my health and in getting things done more than once. At the same time, I feel that God has given me experiences to recall and meditate on to bring balance. One of those was a trip to Niagara Falls almost 30 years ago. And it’s a story about the falls themselves that builds my peace and trust in The Lord.
Niagara Falls Erosion and Geology tells about the cracks that led to a couple major collapses at the American Falls with the major one in 1954 taking chunks of the viewing platform and railings at Prospect Point.
On my visit, I heard the story, so when I looked over the edges and saw the piled chunks of cement with pieces of the old railings sticking out, it made it very real for me. What makes it have balance is knowing how the falls became so much stronger as that collapse leaned against the crestline of the American Falls that still stands firm. And not only strength, but white water beauty was added to the scene as well.
Jesus reminds us that He is The One who governs our lives and plans to bring strength and beauty from them as well. And He gives us reason to lean into Him instead of collapsing into worry and grasping with white knuckles a railing that may not promise the safety we seek. He says…
Luke 12:25-27 BSB
[25] Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [26] So if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest? [27] Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.12.25-27.BSB
If God clothes the delicate petals of a bloom with such care, we can safely pause our striving and trust Him with our days and our moments—and with our whole lives.
An Invitation to Rest in YahShua
Ultimately, pausing to notice beauty clears away the mental clutter at least long enough to hear our Savior speak. He speaks most in His written Word, so while you’re stopped to sense the blessings around you, pick up a Bible and find great and precious promises to give you new strength:
Matthew 11:28 BSB
[28] Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.11.28.BSB
Whether it is literally taking a beat to stop and breathe deeply while you walk in a garden, or simply turning your heart toward quiet gratitude in the middle of a busy week, don’t forget to take a pause today. What is one small, beautiful thing you can stop and appreciate right now?
Something I appreciate is really good song lyrics. This song by Hillary Scott & The Scott Family came from a cave-in (loss of a baby by miscarriage) in her own life. May the lyrics speak to you, readers, as you need them.
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Cliché Month: Raining Cats and Dogs
Raining Cats and Dogs: The Truth Behind the Downpour
I’ve always been a cat person, but I’ve had some special dogs in my life as well. The first one I remember was Kute Kitty Kolleen of Keswick. She was a very red Irish Setter, and I was told she put up with me teething on her nose. (Yuck!?) I do not recall my teething days, but I sure loved that dog and her puppy Kollette. They both lived with my grandparents. I’ll save the other dog memories for National Dog Day on the 26th of this month.
With August 8th marking International Cat Day and the entire month of August celebrated as National Dog Month. (Wait, cats only get one day and dogs get a whole month? Not fair!) Both of our favorite four-legged companions are sharing the spotlight for this blog. That makes it feel like the perfect moment to dive into one of the most famous pet-centric sayings in the English language: “raining cats and dogs.”
The Slippery Roof Myth
At some point, I heard the story behind the cliché. The legend states that back in the 1500s, homes had thick thatched roofs made of straw and reeds. Cats, dogs, and other small animals would climb up to sleep in the thatch for warmth. Then, during torrential downpours, the wet thatch would get slippery or cave in—literally raining pets through the ceiling and into the living room!
It’s an amusing visual, and one I thought of immediately upon deciding to use this cliché, but it turns out that linguistic historians have largely debunked it. A properly constructed thatched roof was a foot or more thick and tightly packed, so even an abundance of rain wouldn’t send sleeping critters tumbling through the ceiling.
So, where did the phrase actually come from? While its official origin remains mysterious, historians point to two far more likely roots:
- Norse Mythology: In ancient Norse lore, dogs were symbols of the wind (associated with Odin, the storm god), while cats represented heavy rain and atmospheric turbulence (tied to Freyja, whose chariot was pulled by cats). A fierce storm of howling wind and driving rain was figuratively called “dogs for the wind, cats for the rain.”
- 17th-Century City Streets: In 1600s London, poor drainage meant that sudden, severe rainstorms created heavy street flooding. The rushing runoff would sweep up debris and, tragically, stray animals that hadn’t survived the storm, making it look to people passing by as though they had literally fallen from the sky.
Raining Dogs and… Polecats?
Early variations of the phrase in the 1650s actually described severe downpours as “raining dogs and polecats” before settling into the catchy pairing we use today.
Fun Fact: Wait, isn’t a polecat a skunk?
If you grew up in North America hearing “polecat” used to describe a skunk, you’re not alone! But when 17th-century English writers wrote about “polecats,” they were referring to the European polecat (Mustela putorius)—a wild, agile cousin of the ferret. When European settlers arrived in the Americas and encountered skunks, they saw a similarly sized, dark-furred animal with a potent scent gland and borrowed the name “polecat” as slang.
Rain Chaos and Muddy Footprints 🐾
It’s funny all the directions a mind can run from one little thought!
About pets and weather, isn’t it amusing how these idioms stack up? You’d think if it were literally raining cats and dogs, they’d be fighting like cats and dogs just to scramble for cover and get out of the deluge!
Unlike the disciplined ants in the old children’s rhyme (another thought direction altogether,) who politely march one by one, hurrah, hurrah to get out of the rain, a sudden downpour usually brings pure chaos when pets are involved.
So if it rains for you this month, I don’t think you’ll find any cats or dogs falling from the sky, but you may get wet neighborhood cats showing up on your porch for food. Here’s a collage with 4 of our rainbow bridge kitties who were indoor-only cats (2013) plus 4 of the outdoor cats who used to show up at feeding time (2022). We still have 3 of them showing up in 2026.
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
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🎵 Cliché Month: Any Port in a Storm 🛟
As August 7th celebrates National Lighthouse Day, I thought about the first time I heard this cliché. It was after I was married to my military husband. We were discussing some of the bad decisions people make when they are searching for answers. Even though he was in the Army, he still knew this cliché as a description for ports in life that aren’t good but are better than sinking. That’s why I asked the AI to make the dock in the above image have broken planks.
Driven by Desperation
Dating back a few centuries to the age of wooden sail ships, “Any port in a storm” was a mariner’s literal reality. When pitch-black skies and violent storms threatened to overwhelm a vessel on the tossing sea, a captain couldn’t be picky about where he docked. He couldn’t wait for his home harbor or a pristine coastal resort. He had to steer into whatever harbor or rough wooden dock was closest—even if it was known for rocky shores, thieves, or dangerous currents—because a risky harbor was still better than a watery grave.
In everyday life, the phrase has come to mean taking whatever makeshift solution or shelter is available during a crisis, even if it carries its own set of risks. But as my husband noted, settling for a broken port out of fear often leads to a whole new set of troubles once the storm passes.
I’ve selected my share of dangerous ports during the storms of my life. As a teenager, a friend and I got lost while touring The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Our house parent left without us, and we had to take city buses at night to an apartment of someone she knew and sleep on the floor until someone could come get us the next day. Anything was better than staying out all night in the dark and dangerous city. And when I was homeless, crawling under the overhang of a building that sat behind a casino in Las Vegas was better than sleeping in a park and watching a gang beat someone up. (That happened on my first night of homelessness, so no park felt like a safe harbor after that.)
Sadly, some people select a port because it looks safe enough, or maybe the person throwing the “rope” seems genuinely helpful, but the next thing these people know, they are roped into addictions or trafficking they never saw coming. Once there, they don’t trust any lighthouse they see because they don’t know if it could be another trick. We must remember this when we reach out to minister to those who’ve made bad choices but truly want to be free.
The Rest of the Story: A Living Lighthouse
On a lighter note, I’ve got a wonderful short video for you as a quick version of a Paul Harvey episode of The Rest of the Story. It’s a fun radio throwback on the maritime legend in the story below! While Paul weaves in the American folklore of ‘Hatteras Jack’—the selfless helper who appeared at the sound of a foghorn—the real-life history of the protective law and the SS Penguin belongs to New Zealand’s famous Pelorus Jack.
The Rest of The Rest of The Story…
(Thank you to Google’s Gemini for this amazing and true story.) Sometimes, the first moments of safety don’t come from a port at all, but from an unexpected guide who will get you to the port. Between 1888 and 1912, ships navigating the treacherous, rock-strewn waters of French Pass off the coast of New Zealand relied on a famous Risso’s dolphin named Pelorus Jack.
For twenty-four years, Jack would leap through the waves, riding the bow waves of oncoming vessels and swimming ahead to lead them safely past the razor-sharp reefs. Not a single ship ever ran aground while following his lead.
In 1904, a passenger aboard the SS Penguin shot at Jack, injuring the beloved creature. Outraged, the New Zealand government passed a historic law specifically to protect Jack by name. After two weeks of healing, the dolphin returned to his post—guiding ships safely through the storm—with one legendary exception: he never guided the SS Penguin again. Whenever that ship approached, Jack vanished. Years later, while trying to navigate without their guide, the SS Penguin struck a reef and sank.
The Only True Harbor
When the tempests and trials of life hit us, it’s so easy to feel tempted to just tie up to the nearest broken dock. But while the world offers many makeshift “ports,” there is only one True Harbor of safety when the crashing waves threaten to pull us under. That safe harbor is also our Lighthouse, YahShua HaMashiach (Jesus Christ).
When you’ve docked in dangerous storms and you suddenly realize the planks beneath your feet are giving way, remember that He is the True Light shining over the rough waters, and He’s ready to guide you all the way home. Here’s what God’s Word says about His Light:
Matthew 4:16 BSB
[16] the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.4.16.BSB
John had only met Him when they were each in their mother’s wombs, but he knew who would soon be bringing salvation to the world.
John 1:9 BSB
[9] The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jhn.1.9.BSB
And I love this verse I found in the Psalms about God Himself guiding us into safe harbor.
