July 19th, 2025
“ Dobroho ranku”, or “Good Morning!” in Ukrainian, is an Eastern Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. The UJT will remain focused on Ukraine until we can all rejoice at the end of hostilities. It has been 2,167 days since Russia invaded Ukraine.
This week, I learned some stuff:
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- Surely after releasing last week’s UGT, your humble scribe was stricken with the dreaded disease and confined quarters for the entire week. My warden, Jessica can find me to our guest room with masks handwashing instructions medications in the smallest TV in the house. Let’s just say I did a lot of reading and coughing. I’m happy to report as we go due to presses this week. I am typified negative and our granddaughter Chloe can come visit finally. Otherwise it was a markedly unremarkable week – no gym; no recipes; no cooking; and so on.
- We are busy wrapping up preparations for Chloe’s visit and our delayed anniversary celebration.
- Well, over a decade ago, I retired from hurting cats Ed’s coat shop. But here I am doing it again! The first week of August, marks 19 years that the GLCPS&L Group of friends started playing poker, smoking stogies and telling lies together. Trying to organize is now fairly dispersed. Group of people is a challenge. Getting Covid didn’t help but I’m not backing down sometime in the month of August. We’ll all get together somewhere and maybe play some poker maybe just have some stogies and swap stories !
- You can find out all about today’s history here.
This week’s Website Update:
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- I didn’t have any new recipes this week. Our granddaughter, Chloe has come to visit and has brought a sweet potato recipe that she and her aunt Jessica are going to prepare for us this week so you guys should have a new recipe next week.
- This week’s front page quote is from King Mufasa (The Lion King): “While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give.”
Bonsai Tree and Stained Glass, Update:
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- I know I said I would start my Stained Glass project last week, but Covid saved me from that. My granddaughter Chloe says she will help me sometime before she leaves this week so keep your fingers crossed!
Late breaking news
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- Sometimes things happen just as I go to update the website and send out this weeks update. In the old days, I would hang onto the information till the following week but now I have less confidence that I’ll actually remember it or that it won’t be overcome by other events so I thought I’d introduce a new heading to just talk about things that happened just as we were going to update the website.
- For instance, most of you know I enjoy the act of writing a letter to the people I care about there’s something about getting the paper the envelope the address the stamps (by the way did you notice that stamps went up to $.78 for a first class letter! Crazy!) and then getting it into the mail so it’ll get to its intended destination. My dad was a magnificent letter writer! There are others as well. Today I got a letter from my friend Lori Hernandez (a.k.a. zip). It is one of those fine examples of a letter that just don’t come along very often. Of course it gives you the updates about what’s going on in her world and how things are faring, but it also conveys a lot of caring and deep thought about her communications with her old friend. The letter was accompanied by a beautiful photograph of a bonsai tree several hundred years old that she saw in the National Arboretum in Washington DC. Aside from the joy of just hearing from my old friend, the car and kindness in which you’ve prepared her message was well received and deeply appreciated. If you know anyone that you haven’t talked to in a while, drop them a letter cause nothing else quite says what we mean. Thanks, Lori…. Check your mail box!
- Another late breaking piece of news is that we received on Friday was that both my favorite in law and my son are coming to visit us at the same time next month!
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Weird-Stuff-O-Meter:
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- Often when you live as long as I have and have been married as long as I hav3 to the same person you get asked, “What is your secret?” That Is a hard question to answer! The truth is, I have no idea. Maybe that’s the secret – living each moment with no idea About what the next is gong to bring. You make living that next moment a pleasant surprise. That’s not to say there aren’t ups and downs. There are. Bit down side memories don’t last long after you learn the lesson you’re taught. The oath we take is for, “…loving each other n sickness and health until death do us apart…” If you’re paying attention, that’s a pretty big commitment – a good cornerstone to a long right life with another person. I recommend taking it. Remember the good things about life forever and forget the bad ones as soon as you can.
This week’s UJT Radio Program:
This week let’s continue with the artists under the “S” category.
- Steve Miller Band — Brave New World — Steve Miller gave me so much as a young boy grown up in the psychedelic world. The first time I saw it was in 1968 or so with his magic light show and amazing band. I’ve never heard of anyone in the band when I first saw him, but N Ben Sidran was there as was Boz Scaggs I know that Nikki Hopkins sat in on keyboard, especially on c”Kw Kow Calculator,” and Paul McCartney played base on several tunes on this album. I don’t remember everybody else and of course Steven his guitar, Mr. Stevie”guitar from Texas”” ! I had a good friend whose mom was kind enough to let us take over the enclosed garage they had and we put up some black lights and started doing Dalo paintings on the walls. It was a lot of fun. Steve was the guy who inspired most of that artwork. I think his mom and my mom and others were just happy. We’re hanging safe someplace they can check on a serpent once in a while, but didn’t slow this damn fun. This is a title cut from the band second or third album released in 1969.
- Steve Miller Band —Your Saving Grace — this is another title cut that has always been one of my favorite tunes by the band. I saw them do it and I wanna say 1969 and it’s stuck with me ever since there’s something magical about it for me.This record was also. released in 1969.
- Steve Miller Band — Baby’s CallingMe Home— Thus song is from, “Children of the Future” released in 1968. Steve was starting to excel over his peers in the time in terms of sophistication in his songwriting. He he kept everyone’s attention with the same subject matters, but his musical start was evolving into something that would become ultimately much more commercial.
- Steve Miller Band — Seasoms — Another great song from the brave New World album. I think it’s still listed as a number eight or nine on his 10 best songs. We always liked it a lot..
- S Steve Miller Band — Take the Money and Run — in the early 70s Steve’s music took a turn, but not everyone welcomed. This musical gifts were just as great. He just pointed him in a more commercial direction. The result where a number of really great albums. This this was a fairly big hit off his, “fly like an eagle” album released in 1976.. I’ve been overseas for a while so I missed out on the transition and was surprised when I heard the new sound. I’m afraid I’m one of those that like the old music better but you can’t fall his new music either.
- Steve Winwood —While You See a Chance — Speaking of musical Giants! I followed steve since he was youngster playing with Spencer Davis and all through the traffic years until he emerges a solo artist of his own right. This song is from his, “Arc of the Diver” album released in 1981..
- Steve Winwood — Higher love —This this song is another great tune, and it reminds me of a great tune and a spirit of albums by another steve – Stevie Wonder both of these musicians are giants and offer us so much richness in their music. This was released as a single, but also on the album, “Back in the High Life” released in 1986. Steve played with a lot of bands, blind faith traffic the list is long all feature his music in those bands when they come up.
That’s it… Do the best you can; Laugh every chance you get; Always remember… The best is yet to come! As always, thank you for being my friend!