Thursday Thirteen #368

13 Brat Packers. I recently watched the Hulu documentary BRATS, Andrew McCarthy's reflection on what it was like to be considered a member of that 1980s phenomenon, The Brat Pack. My favorite part of the movie was when it was established that no one really has a definitive answer to who was in The Brat Pack.

The term was coined by David Blum in a 1985 article about Emilio Estevez and how Estevez and his twenty-something friends/co-stars enjoyed their fame and popularity. Then it expanded to include the cast members of the hit ensemble youth movies St. Elmo's Fire and The Breakfast Club. Sometimes actors who appeared in the movies Pretty in Pink and Taps are included.

Here's the thing: The Brat Pack never actually existed, so there's no real right/wrong answer to who was in it. The following 13 just seems to be -- to borrow from another movie -- the usual suspects.

1. Emilio Estevez (generally acknowledged to be the Head Brat)

2. Judd Nelson

3. Rob Lowe

4. Andrew McCarthy

5. Demi Moore

6. Ally Sheedy

7. Anthony Michael Hall

8. Jon Cryer (who denies being a member)

9. James Spader

10. Mare Winningham

11. Sean Penn

and his fellow Oscar winners

12. Tim Hutton

and

13. Robert Downey Jr.

Tom Cruise is undeniably the most commercially successful actor of that generation yet he's seldom mentioned as a Brat Packer. I don't know why, since he was in Taps. I guess it's because most of his movies were starring vehicles and not ensemble pieces.

Oh well, BRATS is a fun watch if you were a movie goer in the 1980s.

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

Volunteer Day

I clocked nearly 7 volunteer hours at the annual library book sale. First I built boxes for the book sorters to sort into, then weeks later I was reunited with my boxes, now full of fiction, mysteries, sci-fi/fantasy, classics and young adult. I took them out of the boxes and placed them onto the designated sale tables.

These labors earned me the right to peruse the books that were left after the sale and just take whatever I want. Free. In years gone by, this made me practically drool with delight. But, since losing Henry and John and seeing how hard it was to dispose of their stuff, I've been rethinking this. This year I took just two freebies:

•  Jack Kennedy: The Illustrated Life of a President (a coffee table book for me)

•  Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies and Jays (for my bird-loving friend, Joanna, who has been going through a rough patch) 

And now for my annual observation.  Every year there's a book donated in bigger numbers than any other; a book many of my neighbors bought and then decided not to keep. I suspect it's a tome chosen by local book clubs. Without further ado, here's the dubious honor roll:

2024: Water for Elephants

2023: My Life by Bill Clinton

2022, 2019, 2018 and 2017: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2016: The Help

2015: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest

2014: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2013: The DaVinci Code

2012: Sixkill (a Spenser Mystery)

2011: The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

2010: Scarlett, the Sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind*

2009: My Life by Bill Clinton

2008: The DaVinci Code

2007: The Nanny Diaries

2006: The Corrections

*For a time I thought Miss Scarlett was going to retake the #1 spot, but Water for Elephants ultimately overtook her.

Sunday Stealing

 Summer

1. What is the hottest temperature you've seen this summer so far? One day in June it hit 98º. This scares me because our hottest month is usually August. If it's 98º this early in the season, the prospect of August is sticky and icky.

2. What is your favorite summer beverage? Coke. Though the urologist would prefer I say, "Ice water with a splash of lemon." Much better for my kidneys.

3. Have you seen any fireflies/lightning bugs yet? Cicadas? I finally saw some cicadas in late May. I was disappointed that, in this neighborhood, "the invasion" was something of a bust. We've had a lot of new construction here in the last decade, and that uprooted lots of trees. Hence, fewer cicadas. 😞

4. What are the last 3 things you bought online? 1) I sent a package of rulers via Amazon to a local back-to-school supplies drive and 2) Neutrogena wrinkle cream from Ulta.com and 3) Florastor probiotics from CVS.com. Scintillating, isn't it?

