Leisure & Lifestyle

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I've gotten so many miscellaneous gift cards with AARP that I've had to write them down in order to keep track of what I have -- there are some I still haven't used, yet. Today, I suppose, isn't really about redeeming your gift cards, more or less - mainly, it's about getting all of your obtained/collected gift cards organized, documented, and ready for use. Just a gentle reminder, if you will. Well...Have fun with that! 😁 National Use Your Gift Card Day reminds Americans to use the $1 billion in unused gift cards each year. On the third Saturday in January, take stock of the gift cards you received over the holidays. Then, make the most of each one of them before they're forgotten for good!  [source: National Day Calendar] 

 

'Blue Monday' - Some say this day in January is, "the most depressing day of the year." Blue Monday: Here’s Why Some Think It’s The Most Depressing Day Of The Year[source: Farmer's Almanac.com]✨  Blue [WIKI]✨  Monday  [WIKI] 🎵  Orkestra Obsolete play 'Blue Monday' using 1930s instruments - BBC Arts[source: BBC YouTube]Here are blue-hued images to look at/admire. 🙂 💙 Now go outside. Get some 🌬 fresh (artic, perhaps) air.[And that vitamin D!]    

 

 

 

And, you'll receive month-long good luck!  Simply say the following words (aloud), 'Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit!, the very first thing on October 1st, and you'll see yourself basking in good luck! There are other variations to this, such as...some say, 'Rabbit! Rabbit!', or 'White Rabbit!' (For those night owls/rabbits, speaking these 2 or 3 words just after midnight still counts. Because, although you may be a night owl/rabbit and have not slept yet, you too deserve some good luck!) Be sure to 'thank' this little fella, Mr. Rabbit  🐇 , if you do have some good luck, throughout the month. And, in return, he'll wiggle his little nose, just for you!  /)/)( . .)( づ♡  This will be my second rabbiting experience (my first being in September, and I did not have any good luck during that month.). So, I do hope (one day) to see Mr. Rabbit wiggle his nose, just for me! Let's make it a good one! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و  [source: Sandra Boynton - Face

What a year [2024]. So many losses. 😔   🥀  Rest in peace. 🥀 Not necessarily meant for the living... 'May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all God's blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you. May your heart be strong. May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam, and the insight to know when you're going too far. May you have love that never ends.' / 'May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields.' 'Until we meet again.' 'Remembering the big screen celebrities, music legends, cultural pioneers and those who left indelible memories on the public consciousness.' ✨  Deaths in 2024  [Wiki] ✨  Remembering The Stars We Lost In 2024  [source: Essence/essence.com] ✨  2024 Notable Deaths   [The New York Times/nytimes.com]✨  Celebrity Deaths 2024  [USA Tod

Got leftover fruitcake? The beauty of this bread of fruit-nutty (hold the nuts) loaf is known for its shelf life of many, many moons (depending on how it's stored), and it can be re-gifted for next Christmas! [Not a fan of fruitcake? And, yah wanna toss that bread? Next month, on January 3rd, it's 'National Fruitcake Toss Day' (aka your lucky day!) [source: National Day Calendar/YouTube]. Or, you can use them as 'bricks,' like Pee-wee Herman! *wink* [source: YouTube]. Or! You could just keep them somewhere for sentimental reasons. The non-fruitcake lover options are endless!] National Fruitcake DayMade with chopped candied or dried fruit, nuts, and spices and sometimes soaked in spirits, fruitcake has been a holiday gift-giving tradition for many years. Across the United States, fruitcake lovers young and old, commemorate National Fruitcake Day each year on December 27th. [source: National Day Calendar] ✨  Fruitcake [source: WIKI]✨  Why

 

 

After today we will start seeing more of the Sun for six months.  Maybe you have 4 minutes to enjoy a happy song and the picture. Jethro Tull - Solstice Bells     

 

My mother used to sing this song, and I can’t figure out its origin.  Does this ring a bell for anyone? Santa Claus, Santa ClausHurry on your way becauseI’ve been good like I shpuldEven to my baby brother Googling has turned up nothing. Thanks for any leads!

