C Cleveland

Last week, I shared some memories of one of my favorite downtown Cleveland department stores that has since closed. I also mentioned that parts of the movie, A Christmas Story, were filmed here in 1983.

In 2005, a California man who was a huge fan of the movie, was the winning bidder in an eBay auction for the house that "Ralphie and his family lived in". He decided to make into a tourist attraction with a museum and a gift shop. When he bought it, it looked like this.


The previous owner had installed new windows and aluminum siding so some renovations were required to bring it back to its original movie glory.



A Christmas Story cast reunion around the leg lamp in A Christmas Story House just before the Grand Opening. From left to right Zack Ward (Scut Farkus), Yano Anaya (Grover Dill), Tedde Moore (Miss Shields), Ian Petrella (Randy Parker), Scott Schwartz (Flick), Patty Lafontaine (Head Elf) and Drew Hocevar (Male Elf).



Much like other show and movie reunions, you'll notice that the main characters are blatantly missing from the reunion. What's a reunion without Ralphie?

When you're planning your next trip to Cleveland, keep in mind that the Christmas Story house is open year round so it's not just a holiday attraction. And if you're stumped about what to get that person who has everything, the gift shop across the street carries these unique items.


A replica of Ralphie's bunny suit that he got for Christmas. A steal at $99.99




The major award leg lamp, $99.99.



A bar of Lifebuoy soap



Radio Orphan Annie's decoder pin, $7.99



Randy's scarf, $24.99



Schwartz stocking cap, $24.99




Flick's aviator cap, $34.99



And last but not least, Ralphie's prized Red Ryder bb-gun, $179.99



Whatever you do, don't shoot your eye out!

Stripper Chick Wisdom

Chrissy's real truth about life that no one will tell you.

"You should really consider becoming a hooker. Since you just lie there and go through the motions anyway, you might as well get paid for it."

Top ten reasons I'll never be The Bachelorette

The Bachelorette team is in town looking for the next Bachelorette for the ABC reality show. These are the reason why I'll never make the cut.


1. Hell would freeze over before I would wear a bathing suit on national TV.

2. All the contestants would withdraw after they met my family.

3. I gave all my evening gowns to the Goodwill.

4. I would feel the need to emasculate the weak.

5. No hot blonde girls to pick from.

6. I'm too smart.

7. Hot tubs give me the willies.

8. When a potential mate's mother asks me,"So what do you like about our Ronnie"? I would have to respond, "He passed the background check."

9. I couldn't be away from my dog that long.

And the #1 reason that I'll never be The Bachelorette

Hi-def TV

While you were out

I want to post the FIVE awards I received while I was away. Gosh, I should take time off more often. Thank you all! I'm so sorry for the delay in acknowledging them.

The first comes from brndoutw8ress at Confessions of Me. She's funny, sarcastic and real. We love her.

She presented me with this lovely award that comes with these directives:




1. Thank whoever gave this to you
"Thaaankk yooou, brndoutw8ress..."

2. Copy award

3. Post it in your blog

4. Tell us 7 things that your readers don’t know

5. Link 7 new bloggers

6. Notify winners of the award with a comment on their blog

7. Keep being awesome!


My seven things you don't know about me:

1. I was a virgin until I was 20. (gasp!) I know...

2. I had perfect attendance in Sunday School. Which would explain #1.

3. I don't like "It's a Wonderful Life." I'm sorry, I just don't.

4. I like scalding hot showers. Long ones, until my skin starts to prune.

5. My baby toes sit sideways, not flat. Yes, my feet scare little children.

6. I always check behind my shower curtain. And Psycho is one of my favorite movies.

7. My eyes are blue but I have a brown spot in my right eye. That only one person in my life has ever noticed.

Now comes the hard part, choosing 7 bloggers to pass the award on to.

Since I never follow rules, you'll notice there are not 7. Do as I say, not as I do! Warning: Some of them have "adult content". Not for the prude.

Cynica Sarcastamos at What I'm Saying....

Britta B. Skeptic at Armed with Vitriol

Monique at The Monique Danger Chronicles




The second award comes from my best friend Nancy at f8hasit.

And yes, Nancy, very apropos given the lemons that life has dealt me lately. Ah, the sweet juice!



This award needs to be forwarded to bloggers with great attitude and gratitude. Here are my picks:

Kathryn at From the Inside Out

CatLadyLarew at How to Become a Cat Lady Without the Cats



I'm going to cheat a little on this next one. It comes from Fierce at The Life and Times.... She's witty and smart. I mean, she hates soccer! How can you not like her??

It's called the Awesome Blogger Award and the criteria is the same as the first one I listed here so no, I won't tell you 7 more things about me. But I do thank Fierce for this award!





How sweet is this? Another award with the SAME criteria? So I don't have to divulge ALL my deep, dark secrets, just seven.

Thanks to my new friend Barbara at Dreamfarm Girl for the Superior Scribbler Award. I love her dog! Oh, and she's pretty talented, too!

Here are my picks. Can you guess which one is adults only?

