Relaxing with Natalie

 I've known Scott's mother, Natalie, for all of 15 years. It wasn't until a week ago that I realized how brilliant - yes brilliant! - she is.

Like Ada's mother, Natalie has never driven a car. Her husband Dave did all the driving. He was a terrible driver.

"Hard on cars," his son Scott would say.

When we drove to Carousel Condos, rife with people who are selfish and mostly think of themselves, a new sign read, "Pull in head-first so noxious fumes do not settle inside rooms."

Great idea!

Natalie had come from Scott's where he had found letters for her plus photos and seashells from their beloved Jersey shore.

"Where was your dad buried?" I asked Scott.

"Don't you remember," he said. "We dropped his ashes in the Atlantic Ocean."

The entire family was there:  Debbie and Danny, a married couple; Maxine who worked at Aramark; and the black dog Zoe, who was beside herself with grief.

Scott and I would drive his white Honda Fit over to a hotel we never stayed at - the Marquis de Lafayette - since our Regency Towers was filled.

Scott can be a tough guy. When we bought his Honda at Sussman Honda, he said, "I'm not playing any games. You either sell me the car for the ticket price or I'll go elsewhere."

I'll save my story about buying my Nissan Sentra for another time. 

Natalie had a masterful sense of style in her condo.

Most items were locked up in see-through cabinets to protect them from the elements. Mickey Mouse was one of her proudest objects. In fact, sitting here in my Composing Room, I have a huge prison-blue cup of Walt Disney World, filled with pens, pencils, rulers, Magic Markers, and those fancy pens you get when you open an enormous package from the Lakota Indians. 

I hadn't been to her condo since the High Holy Days. She would buy her dinners at Whole Foods, not my favorite, but she had been cooking her entire life. It was at these dinners we saw her husband Dave's diminishing cognition.

When he came to my 70th birthday party at my home on Cowbell Road, he was downright rude to me. 

Jealous? 

Dunno.

Natalie had a long dining room table. She asked both Scott and me if we wanted any racks for our CDs - no - radios? - no - and showed us some painted pictures on the walls which were then in vogue.

She kept the patio door shut against burglars and squirrels.

Off in the distance was green grass like you might find in Ireland. They had been to Ireland several times and it was the best place they had ever been. I still have a smooth "rubbing stone" they brought me back.

Never would I give that away.

Like her son, Scott, she was fiercely independent. 

In her bedroom was a photo from when she and Dave were married.

What a handsome man he was.

Even I marveled at it.

In the kitchen, her sink was in the corner. Not a great place, but she would always do her dishes and leave none in the sink. 

Now I do mine.

High above - and these were almost cathedral ceilings - she had two face masks - a delicate man and woman.

Everything I saw, I wanted to say, but refrained myself, "Where did you get that?"

If Dave, with his ever expanding waistline, were still here. he would be sitting on the sofas noshing M & Ms and pretzels and peanuts.

"Are you used to living alone?" I asked.

"You get used to it," she said, in her high-pitched voice.

Her hair was growing in and she wasn't wearing one of her lovely blonde wigs.

Breast cancer. Her family doctor had suggested she get testosterone treatments, which he thought would be good for her.

She was philosophical. 

She turned on the television, a smaller version than they had when Dave was alive.

Zillions of channels popped up.

If I lived here, I would lie on the couch and watch hours of television, while sleeping in between.

How happy I would be.

I was anxious to get home, fearing I might get "low" from my diabetes. 

Natalie gave me a bottle of water to drink. 

Such fun!

I would never buy bottled water. Too expensive and wasteful. When I walked around the block at home, some people threw their water bottles in the street or onto lawns.

Often I would open the bottle and pour it onto the grass.

Or onto these little islands on the sidewalk where grass grew.

So many different worlds.

So many.

Natalie Sherman and husband Dave. 

How surprising WHOM we wake up watching - Hello KellyAnn

 

Woke up to crowd-pleaser KellyAnn Petrucca.

Oh no!

Only one thing to do... hop on my stationery bike and pedal as if your life was at stake. Set the timer for 20 minutes.

Of course she had some good points.

Is your gut fat acute - here temporarily - or chronic - a condition that will take a long time to go away.

Her audience is always smiling when the camera lands on them.

There was another show that hasn't been on in, oh, about 2 years, where a lovely emotional woman treats entire families to lose weight.

Makes sense. Friends influence friends.

KellyAnn says we all need coffee to wake up. 

Well, you know me.

I refuse to be addicted and am not. When I was writing my short story TOMATOES AND TAMALES yesterday I only drank Water.

I called Beatriz yesterday as she was not feeling well. She sounded very perky and we talked quite a while. Her main purpose in life is over. Helping her friend Lorraine, who passed away. She would call her several times a day.

