Please, Please, PLEASE Forgive me for being absent on your blogs....So much is going on right now I just haven't been able to visit all of you the way I usually have in the past...I will be better about it as soon as a lot of these very emotional things calm down.....And, let me say this, The Birthday Celebration was wonderful. Truly, Truly Wonderful....And soon, I will do that post.....The above picture of the "Birthday Girl" is a little teaser of what is to come....And here below, a few more 'teasers'...... The Birthday Flowers! Van outdid himself....This beautiful bowl was so incredibly lush and filled with so very many special and unusual Orchids, among other flowers, this picture below is just one example.....I have not seen this Beautiful Orchid before. I LOVE that he included this in this magnificently lush abundant bowl of flowers..... And this one above? I think it is some kind of Carnation...but I'm not really sure of that...I've never knowingly seen this flower before.....This did my heart good.

About this weekend: As a kid growing up in a small town on Long Island, we had a Parade every Memorial Day. And I saw every one. And I always found these Parades stirring and incredibly moving. The Day, back then, was about Honoring all those who had died for our country, and really, for us. It was not about barbecues or 'Blow-Out Sales, or anything else except truly remembering our dead Hero's. On this Memorial Day Weekend, I hope everyone honors all those men and women who have given their lives so we can all live in a free country.....Memorial Day is a time to reflect on the incredible sacrifices that so very many people have made throughout the history of our country to preserve our freedoms....It is a time for quiet contemplation and thanks, lest we forget. Have a wonderful weekend, my dears.....

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This is the two of us at that very same 80th B-Day gathering....It was a fantabulous 'event'...A Big Dinner and then a "show" held at The Pasadena Playhouse which included many people performing...Including "The Fabulous Bridges Boys"....And the First Act was a showing of an 80th Birthday Video that was about 47 minutes long, which I had put together especially for Betty.This was the front of the Hard-Cover Box which held the Video.....It was given to a great many people that night and people enjoyed seeing it that night as well as then being able to take it home with them and watch it any time they wanted...... This above, was the back side of the Video Box with the 'thank yous' etc.....This was a true labor of love, from me to her, down to the last detail.... This was Betty, up on the stage at the end of this glorious evening....Still as young at heart as she has always been.....This was a very very special evening for her and for everyone lucky enough to be there with her on that spectacular night.

I have had the good fortune to spend a lot of Betty's Birthdays with her, and Vica Versa....Here below is a snapshot from her Birthday in 1994---Her 75th, I believe....It was at her house and it was a lot of fun....!And this one below, that same 75th Birthday Party....Betty surrounded by lots and lots of Beautiful Birthday Balloons.....(I did not take either of these pictures so I am very happy to have them....) And then, below, another Birthday---This one in 2001 when Betty was playing on Broadway in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Beautiful show, "Follies".....She played a Matinee on her Birthday and then we went to dinner across the street from the Belasco Theatre, where she was playing, and then she had to go back and play the evening performance....And that was how she spent her Birthday that year----Working! (And loving every minute of it, too......!) There is the Birthday Girl with her two darling sweet sons, Garrett on the left of her, and Andy on the right. Both of these 'boys' are wonderful bright talented loving men with terrific wives and Garrett and his dear wife Karen gave Betty her first Grandchild, the enchanting Maddy.... This picture was taken at New Years, 2006-2007....I just love it because it shows such a family resemblance and these two people just adore one another so much...and you can see it in this picture, too.....

Okay....back to 2001 for the last of the Birthday Pictures in this post.....Right after the Matinee, Betty and her Dressing Room mate Marge Champion were now changed into their street clothes, and the fantastic Patti Lupone came by their Dressing Room.....She had seen the Matinee and love love loved it.....This was such a treat.....So, I took a picture of these three wonderfully talented ladies.....Marge, Patti and Betty..... Patti Lupone was as thrilled to meet them and have her picture taken as any 'fan' would be.....This is one of my treasured snapshots, for sure....And Patti Lupone said she wanted a copy too, so she got one...an 8 X 10 of this very picture!

