A Tribute to abra a collection of her comments

[Eureka]

(To abra's son: yes, she's the one who said it!)


"The sewing machine joins what the scissors have cut asunder, plus whatever else comes in its path." — Mason Cooley


abra
April 21, 2015, 11:03 am
Sewing machines self destruct in my hands. There is something about me, that a sewing machine,doesn't love.


gryhnd51
June 11, 2015, 9:30 pm
Or perhaps something about a sewing machine that YOU don't love, Abra! It helps to have had a grandmother who taught you all the basics, though.


abra
February 27, 2016, 1:33 pm
My grandmother was a wonderful seamstress, and extremely good at all needle crafts. She never taught me anything. I wish I'd live nearer to her.


marnita
October 22, 2016, 4:26 pm
I sympathize, abra. I used to sew and enjoyed it very much, but then my machine died. I bought another and it died almost immediately. I think they just don't make them the way they used to. Or maybe you just have to get a really expensive one?


Persephone59
August 15, 2017, 9:51 pm
I have my grandmother's old treadle machine, which I put an old Japanese all metal electric machine into. I was a seamstress, doing home dec, so I could stay home with my kids. I sewed my finger with Granny's machine, and the veneer is gone from the top because she hung her canary's cage above the machine, and he did love to take baths. Funny, I have a bird in my sewing room now... wonderful memories.


gryhnd51
October 12, 2017, 5:38 pm
I still have my grandmother's sewing machine, converted into one with a "knee peddle" and in a wonderful cabinet. That VERY old Singer will sew through ANYTHING, and I can't bear to part with it. I watched my Nana put the needle thru her finger and I've done it a few times myself....funny how it really doesn't hurt that much.

[Synonymous]

One of her best!

Comments on this Puzzle:

opallady
August 22, 2009, 10:05 pm
It isn't nice to lie to friends.
afulton
January 26, 2012, 3:29 am
I agree. Tell him small truths, if you want to test him.
montyb
February 27, 2012, 11:56 am
If you follow this advice, why would he ever trust you again?
universalmom
October 12, 2014, 3:08 pm
Lousy way to treat a friend.
abra
January 11, 2015, 10:05 am
The "Proverbian" had trust issues.
abra
March 25, 2015, 2:43 pm
Proverbist?
abra
May 5, 2015, 11:26 am
Proverbtitian
dddeedee
August 7, 2015, 12:28 am
Its often a good idea to lie - Do you like my new sweater? Does this make me look fat?
LLapp
November 12, 2015, 11:57 am
abra, your comments cracked me up.
pegxpeg
July 21, 2016, 12:47 am
If you are testing the trust of another person, than that person is not your friend.
vintage38
May 21, 2018, 11:22 am
38 seconds
marnita
May 25, 2018, 8:42 am
Lots of people just can't keep secrets. That doesn't mean they can't be good friends.
nelnose
June 11, 2018, 2:48 pm
If a friend followed this advice, I would never trust him to be my friend.
LLapp
August 11, 2018, 7:32 am
I like afulton's comment. That's how you build any personal relationship anyway -- by starting with small bits of your personal trust and seeing how it goes, not by entrusting your whole story to a new acquaintance.
lertsek
October 22, 2018, 2:02 pm
Speed things up and tell a lie about your friend.
jbb33054
December 25, 2018, 2:32 am
66, my time beaten by vintage38 yet again.
abra
December 29, 2018, 1:35 pm
Probmatician!
maradnu
February 13, 2019, 4:09 pm
dddeedee - My reply to such is to tell my wife she has more flattering things than those.
rasbury
September 25, 2020, 1:55 pm
Proverbitarian: Someone who only speaks in proverbs. Proverbationist: Someone dedicated to keeping proverbs alive, even some that we should probably let go of (like the one in question) Proverbialist: Someone who believes in talking a lot on principle (see also, converbialist, antiverbialist, averbialist) Pronouns: one of the chief ideological opponents of proverbs (see also proadjective, proadverb, propreposition, proconjunction)
blueladyblue
August 20, 2021, 8:59 pm
I just automatically trust anyone, friend or acquaintance, until I'm proven otherwise. If I'm telling a casual acquaintance something that shouldn't be shared, I will mention that. I don't see the need to test anyone. If I find out someone tested me, I will probably never trust that person because they themselves lack trust.
gracefulghost
September 26, 2021, 5:04 pm
.Those who know my secrets are all dead; those who don't know will never know--whos 'left to tell them?

