Friday Happies!

Enormous sunflower at Mom's.

What's up, y'all? Is it just me or have the days and weeks just been flying by? It feels like I just put together a Friday list like two days ago! Wowsers. Well, it's time to get some happy juju flowing to gear up for the weekend.

Got any plans? I've got a few, but they mostly involve...well, I'll guess you'll find out on Monday! Now heeeeere's the list!


*I love this hat for Fall & Winter. I want to wear it and pretend I'm Carmen SanDiego, or some other woman of mystery and intrigue.

*I really enjoyed this young lady's article about Hermione and the need for strong, intelligent female characters in literature (and TV and movies etc. etc.). Well done, you!

*This thought has crossed my mind too.

*I love a tassel. I have a feeling if I owned these, I'd just rub my face on it all the time. Also, nerd-alert...love the name (Potterheads, am I right?).

*I'm fairly certain that this is what I sound like talking about any subject I'm interested in, and all my friends and family are my Bill Cosbys...Cosbies? I'm going with Cosbies.

*Some ABC's for happiness!

*Just makes me smile every time I see it. Shake it!

*I was late to the game to find Kid President, but I just adore him and the message. This one made me  laugh and tear up and feel so inspired and joyous. That means its time to do something!!! What will be your Space Jam?! Just love it. Play ball. 

*Well, this may have been me this week! It may have been, but I've still gotten in nearly seven miles so far!

*How I missed this the first and second time around, I know not. But I literally donkey laughed while washing dishes the other night when it came on. Dickies, yo!

*A great Carol Burnett  show with Betty White (looking damn foxy if I say so), Steve Martin and of course Vicki Lawrence (Thelma Harper woot woot!!).

I hope y'all laugh and smile and have a wonderful weekend, and if you have to work- you can make it through. Keep your gratitude higher than your expectations and it'll be a damn good day (or two in this case).

Later, y'all!

La Musica!

Little me, cutting a rug way back when. Looks the same now, by the way.

One of the things I've realized over the years, during what I have caught myself referring to as the "dark ages" i.e. many years of a depression that varied in depth, is that music fell away from my world a lot.

Music always was something that made me happy. It was a part of my childhood, and an enormous part of my teenage and adult years. It was only recently that music began creeping in more into my life again after years of a personal music-desert (sort of). I laughed today when I realized there were months I wouldn't listen to music at all! Before I dipped into the pit, so to speak, music was on all day, every day. Nonstop. I went to concerts regularly; incredible, perspective & life-altering concerts. I sang. I dreamed actively of getting over my paralyzing fear of singing in front of people to realize a bucket list-type dream of performing. Ugh.

Throughout the "dark ages", music would slip in every now and then, particularly when there was something so good I couldn't resist it (and right when I got married there were several months of memory-making happy music), but honestly there has been or was a void inside. Lately I've realized that that void has started to fill back up with music again. The hubs and I have been listening to a lot of records on the ole turntable and playing Spotify through our television from the laptop. As I write this, in fact, Miss Lucinda Williams is crooning to me with her lovely raspy and lilting voice.

There is a magic that happens in the pit of my chest when I'm listening to the right music at the right moment. This magnificent resonance and a happy trance-like situation overcomes me and I cannot help but move my body and/or sing. I can feel my brain and spirit catching fire like sage brush during a lightning storm. It feels incredible to touch that again. To see it sitting across the room making eyes at me.

So, in honor of something so big returning to my world, here is some music that makes me happy or moves me. Share some of your favorites with me because I'd love to know!

Lucinda Williams.

Sally! (Salvatore Geloso, always takes me somewhere good & makes me miss New Orleans).

Jimmy Fallon with Meghan Trainor, saw this last week and a friend reminded me of it this week. Just makes me smile.

A few years old, but I still love it.

Another oldie, but it makes me laugh every time I watch the video and I always have the song stuck in my head afterward. 

This video just makes me happy and reminds me of great house parties back in the day.

And the perennial classic. You've heard it a million times, but listen- really listen. It's the happiest damn song!

I hope you have a truly wonderful day! Take some time to play some music that makes you happy. It can change your entire day.