Category Archives: songs

Festivities 2022 – Part II.

December 19, 2022carols, christmas, dining, holidays, songs, tips for gracious livingbarbecue, bbq, chanukah, christmas, christmas carols, concert, dining, entertainment, hanukkah, holidays, music, old houses, orchestra, people watching, philharmonicThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

Being the holiday season, Best Friend and I decided to attend an evening at the philharmonia orchestra, where the playlist promised holiday songs from classic to popular. It was that, and so much more.

We dressed warmly since the weather was chilly, and that called for something hot to eat. We began our evening with a hot meal of barbecue at an establishment near the performing arts center. As Best Friend noshed on beef brisket and I on pulled pork, we noticed a trio of old houses across the field.

After eating, we drove past the houses, I grabbed the addresses, where further research revealed that they were built in 1924. Two of the houses have one bedroom and one bath, with a whopping 620 square feet of living space. The third house is a two-bedroom, one bath with 727 square feet of space. The houses need quite a bit of work to return them to their original glory, and I wished that my research had a glimpse of their interiors, but sadly, there was none.

We arrived at the performing arts center and took our places in the orchestra left center seating. The auditorium was packed; I didn’t see an empty seat, but then, I wasn’t inspecting every row. I was entertained with the visuals of the incoming patrons before the concert began.

There appeared to be a favoritism of red sweaters and vests throughout; so much so that when I spotted a woman wearing a sparkling forest green pantsuit, it was a feast for my eyes. Unfortunately, I was unable to snap a photograph of her fashion statement.

And speaking of fashion, we saw everything from ripped jeans to three-piece suits to sequined blouses to ugly sweaters over yoga pants. There were so many different fashions that it would fill a book – which might be a thing to do for me, one day.

There was a young woman who sat in front of me. Her fashion statement was interesting. Her long hair was a bright turquoise blue, save for the black roots, and she was heavily made up, right down to the tarantula-like false eyelashes. She wore a beige velour top that barely covered her tuchus, and her black suede high heeled boots came well above her knees. I could only whisper to Best Friend at this sight, “Hi, G. I. Joe. I love you long time.” To which Best Friend replied, “Five dollah.”

The music was good, as was the singing, to an extent. This philharmonia orchestra (as they call it) is a group of volunteers who do not necessarily sing and play musical instruments as their full-time employment. For example, one of the singers is a preacher who has his own congregation in an adjacent county. Best Friend nicknamed him “Country Jesus Elvis.” I will leave the idea here for you to picture him in your own imagination. I silently panicked when he started going up and down the aisles singing his tunes, and I dearly hoped that he wouldn’t get as far as our row. After all, if he was going to encourage patrons to sing, too, I don’t do that for free, and I knew that wasn’t coming. Thankfully, he never got as far as our row.

The music in the second act was jolly in its own way, but it did not follow what was printed on the playbill, for there was a bit of juggling around to add several more songs. I wondered if the singers were becoming tired, for the usually peppy songs and the more religious ones were sung almost at a dirge-like tempo.

All in all, it was a pleasant evening for the both of us, with a few visual curiosities not on stage thrown in for good measure. Though the orchestra was not what we thought it to be – we anticipated a more reverent experience that a philharmonic orchestra brings – we got sort of a cruise ship-Disney feel to the entertainment. With that in mind, the entertainment was still worthwhile. We’ll just know for the next time we are looking for philharmonic rather than Disney.

We have several more festive avenues to experience before the arrival of Three Kings Day. I will be sharing some of them with you over the next several weeks.

In the meantime, keep your holiday season festive.

As ever,

Lady Susan Marie Molloy

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Gracious Holiday Living – Part III.

December 15, 2022at home, christmas, etiquette, gratitude, holidays, manners, songs, tips for gracious livingappreciation, attitude, blessings, count your blessings, gracious living, gratitude, holidays, moviesThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

As Irving Berlin wrote in his song, “Count Your Blessing (Instead of Sheep),” written for the 1954 movie, White Christmas:

When I’m worried and I can’t sleep

I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

When my bankroll is getting small

I think of when I had none at all

And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

There is so much from which to learn, for those 43 words give much food for thought. Even I sometimes fall into the doldrums from time to time, particularly when events and people from outside the walls of The Oasis at Four Queen Palms to enter and upset the pacific atmosphere here. I know that they do not deserve that power, and for the most part, I don’t let their silly nonsense infiltrate. Yet, it isn’t a 100 per cent stoppable guarantee. Life happens; it’s how I handle the garbage that counts. With that said, I discovered a 1913 book by Fannie Dickerson Chase, Good Form and Social Ethics, which also puts forth a cornucopia of points for us that are well worth the time to ponder. Here, I will share some of what she wrote:

Do not be a slave to other people’s opinions. As I see it, don’t be a willow tree in the breeze, bending this way and that, taking other people’s opinions as your own. Don’t fall into the “your opinion is my opinion” mantra. Gosh. To me, and to others, that means you have no thoughts of your own, and we mind as well just be talking to ourselves.

