Saturday 9: Sugar, Sugar

 

Saturday 9: Sugar, Sugar (1969)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title.

*Here is where I confess I still have this album.*

1) This week's song is credited to The Archies, a band that never actually existed. The song is performed by singer Ron Dante and studio musicians and backup singers hired on behalf of the five members of the popular Saturday morning Archie Show. Were you a fan of this animated series?

A. I would have been in 1st grade when this show was on, so I barely remember it, but I do remember it. I think, however, I could only watch it when I spent the night at my grandmother's house. At my house, we could only get one or two channels. She could get all three plus PBS!

2) Archie was Archibald Andrews, a character first introduced in the 1941 comic strip. Archie was the linchpin, the leader of the band, and the center of his social group. Tell us about one of the popular kids from your school days.

A. I stayed away from the popular kids in school, as I wasn't one of them. I was a nerd who made straight As. But let me think. Ah, I know! Jodi E. He was always funny. Kind of short, red hair, made everyone laugh all the time. I wonder what he's doing these days. 

3) The Archies' drummer was Jughead Jones. He was smart, funny, and had a fondness for headwear. Do you often wear hats or caps?

A. Not anymore. I used to wear hats back in my younger days, especially in high school, and I was married in a hat with a veil behind it, I refused to cover my face with a veil.

4) Reggie was the lead singer and bass player. He was a gifted athlete who liked to come in first. If he couldn't win with his natural talents, he was not above cheating. Have you ever cheated in a friendly game?

A. I imagine I have but I can't think of anything right off. Does turning on the God-Mode so you can get through a level in a video game count?

5) Blonde Betty Cooper was on the tambourine. Her hobbies include playing baseball, caring for her cat, and helping Archie work on his car. Tell us three of your favorite pastimes.

A. My favorite three pastimes include writing, playing or listening to music, and reading.

6) Raven-haired Veronica Lodge was the keyboardist and joined Betty for backup vocals. She was a fashion plate, known and loved by Riverdale store owners because of her willingness to spend big bucks to stay on trend. What's the latest thing you've added to your wardrobe?

A. I bought some tops and a single pair of pants a while back. When I came home and washed the pants and went to wear them, I realized that one leg is about an inch longer than the other. I didn't notice it when I tried them on in the store, but it is certainly noticeable at home. They will have to be wear-around-the-house pants unless I decide to rehem them.

7) The biggest news story of 1969 was one of the biggest stories in history. On July 21, man first stepped onto the moon. Without looking it up, do you remember the astronaut's name?

A. Neal Armstrong.

8) Also in 1969, Triple H was born and today he's in the WWE Hall of Fame. Do you follow professional wrestling?

A. I do not follow professional wrestling. In my younger days, my grandfather would stop whatever he was doing on Saturdays to sit down and watch wrestling, though, and I would watch it with him sometimes. I remember some loud dude named Rick Flair.

9) Random question – Would you prefer to be: a) super successful in business or b) a politician elected to an influential office or c) a champion athlete?

A. Geez. Is there a D? Of the three I would choose being super successful in business. I could be super successful in the writing business since it doesn't specify what kind of business.

BONUS #10: Mister Linky has become extremely hard to navigate, and no one is home at the Help Desk. How do you feel about leaving your link in the comments?

A. This does seem to have become an issue, doesn't it. I've been looking into it and there doesn't seem to be another option that works like Mr. Linky (and is free). Apparently, there is some way to make Google Docs create a form that you can use that goes to a spreadsheet or something or another, but it was so complicated I didn't try it.

As for leaving the link in the comments, it is probably the easiest thing. If it is all that's available, then I don't have a problem with it.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen

 

1. This drought that we're in has been particularly difficult this summer. Our area remained in severe drought even though some parts of the state has received inches of rain. We've received sprinkles.

The green circle is our area of the state. We're in that little red portion of extreme drought.

2. One of the things we do that helps is pasture rotation, which means moving the cattle from one pasture to another, allowing the grass to grow in areas while the cattle eat down the pasture it's in.

3. Two springs on the farm that have never gone dry in the 40+ years I've been here, now are. These springs feed into Rulman Branch, which feeds into Tinker Creek. No springs, lower creek. Lower creek, less water in the cove that is one of the city's main sources of water.

4. The pond beside the original house (built approximately 1808) is the lowest I've ever seen it. The aforementioned springs led into it.

