Did You Know Tuesday - Fun Facts About ABBA

The 1970's Swedish pop group ABBA launched their career after they won the Eurovision Song Contest on April 6, 1974.  In their honor, a few fun facts:

ABBA has sold over 380 million albums and singles.  Wow!

The group began with two married couples:  Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.  Faltskog and Ulvaeus divorced in 1979, and Andersson and Lyngstad divorced in 1981.

The original name of this band was "Fest Folk" ("party people" in Swedish).

The name ABBA comes from the group members' first names:  Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, Anni.

They wore sparkly, outlandish outfits because they could write them off their taxes in Sweden.  Tax law there dictated that stage outfits could not be street clothes.

The group disbanded in 1982, but had a resurgence in popularity after the musical play Mamma Mia! was released. 

The movie musical Mamma Mia! was the top grossing movie in the U.K. in 2008.  It was #14 in the U.S.

My favorite ABBA song is "SOS" (1975):



Do you like ABBA?  What is your favorite of their songs?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Music Monday - "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson (1977)

Do you remember "Strawberry Letter 23"?   This is one of those "turn the radio up" songs for me.  It always reminds me of spring and summer.  I think it's the lyrics, with lines like:

"All through the morning rain
I gaze - the sun doesn't shine -
Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind."

This song was originally by Shuggie Otis, who wrote and recorded it in 1971.  His version was a softer soul ballad.  Later, "Strawberry Letter 23" was recorded by The Brothers Johnson.  Their version, produced by Quincy Jones, was more of an uptempo dance tune.  It went to number 5 on the Billboard chart.

Fun trivia:  the 12" single was on red, strawberry scented vinyl.

For your listening pleasure:

Dear Abby - Meet Louie (A Rescued Pet Spotlight)

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good week.  We are having some rainy weather here, and I'm hoping there isn't too much thunder in our near future.  

Today I am excited to introduce you to my friend Louie.  I have not met Louie in person, but I am sure I would love him.  I have a couple of Chihuahua friends in the neighborhood and I think they are the cutest!  I try to love on them like they are puppies.  They do not seem to mind.

Louie is 1 year, 8 months old.  He is a Chihuahua mix (his Momma says probably Chihuahua/Rat Terrier).  He also goes by the nicknames Lil' Louie, Mr. Wiggle Butt and Farkle Face.

Abby:  What is your background and how did you end up in rescue?

Louie: I was known as Drake before I came to live with my mommy and the 2 birds who live in the kitchen. I came from Fresno, California because there is an overabundance of us Chi mixes in the shelters there. So they hooked up with other areas to distribute us to have a better chance at finding our own forever home. The Humane Society here recently took in number 1000 of us Chi's! My mommy is always asking me how my life was before she took me home, all she needs to know is I am very happy she came along and picked me.

Abby:  How were your first days at your new home?

Louie:  I hadn't been home but 2 minutes when I met the next door neighbor Chloe, my true love. We became instant friends!

When I came in the house I thought it was really weird that there were birds living in a cage in the kitchen but I soon found out that I really love to dig out the newspaper in their cage and drag it around the house, it riles the birds and mom too! So much fun!!

The best thing about my first night was when bedtime rolled around and mom went into the bedroom, I followed and jumped up in the bed and she didn't tell me to get down, so I went a little further by going under the covers and snuggling, I have been there ever since! 

The next day we went on a road trip to a store just for me! I got to ride around in the cart and have people come up and tell me how cute I was, it was a lot of fun. I got to pick out my own bed for pre-bedtime naps, toys, a leash, lots of good treats and more toys! When I was at the Humane Society I had to share a few rubber toys with a lot of other dogs who slobbered all over them but now I have my own soft and fuzzy friends that I can snuggle with or whip around whichever I choose! Oh yeah, and a seat belt for the car, I told her I was a big boy and didn't need it but she wouldn't listen to me... I love going there now, there are always such nice people waiting for me and I always get some kind of goodie!

I loved exploring my new home and the neighborhood - so many new things to smell and taste. It was a good trial to see what I could get away with. You could say I am a little bit spoiled now but hey that is ok right? I deserve it!

Abby: What are a few of your favorite things?

Louie:  Well for food I will dance my little heart out for some cheese, I will pretty much do anything for some cheese.

For toys I have a few favorites, I love my bacon flavored nylabone (this is my second one, my first one went under the stove so mom just bought me a new one), my "Y" shaped kong is a favorite past time of mine too when it is filled with Braunschweiger, and for my fuzzy toys, I have a few, I love my giraffe, my pink flamingo and my owl is my all time favorite!

For hobbies, I love to chew reading glasses, library books, book marks oh and cork coasters, just thinking about it puts a smile on my face!

I also enjoy stealing mom's socks and slippers. I don't chew them, just steal them and strategically place them where mom will find them so she knows I can do it. I especially like our morning ritual before mom leaves the house, she tries to put on her socks and I steal them right from her hand and then she has to chase me around the house, then I crawl under the bed so she can't reach me. This keeps her at home for at least an extra 10 minutes and it really is the highlight of my day.

Then when mom comes home in the afternoon she does stuff around the house and I know my favorite time of the day is coming. She sits down on the couch to watch a box with people inside and I sit on her lap and snuggle. She kisses me all over my face and hugs me and tells me she loves me and it makes me feel so good. I do think she is kind of weird though, she tells me I have Frito feet and then talks about pigs going to market and eating roast beef while she plays with my toes (I won't tell her this but I secretly enjoy this!)

