A Tasty, Sweet, Fruitful BlogCast

Daily writing prompt

List your top 5 favorite fruits.

View all responses

Talk about a “just phoning it in” Daily Prompt, huh? Correct me if I’m wrong, but, is not the entire purpose of these WP assignments to fire up the minds of writers / bloggers? Hopefully, have a similar effect re our subscribers, readers and passersby, too? Now, were I to “just phone in” my response, it’d be blog over in the scant time it takes to rattle off…

My Top Five List:

• 5. Apples (hmm… think trees?)
• 4. Bananas (how about a boat?)
• 3. Blueberries (maybe a thrilling hill?)
• 2. Grapes (perhaps a divine grapevine?)
• 1. Strawberries (a forever field, too?)

It’s the DJ / musicologist within, who’s now free associating re those above parentheticals; “recharging” said phone, too. Hence, I’ll be applying a musical spin to this post; to better entertain / enlighten you. So, let’s feast our ears and eyes upon the following, “fruit flavored”, tasty, sweet sounding, masterpieces…

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree ~ Andrews Sisters

“Originally titled ‘Anywhere the Bluebird Goes’, the melody was written by Sam H. Stept as an updated version of the nineteenth-century English folk song ‘Long, Long Ago’. Lew Brown and Charles Tobias wrote the lyrics and the song debuted in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. After the United States entered the war in December 1941, Brown and Tobias modified the lyrics to their current form, with the chorus ending with ‘…till I come marching home’” [Read More Here] btw, my 1st piano lesson involved covering Long, Long Ago.

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) ~ Harry Belafonte

“Belafonte described “Day-O” as ‘a [Jamaican Folk] song about struggle, about black people in a colonized life doing the most grueling work,’ in a 2011 interview with Gwen Ifill on PBS NewsHour. He said, ‘I took that song and honed it into an anthem that the world loved.’” [Read More Here]

Blueberry Hill ~ Fats Domino

“‘Blueberry Hill’ was an international hit in 1956 for Fats Domino and has become a rock and roll standard. It reached number two for three weeks on the Billboard Top 40 charts, becoming his biggest pop hit, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks at number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart. The version by Fats Domino was also ranked number 82 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” [Read More Here]

I Heard It Through The Grape Vine ~ Marvin Gaye

“The Marvin Gaye version was the second to be recorded, in the beginning of 1967, but the third to be released. It was placed on his 1968 album In the Groove, a year and a half later, where it gained the attention of radio disc jockeys. Motown founder Berry Gordy finally agreed to its release as a single on the Tamla subsidiary in October 1968, when it went to the top of the Billboard Pop Singles chart for seven weeks from December 1968 to January 1969, overtaking the Gladys Knight & the Pips version as the biggest hit single on the Motown family of labels up to that point.” [Read More Here]

Strawberry Fields Forever ~ Beatles

“Lennon viewed ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ as his finest work with the Beatles. After Lennon’s murder in New York City, a section of Central Park was named after the song. In 1996, the discarded first version of the song was issued on the outtakes compilation Anthology 2; in 2006, a new version was created for the remix album Love. [Read More Here]

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

7th Ray’s 7th Heaven Menu / Mood

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite restaurant?

View all responses

`

Tho my absence from my home away from home, the greater Los Angeles area, has run way too long, nearly two decades, it’s highly unlikely that my fave restaurant, the Inn of the Seventh Ray, will ever wind up upstaged. And, yes, that ***** eatery, purely and simply, IS absolutely that great; so much so that, in my wee hours nostalgic mood, I did feel highly motivated to (slightly?) wax poetic. Oh, btw, this is not to imply that eating there is akin to a snoozefest; NOPE, far from it! Anyway… do check it all out…

`

On the Inn of the 7th Ray’s menu: Allure!
Its Ambien* like ambiance: Peacefulness pure!
Let’s not forget delish food
Adds, too, to the calmative mood
Like turkey’s tryptophan: Fans insomnia’s cure!

`

*For the benefit of anyone who’s not hugely into pharmaceuticals….

“Ambien is a sedative, also called a hypnotic. Ambien (zolpidem) affects chemicals in the brain that may be unbalanced in people with sleep problems (insomnia). Ambien is used to treat insomnia. The immediate-release tablet is used to help you fall asleep when you first go to bed.”

