Happy Birthday to my BFF!

Who let the (old) broads out?

The first day of high school (Fall, 1974), the girl sitting in the desk in front of me in my first class (German II, with Herr Suhr) turned around and said, “Hi! I’m Becky.”
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It’s World Down Syndrome Day (03/21/2022)!

Our little munchkin, Rebecca (c. 2004)

I’m not usually big on “Awareness” Days, but I make an exception for this one, because it celebrates some very special people. The date that was picked (3/21) is no accident – on this date, we celebrate those wonderful people who have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome. Life in a family with a DS member is a whirlwind adventure!

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Saint Patrick’s Day meets Sesame Street meets “Danny Boy”

I tried to find this version of “Danny Boy” (Garrett Morris, SNL, 03/18/78), but it’s behind a paywall at Hulu…

One of the reasons that I love Saint Patrick’s Day is because it gives me an excuse to listen to one of my all-time favorite songs, “Danny Boy“.

If there were ever any doubt about my ancestry (I’ve got some “Kelly” and “Carroll” in my family tree), the way that this tune makes me feel like I’ve “come home” puts that to rest – there is no denying that music from the British Isles is the kind of music that stirs my soul.

In putting this post together, I listened to a LOT of different versions of the song, and I ran across one that surprised me. You see, I’ve only ever known Bob McGrath as a performer on “Sesame Street” – I didn’t have a CLUE that he had such an amazing voice!

When I heard this version, I knew that I had found “the one”:
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Sad.

Mom has been gone for 2 years.  Dad joined her 10 days ago.  I miss them every day.

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Happy Pi Day (03/14) [w/Buttermilk Pie recipe included!]

Yes, I’m a geek – I bought this for Rachel several years ago.
She’s a geek, too – she loved it….
(Okay, I bought myself one as well – couldn’t be letting her have all the fun!)

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It wouldn’t be Pi day without a recipe to fill that cool Pi plate, so here is my absolute, all-time favorite pie recipe, courtesy of my dear, sweet mother-in-law (you will definitely want to double it, because it is just that good!):
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Buttermilk Pie

(Makes 1 pie)

1 C. Sugar
3 Tbsp. Flour
3 Egg Yolks ***
2 Tbsp. Butter, melted
1 tsp. Lemon Extract
2 C. Buttermilk
1 pie crust

Mix all ingredients together and pour into an unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 350 degrees until firm (approximately 45 – 50 minutes).

Easy AND delicious – does it get any better than that?
Bon Appetit!
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*** The original recipe calls for meringue on top – I assume that the egg whites were held in reserve to make it. Other recipes for Buttermilk Pie that I have seen call for the entire egg to be used in the filling. While I have not tried this personally, I would imagine including the whole egg would not be a problem – this recipe is a little “runnier” than most; adding the egg whites would probably help firm the filling up a bit.
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(Missed It By A Day) Happy 90th Birthday, Dad!

Today would have been my Dad’s 90th birthday.  He passed away early yesterday morning, missing his birthday by one day.  What had been planned as a celebration had to be changed to a memorial of sorts.

Due to COVID, we hadn’t been able to visit with him the last 2 years.  We kept in touch through text messages and phone calls.  Three weeks ago, we got the call that he needed us to be with him – he was in the final stages of prostate cancer.  It was an honor to spend those last few days with him, and he was able to die at home thanks to his wonderful Hospice team.  I was by his side when he took his final breath.

This post was already scheduled to run, so a few things have not yet been updated:

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Happy Texas Independence Day! (2021)

Survivor_texas.
My dad sent me this a while back; since today is Texas Independence Day, I wanted to share them with you:

Due to the popularity of the “Survivor” TV show, Texas is planning to do one entitled: “Survivor – Texas-Style!”

The lucky contestants will all start in Dallas, drive to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, then over to Houston and down to Brownsville.
They will then proceed up to Del Rio, El Paso, Odessa, Midland, Lubbock, and Amarillo.
From there they will go on to Abilene and Fort Worth.
Finally. back to Dallas.

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Perceptions

Many years ago, when the girls were much younger, I ran across a wonderful book called “Many Moons” by James Thurber.  It is the story of a young princess who falls ill one day after a “surfeit of raspberry tarts”.  The Royal Physician sends for her father the King, who tells her that he will get her anything that her heart desires.  The princess tells the King that if she can have the moon, “I will be well again”.

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It’s My 11th Blogiversary!

The original “Cook’s Tour” guy, Thomas Cook

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On January 10, 2011, my little vanity project started out:

Well, I guess I’m going to really do this thing.  I don’t know how often I’ll be posting, or if it will be any good, or if anyone will even read what I write.

I’m still learning my way around the whole blog “thing”, so be patient with me!

It’s hard to believe that I have been doing this for 11 years – WOW!!!!

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When you start up a blog, one of the first things that you have to do is come up with a name for it.  You want it to be catchy and personalized, without sounding too self-important.  You also want to hint to people what kind of adventure they will be going on if they decide to read your blog.

With that in mind, here is how I came up with the name for my blog:


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My Advent Calendar of Music – Day #25: Songs for Christmas Day


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Gets me every time…

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