MORE MUSINGS

BAD MONKEYS

Having my two youngest grandchildren for a few days recently reminded me of a time my two oldest grandchildren, Cameron and Audrey (both three years old at left) stayed with me when I lived at the barn. They had recently seen The Wizard of Oz. By this time I had heard the psychological viewpoint that very young children probably should not view this movie, as it sometimes scares them. When these two precious little ones stayed with Fancy Grandmommy, they were scared to venture outdoors alone. My little "barn" was surrounded by woods, and Cameron scared them both by saying "the bad monkeys are in the woods"! It took me a while, questioning him carefully -- after all, I had seen a coyote or her pups a time or two -- to realize he was talking about the "flying monkeys" in the Wizard of Oz!! It was a long time before I could convince either of them there were NO monkeys in my woods, even though I was glad they never strayed from the front yard. Later, though, Cameron helped me deal with the "bad squirrels" who worked their way into my home! We captured them in a cage loaned to me by animal control, and very carefully loaded them into the car and carried them to release in the country a few miles away.

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Lately I have had an upsurge in the incidents of raccoon visitation. Having found some scat in the front yard that was unusual (I was at first concerned that the Great Danes from next door might have been making visits again), believe it or not, I looked up raccoon scat images on Google and found identical photos to what I had in my yard! My neighbor had mentioned to Matthew at one time that he thought there were raccoons living under my house, but until now, other than a sighting of a very strange looking "cat" with a pronounced ring tail scampering away into the bushes next door at dusk, I never really saw any evidence. Examination of the scat showed birdseed (obviously from my back yard bird feeder), and berry looking seeds like Lantana seeds. My neighbors have a small garden right next to my front yard, so I am assuming that was an attraction as well as the bird feeder. Also, I had noticed that something had captured a bird in the last day or two that left feathers scattered in the back yard. I didn't know that raccoons could be carnivorous, but apparently they eat most anything they can catch. A call to the county animal control officer reassured me. No rabies. However, all of her traps were currently loaned out, and it will be next week before she can come over and set them for my furry creature(s). I have a trap, but she prefers the kind that opens at both ends, as she will release most animals if they appear healthy, and the open ends type are safer for her doing this. I like that. I'll let you know if we catch anything. Maybe I'll even get some pictures. I just hope we don't catch a neighbor's cat!

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I love searching for music to post on my blog. Of course, the newest popular songs and singers, for the most part, aren't available. Can't say I blame them ~ they still need to sell those CDs! I prefer the older singers and songs anyway. You older readers can relate when I say that there are NO singers today that have the instant recognition by all ages and all over the world as the ones of yesteryear, like Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and even Elvis Presley. When their voices came over the air, there was no doubt who was entertaining us! A few from more recent times may still be recognized by us old timers as well as the younger generations.. like The Beatles, Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash. I'm not saying there aren't really good singers today, but that these newer singers are not listened to enough, or recognized by our older generations. And you know what? The older songs were easier to understand the words! Weren't they?

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Recently I started thinking about magazines I subscribed to through the years. I got a big laugh when I saw the correlation to the times of my life! When I was a very young married mother with children the magazines in my home were Redbook, Ladies' Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and Parent's Magazine. During the years I was a young, single parent there were Cosmopolitan, Psychology Today, "D" Magazine, and Playgirl. (I still have the issue with the Burt Reynolds centerfold!) I'll never forget when my older son was taking a psychology/sociology class in high school. Apparently, the teacher asked the class what magazines were read in their homes. When Craig told her my reading habits, she said she wanted to meet me! Of course, I invited her to dinner. We all had a lively discussion about the latest Lenny Bruce uproar, and the power of the word.

Moving on, again as an (older) single woman, I read - as I could afford the subscriptions - Time, Noetic Sciences Journal, Yoga Journal, New Age Journal, Scientific American (only a one-year subscription, as most of the articles were waaaay over my head!) and Daily Word, which I still subscribe to. In more recent years, my reading habits leaned toward Country Living, Texas Highways (briefly Arizona Highways) and Texas Monthly, AARP, Sunset Living, Reader's Digest (which my dad subscribed to as a gift to me), and Birds and Blooms. Wow! does that sound old or what? At least I haven't been into RV Living or something like that. Mostly, I have let all my subscriptions expire now. I think that must mean something metaphysical. You think?

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I read the following on the AOL Good News Now site. If you haven't checked this site out yet, I encourage you to. The stories and pictures on this site are guaranteed to renew your faith in mankind as well as give you new hope for the future. Some stories often bring a smile, like this one:

ComicConnect.com

"A couple facing imminent foreclosure has Superman to thank for saving their home. The anonymous couple were packing to vacate their house when they found an Action Comics No. 1, the comic book debut of Superman. It is estimated to fetch at least $350,000 at auction."

Boy! Don't you know those people were saying, "There really is a God!"

Until next time..

Peace and love,
Marilyn