5. Where do locals go to cool off? We stay indoors in the a/c. There's a shallow fountain between the movie theater and the ice cream parlor and kids find splashing in it irresistible.

6. Where did you buy your last postcard and what was on the pc? I bought this postcard at the shop where I work part-time. I sent it to our friend Gregory to thank him for the wonderful job he did planning our friend John's celebration of life.

7. What's your favorite summertime scent? I'll go with lemon, since I'm supposed to be adding it to my ice water. (See #2.)

8. What kind of a/c do you have - central, room, fans only, chillers, none and what temperature do you set it to? I have two air conditioners, one through-the-wall for the living room/dining room and a small window unit for my bedroom. There's no a/c for the smaller bedroom ... which gives me yet another reason not to have anyone visit overnight. (I hate having company.) 

Here's a photo of a through-the-wall unit. I include it because I once loved a guy who grew up in Denver and lived for a time in Austin and he thought they were the damndest thing he'd ever seen. They are very popular in multi-unit buildings here in Chicagoland. Especially in older buildings that went up before central air was commonplace. Through-the-wall units enable each tenant/unit owner to cool their own unit exclusively and pay their own energy costs.

9. Do you have a summer vacation planned and if so, where are you really going?? No summer plans. I went to Los Angeles in April for the TCM Classic Film Festival and will be traveling to Michigan for Christmas with my niece. (Why ask where I'm "really" going? Why would I lie?)

10. What are your favorite summer activities? I like to cheer, and boo, and raise a hullabaloo.

11. What's your favorite summertime food? I like chicken salad, or sometimes tuna salad, when it's too hot to eat warm food.

12. Did you ever go to summer school? Nope.

13. What's your favorite summertime memory? I have many. One is from the summer between second and third grade. I took lessons at the high school and was so proud when I could swim the length of the pool. I had no speed whatsoever, but I did it! (Backstroke, too.)

14. Do you like fireworks? Only on the 4th of July. Around here, the sound of fireworks can be confused with gunfire and it's scary.

15. How do you feel about the longer days of summer? 👍

Today is a nightmare come true

After Bobby Kennedy was shot at the conclusion of a political rally, before he lapsed out of consciousness forever with Rosary beads in his hand, he asked, "Is everybody OK?" Today, after being shot during a political rally, Donald Trump asked for his shoes, pumped his fist, and said, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Now I'm not going to make fun of Donald Trump, the way he and Don Jr. both made fun of Paul Pelosi after being attacked in the Pelosi home. I'm not going to imply that Trump was shot by enraged and spurned gay lover, though I have just as much evidence of that as the Trumps have about Mr. Pelosi and his assailant.  

I'm not going to call it a false flag or a set up. I'm not going to question how an assailant could get to a former POTUS and candidate who has Secret Service protection, the way the MAGA World questioned how the man with the hammer got past security measures to enter the Pelosi home. 

I'm not going to mock the pink bald spot that was evident as the Secret Service pushed Donald Trump into the van and into safety. Though I am sure if it was reversed, Trump and his supporters would be mocking Joe Biden's vulnerability. 

I'm not going to dismiss today's events with a facile response about "sending thoughts and prayers," while blaming mental health issues and not guns for what happened.

I'm an American. I remember the President's and Bobby's assassinations. I remember Dr. King and George Wallace. I remember two attempts on Gerald Ford and one on Ronald Reagan. Those memories are as much a part of me as the vaccination scar on my left arm. They haunt me. Today is a nightmare come true.

I'm a Chicagoan. I live in a city awash in guns, despite strict laws, because they come floating through our porous borders from Indiana and Kentucky. Sorry, Mr. Trump, but if I'm going to "Fight! Fight! Fight!" it's to keep you out of office and get real Federal laws passed that successfully restrict handguns and automatic weapons.