5. The peaches are small this year compared to other years. Not enough water.

6. The berries - blackberries, wine berries, blueberries - didn't have any water so they were mostly seed.

7. Our garden is producing because we're watering it, but the tomatoes have thick skin, as does the squash. Too much heat, not enough rain.

8. This drought has been up and down the eastern seaboard, especially from the Mid-Atlantic to the southern states like Florida, so many food items are affected. Watermelons are expensive, locally grown items are up in price, some things are hard to find.

9. The deer are testing out some of my flowers they've never bothered in the past. I can see their ribs sometimes.

10. The cattle are still fat because we're feeding hay as well as using pasture rotation. We've also started supplementing their feed with grain.

11. Before a recent cough of rain, the grass in the yard had browned so that it crunched under foot. My husband has only mowed the yard 5 times this year, and that was just to knock the weeds down. He usually has to mow every week.

12. Trees are already losing leaves. Some of them have turned yellow and it's just the first week of August. I've stood at the front door and watched the wind blow leaves off trees that shouldn't be shedding yet.

13. The pine tree that stands out above the rest of the trees in the front of the house has died. I don't know if that was drought or pine beetles, though.

How are things in your part of the world? Too wet? Too dry? On fire? Flooding?

What a weird weather year we're having.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 971st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Truth in Advertising

I remember a time when “truth in advertising” actually meant something. Ads weren't lies, claims had to be provable, and the fine print couldn’t contradict the big print. The FTC even chased violators. It wasn’t perfect, but there was at least a cultural expectation that ads had to resemble reality.

Somewhere along the way, that expectation evaporated.

Ads are just lies now.

I play a city‑building game called Elvenar. I enjoy it. It’s strategic, cooperative, and visually polished. But the ads for it are nothing like the game.

The ads show tiny villagers you can drag around, little elves picking up lumber, and chests that drop out of the sky. None of that exists in the real game. Not one pixel of it.

All I do in Elvenar is build structures, manage resources, and work with my fellowship. We have a weekly tournament that isn't against one another but against the game itself, and you can auto-fight that if you want to and never see a movement of a bow. There are no wandering villagers to interact with. No puzzles. Just city planning, resource checks, and "events" that are simply doing the things one needs to do play the game anyway.

My biggest city in Elvenar. Mostly all you do is move buildings around. No people to play
with. No chests dropping from the sky. Just a city-building game.

Elvenar is run by InnoGames, the same company behind Forge of Empires, and they use the same advertising strategy for both: show a completely fictional version of the game because it gets more clicks. Real gameplay footage doesn’t convert well. City builders look slow and thoughtful, which is great for players like me, but terrible for marketing. So, the ads show a fantasy instead of the product.

Legally, companies defend this as “creative representation.” Regulators treat game ads as harmless exaggeration. As long as the ad doesn’t promise a specific feature you pay extra for, they get away with it. The fine print says “not actual gameplay,” and that’s apparently enough.

The irony is that Elvenar and Forge of Empires are actually good games. Deep, strategic, and well‑designed. But I wonder how many people sign up only to be disappointed when the games are nothing like the advertisements.

So what happened? Why can't cigarette companies still not advertise on TV but video game promoters can flat-out lie about their product? 

I think a few things happened:

• The internet blew the doors off regulation. The FTC was built for TV, radio, and print. It was not built for millions of micro‑ads, influencers, sponsored posts, and algorithmic targeting.

• “Puffery” became a legal shield. Companies can now say things like “best,” “fastest,” “most trusted,” “America’s favorite,” without proving a thing. Courts treat it as harmless exaggeration.

• Influencers blurred the line between opinion and advertising. Half the time you don’t even know you’re looking at an ad.

• Fine print became microscopic. Legally, the disclosure is there. Practically, nobody can read it.

• Enforcement budgets shrank. The FTC can’t chase every misleading claim across social media, YouTube, TikTok, and a thousand ad networks.

• Algorithms reward exaggeration. The more dramatic the claim, the more clicks. The more clicks, the more money. Honesty doesn’t trend.

So “truth in advertising” technically still exists. The laws are still on the books. But in practice, the guardrails have rusted. Companies learned how to skirt the rules, regulators haven’t kept up, and the internet rewards exaggeration far more than honesty.

And that’s how we ended up with Elvenar ads that advertise a game nobody can actually play.

