Black & White
Bikehikebabe has become a very regular visitor to the party here. I love her effervescent sense of fun. I am sure she has a devilish twinkle in her eyes. She makes me smile with every visit and I am envious of her lovely skin.
She has no blog of her own, which is rather a shame, but then if she had a blog, all the good gems would not be shared among us. Now, bhb is a paid up member of the ‘Hippy Club’, about 1 month post Op for hip replacement. I will be anxious for her tips to help me when my turn comes.
Jean Cheerful Monk has given bikehikebabe a page all to herself on which she tells us that she is an:
Everyday housewife, 4 adult kids (2 male, 2 female), physicist husband, likes to hike, backpack, bike, dance (any kind), ski, snowshoe, ice skate (Don’t do kayaking anymore.). Has problem living with smart husband / feeling stupid, but living life as I intended. (Age 75)
What a wonderful spirit!
On the post Out to Lunch last saturday bhb asked if Magpie11 was an 11yearold bird!
Magpie 11 provided the answer with a link to his blog - must send the bill for a the advertising 
Once again bhb was back with the following comment:
Thanks for the link that explains Magpie11.
When I was in Ireland many years ago, I noticed that the bird (Magpie) was black & white. (I was told that D.D.T. killed all the smaller birds.) So were all the cats & dogs, black & white. This was in the farmland area. Also the cows were all black & white. They give richer milk. I don’t ever remember seeing a black & white cow in the U.S.
I asked what’s the name of the white weed that was so prolific. (Queen Anne’s Lace—I forgot). The farmer said it’s called “White Weed”.
Are all the animals Black & White? I know we have black or white sheep in this part of the country.
Now I have decided to throw open these serious questions for all of you out there in this fair green Isle to cast an eye over and share your vast knowledge right here on my blog.
Darlene said,
July 29, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I hope I can join the Hippy Club. I have all the qualifications since my right hip is a steel ball.
The only black and white animal I can think of on this side of the pond is (was) my dog, Tippy. She was a toy shepherd and I loved her dearly.
Nancy said,
July 29, 2009 at 4:17 pm
” I don’t ever remember seeing a black & white cow in the U.S.”
Please go to Wikipedia and look up Holstein Cattle.
They are all black and white.
Maynard said,
July 29, 2009 at 5:00 pm
We have a small animal that is very affectiionate when cornered that is black and white. It’s so affectionate that when cornered it adorns you with urine that sends you far away to be remembered. Just recently I have seen 4 babies on my running trail. They were very cute. I can not put my nose on the name of this animal right now. Maybe someone can help me. FYI– I live in Pennsylvania.
Grannymar said,
July 29, 2009 at 5:11 pm
@Darlene - You are already a paid up member First Class, since your steel ball was acquired through a fall.
@Nancy - We do have plenty of Holstein-Friesian cattle in Ireland but there are also other breeds. I spent a couple of hours searching for a particular photo, alas I am unable to find it at the moment.
@Maynard - Now that is a question for Nancy, I am sure she will have the answer.
Nancy said,
July 29, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Well, sort of,GM and Maynard.
I,too, live in Pennsylvania and we have a small black and white animal here that gives off a terrible odor,as you said, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called.
I think it starts with an S and ends with a K. Maybe it’s a shark. No, there’s no ocean in PA. Could it be a skink? No, they are green and work for Geico. Hmmm
black and white and smelly, what could it be?
Sorry, GM I’ll have to toss this question off to your other readers……
bikehikebabe said,
July 29, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Maynard’s animal is a SKUNK. Ireland doesn’t have skunks? You Irish sign off with “roll”. What’s that?
I remember seeing men digging ditches along the road. They were wearing tailored tweed wool jackets like would cost a fortune here.
When I jogged in the field, a car stopped to see if I was being chased by a bull. Nobody jogged in Ireland back then.
I rode the farmer’s old clunky bicycle & asked a man on the road where the nearest town was. He told me but said there was nothing to buy there. (Americans like to shop.) I asked my daughter-in-law “How did he know I was American?” “You’re more put-together.” I wasn’t wearing a plaid skirt with a flowered blouse? This was in the country, back in about 1985.
bikehikebabe said,
July 29, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Grannymar, I just found out an hour ago that there is a new procedure for hip replacement. There’s only about 6 surgeons in this country that do this, so far.
No muscles are cut. (There’s the problem.) The woman that had this done was in the hospital 2 days, left with a cane which she discarded soon & had no “precautions” that could cause a possible hip dislocation if not followed. She had it done in Louisville Kentucky.
Grannymar said,
July 29, 2009 at 6:28 pm
@Nancy - I think U are very nearly there.
@BHB - Ireland has plenty of skunks…. they are all in Government!
Those tweed jackets are waterproof. Your description of Ireland and its people is only equal to those you gave us following your trip to India! The : roll : that you see on our blogs gives the rolling eyes symbol in WordPress blogs.
Great news of the new developments with hip surgery. My surgeon spoke of a two-day stay post op. I must check when he returns from holiday next month.
kenju said,
July 29, 2009 at 6:45 pm
If she is 75, then I am going to take up biking. How young she looks!!
bikehikebabe said,
July 29, 2009 at 6:52 pm
I only stayed in hospital 2 days, but the point is this woman had no rehabilitation. It’s been a month & the effects from this hip replacement have taken over my life.
Knee surgery is done through a hole using a scope, but I don’t know how a new hip can be put in without a big cut—which would cut muscle. Doesn’t seem possible.
Grannymar said,
July 29, 2009 at 7:54 pm
@Judy - I am jealous too!
@bhb - That really sounds amazing, no rehab would be wonderful and cause no disruption to my routine or Elly’s.
Magpie11 said,
July 29, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Are those black and white animals the ones that blush so beautifully?
I saw black and white cows in the USA ( Donaldson, IN)….not far from where the kids got married!
Is there a club for high BP?
Grannymar said,
July 29, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Magpie,
Trust you!
As for a BP club…. I’m a life memeber!
wisewebwoman said,
July 29, 2009 at 9:52 pm
The women with balls of steel has a great ring to it…..
XO
WWW
Rumuuser said,
July 30, 2009 at 5:49 am
I qualify on two counts. I am retired hippy with both hips replaced twice over each. What are membership dues? Where does one pay?
We have people here with values of Black and White, and people obsessed with being fair and not black. I used to smoke a brand of cigarettes called Black & White.
Among the many things that I learnt from a teacher of some sensibility is one lesson that makes it so easy to follow. White is the extreme of Black and vice versa.
Grannymar said,
July 30, 2009 at 8:43 am
@WWW - Wonderful!
@Ramana - You mean I could make money out of this!!!
I have very fair skin, but then the layer of freckles join up…
I’ll be:
‘Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la’!
Magpie11 said,
July 30, 2009 at 2:02 pm
The Spinners… “The ink is black the page is white.Together we learn….” another line was “The board is black the chalk is white…” Not any more tho’ all interactive whiteboards…but research apparently shows that the easiest text to read on a white board is white on black… you have to change the background colour of course…some things never change.
Grannymar said,
July 30, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Magpie,
I never liked whiteboards and I find it difficult to read blogs with black backgrounds and feint fonts.
Kate said,
July 30, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Well as any visitor to my site can see - all my animals are black and white. And… I’m the old fashioned sort of Hippy - the peace and love variety!!!
Grannymar said,
July 30, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Kate,
Peace and love are two good virtues to live with.
Ashok said,
July 30, 2009 at 8:24 pm
@ Three cheers to Bhb! I feel old about myself in front of the spirit you represent. You shall be an inspiration for a long time to come!