ADD YOUR COMMENTS:

[Eureka]

"It's really difficult for fanatic churchgoers to understand God can't help me. I'm the only one who can help me." — Chuck Yeager


abra
December 26, 2019, 10:03 pm
I remember in The Right Stuff Tom Wolfe said that all airline pilots imitate Chuck Yeager, a calm voice with a slight drawl. He was one of my son's boyhood heroes.

[Synonymous]

I used to love it when abra would cycle back to correct a mistake she had made in a prior comment...she never got back to this one. You are missed abra.


Comments on this Puzzle:

kjmcaj
April 9, 2013, 1:58 pm
147 seconds
universalmom
March 31, 2015, 3:26 am
He looks tired just thinking about it
LLapp
January 23, 2016, 6:03 pm
This quote beautifully expresses a key moment from my life, when I was still separated but not yet divorced, and I hated him so much and for such good reasons that everyone including his own family agreed with me....and then one day, while I was ranting to a friend about his latest outrageous behavior, I just stopped short, in mid-rant, suddenly realizing that I could not listen to myself spewing hatred for one more second. I guess that was the moment when my anger stopped being productive. Sometimes the hatred doesn't ever peter out or lose power; you just have to put in down and choose a brighter road.
LLapp
April 17, 2016, 2:38 pm
... put *it* down....
vintage38
December 24, 2017, 6:36 am
92 seconds
imsoeasy
December 27, 2018, 2:13 pm
I need to up my hate so I can produce more.
montyb
June 16, 2019, 11:44 am
I hate being productive. Damn! What a vicious circle!
Synonymous
August 19, 2020, 8:27 pm
Instead of hate for my ex who did a lot to warrant my hatred, I chose indifference. Giving-up the energy used in hate I turned that energy into self-improvement and caring for my son; who needed both physical and mental medical attention. Eventually I started my own business and never looked back. It's been a good 40 years without that baggage of hate to carry around. The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. Hate still carries caring to some degree.
tclcac
August 22, 2020, 7:26 pm
When I feel "Hate", I have decided that I am just angry. It is much easier to control anger than to control Hate. It is still possible to Love someone with whom I am angry. But if there is a person (or thing) that I really hate, I find that avoidance is the best thing.
hrossa
March 10, 2021, 9:45 am
There are some great comments here about getting past hatred. In my own experience, faith in God is key. True hatred is such a corrosive emotion that is difficult to handle. We can neither ignore it, nor allow it to live in our heads indefinitely.
figmo
January 16, 2022, 2:45 pm
When I was going through my divorce, my lawyer advised me to have something I could look at before entering court to remind myself of why I was divorcing him. Most of the time I felt *relief* after getting away from him rather than outright "hate." Besides, I got custody of the friends.... :-)
Synonymous
September 3, 2022, 8:17 pm
figmo, bravo!
abra
December 22, 2022, 2:22 am
Yes, good for you , figmo. I love that you got the friends. it reminded me of James Taylor's Her Twon Too.

[Eureka]

"Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind. "

— Henri Frederic Amiel


abra
January 24, 2014, 2:29 pm
Oh, I like it, I really like it. It reminds me of something, a song, or a poem, something...

jnoodles
April 15, 2015, 11:48 am
me too

mistyswiss
March 16, 2018, 2:08 pm


pickleball
November 1, 2020, 4:57 pm
so so true

LLapp
January 7, 2023, 12:42 am
Abra, this one was made for you. Rest in peace, kind lady.

