Choo Choo Me Home

 

Missing butterflies?  I am.  Richard and I keep looking for butterflies but so far, we have only seen a few.  (The above photo was taken last summer.)  Climate change to blame?  Pesticides? Whatever, it is to be hoped that we will see more.

Earthquakes, floods, tornados, fires, extreme heat... so many are suffering just now.  Living in Georgia, we have always had hot summers but this year, it is nearly impossible to be outside. Why, even the cities up North, the heat looks just as bad!  I pity anyone who has to work in it. Since our son lives in Chattanooga, I sometimes see stories from there that I otherwise might not know.  I recently learned that there was a severe flood in Chattanooga in 1867. The Tennessee River (which runs right through the city) rose 58 feet above the normal levels. As this was just after the Civil War, the city was not equipped to repair the streets and buildings. Here is what they did- they simply brought in soil and packed it onto the flooded streets. The buildings that were on the first floor became the basements. The new entrances were made into the 2nd floor, which then were the 1st floor. Does that make sense?  Funny thing, in England, if you get on an elevator (and even that is called a "lift"!) you will see a button for G and then 1, and then 2, and so on...  "G" means ground floor! (Richard says that is how it used to be anyway! And it seems I remember that also.)

In other Chattanooga news, the only Frank Lloyd Wright house designed in Tennessee is on the market! Yes, the "Shavin House" in Chattanooga is a cool $1,600,000.00.  It is a "Usonian" home.  "Usonian" is a mid-20th century architectural style conceived by Frank Lloyd Wright. Usually the homes were small, single stories with L- shaped layouts, flat roofs and had radiant floor heating with lots of natural light. Frank Lloyd Wright got the word from "Usonia" which is...wait for it... an abbreviation of "United States of North America"! (He didn't make it up, I think I read that someone in either Scotland or England came up with it!)  Anyway, if anyone wants to buy that house, please do so and I can stay with you and visit our son in Chattanooga! The address is 334 N. Crest Rd. Chattanooga. I have the link below for you!

334 N Crest Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37404 | MLS #1346032 | Zillow

Did you know that I am interested in architecture? It's true! I think I told you in a post that I asked about a building on the front of our text book in 6th grade! (The teacher had another student write to the government of that country about the building. No, I am not bitter. Honestly!)

Richard and I spotted a native plant on a walk recently. It is a spotted wintergreen, and it had the tiniest of buds! It is a native and I hope that we have not missed the blooms. In other floral news, our night blooming cereus cactus bloomed last night! 

Hope all of you have a great 4th of July here in America, my fellow Usonians! And for anyone else in the world, you have a great day that day also!  What song? Why, "Chattanooga Choo Choo", of course! 

Sing It Out Again! (World Cup/ Toy Story 5)

 Hello to all my friends in the blogging world! (And for anyone else who happens to drop by.)

There is a little thing going on right now called the World Cup! For the first time ever, it is being played in several cities in North America, not just in one spot.  For an old lady like me, it is a bit confusing. (Who is playing? Where are they playing? What day is it? LOL.)  Anyway, it is FOOTBALL in the entire world but in the USA, it is called SOCCER. It is believed that the word "soccer" comes from the middle part of "association" but reading more about it, no one really knows for sure but in the USA and Canada, it is soccer. (It is called soccer in Australia too! If I had ever been lucky enough to visit Australia, I would have known that.  Thanks to my blogging friend from there, I know it now. Thanks, Patricia!)

Now, have any of you been watching? It has been a big thing for Atlanta, since Atlanta is one of the host cities. Have I been there? No, even though it is about 30 miles away, I can watch anything on TV, and I try to avoid the crowds. (Tee hee, not that I would ever spend that much money on a sporting event!)  Having said that, I do hope you have seen how much Boston enjoyed the Scottish fans! Why, the president of the Boston Red Sox wrote a letter to the fans, positively gushing with appreciation. They had attended a Red Sox game, with their kilts, bagpipes and sing-alongs! The fans had pretty much taken over the bars with their "No Scotland, No Party" signs and also, putting traffic cones on the statues! Now, the Scottish fans are in Miami, and it looks as if the same is happening there. For me, it is the SINGING that I think I would most enjoy.  Wouldn't that be great fun?

I was well pleased to hear the singing after USA won their match against Australia. They sang "Country Roads" by John Denver! For years, they have sung "Sweet Caroline" at the Boston Red Sox games, and I have loved hearing that when we watch the baseball on TV.  I saw recently that Neil Diamond himself led the singing there! Isn't that wonderful?

One other song that I was very pleased to hear...the new song from Taylor Swift from "Toy Story 5."  Yes! Richard and I saw that film too and we both really enjoyed it. (If you go to see it, be sure to stay after the credits, okay?)  Oh, and "Disclosure Day" has gone right down in box office.  Gee, could I be an influencer? Ha, made you laugh!

