Chatting About This and That

1.  What is your favorite kind of bread? (wheat, white, rye, sourdough, a gluten free type, etc.) 
I love a good cinnamon swirl type of bread, homemade, even better.  My everyday bread is 100% whole wheat.
2.  Would you go to an opera if someone you know was in it? 

Sure, I would go to one without knowing someone if.....it were in English or translated in some way.
3.  What is your favorite kind of citrus fruit? 

Grapefruit, but I can't eat it anymore because of my high blood pressure medicine.  I guess it would be lemons and limes,  because of their versatility.  Oh, oh, I forgot about Key Limes.
4.  Are you doing any home renovations or decorating projects? 

Right now I have some projects on the books.  I have a new cabinet for the bathroom, which will probably necessitate a new paint job and some new lighting.  I need to fix some of the drawers in the kitchen.....got to learn how to do it first.
5.  If you could sit in a rocking chair and view a beautiful scene, where would you be and what would you be looking at? 
A beach in Santa Barbara, is nice because my grandsons would be playing in the sand.  This picture was not far from the house they use to live in....The beach is a little farther from the new house.

Two Saturday 9=Saturday 18

Saturday 9: Susan

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, our hero tells Susan that "no other girl could ever take the place of you." Crazy Sam feels that no other earmuffs could ever take the place of the ones she left in restaurant coat room last month. Tell us about something you recently broke, lost or misplaced. 
I recently broke a bridge in my mouth and I had to have it temporarily fixed so I could go to CA.  I have to have it replaced soon. $$$$$ The fix is deteriorating.  

2) When this song was first released back in 1968, the name Susan was very popular. According the Social Security Administration, it was one of the top 10 baby girl names of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Today it's not even in the top 100. Do you know anyone named Susan (or Suzanne)? 

Yes and yes.  I mentioned in a previous post that I was almost named Suzanne.

3) The Buckinghams were Chicago's attempt to get in on The British Invasion begun by the Beatles. (Hence the silly suits.) But they took their name from Chicago's famous Buckingham Fountain. If Crazy Sam visited your neighborhood, what local site would you recommend she check out? 
Webb City's praying hands.  It is so ugly, a really amateur sculpture. 

4) Chicago is known for deep dish pizza. Describe your dream pizza. (Calories, carbs and gluten need not be a factor because it's dream pizza!) 
A sun-dried tomato, mushroom, sausage Pizza.


5) The Buckinghams got their big break by winning a local "battle of the bands." Do you often go to concerts or bars to listen to live music? 
No.

6) The best-selling book in 1968 (the year "Susan" was released) was Airport by Arthur Hailey. It was set during a snowstorm at Lincoln International, a fictional airport based on Chicago's O'Hare. What's the most recent airport you flew to? Why were you there? 
LAX, DFW, Joplin. Last night, I flew back home from Santa Barbara.

7) Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, Sox ... Chicago is a big sports town. What's your favorite pro team?
I don't do sports or pro teams.

8) Thinking of sports, did you watch the Olympics? If yes, which events?I did last night for a while. It was women's skating, short event.

9) Do you consider yourself an idealist or a pragmatist? 
I am an optimistic pragmatist.

Saturday 9: As Time Goes By (last Saturday)

 1) This is the theme song of Casablanca, generally acknowledged as one the screen's great love stories. In honor of Valentine's Day weekend, what's your favorite movie romance?  
I think one of my all time favorite is also an oldie but back to the 80's....Somewhere In Time.  I loved the music and the fantasy of the story.  I was not to everyone's taste but it is a favorite of mine...Christopher Reeve at his most romantic.

2) Even though he was only 5'8 and had a receding hairline, Humphrey Bogart was a popular leading man. What movie or TV actor or actress makes your heart skip a beat?
Sean Connery.  I have said it before and I will say it again.  

Another favorite love story

3) Sweethearts are those little heart-shaped candies that are printed with messages like, "Be Mine" and "Kiss Me." Do you like how they taste? 
No, yuck, too chalky.  Give me chocolate truffles any day of the week.   

4) Valentine's Day is a big day for florists. When is the last time a floral arrangement adorned your table or desk?
Thanksgiving.

5) Do you think an e-card means as much as a conventional card in an envelope? 
Probably not....but I would rather get one of them than nothing at all. Which is what I usually get.  I guess to have to send to get.

6) Despite what you see on Valentines, the human heart isn't bright red. It's really a brownish shade of red, like a brick. Now it's your turn. Share some trivia that's been rattling around in your head. (It does have to be about Valentines or the human heart. It can be any random fact at all.) My random trivia is red. The other day I learned that Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
 
7) When is the last time you thought your heart would break?
Something that DD1 said to me many, many, years ago. I don't remember the exact words any more but I remember it hurt. We have a great relationship, BTW.

8) What is the most recent thing to lift your heart?
My 2 year old grandson coming down stairs and running to me "Gam Maw".This trip he has been calling us grandma and grandpa like his brother does. He had been calling us the Serbian Baba/Deda, which was ok.....as he talked late.  Since the trip to Africa, he has been talking a storm. 