So, in not too many hours from now, we will be celebrating Betty's 89th Birthday....WOW! EIGHTY-NINE...What a milestone.....I'm sure this afternoon will lift my spirits a lot. I so look forward to this sweet gathering.....

More To Come.......

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These pictures were taken about ten days ago. Here above, are two of the babies and the Daddy. At least I think it's the Daddy....He is the larger one over on the right....As I said, this was about ten days ago, and I wanted to try and show the progression of what I saw..... So, here he is above looking like he is going to do something....And indeed, he did do something.....And I caught him in mid-takeoff......The Feathers on his is Wings are so incredibly Beautiful, and the Wingspan is just astonishing to see in a picture like the above....! Then, I snapped another picture showing him flying away from the nest.....It's not the greatest focus but he was moving pretty fast, and now more in the light, his true coloring was more visible...... I watched him fly and saw that he was flying pretty low....Then I saw that he had lit on a big tree on my neighbors property where I have seen hawks many times before but never connected them to that particular nest. And I had not been 'in the right place at the right time', before.......

Do click on all these pictures to see them bigger.....this bird is so beautiful....the variations of the color of feathers is wonderful......! I took a lot of pictures of him very quickly because I didn't know how long he might stay on this tree top...... And then I saw him get into this kind of crouching position and I thought...Oh yeah....He is going to take off now...Maybe I can get him going into flight......But that is not what he was doing.....This below, is what he was doing..... Yes! He was doing exactly what it looks like he was doing! If I had wanted to try to get a picture like this, I might have had to wait years and years and years, if ever.....Here below is a closer look at this "action"..... I have never knowingly seen anything like this before. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I do have a picture in one of my "hawks flying" group, of something else in the air besides 'The Bird'...but not like this! Then I saw him change his position just slightly..... That chore being finished for the time being......He proceeded to straighten back up as he had before......It was quite windy that day...I love being able to see his belly feathers moving in the wind....He is an elegant beautiful bird! Here he is a bit later...Looking very Regal.....I took so very many pictures of him, and some of them were just so good, I had a hard time choosing just one or two to post.....So, here are a few more of this very amazing bird. This one I had taken quite a bit before he did his toilette, and from a slightly different angle, too....He really looks incredibly Regal here...oh do look at this one bigger....! I liked this shot above because it showed him with his beak open....I didn't hear anything but that doesn't mean he wasn't talking...... This one above had more of the belly feathers detail so I included it because of that.....He stayed on the tree for a good long time and I am very grateful to him for allowing me to have such a great time photographing him! There are so many more pictures from this 'session' but I don't want to bore you with my fascination.....So, for now....that's all, but you know, there will be......

More To Come..........

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Here is the "close-up" above, just so you can see the contrast. There were some very interesting guesses....and in one or two cases, you were close.....But, so far, no cigar. Her below the answer with a few different angles.......A Glass Candle Holder. And a little closer look below..... The thing is...I realized that the color changes depending on what's behind the glass....so that is why the first picture on the original 'guess what' page was so dark......Another angle below....

See? In this picture a wooden sculpture was behind it.....and that changed the color quite a lot.....I mentioned that this is a Glass Candle Holder....here below is a picture of the inside of this holder.....I love this picture..... And another view with the little candle on the outside of the holder, just so you can get an idea of size..... Not the greatest focus, but you get the picture (lol).

Thank you all for playing.....I will do some more, if you like....It is kind of fun doing these Macro shots of things, and sometimes discovering that the 'close' shot seems to have very little relationship to the object itself......

NOTE: I am in kind of shock. One of my dearest friends died late yesterday, and I am bereft. Truly, Truly. She was 88 1/2 years old....A very special woman....A talented woman, who's last years were incredibly difficult. She was a woman who loved life; who embraced life and all the joys that life holds with every fiber of her body. And she was endearing, in every way.

