Dreamtime- February 27,  2016- 1987 Again

I was sitting on the couch in my living room reading the TV Guide one moment and the next I was in the basement of our old apartment. I was sitting on the bean bag chair made of blue jean type material. A music magazine was in my hands.

   

   The page that I was looking at had an article about John Taylor on it. The picture of him was very nice. He looked as he did in Duran Duran’s Notorious album days. I was so happy to see this.

  

   My outfit was different in this reality. I was wearing the gray top with geometric designs and belt with Chic jeans like I used to have. Mom would usually get me that brand and PS Gitano from Bradlees, the department store that she worked at.

  

   I was sort of jealous of my classmates who had the more expensive designer brands like Jordache,   Sassoon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Calvin Klein, and Sergio Valente.

   

   It was odd that my bedroom was not in the cellar. I saw my Teddy bear calendar on the wall- it was April 1987. By then, my room had been down there for about a year and 9 months.

   

   My brother’s room was here though. My parent’s had built it in 1982, I think. We used to have to share the big bedroom upstairs.

   

   This section of the cellar was still as it had been before that, including the tan carpet. The brown paneling was a part of the décor for as long as I could remember and remained there as part of my room.

   

   The bean bag chair was placed in the center. I remember it mostly being up in the sitting room, which was formerly my bedroom.

   

   The blue couch was up against the wall with the end table next to it. My small, black Panasonic boom box was on that table.

  

   The big wooden stereo/TV cabinet was there too. It was in our living room in the 1970s. Sliding doors were on the front of this. The television was in the center and on top of it was the turntable underneath a cover. I can’t remember if the stereo had AM/FM.

   

   The compartment for records was next to the TV.  Mostly, my parent’s albums- Johnny Cash, Elvis, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Christmas ones by various artists-were in it. A few of my brother’s and my Disney records- It’s A Small World, Mary Poppins, and The Best of Disney – were too. We still have all of these.

  

   I loved having a furnished basement. The one that we have in our current apartment is pretty creepy. I hate even going down there to do the laundry.

  

   Was I home alone? So far, it seemed that way. But then I heard someone coming down the stairs. When I looked over at the staircase, I saw my Ginger pup. I was extremely happy to see her.

  

   Ginger was such a good and beautiful doggie. She was a terrier mix. I think that she might have had some Shetland sheepdog in her too. She looked somewhat like the famous dog Benji.

  

   I sat up on the couch and Ginger jumped up next to me. I gave her a big hug and she licked my cheek. It was wonderful that she was still alive in this fantasy world. Dad had her put to sleep in November of 1986 in reality.

  

   I will always be mad at him for this. He never even had the vet find out what was making her so sick. It might have just been an infection that meds could have cured.

  

   I petted her and told her how much that I love her. She would always comfort me whenever I was feeling sad. I hope that I get to see her again in the afterlife.

   

   The radio magically came on then. I heard Casey Kasem talking; his “America’s Top 40” was on. The next song was Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”.

   

   I wasn’t even into that group back then but did have a poster of Jon on the wall. I had won it at a ring toss game down the shore. I thought that he was kind of cute which is why I kept it and put it there.

   

   My interest in Bon Jovi wasn’t until 2000 and lasted about 11 years. It was never as intense as the Duran Duran one though. Is it weird that I wasn’t a big fan of either until many years later than my classmates?

  

   I went over to the cabinets that our grandfather had built into the wall. We kept our games, Tupperware, and other items in there. As I was about to open one of them, the scenery began to fade. It was disappointing that I didn’t get to remain in the alien holodeck for any longer but I was glad that I did have a bit of time with my sweet doggie.

Bean bag chair

Ginger

Note- the 3rd photo of the Panasonic boom box is from the internet, as is the magazine.

March 12, 2016

Favorite Dog Breeds

-Cocker Spaniels- our adorable Buffy

-Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

-English Springer Spaniel

-All other spaniels

-Golden Retrievers

-Labrador Retrievers- Wrangler!

-Irish Setters

-All other Setters

-Beagles

-Dachshunds

-Shetland Sheepdog- our Rusty

-Border Collies

-Collies

-Miniature Schnauzers

-Mutts – like my Ginger who resembled Benji, the famous doggie.

