England Dan Has Died

When people ask what kind of music I listen to I can honestly say it is diverse. Oh I still love Zeppelin but I also love some classic country music, classical music, R&B, easy listening music, heavy metal, and well just about everything except death metal and hard core rap.

I always loved the song, "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". It's kind of funny that I did because it went against my beliefs about love. In a way it's like the song "Love The One You're With" I don't like that one because you should love someone who's at hand even if they are not who you really love. With this song the singer basically requests a night between the two lovers but asked for little more.

I'm not talking 'bout moving in,
And I don't want to change your life.
But there's a warm wind blowing,
The stars are out, and I'd really love to see you tonight.

Still I loved the song. I loved the voice, I loved the melody, I just loved that song and it's on my iPod right now. Well today on my way home from the post office I heard some bad news.

Dan Seals' childhood nickname was "England Dan" because he was a fan of The Beatles, and occasionally affected an English accent.

Daniel Wayland Seals, the Texas-born, CMA-award-winning singer who piled up 11 No. 1 songs between 1985 and 1990, passed away yesterday after a battle with mantle cell lymphoma. Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is one of the rarer of the non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), comprising about 6% of NHL cases.[1] There are only about 15,000 patients presently in the U.S. (The prevalence seems to be somewhat higher in Europe.) While it is difficult to treat and seldom considered cured, investigations into better treatments are actively pursued world-wide. Median survival times were about 3 years, but are now estimated as approaching 6 years for new patients.

I feel very sad about this loss.

As an almost fifty year old woman, I'm thrilled to death for Valerie Bertinelli. At one point her weight was 172 pounds and now she's down to 123. About six years ago I panicked when my weight became 160. I freaked because that's how much I weighed when I was getting ready to give birth. The thing was I wasn't pregnant and I was that weight. Valarie lost her weight with Jenny Craig. I lost mine after doing a lot of online research about weight watchers. I weigh 125 pounds. Now unlike Valerie I didn't have any plastic surgery, I didn't have a masseuse and I didn't hire a personal trainer. She looks beautiful though and I'm happy for her.

She and I had gotten married the same year. Her marriage suffered through drug and alcohol abuse I understood because I endured physical abuse at the hands of my husband. Through all this Valarie is a survivor and I admire her for that. You go girl.

I'm doing some more research on planting our garden. I found an article that said you can plant a whole garden with the leftovers from your food shopping trip.

When you prepare peppers for dining, remove the seeds. Dry them, and plant them when the weather has warmed. Do the same with cucumbers, squash, and nearly anything else with a seed.

You can also plant the seeds of cantaloupes, honeydew melons, and nearly any other type of melon on the produce shelves.

But what about apples and peaches? Here you may experience a slight problem. The apple seeds will germinate, but you may get an apple that is not what you expected or wanted it to be. The same is true of peaches.

What about sweet potatoes? Generally you should shop at the roadside markets rather than at the supermarkets. Supermarket potatoes or yams may be grown in other countries under radically different conditions from ours. They may also have been treated to prevent sprouting.

Another day of rain for my little plants. I'm sure they will enjoy it. As for me, well this is my spring break. In between packing and rain I'm certain you get the gist of how great it is for me.

I received an email from US Sweepstakes & Fulfillment Co. I'm not sure what it is but I wonder if it's those DVD's I won earlier this week. Two other people from OLS say they received the same email. I sure could use an affy.

Blog contests I entered:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer

Prize: CozyCare Cape, Mat or Cap.

Prize: 32GB iPod Touch and iPodRip copy and transfer companion (ARV $420).

Prizes (2): Copy of The Food of Love: Your Formula for Successful Breastfeeding by Kate Evans.

Prize: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown DVD, Easter Beagle plush toy and Easter Beagle egghunt book.

Prize: $25 Bangerang Bakeshop gift certificate.

Prize: Windex All-In-One Window Cleaning Tool starter kit.

Prize: Windex Outdoor All-in-One Glass Cleaning Tool.

Prizes (2): Febreeze Prize Pack Brazilian Carnival Air Effects, Hawaiian Aloha Candle, and Moroccan Bazaar.

Prize: Sister Shubert's gift basket (ARV $45).

Prizes (5): Copy of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice that Will Inspire You to Clean like the Dickens by Thelma Meyer.