Tuesday, December 30, 2008
happy new year - 2009
New Years Is Almost Upon Us.......
So Lift A Glass To Welcome This New Year In.......
Or, Lift Two Glasses........
Or Three, If That Is Your Way........
Or Just Celebrate In Whatever Way That Pleases You....Like, Maybe....Blow That Horn.....Or......
Eat Some Chocolate.......! Or Possibly........
Some "HAPPY NEW YEAR" Cake......Yum Yum! But Whatever You Decide To Do, I Hope It Will Be Lots Of Fun, And That You Will Be Ushering In This Little Guy Below........
In A Big Big Way......!
To One And All......May 2009 Be A Healthy, Happy, Prosperous Year For You And Yours........
See You Next Year, My Dears..........More To Come.........
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 1:24 AM
Friday, December 26, 2008
more flowers
Oh My, Oh My, Oh My.....! Gorgeous....Breathtaking......the Colors are Mind-Boggling.....! More Rose 'Magic' on view here.......I mean....this is more than fantastic! You've got Orange and Yellow and Pink and White/Beige and Purple/Lavender and shadows that create other subtle colors, too. What is thrilling to me is that my Camera can 'capture' all this beauty.....It is there, if you can just see it and capture it.
Some more Rose layers, above....there is something so beautiful about the way Rose petals layer and layer upon each other...Again, the variation of color is quite astounding.......
This Rose above is a very beautiful subtle shade of 'tan'. I had never knowingly seen a Rose quite this color before.....And yet, as you look much closer you see that there are variations of color here, too......
Especially as the light hits it, you know? Depending on how the light hits it and the time of day, etc....Here below another slightly different view......
I wish I knew the name of this Rose...(Maybe 'Kenju' can tell us....Oh I hope so.....) It is such an unexpected color, you know? And below, another close look at a different Rose....again, so very many colors are visible.....
I am completely in love with Roses. Always have been and always will be....Everything about them. I think they are the most Beautiful flower of all.....One of the great things about all the 'arrangements' from Van at 'The Conservatory' is that not only do I get to enjoy them while they are here, but because I try to take pictures of each of them----I get to enjoy them all over again, years later....Looking at the pictures brings back everything about the arrangement and specifically about each flower.....
Such beauty! Such artistry! The 'art', the colors, the delicacy of it all.....! I am in awe of nature, once again.....always and forever.....! Looking at this flower above, makes me so very very happy.....and I think....How lucky I am to be able to see what I see and enjoy it so very much.....! I mean, just look at those edges....! God is everywhere here and God is in the details.......If anyone has doubts about this----well, this Rose above is irrefutable evidence that there is a 'Higher Power'.......More To Come........
NOTE: Two more Giants left us in the last few days. The Great Great Playwright HAROLD PINTER, who's work changed the English and American theatre, forever....And who upon winning the Nobel Prize, had the courage to really let George Bush have it---Big Time! RIP, Mr. Pinter.
AND, EATHA KITT, who's life and career has been amazing in every way....She is best remembered for her recording of "SANTA BABY", but she was so much more than that one recording....RIP, Eartha!
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 1:08 AM
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
merry christmas
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,
Let Your Heart Be Light,
From Now On Our Troubles Will Be Out Of Sight......
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,
Make The Yule-Tide Gay,
From Now On Our Troubles Will Be Far Away.......
Here We Are As In Olden Days,
Happy Golden Days Of Yore........
Faithful Friends Who Are Dear To Us,
Gather Near To Us Once More..........
Through The Years We All Will Be Together,
If The Fates Allow......
Hang A Shining Star Upon The Highest Bough.......
And Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Now.......!
To All My Fellow Blogger's, I Hope You Will Have A Very Very Merry Christmas...............
And that you are surrounded by your loved ones, your dear friends, and the warmth of the Season......What is your favorite Christmas Song....?
More To Come.........