She survived the Nazis; She survived the Communists, among other things...And she gave up her fantastic theatre career---A Fabulous Career as an Actress---in Hungary, so she would not be destroyed by 'the forces of evil', and she thrived here in America. No, she never achieved the same stardom as she had had in Hungary....But, she embraced life like no other person I have ever known. Never Bitter. Never, (And there were lots of things to be bitter about....).

She survived three husbands. She survived all the many beloved cats she ever had...(No. No children. She never wanted children, and never minced words about it.) She had a splendid career here in Hollywood in spite of all the adversity....She was a very strong woman. Very Very Strong. She came to this country knowing no English and barely knowing another soul. Hanna was a true "survivor". I loved her with all my heart and am devastated by her death, as is everyone who knew her.

So forgive me for not visiting. I miss you already my dear dear friend.

I will write more about Hanna Hertelendy, AKA Hanna Landy...after a while......

More To Come.......

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I first met them about a week ago.....I'm out there on the sidewalk every day taking pictures of the Hawk Family....And little Finn just kind of grabbed my heart..... He is a very sweet little guy....three years old and very feisty yet shy, too....He let me take these pictures of him and next time hopefully it won't be so late in the afternoon...... And, remember this pretty building? Well......here below, is what it looked like today----a bit overcast but you can see what has taken place, once again.....! UGH! Back to this really awful Advertising, once again....And it always seems to be Movies...... The Greed Factor is just horrific! I think it is extremely ugly in every respect.....I love Harrison Ford, but.....but......but.....Something really must be done about all the Visual Pollution, and soon!

More To Come.........

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If I see one more program with Barbara Walters, I am going to scream! Listen, I appreciate that she is a "pioneer" and that she has accomplished incredible things in television since the 1960's and that she broke ground for women in television like no other person.....but, but, but.....I have never seen such shameless self-promotion for a book, in my life!Not only does she have the forum of "The View", which is on five days a week and no matter what she says, this is her show---(She says she doesn't hire ands fire, but it was Miss Walters who asked Rosie O'Donnell to be on "The View", no one else)----and they have been talking about her book for weeks and weeks, almost every day.This past week, Barbara was on Oprah for the whole hour on Tuesday! She was on I-Don't-Know-How-Many-Other-Shows all week, (Including a 'special' hour on Wednesday night, pre-empting "Boston Legal" to promote her book, "AUDITION"....) and, up to and including the ladies of "The View" devoting a whole segment to Barbara on Friday morning, as if SHE was a guest from somewhere else, and talking about the book and showing the book ad-nauseum for the two segments before that.....And then Friday Night, she was on Letterman, too----plus all those 'entertainment' shows each night....I swear, I feel like I could discuss her book at this point as if I wrote it....!Enough already! Enough. Oh, and on "The View" they said something about the fact that they were going to talk about Barbara's book, all month long! Pulllleeeeze! I'm begging you----STOP! I must say, David Letterman gave me a good laugh the other might---When Barbara said for the 80 millionth time..."I was a failure on the Nightly News At ABC--I thought I was finished....etc., etc., etc......". Letterman said in a very loving good humored way...."Oh stop whining...!" It was a great moment. And she laughed, herself, though who knows how she really felt.

And, by the way, for those of you who live in other parts of the country other than New York City, Barbara will be coming to a book store, 'book-signing' in your hometown very soon! This is already a blockbuster book, and good for Barbara Walters. I just find it very interesting that the release of her book and the Television Time known as May Sweeps, all coincided at the same time. Everything today is about "promotion" self, or otherwise---something like this is not by chance, believe me!

Let's just take the ABC Network for example. Every one of their shows has had someone appearing on "The View" for the last few weeks. I guess it is all about "selling" whatever. Ratings and all that. But, I begin to feel like I am watching one very very long commercial on all these shows. "Regis & Kelly", the same thing. And who knows how many other shows of that type.....it all seems to be one loooooong commercial, culminating in The Barbara Walters Blitz. And that is just what it is: A Blitz.