[Eureka]

"There are people whom one loves immediately and forever. Even to know they are alive in the world with one is quite enough." — Nancy Spain

abra
October 10, 2016, 3:49 pm
This really is a nice quote. Those are very special people.

abra
January 10, 2021, 3:00 am
The last person I remember like this was my husband. Of course as they were born, my son and my grandsons.

[Fudi]

I wish abra had remembered the Eureka comment that was one of her favorites!! I'd love to read what it was!

"Light at the end of the tunnel? We don't even have a tunnel - we don't even know where the tunnel is."
— Lyndon B. Johnson


bazinga
February 24, 2014, 4:55 am
When we was growin' up, we didn't have no tunnels. And we was grateful!
dovid1946
December 12, 2014, 4:06 am
that light at the end of the tunnel is another train heading in our direction
LLapp
December 17, 2014, 3:42 pm
I'm assuming this was about the unmanageable, undeclared war in Vietnam.
abra
March 31, 2015, 11:45 am
OMgosh, bazinga, THAT made me LOL, for real. You made my husband laugh too.
kb83
March 25, 2016, 9:08 am
great comments, all!
Barnabas
January 19, 2017, 11:25 am
Sure glad it was LBJ who said that and not my proctologist.
abra
April 19, 2017, 5:40 pm
bazinga's comment still makes me laugh.
kb83
October 17, 2017, 3:41 am
Still the best comments.
mohamm1
March 29, 2021, 10:42 pm
DeLIGHTful comments. - - - 28 seconds.
oddcouple
September 5, 2021, 4:34 am
Barnabas cracks me up again.
abra
July 26, 2022, 6:36 pm
The two comments I remember most and find the funniest are this one and one by Eureka. I don't think I've ever seen Eureka's again, but I've had a few chances to enjoy this one. Thank you Barnabas/Chad.

[Toeprint]

"It's sad that, in our blindness we gather thorns for flowers "
— Unattributed

abra
June 24, 2020, 10:46 pm
He reveals a lot but maybe some of them are red herrings. Never fear we're on the case.

---

"The function of science fiction is not always to predict the future but sometimes to prevent it."
— Frank Herbert

abra
October 19, 2019, 6:57 pm
I loved Stranger in a Strange Land. I haven't read it for years, but I read it many times when I was young. I've read The Martian Chronicles too. Andy's at his best when he's discussing books and authors.

---

"If you love Barry Manilow, you're gonna love the Insane Clown Posse. Love them. They're exactly... well, they're not exactly alike, but they're a little bit alike."
— Zach Galifianakis

abra
November 8, 2021, 2:22 am
Blush, I'm a Fanilow.

---

"It is utterly forbidden to be half-hearted about gardening. You have got to love your garden whether you like it or not."
— W.C. Sellar

abra
August 17, 2015, 3:16 pm
I'm not a garden person. There are all sorts of creepy-crawlies out there.

LLapp
November 25, 2015, 4:43 pm
Plant a radish, get a radish, never any doubt. That's why I like vegetables, you know what you're about.

abra
April 24, 2016, 6:50 pm
I guess I'm playing by W.C.'s rules. I don't plant a garden, so I don't have to love it.

LLapp
April 3, 2017, 12:36 pm
I spent this afternoon getting the Rose of Sharon bushes under control, and it was downright exhilarating.

MamaB
May 7, 2017, 3:09 am
We planted corn and carrots yesterday before a rain!

Lurker
November 1, 2017, 10:46 am
I planted all my winter greens last week. The radishes are already coming up. Gardening is like having a pet. You go visit the plants to see how they're doing.

MamaB
November 24, 2017, 1:34 am
The corn did well. The carrots and late potatoes not so much. Gotta find out what roots crops want that we don't have.

marnita
January 5, 2018, 2:10 pm
It is disheartening, when you have lovingly tended a row of vegetables, to come home one day and find that a woodchuck has reduced them to stubble.