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 6:25 AM
Saturday, December 20, 2008
flowers
Jumping around subject-wise the way I do.....Here are some close-ups of some very pretty roses and some other flowers, too......By the time I took these, the flowers had been here four days or so......I am very partial to seeing the multi-colors of petals on certain roses....like in the picture above. (Be sure to click on all of these to see them larger....). The yellows, the pinks, the almost white....and the veins, too......
I just think seeing the true colors in all their variety, is thrilling.....And the shape of these particular Roses....Gorgeous! And most of them kept their shape as they dried, which, as you know, isn't always the case, at all.....
Above.....Oh My! Isn't that pretty? Look at the variety of color in this closer look at just one section of the above Rose.....I just think it is so very stunning----and especially when you see it in a bigger format....
And above....another Rose.....This one a true Pink, but as you can see from the edges there....not just pure Pink. I love the lower left corner where you see the very Pink edge going into a pale cream white.....The many shades of coloring here are quite startling....
And the lower half of this same Rose.....I love that the outside petals have this light green tinge....Nature.....it is awesome! I know I am always saying how fantastic Nature is...well, that's because it is!!! This is where I see and feel what I call God.
I love this Bright Shocking Yellow above.....! It is so rich in color....Beautiful, Beautiful. Then, below, a very lovely Lavender one.....
My favorite Rose, above.....Sterling Silver, I believe. Larry Parks had the most beautiful Rose Garden....he planted them all and tended them all too, till he died....Then, his son Garrett took over the care of this very sweet Rose Garden......Back in the day, I bet I took 1000 slides of the Roses in Larry's Garden. Some day, I will find the way to best scan them in to my computer........
Switching gears here for a moment or two.....This is one of the prettiest Orchids I've ever seen.....It is as if God took a paint brush and just dripped some drops onto that lovely white petal.....So very stunning....And below, here is a closer look at the centerpiece of this Orchid.....
Breath taking....! There are more....but I will save them for another time.......I know everyone is getting ready for Christmas and Hanukkah, too......And the eight days of Hanukkah begins on Sunday, December 21st, at Sundown....So, from my heart to yours, I wish all of you who celebrate this Holiday, a Very Very Happy Hanukkah......
More To Come........
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 12:04 AM
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
gravesites
We are back at "Hollywood Forever".....I thought It might be interesting to see some of the Hollywood History that abounds in this beautiful place. Many of the early Giants of The Picture Business are buried here, and as was pointed out to me by "The Fat Lady", a frequent commenter here, many many many other important people in the film business like Costumers, Grips, Editors, Property People, etc., etc., are buried here as well. In that picture above, right there in the center....close to the ground is the Cohn crypt.....Harry Cohn was the Heart & Soul of Columbia Pictures---the founder of Columbia Pictures, which by the way is just a few blocks away from this beautiful Cemetery.....
A slightly closer side view of this simple but elegant crypt.....And below, the details, as we see them and take them in.....
And then the further details, below......
It is over 50 years since Harry Cohn died.....His Funeral, they say, was SRO---Standing Room Only. They also say...."Give the people what they want, and they will come....". Harry Cohn was one of the most hated men in the industry, at that time.....But, Columbia Studios was one of the Giants.
That big building, behind the Cohn crypt is one of the two Mausoleum's at Hollywood Forever. That is where some of those Beautiful Stained Glass Windows are located.....
It is rumored that those Windows were designed by Tiffany, but I don't know if that is accurate, or not.....What I do know is that this is where Rudolph Valentino is buried, (Remember I showed his Crypt....?) as well as many many other people......Do you remember this man?
Peter Finch is best remembered for his stunning performance in the important film, "Network", (Original Screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky) , where he uttered those now oft quoted words...."I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!".....He won the Best Actor Academy Award that year, posthumously.....He had died soon after finishing that film. And though he had given many great performance besides 'Howard Beale'.....this was his last and according to his peers, the Best that year! I agree, completely!
Above, Tyrone Power's lovely spot here in Hollywood Forever.....It is a very beautiful Bench on a slight slope, with a built in Urn for flowers.....
And, as you can see above.....someone has left a pot with flowers right on top of the Bench.....Carved into the top of the bench is a quotation from Shakespeare's "Hamlet"......