Google Search • 14 April 2024
`

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

A.M. Ritual’s “Burning” Issues

Daily writing prompt

What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?

View all responses

`

• Does anyone honestly care? Need to know?
• About my range burners’ blue methane, aglow?
• How to prep rolled oats, brand, Quaker?
• Sprinkle or spare the salt shaker?
• Let’s Back Burner The CommonSenseTom Breakfast Show!

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

I’ll Drink To (all of) That!

Daily writing prompt

What is your favorite drink?

View all responses

`

My fave drink depends on whatever it’ll be “chasing down” / away / towards…

`

Coffee eases a.m. with warm greet
Colas help counter summer heat
Milk enriches bakery sweet treat
OJ’s vitamin C assists viral defeat
Booze works the blues/blahs beat
Champagne toasts each life’s feat

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

The (Kinda) Kid in the Candy Store

Daily writing prompt

What’s your favorite candy?

View all responses

I don’t do candy much these days. However, that’s not to say I don’t have a sweet tooth. It’s just that I prefer my treats to be more nutritionally substantial. Hence, here’s Tom’s Top Ten List of favorite candy substitutes…

• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chocolate Cake
• Banana Bread
• Fig Newtons
• Apple Pie
• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
• Pancakes ‘n’ Maple Syrup
• Brown Sugar ‘n’ Cinnamon Donuts
• Peanut Butter ‘n’ Jelly Sandwiches

`

• All the above qualify as tied for 1st Place favorites
• I double boiler warm all the above prior to serving
• I can make/bake all but the Newtons from scratch
• However, I opt for going store bought to save time

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

Damn! I Already Brushed My Teeth!

Daily writing prompt

What snack would you eat right now?

View all responses

`

Re my headline… so much for “right now”, huh? Oh well, there’s always later today. Anyway…

Not too long after cutting my baby teeth, I began regularly chowing down what was to become my all-time fave snack, Fig Newtons. The great news, here, is how these cookies come nowhere even close to the one-two punch of sodium / sucrose typically delivered by most junk food; the very foodstuffs that are little more than salt licks / overfilled sugar bowls that, in the end, trigger high blood pressure / high fructose corn syrup overdoses.

The following “Newtonian” nutritional “Laws” do prove this sweet tooth satisfying snack the significantly better alternative…

5 g whole grain per 29 g. Per 2 Cookies: 100 calories; 0.5 g sat fat (3% DV); 95 mg sodium (4% DV); 12 g total sugars. Fig Newtons have 5 g whole grain per 29 g serving. Nutritionists recommend eating 48 g or more whole grains throughout the day. They are also fairly healthy. Figs are well known for having fiber, which helps with digestion, as well as protein and several vitamins and minerals. This means there are quite a few health benefits of fig bars like fig Newtons.

12 January 2024 Google Search
`

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

One Person’s Meat Is Another’s Poison

Daily writing prompt

What are your feelings about eating meat?

View all responses

`

From a very early age, I actually learned to loathe the taste of animal flesh; mainly because my impoverished, public school teacher folks had little choice but to purchase the butcher shops’ cheapest cuts of meat; typically involving a flavorless, gristly texture that after just one chew… well… let’s just say there was plenty of opportunity to perfect that ol’ napkin-to-mouth / surreptitiously spit it out maneuver. The only other alternative was succumbing to the dirt poor people’s, “please pass the salt shaker”, high sodium diet (btw, the leading cause of hypertension’s way too early dirt naps).

My next meat turn-off was due to a manufacturer trafficking in both animal feed and flame retardant; check out the particulars…

“In 1973, Michigan Chemical Company accidentally shipped a fire retardant (polybrominated biphenyl or PBB) in place of a nutritional supplement to a livestock feed mill, which resulted in one of the largest episodes of contamination in US history. Researchers estimate that eight million people were exposed to PBB.”

1 December 2023 Google Search
`

Feeling alarmed by the reportage of both the livestock and human carnivores getting seriously ill, mom, dad, sis, bro-in-law and I all converted to vegetarianism throughout most of that decade.

Back in the here and now, I totally concur with the environmentalists’ wisdom that warns us that a huge part of global warming is caused by animals belching and farting out methane; a greenhouse gas far more destructive than carbon dioxide.