Secretia at Secret Story Time

Lakewood Daily Snap





Last but not least, JB (and Eddy, too!) at It's Gonna Take More Than a Hamburger to Make Me Happy, gave me the I Shoulda Been a Stripper Award. I accept it with mixed emotions. You can read the story here.



Thanks, you guys, love you!

Secondhand Sunday

I've decided to make Sundays my Secondhand day. I'm basically too lazy to think of anything new to say so I thought I would re-post a "vintage" entry.

If you aren't in the mood for repeats, please feel free to change the channel.



"MEMBERS ONLY"

Original Post Date, May 29, 2009


I got the boot. Again.

When I started this blog in January, I looked around the vast blogging world to see what was out there and I started following two very sweet, simple blogs.

The first was created by a woman about my age who had a little boy and a Beagle. I think you know what the draw was for me. And no, it wasn't the little boy or the Mom. I checked in daily to see what shenanigans her son or puppy had gotten into. I commented on a few of her posts and she commented on mine.

About a month ago, I clicked on her link in my favorites and got this message:

"This blog is for invited readers only."

I thought it must be an error so I clicked it again.

"This blog is for invited readers only."

I checked my email, certain that the invitation link would be found there.

Nuthin'.

I give this woman three months of my life and this is the thanks I get in return? Does she think she's better than me?

Whore.

When I told Bernie what happened, this was her reaction.


Well, I still had my sweet, little family of three who live in a blue house. They go on lots of family outings, Easter egg hunts and car rides. No one is bitching about the economy or the jerk they work with.

"Here's Munchkinetta with her new umbrella."

Sweet, simple stuff.

I went to check in with them last night.

"This blog is for invited readers only."

I knew it wasn't a mistake this time. Mr. & Mrs. Wholesome realized that a stripper chick who wears strap ons, talks about poop and who may or may not have Anorgasmia has been following them. What will their priest say when he logs on to see Munchkinetta's First Communion photos and sees me? Mon Dieu!

Get over your holier than thou selves! You're lucky I was following your stupid little blog. And Munchkinetta? Not so cute.

So, to any of you that I'm following..if you decide to make your blog an "invited readers only" one...don't worry, I won't take it personally.

C Cleveland

I guess I took a little unplanned hiatus this week. Sometimes life just gets in the way.

I've done most of my Christmas shopping online but I haven't been able to resist some of the sales. I love seeing the holiday decorations at the malls and along the neighborhood shops but I must admit, I miss the grandeur of the old department stores.

It's just not the same when you walk into a cookie cutter Macy's or Nordstroms. Yes, they look lovely, but something is missing.

One of my favorite memories is of going to the downtown Cleveland department store, Higbee's. You may recognize it by its appearance in the 1983 holiday movie, A Christmas Story.



Higbee's was founded in 1860 by Edwin Converse Higbee and John G. Hower. It moved to a few different locations until 1931, when it found its home on Public Square, in the heart of downtown Cleveland. It was the ideal location for housewives whose families had started migrating to the suburbs. They could hop on a train and it would deliver them right underneath the store.


Shaker rapid transit line, 1956


Higbee Santa, 1955


Manicure booths, 1931


Christmas window, 1955


Higbee's 50 foot tree, 1968


This sweet photo was taken by famed photographer, Margaret Bourke-White, who began her career in Cleveland.


Downtown shoppers, 1965


Christmas splendor, 1963


Higbee's Christmas carolers, 1934


World Series Champs Apron, 1948. Yes, the last time we were the champs.


Fur salon, 1960



The high fashion Crystal Room


China and glassware shop, 1931


The elevator doors were made to match the motif of the elegant new ocean liners, 1931


The Silver Grill was a popular dining spot and has been reincarnated for special events.


Lunching ladies, 1944


Having tea at Higbee's, 1934


Children's book room, 1937


Merry go round, 1934

The store expanded to a number of locations in Cleveland, Akron and Canton before it was sold to Dillards in 1988. The flagship downtown store retained its splendor until the doors were permanently shuttered in 2002, marking the end of the grand department store era.

Secondhand Sunday

I've decided to make Sundays my Secondhand day. I'm basically too lazy to think of anything new to say so I thought I would re-post a "vintage" entry.

If you aren't in the mood for repeats, please feel free to change the channel.



"IS MY GRAY HAIR SHOWING?"

Original Post Date, May 6, 2009



My sister has been lamenting about the 4 or 5 gray hairs that have shown up on her head lately. As you know, she's 45 and, though I would never tell her this, she looks younger than me. She has perfect skin and has never worn a stitch of makeup in her life. Well, I think there were two weddings that she attended where she stroked on a sliver of eyeshadow. A couple of gray hairs are nothing to lose sleep over.

My mother has been blessed with amazing skin and hair, too. She just turned 81 and you wouldn't guess it. She, like Lisa, doesn't wear makeup often and has never used soap on her face. She still has salt and pepper hair and I don't remember her turning gray until she was well into her 50's.