A Fawn

 

This little one was by the driveway when we came home the other evening. Its momma was not far away. They don't run far when they see the car. The deer are used to us driving in and out. Sometimes we come home and they are resting in the yard. We open the garage and pull in and they never move.

We don't feed them or anything. We are simply part of their lives now.

Sunday Stealing

 

Bold the Ones You've Done

Have you ever ...

1. Slept under the stars


2. Played in a band


3. Visited Hawaii 


4. Visited Easter Island 

5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. (I haven't seen this in person but I've watched in online. Does that count?)


7. Been to Disneyland or Disney World. (We went to the one in Florida in 1993 to celebrate my college graduation. It was SO hot.) 


8. Climbed a mountain 


9. Held a praying mantis

10. Been to the Louvre 

11. Had food poisoning


12. Eaten vegetables you grew yourself


13. Slept overnight on a train. (This happened on a trip from Spain to France. We had to take the passenger trains that stopped constantly because we needed to get out of Spain because there was something political going on. I was in high school and there with a group of students.)


14. Built a snow fort


15. Held a lamb


16. Gone skinny dipping


17. Been on a cruise (day cruises and dinner cruises count)

18. Seen Niagara Falls 


19. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


20. Sung karaoke


21. Sat for a portrait

22. Walked on a beach by moonlight


23. Been transported in an ambulance


24. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 


25. Kissed in the rain


26. Played in the mud


27. Gone to a drive-in theater

28. Changed your vehicle's oil yourself

29. Taken a martial arts class 


30. Visited the Vatican


31. Volunteered at a soup kitchen or food pantry


32. Sold Girl Scout cookies

33. Bought a used car

34. Sat on a jury

35. Ridden an elephant

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Coconut

 

Saturday 9: Coconut (1971)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title. (This song makes me think of the movie Practical Magic.)

1) This song is about a woman who complains of a belly ache. How's your tummy this morning?

A. My tummy is about like it always is. Thanks for asking.

2) She responds to this malady by calling the doctor. What if you chose to address the problem yourself? Are there currently any OTC digestive aids in your medicine chest? 

A. I take medicine for my stomach every day. I have acid reflux. Sometimes I have to supplement that with a little OTC medicine. I have also found apple cider vinegar gummies helpful.

3) Coconut was once a popular ice cream flavor, but no more. It's not on the list of top sellers at Baskin Robbins or Cold Stone. When you last had ice cream, what flavor was it?

A. I don't eat ice cream.

4) Coconut remains popular in baking. It's easy to find recipes for coconut pie, coconut cheesecake, coconut cookies . . . . you get the idea. Have you recently tried a new recipe? If yes, how did it turn out?

A. The last recipe I made was a squash casserole. It wasn't exactly a new recipe to me, but I was using yellow zucchini instead of yellow summer squash. It was ok.

5) This week's featured artist, Harry Nilsson, was a well-known free spirit. He liked to party and had a reputation for not adhering to a schedule. Therefore, it's a little surprising that one of his first jobs was in the conservative atmosphere of a small bank. Do you prefer a more structured workplace?

A. I always did well with deadlines when I worked for the newspaper. I like a little structure, but I need a little freedom, too.

6) Harry met Micky Dolenz when The Monkees recorded his song, "Cuddly Toy" and they became fast and life-long friends. Can you think of someone you met and quickly "clicked" with?

A. Yes, one of my dearest friends today is someone I met and "clicked" with almost immediately.

7) In 1971, when this song was on the radio, detective shows were popular on TV. Mannix, Ironside and Cannon were all in the Top 20. Do you think you'd make a good private investigator?

A. I think I probably would make a good PI. Old, overweight dowdy housewife? Who'd think she was taking pictures of infidelity or insurance fraud?

8) England's Princess Anne turned 21 in 1971, and the occasion was commemorated with an official portrait taken by fashion photographer Norman Parkinson. Who took the most recent photo of you?

A. I have no idea. It was a probably a selfie with my husband.

9) Random question: You can redecorate any one room in your home, money is no object. But only one room. Which room do you pick?

A. I would pick the great room, which is really three rooms in one. That way I would get a new kitchen, a new dining area, and a new living room, because all three are in one large room. I think they call this open space living now but it was a great room 38 years ago. 

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Gratitude: Days 29 & 30

Prompts: Self-care & Myself

I’m grateful for the quiet of a cool morning light,

For fields that awaken after the darkness of night.

