You Heard Me!

Nina Simone -Harlem, 1969 If you get a chance, take a listen to, I PUT A SPELL ON YOU . Now, that, is what I call a soulful singer!

And now, ladies and germs, for your enjoyment....

 I WILL SURVIVE! Sadly, my mother, Helena, passed away this past Christmas Eve. It was a drama of CSI proportions, as were most of her 81, tumultuous, Transylvanian émigré years. Finding her deceased on Christmas day, after the sheriff was forced to kick in her door (she was too paranoid to give me a key to her house), proved to be, beyond surrealistic. She had not planned to die, so left no directives for her demise and protected her fortress with stunning effectiveness. The Walnut Ranch in Kelseyville, CA This past Sunday, we all drove to my parents’ walnut ranch to ceremoniously scatter her ashes. While waiting for my sister’s arrival, our dog, Quinn, who relishes the freedom of running at full-throttle and chasing squirrels and rabbits on the rural expanse, was romping with my son, Michael's  golden retriever, Millie. The two dogs were madly chasing each other and then attempted to jump up and over a retaining wall made of stacked obsidian rock (coo...

I hate change!  What was wrong with the old rabbit ears method? Of course, when the next major solar flare knocks out all electronic communications, everyone will be moaning about how great the old dial phones, T.V.'s and radios used to be.  I can barely read my cell phones incoming calls, much less text!  I have a feeling it's all about charging for the things that used to be relatively free.  Am I right, or what?