This little gal has brought us So Much Joy in the past 5 years.
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday together, riding our magic carpets, searching for treasures with our maps, wearing our crowns, laughing and singing.
We had a little pre-b-day party at McDonald’s (she picked her favorite) on Wednesday.
Being a Grandparent is the Best part of Aging…
Love that I feel for them is like no other Love. So Grateful for all Four of my Grand-daughters.
Peace
The last two weeks have been filled with six dentist appointments, lots of pain meds, several emotional outbursts, and I’m still not done. What can I say?
My dentist and his assistants are just the best people, though, and I’m so grateful for their professionalism and kindness. We have worked as a team to get this all done before my Birthday next Sunday.
This coming week Samantha and I will have Our Brrday party before she has her own kidsfest at GattiTown and I have my own celebration at…who knows where?
I hope you’re having more fun than I am…
Peace
On this day in 1964, the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, as teenage girls screamed hysterically in the audience and 73 million people watched from home — a record for American television at the time.
I know where I was: about a foot away from our black-and-white console TV in the basement of our quintessentially 60s finished basement with whole family present. The first song they did, “I want to hold your hand” is linked above and I didn’t think their harmonies were very impressive, but I couldn’t take my eyes off them. When they came back out, they did “I saw her standing there” and I did a bit of a scream, if I remember.
Of course, I watched the next three weeks as well and was as obsessed as any other. I think my friend Karen and I watched at least one of them together. In 1964 the Beatles released Seven albums, the first two in January before the Big Arrival to be in Ed Sullivan. I was given “Meet the Beatles” for my birthday that year. “The Beatles Second Album” was released 10 April 1964; it was their third release, but who was counting? In June their movie, “Hard Day’s Night” was released to more screaming fans (including me). In July came “Something New”. The November release was “The Story of the Beatles” with interviews and discussions of Beatlemania”. In December “Beatles 65” was released– perfect Christmas present!
Beatlemania was followed by the British Invasion and Ed Sullivan was bringing them all in, though he did censure Mick Jagger, of course. It was a grand time to be memorizing song lyrics.
“Rubber Soul” came out in December 1965, another Christmas present, but it wasn’t shake-your-hair and scream music. The Beatles were growing up, too. .
By 1966, the Beatles had grown tired of live performance. George Harrison was the first to burn out on Beatlemania, though Paul Thrived on the Adulation. McCartney finally gave in to his band mates’ insistence that the group stop touring toward the end of their August tour of the United States. Afterward, George informed manager Brian Epstein that he was leaving the band. However, he was persuaded to stay on provided there were no more tours
Shortly after the USA tour in 1966 ,the album “Revolver” was released and by that time you could see that The Beatles were definitely moving in a different direction that was more cerebral. They’d been to India and their music showed their journey.
In 1967, June, The Beatles changed the world of music again with the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. That same year they made another movie, “Magical Mystery Tour” and I missed the whole thing as we were moving around from here to California. I did get Sgt. Pepper for my birthday in 1968, though.
During the second half of the Beatles’ career, the members began to assert individual artistic agendas. Their disunity became most evident on The White Album. Ringo briefly quit the group while it was being made. They were divided over who would be their manager after the death of Brian Epstein and never came to an agreement.
They launched into a multi-media project called “Get Back” that later became “Let it Be” and it was a disaster. The dysfunction of the group, the arrogance and ego of John and Paul are on full display and it’s tough to watch. Yoko is like hiding under the seats, warbling. George briefly left the band during this time. The situation was so bad that the project was not released for several years after the band had already broken up.
Abbey Road, the album that is my favorite, was released in October 1969. They weren’t actually working together, but their producer had a way of making us think they had.
The final time that the four members recorded together collectively was the session for Abbey Road‘s closing track “The End” on 18 August 1969. Lennon privately informed his band mates that he was leaving the Beatles on 20 September, although it was unclear to the other members whether his departure was permanent. On 10 April 1970, McCartney issued a press release that stated he was no longer working with the group, which sparked a widespread media reaction and worsened the tensions between him and his band mates. Legal disputes continued long after, and the dissolution was not formalized until 1974.