Psalm 107:29-30 BSB
[29] He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
[30] They rejoiced in the silence, and He guided them to the harbor they desired.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.107.29-30.BSB
Now enjoy this beautiful a capella version of I Thank God for The Lighthouse by Vocal Union…
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Cliché Month: Don’t Spill the Beans 🫘
Don’t Spill the Beans: From Secret Ballots to Grandma’s Kitchen
Most of us know what it’s like to keep a secret. And some secrets are harder to keep to ourselves than others. Maybe a juicy piece of news, a surprise party secret, or some other plan that’s supposed to be a surprise, but a slip of the tongue can ruin the reveal. So, especially when dealing with those who just aren’t good at keeping secrets, someone might tell them, “Whatever you do, don’t spill the beans.”
It’s an everyday expression, but how on earth did legumes become the official currency of confidential information?
The Secret Ballot of the Ancient World
The most popular story behind the phrase goes all the way back to Ancient Greece—known as the birthplace of democracy. Long before paper ballots or digital voting systems, ancient Greek societies needed a simple way to hold secret votes. They decided a simple opaque urn and two distinct colors of beans would be the best solution:
* White or light-colored beans represented a “Yes” vote.
* Black or dark-colored beans represented a “No” vote.
During the voting process, voters would step up to the urn and discreetly drop their chosen bean inside. The dark jar kept their choice hidden from the crowd. The vote was meant to remain strictly confidential until every ballot was cast and official counts began.
However, if someone clumsily knocked over the container—or tipped it accidentally on purpose—the beans would scatter across the floor. The vote tally was revealed prematurely, the secret process was ruined, and the entire election had to start over. All because someone had literally spilled the beans.
Spill it, Girlfriend!
While historians note that the exact English phrase really took off as 20th-century American slang (where “spill” meant to confess a secret or talk out of turn), the ancient image of a tipped jar spilling hidden votes remains the perfect visual metaphor.
A Tipping Point in Pop Culture
When I told my husband the subject of this cliché post, the phrase instantly brought to both of our minds the classic children’s game Don’t Spill the Beans. Do you remember it? It was originally introduced by Schaper Games in 1967 and later made famous by Milton Bradley. The game took the idiom literally. Players carefully balanced small plastic beans one by one on top of a teetering red plastic pot. The goal? Steady hands and precise placement—because one wrong move sent the pot tipping over, sending plastic beans clattering across the table. Now the game is made by Hasbro, and you can get it at Amazon where you’ll notice the “beans” are flat and colorful. But it still looks fun—and frustrating. (Link uses my affiliate shortcut.)
It looks like the ancient Greeks and 1960s game designers had the exact same lesson in mind: balance is everything, and once things tip over, it creates a mess.
When Spilling the Beans Would be a Real Disaster
Thankfully, it never happened, but I shudder to think of what we would’ve missed if it did. For all the history and game-night nostalgia, when I hear this cliché, my mind skips right past ancient Greece and board games and heads straight to my grandma’s kitchen.
Back then, making a pot of pinto beans was a labor of love. Long before they ever hit the stove, Grandma would sort through them by hand, carefully picking out the tiny pebbles hidden among the dry beans. A few times, I got to help her, but she preferred doing it mostly by herself to make sure nothing got missed. Then came overnight soaking followed by hours of slow cooking, seasoned generously with a good amount of bacon grease until the whole house smelled amazing. My mouth waters just to think about it.
So, in our family, “spilling the beans” would have been a crime. After all that work sorting, seasoning, and simmering, nobody dared spill those beans—because everybody wanted to eat them! 😋 (And don’t forget the diced white onion on top.)
I’ll end this with a couple Scriptures for when God Himself will spill the beans. It’s best not to have anything to hide (unless it’s a good surprise,) but there will come a time when all things will be revealed.
Luke 12:2-3 BSB
[2] There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. [3] What you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.12.2-3.BSB
Ecclesiastes 12:14 BSB
[14] For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/ecc.12.14.BSB
Many thanks to Google’s Gemini AI for the collaboration and help in finding this history of this phrase, the history of the game, and the beautiful image at the top.
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Cliché Month: Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Can you see that smug little grin on that sneaky raccoon’s face? He knows he tricked the dog into thinking he’s treed, but I’m sure the chase will be back on again shortly.
If you’ve ever put all your energy into a goal or project and suddenly realized you were far off base, you have experienced barking up the wrong tree. But don’t worry because you’re in good company. Humans, and even their four-legged hunting companions, have been doing that very thing for centuries.
The Frontier Origins…
The phrase “barking up the wrong tree” is a uniquely American phrase born on the early 1800s frontier. Settlers at the time relied on trained hounds to hunt raccoons at night. When cornered, a raccoon’s go-to defense was to scurry up a tree to get away from the chase. The dogs would then surround the trunk and bark furiously—a behavior known as “treeing”—to signal the hunter.
Raccoons, though, are super clever. A smart raccoon would often climb one tree and leap through the upper canopy into a neighboring tree. From there, it could sneakily slip away while the eager hounds would be left at the base of the first tree. Their noisy barking at a completely empty tree was just the distraction needed for the critter to get away before the hunters arrived. (Sneaky little smirking things. 😏)
I think I was about 14 years old the one and only time I went hunting for raccoons with my dad when we lived in Kansas. I only remember three things about it: it was too early in the morning and super dark outside, it was freezing and wet, and my little brother Jason was adorable when he would say, “We gon go coo hun” in his cute 4-year-old voice. Oh, and I remember the big gray Weimaraner he took hunting with us, but I don’t recall if he ever treed any raccoons.
Beyond the Hunt…
It didn’t take long for the phrase to move from describing a factual event between dogs and raccoons to becoming a statement about anyone in pursuit of an illusion. By the 1830s, the phrase leaped into popular print as a shortcut for misdirected energy, mistaken accusations or assumptions, or chasing a false lead. A person didn’t have to be running from a pursuit to confront a pursuer with a firm rejection and the notice that, if they thought they would get their way, they were barking up the wrong tree.
Barking Up the Right Tree…
Many years ago, a visiting young minister used the song “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones to illustrate the search for real satisfaction. He talked of how the songwriter had experienced fame and fortune and tried who knows how many diversions, and yet sang about trying over and over to be satisfied without ever getting there. Many of us exhaust ourselves barking up all kinds of worldly trees—status, approval, material success—only to find they leave us empty-handed.
In Isaiah 55:1-2, the prophet calls out to the unsatisfied who are barking up all the wrong trees. He calls them to a free and satisfying feast and then asks them to look at the real value of what they have been spending their money on and their work accumulating.
Isaiah 55:1-2 BSB
[1] “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!
[2] Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.55.1-2.BSB
When we change our focus from the empty branches and look to The God and Creator who knows our true needs, we can feast on those things that truly satisfy. We can stop wasting our time barking up the wrong trees and instead bark up the True Vine and receive fruit from The Tree of Life. 🌳🧬
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Cliché Month: Actions Speak Louder than Words
I almost added an ellipsis at the end of the word “speak” in the above illustration. I forgot to ask for it in the prompt, so when Nano Banana created it, I was pleasantly surprised to see this powerful message of “Action Speaks” jump right out at me. Even without the remaining words of the cliché, it’s a solid and true message.
I realized after writing all of this that it’s almost an argument against yesterday’s cliché that the pen is mightier than the sword. I mean, if you’re taking action by a sword, that would definitely be louder than threatening words. But today’s message is more about the actions that must follow the life-changing words of the pen.
Has anyone ever told you they loved you and then made you doubt their words by their behaviors? Or have you ever had someone promise you something from the bottom of their heart with a pinky promise and, no matter how strongly they swore its truthfulness at the time, never fulfilled that promise?
If you answered yes to either of those questions (and I’d think most people could,) you’ve had a demonstration of words being weaker than actions. If the bad behaviors or broken promises have broken something in you, then you’ve truly understood the louder language of actions.
Of course, this also works the opposite way. Like when I moved in with my grandparents at 12-years-old and fell in love with a neighborhood kitty cat that started hanging around our house. When she showed up pregnant, I asked my grandfather if we could bring her inside to have her kittens, and he vehemently said no to my pleas.
One afternoon, a few days later, I got home from school to find a box in my room. Not only was it perfect for Mama Cat, but Grandpa had added some cushiony towels and cut a little area in the front of the box shorter to make sure she could get her oversized belly in there. Those actions were not only a gift to the cat and her kittens, they were a precious gift from my grandfather to me that stayed with me forever.
Actions speak! AND they speak louder than any words—no matter how true and passionate those words may sound. It’s why real Christianity is far more than an emotional confession during fleeting moments of fear or conviction. What you do after you stand back up from your knees makes all the difference. It’s why baptism is one of the first things offered to new converts. More than a ritual, it’s an action that speaks of your plans to turn away from your sins by literally washing them away in the figurative blood of Christ. Your old self, along with the actions you engaged in while in bondage to sin, is buried with YahShua (Jesus) in baptism, so your new self can rise up like He did in resurrection and perform new actions that imitate Him.
What would Jesus do? is much more powerful than What would Jesus say? (Though, in His case, what He said was pretty important as well. 😊)
Even the Bible has strong words about the importance of actions over words. When shallow actions performed by habit spoke to The Messiah that people didn’t really care about Him as much as they did their rituals, He called them hypocrites.
Matthew 15:8 BSB
[8] ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.15.8.BSB
Action that springs from the action of listening with our hearts brings blessings when we act on what we have learned:
James 1:25 BSB
[25] But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so — not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer — he will be blessed in what he does. (Emphasis added by me.)