I'm a Christian. Though I won't be a hypocrite and deny that I despise Donald Trump, I will say that my first thought when I heard the news was, "Please love him, God." No one wins when a gun goes off. Deplorable MAGA cruelty coarsens and diminishes us all.

I pray for soul of the MAGA supporter who died today.

I pray for the full recovery of both Donald Trump and the as-yet unnamed supporters who were also injured.

I also pray for, and will work for, his defeat in November.

Guns are never the answer. Violent rhetoric is never the answer. How I wish Trump's words had been "Is everybody OK?" instead of "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer (1963)

 Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Nat King Cole sings about enjoying "soda and pretzels and beer." Which of those three would we find in your kitchen right now? Soda (Coca Cola).

2) The lyrics mention a romantic movie. Which movie couple do you believe had onscreen chemistry? I hope Harry and Sally lived happily ever after.

3) He wishes "summer could always be here." How has your summer been so far? Too hot! My favorite-most ballplayer, Anthony Rizzo, is on the injured list. I miss my friend, John. Sometimes I wish we could just fast forward to pumpkin spice. But then I remember I like the little things about summer, like not having to wear socks and that the sun is still out at 8:00 PM, and I'm happy again.

4) According to the song, a great warm weather meal includes sandwiches and weinies. Tell us about your perfect sandwich or, if you prefer, what you believe is the ideal way to dress a hot dog. First I spread mayo along the inside bottom of the bun. This is key. Then I add relish or pickle. (Depending on what's available.) Then the hot dog. Finally ketchup. Only slather one condiment on top of your dog. Trust me: If you put too much on top of the dog, it will just dribble all over your shirt.

5) Nat was a big baseball fan. Growing up in Chicago he played sandlot games and listened to Cubs games on the radio. As an adult he was a season ticket holder at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Do you enjoy playing/watching baseball or softball? Only as much as I enjoy breathing. Unfortunately, just because I love Major League Baseball doesn't mean it loves me back. This season has been hard, especially with Rizzo struggling so. At least there's this guy. Shota Imanaga is a joy! Our only All Star. So deserving!

He just shut out the Orioles!

6) The lyrics of this week's song were written by Charlie Tobias, who wanted to create a sense of nostalgia for summers gone by. Share one of your special summer memories. I remember riding around in the backseat, listening to my dad sing along with this song on the radio. He was not a happy man, and little moments where I sensed he was truly enjoying himself stayed with me.

7) In 1963, one of the best-selling books was Happiness Is a Warm Puppy by Charles Schultz. The cover showed Lucy giving Snoopy a big hug. Name another character from the Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown.

8) Also in 1963, men were wearing thin, solid-color ties. Later in the decade, ties would become wider, patterned and more colorful. Where do you turn to keep up with fashion trends? I don't really bother anymore. When I want to add to my wardrobe, I check out Thredup for ideas.

9) Random question: Would you rather be a cowboy or a pirate? Cowboy! I'd much rather ride a horse than sail on a ship.

 

Thursday Thirteen #367

Thirteen iconic hairstyles and the women who wore them. Through time, the way we wear our hair has been a way we express ourselves. Women have been known to change the cut, color and style to reinvent ourselves after a big birthday, new job or a breakup. Here are 13 of the celebrities who have influenced hair fashion.

1. Louise Brooks. This silent film actress helped define The Roaring 20's with her short, shiny bob.

2. Veronica Lake. In the 1940s, her peek-a-boo style was so pervasive that she was asked to do this public service announcement, encouraging women working in war production plants to follow her lead and change their hair.

3. Marilyn Monroe. Dyed blonde curls that looked soft and moved gracefully helped define the 1950s.

4. Brigitte Bardot. Her undone beehive represented sexy European chic in the 1950s.

5. Jacqueline Kennedy. "Helmet hair." Full, backcombed hair that did not move. She didn't mean to start a trend. In the late 1950s she wore her hair much shorter, but felt it made her face appear too big in photographs. With her husband about to embark on a presidential campaign, she adopted big hair that framed her face and made her head look better proportioned. It amused her that women all over the world emulated her and adopted a high-maintenance style she only wore to correct what she felt was a personal defect.

