This date was chosen as it commemorates the date on which Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. It’s funny how what’s old is new again. Vinyl records are back. After nearly vanishing in the early 1990s, vinyl records outsold CDs in 2020.
Do you remember your first album? For those of us of a certain age, buying our first record likely happened several decades ago. For Millennials, it could have happened last week.
Was it the Beatles? Guy Lombardo? Elvis Presley? Louis Armstrong? Johnny Cash? My first albums were Dave Clark Five’s “Greatest Hits” and Herman’s Hermits “On Tour.”
Of course, we also had 45s… often a huge collection! I recall buying my first 45 at a Woolworth’s store. “Red Rubber Ball” sung by The Cyrkle hit the charts in 1966.
My funny tale of the day hails from a Strawberries Record store in the mid-1980s. As my videographer Lidia Pedro and I walked past a couple of young teenage girls, we overheard part of their conversation. “Uh-huhhhh! Paul McCartney was too in a band before Wings.”
Well, I couldn’t help myself… I simply had to ask. Nope. They could not name that band. (Yikes! Bring me my walker!)
So, spin your vinyl memories today. Great times shared with lots of great friends!
There are countless jokes told about every single U.S. President, but even Presidents can be funny, too.
Attention bibliophiles everywhere! Today has been proclaimed to be your special day!
I just finished reading a cute little book called “Outnumbered: How an Average Super Mom Raised Five Professional Athletes.” It was written by Diane Gronkowski, Rob’s mother. She shares a number of adventures and misadventures that occurred in the course of raising 5 rambunctious little boys who all grew up to become professional athletes… one in baseball and four in football. All 5 started out playing hockey. While the next to youngest, Gronk #87, is the most famous, it was delightful to hear his mother sing everyone’s praises. Personally, the fact that all five of her children played either MLB or in the NFL strikes me as downright remarkable, easily qualifying her for Super Mom status.
If you have a vegetable garden, you inevitably have faced the dilemma of what to do with the plethora of zucchini that hits right about now. I never before knew there was an official day to sneak zucchini onto your neighbor’s porch. Go figure. Just remember, they are apt to do the same thing. LOL. Many of us have been able to bless co-workers with an abundance of various freshly picked veggies. Plus, everyone has favorite recipes to share. From zoodles to stuffed zucchini boats, if you’re a fan, you’re a fan! I like this little gem that my notes showed I’d pulled from Mom’s recipe box on September 30, 2007. By then, of course, we’d already been enjoying these crispy beauties for a great many years.
I have been deeply blessed with one sister by birth, many sisters through the sisterhood of the ZTA sorority, and countless more through friendship. A sister sees the best and worst in us and loves us anyway. A sister is there for us when we need them… and even when we don’t know that we need them.
Dad loved root beer floats…. A&W or made at home. Scoop that rich, creamy vanilla ice cream into a tall glass. Pour in the bubbly root beer. Insert straw. Go crazy with happy flavors and fizziness!
“There can be no doubt that our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination. Traditionally, such discrimination was rationalized by an attitude of “romantic paternalism” which, in practical effect, put women, not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”
Nic“Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
I deeply appreciate all the inquiries regarding the release of Book 2 in my historical fiction Destiny Trilogy. Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family is set for release on my Dad’s birthday… November 2… in both paperback and eBook formats, with the audiobook to follow. Yes, it is written! Books 1 and 2 tell the true story of the Armenian side of my family, my Mom’s side. (The Destiny Trilogy will conclude next year.)
“To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.”
Those of you who know me best, also know that I am far from being a fan of politics. Now and then, however, a few sage tidbits pique my interest. For example, as you likely know, Barbara Bush and Abigail Adams have the distinction of being the only two women to be married to a U.S. President and be the mother of another U.S. President. Barbara Bush was married to George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. President, and was the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. President. Anyone who met Barbara Bush loved her and her ability to relate to anyone with the utmost honesty and wit. I was blessed to meet and interview her several times, including when she gave the commencement address at Wellesley College in Massachusetts on June 1, 1990. Always a powerful advocate for children and families, she offered up plenty of sage words for the graduates, including this tidbit.
I didn’t set out to be any sort of paperback writer, but some things simply happen! #22 is set for release on November 2nd. What!!??! (Yup… Book 2 in the historical fiction Destiny trilogy continues telling my family’s Armenian story. Following “Destiny of Dreams: Time Is Dear,” this one is entitled “Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family.”)