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jas.1.25.BSB
YahShua says it’s our good deeds that shine a light and glorify God:
Matthew 5:16 BSB
[16] In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.5.16.BSB
In First John, we’re reminded of the power of action and truth:
1 John 3:18 BSB
[18] Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1jn.3.18.BSB
And in Colossians, we’re reminded how important our focus is whether we are speaking words or doing actions:
Colossians 3:17 BSB
[17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/col.3.17.BSB
And I’ll close with a parable of YahShua that perfectly demonstrates today’s cliché. It’s called “The Parable of the Two Sons” and says:
Matthew 21:28-32 BSB
[28] But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first one and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ [29] ‘I will not,’ he replied. But later he changed his mind and went. [30] Then the man went to the second son and told him the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he said. But he did not go. [31] Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.21.28-32.BSB
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🎵Prompt Response: Cotton Fields
What’s a song lyric that has stuck with you forever?
For some unknown reason, it’s the song Cotton Fields.
What Makes a Great Earworm?
Even though I’ve never lived in Louisiana, or even a mile from Texarkana from any direction, this song frequently pops into my head and out of my mouth. I’ll just be going about some menial household tasks, and the next thing you know, I’m singing, “When I was a little bitty baby…” That’s followed by the rest of the song as I remember it, and then I stop and wonder, “Now why am I singing this?”
I guess earworms don’t need logic (like I’m not sure I ever had a cradle that my mom rocked me in,) but it’s there often anyway—and it’s fun to sing. And I remember my mom singing it a lot, so maybe earworms can be caught. 😊
According to my research with Gemini, a great earworm uses simple, repetitive beats and catchy words. Repetitive melodies make it easy for the tune to stick, and a simple structure cements the rhythm. When these songs become “stuck,” it’s often due to associations with comfort or subconscious memories triggered during low-cognitive tasks, like doing household chores.
So there ya go; I’ve definitely got an earworm with this song, and I think I’ve had it for many years, even before I got married. And I must sing it mostly to myself because hubby didn’t recognize it by the first words. For him and for the rest of my readers, here’s a great version by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR)…
The Prickly Reality (Bolls, Bracts & Burrs)
I’ve told you about traveling with my grandparents from Central California to Northern Arizona. That stretch of highway once had a few sections filled with cotton fields on both sides of the road. During one of our road trips, I convinced Grandpa to pull over and let me “pick” a little bit of my own cotton. I don’t recall him warning me, but I do recall learning a lesson about real cotton and those super sharp burrs that hold it onto the stem.
Those parts, the hard brown and pointy parts you see in the picture, are nothing to mess with. They are worse than a splinter, and they can really make your fingers bleed. I recall wrestling a few seeds from their fluffy cotton bolls (and yes, that’s the correct word, though I didn’t know until I listened to the above video and looked it up as I was sure they must be singing it wrong, lol). After a number of finger stabs, I put the whole batch in a baggie where it stayed for the remainder of the trip. And then it stayed in my room for years.
Wait, It’s a Fruit?!
Can you believe that we really do wear fruit (from the loom? Lol) on our bodies? According to my research, cotton is botanically a fruit. There’s a lot of good information at the Biology Insights website if you’re interested. I like the summary about it from Gemini …
It is one of those fun botanical facts that sounds fake until you double-check it! Because the cotton boll grows from a flower and houses the plant’s seeds, it is technically a capsule-type fruit.
Wrapping Up (in 100% Cotton 😁)
I really didn’t expect so much information from such a simple prompt, but it adds some variety to my posts, right? And there’s so much more i could say about cotton, from the textile industry, to organic material, to the various grades used in sheets. But it would take more research since I’m not even sure of the difference between Pima and Egyptian cotton. But I do know that God told the Israelites not to combine materials back in the days of Torah, and I’m certain He had a good reason for it. I’ll leave you with that verse as my sign-off for this post.
Leviticus 19:19 BSB
[19] You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/lev.19.19.BSB
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Prompt Response: Remembering Corded Switchboards ☎️
Which outdated technology do you miss the most, and why?
It was the 80s, and I was finally old enough to work. I got a weekly allowance at the girl’s home where I lived, but a job would give me a bit more freedom and money.
I’m not sure why they didn’t have me look for work outside the home, but maybe it was because most nearby jobs would’ve been on Hollywood Blvd, and a small 17-year-old female would not have been safe there. Whatever the reason, I was offered the operator job for the switchboard right there in the home. And I loved it!
I grew up knowing my grandma was a 911 operator (before it was 911), and I always felt she was so special for having that job. I think I mentioned in a previous post that she almost got the job given to Shaaron Claridge to do the voice acting for the Adam 12 TV series. They worked together at the Van Nuys LAPD station, and she was still there at my grandmother’s retirement party based on the signatures on her card.
Anyway, I was so excited to learn those simple plug boards (often called “cordboards,”) and that experience helped me get a job at Thrifty Telephone Answering Service in Van Nuys, California. I tried to search, and they are not likely to still be in business (started in 1948), but if they are, they’ve probably gone totally digital by now. Others I worked with at the time also enjoyed the process when cordboards were the standard, but I doubt you could even find a repair person trained to fix them anymore.
While I was there, I became the night operator and worked all 11 boards by myself. Up to 100 lines per board meant the possibility of 1100 phone calls if all lines were purchased and everyone called at one time. But that never happened—thankfully. The hardest time for me was when the multiple lines for the insurance company that insured people even if they’d had a DWI advertised at 2 in the morning, and they would say, “Call now; operators are standing by.” And I’d be thinking… Operator, no “S” as I tried to answer 6 lines as quickly as I could. That was my nightly workout. Lol 😆
Still, even with those harder times, there was something about that simple technology that made going to work every day more enjoyable than it felt at other jobs. I truly hated leaving there to move to Arizona. But I love my memories of the place and the experiences I had there. And I know that, maybe more than the boards themselves, it may be what the boards brought into my life that makes me nostalgic for them.
On a similar subject but way more current, I found out today about some new type of phone rooms called Warm Call Centers also called warmlines for people to call that don’t need an emergency hotline. They are a growing industry to support people who just need a human ear that isn’t a robot or AI and won’t take away from real crisis calls.
These new warmlines are similar to the former Xerox customer support lines where the operators were trained to offer compassionate advice to callers—even if they weren’t calling about a Xerox problem. There used to be a collection of the funniest or most outrageous calls they’d received, but I can’t seem to find it. I read years ago about someone who called Xerox because she was in labor and didn’t know what to do next.
People really do need real people to be there to listen and respond to them. It’s why I chat with cashiers and don’t like self-checkout. And if I were still out in the workforce, I’d probably apply for one of those jobs at a warm call center. I might even try to break the record they set with a 10-hour phone call. 🗣️📞🗣️📞🗣️📞🗣️😁
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Prompt Response: Humor in the Humidity
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
What’s the funniest misunderstanding you’ve ever been part of?
Yes, this story is true. And, yes, it is funny! 🤣😂
See, I spent many years in Northern Arizona where it’s very hot in the summer, but (say it with me), “It’s a dry heat.” Really, unless you are on the backside of the desert between Needles, California and Bullhead City, Arizona on a day when the temperature hits 115°F, it is often more bearable than the extremely humid days during a Midwest summer heat wave.
We got married in early April, so when the summer rolled around in that same year, I experienced a completely different atmosphere in Kentucky. It wasn’t just hot; it was like a sauna in the middle of a steam room! 😮
That’s when the love of my life, who I trusted with every part of me, showed his “genuine” compassion and told me how some people who move from a dry climate to a humid place like Kentucky may have to get their lungs suctioned out.
I’m not naive about a lot of things, and I’m always trying to learn new stuff, but it didn’t seem that impossible to me since just 3 years previous to that moment, my grandmother needed her lungs suctioned because of her battle with cancer. Plus, there was no Internet to search and verify things with in the summer of 1991. And because I trusted my husband, and didn’t yet know about his love of silly storytelling, I believed him without asking any questions.
Fast forward to the next spring. I’ve made it through the crazy hot summer and my first Kentucky winter. Snow and everything. My Arizona uncle called to ask if I’d watched the basketball game where Christian Laettner got the last-minute 3-point shot to help Duke win over Kentucky. We weren’t sports watchers, especially not with a small black and white TV, but that one we saw. 🏀
A little while into our conversation, he noticed a tiny bit of an accent, so he turned the conversation to how I was getting used to Kentucky. When he asked how I was adjusting, I answered, “I guess I’m doing alright. I’ve been here almost a year, and I haven’t needed to get my lungs suctioned out.”
That’s when hubby started laughing really big. And he sputtered the words, “Wait; you believed that!?”
Since then, it’s been one of my funniest stories to share, even if it does make me seem a bit airheaded. 😁 But you best believe that I now check everything—even from trusted sources. Lol 😂
Note: I never believed fish moved in with fluid on the lungs, but because this is a light-hearted true story, I prompted Wombo to add fish to both the lungs and the suction tank. 🐠 🐟
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🎵The Tongues of Angels
One more thing happened 43 years ago that still matters today; I prayed to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. My experiences may not match every person who reads my posts, or any person who reads my posts, and that’s okay. I’m just going to share my own experiences.
Missionettes …
Way back when I was about 9 years old, I was part of a group within the Assemblies of God churches called Missionettes. It was like a lot of other clubs for girls where you earned badges for learning skills. The difference was in the skills—they were all biblically or spiritually based. It was an awesome experience with an amazing and sincere group of girls and a great leader for our particular group.
We had a sleepover in the church one night, and these girls decided that I could not go to sleep unless I was filled with The Holy Spirit which would become evident when I spoke in tongues. It was about 2 in the morning when I quit resisting just so I could go to sleep. 😁 But I did speak in an unknown language, and that was followed by some experiences where I truly felt I’d stepped into the Presence of my Holy Creator.
But then …
When life changed and we moved away from our stepdad and his family, my mom took us back to the Baptist church. They were quick to tell me that no one gets filled with The Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues in this day and age. I believed them and did not allow myself any non-English words in my prayers.