6. Mia Farrow (before). When Peyton Place premiered in 1964, Mia Farrow as Allison MacKenzie defined adolescent innocence with her long, straight white blonde hair and bangs, reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.

7. Mia Farrow (after). Two years into the series, Mia shocked viewers and launched another fashion trend with her extremely short pixie cut.

 

8. "Mama" Michelle Phillips. When the lead singer of the Mamas and the Papas made the center part California cool, bangs became passe. 

9. Angela Davis. Activist Angela Davis embraced her natural, God-given hair and popularized The Afro.

10. Farrah Fawcett. A feathered cut with lots of volume, created with the help of hot rollers.

11. Princess Diana. Her face-framing shag was flattering even to non-royals.

12. Jennifer Aniston. The look that launched a 90s trend. Friends was on for a decade, and Jennifer Aniston only wore "the Rachel" for Seasons 1 and 2, but the public embraced it for much longer.

13. Billie Eilish. The singer popularized hair colors not found in nature, always with black roots. 

How many of these styles have you worn? How many have you seen on the street?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

All those photos!

Tuesday night was John's celebration of life, held at his favorite bar. I was not very involved with the planning. It was Gregory's show. I helped him with his eulogy and the text invite, but beyond that, he handled it -- and did a lovely job.

When I was in the rideshare headed over, I realized I didn't really want to go. A party didn't feel appropriate ... for me, that is. I knew it would be exactly what John would have wanted. I wasn't sure how many people I'd know. John spent so much time at that bar and I hadn't been there in a year, when we celebrated his birthday. Would it be filled with his bar buddies? What would we talk about?

As soon as I entered the bar, I was overwhelmed. There I was, over and over and over again. Big video screens throughout the bar showed me and John exchanging gifts in front of the tree, John and me triumphantly raising our fists after riding The Hay Baler at Great America, me and John performing a duet of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" at his 40th birthday party (29 years ago), John and me in that very bar a year ago as we celebrated his birthday and watched the Cubs-Yankees ...

Unbeknownst to me, Gregory and John's Cousin Lori had discovered a trove of photo albums that John's brothers had missed when they went through his personal belongings. While I wasn't in all the photos, I was honestly shocked that I was in at least 40%. Because of the way the video screens rotated their content, I was always looking at my own face, right there with John's, beginning in 1981 and up until 2023. 

"Of course," Gregory said when I commented on how prominent I was. "You were one of his favorite people." I was moved.

Then a middle-aged man in a cap (probably to cover his bald head) came up and said, "Gal! What are you drinking?" I told him I'd like a cranberry juice and vodka and when he ran off to get it, I told Gregory I didn't remember him. 

"That's Sebastian," Gregory said, reminding me that we saw Diana Ross together at The Chicago Theater together, back in 2014. I couldn't believe he remembered me! When he returned with my drink, we reminisced about that night and the Thanksgiving we all spent together. About how John was so good at bringing like-minded people together. Throughout the evening, Sebastian and I kept drifting back to one another. I was touched he remembered me so fondly and vividly, and it made me happy that John shared his life and his friends with me.

Then there was Steve. Looking older and more frail than I recalled him, he said, "Gal! There's someone I want you to meet!" He introduced me to Monica, the "original mother" of the skinny cat who brought us together. Back in the 80s, Monica was worried about Steve who had just broken up with his lover. They went to the Anti-Cruelty Society together and she convinced Steve to adopt the cat for company, to cheer him up. He'd never had a cat before and didn't know what to expect, but he certainly didn't expect this one. She was positively kinetic and he couldn't handle her. John to the rescue! He told Steve that I was a Crazy Cat Lady, that I had a way, that I could make it work and give that cat a good home. I renamed her Wilma and we were together more than a dozen years. Again, because of John.