Abby:  Do you have any tips for people who want to adopt a rescue pet?

Louie:  Please research breeds, find out what kind of a dog or other animal suits you and your family best.  Make sure that everyone is willing to welcome a new pet into the home. Every dog deserves a home but not every home is right for a dog. But a cat might be right for you or another kind of animal. Then talk to the people at the shelter, they are with us every day they know what we are like. If you are looking for a couch potato it is probably not a good idea to get a dog that is going to want to go running every day to work off energy. It won't be a match made in heaven and the likeliness of the pet being returned to the shelter is higher.  

Please remember that we are just like you starting a new job or relationship, we are on our best behavior for a couple of weeks and then our true personality starts to come out because we are comfortable with you now. Please know that now is the time where our perfect potty training may go out the window but don't fret there is hope, we will figure it out and learn the rules of the house. 

But most important PLEASE ADOPT, DON'T SHOP! There are young ones, old ones, small ones, big ones, active ones, calm ones, and even purebred ones. They all need a home. An adoption fee includes vaccines, a medical check up and even sometimes a bag of food to go home with.  Once you bring one home if not already sterilized please spay and neuter, it helps your pet live longer and is healthier and most importantly it means less of us get euthanized every year.

Abby: Is there a rescue group you want to send a shout out to (with link to group?) 

Louie: www.animalhumanesociety.org and crossroadsshelter.org

Thank you, Louie!  I'm so glad you stopped by today.  You found a perfect home, and I can tell you are loved very, very much.  

I share your fondness for slippers.  I like to hide my Momma's slippers or flip flops in bed.  If they are under the sheets, it is even more fun.

I also love your message of ADOPT, DON'T SHOP!   I could not agree with you more.  Thank you! 

Friends, if you have a rescued pet who would like to be featured here, please let me know (with your email address) in the comments.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

 

Book Spotlight and Giveaway - Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville by Ellen Mansoor Collier

Book Synopsis

In 1920s Galveston, society reporter Jazz Cross is in for a surprise when she attends a traveling vaudeville show with her beau, Prohibition Agent James Burton, and discovers that an old flame acts in the production. That night, they find a stabbing victim behind the Oasis — her half-brother Sammy’s speakeasy — who’s identified as an actor in the troupe. When the victim disappears and later turns up dead, Jazz must help prove that Sammy wasn’t the killer.

Meanwhile, a ring of jewel thieves is turning up all over town, robbing rich tourists of their precious gems. After a second vaudeville actor is found dead, Jazz discovers that the events behind the scenes are much more interesting than the outdated acts onstage.

To make matters worse, Sammy’s old nemesis demands that he settles a score and forces him into yet another illegal scheme. Can Jazz help solve the murders and prove her brother’s innocence—so he can escape the Downtown Gang for good?

A historical Jazz Age mystery inspired by real-life Galveston gangs and local landmarks.

Author Bio

Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance magazine writer and editor whose articles and essays have been published in a variety of national magazines. Several of her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World. During college summers, she worked as a reporter for a Houston community newspaper and as a cocktail waitress, both jobs providing background experience for her Jazz Age mysteries.

A flapper at heart, she’s worked as a magazine editor/writer, and in advertising and public relations (plus endured a hectic semester as a substitute teacher). She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism and served on UTmost, the college magazine and as president of WICI (Women in Communications). 

FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY is her first novel, published in 2012, followed by the sequel, BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS, released in May 2013. She lives in Houston with her husband and Chow mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible.

“When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past until I began doing research, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s. Finally I had to stop researching and start writing, trying to imagine a flapper’s life in Galveston during Prohibition.” 

Author Links

Website: http://www.flapperfinds.com/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452242.Ellen_Mansoor_Collier
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/artdecodame/flappers/ 

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Giveaway

(4) E-Copy - Winner’s Choice - Jazz Age Mystery (ends 3/30)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Did You Know Tuesday - Fun Facts About Pencils

National Pencil Day falls this week on March 30.  I like to sketch or doodle with a pencil, but rarely use them to write.  (I have always been a felt tip pen girl!)  My biggest memory of using pencils for writing was in elementary school, with the fat, old fashioned pencils that we learned to write with.  (Do children still use these?)

Here are a few fun facts about pencils, in honor of National Pencil Day:

The origin of the word pencil is unclear.  It may derive from pencillis (Latin, "little tail) or pincel (French, "little paintbrush").  

Before erasers existed, bread crumbs were use to erase mistakes.

Hyman Lipman patented a pencil with an eraser attached in 1858.

Pencils were used on early American and Soviet space missions because they can write in zero gravity.

Pencils can also write in water!

John Steinbeck wrote with pencils and sometimes used 60 a day.

Ernest Hemingway also preferred to write with pencils.

Johnny Carson played with pencils on The Tonight Show.  The pencils were specially made with erasers for safety.

Roald Dahl wrote with pencil and kept 6 sharpened pencils ready at all times.

Thomas Edison used special pencils that were thicker than normal pencils.

Henry David Thoreau's father owned a pencil making business, and Thoreau designed his own pencils.

Pencils do not contain lead.  They contain graphite and clay.

14 billion pencils are produced each year worldwide.

The average pencil can draw a line 35 miles long.  It can also write 17,000 words.

If you dream of a pencil, it means you think a relationship may not last long.

So what is your thought on pencils ... Love them?  Use them to write, to draw?  Prefer pens?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.