** In Honor of Mother's Day **

In honor of Mother's Day, I had breakfast on this lovely glass plate and cup set. (which I whipped up myself, and no, my husband did not serve me breakfast in bed! I much rather have coffee or iced tea, later, on our deck!) I have a set of 8 of these, which were my mom's.

When I was very young, she used these when she was the host of her Bridge Club. Two or three card tables and chairs completely filled our tiny living room. I remember hearing strange phrases like, "Three No Trump", "One Diamond", "Pass", or "No Bid", etc. The funniest of all, of course, was the player that was The Dummy!

I loved seeing my mom get all dressed up and have women friends over to our house. Another happy memory...in the book!

Oh, by the way. My breakfast is my absolute favorite: a slice of any kind of pound cake, topped with vanilla flavored low fat yogurt, topped with fresh strawberries, topped with granola cereal! YUM!

And, I drink my coffee black. I make it really weak at home, which is what I prefer, but I can drink just about any kind when I'm out!

"You're not fat. You're just pleasingly plump". -- Rubyism

P.S. I only have one song on my Play List today: "Ruby Baby" by Dion, in tribute to my mother: Ruby!

 This song was really popular in the mid to late 60's (after my parents' divorce). My brother Mike, older sister Jo Ann, and I all loved this song and would jitterbug to it in our living room. (Jo Ann had a 45 record of it and our hi-fi just about wore the grooves off of it.....hey, do you think that's where the phrase "Get Your Groove On" came from??...) Mother was more of the Glenn Miller-type, and we got our kicks out of calling her "Ruby baby"! She would laugh and said, "Oh you kids!"  Ahhh, another sweet memory!

** Happy Mother's Day **

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Although some of our own mothers are deceased, they are still a part of us, aren't they?

This is one of my favorite pictures. It's my mom, my dad, brother Mike and me. It was taken around 1957-1958 in Fort Morgan, Colorado. We were on one of our summer vacation trips visiting relatives.  My two much-older sisters were both in college at that time, so they didn't come along with us.


My mother and I are wearing the ever-so-popular "Mother/Daughter Dresses" which were very "in" at that time. My mother sewed them herself and I thought they were quite special.

We look like the All American Happy Family, don't we? It's hard to believe that just about five years later, my parents divorced. Dad pretty much abandoned us. Mom did the best she could, being thrown into an entirely different life than she wanted, or ever envisioned.

There's so much more to the story, and a great deal will be included in  my book.

"You don't always get everything you want in this life." -- Rubyism

** My Contest For The Month of May **

I'll be having another contest sometime soon, but I haven't made a decision about the rules or the prize(s).

I have a few different ideas, all quite scathingly brilliant, to once again borrow Ms. Cathy C.'s favorite expression! (The first time I read that on Cathy's blog, I was in shock! I thought I was most likely the only living person who loved that movie, "The Trouble With Angels" and still remembered those lines. They were uttered quite often by Hayley Mills' character: Mary Clancy.)

Okay...since it's almost 1:30 am, I think I'm getting a little loopy, don't you agree?
More to follow tomorrow! ☺

"Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation." ~ Author Unknown

** Colossal News About Tiny Lights **

I've mentioned Tiny Lights several times. It's a "Journal of Personal Narrative";  an online and print publication that I write for. I received their newsletter today, "Sparks" and was so surprised (and thrilled) to see that my fabulous friend, Tammy, is the featureed writer this month on Searchlights and Signal Flares! Way to go, Tammy!! The question for this month was, "What is the difference between lying and pretending?" Please head on over to Tiny Lights and read a little bit about Tammy and her response to the question. After reading it, you'll see why she was the chosen one! Tammy's writing never ceases to amaze me. I always envision myself bowing down to her, like Wayne and Garth, in "Wayne's World"....."I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!"  ☺

Each answer is short, so please pop on over there and check them out. Another name you may recognize is one of my newer blog friends: Jenny Matlock! Good to see you on there again, Jenny!

There's also questions for upcoming months, calls for submissions, and a place to sign up for the Sparks newsletter. Anyone can submit an answer to the monthly questions. Just send 'em in, and as long as they're quality writing and not of "unprintable" nature, they will be published!

