I hear you singing in the wire...

Happy Monday, darlings. Good grief -- time has flown since the blog party. Has it really been a month?? How are you? How's the weather?? :) I've been working, naturally, very absorbed in writing and other projects, and in between I seem to have embarked on a sort of obsessive deep spring cleaning. Not just the usual purging and sorting. I mean flossing out grout (there's tile all over this place) with a special little brush. Carefully washing the little crystals on the entry chandelier. Stuff like that. I honestly don't know what's gotten into me. Anybody else overtaken by a similar fever?? We just had a crazy heatwave for a week—97 degrees in San Francisco! I had to leave my windows open! LOL. And strange enormous flying insects (mosquito hawks....I think) took advantage of that and decided to play tourist in my house, much to my cat's delight. He murdered a few of them; I captured and escorted a few of them back outside. The fog is back, though, and I wore a sweater and a scarf to the grocery store today to combat the howling winds. :) And so it goes. And today was the famous (or infamous) Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco. Ever seen photos from that, or participate in it? It has to be witnessed to be believed. One year I'd actually forgotten it was Bay to Breakers day (it's all over by 10 a.m. or so) and I had gotten on the train to meet a friend downtown for lunch, and I was starving. On the train among all the people was....a giant oreo cookie. With legs. Holding onto the overhead bar. It gave me quite a start. For a disorienting moment I entertained the notion that I might be hallucinating from hunger, but then I remembered it was Bay to Breakers day, and that the cookie was just a person in costume. I do love San Francisco.

Anyway, I thought I'd share this video as part of my Julie's All Time Favorite Songs series. Remember that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is dating a guy who practically goes into a bliss trance every time he hears "Desperado?" (you know, the Eagles song?) He shushes her and is all, very coldly, "Elaine...please..." whenever it comes on the radio? I kind of do that when I hear the song in this video. LOL. (It's not Desperado, btw.) Well, actually, I probably do that with a lot of songs, being a music freak, and all. But the melody of this song still makes the little hairs stand up on the back of my neck (in a good way). And it's been covered by everyone from R.E.M. to the White Stripes to Homer Simpson, but in this video we have  the artist who made it famous doing it (um, rather, performing it, I should say) with Stone Temple Pilots, believe it or not.  Very loose, very cool, very beautiful version. Do any of you have have songs that make you shush people??

Hope everyone's doing great. Tell me how you are!

Comments

[Karen]

Holy moly, Jules! Glen Campbell!!! He takes me back to your sixth grade (maybe 5th) birthday party where you got the 45 for his song "Rhinestone Cowboy" and a stuffed duck among other gifts, and there was a crowd of prepubescent girls singing "I'm a rhinestone COWDUCK" at the top of their lungs into the wee hours of the morn...

[Laura P.]

Julie, just wanted to say thanks for the blog party -- I lurked. :) It was alot of fun! But I promise I'll speak up at the next party. I've always loved this song, too! That video is sooo cool. You can tell it's a good song if both Stone Temple Pilots and Homer Simpson want to cover it. ;) Isn't it funny? Is it embarrassing to confess that my "shush!" song is "Three Times a Lady?" Lionel Ritchie! And I'm usually such a rocker, too. Go ahead and test me on Def Leppard lyrics. I think it just brings back good memories. Loved the excerpt of Like No Other Love. I think you have another winner on your hands. My weather? Sunny and a little muggy. I love fog. sigh. Wish I could have some of yours.

[LizzieC]

I got your newsletter julie and i loved the exerpt! I cant wait for the book to come out!!! I hope I can find it at my local store. Hope I win the contest too! and Julie, if you lived in a house with formica counters, there would be no grout to worry about. ;) My husband and I bought a house two years ago and we still want to replace our ugly formjca counter. :) I've been cleaning this week too. mostly sorting out old clothes. my husband wont' get rid of anything. :) and i don't want to think about the garage but once i get in there i know i wont' be able to stop cleaning.

do i have a shush song? "Beutiful" by christina aguilara does it for me. Also "the first time ever I saw your face." not sure if that's the correct title but you know what I mean. ;) Did you see David Cook sing it on Idol????

Have a great day!