Be quick to forgive. If we are still marinating in something we think another person did to us years ago, let it go, for Pete’s sake! Learn from what happened and stop wallowing in it.

Magnify your joys. The world is, and always will be, filled with grief and ordeals, but it is also filled with good and rewards. To alleviate one’s own bitterness is to remember that other people are experiencing even heavier trials and emotions.

Hear accurately and speak accurately. No one likes to hear misinformation, nor gossip.

Do not be a servant to your moods. By the same token, don’t drag others into your moodiness. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It is not productive, nor becoming.

Do the right thing. Be honorable, keep your promises regardless of how you might feel towards the person to whom you made that promise.

Be slow to discredit another’s word or action. It is best to believe in others until you find absolute substantiation to not believe in them.

Do not be soured and worried by disappointments. Take your disappointments gracefully, for they have been given to you for a greater purpose.

Do not be thoughtless. Lapses of courtesy does not bode well.

Be truthful. If you fib your way through life, one day, people will – and they do! – eventually discover that you’ve been a fraudster.

Be sympathetic. You may not really know the true story about the other person.

These, and the many other points that are made in the book, are words to live by throughout the year. I bring this topic up now during the holiday season to point out that this time of year should be more joyful, more calming, and more twinkling than ever. Yes, the world seems to be careening towards the Dark Side more and more each day, yet we need to maintain the sanity, happiness, joy, and true good in ourselves despite the ugliness. Don’t let the Devil overtake your life.

Make your holiday season classy.

As ever,

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Looking Beneath the Surface.

December 5, 2022carols, christmas, christmas carols, holidays, songschristmas, holidays, music, music review, songsThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

We awakened early this December morning. The crisp, cool air felt lively on my face as I opened the kitchen door to let in the outdoor air. At 58^oF (14^oC), the crisp air was a welcomed burst of freshness. The sunrise, though short, was a pretty ombre of yellow, peach, and pink strewn across the eastern horizon.

One of my Christmas traditions is listening to holiday-themed music. This year is no exception. For us, we began playing songs last Thursday, and continue every day, even if it’s only for an hour or so.

We turned on the music for a bit of festivity. Whilst listening, “The Little Drummer Boy” sung by Andy Williams popped up. This is the song whereby a little kid goes to Bethlehem to bang his drum for Baby Jesus since that was the only gift he could give. Ra-pum-pum-pum-a-dum. I listened closely to the lyrics this time. I heard something that struck me – or rather, it was something I didn’t hear that struck me:

Mary nodded . . . the ox and lamb kept time . . .

But wait! What about Saint Joseph? Where was he, and what was he doing at the time? What was the donkey doing? There is no mention of either of them in this song.

Granted, the lyrics are what they are. But is it always necessary to know more? I believe so. This song always seems to lack the full story. It would make a better story for me to know that Joseph took the donkey and rode to the other side of Bethlehem for carry-out, maybe an order of falafel or at least Chinese (it’s a Christmas tradition for some, of course.) Knowing that Joseph was an honorable and providing man, he would make sure Mary had something to eat. She would have been pretty darn hungry after delivering Jesus.

Then there is “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rae. Gracious mercy! It is the only song I know that gives a play-by-play of driving in heavy traffic:

I’m driving home for Christmas

Oh, I can’t wait to see those faces

I’m driving home for Christmas, yeah

Well, I’m moving down that line

And it’s been so long

But I will be there . . .

At this point, why is it that the singer “can’t wait to see those faces?” Where has he been? Why the surprise? Was he in jail and just got sprung? Was he in the service and is home on leave? Or is he one of those people that pops up during the Holidays, hoping for a wad of dough-re-me or a stack of presents? There is no clue. Yet, this song goes on with descriptions of heavy traffic:

Top to toe in tailbacks

Oh, I got red lights all around

For a bit of translation from British English to American English, “tailbacks” is a British term for bumper-to-bumper traffic. Honk your horns! The singer judges the guy in the car next to him:

I take a look at the driver next to me

He’s just the same

Just the same.

I still want to know the reason the singer is going to surprise the people at his destination. Is his intention respectable or nefarious?

I prefer the traditional carols with singers who sang with no electronic enhancements. Today’s singers? Well, they yell, holler, and scream. You don’t hear their voices; those “voices” you hear are the artificial creations the sound engineers create, along with the instruments’ sounds.

Right now, Bob Dylan’s version of “Must Be Santa” is playing. It has a polka beat.

Oom-pa-pah.

Good heavens.

As ever,

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Gracious Holiday Living – Part I.

December 1, 2022christmas, etiquette, holidays, manners, songsadvent, appearance, christmas, christmas cards, christmas carols, christmas tree, class, clothing, etiquette, fruitcake, holidays, language, menu, respect, songsThe Oasis at Four Queen Palms

I was in Vermont last weekend, among the pines, snow, and elegance.

