Month: February 2021

Two Gals Gabbin’

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

About books, movies, cooking, and advice
Decorating, shopping, and finding the best price
Life, love and raising kids
Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs
We’re just two Texas girls
Straight from the sticks
The only thing we won’t gab about
Is religion and politics!

The second month of the year is the shortest one, but it’s chock full of events besides Valentine’s Day. Here’s some interest things we discovered about the month we thought we’d share.

  1. February is one of the most frequently misspelled words in the English language. 
  2. February is American Heart Month, Black History Month, Canned Food Month, Grapefruit Month, Hot Breakfast Month, Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month. and our favorite” National Snack Food month.
  3. February got its start as a spring-cleaning festival. Well, kind of. It’s named after one: “Februa” was an early Roman festival and cleansing ritual held on Feb. 15.
  1. February doesn’t always have a full moon. The last time it didn’t was 1999. The next time it won’t will be 2037!
  2. Groundhog Day originated in Germany. Oddly enough there it’s not a groundhog that forecasts either an early spring or a longer winter: It’s a badger.
  3. The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are about 1 in 1,461.
  1. Valentine’s Day did not start on a romantic note. According to historians, the day now synonymous with “love” probably began as a pagan fertility festival in ancient Rome. We’ll leave it at that, because some of the other details are disturbing. Another thing: Millions of people in the U.S. buy their dogs gifts or cards for Valentine’s Day.
  1. The first Sunday in February is Super Bowl Sunday but it wasn’t always that way—until 2001, the game was played in January. But we’d say that’s a pretty good way to kick off a month.

Find out more about Ann Everett/Emma Ames: https://www.anneverett.com

~Into the Unknown~

/ Susan A. Royal / 2 Comments

Daylon Jones Royal February 15, 1945 – October 20, 2015

While channel surfing a while back, I happened to catch the end of Close Encounters. Never see that movie that I don’t think of my husband. Especially now that he’s gone. It was one of his all-time favorites. I never really thought about it until today, but now I understand why.

In the movie, Richard Dreyfuss plays Roy Neary, an average middle-class guy who loves his family and works hard to provide for them. Only there’s another side to his character. He still believes in magic. In the movie, when Roy experiences a close encounter, he doubts his sanity. But he can’t let it go, because deep down inside he wants it to be true. So he makes up his mind to prove it.

My husband was the same kind of man. He worked hard, took care of his family and lived a quiet life. But like Roy, there was more to him than met the eye. The casual observer never saw his keen sense of adventure. He had a fascination for the mysterious, the unexplained. The idea of travelers from another world was intriguing to him.

He would have loved the chance to do what Roy did. So it isn’t hard to visualize him standing on the runway at the end of the movie, all smiles. Reluctant to leave his life on earth, yet filled with nervous anticipation at the thought of going on an adventure beyond the stars.

I like to think that’s exactly what he’s doing right now. And I’m certain he’s enjoying every minute.

And someday, I’ll join him.

S.O.B. DAY

/ Susan A. Royal / Leave a comment

About books, movies, cooking, and advice
Decorating, shopping, and finding the best price
Life, love and raising kids
Along with do-hickeys, what-cha-ma-call-its, and thing-a-ma-jigs
We’re just two Texas girls
Straight from the sticks
The only thing we won’t gab about
Is religion and politics!

S.O.B. Day (Spunky Old Broads)

Founded by Dr. Gayle Carson, Spunky Old Broads Day is a holiday where we celebrate women who are age 50 and older, who don’t want to get old quietly, and are “interested in living a regret-free life”.

Today, we wanted to spotlight older women and share some funny quotes about growing older.

ANN: I have some advice much like Lucille Ball’s quote…only in reverse. If you tell everyone you’re 10 years older than you actually are, you’ll always look fantastic for your age!

SUSAN: When I was a young girl, and my parents had get-togethers, the men gathered in one room and the women in another (usually the kitchen). The women would be talking a blue streak, and suddenly, they’d put their heads together, whisper to one another, followed by hysterical laughing. I never knew what they were talking about, just that it must have been funny. Now that I’m much older, I understand completely. Nothing is sacred to women my age. And we’ll laugh about anything. Why not joke about your wrinkles, saggy boobs, poor eyesight or forgetfulness. It’s all part of life. My advice is: Enjoy life. Especially now.

Find out more about Ann Everett/Emma Ames: https://www.anneverett.com