[Julie Anne Long]

Karen! You dork! (note to everyone else:I'm allowed to call her a dork, as she's my sister): I'm cracking up!! I remember that slumber party!! I just reminded Marla (note to everyone: old friend of mine) about it, too, because she remembers Birdstone Cowduck. I have no idea how that came about. So funny! I think Wichita Lineman's apeal is more about Jimmy Webb's songwriting (he's an amazing, amazing songwriter) than GC, but hey -- I like GC's version best. I found a hilarious Craig Ferguson (late night talk show host) video, where he sings part of that song. He said something about it being the only song on the radio in Scotland when he was growing up, or something like that. LOL.

Laura, I'm so glad you came to the blog party!! By all means leap onto the dance floor at the next party. LOL. And I don't think any of us need to be ashamed of our "shush! songs! :) Three Times a Lady is a perfectly respectable slow dance. LOL. Lionel Ritchie became the ballad king after Brick House. :) Which reminds me - remember David Cook doing Hello on American Idol?? I'm a DC fan. :) So glad you liked the LNOL excerpt!! I hope everyone does. And I can't wait to hear what you think of the book. :) I'm waving a little fog your way -- we've got plenty to spare. It's foggy, windy and cold again today. I like it, though. Though it'll drive me nuts if it keeps up like this for weeks. :) And it's been known to!!

Lizzie, you made me laugh!! if only my shower were made of formica. :) What color are your counters?? I'm so thrilled you enjoyed the excerpt! It's a good scene (in its entirety)....nice and long and steamy. LOL. Good luck with the garage...sorting old clothes is next for me. :) Although my closet has gotten pretty sorted and economicalin the past few years. I have a few favorite things and I wear them and wear them. :) I'll probably buy some new dresses for the confernce in July, though...what's your local bookstore? I bet you'll be able to find LNOL in it if you were able to find POP in it. Be sure to let me know if that's not the case! Can't have you missing any books. LOL.

And Oh man -- I really like "Beautiful," but you nailed one of my shush songs -- "The first Time Ever I Saw Your Face." What a glorious song. I did see David Cook sing it!! Great, great choice. Go Simon. Go David. :) He's the one I'll be voting for tonight, I confess.

[LizzieC]

Julie the formica is white with little gold flecks. Think 1970s all the way. Nothing redeeming about it except that its easy to clean. :) I usually buy books at Wal-Mart so I bet I can find "Like No Other Lover" there. Cant wait to see the cover. Can you give any hints about what it looks like?

And yay David Cook! Cant wait for the idol finalle. Vote vote vote!

[Lulu's Gram]

Julie, I'm usually a bit shy about blogs and do more lurking than commenting whenever I read them, but I wanted to stop by to tell you how much I enjoy your books and your newsletter. POP was a tour de force, but they're all pretty darn good and keepers as far as I'm concerned. I'm very much looking forward to "Like No Other Lover." The excerpt was terrific, but now I can't wait to read more about Miles and Cynthia. I hope you're having a good week so far. Thanks for your wonderful books. And thanks for the Wichita Lineman, by the way. I've always loved that song, too. All best,

Lulu's Gram

[Kim C]

There she is! Dang, Julie, I was about to send out the search party for you. Its been ages.

OMG, I LOVE that Glen Campbell song. I had no idea it had been covered by so many. Very cool.

As far as shush songs, my list is a mile long *g* It includes several Elvis and Beatles songs, Pyromania from Def Lepard, I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor, Keep your hands to yourself and lots of old 50/60's country like Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash. I'd have to say the ultimate one is Slow Dancing by Johnny Rivers. You wouldn't believe the lengths I went to to get a copy of that song *g*

Glad to see you back in the land of the living, Kitten!

[Julie Anne Long]

Lulu's (LuLu is an adorable name!!) Gram -- thanks so much for stopping by and for saying such kind things!! :) I'm so honored, and you're so sweet. I really hope LIKE NO OTHER LOVER lives up to the other books you've enjoyed. :) Crossing my fingers! (I cross my fingers before all of my books come out. LOL.) As for my week: it's been very good and busy, just the way I like it. :) Also, quite, quite windy. And David Cook won Idol!! Yaaaay!!