Well, to be more clear, Best Friend and I watched the 1954 movie, White Christmas, and the movie transported me to a more beautiful era. That is where I was for a couple hours – in post-War Vermont. The characters in the movie were always well-presented, their hair always combed, their clothes pressed, and they exhibited civil decorum, even during a spat. It struck me that today, our society has sadly fallen to something in the hideous department.

While I was growing up, we had three sets of clothes – a uniform for parochial school, Sunday clothes, and play clothes. We kids always wore our Sunday clothes all day on Sunday, to church and at home. Play clothes were just that – for play. And I don’t need to explain the uniform for school; it’s self-explanatory. Yes, there was a time that one did not wear pajamas to school and church.

I was horrified at the institution of casual Friday at work, and the public styles of students when I was attending college in the 90s: uncombed hair, pajama bottoms, pajama sets, ripped clothes, bedroom slippers, and smelly body odors.

To quote Kelsey Grammar’s Frasier Crane, “What fresh hell is this?” was my thought.

These days, people generally make fun “the olden days” of the years prior to this – ahem – casual-sloppy style. They shudder at the thought of the days when you presented yourself well in and out of the home. When you never left home with your hair still in curlers or your face unshaven. When ripped clothes were not the fashion. When language was respectful and not bombarded with the f- and s-words. Oh, that’s so old-fashioned. You get the idea, I’m sure.

This season, many of us will find ourselves in the mix of parties (office, family, friends). Even if the gathering is among your immediate circle of friends or family, do you dress up? I mean Ladies, do you comb your hair, put on a little powder and lip gloss, and wear your best clothes (not those yoga pants or jeans)? Gentlemen, do you eschew those ripped up jeans and faded sweatshirts and don your dressy trousers (pressed, of course) and a nice polo shirt (at least)? Do you have clean and manicured nails?

Recently, I thought about the manner of dress these days, and there is something that our predecessors were on to – being well-presented was respect for oneself and respect for others. I don’t see that generally these days. Dress up – really dress up – for the parties and events you will be attending this season. It is a fact that when you are well-presented (no sloppy clothes at church, for example), you feel better about yourself, and you produce better. It is a fact.

Now, you might find yourself the butt of jokes if you show up at a holiday party this season dressed up, clean, and classy. Honestly, I was in that situation many times. I invariably attended functions dressed appropriately for the event, and that meant a dress and jewelry for the opera, tailored clothes for the office, and neat clothes whilst shopping. There were people (strangers, mostly) who made fun of me for wearing a nice outfit to a function. There were co-workers who laughed at me when I didn’t wear (what I consider) loungewear on casual Fridays (remember that debacle that started the sloppiness at work?)

Even at home when I spend the day there, I rarely don’t wear a bit of make-up, but at least I comb my hair and wear nice clothes, and my nails are clean and manicured. The times I won’t wear something nice at home is when we are pulling weeds or cleaning house, for example. Those situations call for work clothes.

Yet, physical appearance is not all that is profoundly lacking these days. In the language department, do you let vulgar language flow freely from your lips, not caring who is around you? It isn’t becoming nor befitting. Moreover, today’s vernacular is vulgar and tasteless and does violence to the ears and the hearer. This is so very unfortunate since the English language is rich with wonderful phrases and singular words that make it a pleasing language without the f- and s-words used abundantly as verbs, adjectives, nouns, determiners, prepositions, and interjections. I don’t use vulgar language because I don’t believe it’s lady-like or intelligent. I’ve been made fun of for this, and there have been people who, when they learn this about me, will ramp up the vulgarities in my presence or within earshot. In fact, when I worked at an air traffic control facility, the vulgar language was de rigueur. Nearly everyone out of the 75 people that worked there used vulgarities – men and women! And when I asked these “offenders” to please not speak that way to me or near me, I was met with shock (at first), then laughter in the break room that was near my office. Yes, I could hear them make fun of me. There was a time, dear readers, that when women were in the same workspace, the men watched their language. It’s passé in this era. Women are known to let that filth fly with the best of the men. That, dear readers, says more for those people than anything. People that purposely do what you disdain for whatever reason (religion, upbringing, et cetera) in your presence have no manners nor compassion nor class. Be bigger than that. You will reap wonderful rewards as a result – others will think highly of you, you will be more of a delight to be around, and you will feel better about yourself, too.

Best Friend and I decorated The Oasis at Four Queen Palms for Christmas. Up went the tree with a few presents underneath, and it looks inviting this year. A dangly beaded ornament was inviting to Mademoiselle Kitten one evening when the tree was lit, but she quickly learned it’s a no-no toy for her. Rat Terrier and Doxie are oblivious to the tree. Just as well.

Baking is on the near horizon in my kitchen; the cookie dough is made and frozen until such time. The fruitcake is busy fermenting, and my menus are being finalized. We have a few concerts to attend. And, of course, we have a slew of Christmas-themed movies we are watching, and we play Christmas carols every day.

One of these evenings, in front of the crackling fireplace and with carols playing in the background, Best Friend and I will start writing out our Christmas cards.

Make your holiday season classy.

As ever,

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