-Siberian Huskies

-Finnish Spitz

-Samoyed

-Lhasa Apso- our Mookie was part this and terrier

-Maltese

-Yorkshire Terriers

-Various other Terriers- like Scottish, West Highland, Soft-Coated Wheaton, and Wirehaired Fox (Asta from the Thin Man movies)

-Corgis

-Miniature Poodle

-Other Cute Dogs- Dalmatians, Pomeranians, Bichon Frise, Alaskan Malamute, Polish Lowland Sheepdog,  and more. There are so many breeds. I used to like watching Westminster Dog Show sometimes but didn’t start doing this until the 1990s.

Dreamtime

February 27 2016- 1987 Again

I was sitting on the couch in my living room reading the TV Guide one moment and the next I was in the basement of our old apartment. I was sitting on the bean bag chair made of blue jean type material. A music magazine was in my hands.

   The page that I was looking at had an article about John Taylor on it. The picture of him was very nice. He looked as he did in Duran Duran’s Notorious album days. I was so happy to see this.

  My outfit was different in this reality. I was wearing the gray top with geometric designs and belt with Chic jeans like I used to have. Mom would usually get me that brand and PS Gitano from Bradlees, the department store that she worked at.

   I was sort of jealous of my classmates who had the more expensive designer brands like Jordache,   Sassoon, Gloria Vanderbilt, Calvin Klein, and Sergio Valente.

   It was odd that my bedroom was not in the cellar. I saw my Teddy bear calendar on the wall- it was April 1987. By then, my room had been down there for about a year and 9 months.

   My brother’s room was here though. My parent’s had built it in 1982, I think. We used to have to share the big bedroom upstairs.

   This section of the cellar was still as it had been before that, including the tan carpet. The brown paneling was a part of the décor for as long as I could remember and remained there as part of my room.

   The bean bag chair was placed in the center. I remember it mostly being up in the sitting room, which was formerly my bedroom.

   The blue couch was up against the wall with the end table next to it. My small, black Panasonic boom box was on that table.

  The big wooden stereo/TV cabinet was there too. It was in our living room in the 1970s. Sliding doors were on the front of this. The television was in the center and on top of it was the turntable underneath a cover. I can’t remember if the stereo had AM/FM.

   The compartment for records was next to the TV.  Mostly, my parent’s albums- Johnny Cash, Elvis, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Christmas ones by various artists-were in it. A few of my brother’s and my Disney records- It’s A Small World, Mary Poppins, and The Best of Disney – were too. We still have all of these.

   I loved having a furnished basement. The one that we have in our current apartment is pretty creepy. I hate even going down there to do the laundry.

  Was I home alone? So far, it seemed that way. But then I heard someone coming down the stairs. When I looked over at the staircase, I saw my Ginger pup. I was extremely happy to see her.

  Ginger was such a good and beautiful doggie. She was a terrier mix. I think that she might have had some Shetland sheepdog in her too. She looked somewhat like the famous dog Benji.

   I sat up on the couch and Ginger jumped up next to me. I gave her a big hug and she licked my cheek. It was wonderful that she was still alive in this fantasy world. Dad had her put to sleep in November of 1986 in reality.

   I will always be mad at him for this. He never even had the vet find out what was making her so sick. It might have just been an infection that meds could have cured.

   I petted her and told her how much that I love her. She would always comfort me whenever I was feeling sad. I hope that I get to see her again in the afterlife.

   The radio magically came on then. I heard Casey Kasem talking; his “America’s Top 40” was on. The next song was Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”.

   I wasn’t even into that group back then but did have a poster of Jon on the wall. I had won it at a ring toss game down the shore. I thought that he was kind of cute which is why I kept it and put it there.

   My interest in Bon Jovi wasn’t until 2000 and lasted about 11 years. It was never as intense as the Duran Duran one though. Is it weird that I wasn’t a big fan of either until many years later than my classmates?

   I went over to the cabinets that our grandfather had built into the wall. We kept our games, Tupperware, and other items in there. As I was about to open one of them, the scenery began to fade. It was disappointing that I didn’t get to remain in the alien holodeck for any longer but I was glad that I did have a bit of time with my sweet doggie.

 

Bean bag chair

Blue couch

 

Stereo cabinet

 

 

Ginger

Panasonic boom box

Jon Bon Jovi

Cabinet

Tupperware

 

Note- internet photos- jeans, magazine, and 2nd Panasonic boom box.