Hey Kim!! Never fear. I'm always in the land of the living. Just not always in the land of my blog. i'm in the land of work, head bent over my laptop. LOL. And so it goes. :) Were you happy about the Idol outcome?? I wasn't certain I truly cared until David Cook really did win by a landslide, and I discovered that made me incredibly happy. LOL. I love your list of Shush songs!! Very eclectic. I *love* Johnny Rivers. Slow Dancing in particular is a good one. Def Leppard mentioned twice on the blog here now!! LOL. INteresting!! My brother was the DL fan in the family. Let me think... "Dream On" by Aerosmith used to be one of mine, but I think it's gotten lower on the list over the years. Nearly anything by Led Zeppelin, of course. :) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was a revelation the first time I heard it. :) I remember making out with someone in a blue pickup truck when that song was on the radio. LOL. But in terms of songs that semd me into a full-blown reverie....Debussy's L'Apres Midi de Faune...I don't think I'll ever, ever get sick of Claire de Lune. Actually, I have lots of reverie songs, and they'll likely show up here at this blog in some form or another.

Yay, David Cook. I'm going to bed now!!

[Julie Anne Long]

Oh! I forgot to say to Lizzie -- the cover of LNOL is quite beautiful, and features red and gold. That's all I can reveal for now. :) Hope you guys like it, too!! Are you happy about David Cook?? How many times did you vote?? LOL.

[Charlene]

Hey Julie's back! *waves to Julie* Cute story about my co-worker who taped the final result show of American Idol earlier in the evening. Unfortunately, the show went over the alloted time as usual and she only set her PVR for 2 hours. She got to hear "And the winner is David..." and the recording cut off. I laughed so hard! Normally the two contestants don't have the first name of David so she still had to go online and find out the winner. *LOL*

[Julie Anne Long]

Hey Charlene!! How's life?? And man, that's a hilarious story re your friend!! I was avoiding spoiler headlines online last night in a BIG way (since I"m on the west coast). I love David Cook's voice, and I love that he's a poised 25-year-old rocker who favors Les Paul's (that's a guitar) and has a big vocabulary and enjoys crossword puzzles. LOL. He seems like a genuinely nice person, and there's nothing like seeing a stoic man cry with happiness for pathos. :) Ah, American Idol. Long may you reign. LOL. Sunny but COLD here today, and boy the wind is crazy.

[Charlene]

Life is wunnderbar Julie! I took a couple days off to sleep in and it is amazing how much better you feel when you get sleep. ;) Avid American Idol fan here, I can't vote as I live in Canada but I watch religiously and David Cook was my pick. I was so happy for him, it is a life changing experience for most and I hope his CD is successful. I'll be buying it when it comes out!

[Julie Anne Long]

No kidding re sleep, Charlene! It's magical that way, isn't it?? Glad you caught up on rest. The thing that blows my mind about David Cook is how capricious life is...the fact that what must be one of the worst things to ever happen in his life (his brother is dying of terminal brain cancer) exactly coincides with what is likely one of the best. That's life for you, eh?? And both are huge, life-transforming events. I think that's why he's able to be so philosophical at 25 -- in interviews he says he has no expectations. He'll just see what happens. Destiny is a strange, strange thing. I hope they find some good songs for him (vs. lame ballads) and hope he can write songs, too. We'll wish him the very best!! I know I'll be happy to hear his voice on a song.

[Kathy K]

Jeepers, I've been checking here for the last few weeks ~ and NO WAY!... I can't believe that it's been a month plus since the big bash ~ and this week I finally had a couple of days off (from babysitting) ~ well Monday was a holiday, our first "summer" long weekend ~ and so I was lazing around or heading out to secondhand stores looking for cool stuff.
So anyway, I got waaaaay off track there *sigh*, but yeah I was here and checking in regularly... until you post a new blog Julie... figures, eh? That's when I disappear.

Oooh Julie, I LOVE Glen Campbell's version of Witchita Lineman ... shivers and goosebumps up and down my back and arms ~ that's a good 'un.
Other songs that are shush songs for me (off the top of my head anyway):

* Toto's AFRICA

* Paul Potts' NESSUM DORMA ~ man everytime I listen to that song I get the whole deal; shivers, goosebumps and tears ~ every...single...time. Oh, and I'm not an opera fan ~ but Paul Potts... him I can listen to endlessly.