A Little Hope …
By 8th grade, I’d found a wonderful friendship with a girl who was in the Pentecostal church, and when we prayed together, I allowed myself to speak in tongues again. But the Baptist church I attended looked down on that as something not okay. Still, between me and God, that moment with my friend Lynette let me know God was still there for me. And that was the year of being on the honor roll, graduating 8th grade with special awards, and getting glowing compliments from my teachers—and even my principal—in my yearbook. I was like a different person from the ways I’d behaved in 7th grade. (Still smoking, though. I guess I was addicted by then.)
A Time of Giving Up …
If you’ve read many of my testimony posts, you know I went back and forth between my grandparents’ home and my mom’s home. While with my mom, we tried other religions, some New Age teachings, and finally tried to find a “God as we understood Him” within our 12 Step groups. In that last one is where I prayed my I Give Up prayer. I said something like, “But, God, I don’t understand You. If You really loved me, why did You force Your Son to die? Why didn’t You do it Yourself?”
After that prayer, I basically gave up trying to serve God because I was thoroughly confused by all the different ideas people had about Him and what it meant to serve Him. Plus, life was filled with chaos, so with foster care and court visits and moving all over the state, I wasn’t thinking much about God anyway.
A Time of Searching …
That all lasted until I was back in Arizona and ended up at another Baptist church just to get a sale on some rolling shutters. If you read that testimony, you know God used Scripture from John 10:30 to answer my give up prayer, but the preacher told me it didn’t mean what I thought. So off I went into my own thoughts and ideas again, not daring to share them with anyone who might correct me.
A Time of Finding …
And then came all those events with reluctantly attending the Pentecostal church where I repented on July 14th and got baptized on July 16th. That was followed by a prayer meeting on July 19th where the ladies wanted to help me be filled with The Holy Spirit. They did not know any of my past experiences at that time, and they had no idea of the battle raging in my mind while I prayed.
See, I wanted that experience from Missionettes back. I wanted the time of victory that I had during my friendship with Lynette. And I wanted these promises this new group of people were making about speaking in tongues “as The Spirit gave the utterance.”
At one point, I felt like I heard this different language in my mind, and just as I did, the pastor’s wife spoke through my mental chaos and fear and said, “That’s the Holy Ghost, Crystal. Just yield to It.” I thought to myself, well, if it’s wrong, I guess they’ll tell me. So I gave up fighting and began to speak in an unknown—yet familiar—language. And as I spoke, I felt like I was on an elevator platform rising upward to hear angelic voices singing with the ladies in the prayer meeting. It was a moment of perfect peace and perfect joy.
My Thoughts …
There are as many ideas out there about the Holy Spirit as there are stars in the heavens, I think. I once heard of a missionary who was serving in an area where no one spoke any English. Someone got baptized and came out of the water speaking praises to God in English! Another time, I watched a deaf and mute girl suddenly begin to speak a language as she was prayed for, and she signed to her interpreter to ask what she was saying. You know she couldn’t have been faking anything or copying anyone.
Even the highly respected Got Questions website has an article stating that we do not need tongues anymore. It suggests that tongues are only human languages used to spread the Gospel.
But what of my own experiences and those I’ve seen on my own? And what about the Apostle Paul talking about speaking in an unknown tongue. He doesn’t say not to speak at all but rather to speak directly to God.
1 Corinthians 14:2, 14 BSB
[2] For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit.
[14] For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1co.14.2-14.BSB
Paul also makes a distinction between the tongues of men (that would be languages) and the tongues of angels (heavenly language?) in 1st Corinthians 13, so it would appear that he could speak in these non-human tongues for him to bring it up.
1 Corinthians 13:1 BSB
[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/1co.13.1.BSB
In a recent move among some Bible teachers, a few are swearing off speaking in tongues at all, believing they only spoke what they did within the emotional hype of the moments in which they spoke. If that is true for those teachers, they should definitely stop speaking until they know that it’s truly The Holy Spirit speaking through them.
I have had times where I didn’t know how to pray or what to pray. In those times, I have sought God in a language I did not know, and answers came to me as a result. I believe it’s because The Holy Spirit spoke in ways that bypassed my human understanding and let me momentarily become a conduit of communication between my needs and what The Spirit in me knew would bring answers. I didn’t need to understand in my mind if God knew what would fix things, and I could just trust Him.
Wrapping up…
These testimony posts have been me being very real with my readers. It’s not easy to share these deep and honest parts of myself. I’m not trying to convince anyone that I, Crystal, am perfect or walk a perfect way that everyone else should walk in.
But I do serve a perfect God who has proven Himself to me more often than I could fit into these posts. (Many are tagged with the word testimony if you do a search to see them all together in one place.) And I am grateful for those moments in my childhood where God’s Heavenly Presence invaded my earthly flesh. It’s possible those moments are why I made it through some of my more difficult experiences with often miraculous victories. And I’m even more grateful that 43 years ago, He showed up for me as an adult with understanding and gave me a strong foundation to build a solid walk upon. May I continue to walk with Him, and if you don’t know Him as your trustworthy Confidant, I pray my honesty plants a seed that will grow into your walking with Him one day as well.
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My 43rd Re-Birthday 🎂
It wasn’t my first baptism, but it was THE baptism that marked a total and complete change in my life. I was desperate to be saved and to have God’s perfect will as the driving force from that moment on.
My first baptism was with many people in a swimming pool. I was sincere, but I was 9 years old, so it wasn’t the kind of sincerity you have after you’ve lived through some of the rough coming-of-age moments that bring you from 9 to 19. In those moments, I had been to juvenile hall; been in foster care; moved around California, Nevada, and Arizona; overdosed; and lived on the streets for a while. I was really ready to stop doing things my own way and see if God’s way was better. (Spoiler alert: life is MUCH better with a loving Creator and Heavenly Father by your side.)
I’d also had a baptism at 14 when my high-school aged boyfriend said he was getting baptized. And since my first baptism was at a Pentecostal church, everyone suggested I needed a Baptist church baptism anyway. Again, I was sincere, and I did make lifestyle changes that followed the baptism. I went from getting suspended in school to being double honor roll and graduating 8th grade with honors.
But the event in 1983 was the significant life change that stuck for the rest of my life—up to and including now. So today, I celebrate 43 years as a new person. The old me was buried with Christ in baptism, and I rose out of the water to walk with Him in the newness of life. ✝️🧬
Romans 6:4 BSB
[4] We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/rom.6.4.BSB
Shabbat Shalom to all, and you are welcome to celebrate with me by sharing your own repentance and baptism stories in the comments. 🕊️
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The Love Story that Created a Love Story
Truthfully, if it wasn’t for this couple’s love story, I may not have turned my life around and started really living for The Lord.
It started with a move from LA to Arizona. Then my sister and our mom moved there, and our mom got a switchboard job at the county courthouse. She met Steve, introduced him to Candie, and the rest is 43+ years of history.
But within that history is the wedding where I got to be the matron of honor because I’m the big sister. 😁 And then, a stubborn ultimatum about someone refusing to attend their special day unless I agreed to visit a church service turned into my ultimate turnaround moment.
It doesn’t matter that I didn’t want to be there. It doesn’t matter that I once walked by that very church with a huff, heard the music from inside, and stated, “You won’t catch me dead in a Pentecostal church!” And it doesn’t matter that my heart was not in it when I attended for all the wrong reasons. What matters is that God set all the details in place to make sure He could get me to a place where I would hear His voice.
Since that night, life has been filled with changes—both good and bad, but mostly good. It has had additions and losses, fill-ups and drainages, moves and stays, and bumps and bruises. There have been moments that challenged my faith, but there have been far more moments that strengthened it. And through all those changes, the Creator who pursued this resistant soul has never left me.
So when you think your little rejected invitation, or your prayers for someone’s soul, don’t really matter—they do. Even if you can’t find the perfect words to win someone, speak from your heart anyway. God may decide to use a couple that isn’t even serving Him yet as a tool to draw a daughter who desperately needs to meet her Heavenly Father simply because their event helps put all the pieces in place. And in return, just look at how God blessed their event to become a marriage and a family that serves Him and has lasted 43 years so far.
Happy Anniversary Steve and Candie. Thank you for falling in love. Thank you for getting married. Thank you for letting God use you both in my salvation story even when none of us knew what He was doing. May God’s holy presence fill your every moment and bless you abundantly in return for this major blessing in my life. In YahShua’s name, Amen! 🙏💕
2 Corinthians 4:15 NLT
[15] All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.
https://bible.com/bible/116/2co.4.15.NLT
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🎭How The West Was Lost—Or, Pure As The Driven Smog (Part 3–Finale!)
And here we are for the grand finale wrap of my short tenure as a teen actress in LA. (Yes, the San Fernando Valley is still considered LA. Lol 😂)
Recap
- I started as a New York newspaper boy with my long hair tucked up into a beret and a bulky scarf to hide part of my feminine face.
- Costume change two put me in raggedy orphan clothes just after we’d been rescued by a kind-hearted benefactor.
- Costume change three was like the scene above where the Irish nanny was getting the three orphans ready for bed. She had gotten us into clean night clothes and allowed us to dance around singing about living the “Life of Riley” in the song When My Ship Comes In. (Full chorus on yesterday’s post.) And within this scene, she also sang the light-hearted song “I’m Only a Shoplifter’s Daughter” which went something like…
Shoplifter’s Daughter Turned Nanny
I'm only a shoplifter's daughter,
My mother was one of the best.
Sometimes the cops almost caught her,
But somehow she always seemed blest.
One day she lifted a sable,
And wore it right out of the store.
Since that day she has been able...
To not have to work anymore.
Hers was a fine occupation,
She wanted to teach me the trade.
But to my sweet ma's consternation (guessing on this line),
I never could quite make the grade.