Tyrone Power was one of the handsomest men in pictures back in the 30's and 40's.....and even in to the early 50's.....I think in many ways his 'beauty' overshadowed his talent, which sometimes happens when someone is so very perfect looking....But he was indeed, a truly wonderful actor.....And his spot in Hollywood Forever is a very beautiful tribute to this talented man. There are always flowers there, at least there have been, every time I've ever been there......
This is a Mini Mausoleum....a very pretty little building....with some lovely detail on it......The doors are locked of course with only the family havinf the keys....... 
The above, taken from behind the little building....The color of the building no longer effected by the late afternoon sun.....And here below, a detail of the back of the building......
And you probably would like to know who's Mini Mausoleum this is....Well, from the front, once again, the late afternoon sun affecting the color.....Here is the family name.
Douras. Yes, that "V" is really a "U".....And who, might you ask, is that??Well, this was Marion Davies family name. So buried in this little building are the infamous Marion Davies, some of her family, including one of her sisters daughters and that daughters husband, Arthur Lake, who played 'Dagwood Bumstead' in the "Blondie" movies, opposite Penny Singleton.....! Patricia Van Cleeve Lake, (Arthur's wife) was in actuality rumored to be the illegitimate daughter of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst. Whatever the truth is, both Patricia and Arthur Lake are buried in the Douras Family Mausoleum at 'Hollywood Forever'......
This picture above....Well, this is probably, to me, the most important monument in Hollywood Forever. Oh yes, I will show a closer look.....This is now where Hattie McDaniel is buried. Remember her? One of the Great Great Performances in "Gone With The Wind"....She played 'Mammy', and she was more than magnificent.....She actually won An Academy Award for her performance back in 1939-40---the very first person of color to win an Oscar. The scene that clinched it was Mammy walking up the stairs with 'Melanie'...All One Take---ONE TAKE.....Telling Melanie what happened after little Bonnie Blue Butler, the daughter of Rhett and Scarlett, died in a Horse riding accident, as Melanie and Mammy walk up that long, long, long flight of stairs.... Hattie McDaniel always wanted to be buried in The Hollywood Cemetery----Now, Hollywood Forever.....But at the time of her death and for many years later...This Cemetery was 'all white'. In 1999, Hattie McDaniel git her wish and her remains were moved to 'Hollywood Forever'.....righting a terrible terrible wrong and giving her, her very last wish.........As Blanche Dubois said..."Sometimes there's God so quickly...."
Oh, do, click on this to make it bigger and then you can read what they said........I so admire the people who own 'Hollywood Forever' now, for 'righting' this wrong......
And another very elegant grave site. The DeMille Family. Cecil B. DeMille, another true Giant in the film industry.....this is their burial ground.
And if you do not know who DeMille was....well, he spanned 'the silents' to the "talkies"......He made so very many incredible films.....and, appeared in some, too, including the great Billy Wilder film, "Sunset Blvd.", where he played himself.....This is the DeMille Family Plot.
And remember that lovely Angel Statue where the little black bird was sitting? Well, that is Don Adams plot.....There is even a picture there of him just sitting on the ground, which did seem rather strange to me, but, as you can see, there it is......
I have absolutely no desire to be "buried" under the ground....But if I did.....this is the place I'd like to be.....It is so peaceful and beautiful, and has so much "life" all around the grounds what with the Mallard Ducks and The Canadian Geese, etc......This would be the place for me if I didn't want my ashes strewn to the winds right here in my own garden.......More To Come.........
5:41 pm--Note: Danny Miller left a comment regarding Hattie McDaniel's remains, correcting my mistake. She was buried in Rosewood Cemetery, though it was indeed her wish to be buried in The Hollywood Cemetery. The new owners of now Hollywood Forever, did want to right that wrong and give her, her last wish. But her family did not want to disturb her remains after so very many years, and declined the offer. But, the owner's of Hollywood Forever wanted to at least erect a monument to her, right there near the Pond, which they did. But Hattie McDaniel remains in Rosewood......Thanks Danny, for the correction.
