Thursday's Thirteen: Save Water

I live in a dry arid area here in the central valley of California. We don't take water for granted here, especially not in a drought.

Photo by Janice Seagraves taken near Three Rivers CA

Here are thirteen ways to save water:

1. Even though it's fall it's still hot here so when kids want to cool off in the water, put a sprinkler out where your lawn needs it.

2. Don't run the water when you brush your teeth.

3. Don't water your lawn, or if you insist on having at least a semi green lawn then water twice a week.

4. Install low boy toilets to conserve on water (that's what we have).

4. Run the dishwasher only when you have a full load.

5. Wash your car in those places that recycle water.

6. Only wash full loads of laundry.

7. Buy water conserving appliances

8. Use the garbage disposal sparingly. Compost your vegetables instead to save on water.

9. Spread mulch around your plants to keep in the moisture.

10. Fix faucet leaks indoors and out.

11. Sweep patios and walkways instead of hosing them off.

12. Install a rain sensor on your water system so your sprinklers won't run during the rain.

13. Take shorter showers or use the buddy system. It's always fun to share.

Photo by Janice Seagraves taken at Huntington lake CA

Thursday's Thirteen

This weeks TT is on my website.

Thursday's Thirteen

Here this weeks Thursday's thirteen at Huntington Lake CA. I even make a video:  http://janiceseagraves.org/2012/06/21/thursdays-thirteen-second-field-trip-to-huntington-lake/#comment-4641

Thursday's thirteen: Signs of Spring

It's spring here in California, but I know there's places where it's still snowing. If you're tired of the winter weather, here's thirteen signs of Spring to cheer you up.

1. Daffodils
2. Blooming trees
3. Crocus 
4. Tulips
5. New spring leaves
6. Warmer weather
7. Return of song birds
8. Birds building nests
9. The grass needing to be mowed
10. Time to weed the garden
11. Spring forward time change
12. Pool parties
13. Spring Cleaning

Thursday's Thirteen: Charles Dickens

Happy birthday, Charles John Huffam Dickens

February 1812 – 9 June 1870 He was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic novels and characters.

Here are thirteen of his books. These are of coarse not all of his work.

1. The Adventures of Oliver Twist (Monthly serial in Bentley's Miscellany, February 1837 to April 1839) 
2. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (Monthly serial, April 1838 to October 1839) 
3. The Old Curiosity Shop (Weekly serial in Master Humphrey's Clock, 25 April 1840, to 6 February 1841) 
4. Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty (Weekly serial in Master Humphrey's Clock, 13 February 1841, to 27 November 1841) 
5. The Christmas books: A Christmas Carol (1843) 
6. The Chimes (1844) 
7. The Cricket on the Hearth (1845) 
8. The Battle of Life (1846) 
9. The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain (1848) 
10. The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit (Monthly serial, January 1843 to July 1844) 
11. David Copperfield (Monthly serial, May 1849 to November 1850) 
12. Bleak House (Monthly serial, March 1852 to September 1853) 
13. A Tale of Two Cities (Weekly serial in All the Year Round, 30 April 1859, to 26 November 1859)

Which book of Dickens do have you enjoyed reading?

Two Thursday's thirteen

I'm a glutton for punishment. I wrote not one but two Thursday's thirteen.
This one is a list of thirteen creepy sounds you don't want to ear when your alone: http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com/2011/10/thursdays-thirteen-scary-sounds.html
This one is about our haunted house: http://ladyjanice.blogspot.com/2011/10/thursdays-thirteen-my-haunted-house.html

Thursday's Thirteen: My Haunted House

Look closely for the orbs

As I written in my bio, I live in a hundred year old haunted house. I’ve had a lot of questions about our house and the hauntings. So here are thirteen creepy things that happened in my home.

 1. I’ve heard a little girl crying when I washed my hands in the bathroom. Which in itself isn’t anything unusual, but we live two miles out of town in the middle of what was a grape vineyard but is now an almond orchard, and we have no close neighbors. I’ve lived here for twenty years and heard the same child sobbing. Reason would dictate that if this was a child, it would be grown up by now.

2. When my daughter was a baby and would sleep with us, I would feel the bed dip like someone was sitting on it. I’d open my eyes to see if my husband was there putting on his shoes, but the baby and I were alone.

