Kookie Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb

Do you remember that song?

Do you remember Kookie on 77 Sunset Strip?

77 Sunset Strip ran from 1958 to 1964 -- I was old enough to have a crush on a movie star, but too young to do anything about it! I was absolutely crazy in love with Kookie -- played by Edd Byrnes. He was just too cute! Of course, I based my love interests on looks, I'm sure like every other young girl who ever sat in front of a TV or went to a movie! Actually, all the guys on 77 Sunset Strip were pretty good looking, if I do say so myself....  But Kookie.... (I think he might have been the model for the Fonz with the hair thing... LOL)

I don't remember this song, but ya gotta love the lyrics (and that awful dress). I don't remember talking like that either -- of course I was in the last of elementary school and the very beginning of junior high and probably only the high schoolers said stuff like "I'd be a straight cat" or "I'm beamed in on dreamsville" -- how silly that sounds now!

I, however, trained myself to say "hey" instead of "hi" since hey was cooler. (Was "cool" even used back then, except for weather reports?) And besides, I grew up in properly southern Louisiana, not in California with the wild surfers and the movie stars and the cool cats!

Anyway, here are the lyrics so you can sing along with the video -- grab your comb!


Lyrics by Irving Taylor; Male voice, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes; Female voice, Connie Stevens


F: Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb
Kookie, Kookie?
(snap, snap)

M: Well now, let's take it from the top
And grab some wheels
We'll wheel along and talk about some
Kookoo deals

F: But Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb
Kookie, Kookie?
(snap, snap)

M: Now you're on my wavelength
And I'm reading you just fine
Don't cut out of here til
We get on cloud nine

F: But Kookie, Kookie
(snap, snap)

M: I've got smog in my noggin
Ever since you made the scene

F: You're the utmost

M: If you ever tune me out
Dad, I'm the saddest, like I'm green

F: The very utmost
Kookie, lend me your comb
Kookie, Kookie?
(snap, snap)

M: Man I've got my burners lighted
And my flaps are gonna bend
You're gonna send me to that planet called
You know it baby
The end

(short saxophone interlude)

F: Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb
Kookie, Kookie?
(snap, snap)

M: If you ever cut out
Then I'd be a straight cat
Cause when I'm flying solo
Nowhere's where I'm at

F: Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb
Kookie, Kookie?
(snap, snap)

M: What's with this comb caper, baby?
Why do you want to latch onto my comb?

F: I just want you to stop combing your hair
And kiss me
You're the maximum utmost

M: Well, I'm beamed in on dreamsville
And I'm moving right now
Cause that's the kind of scene that I dig

Baby, you're the ginchiest

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


If you'd like to see the other handsome guys on the TV show, check this out! It shows the show's intros through the years, from the time Kookie was the car valet till he was a full-fledged Private Eye! And the full theme song is at the end.

Stick with it, it's fun to watch! Check out the car!

~ sharing Kookie over at AlphabeThursday where we are studying the letter K


Baby, you're the ginchiest!
♥♥  

Dreadful, Despicable and Downright Disagreeable

Sometime in the first few days of June, I took it upon myself to clear out some vines that were taking over a portion of our backyard fence. I had just bought a pair of garden loppers and was anxious to try them out on the various vines and limbs that were beginning to irritate me.

So, whack whack whack, off with the vine on the fence! Snip snip snip on some small tree limbs hanging where they shouldn't be. Stuff it all into a trash can to be hauled away by the garbage guys.

I didn't work long, probably about 15 minutes -- I am not a gardener and don't enjoy that sort of thing (although, I secretly wish I did... 'cause looking at the gorgeous flowers grown by fellow bloggers make me want to see if my black thumb would turn green...) Anyway, I went inside and considered that enough yard work for the day.

Fast forward a few days -- I wake up with a couple of raised red bumps that I thought were bug bites of some kind.... then the next morning there were more and I was getting creeped out. Off go the sheets! No bugs in sight. I vacuum around the baseboards and tell hubby I want him to spray.

Next day, more bumps. And the next. They're getting bigger. I'm freaking out! I had been using Cortizone 10 that I had on hand but needed more so when we went to Target for a few things, I showed the pharmacist the bumps and asked about something to use on them for itching. She asked if I had been working in the yard recently, because it looked like poison ivy!

Smack me upside the head! I hadn't thought of poison ivy -- only being bombarded by some creepy crawly! I was actually relieved that it was only poison ivy....