He also plays a lovely game.  He will come at you with his plastic bee or a ferocious dinosaur and shout "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!", until you shrink away and cry, "Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!  Then he shrieks in laughter.  He is a clown.

9) Who is the most "hard hearted" person you know? 
Hannah, the Vamp of Savannah.  I don't know any hard hearted people.

A Chatty Bedtime Story for Wendell

1.  Have you been watching the Olympics?
I use to love the Winter Olympics and I would probably be watching if I were anywhere near a TV.  I like them better when you can see them while they are going on and not delayed with spoilers.

2.  Does the grey winter affect your moods?
Not really, especially this winter.  I have been lucky to spend most of Feb in CA. I go home tomorrow and I hope spring will be around the corner.  I doubt it though.

3.  When was the last time you held a baby?
I guess it was my grandson, who turned 2 this month.  I was here when he was born.  I only hold babies who are near and dear.  I am content to coo, talk and admire other wee ones.

4.  Do you do a thorough spring cleaning each year? 
No, I am too old or too lazy to do it all at one time.  I try to concentrate on one room at a time over the year.  

http://michaelmather.com/blog/snow-horse/

5.  Please tell Wendell a bedtime story. He asked. I said I'd ask you. If you don't feel that creative, tell him a favorite book you think he might like. please:)
Once upon a time there was a silly horse.....yes it is you.  This horse always complained that he was cold, or so bored that he needed a bedtime story. So his two legger, was kind enough to make a wonderful place for him to get out of the weather to hear his bedtime stories.  He was so silly that he would stand out getting covered with snow and when she tried to tell him a story, he would interrupt her so she couldn't even finish.  Since he was so silly, she decided to keep all the carrots for herself and let him find his own treats and if he wasn't smart enough to come out of the cold.....well at least she was!

Saturday 9 and Santa Barbara

Well, I am still in Santa Barbara and will be here for another week.  DD1 and SIL are going away for the weekend and the Au Pair and I are staying with the kids.  Mr Bankerchick took the dogs back to Missouri after a week's visit.  He is not use to all the hub bub that accompanies a 5 and 2 year old.  DD1's new house has high ceilings down stairs and tile floors so I have to admit it can be pretty loud downstairs.  They will be shopping for rugs while they are out this weekend.

The grandsons are awesome and celebrated their birthdays together with their Mother's, as they are within two days of each other.  It was really loud last Saturday afternoon and evening with kids and adults celebrating together.
  
The weather is always beautiful in SB in the winter and it has been very mild.  I think since the Au Pair is getting ready to take the boys to the park.....I am doing the lovely SB Zoo tomorrow.....I will have time for Saturday 9 today and the ensuing comments. 

Dino Doc at the Santa Barbara Zoo

Saturday 9-Why Don't We Get Drunk (a questionable occupation for a Saturday Morning)


Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.


1)This week's song was once named the favorite love song of Bud Wiser, the godfather to this humble blog. With Valentine's Day coming up, what's your favorite love song? 
Any thing sung by Bocelli from his Romanza album here.

2) When this song was first released back in 1973, the "Why don't we get drunk and screw?" refrain was considered shocking. With the explicit sexual content in many of today's songs, it now hardly raises an eyebrow. When is the last time you were shocked? (Not just by a song, by anything at all.)
Porn popping up on a search or in the e-mail is always a little shocking to me, mainly because I am not expecting, is always a surprise to me also some folks tumblrs can have a shocking surprise for me.

3) Buffett named his first daughter Savannah, presumably after his favorite city. Tell us about your favorite city.  
After Santa Barbara, it would be London.  I am an Anglophile for sure and I loved London when I visited several years ago.  It is so old and new. I love history and London jaw-dropping full of history.

4) Mr. Buffett opened a Margaritaville Casino in Atlantic City. Have you ever gambled in Atlantic City? What about Las Vegas? 
We have not been to Atlantic City and with Las Vegas on the way to California we tend to visit it instead.  Mr Bankerchick has been to New Jersey, but I don't think he went to Atlantic City.  With so many Indian Casinos around us in MO, I think we could take care of any Casino desires we might (never) have.

5) Saving Florida's manatees is a cause near and dear to Jimmy Buffett's heart. If we were to make a $100 contribution to any charity in your honor, which would you choose? 
Our Local Humane society.

6) If today was your birthday, your astrological sign would be Aquarius. How often do you check your horoscope?  Never.

7) On this date in 1974, the show Good Times ("Dy-no-mite!") premiered and, much to Sam's confusion and chagrin, still enjoys an audience in syndication. Tell us about a pop culture phenomenon that you just never got into.  
Any Real Housewives, Duck Dynasty, or the Kardashian chicks. Reality TV is just a mystery to me.  I do like HGTV though.

8) Is there a home improvement project on your list of things to do?
Painting my kitchen, top on the list for this year and always.