In other news, our son is writing for "The Last Word On Sports" about the Atlanta Braves! Look, I have a link, you can read an article by him just here.  Even if you don't know the first thing about baseball, I truly think you will like his writing! You know I do.

Hope your June is going along nicely. Take care, my friends! I am either watching the World Cup or baseball. (Wimbledon will start soon!) If there is a ball involved, I am THERE! 

Disclosure Day/Red Cardinal

Richard and I saw "Disclosure Day", the new film by Steven Spielberg. The critics are raving about this movie, and it seems that most of those who have seen it have very positive reviews also. Full disclosure: we disliked it intensely.  Now, I must tell you something that might amuse you... I try very hard to not watch "trailers" about films before I see them, but I did see two trailers, and I do fear that I got them mixed up! 

"The End of Oak Street" is a sci fi flick that will be released in August.  When I saw this, I knew it had to be filmed locally and sure enough, that cul-de-sac is very close to my neighborhood! Also, part of the film was filmed in England! So, that is a film that I think I would like to see.  Okay, let's go back to yesterday with the Spielberg film... I kept thinking I would see background scenes that looked familiar and when I didn't, I realized that I must have gotten my wires crossed and tried to enjoy the film. Alas, it was all cartoonish type characters, car chases, bad acting, CGI birds and animals and lectures on empathy. From the opening scene, I was looking for the exit door. I made myself stay until the end, thinking that the ending would somehow redeem itself but NO, it did not.   One reviewer said that it made them cry three times! What? It made me cry thinking of the good money I paid to see it! 

  
                   "Mr. Spielberg, please depict us in an accurate manner".

The Northern Cardinal also known as simply a red Cardinal is a lovely sight. We see this bird in our yard every single day.  To see it in "Disclosure Day" was a bit startling to us.  They tried to get it right as a CGI version, but it is nothing like the real thing! Please, don't let me stop you from seeing "Disclosure Day" if you really, really want to do so but don't say I didn't warn you!

We thought it be a good idea to see a movie and escape from this intense heat that we are having in Georgia just now. It is 92 degrees today and the "feel like" temp is 98, with no rain in sight.  It is most important to have water for the birds.  Can you see the photo above? That is a bird having a great big splash in the bird dish! Our birds love us. Why, they know that I won't even let a big director insult them! You could say that Richard and I are "for the birds".  That is fine with us!

Hope all of you are having a lovely June.  We try our best to get out and walk very early before the day becomes unbearably hot! Stay cool, my friends. Except I have to remember anyone reading this from Australia, your seasons are opposite from us.  Patricia from Australia, used to use "Red Cardinal" as her blog name so I hope she sees this post!  Camellia Cottage   There! That is her new name of her blog, if anyone wants to learn of a great blogging friend of mine from Australia, click on that link! Thank you, all of my friends in the blogging world!

Shall We Dance? (Before May is Over)

 

Before the month of May is over, I have to just tell you a few things that I have learned recently....

The St Bernard Waltz!  I saw this from one of my blogging friends from Yorkshire. She and her husband danced this at one of the dances that they go to, and I would gladly link you to her post, but I can't seem to find it! (Welcome to my world these days, folks.) Anyway, I found a video to show you the steps!

Are you familiar with those flat woolen caps that men wear? To my eyes, they are very flattering. I got Richard one to wear this winter! I just learned the background behind them. In 1571, there was an Act of Parliament which supposedly was to stimulate domestic wool consumption. For every male over 6 years of age, they had to wear the flat woolen cap on Sundays and all holidays. If not, they had to pay a fine.  The Act was repealed in 1597 but by then, the cap had become attached to the working-class man.

Are you worried about robots taking over everything? I was so pleased to learn this: robots CANNOT crochet! I jotted this down in my little notebook...." Unlike knitting, crochet cannot be fully automated. No machine can replicate the way a hook moves through loops. EVERY crochet piece was made by human hands, stitch by stitch.".

Do you know that I crochet? I do! I love to make things! I write so many patterns down and then, can't understand my writing and end up with something a bit wonky but hey, sometimes it works out. I make hats, scarves, blankets, phone cases, coasters, baby things, and I even like to crochet edgings on small towels! 

"You, You, You" was a song that was used on a TV show that I watch from England. It was used as a couple's favorite song during a wedding.  I could recognize that it was from Gerry & The Pacemakers but was not familiar with it. After some research, I found that it was on the B side of "Ferry Cross the Mersey"!  (Will future generations understand the term "B side"? We will have to educate them!) Anyway, Gerry Marsden was not only the singer but also the songwriter behind both of those songs! Isn't that wonderful to know? You know I think so! 