Tell Susan Bono "hello" and tell her Becky sent ya!!

“A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.” -- Unknown

** Talkin' About My Book & Changin' My Music"

Tonight I decided I'd like to share some tidbits about my book, beginning again with the title, for those of you that are new to my blog. It's part memoir and part current thoughts & observations.
The title is: That Crowbar Changed Everything!

(Yes, I did, indeed, have an "episode" involving a crowbar that may have altered the course of my life.)

Here are just a few chapter names:

Year of the Grasshopper Plague
Armpit of the USA
I Was NOT a Hippie!
He Called Me "The Tank"
Riding the Rails Alone
My Very Own Mayberry
Frostbite From a Turkey Neck


I also plan to include some old B/W photos from my childhood.

And I plan to include some of my mother's favorite sayings. You've seen those before referred to as: "Momisms". But, since my mother's name was Ruby, mine will be called "Rubyisms".

Just writing about it and posting it on my blog, makes me happier & more excited about working away at it!

** I also decided it was time to change the old Play List again. I needed some lively, rockin' songs! **

"We all have our 'good old days' tucked away inside our hearts, and we return to them in daydreams like cats to favorite armchairs." -- Brian Carter

** My Beloved Canine Companion **

I can't believe I was able to snap a picture of Tiger, sleeping like this! And, with my cell phone camera! I had to sneak up very close to take it. Neither the sound or the bright flash woke her up! Doesn't she look adorable???    ** I forgot to mention that I particularly wanted a picture of this, because her tongue is sticking out a little bit! I wonder why? Maybe she was giving me "the raspberries"! **

** It's a Tea Cup Tuesday **

I'm joining Martha's Favorites Tea Cup Tuesday, via Susan at Writing Straight from the Heart. I hope I'm doing all this correctly!

A couple of weekends ago, when my friends Sherry and Rita and I went on a Girls Weekend Getaway, we stopped at a couple of antique shops and flea markets. I searched  immense areas to find some pretty tea cup and saucer sets that were priced "just right"! This is one of my precious "finds"!

This is a demitasse size set and I just fell in love with it because of it's size and color of flowers, but also because of the fluted edges on the rim of the cup. Kind of petal-like, I think! 

The top of the cup measures about 2 inches, and the plate about 4 inches.

I forgot to take pictures of the bottoms, but it just says: Hand Painted. Made in Japan.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like my tea cup set!

* Another Crazy Day in Paradise (?) *

The question mark in the title is because Monday had been a somewhat aggravating and somewhat pleasant day. And, it's really a carry-over from the weekend. Hey, I just had that perfect day last Wednesday, so what more can I really expect or hope for? Sometimes, it's those minor irritations, that when they keep repeating themselves (or his-self..) that a person just wants to shut her-self in her office and play on her blog all day! (What was the most pleasant part of my day, you may ask?...Hearing my beautiful chimes tinkling, and being with Tiger....and my son, Scott....or, and my son, Mark, stopped by for a couple of minutes...and..and....Well, I guess it was a pretty good day after all.) ☺

Okay...here's some "THIS 'N THAT" stuff.

My friend, The Turtle Lady has a page on facebook. She offers daily tips on "relaxing, breathing, generally keeping your cool"...AND because I read her tips, talk to her in person and on the phone sometimes (yes, I did say "my friend"!)...I manage to not blow my top, when I might think  I'd really like to! Please go visit The Turtle Lady and tell her that "Becky" sent ya!

I just found this writer, Kelly O'Connor McNees. She is highlighted on Judith Ryan Hendricks' blog, which is called The Kitchen Table. Click on the link to learn more about Kelly. She helped me discover another writer I wasn't familiar with: Laurie Colvin. I plan on adding both Kelly and Laurie to my list of authors whose books I want to read! That list just keeps on growing!


* Oh, I wanted to mention that whenever I write about any person, or any "product" I am NOT receiving any kind of compensation, whatsoever, from any person or place. I just like to share information about some of my favorite people and things!*

Since it's almost 1:00 am on Tuesday morning, I think I'll just say, Ta - Ta!

"Some days are diamonds, some days are stones." ♪♫♪ -- John Denver