3. I, my husband and my daughter have seen a little girl ghost at different times and places in the house. One time while my daughter was sleeping with me, she screamed in the middle of the night. I jerked awake and turned over, that’s when I saw the little girl ghost sitting on my bed on the far side of my daughter, staring at me. Then she faded away.

4. When my daughter was little about three or four, she had an invisible friend named Jenifer or Jenny, which I later realized was our ghost girl.

5. I’ve heard a scary voice saying my name.

6. I’ve been woken up by the sound of my bedroom door being opened and when I got up, it was closed.

7. We’ve seen orbs. Mostly green ones and blue ones. I saw one in the bathroom and followed it into my daughter’s room, where it landed on the foot of her bed and disappeared.

8. When my husband worked nights sometimes I would see something under the fitted sheet moving back and forth. I thought maybe a mouse got into the mattress. My husband and I flipped the mattress over and I couldn’t find any mouse holes, so I have no idea what that was.

9. I’ve been woken up by a child singing the song called the Lilac Tree.

10. I’ve been woken up by the smell of brownies and thought my daughter was baking. I got up to go into the kitchen and no one was cooking. Boy was I disappointed.

11. One time when I overslept, I heard someone walking around my bed and a voice saying, “Come on, honey, it’s time to get up.”

12. A couple of nights ago my daughter told me one of her friends that spend the night and heard the bathroom door creak open and the sound of whispering. The friend asked my daughter if her parents were up. My daughter said no, then went and checked the bathroom. No was there.

13. Last night when I just laid down to go to sleep, I felt someone tuck in the tag on my pajamas top. My bedroom door was closed and hubby was working the graveyard shift and my daughter was staying the night at a friend’s house. I was alone.

Or was I?

My hubby inhaled a ghost

Thursday's thirteen

Why I don't have time to write a TT.

http://janiceseagraves.org/2011/08/10/thursdays-thirteen-why-i-dont-have-time-to-write-a-tt/

Thursday's thirteen

I'm at a different location this time with my TT and giving a lesson on how to talk like an Aussie.

http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/thursdays-thirteen-how-to-talk-like-an-aussie/

Janice~

Thursday's Thirteen

This weeks Thursday's thirteen is about sex, and you can find it here:

http://janiceseagraves.org/2011/07/20/thursdays-thirteen-sex/

Thursday's Thirteen

My Thursday's thirteen is on my website this week.

http://janiceseagraves.org/2011/07/13/thursdays-thirteen-conjunctions-other-than-and/

Alexander Graham Bell's Hydrofoil

I posted this because a few people showed some interest in it when I posted about Bell's hydrofoil in my Thursday's thirteen.

Alexander Graham Bell considered the invention of the hydroplane as a very significant achievement. Based on information gained from that article he began to sketch concepts of what is now called a hydrofoil boat. 

Bell and assistant Frederick W. "Casey" Baldwin began hydrofoil experimentation in the summer of 1908 as a possible aid to airplane takeoff from water. Baldwin studied the work of the Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini and began testing models. This led him and Bell to the development of practical hydrofoil watercraft.

During his world tour of 1910–11, Bell and Baldwin met with Forlanini in France. They had rides in the Forlanini hydrofoil boat over Lake Maggiore. Baldwin described it as being as smooth as flying. 

On returning to Baddeck, a number of initial concepts were built as experimental models, including the Dhonnas Beag, the first self-propelled Bell-Baldwin hydrofoil.^[106] The experimental boats were essentially proof-of-concept prototypes that culminated in the more substantial HD-4, powered by Renault engines. A top speed of 54 miles per hour (87 km/h) was achieved, with the hydrofoil exhibiting rapid acceleration, good stability and steering along with the ability to take waves without difficulty.^[107] In 1913, Dr. Bell hired Walter Pinaud, a Sydney yacht designer and builder as well as the proprietor of Pinaud's Yacht Yard in Westmount, Nova Scotia to work on the pontoons of the HD-4. Pinaud soon took over the boatyard at Bell Laboratories on Beinn Bhreagh, Bell's estate near Baddeck, Nova Scotia. 