"Leaves of three, let them be"

Poison ivy even has its own special poetry

Only poison ivy....  HA!!  I'm about a week and a half into this now, and believe me, you don't want this horrible stuff. The cortizone keeps the itchiness down but there are a few places that seem to itch all the time and when the stuff wears off.... OMG!!!  Sometimes I phantom scratch.... hubby calls it "air scratching" LOL!

It's growing up the tree

I turned to my pal Mr. Google and found out all manner of things I didn't want to know... I confirmed that the vine was, in fact, poison ivy. I won't show you pics of my arms and legs lest you run away screaming in fear and disgust but suffice it to say that I did see photos of other arms and legs that looked just like mine -- and lots than were worse -- I'm the one running away in fear and disgust now!!

Way up the tree

all the way up that tree...

I swear I have never seen this stuff on the fence before now 

so apparently it's pretty fast growing.

I also learned that the urushiol oil from poison ivy (the stuff that causes the breakout) stays potent, essentially FOREVER unless deactivated!! You not only have to wash it off your body, you have to wash your clothes and garden tools too. An allergic reaction is possible for a year or more if the clothes were never washed. Can you imagine?!

"Side leaflets like mittens will itch like the dickens"

(Another little poison ivy rhyme)

Do you see the mittens?

I started thinking back and knew which shorts I had on (yeah, I know -- shorts and gardening don't mix, but it was on an impulse) and I hadn't washed them but had worn them again. Hubby calls them my "uniform" since I typically wear them a few times before washing. (Oh, quit it, you know you do the same thing...) I'm thinking, well the rash on one of my legs right at shorts level was spreading -- could this possibly be because of the shorts??

So I started washing -- hot water, hot dryer. I've washed those shorts and my gardening gloves four times now. I've also washed the sheets, just in case, although it can't be spread by anything except direct contact with the vine. So my shorts can be a carrier of the oil, but not my sheets. But I still feel better washing them. I even washed every t-shirt I own as an added precaution!
Hot hot water.

Yikes! I found some by the shed....

But I also found a homemade concoction made of Dawn dish washing liquid, vinegar and Epson salts that's supposed to get rid of it without the harsh chemicals of the store-bought stuff.

We'll see what happens, if it ever stops raining...

And we won't even speak about how much I'm itching.... and itching.... and still itching....

And so I will leave you with something much less itchy and awful...
.

Do you remember this little ditty? From The Coasters, recorded in 1959.

Measles make you bumpy
And mumps'll make you lumpy
And chicken pox'll make you jump and twitch

A common cold'll fool ya
And whooping cough can cool ya
But poison ivy, Lord'll make you itch

~ sharing this despicable plant over at AlphabeThursday where we are studying the letter D

Don't get too close to your monitor, or you may be next!!

♥♥

Eli Young Band

I just found out something pretty exciting... in the How Cool is This category....

My son, Adam, was Production Manager on a music video for the Eli Young Band -- and it's been nominated for the CMT Music Awards in the Group Video of the Year category!! (In case you don't know, CMT = Country Music Television.)

Of course, Adam downplays everything but I know he's pretty stoked to have been involved in this project! He has produced a number of Indie films and also has been production manager on various others -- this in addition to traveling the globe in pursuit of music festivals (actually promoting films) -- it's a hard job but someone has to do it :D

Anyway, it's a cool video for a very cool song -- "Drunk Last Night" -- and no, it's not a crazy drinking song, but a very thoughtful and low key one. I like it!

The video was shot in several locations, all in Oak Cliff, Texas which is a historic neighborhood south of downtown Dallas. Adam is heavily involved in the arts scene there, including being a partner in the Texas Theatre. (Get out your history books, it's where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured!) Adam and his partners have restored it and it's now become a local hangout for classic and indi films, as well as a neighborhood tavern and art gallery. 

And if you'd like to vote for this video, go right here! The show airs on June 4th!

~ sharing on AlphabeThursday where we are studying the letter Y, and on GRAND Social


♥♥

An Evening with Josh Groban

I remember seeing Josh Groban when he was just being introduced, probably on David Letterman or The Tonight Show. He was something like seventeen and already had that beautiful baritone! (Or, as he says.... baritone-ish!)

from his new album All That Echoes

 Wednesday night he was in concert at the American Airlines Center

(home of the great Dallas Mavericks)

Note the parking lot -- this is where we parked..... at $30.00 a pop! Yikes! But, with all the construction and extra traffic between our house and Dallas, what should have taken a half hour took considerably more, and so we chose the $30.00 lot right outside the entrance lest we be late! 