Breathe in and tap that point, so says Petrucca now. 

I remember when TAPPING was THE big thing. 

21 day Bone Broth Diet - did I mention that?

You drink your food. She trained herself to burn fat. Loaded w delicious foods that clean restore and respect your body.

"You're probably wondering..." she says frequently.

Here's what I ate in the middle of last night.

Sandwich on Killer Dave Bread with cheese, salad, mustard, mayo and tomato.

That's all for now, my friends.

Oh! My library is now offering a Weds book club via zoom.

Here is the book: Tom Perrotta's "The Leftovers."

Do you think I will partake?

Currently I am reading at least a dozen books, all duking it out on my bed.

Hey, it's my turn ...

No, it's mine ...

Me, me, me !!!

New place to look for life? Too bad Carl Sagan isn't alive to see this.... or maybe he is !!!

 

© Provided by Live Science GW Orionis has three stars centered within three wobbly rings of dust. Astronomers think there could be a rare, three-sun planet in the mix too.

There's now even more evidence that a bizarre star system perched on the constellation Orion's nose may contain the rarest type of planet in the known universe: a single world orbiting three suns simultaneously.

The star system, known as GW Orionis (or GW Ori) and located about 1,300 light-years from Earth, makes a tempting target for study; with three dusty, orange rings nested inside one another, the system literally looks like a giant bull's-eye in the sky. At the center of that bull's-eye live three stars — two locked in a tight binary orbit with each other, and a third swirling widely around the other two.

Triple-star systems are rare in the cosmos, but GW Ori gets even weirder the closer astronomers look. In a 2020 paper published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, researchers took a close look at GW Ori with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile, and discovered that the system's three dust rings are actually misaligned with one another, with the innermost ring wobbling wildly in its orbit.

The team proposed that a young planet, or the makings of one, could be throwing off the gravitational balance of GW Ori's intricate triple-ring arrangement. If the detection is confirmed, it would be the first triple-sun planet (or "circumtriple" planet ) in the known universe. Eat your heart out, Tatooine!

Now, a paper published Sept. 17 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society offers fresh evidence of that rare planet's existence. The study authors conducted 3D simulations to model how the mysterious gaps in the star system's rings could have formed, based on observations of other dust rings (or "protoplanetary disks") elsewhere in the universe.

The team tested two hypotheses: Either the break in GW Ori's rings formed from the torque applied by the three twirling stars at the system's center, or the break appeared when a planet formed within one of the rings.

The researchers concluded that there is not enough turbulence in the rings for the stellar torque theory to work. Rather, the models suggest that the presence of an enormous, Jupiter-size planet — or perhaps several planets — is the likelier explanation for the rings' strange shape and behavior.

If future observations of the system support that theory, GW Ori may be "the first evidence of a circumtriple planet carving a gap in real time," lead study author Jeremy Smallwood, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told The New York Times.

Sadly, a hypothetical observer of this maybe-planet wouldn't actually be able to see all three suns rise and fall in the sky; the two stars at the center of the system move in such a tight binary orbit that they would appear as one great star, with the third swooping around them, the researchers said.

But, if confirmed, the mere existence of this world would prove that planets can form under a wider array of conditions than scientists previously realized. If three suns and a wobbling mish-m...

...

Sagan was only 62 when he died.

Carl Edward Sagan (/ˈseɪɡən/; November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrophysicist, astrobiologist, author, and science communicator. His best known scientific contribution is research on extraterrestrial life, including experimental demonstration of the production of amino acids from basic chemicals by radiation. Sagan assembled the first physical messages sent into space: the Pioneer plaque and the Voyager Golden Record, universal messages that could potentially be understood by any extraterrestrial intelligence that might find them. Sagan argued the now-accepted hypothesis that the high surface temperatures of Venus can be attributed to and calculated using the greenhouse effect.^[2]

Initially an associate professor at Harvard, Sagan later moved to Cornell where he would spend the majority of his career as the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences. Sagan published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books.^[3] He wrote many popular science books, such as The Dragons of Eden, Cosmos, Broca's Brain and Pale Blue Dot, and narrated and co-wrote the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. 

Barbara's Review of my story Tomatoes and Tattoos

 I enjoyed reading this. I love the descriptions of the different people and it’s like they come alive. You sure have some interesting neighbors. Thank you for sharing.🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈

Thank you Barbara!

Lemme tell you why I'm awake at 2 am. First of all, I've been emailing Rem.

Second, I was in bed worrying about Beatriz. Is she on her last legs? 

Third, a car or vehicle drove by at 1:45 am making the collage on my useless ceiling fan light up.

Yes, a light show like we used to have with various lights at the Now and Then Shop, the family store where we got along poorly. 