Naturally, Bandit then wrote his own riotous romp with “A Dangerous Book for Dogs: Train Your Human.” I particularly liked writing a few non-fiction, life lessons books. This group started with “The Bimbo Has Brains… and Other Freaky Facts,” which was followed by “The Bimbo Has MORE Brains… Surviving Political Correctness. Then came one of my most popular works… “Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best.” And I followed that with “Good Living Skills: Lessons Learned from my Mother.” I also ripped “Healthy Thinking Habits: Seven Attitude Skills Simplified” from a compilation to which I had contributed along with Deepak Chopra and several other authors. There were a few others, including a book of my poems (& other ramblings) and a couple of real estate guides.
LOL. Of course, I have muddied the genre waters plenty by adding 9 cookbooks to my paperback list.
My first cookbook series launched as I compiled old family recipe cards. The 3-book series “Fifty Years of Fabulous Family Favorites” was born. This was quickly followed by several more:
Today is a day that’s all about forgetting our differences… race, religion, culture, language, politics, boundaries, and so much more. On National One Voice Day, may we speak with one voice and commit to the cause of world peace.
This day marks the 22nd anniversary of my first date with Sir Ronald. For several years, we “returned to the scene of the crime” for lunch on the anniversary of that date. (I’d even wear the same outfit… just me being silly me.) Of course, we now celebrate our wedding anniversary… with the 21st fast approaching in September. But as I have been focusing on special family-oriented days of celebration, I thought it nice to recall this very special day. Happy First Date Anniversary to Sir Ronald… and to everyone who loves to celebrate such happy occasions. (The photo is from 2002 on the 2nd anniversary of that first date. Yes… we were in Manchester, New Hampshire at Cotton, although for our first date it was still Cafe Pavone.) Fun memories!
When we are very lucky, we grow up enjoying beautiful and loving siblings… our sisters and brothers. Sometimes we also get Bonus Siblings in the form of cousins. I enjoyed a blessed childhood with wonderful siblings AND cousins. On this National Cousins Day, we recognize and thank our cousins for being perfectly marvelous parts of our lives. Some we may still enjoy relationships with as adults. Others may have slipped off into their own busy worlds and away from our embrace. Today, I enjoy a moment to pause and feel loving gratitude for each and every cousin… David, Marcia, Barb, Marilyn, Bill, Rick, and more! Don’t even get me started with my second and third cousins! Each and every one is precious!!! Love to you all!
Since 1984, today is the day set aside annually to recognize women “of a certain age” whether they are Grandmothers or not. Thanks to all Nana, Grammies, and Grannies by any name for passing down traditions, wit, and wisdom… for loving and nurturing people as if it was the only thing you had to do that day or any day. So, I share my little collection of photos to celebrate the footsteps of those who lead us as we walk on this official National Gorgeous Grandma Day.
Sigh. Just imagine drifting off to blissful sleep while swaying gently in a hammock between a couple of shade trees. “They” say that we can fall asleep more quickly in a hammock, while also enjoying better quality sleep and improved blood circulation. Hammocks also ease muscle aches and provide great stress relief.
Unable to sleep, Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin prepared to leave the craft. As he stepped onto the moon’s surface 6 hours and 39 minutes later at 10:56 pm Eastern Daylight Time, Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (Yes, he is famously misquoted without the little “a” article, due to a static crackle.) Armstrong and Aldrin explored the moon’s surface and collected samples for 2½ hours. Ahhhh, explorers!
In 1984 President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the 3rd Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He cited ice cream as the “perfect dessert and snack food.”
You either love corn fritters or you don’t, but today is their official day! Fritters, for me, are best when they are fresh and hot and served with soft honey butter. Hellloooo! As my many musical friends have taught me, it’s all about “theme and variation.” So, in my 2017 full-color cookbook 
“The more we try, the more we fail. The more we fail, the more we succeed.”
“Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”
“When good people in any country cease their vigilance and struggle, then evil men prevail.”
On a day like this, my Armenian side gets to shine. I love kebabs, crispy brown on the outside and juicy, tender on the inside, with just the most mahhhhvelous blend of herbs and spices. Whether you like to marinate or simply dry season, enjoy the process of both preps and cooking. I always think of my Grampa when I make kebabs. I so enjoyed sitting at his feet as he patiently grilled long skewers of lamb over the hot coals. I can drift away just thinking about the luscious aromas! Yummmmm… and then comes the first delectable bite! Oooooh-la-la! Whether you choose lamb, pork, beef, or seafood, enjoy your kebabs today or any day. Here is the recipe that I have included in the back of Book 2 in the historic fiction Destiny Trilogy. Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family will be released in paperback and eBook formats on November 2nd, with an audiobook to follow.
“No matter what you believe it doesn’t change the facts.”
Best Fried Chicken
Time for another Super Simple recipe!
We have heard it said, but in our comfortable human way, we tend to forget that freedom is never free.