Beanie Meaning

Caroline said she would like to have a beanie to wear.  But she said it with a straight face.  I could never imagine her wanting or wearing one.  I asked, “Do you know what a beanie is?”

She said, “Yes. A hat.”

Well, I’ll be darned, she does know what a beanie is.  I still couldn’t imagine why in the world she would say she wanted to wear one, and pretty much said that to her out loud.  Where did my Ms. Fashion go?

She didn’t seem to get why I thought it was ridiculous at all.

So I googled beanie images to prove to her that she in fact did not want a beanie.  And much to my surprise, apparently the current definition of beanie is much different than I when I was a ten year old girl.  When did this happen?!  I had to scroll through eight pages of “sock caps” to finally find it. 

 

      

FINALLY!

Whew, I’m not totally crazy.

 

Tunesday—Chains of Love

Ha!  Just thought of something new to do.  I loved it yesterday when I could spend time thinking about a song that I really like.  So here’s another day of the week that I could think music if I so choose.  And I could go random or pick something that means something.  Today is random.

Yesterday I mentioned Erasure.  I never had any of their music but definitely was into the synthesizer pop of that era.  New Wave is in fact my best category on SongPop. Here’s a tune for the day, also from 1988, like yesterday’s.  Those college days were the best.

MusicMonday—Ship of Fools by Robert Plant

So today I wanted a quick music post so I hit shuffle on our iTunes and thought whatever song came up, that would be my topic today…which could have been a dangerous game.  But what came up was cool and then I realized, kinda seemed meant to be:  Ship of Fools by Robert Plant.

After we were home from the Christmas trip, Gary and I went to the mall at Alton and now I can’t even remember why.  What I do remember is seeing hats at JCPenney that had been $30-$40, marked down to 98 cents.  They were really nice men’s hats but too small for Gary or the big boys, and too big for Sam.  So I definitely remember the frustration of having to pass on the deal of the century.  I also remember that was the day we found metal panels for sale in a toy store that was closing and selling its fixtures.  Those became Scooter’s indoor pen to get him through the winter with some basement warmth while keeping him contained. 

But anyway, the other part of that day was us going into the library, yes inside the mall, and Gary found this used Robert Plant Now and Zen cd from 1988 for sale and we both got excited.  I guess I had the cassette at one time way back when and Gary had owned the cd, but then told me the story about how he had to sell it while he was a college student and living on $11 a week.  True story. 

[And not that he couldn’t have asked for some financial support.  He could have and he knew that.  He just wanted to do it his way, stubbornhead.] 

So anywho, the Robert Plant cd that he’d had and sacrificed was now back in our lives.  I took his picture mostly so I could post it as I told his college/extreme frugality story here, but weeks passed and I never did.

But then today that’s the song that pops up as the one, out of 2000 possibilities, and it’s during a time that Gary is in the middle of a business trip away from us the longest stretch he has ever been and he’s only just past midway through it.  A long two weeks.  So I needed to be reminded of this picture just sitting there unacknowledged in the phone.

Today’s post in my mind in the beginning was something like how at one time young Mr. Plant could have been my 1970’s boyfriend, just take a look here!,

 

but what it really did was trigger a story of my real life boyfriend and how he’s the forever one.  Even if he is a stubbornhead. 

I couldn’t decide which video version I preferred so have your choice.  First one is without my 70’s boyfriend but a high def remastered version.  The second one is the original 1988 video.  Either way, a great song written by Robert Plant and Phil Johnstone. Guitarist is Doug Boyle, and I think this is very cool guitar work.

[I didn’t know there were so many songs sharing the name Ship of Fools until I was looking on YouTube.  They seem to be different songs altogether--different lyrics, different sounds.  There’s a Ship of Fools song by The Doors, Bob Seger, Erasure, Soul Asylum, Dokken, Grateful Dead to name some.  Who knew?]

Fwd:

Ross musta just read the January 12 post about our Christmas. He just emailed me this picture. I'm thinking he surely thought it was funny and/or sad at the time, too, to actually have snapped a shot.

MusicMonday—Lightning Bolt

So, I am a big Chilis fan as most know, but having no new material from them since Summer 2011, I had been feeling disappointed that they were not producing something for me here two+ years later.  They are just now stopping I’m With You touring and starting to work on writing.  So, in the meantime, I have gotten back into Pearl Jam and mostly listen to their newest album from last year, called Lightning Bolt.  Gosh, it is so good.  I’ve always really liked Eddie’s voice and poetic lyrics and the band sounds awesome.  My favorite song right now is this one, Sirens, which is probably because he is singing about things derived from thoughts of his 49 year old brain that fits right in with my similarly aged brain’s thoughts.  Fun stuff like aging and mortality that just seem to slap you in the face and wake you up at this mid-way point into life.  Mid-way at least, we hope.   I’m thinking I’m not the only one liking this though because it’s what I’m hearing being played a bunch on the radio and in the stores.  Too bad they already did their US tour last year and I missed them.  Now they’re in Europe and I doubt if I can just hop on over to see them.  Bummer. 

