I Am Woman..by Helen Reddy. I LOVE that song. (Helen Reddy and Ray Burton) I am woman, hear me roar In numbers too big to ignore And I know too much to go back an' pretend 'Cause I've heard it all before And I've been down there on the floor No one's ever gonna keep me down again Oh yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can do anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman You can bend but never break me 'Cause it only serves to make me More determined to achieve my final goal And I come back even stronger Not a novice any longer 'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul Oh, yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman I am woman watch me grow See me standing toe to toe As I spread my lovin' arms across the land But I'm still an embryo With a long, long way to go Until I make my brother understand Oh, yes, I am wise But it's wisdom born of pain Yes, I've paid the price But look how much I gained If I have to I can face anything I am strong (strong) I am invincible (invincible) I am woman Oh, I am woman I am invincible I am strong I am woman I am invincible I am strong I am woman

Jankin, thank you for your kind words! I love reading poetry (although not necessarily interpreting what it means), but I cannot, for the life of me, produce it. My attempts are only exercises in frustration, and the only explanation I can come up with is that I just don't have any talent for it. The only poem I ever wrote that was halfway decent was about a cat. Oh well, I have to find another avenue to express myself. Vee, my experience in West Texas is nearly four decades removed, so I don't know how the situation is now, or has been more recently -- what with illegal 'immigration' and a general increase in crackpots the world over. But, at that time, I probably felt the safest in West Texas that I ever felt in any other place I've ever been. That's why I didn't think twice about ranging around the countryside alone in my car, or stopping and getting out of my car: One time I took a nap on a roadside picnic table and didn't hear a single car pass, but evidently there was at least one. I woke up to a man calling to me, "Ma'am, are you okay?" I said I was, so he went on to explain that he was a rancher, living down and off the road a piece, and had passed earlier and saw me, but he kept going. On his return trip, he saw I was still there, so he thought he should check to see if I was all right. I thanked him for his concern and he, with a wave good-bye, drove off. Thinking about this incident and several others, I wonder if I was tempting fate (some I cringe over now if I had done them in any other place or time). Of course there's no way of knowing if I was foolish, but lucky; so all I can say is that West Texans might seem eccentric to people who are more accustomed to trees and lots of the color green, but actual crackpots were (are) far and few between there.

Annie, I've always really liked "Deep Purple", but my association is with the up-tempo 70(s)? version. I'm trying to make myself get out for a walk so I'm not going to look it up now. Sadly, I don't believe I ever asked my mom what her favorite song was. I know she liked music, especially the music of her time and that of Barbra Streisand, but I don't remember her humming around the house.

Happy 89.5 Ed. And I hope we are ALL around to wish you a happy 90th. edited to add: yes you can freeze the cake. I wrap fairly large pieces (uncut) in plastic wrap or a ziploc getting as much air out as possible. Then wrap again in foil. Label and freeze. Depending on how much you have left, you could freeze multiple packages to enjoy later, just don’t wait too long or it will be dry.