My Mouse Love Begins

TWO Blogs in TWO Days ... my brain may absolutely explode!  My Love of the Mouse began in California at an early age and here is my "OFFICIAL" Membership Cards to the Mickey Mouse Club (1963 and 1964) ... yes, my love of all things Disney began early.  (Yes, I inserted the pink "hide the birth year" piece :-) some of you know, I'll leave the others of you to guess :-) ... to quote Pan:  I won't grow up!

You notice how I have two ... each expiring at the end of the year ... now think of that in terms of marketing, child's card runs out at the end of the year ... child begs Mom/Dad to get new one, which is available only inside Disneyland!  BUT, I felt oh so special belonging to the Mickey Mouse Club.

Now here's the back of the card - just pops into my mind "Ovaltine" anyone?  (Okay, if you aren't wise in the way of A Christmas Story you really should watch it - more than once!

"Be sure to watch the Mickey Mouse Club every Monday thru Friday at 6 p.m. on KTTV Channel 11 for news announcements to club members, direct from Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters at Disneyland.

Take good care of your membership card you card will entitle you to participate in special events and also offers you many other privileges at Disneyland, available only to club members.  Advance announcements of these privileges and events will be made on the Mickey Mouse Club TV show."

Ah Man I was entitled to "privileges" other kids weren't entitled to -- I don't remember any BUT move over Annette Funicello -- young Char is in California and weilding a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse card ... man did I ever feel special .... and yes, the magic began for me right then and there.

The following is a really short clip from one of our trip into Disneyland - I can't tell you how many trips we took ... we lived in Cali -- well, more than once -- then after we moved back to Texas, we'd go visit my eldest Sis and her crew and ... we'd go to Disneyland .. again :-)

But I drift (are you surprised?) back to the clip -- you play it you may want to turn the above music off ... when I had the 8mm vids turned to VHS, the company that did it put some really sappy music in it (BUT, they did a great job with what we had!)

First appears my eldest Sister's two kiddos ... wave at Grandmother, wave, wave, waaavvveee :-) then "MOI" in the best hat EVAH ... until Mother made me take the feather out *poke, poke, poke* ... then there's a stellar example of my early film taking (the go every, zoom in and out of the Disneyland train station ... you can tell when Daddy took the camera back!)

Then the entire crew - with me standing by my Mommy ...minus my hat :-)

BUDDIES have a fabulous day and thanks for letting me share my home movies with you!

PS  Yes, family I'm converting the old 8mm to digitat format and also trying to put in some "order" out of the chaos that was the first conversion :-)

Mouse World :-)

Okay, thanks for allowing me to "rant" yesterday -- it was one of those days when everything just got on my nerves!  But let's face it - in spite of having a "nervie" day yesterday - I have my health (and my hubby his), food, clean water, a house, cars and a job -- I am blessed! 

But in any event, I'm good today, it is amazing what an early morning workout session will do for the heart and mind.  Now if Ma Nature would quit PMSing, I'd really be good! :-)

So, I was just sitting here - working, of course ... well mostly - and in changing from one program to another, something jumped out at me from the Disney Castle Wallpaper I'm using at the moment ... something I'd never noticed before ... because we are usually running frenzied from place to place :-) ... I will spend more time this next trip, noticing things like this - I'm sure they exist elsewhere too.  ("Hey" Deb .. Myrtle is dying to do Disney reports!)

DUDES!  Gargoyles on the castle -- now why in the world would I think that Disney wouldn't go all the way with castle details?!  (This photo is from Disney Shawn's Blogspot, which I found Googling "Disney castle gargoyles" to get a photo.  I can tell I'll spend alot of time rummaging around in his blog, before, after and probably during our trip!)

I LOVE GARGOYLES ... one of the 1,000s of photos I took while we were at the Biltmore Estate a few years back -- looks very similar 'eh!

So Buddies have a Tigger Day "boing, boing, boing"!

NOTE TO SELF:  Find your "original" Mickey Mouse Club Badge (I know I have it somewhere!)