Ergo, in more ways than one, it’s really cool to eat less meat.

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!
Advertisement

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

Bon Appétit?

Daily writing prompt

What food would you say is your specialty?

View all responses

`

Intro: Many a Three Stooges / Coumbia Pictures “short” got cooked up in the vicinity of the 1920s Depression era. As such, ’twas not uncommon to find footwear oriented screenplays on the filming menu, to boot. Factoring in a maxim, such as “everything old is new again” (more specifically how traditional fashion statements and epicurean delights / delicacies oft recycle / return to popularity) and voilà, things really start cooking. And that’s to say nothing of 2020s governmental reboots of those 1920s economic doldrums. Anyway, what this all boils down to is serving up my following food for thought (too tough to digest?) limerick.

Um… is it too late to say, “Bon Appétit?”

`

The genre of cuisine I view as my thing?
The “flavor” of hash I might dining room sling?
Metaphorical shoe leather?
Is what, someday, I may tether?
Since fixed income reins make my budget shoestring!

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

Making Paperweights Outta Pizza

Daily writing prompt

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

View all responses

`

There’s not all that much to say about my 70s era, pizza making / baking epic fail; i.e., other than the made from scratch crust turned out hard as steel. Hell, had I been able to haul it out to my garage to, first, saw it into slices and, next, weld the eight wedges atop one another, my DIY finished product could’ve been repurposed as a doorstop and/or paperweight.

Beyond that, had any rodentia made the serious mistake of making first contact with said wedge, they’d have wound up toothless and, as such, soon starved to death.

Had any cockroaches… oh… say… scampering atop the ol’ dining room table… upset said wedge; sent it careening floor-ward, their struck colleagues, below, would’ve never lived to tell about it.

But seeing how my humble home, do date, has remained vermin / pest free, all wonderful. animal rights activists can breathe their collective sigh of relief from my reassurances that…

No living creatures were harmed EITHER during that bygone, epic pizza baking fail OR during the consequent composition of today’s modest success story / blog.

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

The Dining Experience

Daily writing prompt

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?

View all responses

`

As pathetic as this may sound… correction… does sound, up until 19 years ago, nearly all of my frequented eateries had trafficked in fast food; e.g. Big Macs, Whoppers, Arby-Qs, Pizzas, etc. The most I had blown on, charitably speaking, The Dining Experience, was one sawbuck / $10; even inclusive of the French fries and Coca-Cola.

As cheapo as this may sound… correction… does sound, my home cooking from scratch has served me well as a time honored, surefire economizing ritual; to say nothing about the health benefits of preparing / plating low fat and low sodium vegan cuisine.

Tho, I’ve gone thru an entire lifetime of nearly never allowing extravagance to rule / ruin my life…

Well… occasionally… the rules are meant to be broken rule can justify temporarily doing so. And I did deem one exception acceptable during my 2004 Family Reunion / Cali Vacay, when / where my sister and I dined at the Inn of the Seventh Ray (located at 128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd); the bill amounting to $73 (including the gratuity).

Crunching out the advanced math…

“$73 in 2004 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $117.91 today, an increase of $44.91 over 19 years. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.56% per year between 2004 and today, producing a cumulative price increase of 61.52%.”

Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator
Courtesy of my 9 August 23 Google Search
`

Even considering California’s chronically inflated terms, neither back then did I / nor even today do I deem Seventh Ray’s right column menu stats all that stratospheric and remaining ever mindful of the most memorable, overall atmospheric qualities of The Dining Experience…

If.… and that remains a BIG IF for this still pandemic pragmatic man… IF I ever do feel sufficiently safe; IF I find myself wending my way back to the Left Coast, most assuredly, that Topanga Road destination will top off my must revisit itinerary.

`

`

`

Be humans Vaxxed OR Unvaxxed, We
can still shed and spread the batcrap
crazy contagious coronavirus which,
in turn, spawns new variants; which,
in turn, could, eventually, render the
available vaccines worthless; which,
in turn, will drag out the pandemic’s
needless suffering, illness and death!

HENCE… this easy as pie, cover your
nose and pie-hole/hole-up heads-up:

Stay Publicly / Properly Masked!
Stay Safe at Home!
Stay Healthy!

-30-

`

`

`

`

`

`

`

`