I’m pretty happy with remembering (after 45+ years) all but one line in a song I didn’t even sing in the play. And I’m thankful the poet in me was able to create a line with similar syllables and a close rhyme. 😁
The Torch Song (Tears on My Pillow)
Now you may be wondering about the guy peeking through the door. He was the one the nanny had a crush on. Butler? Assistant? Barrister? I’m not sure. But he was totally not interested in her, so she sat down in the corner to sing a song of lament and cry a bit. Of course, we orphans had no clue about what it meant to crush on a guy, and we definitely didn’t know what a manipulative, guilt-inducing torch song was. But you’ll get it by the end of the lyrics.
Tears, tears on my pillow.
Each tear I shed for you.
With a heart that is burning...
With yearning desire.
But with tears like a rainstorm,
To put out the fire.
Some day when it's over,
I hope you'll know it's true.
When they tell you I died,
Please remember I cried...
All those tears on my pillow—
For you!
And on that last “you,” she noticed him in the door getting ready to burst in and repeated it until it came out a little bit angrier.
Mr Crush (I cannot remember his name or his character’s name) shouted that she had to get the kids dressed and packed because they thought they found our father or uncle or some family member we had to go see.
More Costume Changes
- Costume change four was back to the newspaper boy that opened the play in my first post. Only this time, I don’t recall what the headlines were. I think something about orphans finding a long-lost relative.
- Costume change five had me back in day clothes to go with my orphan sisters to find our lost relative.
- Costume change six was likely back to the newspaper boy again, but I’m not absolutely sure how many times I did the little herald. I’m sure it was mostly for the moments the actors needed to get new props and people onto the stage.
- Costume change seven was the final and most complete change. There was no going back to any other costumes because it required me to paint my hair black (my first time using colored hair spray) and slather any visible skin with reddish-brown pancake makeup. This transformed me into an old Indian woman. (I don’t ever recall the word indigenous back in those days.)
And this brought me to my final line in the play…
“Ugh, come, we go. Old man sick. Not long he go Happy Hunting Ground.”
I don’t remember who the old man was other than him being someone who knew who the orphans really belonged to. They may have been children of someone related to the rich and fancy Astorbilts, or maybe to deceased parents who weren’t part of any fancy family.
But I’m pretty sure that the whole play ended on a bunch of happy notes, like the children moving to the mansion because their ship did come in. Maybe Mabel got the guy the nanny liked, and the nanny figured out someone else was interested in her.
Cue Exit Lighting
My age and lack of experience, or maybe being so busy with my own parts in the play, meant I didn’t actually get to watch the play, so the ending I remember best was coming out on stage with the whole cast and doing a group bow to the audience.
We repeated that whole experience multiple times. Maybe once a week or maybe more, and I think for 8-12 weeks. It was definitely more fun at the beginning than at the end when the newness wore off and the crowds got too small. I vaguely recall hearing that Jim and Teddy were trying to sell the entire showcase, actors and all, to an investor, but that was way, way above my head then.
It never got picked up, and soon all the actors found new stages and movies. Me, I enrolled in a trade school to become an administrative assistant (because the school told me I could be “more than a secretary”), and I stayed there until I got a chance to travel with a company selling an all-purpose cleaner called Show Off. That’s a whole adventure for another day, though.
No More Acting
The experience taught me that acting is hard work far beyond memorizing lines in a script. And it taught me that actors behind the scenes like to self-medicate—or at least the young ones in this production. I tried very hard to stay away from the temptations, and they tried everything to get me to give in, including trapping me between two people in a sealed up car while they smoked and tried to give me a “contact high.”
I didn’t let myself get in that type of precarious position again, and it wasn’t right to try so hard to assuage their own guilt by not letting my no be no. But we were all young, and that’s just part of the experience of learning boundaries. I’ve prayed for all of them even without remembering most of their names. And I’m thankful that the glitz and glamour I thought was acting was not everything I imagined, so I was free to go the directions God picked out for me in this life.
If you aren’t sure where your steps should go, please consider allowing The Lord to guide your steps according to His good plans for you. I can tell you from experience, God’s way IS the High Way!
Proverbs 16:9 BSB
[9] A man’s heart plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/pro.16.9.BSB
Psalm 37:23 BSB
[23] The steps of a man are ordered by the Lord who takes delight in his journey.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.37.23.BSB
Jeremiah 10:23 BSB
[23] I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jer.10.23.BSB
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🎭How The West Was Lost—Or, Pure As The Driven Smog (Part 2)
Behind the Curtains
Okay, so maybe the Aquarius Rising Theater didn’t have curtains, but we definitely had a backstage area where all the stress went to play before the play. It’s in that area where one realizes exactly how much work goes into play acting.
I promised you yesterday that I’d introduce you to the powerhouse woman who made all the difference in my stage presence. This castmate was both an actress and a stunt woman, and she had a commanding influence as a trainer behind the scenes. The actress was Spice Williams-Crosby, whom you may have seen play a saloon girl in The Cherokee Kid with Sinbad or the Klingon Vixis in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. If you want to learn more about Spice and her super health conscious endeavors that make me think she is still just as powerful now as then, check her official website.
Since I was only 16 or 17, I don’t recall if Spice was actually an official director or not, but she definitely directed me and others to pull off a truly great performance. She took our little production as seriously as if it were a high-paying, top Hollywood release. By the end of her training, I knew how to speak and act like a New York newspaper boy, a little orphan girl, and an old Indian woman.
Seven Costume Changes and One Tired Teenager
That newspaper boy had more than one headline to sell, and in between those sales, three little orphan girls had to show up in tattered clothing and then change to more appropriate sleepwear. The fun Irish nanny taught us to have hope for tomorrow with a little song that went something like:
Some fine day when my ship comes in,
I won't care about, never think about,
What my life has been.
I'll have chicken every Sunday,
Never go to work on Monday,
When my ship comes in.
That was the chorus, and I know the verse had the line, “I’ll live the life of Riley, hip hooray” in it, but I can’t recall the rest.
Wild, Wild Mabel
For some reason, though, I can recall all the words and the tune for a song I didn’t sing myself, and that’s the song Wild, Wild Mabel that was sung by Spice.
(Chorus)
Wild, wild Mabel,
Wild, wild Mabel.
There's never been a man who was able
To tame her.
Meaner than a lion, she could scratch and claw.
With a red hot trigger and fast on the draw,
Yes Wild, Wild Mabel was her name.
(Verse--partly spoken)
(Speak)
On a cold dark night,
Back in 74,
Mabel went out
To settle a score
(Sing)
With a tall dark stranger who was known as Dangerous Dan.
(Speak)
A shot was fired,
And the silence was broken,
The door swung open,
With the gun still smokin'.
(Sing)
Yes, Wild, Wild Mabel got her man.
(Repeat chorus)
Wild, wild Mabel,
Wild, wild Mabel.
There's never been a man who was able
To tame her.
Meaner than a lion, she could scratch and claw.
With a red hot trigger and fast on the draw,
Yes Wild, Wild Mabel was her name.
When I shared these lyrics with Gemini to see if they exist anywhere online, I got a little history lesson about an embedded joke in the lyrics. Gemini says, “That is a direct, hilarious nod to ‘The Shooting of Dan McGrew,’ the famous 1907 Robert W. Service poem that practically defined the entire ‘Wild West saloon melodrama’ genre!”
It’s a very long poem, but it has some interesting history and alternate texts, so I recommend looking at its Wikipedia page for all the info, like the fact that Ronald Reagan and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney did their own alternating recital of it.
Stay Tuned for Our Final Act: Part 3
While the orphans were getting ready for bed, the Irish nanny had some comedic surprises of her own as she sang to us about failing at being a “Shoplifters Daughter,” and then walked to the corner of the room to sing the ultimate guilt-trip torch song, “Tears on My Pillow.”
You won’t find these lyrics anywhere else on the internet (or if you do, please tell me where), so make sure to check back tomorrow for the grand finale of this fun journey down my memory lane.
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🎭How The West Was Lost—Or, Pure As The Driven Smog (Part 1)
Did you know I used to be an actress? And I played a newspaper boy!
It all started the other day while listening to Forties Junction on Sirius XM in the car. I heard a song I thought was by Judy Garland (I didn’t look at the screen until it was over), and I asked Gemini which movie she sang it in. Well, it wasn’t her, and it wasn’t in any movie. It was from a small theater production and only on the radio.
As we chatted about plays that never make it to the silver screen, my own memories of performing in a repertory theater in my late teens came rushing back. It was a simple showcase that lasted for about eight weeks, and it was one of the most amazing events in my lifetime. (I’ve spent a couple of days collaborating with Gemini to search for real examples of this period, and it’s been a huge help even if we couldn’t find everything. If anyone reading this happens to remember Aquarius Rising in Reseda, California, and has any snapshots, I’d love to hear from you.)
The Reseda Time Capsule
Just a few blocks from the busy intersection of Reseda and Sherman Way Boulevards, a small theater was born from a dying discotheque just off the main drag. Because it was alcohol-free, I frequented it while it was still a disco. I don’t recall how I first found it, but I’m thinking it was because of attending my first concert at Wolf and Rissmiller’s Country Club (later called Chuck Landis Country Club) to see Tanya Tucker and Glen Campbell when someone offered me a free ticket. (His girlfriend stood him up, and he knew I was too young for him to date, but it was okay with my mom to go see one of my favorite singers.)
At first, I danced until it felt like my feet would fall off, but later, my dancing moments came at the beginning and end of the night, with the middle finding me planted firmly on a barstool at the entrance having wonderful conversations with the owner’s wife in the ticket booth. Her name was Teddy Love, and she was one of the sweetest, most interesting people I’d ever met.
As the disco craze began to wane, fewer people at the ticket booth meant more time visiting with Teddy. So when her husband Jim (who worked for Burbank Studios) decided to convert the Aquarius Rising disco to the Aquarius Rising Theater, I was still very interested. I don’t recall if the magic shows were before or after the play, but I still remember their amazing feats of illusion, and the funny show that included the story of Petey the Snake. (Yes, I remember my promise to record it for you one day.)