I wish her well, even though she doesn't need my wishes....! It has been interesting to watch Barbara Walters rise to being the top TV interviewer/journalist of the last four decades. Many many moons ago, I was on NBC's The Today Show when "Spoon River" was on Broadway. Hugh Downs was the main man back then in the fall of 1963. He had come to see "Spoon River" just as an audience member and had loved it so much that he wanted to have our 'ensemble' cast of six on The Today Show. Back in those days they gave people half-hour segments....none of this 5 minute hurried stuff they have now. Indeed, they gave us a half hour and it is what made "Spoon River" a "hit". Barbara Walters worked as a writer on The Today Show back then. I don't recall how come I was sent to her little cubicle of an office, but I was. She asked me lots of questions, including if I was related to Joe Hirshhorn. I said reluctantly, 'yes' that I was one of his children. Barbara was propelled with interest. She said..."We should have you on and talk about that.....!" She was like a rocket! She quickly left the room going---I had no idea where.....My heart sank in a way. Whatever I had achieved with "Spoon River" had nothing to do with my father and I did not want to be known as Joe Hirshhorn's daughter......Barbara came back and said, "We'll be in touch about that!" I just remember thinking what an ambitious young woman she was and it was kind of overwhelming. And, in fact, after that day and our appearance on The Today Show, I never heard from them again, which was just fine by me. I only tell this story because I never forgot the incredible intent of Barbara Walters. The determination. The feeling that she was driven. And she not only succeeded but she triumphed in a huge way, blazing the trail for all the women in television that came after her....! And they all give her the credit she deserves, I must say. But make no mistake. You cannot achieve what she has without having a very driving ambition that transcends everything else. She was 'the first', and all that goes with that distinction. In her book she reveals some interesting secrets about her love life. By this time I'm sure you've all heard about this or read about this......The Oprah interview , by the way, was the first of these appearances. A testament to Oprah's power position. She got 'the exclusive first' of these appearances. Sweeps Week started on Oprah's ABC Show with her two day blockbuster interviews with Tom Cruise, a week a go Friday and then continuing with Cruise on Monday of this past week, with Barbara's exclusive following on Tuesday. Oprah said on that Wednesday Night 'special' about Barbara W. on ABC... (Are you getting the picture here? It is Sweeps Week for all The Networks....) Oprah said, there wouldn't be an Oprah if there hadn't been a Barbara....! Indeed. True. Diane Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America said the same thing this week when she interviewed Barbara.....More Truth.

It will be interesting to see what other shows Barbara Walters will appear on telling the same story's , which, by the way, are beginning to sound 'canned', if you know what I mean. Like I said, I feel like I could promote her book at this point. And here is the irony of all this. I pre-ordered the book through Amazon and it arrived on Wednesday, the day after it supposedly went 'on sale'. I thought, this will be an interesting book and this woman was a great pioneer, etc. Well, at this point, I hardly feel like I need to read it! I've heard just about everything there is in this book, already!Well, I know that is not exactly true. The book is 592 pages long, plus the Index, bringing it to 612 pages, so obviously there is a lot more she has not said yet on these shows. But I think if I see that Barbara Walters is going to be on any other shows, I will not watch them. Each of these interviews is pretty similar, though she has saved certain questions for certain people. Still.....it is, as I said, enough already. I mean, the book is already a Best Seller. I think if I were to interview Barbara Walters this is what I would want to ask her: Just how much more success do you need, Barbara?

More To Come........

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Here are these three dear little Hawk Babies....at least I think that is what they are....I'm not sure how old they are here, but they look fairly young. And above, we can see their Mommy or their Daddy....I'm not sure about that either.....I read that the Hawk mother is bigger than the Daddy...And that Hawks mate for life! I love that....being the hopeless romantic that I am.....Aren't these little guys cute?I thought this was kind of a fascinating picture...It looks like a cross behind them, doesn't it? The nest is quite far away.....I took a couple of pictures to try to show you how far.

Well, it is soooo far away in this picture that you cannot really see it at all, unless you know what you are looking for.....So, below....a little closer view..... You see that roundish brown spot right in the middle, just above that white gate opener? That is the nest! And in this next picture, this is how close I can get with my camera..... I can't really see a lot of detail till I download the pictures into my computer and enlarge them.....Then....What I can see are like those first pictures above and like these others below, too.