I'm Simply Irritated

This is a random ranting blog - probably won't be long in words and won't be as "ranty" as "oh say" one of Charlie Sheen's ... but this is just one of those days when things have gotten on my nerves, let's count the Top 10 of today, not necessarily in the order from 1 to 10 ... just the way they popped out of my brain:

1.  Twitter - period - Twitter you actually suck, why do you not always work for me - where do you hide the "mouseover" options under my followers names, why do you decided sometimes simply to make me type that @whoever before I can type a message back to them.

2.  That I cannot "get over" Twitter, it is a better "quick" news source than Facebook - or it used to be!  Now that everyone in the world of Twit feels they need to Retweet everything about everybody to people who are not interested in those people OR I WOULD BE FOLLOWING THEM MYSELF.

3.  That Facebook has made the option of actually responding with section breaks a thing of the past ... enter to enter the comment --- come on Facebook, you so encourage bad things.

4.  The fact that I could NOT play Zuma Blitz first thing this AM -- come on Pop Cap you should never have anything break down!  I mean don't you know I'm addicted to that game?

5.  That I am so addicted to Zuma Blitz.

6.  People who don't trust me and live by a different standard of what they do and what they expect you to do -- very irritating -- time to "clean house" and not worry about it anymore.

7.  The fact that yesterday it was 90F, windy and sunny and today it is 46F (40F with windchill), windy and moist -- yet we will get no rain -- and today was Yoga in the Park day.

8.  The fact that Tom Zirbel's sanction was cut down to six months .... I like Tom, don't get me wrong .... what irritates me is the "reason" his sanction was cut short .... Tom did not receive a shortened sentence because a certain punk is getting off scot-free with a bending of the "zero tolerance" rule ... but "because he aided the agency in two separate anti-doping cases."  Fine, let's add snitch to convicted doper.  (For any non-cycling friend reading this one "the agency" is the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

9.  The fact that it is taking forever to:  a) get my house clean, b) get my body slimmer - because it refuses no matter what I do, c) for my left knee - is still jacked up from Oklahoma - to heal, AND d) that I desperately need a vacation and Mouse World is still 52 days away.

10.  The fact that I'm now feeling all "whinny" and have been out-of-sorts all day -- really sucks the life out of me ... I must take steps to remedy this - because I like positivity better, it gives off much better energy and a prettier aura!

Excuse me, I'm going to go have some cheese with my whine now

(and)

Funny but "Rainy Days and Mondays" always cheers me up, such a talent lost to the world.

When We Share - Author Unknown

When we share laughter, there's twice the fun; 

When we share success, we surpass what we've done.

When we share problems, there's half the pain; 

When we share tears, a rainbow follows rain.

When we share dreams, they become more real;

When we share secrets, it's our hearts we reveal.

If we share a smile, then our love shows;

If we share a hug, then our love grows.

If we share with someone on whom we depend,

That person becomes family or friend.

And what draws us closer and makes us all care,

Is not what we have, but the things that we share.

Friends, by Definition

Friend:  A person in whom one knows, likes and trusts.

Trust:  Confidence in the integrity, ability, character and truth of a person or thing - one in which confidence is placed.

It is simply good on occasion to look up definitions of words of which you believe you know the true meaning, simply as a refresher and in assessment of the full extent of the word and how it applies to your life.

.... then when you find imperfections between the definition and what actually exists ....

Because things are what they are, and regardless of how you wish they were -- you really can't change them.

Random enough for ya Buddies? :-)



Wide World of Sports, Eddy Merckx, Cycling and Me!

I wrote the following blog on July 29, 2009 and posted it in my Facebook Notes section -- upon seeing Paul Sherwen's post via Facebook/Twitter this morning, I decided to bring it to my blogspot -- most of you have previously read it, but here it is again ... if for nothing else but my own rememberings and amusement on this day of the great Milan-San Remo 2011 Classic

Paul Sherwen:  ON THIS DAY – Eddy Merckx won all 7 of his Milan San Remo wins on March 19th - 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1975 & 1976.

AND let's remember the very first winner in 1907 - Lucien Petit-Breton (France)

... now onward to "old" material!