9) A warm-weather choice to consider on a February day: Ice cream sundae or banana split?  
I could enjoy an ice cream sundae right about now.  Did I mention how nice it is in Santa Barbara, CA?  I am currently in love with Blenders in the Grass, a healthy smoothie place just down the street.  

Birthday Celebrations

I found this on Imgur this morning and it perfectly described my night.  I had things to think about and laid awake for quite a while.  We are taking off for CA next week, for Caшa, Лука, and DD1's birthdays.  They are a day apart and Caшa shares the day with his Mama. We haven't been able to celebrate with them since moving to MO.  There is still so much to do to get ready.

At Christmas, we were both going to see the kids for Christmas, because we think it is important for the boys to celebrate our traditions too. I ended up flying to CA without Mr BC, since they were going to be in the process  of moving into their new lovely house.  Mr BC loves Christmas and would be sad that the usual Christmas goings on would be neglected.....as many were.  I left him behind to celebrate with DD2.  It was a good idea since there was so much work to do that Christmas afternoon was spent cleaning the old house so they could get their deposit back. Mr BC would have certainly complained about that.  Christmas comes every year so we will be back next year.

Addis Ababa courtesy of Flickr

The boys are lucky in that, SIL celebrates Orthodox Christmas as well in January, and this year they traveled to their cousin's home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to visit and celebrate.  The boys are well traveled and since SIL's cousin has been transferred to Africa for his job (he heads a humanitarian aid program for Ethiopia), they decided to make the trip for Orthodox celebration. The whole Serbian family was going to be there. The plans were made well before they found the perfect house in the Santa Barbara area, and since they had the tickets, they decided to go on this trip anyway 3 days after Christmas and the move.  This of course meant that we had to work fast which made the whole moving process even more difficult. I can't wait to hear more about the boys trip and see their pictures. Лука got a camera for Christmas

A Seedy Chat-124

http://www.everydayruralty.com/

1.  How many seed catalogs have arrived at you home? 

I don't plant anything, so I don't receive seed catalogs....I don't really get any type of catalog any more since I order most things online.

2.  Will you be learning to do something new this year?  

Well, I hope so....I can't think of anything right off hand....Maybe I should learn to plant things. 
3.  How many pair of boot do you own?(This can include casual, dressy, hiking, farm, riding, snow, or any other kind of boot.) 

I have two pair of snow boots and I often wear Mr BC Wellies when I am planting crops :<).  I am not a big fan of boots except in winter.....I am a shoe free type of person. 

4.  Valentine's Day is just around the corner. There are decorations in the stores. Do you have anything planned for Valentine's Day? 
No I don't decorate for Valentine's Day, We will probably forget the day until it comes and then I will probably pat Mr BC's head and give him a kiss.
5.  Please tell me your favorite breeds of dogs. If you don't like dogs, tell me something about a favorite animal. (Please. :) 
I am fond of Corgis they are usually real clowns. Our corgi's cuteness comes from her neuroses. She makes us laugh every day.  We also have a sweet mix, who we rescued.  I love to read about rescued animals who find their forever homes.

The Fast Dozen-Sunday Stealing

1. What is the last book that you passed on to someone else to read? I read a Kindle so I can only pass books to Mr BC. I passed along  Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog. It was a great book about a fantastic dog and about dogs in general. You will laugh, you will cry.

2. The one song you secretly or not so secretly want to sing at karaoke? Probably something by Abba, I know the words to most already.

3. If you had to pick a new name for yourself, what would it be? Suzanne! My dad didn't like it and mom did.  I was disappointed when I heard the story.  I like the name.

4. What do you wish your administrator or boss would notice? I don't have one anymore....but I did like it when they would recognize good work, which they did often.

  
5. What is your biggest pet peeve? Bad grammar.... It will only get worse with social networking. 

6. What holds you back in pursuing your biggest dream? Probably money.  I don't have a lot of big dreams, but one would be, to spend what time I have left traveling and learning.

7. Why do you think you are a lovable person? I try to be a caring, helpful person.  I would say I lean toward self-sacrificing too much. I hope that is seen more as lovable and less like...... being walked all over.

8. If every day had an extra hour in it, what would you do with it? I would use it to cook a wonderful dinner.  Dinner sneaks up on me too easily.

9. The last song you turned up in your car or house was? See question 2, I would have wanted to sing along.

10. What is a secret talent you may have? My secret hidden talents? Hmmm.  I did find out when DD1 got married, that I had the makings for a floral designer. Keeping the expenses down she wanted us to do the flowers.So the  night before the wedding, found Mr BC and I making the table centerpieces.  We got lots of compliments.

11. Your favorite thing to do outside when it's not too cold out in the winter? Walk the dogs...It is a little thing but they love it so much. They get so excited. We have been house bound for quite a few weeks.  The weather will be better so we will do it every day next week.

12. How do you respond if someone asks you an inappropriate or nosy question? "Why would you want to know that?" It really works if you say it right.

http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/