This Hawks Nest has been up in that tree for years and years...But this is the first time I've had a camera that could get as close as this, which is just thrilling....And, here is another picture of these three cutie pies, below.....

And these next two.....even a tiny bit closer..... I wish I could post the Andrews Sisters singing "Side By Side"......

All the pictures of the babies enlarged were taken on April 26th and 27th....I have been following their growth every day since the 24th of April, or maybe it was the 23rd....well, anyway, there will be......

More To Come.......

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Last Friday night, Bill Moyers gave a commentary on his PBS show that I think is very very important. I am putting it up right here for you to see.....PLEASE, do yourself a favor and look and listen to this clear and sensitive commentary by one of the saner news people we are lucky enough to have on the airwaves in this year of 2008......

On a different note....Sweetie seems to be very very happy with his new look...And I feel like I have a new little cat....! The same personality; The same sweet disposition, too...but what is surprising is how wonderful he feels.....It is a different experience petting him, but one that is absolutely delightful! There is still fur on his now really small warm body, it's just much much shorter. But it is still as soft as it always was...In fact, in a way....Softer! What has been really nice too, he seems to be staying closer to me than ever, and I LOVE that!

And here is a little teaser-preview of things to come......Who are they? Stay tuned........ Do click on these to see them bigger! And there really is a "they".....

One more thing: Two of my dearest and oldest blog friends lost pets in the last few days. Chickie, at Skittering Thoughts, lost Chi Chi. A very special dear little dog who was 17...Yes, SEVENTEEN years old....A long and good life, made better by Chickie, who loved and adored her and who gave this dear little dog the best year of her life! And, dear Rachel, of Sliding Through Life, lost her sweet young darling rescued cat Gooseberry, to the devastation of Feline Leukemia....dear Gooseberry was not even a year old. Both these women have the love and devotion to animals in common....and if you are so inclined, do go visit each of them to say hello during this painful time of loss......Here are these two sweet darling animals, in better days....... Chi Chi was such a good sport! And just about the littlest dog I've ever encountered! Here she is, posing for Chickie and not unhappy about it at all......What a dear dog she was. And dear sweet young Gooseberry, the day Rachel brought him home, having rescued him from the farm where she came every day to feed him and his siblings.....Whatever time he had with Rachel in her loving care, was better than he could have hoped for, given the terrible circumstances of his life in the barn. Without Rachel coming every day to feed Gooseberry and his brothers and sisters, he would not have survived, at all. Bless Chickie and Bless Rachel. And Bless dear Chi Chi and Dear Gooseberry, too, as they cross The Rainbow Bridge.

More To Come.....

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Here is my dear dear Sweetie sleeping on his favorite spot. This morning, my darling kitty had a major haircut....! This was really needed quite badly. His fur was so matted and knotted---it was the worst it has ever been....It was impossible! It took me about six weeks to find a Mobile Groomer, and one that really understands how to work with cats! So, here below is a picture of my honey, early tonight. The contrast of how he looks with all his fur and how he looks now is quite startling..... Here above, how he looks right now....This is a really "close" shave.....And below, in earlier times..... Another contrasting duo of pictures, below..... He sure looks different, doesn't he? And one more pair of "contrasts"....... And before the haircut......

He really looks quite adorable! And I think he is much happier now that all that matted stuff is gone! This year it really was the worst it has ever been. The Groomer, Michael, was telling me that as cats get older, (Sweetie is almost 9) their hormones change and their fur grows in thicker and thicker....That certainly has been true of my dear one. And at least this year we won't be going through all of this......His fur will all grow back in evenly and neatly and then he will look like his old self, once again....

Yes, indeed....before you know it, he will be back to his full blown coat in all it's beauty....And it will be neat and clean just like in this picture above....But, till then, he will be known as 'The Furless One'....

More To Come.......

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Name: OldOldLady Of The Hills
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