********
I have been asked, several times, how I got interested in cycling, so I thought a little note was appropriate. I always have been a sports freak and I alway participated in any pick up game of any sort I would find and also was on my high school varsity basketball, volleyball and track teams and college volleyball team. I loved to participate in sports, watch sports live and on TV, so the question for those “of my age” is: who remembers the ABC TV Series Wide World of Sports? This show introduced me to sports that, as a child living in the Southwestern United States (mostly West Texas), I would never have been introduced to. WWS was also accompanied by the Olympics, when they rolled around every so often, in expanding my sports brain beyond football, basketball and track!

One of these sports that I was introduced to was cycling and one cyclist in particular, Eddy Merckx. At best WWS would show 15 minutes of the Tour de France and even less of some of the “other” races they might show - because it has been a slow sports week! But, this was enough as a young girl of 12, who loved the romance and drama of man (and team) pitted against other adversaries, elements and terrain itself, to be absolutely hooked into the world of cycling.

Eddy Merckx's show of tenacity, intelligence and courage sucked me right into the sport of cycling and I craved more and more cycling. I have images burned into my mind of the “Cannibal” climbing the famed mountains of the Tour de France, on much smaller and dirt roads. I believe, that in addition to my parents who taught “us” to fight at all cost in the face of adversity, that I learned even that much more about courage and tenacity from Eddy and the riders that followed.

Later I cheered for Bernard Hinault and then American Greg Lemond as they battled tooth and nail and I was sad when Lemond had his accident and all thought his cycling career was over, and yet it wasn't and I cheered his courage and tenacity as he battled Laurent Fignon for those tiny 8 seconds. (Of course, my opinion of Lemond has been tarnished as the years have past - but one thing that can't be denied, he was a large part of cycling coming to America.)

As I drifted along watching WWS, the Olympics, nightly news and any other news source I could find about cycling ... all the sudden something else happened! It seems a young American rider was starting to make a name for himself in Europe - was it really possible, then I saw him ride, I saw that fire in his belly and eyes and thought to myself “Hang on, this could be very fun!”

Welcome to the Lance Armstrong era, I remember once again being “sad” when I heard the news of his cancer and remember thinking “well that's it, game over” (my Mother had died from cancer, so in my mind - no one every defeated that disease) ... and we know the rest of that story!

Episodes of joy in cycling development - I remember my sheer happiness (and screaming and running to my husband and telling him about it) when I found my first race ticker ONLINE! How is that possible, this wonderful bit of technology called the Internet allowed me not to have to wait and scrounge for news about cycling, or find magazines where the news was 2-3 months old - I could following it online LIVE with the tickers that could occasionally be found ... AND then ABSOLUTELY-- What? Live TV coverage, unheard of ... and now, as we all know just about any race, any time on the internet and not just our ticker ways ... live streaming coverage!

Cycling and I have come long way since a young girl sat on the edge of her seat and watched those beautiful 15 minutes of cycling coverage on Wide World of Sports ... to now when some days, I'm totally on cycle information overload -- what a fabulous overload to have! So, anyway, hope you've enjoyed my little rambling trip down my cycling memory lane -- when I say I've been into cycling for many years, I really mean MANY years!

Note to Non-Cycling Friends: So, if you ever have the want to learn more about the beauty of cycling .. just give me 2 or 3 days and I'll fill you in on the best sport in history!

Side Note: The “other” sport that WWS (and the Olympics) got me hooked on .. yeppers, hang onto your saddles -- Curling! Another game of tactics, teamwork and nerves of steel!

*****

Have a Supermoon Day my Buddies - go forth be Great and Conquer!

The Original Myrtle Hughes

My Grandmother's Sister: Myrtle Hughes

Back-Story - The Rest of Myrtle's Story (Part 2 of 2)

Okay, so as promised - here's the rest of Myrtle's story ... well a "Reader's Digest" version, this is afterall a blog AND you all know how long winded I can get! :-)

Myrtle Hughes was born in Carthage, Missouri in January 24, 1860.  Her father (Nathan) was a blacksmith for John Shirley and her mother (Lizzie) worked in his tavern, as a cook.  After the Union attacked Carthage and the Shirleys left Carthage for Texas, Myrtle and her family also moved to Texas hoping for a better life. 

