Welcome! I hope I bring a spot of calm and happiness into these uncertain times. I blog about my photography adventures, flowers, gardening, the importance of chocolate in a well lived life, or anything else on my mind.
One suggestion, started by someone on social media and picked up by many, is the #BettyWhiteChallenge - contribute $5.00 (or more, if you can afford it) to a local animal shelter or animal welfare society.
With that, I need to take a short cat break and show you three of the cats my guest photographer has rescued, or adopted from owners who could no longer care for them. Let me introduce you to Leeroy, who was dropped off on her property in March of 2020.
Buttercup, who lived in guest photographer's woods for two years before she was (with help) able to trap her.
And Bella, her daughter.
According to the ASPCA, approximately 4.1 million shelter animals are adopted each year (2 million dogs and 2.1 million cats). Also per the ASPCA, approximately 1.5 million animals are euthanized (670,00 dogs and 860,000 cats). The latter statistic, epecially, is mind boggling.
A 100th birthday celebration originally planned in movie theaters tomorrow will go on, and a major network will be airing a special program honoring Betty White on January 31.
Finally, I have to share with you today Betty White's Top 10 Tips for Leading a Long and Happy Life.
Will you be taking the #BettyWhiteChallenge tomorrow?
2021, what a terrible year. It couldn't even go out quietly without taking one more of our greats.
Mid afternoon on New Years Eve, spouse and I went for a walk. I checked social media on my return and saw the news: Betty White died in her sleep at the age of 99. My heart broke.
Betty White was just 18 days away from her 100th birthday. Just a couple of days before her death, she appeared on the cover of the latest issue of People magazine.
Stunned fans and people who had worked with her deluged social media with tributes.
Betty White was a fixture of my childhood, appearing on many game shows. She ended up marrying the host of one of those shows, Allen Ludden of Password. By all accounts, it was a happy marriage.
Here is Betty White and Allen Ludden on a What's My Line from 1965. The segments starts around 18:25.
During her 18 year marriage to Ludden (who died from cancer in 1981), White appeared on the Mary Tyler Moore show, one of the most popular TV programs of the 1970's. Her character, Sue Ann Nivens, was sweet as sugar on the surface but it was an act. The real Sue Ann was man-hungry, and was sarcastically delicious.
Many also remember her fondly from two other TV show, The Golden Girls and Hot in Cleveland, but she actually started her TV career with an appearance in the young media in 1939.
Betty White never missed an opportunity to be, shall we say, hysterically inappropriate, as she is in one of my favorite all time Saturday Night Live skits. Let the double entendres fly!
Not just the American public loved her; she was loved all over the world.
I''ll miss her. I think many of us will. Betty, thank you for the laughs.
He has one of the most recognizable voices in movie history. Who would be Darth Vader's voice if he wasn't?
Then, Betty White, actress (and so much more) beloved by so many, turned 99 on Sunday.
What a life.
Here's a little documentary on her, if you have the time. Think of Betty White being a pioneer at a time when women weren't expected to have careers - yet she co produced TV comedies, competed on game shows, sang, and more. I remember her from my childhood, my teenage hood, my young adult hood, my middle age....and beyond.
I have to admit this totally off-color performance is one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits. You'll never think of muffins in the same way again. (Definitely not suitable for work.)
For a change, it's a pleasure to pay tribute while these two greats are still with us. Long may they continue to thrive.
Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music
each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most
welcome to join! (Music Posts Only , please!) First,
there isXmasDolly, Her co-cohostesses are:Stacy ofStacy Uncorked, Cathyfrom Curious as a Cathy, and me. As Xmas Dolly likes to say, "Applause!"
Each month we have a guest co-hostess who picks themes for the month, and this month it is Cathy at Curious as a Cathy.
Cathy's theme for today has to do with today being Winnie the Pooh day. Cathy provided a link explaining this celebration and asked that we use it to generate ideas for today's post.
I remember Winnie the Pooh, a character originally dating from 1926. There was a time when my son was around five where he loved to watch Winnie the Pooh VHS tapes. Before that, he would wear Winnie the Pooh pajamas. Sweet memories, right?
Sweet = sugar. Or, thinking of what Winnie the Poo loves, hunny.
Why not use a topic of honey today? We need a lot more sweetness in our lives.
A Taste of Honey - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.
From 1957, Jimmie F. Rodgers and Honeycomb - a nice song from my childhood. I didn't realize until researching this post that the song was a cover. Fun fact, the B side of this single was "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", which was also a hit.
Carl Perkins wrote a song called "Honey Don't", which originally was the B side of his "Blue Suede Shoes" (a big hit for Elvis Presley when he covered it). Honey Don't has been covered by many artists. Here is a cover by the Beatles, from 1964. The Beatles were big Carl Perkins fans.
Speaking of the Beatles, here's another song mentioning honey in the title "Honey Pie", from the 1968 White Album. I enjoy the early 20th century vibe of this song, complete with record crackles.
Honey, Bobby Goldsboro, from 1968. The singer sings about his young deceased wife. Some call this one of the worst songs ever. Others can't listen without crying. But consider this: this charted #1 on both the country and rock charts. And also adult contemporary. You can't beat that.
While researching this, I found that the original was recorded by a South African, Peter Lotis, first in 1962, and then released as a single, also in 1968. So we can have an official "battle of the singers" here, if you wish. Goldboro or Lotis? I'm not even sure if I can call Bobby Goldsboro's version a cover as these both seemed to be released at about the same time.
For my next to last song, I will deviate a little from my honey theme. Winnie the Pooh was a teddy bear owned by a little boy by the name of Christopher Robin. The stories inspired a song by Kenny Loggins, first recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1971.
And finally, one last video, if you'll permit me. I wanted to give a shoutout to our national treasure Betty White, who turned 99 yesterday. Yes, she's still working, as far as I know. And, well, she's never been afraid to speak her mind - and what a mind it is. This musical clip is from 1954. Nevertheless (I'm In Love with You). Betty, I'm in love with you!
Three years ago, she did a spoof of a famous music video.
But I remember her from the early 1960's, when she would star on a game show called Password. She married the host, Allen Ludden, who died in 1981 from cancer. He was the love of her life (she was married twice before). Betty White never remarried.
Betty White was on TV long before that - here is a clip from 1953. She acted in this show but she was also a producer - a producer, in the 1950's, when that was almost unheard of for a woman.
And then there was the 1970's, when Betty White played a recurring character on The Mary Tyler Moore show. Sue Ann Nivens had men very much on her mind and it was so funny. Be forewarned, a lot of White's humor is not on the clean side.
Then, in the 1980's (1985 to 1992 to be exact) there was the Golden Girls (shown, here, with the late Bea Arthur). For a 95th birthday present, Betty White was interviewed, and asked for a reboot of this series.
Nowadays, Betty White appeared on a series called Hot in Cleveland,which left the air in 2015. This clip is from 2014. Betty White played a 90 year old woman who had quite the life - an escape from the Nazis in World War II, and, yes, she still went after men.
Perhaps that is the secret of youth - never lose your zest for life. Stay golden, and be outrageous.
We hope you have many happy (and healthy) birthdays ahead of you, Betty White!