For root beer, for pages, and time to reflect,

For giving my weary heart some respect.

I’m thankful for moments I don’t have to race,

For slowing my steps and reclaiming my space.

For books on the table, a song in my heart,

For walking through life at my own chosen start.

I’m grateful for hands that have planted and grown,

For stories and histories I’ve gathered and sewn.

For voices I’ve carried, for truths I have told,

For memories treasured and tales yet untold.

I’m grateful for me, for the road I have walked,

For the courage to write and the courage to talk.

For every small kindness, each lesson I’ve learned,

For bridges I built and the pages I’ve turned.

I’m thankful I’m still here, still dreaming, still free,

Still becoming the person I’m meant to be.

Through seasons of sorrow and storms I have known,

I’m thankful for me, this woman who has grown.

_____

Last month, The Gal did a 30-day gratitude challenge. I've swiped it to do for July. Only I'm going to try to do it in rhyme, just because.

Thursday Thirteen #970

 

Thirteen Things I Noticed This Week

1. A rainbow came out Tuesday evening when we were on our way home. It was low on the horizon. Because of the way our house is positioned, I cannot usually see evening rainbows, only morning ones, and those are rather rare.

2. My physical therapist gives the best hugs. Some people just have that grounding energy.

3. Trying to get custom orthotics made right apparently is the equivalent of running a space program without any funding.

4. The drought continues even though we've had a little rain. The rain has made the grass grow a bit, but the pastures are thin and the hayfields sparse.

5. I love the taste of an A&W Root Beer. I hadn't had one for several years but recently broke down and drank one. Ah, the joy of the first taste! It was like memory washed up in a soda.

6. When people show you who they really are, believe them, and make decisions from there. Wishes are for beggars, suckers, and dreamers. And while I'm a dreamer, most days my feet are firmly on the ground.

7. Speaking of dreams, a Florida person won $800 million in the Mega Millions drawing Tuesday night. Can you imagine suddenly having that kind of money?

8. My husband planted yellow zucchini in the garden this year. I don't quite know what to do with it. It is like a yellow summer squash but not, and it's not zucchini, either. So far it's found its way into a squash casserole and been sauteed in butter, but I would rather have the regular ol' green zucchini.

9. Someone used my email to sign up for various things such as Warner Brothers Games and Sportsman Warehouse. They aren't accessing my account, just using my email. I guess they didn't want the spam. Interestingly, this means I can access their account by changing the password and sometimes that even means I could order something because they've left their charge card in there. But I am honest and don't do that.

10. My pharmacist calls to tell me my prescription is ready. They have a new automated message now that says, "Please move this to the top of your to-do list." I resent being told what "To do" by some company, and I will be out to pick up my medicine when it is convenient for me. They called 8 times before I picked it up.

11. The last pair of pants I bought has one leg shorter than the other. I didn't realize this until I brought them home and washed them in vinegar and then in baking soda to try to get the perfume stench off of them. They will have to be wear-around-the-house pants.

12. When I play Wordle, a majority of times when I see what the "Wordlebot" thinks of my play, it tells me, "No one in our system of 1,587,000 players had this scenario." I am apparently an outlier in the Wordle world.

13. I bought a cheaply made copy of a Rubrik's Cube, I immediately remembered how to get one side completed, but I've forgotten how to go from there. It has instructions but I've not read them. I want to see if I can remember. If I can remember, maybe I'll get a real Rubrik's Cube, because this thing is really poorly made.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 970th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

A Rainbow

 

Gratitude: Day 28

Prompt: Letting go

This is not a new poem. This is a poem that I wrote a long time ago. But it works for this particular prompt.

Daughter by the Tomb

A Villanelle

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

I am not the one to curse the day

Nor ask the dark to be light again.

The thunderous strikes are foreordained

and all winds blow a separate way.

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

I shall not kneel where you have lain.

I will not lift you from the grave

Nor ask the darkness to be light again.

The rose thorn pricks but brings no pain.

The leaves grow brown, I cannot stay.

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

The sun has dried the yellowed grain.

With withered face you felt each ray

And asked the dark to be light again.

The dew has left its glossy stain

And blends with tears I've wiped away.

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

Don't beg the dark:  be light again.

_____

Last month, The Gal did a 30-day gratitude challenge. I've swiped it to do for July. Only I'm going to try to do it in rhyme, just because.