I, on the other hand, starting wearing makeup just about as soon as I was able to lift the lipstick to my mouth. I attended Barbizon Modeling School when I was 12 and have been cleansing, toning and moisturizing ever since.

And I found my first gray hair at 13. That's right, 13. It's really not a big deal to me at all. They've insidiously taken over my head and if I didn't color my hair, I would most likely be more gray than not.

I think it's just what you're genetically predisposed to. And no, neither one of us takes after our mother because, you see, we were both adopted. None of us are biologically related.

I know, I can hear you now. Well, that explains a lot...

A few of my girlfriends have started freaking out about a few gray hairs, too. Can you see my gray?

Get over it, ladies! It's a couple of strands of white hair. It's not the end of the world.

When you find your first gray pube, then we'll talk.

C Cleveland

Today, I want to dedicate this post to the memory of Buckeye, a 14 year old peregrine falcon that had been nesting on a ledge of the Terminal Tower building in downtown Cleveland for 12 years.

Peregrine falcons didn't historically nest in Ohio but beginning in 1988, they started setting up home on makeshift "cliffs" on downtown skyscrapers. They are part of the raptor (bird of prey) species and are known for their flight speed in pursuit of prey. They attack by swooping at speeds that can exceed 200mph and kill their prey upon impact. It's likely that awesome speed that led to Buckeye's demise.

Here's the article by James F. McCarty from Cleveland.com:

Buckeye, believed to be one of the country's oldest and most prolific peregrine falcons, died last week after apparently striking a building near its urban nest on the Terminal Tower.




A woman walking at the intersection of West Third Street and Huron Avenue discovered the injured male on the sidewalk and called Harvey Webster, director of wildlife resources at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Webster said the unidentified woman managed to scoop up the bird and rush it to the museum. But Buckeye was dead by the time she arrived, said Webster, the overseer of the falcons' nesting box 12 floors above Public Square.

"He had a heck of a life and an incredible run during his 12 years on the Terminal Tower," Webster said.

Buckeye was 14 years old, having hatched in 1996 atop the Rhodes Office Tower in downtown Columbus. Officers with Ohio's Division of Natural Resources attached an identifying leg band on the chick before he left the nest.

As an adult, he flew north and spent two years on the Case Western Reserve University campus before pairing up with a female, Zenith, on the downtown Cleveland skyscraper.

In 2001, a second female, hatched in Pittsburgh and identified only as S/W, arrived in Cleveland and killed Zenith. She then joined Buckeye at the nest.

Between the two females, Buckeye sired 34 peregrine chicks, an amazing accomplishment for a species that was endangered for decades, Webster said.
Buckeye was getting old, but he hadn't missed a beat incubating the eggs or providing food for his chicks, Webster said.

Webster speculated that Buckeye's fatal collision might have come during an aerial battle with another male. The falcons can dive at up to 200 mph.

The males may have been battling for S/W's affections. The past weekend, downtown falcon watchers had observed S/W in the company of a new male. He has a leg band, but no one has been able to read its identification numbers yet.

Webster said Cleveland's falcon enthusiasts aren't as willing as S/W to adopt the interloper. They had become attached to Buckeye over the years, and have been mourning, he said.

The Museum of Natural History set up a webcam and these are some of the pictures from over the years.


Young peregrines exploring the ledge


Mama and babies


Big, brown bat for dinner again?


Rare to see both male and female at feeding time. And yes, the female is the larger bird.

Peregrine falcon chicks on Terminal Tower

Banding the chicks




Rest in Peace, Buckeye.

Northern Exposure

I'm not a Sarah Palin fan. I think she's marginally intelligent at best and would be better off as a PTA chairman. Her reign would encourage participation by local fathers, casually placing meeting agendas on their laps to cover up their boners.

I suppose a book was inevitable in Sarah's future from the minute John McCain chose this rifle wielding honey as his running mate. I've seen her on a few talk shows as she does the circuit to promote her newly penned memoir. I must admit, I am curious about what's fact and what's fiction though not in regards to the McCain camp. I'm more interested in the disparity in stories between Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston.

In case you've been living under a rock, Levi is the hunky young man who impregnated Sarah's teenage daughter, Bristol. He was reported to be living in the Palin home until the baby was born but was swiftly removed when the engagement was called off.

So what's a baby Daddy to do but start going on talk shows and telling the real story about life in the Palin household? And what makes him even more believable? Posing naked for Playgirl.

The minute I heard that that Levi was going to expose a little redneck raciness, I took his every word as gospel. However, when I realized that he had wimped out and decided that full frontal nudity was out, I started questioning him again.

C'mon, Levi, there's nothing more honest than a man's junk. How could you tell us that you were going to show us the family jewels and then change your mind? How do you expect us to believe anything that you say? I'm very disappointed and I know that Playgirl's 60% male subscriber base is disappointed, too.


Well, maybe Playgirl will give you another chance to redeem yourself. If you can't do it for me, do it for your mother who's just been sent to jail for three years for drug possession.

Do it for Wasilla.

Damn it, boy, do it for your country.