 

 

December 17, 2015- Star Gazing and Dream

We went to the Observatory at UCC in Cranford once but I forget which planet we were looking at or even when this was- probably sometime in the mid-80s. We gazed at Halley’s Comet in 1986 and the Soviet space station Mir through my brother’s telescope; I wished that we had used it more.

   We sometimes watched “The Star Hustler”- Jack Horkheimer- on PBS when we were kids. I somehow came across his website online but now he’s known as the “Star Gazer”. “Keep looking up” was one of his sayings. I forget how long ago he passed away.

 

 

 

 

October 23, 2014- Mookie and Stargazing

I was sitting in my room stressing out about having to drive my mother to her doctor’s appointment one minute and the next I was outside in the yard of my old apartment. It was now night time; the moon looked full, big, and bright.

   I heard a couple of dogs barking. One of them was our Mookie. She ran over to me and I petted her. The other dog was in our neighbors’ yard. My father did not live there in this reality.

  My mother, Kathy, and her mother, Helen were coming out of the front door of our house. I didn’t even go over to say goodbye to our 2 friends. I watched them get into their car from the back porch.

   My brother’s binoculars were on the bench there. I looked at the moon through them. I could also see a red planet; was this Mars? I can’t remember if that is the red one. It looked close. In reality, I doubt that it could have appeared this way.

   Mom went back into the apartment. Mike must’ve been out somewhere, possibly with Tony. Mookie stayed on the back porch with me.

   I pet her some more before doing further star gazing. I have always liked observing the night time sky but didn’t do so as much as I should have.

   Sometimes it is kind of scary looking into space though because I wonder if there really might be unfriendly aliens out there that might invade Earth someday.

   I was back in my room a few minutes later. It was nice being with my Mookie on the holodeck even just for that little while. It’s hard to believe that next July will be 10 years since she died. I still miss her a lot.

 

 

Note- internet photo- Jack Horkheimer 

 

 

 

         

 

October 13, 2014- Fleetwood Mac and Mookie

I was standing near a bookcase in the middle of a field. Nine of my former classmates/Girl Scout troop members were there too.  We looked like we did in the mid-1980s. I was thinking “What an odd place for a bookcase” Amongst the books were a couple of mysteries; one was by Elizabeth Peters.

   About 20 seconds later, our two troop leaders, Miss K and Mrs. M, and 5 other people were walking towards us. I was surprised and pleased to see that they were with the members of the music group Fleetwood Mac.

   This seemed like a strange setting in which to meet them though. We got to ask them questions and they even asked us some too.

   Michelle asked something about their song writing. After this was answered, Stevie Nicks asked if any of us were interested in writing. I can’t believe that I was actually brave enough to answer this.

   I said that my dream is to write a science fiction story and also one about my concert experiences. I also said that I’m not talented enough to do so.

   Stevie told me that I shouldn’t put myself down and that I should never give up on my dreams. It was nice of her to say that but part of me still doesn’t believe that I could ever be successful as a writer.

   Jackie was asking Mick a question but my mind was sort of wandering then. I was looking over towards one of only 6 houses that were in the area. Suddenly, a giraffe appeared near a tree next to it.

   A few other animals which included a Palomino horse, a sheep, and an elephant also materialized in that same vicinity. No one else seemed to notice this. I then saw my little doggie Mookie running in my direction.

   I was so happy to see Mookie. She did stop partway and looked as if she wanted to change directions to head towards the other animals. I just had to go over to her and them even though this would mean missing out on part of the meet and greet event. My doggie was more important than this.

   I was so excited that I ran to her. When I got there, I wanted to get closer to the horse. First, I turned around to look at Fleetwood Mac and my Girl Scout troop. But they were no longer there.

   I was a little upset that I had been left behind. They have done so in a few other holodeck storylines too. Perhaps this time they were just no longer part of the plot; they couldn’t have walked away that quickly.

   I picked up Mookie and gave her a big hug. Her being there calmed me down. I kept her in my arms while I was observing the animals. She didn’t even bark at them as she probably would have in reality. I pet the horse for a little bit.

    I wondered if there was a bus stop nearby. If so, I’d be able to get home that way. I saw an intersection similar to one near my town and decided to walk towards it. I didn’t see that many other buildings and houses around.