I went to the bar and ordered a second drink. The bartender, a girl of about 25, told me it was on the house. I went around to John's regular stool and left $25 on the bar as a tip in his honor/memory. We were told it was a cash bar, and if she was giving us drinks for free it was costing her money. She saw what I did, came around the bar and gave me a hug. "I remember you from last summer! John was so happy you enjoyed the game here on his birthday!" 

Then the manager came over, extending his hand. "Where's your Anthony Rizzo jersey?" he asked. He said he was happy he was the one who took the picture of my and John together here at the bar last summer, one that kept popping up on the video screen. I thanked him for that last photo of us together.

Toward the end of his life, John could be so annoyed with me. It hurt and confused me. Intellectually I figured his irascibility was age, illness and discomfort, but emotionally it hurt.

Tuesday night I learned what I guess I knew all along: John loved me. I was as big a part of his life as he was mine. Gregory was right, I was one of his favorite people.

I'm so glad I went to the celebration of John's life, after all. I've been so angry at him for not taking care of himself, so angry at him for dying, so bereft with missing him that I missed something very important.

He loved me. As much as I loved him.

Gregory said he was looking into having all those photos burned into a CD for me. I hope he does. That would mean a great deal to me.

 

Photo by Harper Sunday on Unsplash 

 

 

WWW.WEDNESDAY

 

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott. In 1950, young Jessica Malloy idolizes Ingrid Bergman. She has a closer connection to her favorite movie star than other fans, since her dad is Ingrid's publicist. And dad has a supremely tough job in 1950 because Ingrid is pregnant, out of wedlock and by a man not her husband. America in the days of Joe McCarthy goes apeshit, and Jessica tries to make sense of the controversy, the impact has it on her family, and what it means about life and love.

 

The Washington Post said of this novel: "(it) comes at a perfect time to remind us what happens when conspiracy theorists and authoritarians are loosed on the land." I just saw Dr. Fauci interviewed. Conspiracy theorists -- the ones who embraced Hydroxychloroquine, who insisted he had a financial stake in Remdesivir, who still eschew the vaccine -- are still threatening him and muddying the good doctor's career and legacy. Well, fuck them. Are they evil? Are they morons? Are they the puppets of authoritarians? Maybe this Hollywood fiction will help me work that through.

2. What did you recently finish reading? Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall.  This novel takes us back to those tragic days before abortion was safe and legal, and though it's sent in Toronto, it's a harrowing harbinger of what the Republicans and Project 2025 want to return us to.*

 

It centers on three women living in three different time decades: in the 1970s, a girl is sent to a home for wayward women where she awaits the birth of her baby; in the 1980s, a young woman finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn; in 2017, a woman accidentally comes into possession of a letter with explosive information about a long-ago family scandal, and wrestles with what to do with it.

 

While the women are three-dimensional and are treated with the compassion they deserve, the plot and the writing isn't as solid. I was so fond of these women, I wish they'd gotten a better book, one that didn't depend so much on melodrama and circumstance. So while I'm glad I'm read it and would recommend it, I didn't love it.

I found the afterward, where the author explains that she is in her first trimester as the book is being edited, more moving than much of the fiction she wrote. Maybe just the stories of the women involved, without trying to force a plot that has them interacting, would have been more effective.

3. What will you read next? Don't know.

 

*I am personally opposed to abortion. My faith should not be the law of the land, because legislating one religion over another is unpatriotic. I've spoken to friends who are Jewish and agnostic and 100% respect their points of view, and whoever you are reading this, I respect yours, too. Just as I'd never force a woman to have an abortion, I wouldn't presume to forbid her, either. Because as a proud American looking forward to July 4, I respect the separation between church and state.

 

 

 

Teaser Tuesday

Here's how to play.

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall is historic fiction, set in Toronto in the recent past, before abortion became legal in Canada.