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 1:15 AM
Sunday, December 14, 2008
a sunset....wow!
The other night, the Sunset was so fantastic, so amazingly incredible.....I just had to record whatever I could....! So, so much for people saying; "You must be bored with your view...!" Yeah, Right! LOL, LOL, LOL....That couldn't be further from the truth.....But, be that as it may....Look at this incredible and amazing Sunset......(Click to enlarge, please.......).
What caught my eye was this glow behind my beloved trees.....For any of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I love love LOVE those trees ......So, when I saw that "glow" behind them, it literally took my breath away.....I hurried to get my Camera......And what you see here is what I saw.......!
The above is a little bit closer look at that "glow".....Like I said. It took my breath away.......! Then, the sky kept changing moment by moment....it was quite extraordinary......Let's get closer.
And here we are, just a little bit closer....Well, it almost looks like the sky is on fire......! And as the Sun continued on it's way down, the sky got more and more fireey. In fact, if I hadn't known that there wasn't a fire, I would have been totally convinced that the Sky truly was on fire!
The subtle changes were pretty astounding and it was like watching a light show....Again, it truly looked like the sky or something was on fire...but that is the Pacific Ocean out there and I don't think I've ever heard of an Ocean being on fire, unless there was an Oil spill or something, which there wasn't, I'm happy to say.......
As the sun continued on it's way down....the sky of course, got darker and darker......except for the area closest to the Horizon....that seemed to get lighter and lighter as the sun was in it's last Hurrah.......It was all very very beautiful......I am so glad I happened to see that first glow, because something about that glow was different than any sunsets that I have seen over the years....And there have been a lot of them, as you can well imagine. So because of that special glow I just knew that it was going to be a very dramatic Sunset---And it was, indeed! It was in fact, very theatrical, you know?
I know there will be always be breath-taking Sunsets up here----but this one.....Well, this one really stood out in this highly dramatic way. It was like I had my own private light-show. How wonderful is that....! My maid was at my house that day and I called to her to come on out on the deck and look at this amazing happening. And we both just stood and watched as this extraordinarily beautiful Sunset unfolded before us.......Watching the minute changes from moment to moment.....We were both utterly and completely enthralled.....The Art Of Nature.......
And on another note:
And a little note about the passing of Bettie Page......The amazing woman who broke new ground on many levels, died on Friday here in Los Angeles, never waking from a coma after having had a massive heart attack. She was 85 years old. I wrote about having worked with Bettie back in 1953 at The Sea Cliff Summer Theatre, where she was an apprentice. (June 8th, 2007) She had the very youthful wholesome girl-next-door look back then and no one but the Producers knew that she had to take Monday & Tuesday off so she could go to "work" in New York City. This work allowed her to work for nothing at Sea Cliff and enabled her to pay her room and board at the little Hotel, next door to the Theatre....If they had not let her do that, she could not have managed as an apprentice. She was serious about her work as an actress. That girl-next-door look was part of her great appeal, I think......
This is how I remember her looking at Sea Cliff.....Though she never had a bathing suit on like this....she looked fresh and pretty and appealing......And I think this is how most people remember her......Rest In Peace, dear Bettie.....
More To Come.........
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 12:23 AM
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
etc., etc., etc......
This is currently, one of my most favorite pictures I have ever taken.....(Do click on it to make it bigger.......) which means this could change anytime I take another picture that takes it's place, as my "current" favorite picture ever......I know, I know.....Oh, we who are so fickle and so easily moved......
There is something so vulnerable about these birds, to me......Maybe it is because they have such thin spindly legs.....I don't know what it is, but I know that is one of the feelings they evoke in me.......I also think they are very very beautiful.....
Even their feet feel vulnerable to me.....I cannot explain it. They just seem sort of fragile in all their bigness.....And they are big!
Gathering by the water.....not the River, but the Pond......They were all over the place on this late November afternoon.....Here below, a far away shot of the Cemetery with many of the Geese visible......
Look carefully, and you'll see them on this side of the Pond and on the far side, too.....I LOVE the Angel with Wings.....It's sort of a wonderful thing to have a statue like that and all the Birds there, too.....!