* George Harrison and WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

* John Anderson's SEMINOLE WIND

* Dandy Warhols ~ just about ANYTHING!

And that's it for off the top of my head... um, my head's not really big, it's just got good storage capacity! LOL

Anyway, our weekend was pretty nice... Sunday rained but Saturday and Monday were very nice without getting hot... GADS, 97? I'm dyin' just thinking about it!
This week it rained for a couple of days, but that was okay as it was kind of nice to have a break from weather getting warm enough that I have to start using fans and closing curtains and blinds all day ~ not that I mind, but some of the family does kinda get a little um, cranky. LOL

So here it is another weekend, and so far it's still cool enough to be comfortable (looking at around 15C to 18C [59F to 64F] most days... that temp I can live very nicely with ~ my limit would be about 22C [71.6F], so yeah being here in North Central Alberta works pretty well for me temperature-wise ~ most of the time.

It's almost 1 a.m. here Saturday morning now and I'm fading... fast! (that's going onto midnight for you west-coasters). Tomorrow, well we'll see what happens... but I don't have to get up at any particular time, so I'm happy!

[Julie Anne Long]

Kathy!! So nice to see you! LOL. I'm so glad you're doing OK. :) Browsing second-hand stores sounds like a lot of fun. I've found many cherished things in Thrift shops around here. San Francisco has a pretty good informal "recycling" system, too -- if you don't want something (clothes, furniture), most people tend ot put it out on the sidewalk at night. And it vanishes pretty quickly. :) I found one of my living room side tables that way. It had a few nicks, but I polished it up, and voila!! LOL. And you know, it's funny --- I blogged intensely for a week solid at the blog party, and i got behind on work...then I got sick, or *something.* Hard to know what to call it -- a cold or allergies?? But it totally took the oomph out of me for a little for about a week, and slowed me down. And so now I 'm catching up on lots of things. Little by little. You know how weeks can go by as fast as days sometimes?? That's how it feels. LOL. You got me googling Paul Potts now!! I want to hear it!! I love John Anderson, too. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. Should I be listening to the Dandy wArhols?? I don't know them as well. :) Toto's "Africa" reminds me of how the drum line for "Rosanna" is actually kind of tricky and interesting, and every drummer I know loved it.

It's funny re our heatwave...we almost NEVER have warm nights here -- the fog rolls in, and it's coastal, generally, so it's a little nippy. And during the heatwave, the nights were warm and flower- scented (we have lavender in the yard). I LOVED it. Took me back to childhood. :) You can count the number of tannk-top-or-sundress-sans-sweater days weather days here on...the fingers of one hand, pretty much. Maybe the second hand gets involved every now and then. LOL. We're back to rain this weekend, which seems odd, though we need rain. HOpe you're having a great weekend so far!! I'll be mostly working or maybe having a dinner or two with friends. I'll be checking back here, too.

[Kathy K]

Hey Julie, glad that you're over whatever it was ~ not nice that whatever it was.
I had a bout with allergy related asthma that was mixed up with a cold-related asthma... yuck. Thank heaven the latter cleared up quickly ~ so don't want to go through bronchitis again.

When I was doing the papers for my son a number of years ago I found a child's rocker armchair in someone's garbage and it was in immaculate condition... so I took it home. I also found a small set of metal shelves a neighbour was getting rid of and, as I'm always looking for anything with storage capabilities I grabbed it. My daughter has it in her room now for all her textbooks, notes and the like. Otherwise, not too much good stuff around. *sigh* LOL

Paul Potts ~ him I found via the internet & YouTube on Britain's Got Talent... hooboy! I spent a LOT of time watching the online shows then found it on television. It got to the point where my family knew not to talk to me or want anything from me when it was on. Paul was the big winner.
From there I segued into America's Got Talent and followed that last year ~ Oh wow! The guy that I really wanted to win didn't, although he did come in second. But the fellow that won was a good choice so that was okay.
Anyway after Paul Potts won BGT, I pre-ordered his CD and it's one of those that I listen to every so often... there's just something about his voice that gets me. Here's the link that I'm sure my computer can go to on its own... (HaHa...well, not really) ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLF9iEXnBRo&feature=related

Well... can you tell I'm a bit of a fan? LOL

The Dandy Warhols I chanced upon when one of their songs was paired with a video of James Purefoy as Beau Brummell and I was hooked. I've now got all but their earliest CD and I'm on the hunt for it as well. It doesn't matter how they change, there's something about their music that appeals to me in a BIG way... I drive my family crazy listening to them.