The Fab Four who performed on Ed Sullivan lo those many years ago were not the same group who sang me to sleep with the dark “Golden Slumbers” or who surprised me with “Her Majesty”. John’s heroin addiction and Paul’s controlling personality were Bound to Explode. George was always my favorite, anyway, and the Beatles demise freed him to create his own music, many of which have become part of my soundtrack. Ringo? Ya gotta Love Ringo…and he really is a good drummer.
I’m still doing the Dental Dance with frequent appointments, still making the best of it.
Listening to Abbey Road…it’s good medicine.
Peace
This week sucked, didn’t it? Kobe Bryant and his daughter dying was a helluva start, may their memories be for a blessing. My soap opera, General Hospital, has been pre-empted for weeks by another soap opera, Impeachment Farces by the Arses…hahaha. Oh, lighten up.
And then there was the Dental Disaster.
Wednesday I spent two-and-a-half hours in the dentist chair getting the root canal that wasn’t. I had the laughing gas jauntily strapped across my nose, breathing in peace and breathing out love, so all I knew was whirring and “open”. Turns out, something about the canal and he couldn’t get through it, so he finally gave up. I was a little beleaguered and left without a plan, but called later to schedule the tooth to be removed on Monday (tomorrow). Friday evening I was minding my own business, reading and eating an ice cream sandwich, when the tooth broke off. I feel an oral surgeon in my future.
So that’s all I’ve got to say.
People have got it worse, that’s for sure. But my mood is definitely Disgruntled. dreading the upcoming drama.
Still smiling, though…
Peace
P.S. Two new posts last week over at All My Ancestors and I hope to stay on schedule despite this…interruption. See you there!
It was Birthday Week at the Jose’ Casa in NYC! My #1 and #3 grandies celebrated Numbers 9 and 14! Oh, those girls! My heart just overflows…
Emma Magnolia Mayne Jose’ is in the 8th grade at Towne., where she was awarded the part of Rafiki in “Lion King” (ever heard of it?). She can sing, she can dance (top Irish Dancer), but more importantly, she is seriously a sweet young lady, kind and caring.
Eliza Belle Mayne Jose’ is in the 3rd grade at Avenues: The World School, where she has started piano lessons. This summer she started right in picking out tunes and I wonder if she might have the old “playing by ear” thing that my grandmother had. She’s a Super Irish Dancer, loves to skateboard, and is just generally a funny, loving little girl.
Obviously, I love these babies. I’m hoping to be in NYC in April for the “Lion King” and I Know I’ll be there in June for Emma’s graduation.
We had the Jr. girls for a couple of days earlier this week, requiring me to wake up at 5am…I”m proud to say that I still have my miraculous inner alarm and was able to wake myself when my outer alarms failed to alarm. It’s kinda fun to get up in the dark and hear the birds singing a prelude to sunrise.
We’ve got so many birds visiting the feeders that we decided to add another suet. We had two finch feeders out, and in years past they’ve been covered with upside-down and downside-up little birds, but I’ve spotted just one molty goldfinch in the last month. I hope they’ve just found somewhere else to feed. The suet has been a real draw for woodpeckers. We’ve seen hairy and downy, both male and female, and even an awkward red-bellied woodpecker that also feeds at the houses. The indigo buntings seem to favor it over fighting at the houses, too.
The dreaded root canal is Wednesday. I’ll be fine. Thank goodness the tooth is still hurting just a tinge, or I’d probably back out. I’ve got plenty going on over at the ancestry blog, posting on Mondays and Thursdays until I finish. You’re welcome to visit…All My Ancestors.
Peace
On Monday we went down to the library to get our passports. First off, I realized after we got there that I had put my ID in another purse, so we went back home to pick it up and returned. We had filled out our applications, but my printer had cut part of the bottom off, so they gave us some new ones and we re-filled them. We wrote out our checks and they commenced to taking pictures. She managed to get a better-than-my-drivers-license photo in three snaps. Casey moved to the white wall, took off his glasses and didn’t smile. They took several snaps, but the printer could not make out a face. She took some more, still just a ghost picture to the printer. We carried on for a while, moving him over to another wall, turning off the lights, turning off the flash…he was just a cloud. Finally we gave up. She said we’d have to go to a CVS or Walgreens and get one there.