It's 1980. Nancy, a sheltered girl just out of her teens, accompanies a cousin "in trouble" to get an illegal abortion. It's a harrowing experience with pain and blood and the girls end up taking a cab to the nearest ER. Nancy is left alone in the waiting room while doctors scramble to save her cousin.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Nancy says. She doesn't plan on answering any of this doctor's questions, either.

"Your friend is lucky to be alive." Dr. Gladstone pauses, lowers her voice. "Listen to me carefully, Nancy. I don't actually want you to say anything specific. But if I'm on the right track, I need you to give me some indication that that's the case so I can provide the right treatment for your friend ..."

Counting backwards from 170

I am out $170. Money for which I am getting nothing in return. I am trying not to make this situation about the money, but I would be lying if I told you the money isn't upsetting.

Back around the new year, my oldest friend began saying she wanted to come to Chicago in August for The Fest for Beatle Fans. She could not afford to come last year, and we haven't seen one another since the Fest in 2022. The Fest is expensive and kinda dopey, but it can also be great fun and it's fitting my friend and I because we are Beatle bonded. We were first graders when we watched the Lads from Liverpool on The Ed Sullivan Show and fell in love (me with Paul, her with George).

So I was in. When she was still talking about the trip in March, I figured it wasn't just a daydream. I put in for time off work and asked my friend if it was OK with her that I reserve the hotel room. The hotel room is key. My oldest friend has mobility/health/anxiety issues. If we're in the hotel where the fest is held, all she has to do is roll out of bed and get on the elevator. No decisions need to be made in advance. No concerns about stairs or steps or ADA-complaint vehicles. If reservations were made at least 90 days in advance, we'd get a special nightly rate -- $170 vs. the regular $204. 

She told me to go ahead. I sent her a copy of the confirmation.

Then she stopped talking about the trip. I knew I was in trouble when I asked her if she had her flights. LAX-ORD is one of the nation's most heavily traveled routes. United, American, and Spirit all take off and land multiple times each day. Why my friend has trouble getting a flight is confusing to me, but whatever. Somehow everything in her life is more complicated than it is in mine. "What are the dates again?" she asked. Uh-oh, so she hasn't even been looking and she didn't retain a copy of the confirmation. Got it.

More weeks go by. No mention of the trip.

Finally, last week, I sent her an email asking her if she was still coming in. No answer. I sent it again, this time with a more wheedling tone. Yesterday she confirmed via text what I already knew: she's not coming.

Oh, she has reasons! Her health is precarious. Her landlord is threatening to evict her. All that is true. The thing of it is, though, her health was precarious and her landlord wanted her out back in March, too.

I was able to cancel the reservation, but to get the lower rate I had to agree to a one-night deposit/penalty. And so now I am out $170.

Her life is a battle. She is overweight and has a bum leg. She is diabetic and has trouble regulating her blood sugar. Her kidneys are failing. Her anxiety is often off the charts. 

She has no money. The cousin she moved to LA to be with has made it clear: my friend can't depend on her family. Her romance with Robert is no romance at all -- she has to deal with the man she's fallen in love with dating other women -- but she hangs on because he is, quite literally, her only friend within 2000 miles.

Looked at through that prism, my heart breaks for her. It must take courage for her to face each day. 

Which is why I'm counting backwards from 170 and biting my tongue. 

While I could be (and often am) angry at her for how she got into this mess, the fact is she's here. She is, fundamentally, a bright and funny woman who has fucked things up monumentally and, at 67, doesn't have much runway ahead of her to correct her course. Her life is hard enough without my judgement.

I love her. She deserves my compassion.

$170 is more than a week's pay at the card shop, so I'm disgruntled and infuriated. But more than that, I am just so sad about this whole damn situation. 

Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: The Star Spangled Banner (1991)
... because Thursday was the 4th of July and we're still celebrating!

Unfamiliar with this Whitney's rendition? Hear it here.