It was in Texas that Myrtle grew up with her role model being John and Eliza Shirley's daughter - Belle Shirley Starr.  The Shirleys and Hughes being Southern sympathizers often gave notable outlaws such as the James and Younger brothers, former Confederates, providing them a hiding place. This is where Myrtle and Slim became well acquainted with how to get around the law and make a living .. outside of farming.

After a bit Myrtle met Justin Bishop, got married and had her only child, a daughter, Vivian ... and continued the life of "less than legal" endeavors.  Justin decided to branch out into larger endeavors and was shot and killed during a bank robbery. 

Things became difficult with the law always watching Mrytle and Slim, so she convinced Slim that they need to move up to the Indian Territory and live/hide out with Belle on the Starr's ranch, which they did.

Then Belle was shot and killed February 3, 1889 and when Myrtle and Slim were trying to figure out what to do next ... they heard of the Oklahoma Territory Land Rush set for April ... so they decided this was the perfect opportunity to hide out until the day of the land rush and be ready to stake out some land and start a new life, well sort of!  Being a "Sooner" was not easy with the Federals always on the prowl, but Myrtle and Slim had become good at skirting the law and managed to not get chased out of the territory, so they got the land they wanted on the day of the Rush.

They settled in around Bushy Head and set up shop :-) farming just enough to hold appearances and not theiving any more than would start to raise eyebrows.

They are attending the social for really only one reason, as they are running low on cash and are checking out to see who has money -- pretty easy since they are being really open during the bidding on the lunch baskets.  But, also this is not to say they don't mix business with pleasure and manage to have pretty good time at the social.

Now let me tell you that Myrtle has her eye on that hard-working - not so legal himself - Jud Fry and she absolutely doesn't understand why he is so interested in that stick of a blonde girl -- so she takes the opportunity to "dig" Laurey when Curly leaves with Gertie ... "Looks like Curlys' took up with that Cummin's girl."  Her hopes are really "dashed" when Jud keeps bidding on Laurey's basket and then he bids everything he has and lost it anyway!  This ticks Myrtle off and just a bit later Jud comes up missing his hard-earned cash, but he never finds out about it since he gets in the fight and falls on his own knife -- a pity, but Myrtle thinks a well-deserved "pity" :-)

By the way Myrtle doesn't cook -- that's why Slim always is trying to bid on and get a basket, so we can get some good eats ... but we always loose because thieving needs to be done and at the moment we only have 2 bits.

As far as Will Parker goes, Myrtle had her eyes on him for Vivian BUT Will only has eyes for Ado .. and she thinks ... what's with these men anyway?  But Vivian likes Joe and he is a cowboy and has potential (at least for having his pockets picked a little later!)

****** So, now you know - mostly - the rest of Myrtle's story (and the majority of my back-story for Oklahoma) ******* this is what happens when an ensemble member has too much time to think!

I hope you've enjoyed Myrtle's little story -- go forth and be great my Buddies!

Back-Story, a Theatrical Tool (Part 1 of 2)

Before I start ... thank you - goes to Preston Willis, who took the fabulous photo included in this blog - YOU ROCK!!

Do you ever wonder about an actor in an ensemble of a musical? Who are they - why are they - where'd they come from ... I don't mean as an individual "today" person ... I mean as the person they are in the musical.  WAIT, you say, they don't have a story in the musical they are only there to sing and dance and lend support to the leading actors.

Well, "nay" I say - every actor (even leads) - in my humble opinion - need a back-story in order to know what motivates them to do certain things they do within the musical - not just because the play says they do this or that ... or even not just because the Director says to do this or that -- even though that is the best reason to do something! :-)  This, I believe, also should take place within a non-musical ... but once again, only my humble opinion!

As in literary back-stories where you learn about the character throughout the writing, for an ensemble member their theatrical back-story does not reveal itself within the context of the musical, but only through the acting of the ensemble member.  I personally use this tool in every musical I'm in (and if I ever branch out and try those "things" without music :-) I will probably use it there too!  The back-story only exists if the actor prepares one and not all actors do.