Here above, another Angel....In fact two....! And I noticed that there was a little someone on one of the wings......
And looking a little closer....It was a sweet little Bird.....
And above....a little closer look....He was a tiny little birdie.....So sweet on the top of that Wing......
Oh, dear Bird Lovers.....do tell me who this little sweetheart is, If you happen to know. I would really appreciate it. Again, I find this Hollywood Forever Cemetery so very peaceful and so filled with life.....!
I you click on thie picture above you will see a lot of the "life" that is there.....the Ducks on the Pond and The Geese walking on land...... It sure is a very peaceful beautiful place to visit........
More To Come..........
Note: Thank you dear blogger buddies for your caring comments during my stomach trials.....I am much much better now and I will be getting around to visit all of you, slowly but surely.....Thanks for bearing with me..........
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 11:32 AM
Sunday, December 07, 2008
the road to recovery
Hello, all you dear wonderful caring people....! Naomi here.....finally! It has been a very hard week, I must say.....One I wouldn't wish on even my worst enemy, if I had one.....But, I am happy to say......I am now more 'well', than not.....Hooray!Still not quite right, mind you, but Ohhhhh Sooooooo much better......Whewwwwww! There were a few moments there where I wasn't sure that this 'thingy' would ever be over....But, I am now truly on the road to recovery and what a blessed relief that is !!!!
I found a rather graphic cartoon which may give you just a little idea of one of the things my body has been going through.....I hope it won't offend anyone....It just seemed to speak for me without me having to explain in great detail, verbally speaking.......
Well....I realize it says "Rodney", but it could say my name or any one's name. Anyway, even that is improving.....So, I hope to be able to pop by and visit everyone in a day or two.....And please know that I thank you all so very much for your lovely concerned comments....I hope all of you are well and having a lovely weekend.....And for those who are sickly too, please please please, do feel better very very soon......
More To Come........
Note: Today is the Anniversary of December 7th, 1941.....the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War 2.....Many lives were lost that day. May we remember all of them, and all those wounded, too, on this day, 67 years ago.
Note 2: 9:40a.m. Slight relapse this A.M. OY! I am sure it will pass.....At least I hope it will.....This is one mean bug!
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 12:24 AM
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
sickly
I am sick. One of the illnesses I hate the most....Some kind of Stomach Something-Or-Other. OY!Not a pretty sight, and no fun, either.
So forgive me for not visiting all of you dear people.....As soon as I stop doing this:
I'll be back on the Blog Trail......!
More To Come........
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 12:09 AM
Monday, December 01, 2008
world AIDS day
IN THE TIME OF AIDS
Back in December, 2005, I wrote the following post, in remembrance and Honor of World Aids Day.....It feels like something that might be meaningful this AIDS Day, 2008.....Lest We Forget.....
As we approach World AIDS Day, I thought I would post just a few of the Names Quilt Panels of some of the 43+ people that I knew personally who have died of AIDS related illnesses since 1983, as a way of honoring them. Now, on this World AIDS Day, 2005, this plague is still very much with us, and as you know, there is still no cure.
*****
ANTHONY COSTELLO
Tony was the first person that I actually knew who died of AIDS. He was a brilliant novelist, an incredibly talented actor, and a beautiful water-colorist-painter. It was 1983 and he was 45 years old.
Quite a few years ago The Names Project AIDS Quilt came to Pasadena, Ca. And it was the largest portion ever displayed in the Los Angeles area up to that time. I had actually seen smaller portions of the quilt, a number of times over the years, but this time...this was the first time that I found some of the panels of people I had known. This time, The Quilt was at The Rose Bowl and they said that just this particular portion of the Quilt filled approximately two football fields. To get some idea of the enormity of this great and moving on-going project, here it is in Washington D.C., on the Mall.
Take a good look at this:
To try and give you just a tiny idea of how many people who have died of AIDS are represented by the Quilt....there are 8 panels in each Block.
One Block.