My Big Break
Besides small plays in school—including a funny mime of being the target in a knife-throwing act and not surviving—I hadn’t done any acting. But it was definitely something I dreamed of, especially being so close to Hollywood. So when Teddy asked if I wanted to be in a play they were getting ready to showcase, I was totally on board—even though it meant I’d have to play a New York newspaper boy. And mine was the opening act for the play, “How the West Was Lost—Or, Pure as the Driven Smog.”
I studied and memorized the lines, but I had no idea how to fake an accent I’d only heard on TV and in movies. Thankfully, a true Hollywood powerhouse was about to join the cast, and she would teach me how to knock out not only the newspaper boy’s voice, but those of the other two characters I ended up playing as well. Because of her excellent guidance, and some great makeup help, audience members didn’t know I played all three roles unless they saw it in the theater program.
Stay Tuned for Part 2
Tomorrow, I’ll take you backstage to join me in my rapid-fire pace of seven costume changes in just under two hours, and I’ll introduce you to the whip-cracking castmate who gave me a no-nonsense masterclass in stage presence and voice control (even if she intimidated me at first). And you’ll love the lyrics to the song she performed in the play: Wild, Wild Mabel.
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Prompt Response: Zucchini
What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?
Well, y’all already know about my taste bud changes with stewed tomatoes, but I think this one wasn’t about me changing. It was about being reintroduced to something made the way it should be made.
So when I was in the single digits of age, zucchini made me gag like the little girl on the broccoli commercial. Yuck! And then, when I moved to live with my grandparents the summer after I turned 12, everything changed. My grandma made zucchini, and I’d already told her how I felt about it. But she begged me to try her recipe. And just wow! All kinds of yummy!! 😋
What changed? Zucchini in a can versus zucchini cooked fresh on the stovetop with butter. Now I knew; no more canned zucchini.
Later, though, I had fresh zucchini cooked by someone else. They added tomatoes. There was that yuck again. So maybe it wasn’t the can; maybe tomatoes added to zucchini changed its flavor to something that just did not work for me. But as you can see from the picture, that wasn’t the case either.
I’m with Mark Lowry on thinking vegetables taste better when you fully cook the vitamin taste out of them. Lol 🤣 So I’m not sure if the fresh one with tomato that seemed yucky was undercooked, didn’t have enough butter, or just wasn’t seasoned the way i like. But now, as an adult, I can cook it my way—slow-cooked to tender perfection with butter and garlic and a few low acid (orange or yellow) tomatoes.
I was going to do a blog break until I read the prompt, so this is all there is to the story, but it did make me think about something as I was writing…
We each hear the gospel message of salvation in different ways at various life points. Our age or status, or the source and quality of that message, can make all the difference in whether we accept or reject it. Even as a Christian, I’ve heard messages angrily shouted at someone in ways that made me want to run away. So, I could not imagine the rejection going on in the heart of the one being shouted at.
Like my zucchini taste tests, I encourage you to listen to the gospel from different sources and try it until you like it. I’m not talking about what the Bible calls “itching ears.” because that would mean exchanging the squash for another vegetable. I’m talking about reading it, listening to it, studying it, and mostly digesting it until you can proclaim King David’s words to “taste and see that The Lord is Good!”
Psalm 34:8 BSB
[8] Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.34.8.BSB
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🎵 Route 66—Part 2; My Personal Memoir of The Mother Road
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
This time, instead of pictures, I’ll tell you a little story about my first introduction to The Mother Road. (Warning: I think this post shows my ADHD mind a little, but it’s got some fun stuff in it. 😁)
I was 15 and was still living with my grandparents who decided to move from the island in California to the desert in Arizona. The trip included a stop at a restaurant called Pea Soup Andersen’s where I had some of the most amazing split pea soup I can ever recall tasting. I know the two truck stops we gassed up at were in Buttonwillow and Barstow, CA. Looking back at the map, Santa Nella (where the restaurant is located) is about two hours north of Buttonwillow and over four hours from Barstow, so it must have been quite the driving stretch to make that stop.
Hey, I was a teen who didn’t drive (and didn’t want to back then), and I was mostly paying attention to my kitty who was not very happy with traveling for the first time. But I remember the soup like it was yesterday, especially how they put croutons on top.
Anyway, we got to Kingman, Arizona late at night, and it was so dark! It was actually eerie, so I guess it wasn’t one of those nights where the moon lights up the desert like it’s midday.
But it was in adulthood that I learned about the road that served as the main drive through that town. My Uncle Bob (rip) was enamored with the history of it—and the song. (If you click the history link, it’s got a short but interesting post about Route 66 and its decertification followed by some comments that add even more history.) Anyway, it turns out that when Uncle Bob was a firefighter in California, he went to the jazz nightclub where Bobby Troup performed. He even had Bobby write a song for his wife at the time.
So Uncle Bob became one of the biggest fans of my singing and, because of that connection, sent a tape to Bobby Troup who listened and said it was good, but added that nothing compared to his Julie. (Bobby was married to Julie London who played Nurse Dixie McCall on Emergency! where he played Dr. Joe Early.) He sent signed pictures for my sister and me showing him and Julie. Sadly, over the years, those pictures seem to have disappeared—along with a picture of us as little girls with Kevin Tighe. (Kevin played firefighter-paramedic Roy DeSoto on Emergency! We actually stumbled across an episode being filmed once in Sun Valley, so we stopped to watch. He was super friendly with all the fans; and when my stepdad asked if he could take a picture of us with him, he asked a kid near him to hold his coffee and said, “Sure!” with a big smile on his face.)
But I digress. Here is the Bobby Troup version of Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (which was also the theme song of the show by the same name.) If you listen closely, you’ll hear him sing the name of Kingman right after Flagstaff and Winona, and just before Barstow.
If you live along Route 66 in Arizona, you’ll eventually come across the Route 66 Fun Run. It brings out some of the most amazing classic cars to show off as they traverse the scenic stretch from Seligman (yesterday’s post) to Topock, Arizona. Between witnessing that firsthand and sharing in Uncle Bob’s excitement, it was natural to become a bit of a fan myself.
There’s way more I could share—from my numerous stops at Lou Mitchell’s in Chicago to the giant McDonald’s that arches right over the highway on The Will Rogers Turnpike, to the Route 66 museum in Oklahoma City. I’ve included plenty of links, so bookmark this post to come back when you’ve got time for some virtual touring. I’ll try to follow this up on November 11th when Route 66 celebrates its centennial anniversary, though I think that party has already begun in some places!
I have to say, the resilience of the travelers and fans that keep the history alive with memories and celebrations is amazing. It brings to mind the Scripture about remembering the old paths.
Jeremiah 6:16ab BSB
[16] This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/jer.6.16.BSB
I will close with the factoid that the song above has been officially recorded well over 500 times. The original was in 1946 by the Nat King Cole Trio. The most recent was by John Mayer in 2006 for the movie Cars, and somewhere in-between, there was even a dark synth-pop electronic version by Depeche Mode. My Aunt Shirley (Uncle Bob’s wife) really liked that version.
Here are those three videos for your comparative listening pleasure.
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Get Your Kicks on Route 66
By Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
These photos are old (mostly 2010) and desperately needed editing, and my Photo Studio Pro just wouldn’t cooperate on the tablet, so it took me a lot longer on the small phone screen. That means, I’m going to quickly share a little photo tour with you, but I don’t have time for a lot of text tonight. This subject was planned because on June 27th, 1985, Route 66 was officially declassified as an American highway.
I wanted to talk about the resilience of The Mother Road and the song that has set records as to the variety of bands and singers who’ve recorded it, but I’ll do that on another post when I’ve had a chance to edit more pictures. In the meantime, enjoy this little photo album of pictures from Seligman and Oatman Arizona.
Next to the cafe, the “town” enhances the parking lot…
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
And the cars have been parking there for a really long time…
You’ll need to take your own car to visit the donkeys in Oatman. They are wild and will not always move because they know they own the town…
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Prompt Response: The Boogeyman Upstairs
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
What’s something you used to believe as a kid that seems ridiculous now?
For my Sabbath break this week, I’m just going to share a quick story in response to the Day One prompt.
I remember being four or five years old and having a sitter. And she cooked my dinner. I can still see the one thing on the plate that I was completely uninterested in; stewed tomatoes. Why I didn’t like them back then I have no idea, because I love them now. Even from a can, they are yummy by themselves, over some cauliflower noodles, or mixed with hamburger meat for a beef and tomato skillet or big pot of cabbage stew.
But not liking stewed tomatoes isn’t my answer. It’s what the babysitter did to try and get me to eat them. She’d say the boogeyman was gonna get me, and then she’d wait for the tenants in the apartment upstairs to move around and say, “See, you can hear him. He’s getting ready to come down here and get you. You better eat those tomatoes!”
Now I know that it was just the sound of people walking around upstairs, but then… I ate the tomatoes!
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Sealed for Your Protection
U.S. Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
(edited to 3D using Wombo Dream AI, Gradient/Text added in Photo Studio Pro)
My patriotic self saw the special day from 1782 (The US adopted The Great Seal on June 20th, 1782) and had to make it the focus of tonight’s blog. The original image is public domain, so creating derivatives is okay. And I love the 3D detail I got from Wombo. You can download your own image from Wikimedia Commons at the link in the photo caption.
Seals have so much more meaning than just an image. First, there’s the wonderfully creative-sounding word sigillography. That’s the study of seals (not the critters that look like sea lions, live in the ocean, and dine on penguins in the Antarctic), and a student of seals is called a sigillographer. And you can hear the word pronounced at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2H8xoFnI6LE
If you want to know some interesting history of seals, check Wikipedia, and The National Archives has a huge collection of them if you’re curious.