Did I tell you my sister Ellen gave me loads of letters from my daughter Sarah? She had sent them to Gram when she was at Brown University and also when she was at camp, which I don't remember.

Well, I DO remember Willow Grove Day Camp. 

Here it is. 

The Day Camp is gone. Razed. Few people go to camps anymore.

It's been replaced by a YMCA. 

Absolutely beautiful and with everything for everyone.

Swimming pool.

If you click the photos may enlarge.

BEDTIME FOR MOI !!!

Mighty Mouse is on his way - Wreck of the Hesperus

 

The derivation of cartoons was on Turner Classic Films.

Thing is it took so very long for a single frame to come out, so the creator hired other cartoonists and taught them how to do it.

Young men, 17 yo.

I am so tired now. 

Don't say dat, Ruthie. No one wants to hear about it.

Mighty Mouse is an American animated anthropomorphic superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. The character was originally called Super Mouse, and made his debut in the 1942 short The Mouse of Tomorrow. The name was changed to Mighty Mouse in his eighth film, 1944's The Wreck of the Hesperus, and the character went on to star in 80 theatrical shorts, concluding in 1961 with Cat Alarm.

In 1955, Mighty Mouse Playhouse debuted as a Saturday morning cartoon show on the CBS television network, which popularized the character far more than the original theatrical run. The show lasted until 1967. Filmation revived the character in The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle, which ran from 1979 to 1980, and animation director Ralph Bakshi revived the concept again in Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, from 1987 to 1988.

The character was created by story man Izzy Klein as a super-powered housefly named Superfly. Studio head Paul Terry changed the character into a cartoon mouse instead (click here for the Terrytoon theatrical shortsseries). Created as a parody of Superman, he first appeared in 1942 in a theatrical animated short titled The Mouse of Tomorrow. The original name of the character was Super Mouse, but after 7 cartoons produced in 1942-1943, it was changed in the 1944 cartoon The Wreck of the Hesperus to Mighty....

WAIT A MINUTE... Wreck of the Hesperus?  No one knows what that is. You're on your own to find what it means.

The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a narrative poem by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, first published in Ballads and Other Poems in 1842. It is a story that presents the tragic consequences of a skipper's pride. On an ill-fated voyage in winter, he brings his daughter aboard ship for company. The skipper ignores the advice of one of his experienced men, who fears that a hurricane is approac... en.wikipedia.org

GOTTA WATCH ARIEL GOREL ON CHANNEL 12.

MENTAL NOTE FOR RUTHIE:  NEVER WATCH ARIEL GOREL. Good talker but he says nothing!!!

House for sale down the block

 As I mentioned, the house where the Carr Family lived is now for sale.

CLINTON PORCHON is the real estate agent.

I remember the name of the agent, Emily Barlillo, whose name reminded me of a once famous opera singer. When I got a chance I looked her up.

Let's see what I learned.

Click here.

She did well for herself but never really made it big, like your blogger, Ruth Z Deming. 

But surely, Beau, you know I gest.

Tell us, ReeROW, what is your next brilliant move.

Methinks I left out some vowels in Barlillo's name.

So, I'm injecting in my left butt, and one of the trespassers walks by. An attractive woman who never looks inside.

So far.

The path must be a mess.

Well upstairs I go to read

MOONLIGHT IN ODESSA and THE NORTH FACE. One is about Mt Everest, thother I haven't figured it out, yet. Something about the Nazis.

Yesterday Scott and I went to his mom's house. 

Hi Dave, I called when we went inside. Dead of slow developing dementia. 

New rule... no backing in to park.

Otherwise, the tenants get the fumes in their home.

Good idea. 

Okay, lemme get a piece of chocolate and upstairs I go.

Sometimes the tin foil rubs off and is dis... gusting!

Here, There and Everywhere

 

My friend Harriet Rellis sent friends a new picture of herself and her nice hairdo. She is now living at Shannondale Retirement Community.

Let's look it up.

No no no! It's not that bad. Don't jump!

Ever heard of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease?

A famous country singer has been battling this for years.

Finally he told his fans. 

Alan Jackson is his name. He had a terrible time walking and didn't want his fans to think he was drunk. 

I am familiar with the disease as in one of our Compass mags we did an extensive interview with Carol Henderson who had the disease.

She had a few amputations of her legs. 

I have lost touch with her. She came over one time and she and her brothers installed a green metal shelf which is currently here in my Composing room, inside a closet.

Two taller ones are in my Reading Room - very tall - upon which all sorts of items are on the shelves including my tiny clay sculptures and two lovely photos of my late mother, Bernice Begis Greenwold. 

My sister Ellen, who I ask for what I want from our still unsold house, gave them to me. 

From Target. 

Had enough, gang?

Off to bed I goes, with a banjo on my knee.