MY latest band-fandom is YFE ~ they're a band from Montreal, Québec that I "found" upon being friended on MySpace by one of their Street Team pages. Wow! I'd go to one of their concerts in a heartbeat if they ever made it here... right now they're in Japan and I'm *following* their trip... sad, but true. Their latest song is a new version of one of the originals and the video is also driving my family nuts... ah well, I have to have a couple of fun hobbies, eh?
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=33873159&a=0#addcomment

And now I better go before I end up taking all your space here... hope the links are okay.. I just like to share favourites! And it's pretty chilly here today, so typing keeps my fingers warm.

[Lareign]

For me, I have bands more than specific songs like that. Or maybe I have songs, and can't remember them now. Death Cab for Cutie, especially "Transatlanticism," is both a band and song. Also some Jimmy Eat World, Tegan and Sara-the latter band I saw in concert in Tulsa earlier this month. I brought my cousin along, she who knew next to nothing about the band. But she liked them, and while I think she was afraid we'd get hit on by lesbians at the concert, no one hit on us except a homeless man outside the venue. So there. :) But yeah, you can't really talk during a concert-not that I wanted to, but occasionally I wanted to mention something to her about a certain song and I had to do the whisper-shout that's only really necessary at concerts. At one point she randomly asked how my grandparents were, and I cracked up and said, "Well, they'd have a heart attack if they saw us now!"

But that was a blast, and I got to reconnect with my cousin-she lives over there. Also, I don't watch it, but I heard that David Cook bartended and sang over in Tulsa before the show came along. Some of his stuff on iTunes is pretty good. I refuse to listen to the "I Am A Winner I Love Life Thank You I Can Fly" song, though. They all sound the same after a while.

[Julie Anne Long]

Kathy -- I have tried and tried to listen to Paul Pott's video on YouTube, but I keep having streaming problems!! LOL. *Every* video I've tried to look at in the past few days or so has been like this: start/stop/start/stop/start. I can hear little fragments of his voice. Very frustrating. I *did* hear that he was a mobile phone salesman. LOL. And that's thde first place it stops in the video. Dunno what the issue is. Guess I'll just have to be patient and try again. I would easily get into a show like that. I love rooting or the seemingly average Joe's, or for the people who have spectacular talent but found it difficult to find opportunities to share it. I checked out the Dandy Warhols and YFE and ran into the same video issues. Trippy. Sigh. At least we have sun today, thankfully, but it's a bit nippy. And I'm making pumpkin/kale stew tonight. I'm very into kale lately. LOL. It's a thing. Maybe because it's green and ruffly.

Lareign!! I was thinking about you because of all the gnarly wheather in your neck of the woods lately. How are things?? I like Death Cab for Cutie more than I want to, given how trendy they've become. LOL. They're actually wonderful. You made me laugh re Tegan and SAra, too -- reminds of the time years ago, when I was but a clueless young thing and my boyfriend Peter took me to a Melissa Etheridge concert at Stanford. I looked around the theater and was like, "Huh. Peter...why is it pretty much just you and me all these thousands of WOMEN??" LOL. He clued me in. It was a fabulous show, too. I went to a relatively small (well, mid-sized) club show recently to see my favorite band in the WORLD (one of their videos coming to this blog at some point -- LOL -- stay tuned) and they're huge in Europe (well, and much of the rest of the world) and not very well known here, so it was quite something to see them up close. I floated for days. I'm with you on the lame songs they pick for the first American Idol winner single!! They should just pick a good SONG, not one with a bloody *theme.* LOL. It'll be interesting to see how AI evolves over the years. Allowing contestants to play instruments added something to the show this year. They'll have to keep thinking of stuff to keep it watchable.