A Minus and a PlusToday at high noon, while waiting in my car for the light to change, I was disturbed by a report on NPR about the anti-Semitic venom spewed by fanatical Christian nationalists. In the midst of a broadcast ceremony led by one of their leaders, I heard an ear-splitting noise that lasted for about a minute. I figured that maybe a driver behind me or beside me was road raging on his horn, but I was wrong. The NPR commentator revealed that the traditional Jewish ram’s horn (the shofar) was the source of the blast. In Judaism, blowing the shofar is reserved in the synagogue for the yearly High Holy days. But why was the shofar high-jacked at a right-wing extremist Christian gathering? What gives? Perhaps the ram’s horn was used to signify the triumphant angelic trumpet calls that, according to the Book of Revelation, are to usher in the Second Coming, an apocalyptic event that will cast into Hell Jews who reject Christ.I wish that the prolonged piercing sound of the shofar

 

 'Peach Fuzz.' Groovy, baby! 🍑  'Embrace the Warmth.' [[Pantone]]  The world's authority on color has spoken: 2024 is the year of "Peach Fuzz."  The Pantone Color Institute named its color of the year on Thursday, declaring our need for compassion and human connection in the year ahead. According to influential color consultancy, only one shade can deliver on that front: Pantone describes the orange-pink hue as gentle, warm and cozy, subtly sensual and heartfelt. Peach Fuzz, a "velvety peach tone" is meant to represent "our desire to nurture ourselves and others" and "whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul." "In seeking a hue that echoes our innate yearning for closeness and connection, we chose a color radiant with warmth and modern elegance. A shade that resonates with compassion, offers a tactile embrace, and effortlessly bridges the youthful with the timeless," said Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone's executive

  Got a favorite for the Finals?      I liked pretty much all the last 9 but now some of them are gone -   My favorites -  Huntley  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDOVIvWygHY    Jacquie Roar https://youtu.be/yt3oEwIEs1U    But they are all good with great talent.  Even the ones that left last night.   

The Aloha Spirit Is Not AccidentalThe other day while I was pacing about at a parking lot until the line at the Hawaii Theater dwindled, I witnessed two car incidents, the first one perhaps precipitating the second one. On a two-way street, a motorist furiously tooted another driver ahead of him. After the beeping ended, the man who had to endure the racket, perhaps unnerved by the rude driver (tooting in highly trafficked Honolulu is taboo), soon accidentally slammed into the front door of a parked car that a woman had just opened. The collision caused her damaged door to get stuck almost all the way out. The other driver’s vehicle was badly dented, but his car was otherwise intact. If it weren’t for the tooting, could the man otherwise have stopped in time to avoid the mishap? Or was he careless or just clueless? Why wasn’t the woman aware that a car was coming by next to the driver’s door as she pushed it open? What was her state of mind at that moment? Could the accident have been

'National Ding-a-Ling Day' (on December 12th) encourages us to reconnect with people we once talked to often. Ding-a-Lings on this day call the people they haven't heard from in a while. It may be an old classmate, co-worker, or neighbor from years ago. What was their name? Many people slip out of our lives who would love to hear the ding-a-ling of a call from you. And, today is your day to do it! Don't be shy! Just have some fun with it. 'National Ding-A-Ling Day' History In 1972, Franky Hyle placed a free ad in Chase's Calendar of Events with his PO Box Number in Melrose Park, IL stating that for $1 you can join the National Ding-A-Ling club. The club, with 871 original members, would call friends and relatives they haven't heard from in a while every year on December 12. [I'd totes join! 😁]  #DingALingDay [YouTube]  There's a Ding-A-Ling Restaurant in NYC!  [source: Chilled Magazine] There Are Books!?!✨  The Lonely Ph

 

Occaisionally I mistype a word...you know, a finger-check..getting one letter wrong.  The result looks and sounds like it could be a real word in the english language, but cannot be found in any dictionary.It might be fun to play around with this so to start things off: What does Attotney mean? - A lawyer that only represents clients who are under the age of 6 years. - A piece of machinery in a Tater Tot factory. Feel free to submit 'Words' or Definitions.