1) Whitney Houston originally performed this in front of over 73,000 at the 1991 Super Bowl. What's the biggest crowd you have ever been in? I scoff at 73,000! I've been in two of Grant Park's biggest crowds: Lollapalooza to see Sir Paul in 2015 (100,000) and most exciting of all, Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech in 2008 (240,000). It's funny, but I feel safer in a six-figure crowd of like-minded people than I do on an empty nighttime street.

2) Whitney's version of The National Anthem was released 10 years later, after 9/11, and the proceeds went to support New York's first responders. It was her last Top Ten single. What's your favorite Whitney Houston song?

 

 

3) Whitney's friends recall she loved lavender -- both the color and the scent. What's your favorite color? What's your favorite scent? I love blue and wear it all the time. My favorite scent is cinnamon.

4) Whitney had a sweet tooth and loved Fruity Pebbles. If you reached for a snack right now, would it be sweet or salty? Sweet. I have cupcakes in the kitchen. If you're very quiet, you can hear them calling my name.

5) Whitney's grave marker bears the words, "I Will Always Love You," so clearly her family is proud of her best-selling recording. How would you like to be remembered? To borrow from the phrase I heard all the time as a little kid, "A Girl Scout leaves a place better the she found it." That's still me. I hope I'll be remembered as someone who did good.

6) Going back to 1991, when this recording was first popular, consumers who had a cell phones likely had flip phones. Technology has come a long way, hasn't it? What did you most recently use your cell phone for? (Calling, texting, looking something up, taking a photo, posting on your blog or social media ...) Texting with Gregory about our friend John's upcoming celebration of life. His birthday was July 3. I feel like it's John's and my last birthday together. Still hurting over this.

7) In 1777, Colonists celebrated July 4 with the firing of cannons and muskets, followed by a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. What did your neighborhood to to celebrate the 4th of July? We had a parade.

8) The Revolutionary War still raged during that summer of 1777. General George Washington allowed his soldiers to celebrate with a double ration of run on July 4. Do you know anyone who is serving in the military this 4th of July? Nope.

9) Celebrity chef Rachael Ray says she considers mini-hamburgers, or "sliders," the All-American food. What will/did you dine on to celebrate the 4th of July? I had a hot dog.

Thursday Thirteen #366

13 facts about Independence Day. My July 4 will be low key, first working at the card shop and then watching Yankee Doodle Dandy on TCM. I'll be celebrating the holiday with my movie group on Saturday. It's fun to enjoy the camaraderie of friends and good food. 

And, speaking of fun, I enjoyed reading these.

About the 4th of July ...

1. There were 2.5 million Americans on July 4, 1776. There will be more than 340 million on July 4, 2024.

2. In the 18th century, it was considered unpatriotic to shop or conduct business on July 4. Today, our biggest retailers (Walmart, Target) and fast food chains (McDonald's, Taco Bell) will be open.

3. Emergency rooms are busy on July 4, due in large part to accidents with fireworks.

4. We like "liberty." 35 towns are named Liberty and 7 named Libertyville.

5. July 4th is the biggest day of the year for hot dog consumption. I've got weiners and buns ready to go!

6. Lots of musicians were born on July 4, from Stephen Foster to Post Malone. Former First Daughter Malia Obama was born on July 4, too.

7. Three of our founding fathers died on July 4 (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe).

8. Zachary Taylor died on July 9 of a stomach ailment, likely the result of spoiled fruit eaten at a July 4 celebration.

9. As President of the Continental Congress, John Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. (What a pretty signature it is, too!)

10. Edward Rutledge of the SC delegation was the youngest person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

11. We have had 27 iterations of our flag. The one we have now -- 13 stripes for the original colonies and 50 stars representing the states -- was adopted in 1960.

12. This is a time of celebration for North America. The Canadians celebrate the anniversary of their Constitution Act on July 1.

13. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was the first to declare July 4 a holiday. Today it's observed in all 50 states, American Samoa, Guam, Palau, Micronesia, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. (Perhaps more. Please don't regard this as an exhaustive list of our territories.)

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.