LOL... green and ruffly, eh? Sounds, uh... interesting.
Kidding... I'll have to check into kale; my family is big on eating vegetables and something new is always a treat.

Boy and the streaming problems is so darned annoying! Ick... But the whole Paul Potts thing was just so much fun to follow. There were actually a few of the acts that I really, really enjoyed, but as soon as I heard PP I knew he was the one that I wanted to win.
And, I believe, that the America's Got Talent show will be starting soon... definitely going to be scheduling my life ~ such as it is ~ around it. Now if only we could get BGT on the television....
Huh, maybe I should actually check it out.

It was nice and sunny earlier this morning when I got up at 6:15 to about 9:00 or so... now at 9:15 it's clouding over. It's been somewhat cooler, but oh I do like that ~ a LOT!

Anyway, I've got the two little 'uns here and we're getting close to Charley's naptime ~ she's a great sleeper, unlike her brother. Ah well, kids...

BTW, how's your nephew Sam (?) doing? He's about 3 now, right? Or am I totally off the mark?

[Julie Anne Long]

LOL, Kathy -- Let's see...perhaps more accurately kale is very *frilly* (and solid green) whereas chard is ruffly. And has red stalks and veins generally. LOL. I offer this, as it's how I tell them apart, as they're usually kept in the same section and I always get them mixed up. :) It's yummy! It has a kind of nutty taste, almost -- it's good in hearty soups and stews. I made a white bean/kale soup that was delish, too. I'm still having streaming issues. I wonder if there's an issue with my high speed internet?? Sigh. I know -- there's more satisfaction in following the stories of some of the contestants t-- seems like the talent is often secondary. I think American Idol's success is because it's so VERY American in nature -- the whole rags to riches, you can be anything ethos; the quick rises and rapid falls; the delusions (of the early auditioners), the ambition, the wildly diverse array of humanity involved in the whole thing. Sometimes seems like the singing is just one tiny part of it. LOL. I'll have to watch America's Got Talent. I watch so little TV, relatively, and what I do watch is so random. LOL. I might get into "So You Think You Can Dance." I LOVE dancing. :)
Watching it, rather. :) Sammy is doing great!! He's freaking adorable and quite the nonstop bundle of energy. He turned four this year. He wants to decorate his room in a Hello Kitty motif. LOL. He's very into kitties. Big surprise, given his gene pool. :) How old are the little ones you're watching again? If I recall correctly, they're the exact right age to exhaust you by the end of the day. LOL. You have my utmost admiration. :)

[Kathy K]

The kale sounds very yummy... and my family loves red and swiss chard. We always plant some of the swiss variety (green with white ribs) in our garden and it never lasts long enough.
And at Christmas time I have standing orders for our big Christmas Eve family get-togehter to make swiss chard rolls ~ especially the nieces and nephews, but my siblings and mom insist on the rolls as well... and me the non-cook in the family. LOL

I watched America's Best Dance Crew when it was on, solely because my daughter's boyfriend belongs to a hip-hop dance group... and I like the music ~ the dancing? Well I love to watch, but that's about the extent of it... I'm certainly amazed at the moves that those dancers can do; Wow!

LOL... and Sam with Hello Kitty. That's just too cute... it would lso be some decorating scheme!

The little ones that I have are 3 and 1 ~ brother and sister ~ and the 2½ year old boy moved, with his parents, all the way across the country, so I no longer have Braeden... just Tristan and Charley (aka Charlissa ~ or some such spelling). I love 'em, but hoo boy, do they ever take a lot of energy. I'm not as young as I used to be ~ and MY baby is now almost 16, so yeah....

I was out in the garden for a couple of hours today and only got 2 1/2 beds weeded. *sigh* Twenty-two years ago, when we first moved in I swore I wouldn't have any gardens. Now I have 5 to 6 in the front and 1 long in the back plus our vegetable garden.. that one, however, is primarily my dh's responsibilty... except for the weeding. Nice weather with a touch of a rain shower ~ perfect! Cooled me off when I needed it to. Then I scared a baby bunny out from under one of my plants. The first thing my daughters say? "Can we keep it?"... they're almost 21 and 16! But it was adorable; he's back in the garden feasting on my weeds and there are a number of hiding places, so all's well. Just what I need, another pet and / or little one around. LOL

Have a great weekend... my apologies for going on again... I guess I had a lot to say, eh?