We set out for the nearest CVS where the handsome young man grabbed the camera and found it needed batteries. He went in search of and came back and said it had to be charged for an hour, sorry. We went to the next Walgreens where the cashier said they couldn’t help us until 2pm (it was noon). Onward to another CVS and I’m getting pretty gripey, but whatcha gonna do? The girl at the CVS was helpful, but she, too, got Ghost!! It’s called the Santa Claus effect because his beard and hair are so damn white. I felt like his cheeks and face were red enough to stand out, but… CVS girl was younger and knew her camera better than the library ladies. She adjusted a few things and we got a nice picture of a face. We raced back down to the library and our applications were submitted. Finally. It kinda took the fun out of it…
We are planning a trip to London in June. I’m there to see the Queen and I hope I’ve not waited too long. If you know me at all, you know I’ve obsessed with the latest Royal Family news. It has literally sickened me and I don’t want to talk about it and I wish I’d quit thinking about it. I will tell you more about our London trip as it draws closer, but I’m currently planning a Birthday Week Jaunt to Florida, leaving in 35 days… One Trip at a Time.
I’m studiously avoiding Any Sort of News and I’ve read three books, written thousands of words, planted my Wardian Case, played the piano, and listened to music. That’s not just to get my mind off the State of the World Today, but also to keep my anxiety down about an upcoming Root Canal. Fun, huh? I dread it with the worst dread of dreads. I have duties with Olivia and Samantha this week, so I put it off until the 29th. These little pains are coming way too often to suit me.
The diversion of the bird garden has lived up to my expectations, though I’ve no pictures to show for it. Our suets are especially popular with the hairy and downy woodpeckers. We watch chickadees, tufted titmice, wrens, cardinals galore, and a couple of indigo buntings. We have a warm-water birdbath that they all flock to. It’s a joy.
Because I had so many appointments last week I didn’t get much done over at the Ancestry Blog and what I did write I am completely re-writing. We’re to the Revolutionary War, a conflict I always found boring. It’s much more interesting now that I realize they were fighting right on our ancestors’ land and that many of the Patriots were neighbors. I love the research, but it doesn’t get the writing done.
As I slog through all these Patriots, I don’t lose sight of the fact that there were 600,000 human beings being held as slaves in 1776, and hundreds to thousands were owned by Casey’s and my ancestors (yes, even the Maynes had slaves and they sure didn’t free them). The Founding Fathers saw fit to count them as 5/8 human, as possessions.
I confess to white woman guilt. I believe the best we can do is Right Now: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself, and Forgive Everybody (including yourself). The Obamas made MLK Day into a Day of Service to Others. It’s a Good way to celebrate Dr. King’s Life.
Peace
As we took down the Christmas decorations and cleaned, I just had to move around the furniture. Clears the mind…
It’s harder than I thought to buy houseplants in the winter. I traipsed around town looking in the usual spots– grocery floral departments– and even tried a new place (to me) Fresh Thyme, but found nothing. Finally I went down the street to my neighborhood store and bought an orchid and a kalanchoe. Later I went by Zeidler Floral and picked out some tiny plants for my Wardian case and a lovely jade plant just because.
I’m still on the lookout, so if you know a good spot to shop, tell me!
Mostly, though, I have slaved over at the Ancestry blog writing up Casey’s family. Remember last year when I started my subscription to ancestrydotcom and said I’d use it for about six months and let it go? Well, my last post was in July and I was just about to cancel it when I decided I should give Casey’s family a shot. I started seriously studying in October, but there was so much research to be done—300 years of it — and then came the holidays so I decided to wait until Now to write it up and get it published.
I plan a series of a dozen or so posts and I probably should publish them weekly, but I’m in love with the story and don’t think I can hold back. I tried to post four last night, but it didn’t go well and I was up until 3am un-doing and re-doing. >sigh< One at a time will work best…
So I cordially invite you to visit All My Ancestors and follow along as I trudge through another January digging up the roots o our Family Tree…
Start right here with Preface
Peace