But the best thing about seals is what they represent. They mark authority and ownership, they prove authenticity, and they offer protection. This even works in our walk with The Lord who seals us by His Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 BSB
[13] And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth — the gospel of your salvation — you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
https://bible.com/bible/3034/eph.1.13.BSB
Ephesians 4:30 BSB
[30] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/eph.4.30.BSB
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 BSB
[21] Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, [22] placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/2co.1.21-22.BSB
Many years ago, I heard a great song (and the story behind it) by singer/songwriter Nancy Grandquist. Pill bottles in stores were in the early years of getting safety seals (after the infamous Tylenol poisonings of 1982) and manufacturers printed “Sealed for Your Protection” right on those stuck-on covers. She read that on a bottle and immediately thought of how Christians are sealed by God for our protection. I had the song on cassette (yes, a long time ago 😁) and I could only find one source with an incomplete song. But a few of the lyrics say…
“If the seal is in place, then you know that you’re safe, and no harm is gonna come to you.” And then the chorus says, “Sealed for your protection …. nothin’ can break through the shield of faith around you.” You are welcome to listen to what I found on YouTube, though it’s not complete and a little hard to understand from the cassette the channel used. Still, it’s a lively tune with a great message.
As I looked for the song, I found a video saying Nancy passed away in the last year, but she really put out a lot of songs. Her own YouTube page is at https://youtube.com/@nanfam?si=g0_II54bxeNoKJHa
On a personal note, I no longer attend the type of church she ministered in (United Pentecostal Church), but I will never be sorry for the changes in my life as a result of the strong doctrine that took me completely away from living for worldly pleasures and brought me to a decision for Christ. It’s nearly impossible to sit on the fence in that type of religion, and I’m still thankful that my life totally changed direction back in July of 1983.
I’m still sealed by Yahveh Almighty for a future He determines and leads me in. I am part of the blood-bought, blood-washed bride of Christ, and I only hope that what I share in these posts will help people to either walk closer to The Lord or turn to Him if they’re walking their own way now. He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and He will seal you as one of His own if you’ll trust Him and ask. Let me know if you have any questions about making a choice to serve Him.
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Great Smoky Mountain Journeys
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
While growing up in the western half of the United States, I had no idea what I was missing a couple thousand miles away. Oh, that first time you see the mist begin to settle over the layers of the Appalachian mountains—it’s a view to remember.
This particular view was during the trip when I got to meet my brother Shayne and sister-in-law Heather for the first time. Sharing the beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park seemed the perfect location for our introductions after months of phone and digital communications. It was May of 2019, and this scenic overlook presented itself with perfect springtime majesty.
On June 15th, 2026, the park celebrates its 92nd birthday. Some highlights from the website state that it’s the most visited national park in the United States, it’s loaded with wildlife and places to explore. And it’s also free because of an agreement made when “Newfound Gap Road” was built. (While daily parking passes are now required to stop, enjoying the scenery out the car window does not require an entrance fee or toll.)
One of the best destinations you can drive to on your visit is Cades Cove Loop. There’s an excellent chance of seeing wildlife, so be sure to bring your zoom lens so you can keep your distance while you get the shot (and keep your health). And remember that no matter how cute they seem, they are wild—so no feeding them, no matter what Yogi or Ben may have said on TV! 😁🐻 Any effort to interact with them can result in enough domestication that the animal no longer fears humans and could need to be put down. In the case of the image you see below, I was a long way off and could see the mama bear in the field across the road. All the cars were stopped and many people were taking pictures while the babies made their way across.
Some of the prettiest scenery within the towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville is that along the Little Pigeon River. That’s where most of the lodging and restaurants are built, meaning you have great views even when you stop for a rest or a meal. Here’s a collage of images from around the area. It includes an image of The Old Mill Restaurant, where you’ll usually wait at least an hour to get in for some of the best food in the area (or anywhere else, for that matter). And can you believe the color in that November sunset?
by Crystal A Murray (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
I’ll close with a slightly manipulated image from late spring of 2020 when the flowers were in full bloom. On the bridge near The Old Mill, they used to have openings filled with flowers, but that has changed now for some reason. It makes me even more glad I got this image way back when trying to be creative and look through the flowers to see the waterfall. And I hope you’ve enjoyed this little visit to The Smokies.
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Shabbat Shalom & Weekend Blessings
Real life means that even with the joyful activity of lighting Shabbat (Sabbath) candles on Friday evenings, the image you took to remember it may not be the best for sharing. A little camera shake, too much wax on the candlesticks, or a bit of clutter captured in the image, and you’re looking for some creative editing tricks to make your image look prettier. So I took my candle picture to Wombo Dream and described the table and background I wanted, and then I let it work its magic. After a number of creations, I couldn’t decide between the one from the botanical filter and the filter they call abyssal void for my favorite. So, I made a collage in the Photo Studio Pro app and framed the two together. Here are a few more from the same two filters plus a couple more filters…
(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
So we’ve been lighting candles together on Friday nights for over 25 years now. I say the prayer as I first learned it in a brief Hebrew class I took with the sweet friend who opened up this world to me. Understanding some aspects of original Judaism has helped me to better understand both the Old Testament and my Jewish Messiah. When I first started to learn these things (1999), I wrote a poem called YahShua The Jew, and blogged it here in 2016 in a post also called “YahShua The Jew.”
The Hebrew prayer says …
Hebrew:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה הָ׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַׁבָּת.Transliteration:
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat.
English Translation:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the light of the Sabbath.
And right after we light the candles, we sing two songs together. The first is “Shabbat Shalom” and the second is from Isaiah 28:16…
Isaiah 28:16 BSB
[16] So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.28.16.BSB
And here are the videos of those songs…
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World Parrot Day
International/World Parrot Day falls on May 31st each year. You can read about the history, events, and suggestions for participating in the day at the National Day Today site. (The link goes right to the Parrot Day page.)
I’m sure you can tell by the above collage that I really like parrots. All of these images were taken in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, at a wonderful place called “Parrot Mountain and Gardens” near Dollywood. Well, I take that back. The colorful one with the blue head (that kinda looks like an angry bird to me) was taken at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. It’s really a Lorikeet and not a parrot, but I didn’t realize that until I went looking for the link for Busch Gardens and saw that it’s on their aviary page. Oh well. I’m pretty sure all the others are parrots, my favorite one being the little gold one named Goldie, who I think is a “sun conure,” but I’m not 100% certain.
I really like all birds, which is odd for a cat person, but I used to know a lady who trained assistant dogs, and because of her way with animals, she actually taught a bird to call her cat, and then the cat would give the bird a ride on its head. So, it is okay to like both birds and cats. 🐦🐈 As far as parrots go, I’ve only owned one. It was a very old, maybe sickly, African Gray, and I had to give him away shortly after getting him. But I’ve also owned parakeets, budgies, and cockatiels. Now, though I just go visit them because they have such a long life span, especially the double yellow-headed Amazon I used to dream of owning, and I wouldn’t want to stress about who would take over if it outlived me. And when I can’t visit in person, I have a few favorite birds I like to visit on YouTube. Here is a sampling of them:
Beaker Beak has an adorable voice and some really cute poses…
And then there’s Apollo who is highly intelligent and strongly trained…
Another favorite of mine is Tico who sings a variety of styles with his guitarist known as The Man (Tico and The Man) and sometimes guest musicians…
And finally Chloe Alexander with her bird (Gallagher, I think), who I heard long before she auditioned on AGT, and I felt so bad for her when the bird refused to sing. This is, I think, before she realized he would just keep singing with her. I had never even heard the song before watching this video, but I love her voice and the bird…
And I’ll close with a few Bible verses about birds (even if they’re not parrots)…
Genesis 1:20 BSB
[20] And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/gen.1.20.BSB
Genesis 2:19 BSB
[19] And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/gen.2.19.BSB
Isaiah 31:5 BSB
[5] Like birds hovering overhead, so the Lord of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and deliver it; He will pass over it and preserve it.”
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.31.5.BSB
Matthew 6:26 BSB
[26] Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
https://bible.com/bible/3034/mat.6.26.BSB
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Prompt Response; Peppermint
What’s the first book you ever finished and still remember to this day?
This prompt got me thinking about all the books I’d started but never did finish, like Watership Down, The Martian Chronicles, and A Wrinkle in Time. Well, I did finish the last one as an adult, but I never could get most books finished before time to return them to the library.
Of course, I had all my little books for small hands, and then the books with matching records that played a little sound when it was time to turn the page. I’m sure some were by Disney, and some were probably by Dr. Seuss. I’m certain I had “Put Me in the Zoo” because I remember how the main character could put his colored spots on other things, but it doesn’t have a stickiness in my brain like the one that goes with the picture above.
The first small book I finished that stuck with me, and is still with me to this day, is probably Peppermint by Dorothy Grider. My mind captured the images so well that, when I needed Gemini to find the book for me, it got it right on the first try. Though there are none available at the sale page on Thriftbooks, there are 45 people signed up to be notified if it ever shows up there, so apparently, I’m not the only one who remembers it as a wonderful story.
See, there was a candy store, and the owner had a cat named “Candy” who stayed at the store with him. Candy had 4 kittens, so the owner gave them sweet candy names like Lollipop and posted them for sale. But the runt of the litter, a tiny white kitten he called Peppermint, was too shy and too small, so she stayed at Mr. Dobby’s candy store. Until one day, a little girl named Barbara was upset and crying because she didn’t have a kitten for the upcoming cat show at school.
When Mr. Dobby said Barbara could take Peppermint home, she didn’t care how dirty she was from all the dust in the storeroom. But Barbara’s mom cared and insisted the kitten must have a bath. Peppermint didn’t like it and jumped out of the soapy water and right into a bucket of water filled with bluing. (In case you’ve never heard of bluing, it’s a laundry additive that removes yellow discolorations to make whites brighter. You can read about it on Amazon at https://amzn.to/4eegCjR {my affiliate link for tracking} if you want to know more.) The clean little kitten was now a beautiful blue, and when Barbara took it to school with the pink ribbon her mother tied around it, the other kids decided that Peppermint was a prize-worthy kitty.