[Lareign]

Julie, the weather seems to be calming down here a bit. Now it's just really really hot all the time. there's a shaved ice stand near my house that's really good, though. So I hope the worst of the severe weather seasons is over. Although I saw a headline about a tornado in Indiana, goodness.

About the Melissa Etheridge concert-good for Peter, ha, since I don't know too many straight men who'd feel confident enough going to one of those. Of course I am from Texas, so that's probably part of it. :)

I'm trying to figure out if I can go on a vacation this summer or not. And my cat Casey seems to have a tapeworm which freaked me out because I thought "Fleas!" But I combed him and didn't find a single one. My mom the country girl says they can get em randomly sometimes even without fleas, sigh. He seems to be doing OK and normal, but I still worry. So I'll probably have to get a tablet for him and Lola (just to be safe) on Monday.

And wow it's officially June over here in the Central Time Zone. Crazy, got a birthday later this momth.

[Julie Anne Long]

Kathy, I think I might need your recipe for the chard rolls!! LOL. What's in them?? They sound yummy! Those are great names for the little ones, and boy, they ARE little. No wonder they wear you out! My nephew once woke me up with, "Auntie Julie! Let's go run around in circles in the living room." LOL. SEriously -- a very specific request. The rug in there has swirly patterns on that, and those are apparently fun to trace. They crack me up.

You found a baby bunny!! That's so precious!! What does he look like? Do you often get wild critters? Although of course rabbits of any size can wreak havoc on gardens. :) Weeding is sometimes therepeutic and sometimes feels never-ending. :) It's a sisyphean sp?) chore. LOL. I'd like to have a vegetable garden (My flat has a backyard with flowers and trees -- no lawn), but I might be romanticizing it, too. Given all the work. LOL. I remember that from childhood! I once saw one of our artichoke plants...quivering...then vanish into the ground. A gopher had pulled it under!! But the cats often made short work of the gophers. Also, we used to get a nickel for every tomato worm we found and plucked from the plants. Tomato worms are both beautiful (with the white diamonds on their backs) and kinda gross.

I like to hang with the plants and birds and insects and the cat out in my yard anyway. LOL. We have these big fuzzy purple bees -- they're like little dirigibles!! I'm a nature girl. LOL.

Glad your weather has calmed down Lareign -- that tornado business is unnerving. I have a MySpace friend who lives in a town right next to a town that was pretty much completely wiped out a short time ago. And she has little ones, so needless to say, she's a little nervous.

And LOL -- yeah, Bay Area men and Texas men probably have different musical tastes. But I have to say, I have noticed I most often get a little help with my luggage from men on planes when I'm in the South or West or Midwest. :) And less often in the Bay Area. Go figure. (I always shamefully way overpack my carry-on. LOL. Though I do practice lifting it before I leave on a trip. :)) Here's to chivalry. :)

Good luck with your kitty! As I'm sure you're aware, giving pills to cats is fraught with adventure. LOL. Well, depends on the cat, I guess. It's a skill, though. I'm sure Casey will be all right. :)

When's your birthday, Lareign?? I think Kathy has a summer birthday, too!!

[Diana]

Hi, Julie and fellow posters. Work kept me busy recently, but last Friday was my last day of work, and now I'm on summer vacation (I'm a teacher). I hope to post more now that I'm on break.

Julie, I'd never heard the song "Wichita Lineman," so thanks for introducing it to me. I have many favorite songs, but The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" is one that definitely makes my ears perk up whenever it's on.

Hope the weather here warms up. It'd be nice to experience warm weather during my vacation.

[Julie Anne Long]

Diana! How are you?? :) So nice to see you! I cant' believe it's already time for school to be out. Do you have any plans for summer? Other than breaking out the space heater and the mittens, like we always do in summer in San Francisco?? LOL. I'm hoping for sun, too. It's been a fog/sun melange around here, and not warm, as you know. I love Just Like Heaven, too -- it's such a *happy* song! It's an instant uplift. and it's so evocative. I've danced to it many a time. :)