Pinaud's experience in boat-building enabled him to make useful design changes to the HD-4. After the First World War, work began again on the HD-4. Bell's report to the U.S. Navy permitted him to obtain two 350 horsepower (260 kW) engines in July 1919. On September 9, 1919, the HD-4 set a world marine speed record of 70.86 miles per hour (114.04 km/h),^[108] a record which stood for ten years.

Thursday's thirteen: Windswept Shores

You'll find this weeks Thursday's thirteen on my website.

http://janiceseagraves.org/2011/06/01/thursdays-thirteen-windswept-shoress-first-anniversary/

Thursday's thirteen: Country Drive

I went on a country drive for my birthday. Here's some photos I took along the way.

1. We're on our way to Hensley Lake. In this photo you can see it's going to rain soon, and you also get a look at my little dashboard Kitties my hubby bought for me.

2. We live in a very dry arid area, but this is also farm country. Here you can see the "Happy Cows." 

3. More of our grass land and storm clouds.

4. Something blooming along side of the road.

5. We finally made it to Hensley Lake. Waters still a bit low though.

6. We stopped at Look Out Point, but the wind had gotten up. My daughter and I nearly froze our butts off, trying to get a couple of pictures before we hurried back to the car.

7. My hubby posed for a photo.

8. Look closely and you can see the dam. The name of the dam is Hidden dam. 

9. A blooming bush. I don't know what they're call but there were several of them close to the road.

10. I saw a spotted a abandoned house with a balancing rock in the foreground.

11. Above the lake is this lovely river that runs into it, but I forget to get the name of it. *slaps head*

12. Mean while my hubby was on the other side of the bridge and saw two turtles. Unfortunately they saw him and dived into the river before my daughter and I could join him and see them too. :(
All that's left is two wet spots on the middle rock (if you look very closely you can see them).

13. On the way home we saw a barn and I snapped this photo just as it started to rain.

Thursday's thirteen

My Thursday's Thirteen is on my website.

Thursday's thirteen: Thirteen Elisabeth Taylor Movies

In honor of Elisabeth Taylor's passing, I'm posting thirteen must see of her movies.



1. "National Velvet" (1944)



A preteen Taylor starred as Velvet Brown in this classic horse film, opposite Angela Lansbury and Mickey Rooney. In "National Velvet," based on Enid Bagnold's novel, a girl aspired to win the prestigious Grand National horse race. Disguised as a jockey, Taylor's character entered the race.

2. "Little Women" (1949)



Based on Louisa May Alcott's novel, this film featured. Mary Astor as, a Massachusetts mother raising four daughters, while her husband fought in the Civil War. Taylor played one of the girls in a cast including June Allyson, Leon Ames, Peter Lawford, Janet Leigh and Margaret O'Brien.

"Little Women" was remade in 1994 with Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon.

3. "Father of the Bride" (1950)



Taylor stars as an eager bride in this comedy, with Joan Bennett and Spencer Tracy playing her parents. The film earned Oscar nods for Best Actor and Best Picture, but did not win. By 1951, "Father's Little Dividend" followed, with Taylor's character giving birth.

"Father of the Bride" was remade in 1991 with Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley,Martin Short and Kieran Culkin.

4. "Raintree County" (1957)



Adapted from a book by Ross Lockridge, Jr., "Raintree County" offered Civil War epic drama. with Montgomery Clift, Lee Marvin and Eva Marie Saint. Critics panned it, but Taylor earned an Oscar nomination for her Southern belle.

5. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958)



Taylor sizzled in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" as Maggie "The Cat" Pollitt, vamping wife to Paul Newman's debauched "Brick" in the Tennessee Williams drama. The cast included Burl Ives and Jack Carter.

Elvis Presley, James Dean, Ava Gardner, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Lana Turner were rumored to have considered starring roles. In the end, Taylor grabbed a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination for her turn.

6. "Suddenly Last Summer" (1959)



Melodrama and intrigue surround this tale of 1930s psychiatry and family dynamics. Based on a Tennessee Williams play, "Suddenly Last Summer" stars Taylor, Clift and Katherine Hepburn. Taylor was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and won a Golden Globe for this movie.

7. "Butterfield 8" (1960)



Taylor won the Academy Award for Best Actress as a socialite call girl in a love affair with a married man. Eddie Fisher and Dina Merrill also starred in "Butterfield 8."