After standing in line to get inside (we already had our tickets) and after the purse check and scanner check, we were ready to find our seats! It took a couple of tries to find the right aisle, but once we were there, we had great seats! 

What was really great was that the concert was in the round, so everyone's seat was a good one! Josh and some of his band walked around the stage so that there was always someone to watch. The center area was elevated and the round stage surrounded the band. There were three sets of drums! A guy on trumpet and another on violin were some of the band members highlighted.

Judith Hill was the opening act and was outstanding! You might remember her from last season's The Voice. She was (shockingly for sure) eliminated but obviously caught the eye (or ear!) of Josh Groban! Great performance.

Getting things set up for Josh. Can you see the guy on the upper right mopping the floor?

The drummer on the right was so good!! 

He could have been a show all to himself!

These looked like damask curtains, see-through and fluttering

There are eight screens, four back to back, so you can always see what's going on. Josh said that was a freaky thing for him, a guy who is basically shy, now seeing himself on eight screen all at the same time!

  

The lighting was excellent! 

I couldn't capture the full effect but it was beautiful!

Josh plays a mean drum too!

All in all, a wonderful show

I think my hubby now has a man-crush on Josh! He said that he had never seen a performer so humble and so willing to put his band members and chorus in the limelight, and take it off of himself. 

sharing Josh over on GRAND Social

♥♥

Hanson Rox

So do you remember "MMMMBop" from the pop rock group Hanson?

I do -- my daughter was in Junior High when they first appeared and, oh my, such swooning going on!

left to right -- Isaac, Zac and the ever wonderful Taylor

They appeared locally and I took Stephanie and several of her friends to see. Oh the screaming of high pitched girl voices!

I'm going to marry Taylor, she declared.

Her best friend's mom took them on a road trip to Oklahoma to see them again in concert. They spent the night and the next day found their house (they are from Tulsa). It's just a regular house, Mom! And I touched their mailbox!  Oh my, be still my heart -- their mailbox -- what could be better! They wanted to storm the house and ring the doorbell, but friend mom thought maybe that wouldn't be the best thing to do. 

Hanson posters, Hanson in magazines, Hanson VHS tapes, Hanson CDs. Hanson everywhere in her room!

"MMMBop"

They were cute guys.... and so young!

Now they have shorter hair..... and a bunch of kids!

Which brings me to an explanation of my title and the spelling of the word "rocks" ....

I am reading Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul -- you've no doubt read it, and if not, you should! Well, I should say I'm re-reading it for the third or fourth time. 

My daughter (the aforementioned Stephanie who was going to marry Taylor) gave me the book for Mother's Day in 1998. She inscribed it with some sweet endearments, and then put

PS -- Hanson rox!  : )

sharing Hanson rox over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter H




♥♥

50 Novembers

source

I think most everyone who can remember November 22, 1963 can pinpoint the place they were when they heard the news of President Kennedy's assassination.

I was in 10th grade, on my way to my civics class when the announcement came over the intercom. The halls were instantly silent, except for quiet weeping and shocked gasps. When I walked into my classroom, the teacher was sitting on his stool as usual at the front of the class, but this time he had a radio playing and a stunned look on his face. We listened to the radio and he did his best to console us. That year our class paper was to be on either the assassination or on some other subject that I don't remember -- I think all but one student wrote about Kennedy. I still have my report.

source 

Like the day the space shuttle Challenger exploded and 9/11/01 when our world was forever changed, I will always remember the day Kennedy's life was cut short and where I was and how I felt.

Our local ABC station was the one that broadcast the news that day to the citizens of the Dallas area and it is now doing a series of news stories and videos that are behind the scenes looks at the history of that day -- then and now -- leading up to the 50 year anniversary. Although I didn't live in the Dallas area at the time of the assassination, I have lived here for about 35 years and so am very familiar with such landmarks as Dealey Plaza, the Texas School Book Depository (which houses the Sixth Floor Museum) and the Texas Theatre.

One day recently I was happy to see that the story was about the Texas Theatre (check it out, there's a great video!) -- and am proud to say that my son, Adam, is a partner with three others in the ownership of that theater.  

The Texas Theatre was first opened in 1931 in Oak Cliff (a Dallas suburb) and was part of a chain of theaters owned at one time by Howard Hughes. It was an upscale theater and the first with air-conditioning in the Dallas area.