I think I remember it because of my own dreams of being—or sharing— something that could win a prize. I could identify with both Peppermint and Barbara on the rejection front, and I always hoped to have a special moment like she did when she pulled the kitten out of the basket. (Part of me still hopes for something like that when I finally release one of my songs. 😁) It’s just such a happy ending for everyone in this book.
And, guess what? I even found a few places on YouTube where people read the book aloud and show the pictures on the pages. Some were a little long, so I’m embedding the shortest one that is also easy to hear and understand. It’s only 5 minutes and 37 seconds to find out the names of the other kittens and see the artist’s drawings of the little blue kitten.
Deuteronomy 4:9 BSB
[9] Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.4.9.BSB
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🎵Girl’s Day Memories
First, I really like this knitted filter. 😁 And I’ve also found that it will often create more pictures for me while the other filters keep giving me “restricted content” warnings because my prompt has words like child or daughter or kid in it. It’s sad that people in our world use those words to create content that wouldn’t be deemed as “safe for work” so it causes a warning if anything gets even close to that.
But I’m not writing about sad stuff except maybe the bittersweetness of memories because they cannot be had anymore. So on to the content I planned for today.
My day’s plans were put on hold due to a sciatic flair, so I spent the day on a phone visit with a friend. (The amazing friend who’s been helping me with Operation Cleanout and getting organized.) She understood my lack of ability to move, lift, and twist today, so we enjoyed a time of visiting via voice instead of in person. During that visit, a thing I shared with her hit me as a good topic for my blog readers.
Growing up for a time in government housing meant things like looking for inexpensive ways to find meaning in a day and finding out how to do that at home because we didn’t have a car. Eventually, we established a pattern. When the monthly check would arrive, my mother would treat me and my sister to a girl’s day. Our first stop was usually to take the bus to the nearest “Licorice Pizza” record store and buy ourselves at least one new record to listen to. I can still see the blue label on the Wildfire 45 rpm we loved to sing with. “She ran calling ‘Wildfire,’ she ran calling…” And once in a while, we got a whole new album, like a greatest hits collection by Anne Murray because we all sang with that one.
I don’t recall which stores we shopped at for nail polish, but we always got at least one new color to try, usually one with sparkles in it. We’d get out all the old ones from previous months, and sometimes we painted a different color on each nail just for fun. I think they actually do that in professional manicures now, but we just loved to experiment back then.
On the way home, we got off the bus a couple blocks past our apartment complex, so we could get our favorite dinner treat: Chinese food to go. In those days, the more people you ordered for, the more extra food types you could add to your order. It’s why that one old Doris Day/Brian Keith movie is called “With Six You Get Eggroll.” Of course, we had to have an egg roll and fried rice with every order. 😋 And they always added these paper sleeves with wooden chopsticks, so we always tried to figure out how to use them—at least for the first few bites. 🤣
As a side note, as an adult, I always wondered why fried rice just didn’t taste the same as I’d remembered from my youth. One day, just for my own curiosity, I added a little bit of the oil that floats on top of my natural peanut butter, and there it was….that unmistakable flavor that made me always want more Chinese food. I guess most Chinese restaurants used woks and peanut oil back then, and the taste was totally different. And, I think, so much better!
Anyway, with our bags full of little white boxes covered in red designs and symbols, we headed home for a few hours of unstressed mom and daughters fun. We’d sit on the living room floor and try the foods while the record player dropped a stack of 45s, including the latest purchases. We would sometimes play the music through headphones to more fully hear the nuances of left and right sounds. And then we’d make the house smell like a salon while we played with color.
I wish every day had those good memories, and I wish they were never undone by Mom going on a late night drinking binge, but even with the myriad of imperfect and stressful days, I’m so thankful for those times, those pleasant moments, that brought balance to my life. Now, they bring balance to my memories as well.
Philippians 4:8 BSB
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think on these things.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/php.4.8.BSB
I know the words are a bit sad, but here’s a video of Wildfire by Michael Martin Murphey with a slideshow of beautiful horses…
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Today’s Photo Memories: Pink Peonies
A few of my photo storage apps like to show me an “On This Day” section with photos from the same date in different years. When I saw all my pink peonies from 2021, I knew I had to share them. Within the same few days, I captured a yard full of flower variety from my cellphone camera.
Before I moved to Kentuckiana, I do not think I’d ever even heard of a peony flower, let alone seen one. Maybe I did and don’t recall it, but the here and now brings these giant beauties every year courtesy of my friends (Mark and Debbie) who planted them before they sold us our Indiana house. Having never been a gardening kinda gal, the colorful blooms that grace my yard every year are truly gifts that keep on giving. What a blessing they are to see.
I was so happy with this capture that I put it through a program to add a matching frame, and then I started playing with effects. I think the one above was in Mirror Lab, and I think the repeating design is really pretty on the single framed flower. I used the same flower to make a simple pink on tan fractal…
And I’ll close with one more manipulation where you can clearly see the peony flowers but yet get lost in the array of twists and turns.
And though they are not lilies, I think the Scripture about the beauty of lilies being even more grand than King Solomon’s royal attire.
Luke 12:27 BSB
[27] Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/luk.12.27.BSB
Simple Peony Haiku...
Peony flowers:
Pink, full, and blooming heavy.
Though their time is short.
A picture captures,
Their lives for us to savor.
Worth a thousand words.
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🎵 What to Do in the Rain
What do you do when it rains? Do you hide inside to stay dry, darting quickly between house and car if you need to run out and remember the umbrella is still in the car? I think most of us prefer to stay dry as we get older, but the deluge in the past week has gotten me to think about rainy days in my childhood.
Oh summer rain! Years and years ago in Southern California, it was just a simple pleasure like running through the sprinklers. Neighborhood kids would put on their swimsuits and dance around in the warm rain or slide on the wet grass. Sometimes, we’d get a little mud or grass stuck to us, but the rain would wash it right back off. We never worried about what could be in the rain, like toxins or acid, back then. We didn’t think about getting struck by lightning even when there was thunder and lightning going on. It was all just simple fun. And yes, we did drag out a kiddie pool to let it fill up naturally a few times. 🤩
So, has rain changed? Or is it just the abundance of cautions & warnings out there these days that make it seem so much more dangerous? Maybe it’s just a bit different in the Midwest where I live now. But I still have such pleasant memories of rain—and puddles. (Not in our nice shoes, though. Lol 😂)
I remember one time, while I was working at the answering service, I had to relay an emergency call to one of our customers. It took me a while to reach him, and when he finally called back, he apologized for the delay because he was… “in my front yard in a garbage bag.” I’m sure he could hear the confusion in my voice, so he went on to explain a little ritual he always did when it rained. He covered himself with a large, heavy plastic bag and just sat in his yard enjoying the sound that reminded him of rain on a tent. He said it relieved stress and brought him peace. It makes sense to me, but I’ve never actually tried it myself. Maybe I’ll put it on my to-do list since I’ve got a few of those industrial bags that should cover me well enough. Anyone else want to try it?
The rain in my area brings a bit of humidity, but I like how the clouds also cool off the house by not allowing the afternoon sunshine to pour through the living room window. And when it’s coming down hard enough, and it’s quiet all around, hubby and I will just listen and enjoy the rhythmic taps and clicks of the downpour.
Some Bible verses about rain…
Deuteronomy 32:2 BSB
[2] Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/deu.32.2.BSB
Psalm 72:6 BSB
[6] May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/psa.72.6.BSB
Job 5:10 BSB
[10] He gives rain to the earth and sends water upon the fields.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/job.5.10.BSB
Isaiah 45:8 BSB
[8] Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the Lord, have created it.
https://bible.com/bible/3034/isa.45.8.BSB
And a nice hymn about rain showers…
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A Non-Traditional Mom
Most people have an idea in their minds about what it means to be a mom or a mother (or a mum in much of the world). And those ideas are mostly based on our personal experiences either having a mom or being a mom. Some, though, are like me; not having or being a traditional mom. And in those cases, the ideas might be a little skewed. Or so I thought.
While searching for a poem from my teen years, written to the child I knew I’d never give birth to, I found a different poem I had written to a friend for the day she became the mother of a bride. It may be from TV and books and time with friends, or maybe my short time getting to raise 4 of my nephews for awhile, but it seems I have a fair understanding of at least some parts of motherhood. In this poem, despite not having my own children, I think I captured their mother/daughter moments pretty well. So, I’ve decided to share that with you all for this Mother’s Day post. Feel free to download it or tweak it for someone you know if it has a sentiment worth sharing.
HER NEW WORLD
Her first steps you remember walking toward you,
And you were just so proud.
Then she began to grow, suddenly yet slow,
Toward life's ever-changing crowd.
First, it was just a game she would play,
"Catch me if you can."
She'd giggle and squeal, looking back to see you,
While away from you she ran.
Next were the neighbors' and friends' yards and homes,
"Momma, can I go play?"
Though a little bit worried, you smiled with delight
Watching her and her friends skip away.
Then hot chocolate, pj's, and sleepover parties,
To the movies and malls with friends...
As you watched the apron strings pull ever tighter,
Getting stretched oh-so-dangerously thin.
Finally, one bright day, she noticed this boy,
To her, he's the world trimmed in gold.
And though you're happy for her, a teardrop falls,
As the apron strings now lose their hold.
Now she walks toward you in her bridal dress,
On this bitter-sweet wedding day,
Soon you'll watch her run, hand-in-hand and in love,
And you'll weep as they drive away.
And you know if you could, you'd have it both ways...
Her a woman, and yet your little girl.
But you can't, so you pray, "God, take care of my child,
As she walks into this, her new world."
By Crystal A. Murray (2002)
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