8. "Cleopatra" (1963)



A costly critical flop, "Cleopatra" is a popular Taylor favorite. Playing the Nile Queen, Taylor starred opposite Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Martin Landau and Roddy McDowell. The Egyptian epic, receiving four Oscars, became legendary for Taylor and Burton's meeting.

9. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966)



This film adaptation of Edward Albee's Broadway smash set Taylor against Burton in a close-up look at a tumultuous 20-year marriage. Sandy Dennis and George Segal joined the cast. Taylor picked up an Oscar, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe nomination.

10. "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967)



This adaptation of William Shakespeare's Renaissance comedy starred Taylor and Burton, squaring off as Kate and Petrucio. The supporting cast included Michael Holden and Michael York. Taylor received a BAFTA nomination for "The Taming of the Shrew."

11. "Life with Father" (1947)



William Powell is a tower of comic strength as Clarence Day, the benevolent despot of his 1880s New York City household. Irene Dunne co-stars as Day's wife Vinnie, who outwardly has no more common sense than a butterfly but who is the real head of the household. The anecdotal story, encompassing such details as the eldest Day son's (James Lydon) romance with pretty out-of-towner Mary (Elizabeth Taylor), is tied together by Vinnie's tireless efforts to get her headstrong husband baptized, else he'll never be able to enter the Kingdom of God. Each scene is a little gem of comedy and pathos, as the formidable Mr. Day tries to bring a stern businesslike attitude to everyday household activities, including explaining the facts of life to his impressionable son.

12. "Elephant Walk" (1954)



Elephant Walk is a 1954 Paramount Pictures film, directed by William Dieterle, and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Dana Andrews, Peter Finch and Abraham Sofaer.

Colonial tea planter John Wiley, visiting England at the end of World War II, wins and weds lovely English rose Ruth and takes her home to Elephant Walk, Ceylon, where the local elephants have a grudge against the plantation because it blocks their migrating path. Ruth's delight with the tropical wealth and luxury of her new home is tempered by isolation as the only white woman in the district; by her husband's occasional imperious arrogance; by a mutual physical attraction with plantation manager Dick Carver; and by the hovering, ominous menace of the hostile elephants. The elephants end up destroying the plantation in a stampede along with a fire.

13. "Lassie Come Home" (1943)



The original adventure of a boy and his dog is considered by many as the best. Young Roddy McDowall stars as a boy whose poor family is forced to sell their beloved collie, Lassie.





What's your favorite movie starring Liz Taylor?

Thursday's thirteen: Irish Songs

1. Danny Boy (my grandfather use to sing this one)

Often copied classic
Click Here for Song and Lyrics

2. When Irish Eyes are Smiling (I was told I had Irish eyes by an English man, then he went back to his woman singing this song.)

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

3. She Moved Through the Fair (a very haunting song about a dead love's return)

Used in the film 'Michael Collins'
Click Here for Song and Lyrics

4. The Wearing Of The Green

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

5. Erin Go Bragh

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

6. Amhran na bhFiann

The Irish National Athem
Click Here for Song and Lyrics

7. The Rose of Tralee

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

8. The Foggy Dew (another haunting melody)

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

9. An Irish Lullaby (I sang this one to my daughter when she was a baby.)

Hugely popular sentimental song
Click Here for Song and Lyrics

10. The Water is Wide

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

11. Green Grow the Lilacs

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

12. Four Green Fields

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

13. I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen

Click Here for Song and Lyrics

What's your favorite Irish song and who sang it to you?

Thursday's thirteen: Christmas songs

1. The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
2. Joy to the World – Aretha Franklin
3. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
4. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
5. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
6. All I want for Christmas – Mariah Carey
7. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
8. Chipmunk Song – The Chipmunks
9. Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
10. Winter Wonderland – Dolly Parton
11. Silent Night – Kenny G
12. Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano
13. Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley

Which is your favorite Christmas song?

Thursday's thirteen: What I learn from the Nano

Find out what I learn from doing the nano right here.

Thursday's thirteen: What Megan says

I've posted my Thursday's thirteen on my website with a contest.

This contest is for the ladies. I have another surfboard to give away, plus an ankle bracelet made with seashells, toe rings are included, and that’s not all I’m also adding incense called sea breeze.

Don't hesitate enter today. The winner will be announced on Sunday, August 15.