NotTooOld
January 20, 2018, 2:23 am
My mother loves to garden. My contribution? I sit out there with her and read out loud.

bees
March 5, 2018, 12:26 pm
The most expensive food in the world has been grown in backyards around the world.

abra
July 16, 2018, 12:32 pm
That has been true for me when I tried to grow tomatoes, bees.

[Toeprint]

"I've been married to one Marxist and one Fascist, and neither one would take the garbage out."
— Lee Grant

abra
March 28, 2013, 11:30 pm
coulda/woulda

gryhnd51
July 12, 2014, 6:35 pm
Hah! Must be I married the perfect "pacifist" as he ALWAYS takes care of the garbage. In 35 yrs plus, I've never had to ask even once.

abra
May 3, 2015, 9:06 am
My husband always takes out the garbage too. He also empties the dishwasher, usually a team effort, and (high praise) he replaces the bathroom tissue. Just a few of the reasons, that I've kept him for 47 years this month.

marnita
June 21, 2015, 10:59 am
My husband takes out the garbage, does the laundry, cooks wonderful meals, paints the house, grow vegetables and flowers and mows the lawn. I do the vacuuming, scrub the bathrooms, handle the finances/bills/taxes, wash the dishes and take care of the cat litter. This division of labor has worked well for us for over 30 years.

cherylab1963
November 28, 2016, 6:31 pm
abra and marnita...kudos to your husbands. My dad was like that for my mother. They were married for 61 years when she died. Selfless, humble men like that are very rare indeed. It's one reason I've never married. Dad is a tough act to follow. Men today just won't step up.

abra
March 19, 2017, 1:53 pm
Kiss some more frogs, cherylab. There are good guys out there.

gryhnd51
March 1, 2018, 6:31 pm
Amazingly, Lee Grant is still alive at the age of 92! I remember clearly what a beautiful and gracious woman she was. Too bad to have had two awful husbands.

abra
February 22, 2022, 9:24 pm
Here daughter Dinah Manoff was on Empty Nest, many years ago. I'm not sure what else she's done. She looked a lot like her mother.

[Nitefly5150]

"If you love Barry Manilow, you're gonna love the Insane Clown Posse. Love them. They're exactly... well, they're not exactly alike, but they're a little bit alike." — Zach Galifianakis

abra
November 8, 2021, 2:22 am
Blush, I'm a Fanilow.

This is Abra's son. At the time she passed, for the most part, I thought "I'll save this for later". That turned out to be this week, so thank you all.

I live closer to Raleigh than Mom did, and I know a lot of people who went to NC State. People around here love ZG, he went to NCSU, and is from somewhere in NC. I .... Do not understand the attraction to Mr GalifImnotgoingtospellhisnamerihtsinceicantcopyfro mtheir.

But we sent Mom to see Barry. Twice I think my dad was just as excited as she was.

Also, I think Mom's quote about how Andy Warhol must have understood about the soup is her best line.

[LLapp]

"Every woman is supposed to have the same set of motives, or else to be a monster." — George Eliot

abra
September 18, 2013, 2:59 pm
Is she talking about not having maternal feelings? That's what it made me think.

universalmom
January 19, 2014, 2:49 pm
Right abra, probably if a woman didn't want to get married and have kids, she was a monster.

abra
December 23, 2015, 11:06 am
it's far better for a woman who doesn't want children not to have them. There's nothing monstrous about it.

SippyGurl
December 1, 2016, 6:22 am
pfft, for some reason i started at the end and came up with mobster - after dismissing lobster

abra
July 10, 2017, 10:53 am
It's terrible when a woman is turned into a lobster, just because she doesn't want children.

[LLapp]

[Abridged thread, focusing mainly on abra's part...]