Then they put 4 Blocks together, so that there are pathways between each block to allow people to really see the panels and to be able to read the names of all the people in each Block.
KENNY SACHA
Kenny was a Singer/Dancer/Comedian...I knew him because he always performed in the AIDS Benefit that I have been Co-Chair of (along with Betty Garrett) for 20 years... The last time
KENNY performed in the S.T.A.G.E. Benefit, was 1992. Despite the Kaposi's Cancer that appeared on his face, he sang and danced and he was hilarious, as always.
He died a few months later. He was 39 years old.
The Quilt, as it appeared in Pasadena with the pathways between for viewing.
FREDERICK COMBS
FREDERICK was a wonderful actor and a beloved acting teacher. But what all of us remember FREDERICK for, more than anything, was at Christmas time he would get a list of children's names from The United Way who would have no Christmas at all, and then he would ask his friends to make one wish of one child or two or even three, to come true that Christmas. And this was done anonymously. You never met any of these children, and it was one of the most meaningful things any of us participated in at Christmastime each year. He began doing this in the early 70's when he lived in New York and then continued this after moving to Hollywood. The Christmas of the year he died, over 400 children had a Christmas they would not have had without FREDERICK. That was 1992. He was 57 years old.
JAMES EDWARD LEE
JIM LEE was an 'artist' when it came to plants. I first met JIM, when I saw some very beautiful Desert plants outside a building and asked the building owner's where these plants had come from. I was told "Flamingo Garden's" which was JIM'S Nursery. For around 8 years I frequented his nursery at least two times a week. We became great friends because I loved Desert Plants, too. And many of the plants in my garden came from JIM'S place. Eventually he had to give up the nursery because of his failing health. This was very devastating to him and to all those who loved him. He was 48 years old when he died.
One of my oldest and dearest friends that was lost to this terrible disease, had no panel in 
the Quilt when it was in Pasadena. But I honor him this World AIDS Day as a remembrance of things past that I do not ever want to forget. He will always be in my heart.
CARL BOSTELMANN, JR.
CARL was a designer who had an extremely successful Gift Shop in Beverly Hills called Kaleidoscope. CARL loved Broadway show music, entertaining with panache, beautiful things, people, and creating Santa's Workshop, at Christmastime. About 3 months before Christmas, CARL would begin making 'Christmas Magic' in what he called Santa's Workshop in the back of the shop. When you walked into Kaleidoscope, there was always the scent of fragrant candles and 'show music' playing from some Broadway show that CARL loved....and he loved a lot of them! The August before he died, we shared one more 'Happy Time' together, seeing Barbara Cook and Mandy Patankin at The Hollywood Bowl. Spending time with CARL was more fun than anything you could imagine. His enthusiasm for life and romance and fantasy made everything around him beautiful and memorable. I miss him more than I can say.
He died, just before Christmas, December 1990. He was 53 years old.
So on this World AIDS Day, I remember, with love, each and everyone of the people I have lost to AIDS.
And here they are:
Jim Abbott, John Allison, David Amorena, Bill Bokoskie, George Brenlin, Fred Chris, Panos Christi, Paul Cira, Jerry Clark, Peter Collfield, Robert Doud, Robert Elston, Neil Flanagen. Danny Fortus, Mitch Geisart, Alison Gertz, Howard Goldberg, Jeffrey Goodman, Bobby Gorman, Sebastion Hobart, Paul Hunter, Michael Jeter, Jimmy, Austin Kirby, M.G. Macormic, Doug Marney, Gary Mascaro, Bill Moore, Michael Morris, Ron Muchnick, Tyre Patterson, Harry Percer, Alan Peterson, James Carroll Picket, Tom Redmond, Freddy Sadoff, Terrence Scammell, Jacque St. Onge, Neil Tucker, Clyde Ventura, and Ben Wilson.
YOU ARE ALWAYS IN MY HEART, NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN.
And to the more 15+ people that I know who are living with HIV/AIDS, as I write this, I pray that there will be a cure, very very soon!
More To Come......
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| posted by OldOldLady Of The Hills at 1:40 AM
x4