I also rarely share my back-stories, but I've let bit out in my dressing room - so I've decided for Oklahoma, why the heck not share - so here goes:

To start - in an early rehearsal Tim Jebsen (the Executive Director of Midland Community Theatre ... and director for Oklahoma ... for those of you who do not know who he is) paired us and asked us to make up a quick story of who we were and then the couples had a short "meeting" and then tried to figure out who everyone was by the actions they took ... it was a fun exercise by-the-way!

My partner had a name within the play "Slim" and I had no name (that developed later though), we decided that we were in the Oklahoma Territory because we were thieves looking for the "less than legal" opportunities.  I made the suggestion that we were siblings and later throughout the rehearsal process I gained a daughter, when her beau begged with her "Please don't make me dance with your mother again!" :-) LOVED IT, kept it!  Also, by this time - I decided that Myrtle was a good hearty name for my character - I had a Grand Aunt with this name who died at the age of 20 in 1904, making it an age appropriate name for this show - so thus it was.  Once again when Tim divided the ensemble into cowboys and farmers ... Slim and I made the farmer cut - so we are "sort of" farmers and proud of it! 

Family Portrait (L-R):  Vivian, my daughter; Tom, "he who is watched!"

Myrtle :-); Slim, my bro; Laurey, my adversary; Ellen, my adversary's friend

and on the porch Aunt Eller, who Myrtle envys because everyone loves and listens to Aunt Eller!

So, what do you know about my Oklahoma ensemble character so far?  We are siblings, thieves and part-time farmers.  My daughter does not know what her Mom and Uncle Slim really do for living - as an actor she is aware of it - and her beau really doesn't like dancing with "me" :-) AND I watch him like that hawk "making lazy circles in the sky" -- so he better be good to my daughter -- ROFL !!!

Soooo, there's the start - no, it isn't all of it and I will share the rest in the next blog -- because let's face it, I ramble on and on and on ... and this first part is getting long! 

So have a great day Buddies -- and stay tuned "for the rest of the story!"

Trash Walking

Okay, so Neal and I go out for our evening walk and I had noticed - turning our corner earlier (in the car) - that there was a Church's Chicken box in our front yard ... well it seems like not only was the box there BUT also a couple of chicken strips and sauce ... um, I wonder - were they just full and chunked it out the window?  Supper anyone?

So, as we walked I started taking notice of the trash on the streets and my brain started to wonder:

1.  Empties:  Coke bottle, Sprite bottle, Fusion bottle, Gatorade bottle - along with many and various squashed versions .... really, are they walking along and just drop the empty?  Do they just chunk it out the window of their car - really?

2.  Toy truck tires - all four - minus the truck itself ... okay, I mean all four little tires were there together - no toy truck - did the kid only want the truck body?

3.  A squashed - completely flat - magic marker ... how many times did that take for it to be run over ... I mean totally flat!

4.  Various papers - yes we are talking in the road.  I can see maybe one person missing one - but there were many along the route.

5.  A competitor of Church's Chicken ... a Kentucky Fried Chicken (although they don't call it that anymore, isn't it just KFC?) ... regardless, there was yet another food box - sans any type of chicken this time.

6.  The top of a tire gauge -- yes, just the top - I guess they do break.

7.  A small ball - left abandoned on the side of the road - away from any house, just rolling down the road in search of a home.

8.  A hairclip - I guess I can see dropping a hairclip and not missing it.

9.  A shoe lace -- just one, makes me wonder about the other one.

Okay, it is a toss up as to which of the last two is the actual winner, I thought one was ... until I came across the other -- so I'll post in that order!

10. A nose -- yes a nose, you know one of those plastic kinds with the string that goes on your face -- looked to be in perfect working condition :-) just lying in the middle of the road!

11. ..... then just about one block from our house --- a pair of thong panties, all wrinkled up amonst the dirt and leaves along the curb -- I mean, okay - I guess these could have been dropped, but once again they looked in good repair and were pretty - NO, I did not pick them up (I looked from afar) :-)  How do you loose a pair of panties - in front of your house, maybe, and not miss them AND never see them laying in your front yard in the street?

Weird, just weird -- come on people gather up those belongings and keep them out of the road!  Don't force me to walk around them and blog about it!!

I hope your day went well Buddies!!!