 

It was also where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested. 

Three rows up, five seats in

After a series of ups and downs and almost demolitions, the Oak Cliff Foundation purchased the building, did some renovations and offered it up for a permanent lease.  Enter Aviation Cinemas (the name is a nod to Howard Hughes) of which my son is a part -- which took over the lease and has done more renovations, turning the theater into a venue for art films, indie films, and blockbusters in 35 mm. No digital there! The Texas Theatre is old-school! They are helping to revive their area of Oak Cliff, focusing on the arts and participating in local happenings. Go here for some interesting facts on the theater!

Checking out the 35 mm film

The theater itself has become an enjoyable hangout for the artistic set with a bar where only vinyl albums are played on a funky little portable record player....

and walls where local art is displayed.

Art like crazy movie posters

Old cartoons are shown on the wall in the lobby. You can watch while you're enjoying a beer or cocktail and a visit with friendly folk.

A sea of red seats

There are 645 seats downstairs and there will be 300 to 350 more in the balcony when they get that opened. It was Dallas' largest theater when it was first built.

blankets are there for the patrons' use

(the theater gets cold!)

Sometimes you can play chess

Previous owners had walled over some of the great old architecture, but our guys scraped off what they could without jeopardizing the structure. Now there are "peep holes" that show the beautiful craftsmanship of old.

This shows the original stairs going to the balcony

Note the scroll work on the stair ends

If you would like to see videos and read more of the history surrounding that fateful day in Dallas, you can check out "JFK: Dallas, 50 Novembers." It's a pretty interesting read! I have bookmarked it so I can keep up with it if I miss one of the WFAA newscasts.

Please note: with the exception of the photos of Kennedy and Oswald, all of the photos were either taken by me on excursions to the theater, or from my TV as the story on the theater was aired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

---- For this week's music ----

 "Abraham, Martin and John" by Dion

sharing over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter F
and at Cottage Sweet Cottage for Rednesday

          


♥♥

Earl Grey and The Eagles

Let me introduce you to Earl Grey

Bet you thought I was talking about the tea!

But no, Earl Grey is one of our outside kitties -- kitties that have just shown up in our yard and decided to stay! Earl Grey was originally called Big Grey but that morphed into Earl Grey and sometimes Big Earl.

He's a large cat and, until recently, visited us in the late afternoon for dinner. He apparently has found better digs for now -- I've seen him walking across the street so I know he's okay -- he's just not coming here anymore. 

Old Earl first showed up when (as it turned out) the two outside kitties that were already here (you've already met Cali Mae and Patio) decided that it was that time for them.... I didn't even know that Patio was a girl for crying out loud (they are too skittish for us to get near)! Anyway, Earl came a-calling and decided that Cali Mae was his bestest girl. 

  

Earl's a pretty laid back guy

Can't you just let a guy have a sun puddle nap?

There, I'm turning my back on you! 

I can't see you so you can't see me.....

Long about the same time, Blackie came on the scene and set his sights on Patio. This is when I was shocked to find out that Patio was a she! 

From Pokeberry Patch on Etsy

they kinda look like Earl Grey and Cali Mae!

So in a lovely outdoor wedding, the two man-cats took their new brides on a backyard honeymoon, and some months later, kittens were born. Two mamas, same day, five kittens.

Oh the papas were so proud! 

But, and here's why Earl Grey no longer comes around to visit his bride and offspring... Blackie has taken over as top daddy cat! Earl only comes in the front yard from time to time and mourns the loss of his fatherhood. (Yeah, right!) I kind of miss him -- he's a handsome man-cat with a beautiful grey coat!

This is one of Earl's kittens -- he and Cali had two -- this cute grey one and another that looks just like Cali. The kittens are about ten weeks old now.

Cali and Earl Grey, Jr 

(no, we're not naming any of the kittens!)

(I'll show you the rest another day)

Earl Grey is a great tree climber. Can you spot him?

There he is!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and, drum roll....

----- For our musical moment today..... The Eagles! -----

singing "Hotel California"

♥♥♥ Hey! I'm now using Bloglovin' in addition to Google Friend Connect so I'd love for you to Follow my blog with Bloglovin 

Sharing Earl Grey and The Eagles over at Miss Jenny's for Alphabe-Thursday where we are studying the letter E
and sharing Earl Grey on Camera Critters

♥♥