Unemployment compensation

Since receiving my second unemployment extension, I've learned I'm no saver.
Extended my membership to the Disney Collectors Society, bought Legos, went out to eat...a lot. Paid for the daily newspaper and visited Amazon.com.
Yikes! Where did the money go?

2009

Today Mom is thirty years older than me and tomorrow she'll be 29 years older.
The magic of birthdays.
I haven't blogged for awhile because I just got my anti-virused computer back yesterday. So, Happy New Year to all my loyal readers. And, God bless.

Our Menagerie

We had another visitor today. I believe this opossum may have been injured in its hindquarters. It was eating the seed the birds drop from their feeders and I tossed it some banana nut bread and dog biscuits.

Butterfly McQueen and Margaret Hamilton

Shortly after I arrived in New York City and had joined the Screen Actors Guild, a strike was called. I dutifully volunteered to man the phones at 1500 Broadway. I was ushered into a room with tables, chairs and phones and took a seat between two ladies. One of the ladies was Butterfly McQueen and the other was Margaret Hamilton. They had starred in the two biggest films of the late '30s, GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ.

I sat speechless in awe of their presence when Butterfly spoke up in that tiny, high-pitched voice.

"Oh, Miss Hamilton. Miss Hamilton. You're my favorite actress."

"Call me Maggie, honey," was the reply.

Thanksgiving

Took Mom to my sister's in North Ridegville for Thanksgiving dinner. All three of her children and all three of her grandchildren were present and accounted for. Sis made me my own veggie stuffing. Deelicious! Much to be thankful for.

Sons of Liberty

Sons of Liberty coins were movie premiums for Walt Disney's Johnny Tremain 1957. So I must have been 6 when I got mine. Later my sister threw it away with two large drawerfuls of wonderful prizes collected from Cracker Jacks and bubble gum for eighteen years. If I had that treasure today and sold it piece by piece on eBay, I would be living in the lap of luxury, and my wonderful sister wouldn't have to keep harping on me to get a real job.

Starlings

This morning a school of hundreds of starlings swarmed over our backyard. They were only there for a few minutes, then flew off. They move as one. The individual bird is just a cell in the swarming mass.