BITCHY BUTTONS AND THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER PART ONE

Before we get in to it, I must say for several days, the buttons on my site haven't been working correctly. They have had a little Gremlin--and not Gizmo...STRIPE! We HATE Stripe. Here he is right now...

Sorry about that, I made him leave. ANYWAY, I know some of you are all sad and "butt hurt" that Summer is leaving. The last long weekend (Labor Day to be exact) has left a lot of long faces. I see all of you mourning the end of long sunny days, grilling in the back yard, spending quality time outdoors, and generally soaking up the summer sun, but I'm here to tell you this:

Summer is not over, at least not around these parts, which is why we will be making some homemade ice cream this weekend. I will post the making of it AND the recipe I will be using this weekend to FILL MY BELLY!

I digress, just look forward to some homemade ice cream recipes. I'm thinking for myself... perhaps some Vanilla Chocolate Chip.

So don't be sad, my lovelies, because I'm about to share with you my...

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER MOVIE MARATHON PART ONE:

I LOVE Summer, unlike "Gene" from "Bob's Burgers", I'm okay with the pressure to have fun. If you love Summer like I do, here are some movies that take place during the months of grilled corn, strawberries, and mangoes. Some are new, some are very old, but all I think you will think are "summerific" (yep, I made that up) ...

1. "Little Darlings" (1980)-

Back in the day, this film was considered a bit risque. It stars Kristy McNichol and Tatum O'Neele. It's about two misguided ladies competing to see who can...how shall I put this...take the bloom off of the rose first.

2. "Meatballs" (1981)

This is a little film starring a gent you may have heard of...Bill Murray. It's one of my fave films about Summer, and I think you would enjoy it too. Here's the trailer...

3. "Caddyshack" (1980)

This literally is a "Desert Island" movie for me. I watch it every summer and my sweetie has to put up with me endlessly quoting "Ty Webb". Hey, remember this: "The Zen philosopher, Basho, once wrote, 'A flute with no holes, is not a flute. A donut with no hole, is a Danish.' He was a funny guy."

4. "Wet Hot American Summer" (2001)

I'm still watching the Netflix Original series prequel "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp", and I KNOW I will be watching "Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later". In fact, I was actually introduced to this by a dear dear friend of mine, who was like "WHAT?!? You haven't seen Wet Hot American Summer?!?".

If you have Netflix, check it out, it will make you guffaw...that's right, I said guffaw...

5. "Do The Right Thing" (1989)

Honestly, one of my fave Spike Lee films, along with "She's Gotta Have it", which I believe was his directorial debut. You tend to forget this movie took place in the heat of summer in good old Brooklyn. The political themes overshadow everything as well they should. However, I still consider this a summer movie...

6. "The Graduate" (1967)

Okay, okay, I'm cheating a little. Only part of this film takes place in the summer, but I still consider "Benjamin's" soul search after college a summer flick (Can you believe Robert Redford was originally tapped to play Benjamin?!?) ...

7. "Body Heat" (1981)

A classic film noir set in the dead of summer. The chemistry between Kathleen Turner and William Hurt is off-the-charts fantastic. If you haven't seen this classic gem, I suggest you do so immediately...

8. "Stand by Me" (1986)

It takes place over the Labor Day weekend in 1959.The movie is adapted from Stephen King's novella "The Body" in his book "Different Seasons". By the way, River, we still miss you man. If you haven't seen this touching Rob Reiner film, you should...

9. "Dazed and Confused" (1993)

Richard Linklater's tale of soon-to-be-high-school-seniors and soon-to-be-high-school-freshman celebrating the first day of summer before their last year in high school and first year of high school respectively is a classic. It is truly hilarious. Everyone raves about the character "Wooderson", but I am partial to the character "Slater". Check out the trailer...

10. "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp" (2015)

You thought I was done with Wet Hot American Summer. Well...I'm not. For fans of the wacky hijinx of those kooky camp counselors, check it out...

MORE SUMMER MOVIES TO COME ON MONDAY. MOVING ON...

GIVE BACK TO THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE IRMA:

"Dawn Says" is a place of levity, but it's hard to ignore the suffering of those affected by the horrific hurricane. Below are a list of places where you can donate (taken from this article https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/11/16287944/hurricane-irma-donations-charities-disaster-relief.)

American Red Cross: Usually the first group people think of when giving after a disaster. It says it is providing shelters for those displaced by Irma, and it has thousands of volunteers on the ground. You can give here. (3/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Oxfam: The nonprofit is focusing its efforts on the Caribbean islands that were devastated by Irma. You can give here. (3/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Global Giving: A charity crowdfunding site that is attempting to raise $2 million to be used exclusively for local relief and recovery efforts. You can give here. (4/4 stars from Charity Navigator.)

Salvation Army: The Christian charity is emphasizing its intentions to help with long-term recovery. You can give here.

Americares: The nonprofit focused on medicine and health is seeking to provide emergency medical supplies and other basic resources to first responders and others. You can give here.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW, MY LOVELIES. BE GOOD OR BE GOOD AT IT....