   I saw a guy walking his dog and asked him about the bus stop. He said that there was one about ¼ mile away. I also found out that the closest town was a mile and mine was about 9 miles. Only a couple of minutes later, the scenery disappeared and I was back in my room on Earth.

 

 

Note- Photos from the internet- horse and the last 2.

 

November 30, 2015- More Buffy and Mookie

Mom used to make Buffy and Mookie cute bandanas, esp. for the holidays. They would get them when they went to the groomers also. We still have most of these. We forgot to take one off of Buffy before she got groomed; they must have thrown it away. I was kind of upset about this. I am pretty sure that we have a picture of her wearing it.

   Mike feels bad about purposely making high pitched noises that would make Buffy howl and Mookie yap. We used to both laugh about this but then say that he shouldn’t do it anymore.

   We took Buffy to dog training classes at PetSmart when she was a puppy. She did such a good job there. I have her graduation certificate in my scrapbook.

   Mookie ran out of our house a few times. We were so afraid that she would get lost, or be injured or killed in an accident.  Luckily, we were able to catch her. One time, the guy down the street stopped her for us. We talked to him for a bit and pet his nice English Springer spaniel Knuckles.

   Mookie was going blind towards the end of her life which is probably why she was nipping at Buffy sometimes. She was also behaving rather strangely. The lady at the Emergency Vets place said that she probably had brain damage. We had her put to sleep not long afterwards; that was a very sad day.

 

October 12, 2015- Cute Animals and Doggies-Part 2

  I remember the names of some of my friend’s doggies. Cindy and Jessica had a beagle named Brandy then Muffin who I’m pretty sure was a Maltese. Kelly had a black dog that could have been part retriever named Fluffy. Kathy had a bunch of doggies over the years. The Shih Tzu’s were Oscar, April and a couple of others. Devil dog was part this breed. The bigger dogs were Murphy, Mugsy and Schroeder.

  Kelly also had some pet ducks or geese at one point. We got our Mookie from her parents. Someone had just left her in their yard. I didn’t like her at first because I was still very sad about my Ginger even though this was 5 or 6 years later. I didn’t want a replacement doggie but eventually grew to love her. She loved sitting on my lap and on my handmade pillows.

  Jessica had a pet rabbit too. I just remembered this as I was thinking about the cute bunnies that my brother and I saw at Columbus Flea Market last year.

  Aunt Joan had a few dogs, Lady, Pooh and Scruffy, at different times. Grandma always let our Ginger into her house but never Pooh who I felt kind of sorry for. She’d even give Ginger some food like a hot dog.

  Our neighbor Mrs. T, Helen J’s mom, had a beautiful collie, Princess. We had a sheltie, Rusty, but after it attacked Uncle Nick we had to get rid of him. He was just trying to protect me when my uncle was swatting at a bee that was flying near me. Rusty must’ve thought that he was trying to hit me. He was very protective of my brother and me.

  Our parents told us that Rusty would now be living at a nice farm but a few years later we found out the truth that he had been taken to the vet and put to sleep. I was so sad when I heard this. We only had him for a little over 2 years.

   Aunt Karen had a black and white spaniel named Pepper. Aunt Ann and Uncle Joe’s dog was Mitsy, a spaniel/border collie mix. She was originally their son’s dog before he went into the Navy.

    I do have a photo of her but not of Pepper, unfortunately. Well, there is a shot of her sitting near the table at Christmastime but it’s of her backside.

    I hope that I get to see him, Mookie, Buffy, Mitsy, Pepper and many other doggies in the afterlife. Mike keeps saying that animals have no souls. Well, if there aren’t any of them in heaven then I don’t even want to go there.

  Whenever I see a report on the news or article in the paper about abused or neglected animals I get very upset and angry. Am I a bad person for hoping that people who do this get some sort of punishment in the afterlife like they should here on Earth too?

  I also get really sad when I see posters of lost and missing pets. I pray that they will be found.

   Lynn and I stopped at a farm on the way out to a town wide garage sale in West Jersey. We took some pictures of the cows. That was such a fun day. Seeing cute animals always makes me so happy.

Rusty

Rusty

Lady's puppies

 

Mookie

Pepper

Pepper

Mitsy

Cows- West N.J.-1997