I was gonna list out the other good songs to recommend but I can’t—the whole thing is worth having.  The whole album is really kick-A. 

Traditions

I really want to be active here, I just don’t find it as easy as I used to.  Not sure why.  Taking pictures has never been easier.  Same with uploading words.  So today I was determined to be inspired by something.  I scrolled through some of my recent phone pictures and these are the ones that kinda stood out as having a theme. 

This is the purple toy store that we spent hours and hours in when Jack and Grant were little and obsessed with trains.  The store renamed and moved last year after a big community effort raised funds to keep it alive, and now the original building is in a state of being torn down (but maybe not completely?).   I don’t know what’s going on with it, but it sorta makes you sad to see it since it used to be such a super fun building and a great place to be.   

 

Internet pictures of how it used to be:

Which reminds me of how they used to be: 

And this was even long after their train/toy store days.  I wish digital photography started in 1998 so all my kids’ pictures would be right here on the computer and I could just grab one from when Jack was three and Grant was one and standing at the train tables until I would smell Grant’s dirty diaper.  Every time, I swear. 

A tradition that use to be.

So here’s an ongoing tradition.  When we have cinnamon rolls, we always make one into a ghost.  And who will be the lucky one to get the ghost?  First kid to pick.  Seems like it’s Sam a lot these days.

 

And another ongoing tradition is the home barber.  It’s all at-home haircuts for the male members of this family.  Luckily, us two girls get to go to the beauty shop for ours.  But I know I wouldn’t have to… if I wanted a buzz.

One of them plans to play in the snow

Christmas Trip--Addendum

Here are a few more pics that Julia had.  I can’t not include these, too.

Catch up on the year past—the Christmas Trip, part 5 of 5 FINALLY

 

Then we came to our final day of our stay.  It turned out to be a rainy one so what better chance to get out and play mini-golf on a completely deserted course.  Deserted except for soaking wet us and the gators.

It was a blast, though, a complete downpour for the two and half hours it took us to get through 21 holes.  Wouldn’t trade that day for anything, just wish the big boys would have been there, too.  And Mr. Hole-in-one-Sam, what a day he was having.  Three hole in ones!?  Three holes in one?!  Whatever, he was on fire. 

By the end, I was wearing Gary’s hanky bandana from his pocket Bret Michael’s style just to keep the rain out of my eyes so my contacts wouldn’t float away.            

 

 

We won’t talk about my shorts becoming transparent when wet.  And see, I totally was not kidding.

It’s hard to try to get the ball to move in that much standing water more than an inch or two a swing.

Too bad we weren’t outfitted for the outing with the Sam and Neil style hats. That would have helped. Right. Wet newspaper.

 

And then sadly, the next day, Monday, was our time to take off and leave paradise. 

 

Neil had already gone to work by the time we got ourselves together so we missed saying bye to him, but Julia sent us off smiling and with full tummies from breakfast and what else would you expect from her.   

What a great get away, what a great time for our family.  We relaxed and played and relaxed and it was just what was needed.   Thank you, Julia and Neil!  Wish everyone in the whole family would have been there to enjoy. 

PS.  A few tidbits I missed in the recap: Caroline going for her first mani/pedi courtesy of Aunt Julia and the day the boys went, too, Cuban sandwiches, fresh fresh couldn’t be fresher orange juice Julia squeezed right from the tree each morning, the fiberglass ‘sensations’, playing pool, morning yoga on the tennis court, watching Neil’s favorite Groundhog Day:

“Phil? Hey, Phil? Phil! Phil Connors? Phil Connors, I thought that was you!

Now, don't you tell me you don't remember me because I sure as heckfire remember you.”

Sam crawling in bed with Julia and Neil every morning, sightings of the big gator at Millennium Park, Gary and I seeing American Hustle, and the load of oranges spotted on the highway home.  If I had to be leaving Florida, I really wanted those to go to my house. 

And I can’t forget our ribs-to-go in Clarksville, Tennessee.  Grant appeared to kind of enjoy his rack.  Good stuff but kinda messy to eat in the moving mini van.  Good thing it is already so well broken in. 

And then once we got home….

snow day after snow day and incredibly cold temps.

Miss you, Julia and Neil, and your Florida!