Que Será, Será

Inky with my birthday sunflowers (my photo)

Today I'm trying a new prompt called Saturday: 9, basically because I can't think of anything to write for the GMT challenge. I might deal with that later; ideas are percolating. Anyway, Saturday: 9 is a series of questions, sometimes themed and sometimes not, hosted by Annie at Cottage by the Sea. This week, the theme is based on "Don't Take Your Love from Me," which Doris Day sang in 1956. Being super clever and all, I used a different Doris Day song for the title of this post. 

1) In this song, Doris Day sings about what happens when you take a petal from a rose. When did you last get or give flowers as a gift?

I received three gorgeous bouquets of flowers for my birthday at the end of April. Unfortunately, so many blooms in the same room gave me an allergy attack, and I had to put them outside the front door.

2) This song is about a woman who fears losing her love. What's the most recent thing you lost? (Hopefully it's not as consequential as a great love. It could be as small or unimportant as the back of one of your pierced earrings.) 

Funny you should mention earrings. I don't lose things often, but I did lose a tiny silver otter earring from a pair that I received as a gift from a friend. This was some months ago, and I felt certain it would turn up, but it didn't, so just this week I found them on Amazon and bought a new pair. Maybe the lost otter will turn up now!

3) Doris was known as The All-American Girl Next Door. Who lives next door to you?

On one side there's a woman named Mary with a son, a cute doggie, and a black cat. On the otter side there's some sort of mix of people, possibly a grandpa and a couple with a baby, but I'm not sure about anything except the baby. That unit constantly changes residents, and I can't keep track of them.

4) As a young girl, Doris Day was passionate about dance. She recalled that concentrating on her lessons helped distract her from the pain and embarrassment of her parents' divorce. When you want to escape from what's troubling you, what do you do?

Work on a new jigsaw puzzle, dive into a thriller novel, watch an old favorite movie, etc. 

5) The maître d' at one of Doris' favorite restaurants wanted to ask her out. Knowing how she loved her dogs, he impressed her by handing her a bag of meat scraps and bones to take home. They began dating and, in 1976, he became her last husband. What's the best way to your heart? 

I'm no longer interested in romance, but as far as friendship, a good sense of humor goes a long way with me, and I'm not talking about nasty, sarcastic humor aimed at others' misfortunes a la you know who, which is why I emphasize "good." The ability to laugh at yourself is a huge plus. 

6) Over her long career, Doris received Golden Globe and Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was also inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, honored for being one of the most celebrated women to have been born there. Name a famous person born in your home state.

Though I was born in New York and spent almost 10 years in Illinois, I consider California to be my home state now. I've lived in SoCal since 1983. Loads of famous people were born here, one nearby in Fullerton: Gwen Stefani.

7) She was frank about her financial difficulties, yet some people are uncomfortable discussing money. Are you one of those people?

It depends. I don't mind discussing the prices of things and commiserating with others about the cost of gas and groceries, but I'm not going to discuss my personal financial matters with anyone other than the closest of friends and family. I think I mentioned here and/ or on my defunct WordPress blog the couple times I've been the victim of a financial crime or an attempt thereof, but that's different.

8) In 1956, when Doris released this song, The Wizard of Oz was shown on network TV for the first time. What movie have you seen multiple times?

Many! Of course, as I have said repeatedly, I often rewatch both Mamma Mia movies (and I wish they'd hurry up with that hypothetical third one before all the main characters are in a nursing home, though that might be fun actually), plus I frequently rewatch other musical favorites such as Chicago, Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, etc., and non-musicals such as You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, 27 Dresses, The Hating Game, Young Frankenstein, etc. Getting back to the Doris Day motif, I have seen Pillow Talk at least twice.

9) Random question: Would you rather have a chef or a chauffeur?

Chauffeur, absolutely. I would love to be picked up anytime to be taken anywhere I need to go without having to worry about car maintenance, getting gas, driving, parking, insurance, or any of that crap ever again. 

Thanks for this fun batch of questions, Annie!