Here, you know I had to give you both songs! Sadly, Gerry Marsden died in 2021, and you all know I love songwriters in general, but I truly love them when they are such nice guys. Look him up, see if you don't agree. His "Ferry Cross the Mersey" was a number one hit in 1989 when it was released as a charity single for the Hillsborough Disaster Fund. 

June is almost upon us now and many couples get married in June (as Richard and I did!)   Did you know that in Germany the married couples tend to wear their wedding rings on their right hands, rather than the left hands? I think I read that this is also in the custom in Turkey and Russia. Is that right? Hey, don't quote me, I can't keep up with all that I research.

There is a lake in Africa and is called the "calendar lake". It is Lake Malawi and is about 350 miles long and about 52 miles wide. Now, this was an answer on Jeopardy, but when I looked it up, I found that it is also called something else, something that David Livingstone said when he saw all the lighted fishing boats on the water.... he said it was a "lake of stars".  There, isn't that nice to know. Numbers are interesting but give me a nice turn of phrase every time!

Now, shall we dance? Go back and see if you can do that dance!

Doppelganger and Damselfly

 

"I LOVE your hair!"

My friends, I can't tell you how it warms my heart to hear those words directed towards me! Especially as I have stopped dying my hair after doing so for many years, and I have snowy white roots with brown hair at the ends. Several women have said this to me lately and two of them have told me that I remind them of the character from X-Men.  I am thinking they must be referring to "Rogue". Now, if there is a very old lady in these films with white hair, just keep it to yourself, okay? I am saying I look like "Rogue"!

It has been really nice not to color my hair! I never went to the salon, it was always Loreal Excellence, Medium Brown for me, and I have the brown stained towel to prove it! Do you color your hair? If not, when did you stop? And also, has anyone told you that you remind them of someone? Have you ever been told you have a double? It actually happens to me quite often, I must have that kind of face!

I suppose I should take a more recent photo of myself with my new silver roots but if you look carefully at this photo, you can see the white just at the top of my head. Obviously, I had waited a bit to touch up those roots. LOL!

Hey! Anybody remember me telling you the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly? (Some might say they look the same, but a damselfly folds the wings together, while the dragonfly holds them out, horizontally.)  This is a damselfly, posing on one of our blueberry bushes! It is an ebony jewelwing.  You must love that name!

Hope you are all doing well, my friends! 

Take care!  

1976 Songs!

 

Hello, my friends!

I have a really great article by our son that I want you to read! You can find it just here!

It is titled "15 Songs from 1976 that Still Feel Fresh 50 Years Later"!

He gives you links to each song and writes about them in detail. (Well, as much as he could in this piece anyway! I am sure he could have said much more!  

I truly love that he appreciates music so very much! AND he gets paid for views on many of his pieces and THIS is one of them, so please, read it and tell all your friends to do so!  If you don't have time to listen to each song, be sure to scroll down to the end where he sums up his feelings about the longevity and value of good music. 

Of course, you are welcome to listen to each and every song if you so choose!

The Best News, BABY

 

We are grandparents!  Isn't that the most exciting news? You know that Richard and I are thrilled! The parents have requested no photos or details, but I can tell you that we have a granddaughter! Isn't that wonderful? She is gorgeous, I promise! And Christopher and Sarah are parents extraordinaire, you know they are!

We were there to see her just after she was born and I tried to think ahead of time...what will be the first song that I will sing to her? What is the first song that she will hear from me?

Can you believe it, I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't sing a single word.  I simply hummed the beautiful tune of "Come Back to Sorrento" when I first held her in my arms. 

What a sweet little love!  

Bing Videos

There! I hope you are able to click on that link above! You will be rewarded with Connie Francis singing "Come Back to Sorrento" in Italian! Yes, this marvelous woman could speak Italian and Spanish fluently! Our little granddaughter will know so many singers and songwriters from me, you know she will! 

Before we left to head back to our home, I was able to collect myself enough to quietly sing the first few lines of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to her, as she clutched my finger! (I found a great cover, but I sang it MUCH softer than this.)

"Sweet little things", "In My Garden-Candle of Life" and that one little Lily blooming for me, do you remember these from my recent posts?  Our granddaughter is called Lily!  See, I have given you some hints!  

Just read back over this and almost every sentence ends with an exclamation mark.  Those are all well and truly meant with all my heart.

Here are photos of Lily's English grandfather and her American grandmother. Just to mix things up, it is a photo of me in England and one of Richard in the North Georgia mountains. (And although Lily will know how great a photographer Richard is, you all know I took that last one!)

Hope you are all doing well in your part of the world!

Remember the baby turtle we saw on the trail? BABY!