"Digressions, objections, delight in mockery, and carefree mistrust are signs of health — everything unconditional belongs in pathology." — Friedrich Nietzsche

ronasid
September 18, 2015, 7:27 am
Friedrich, I mustache you a question... why are your quotations always so dark. How could you be so serious when all you had to do was look in the mirror and burst out laughing?

abra
November 1, 2017, 9:49 am
ronasid, I agree with you, except for this: "We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. And we should call every truth false which was not accompanied by at least one laugh." and... "He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." He had a lot to say about dancing. It seems so un-Nietzsche-like. The Dancing Nietzsche, might have been quite likable.

abra
January 20, 2021, 2:44 am
Oh, Ronasid, I forgot to say how clever I thought ''I mustache you'' was.

[LLapp]

Go Cubs Go....


"A plan is just a tangent vector on the manifold of reality." — Scratch Garrison

abra
September 13, 2014, 2:59 pm
I'm shocked that I got this one, more shocked that I ended up (just barely) in the average column.
abra
December 22, 2014, 6:15 am
Ha! This time I'm right on the line. "Half-Fast".
LLapp
May 13, 2016, 11:18 am
abra, you are not half-ast!
abra
October 23, 2016, 9:41 am
This time I'm watching the replay of the Cubs game, you know when they became the NL champions. I'm putting that in there for posterity. Anyway, I didn't realize I'd stopped so long to watch and I got 447 seconds. Oops.

****************


"He who lets the goat be laid on his shoulders is soon after forced to carry the cow." — Italian Proverb

abra
January 20, 2017, 6:31 pm
If it's a Billy Goat that's been laid on your shoulders, better send for Theo Epstein. Just sayin'.

oddcouple
June 27, 2017, 12:22 am
To elaborate on abra's comment, Theo Epstein was the general manager of the Red Sox who put together the team that won the World Series in 2004 breaking an 86 year championship drought. They broke the curse of the Billy Goat.

spacecoyote1966
September 28, 2017, 8:13 am
Actually the Billy Goat curse was on the Cubs. The Red Sox had the Bambino Curse.

abra
October 23, 2017, 6:22 pm
Yes, the Billy Goat's Curse was on the Cubs. Who broke a 108 year drought and won the 2016 World Series. Theo broke both curses.

LLapp
March 8, 2018, 8:48 am
He's an exorcist!

blueladyblue
May 31, 2018, 8:04 am
So if you break the curse of the Billy Goat do you then get the cow? Do you have to carry it? Poor shoulders.

abra
June 28, 2018, 7:25 am
Cubs might be carrying around a cow this year. That could explain some things.

*****************


"What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?" — Adam Smith

abra
May 30, 2019, 2:23 am
True love and a puppy, and an 80'' TV. He'd probably be wanting to watch the Cubs win the World Series on that TV.

*****************

"Baseball is the only game left for people. To play basketball, you have to be 7 feet 6 inches. To play football, you have to be the same width." — Bill Veeck

abra
April 18, 2022, 2:03 am
Depending on how picky you want to be about truth or myth, and which story you want to believe, Bill Veeck is responsible for the hallowed ivy at Wrigley Field. I'm even down with the story that he planted it himself.

[LLapp]

"Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities." — Frank Lloyd Wright

abra on 2014-11-02 14:25:36
Just give him a box of Godivas, a bottle of Dom Perignon, and some four ply tissue and let him sit in a vacant lot.

[hrossa]

"Like dogs in a wheel, birds in a cage, or squirrels in a chain, ambitious men still climb and climb, with great labor, and incessant anxiety, but never reach the top." — Robert Burton

abra
May 5, 2012, 2:54 pm
"dogs in a wheel' ?

abra
September 18, 2012, 8:07 pm
I still say "dogs in a wheel"?

Lurker
November 14, 2012, 6:42 pm
Who's chaining up squirrels?

vivian1874
January 19, 2013, 12:02 am
they probably weren't ambitious enough.

montyb
June 2, 2013, 4:02 am
I'd say you would have to be darned ambitious to try to chain squirrels. (Dogs in a wheel???)

momof7
November 8, 2014, 6:23 pm
I picture hamsters, but maybe there are big wheels for dogs.

abra
November 16, 2014, 2:57 pm
And for that matter -, squirrels in a chain?