Happy Birthday To You Song

Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear  Au-drey...
Happy Birthday to YOU!

  Audrey had a birthday on Saturday, so...Audrey, you don't mind me using your name, do you?  There, sweet gal, I knew you wouldn't!)  xx

We all know that song, don't we? Why do we rarely hear it on TV or in the movies?
I am sure you have all been wondering why that is so. Well, wonder no more, because you know I am about to tell you!  (Maybe most of you know this already!)

The song is credited to Patty Hill and her sister, Mildred J. Hill. (If you DO hear this song sung during a movie, you should see those names in the end credits.)  Patty Hill was a kindergarten teacher in Louisville, Kentucky in the late 1800's and her sister, Mildred was a pianist and composer.  Patty wrote the song originally as "Good Morning To You" for her kindergarten classes to sing at the beginning of the day.  The sisters liked it so much that they changed the words to "Happy Birthday To You" and would sing the song at birthday parties.  It was published in their book, "Song Stories for the Kindergarten" in 1893. Since then, it has been translated into at least 18 languages and has travelled all over the world! The publishing rights were bought by Warner/Chappell in 1988 and since that time, anytime the song is sung, royalty fees must be paid to Warner/ Chappell.  The company charges up to $10,000.00 any time the song appears in a film or TV show. Even at a restaurant, the staff are not allowed to sing "Happy Birthday To You.", as it cannot be sung without paying royalties "anywhere open to the public, and for any group where a substantial number are not family or friends."  Well.   I read that Warner/Chappell collects millions of dollars every year from this one song alone.  Many of the movies get around this by bringing a big birthday cake in and when everyone is drawing a breath to start singing the song, the scene will break away before the song begins!  (Have you ever noticed this?)

There is a lot of legalese that is connected to this topic and it gets a bit complicated. Some of these copyright laws may change in the future but for now, I believe that the above information is true.

Homemade Birthday Cake Made by ME for Our Son...Nothing Fancy but Good!

 

 

 

John Lowrie Morrison is an artist from Scotland that I just discovered from a wonderful blog. Thank you, Cait!  Since I just found out about this artist during the month of April, I will think of it as a late birthday present to myself. Happy Birthday to me!  This color just makes me so happy!

 

 And Happy Birthday to YOU, whoever you are, reading this blog, you may have already  had your birthday this year, or it is still to come! Just don't expect me to sing to you, I don't want to pay any money to Warner/Chappell! 

Winston Churchill

I love this story.  Winston Churchill was at a dinner once and when he was asked what piece of the chicken he preferred he said, "breast ".The hostess chided him and said that it should be called "white meat". He said nothing. The next time he saw her, he presented her with a brooch and told her to pin it on her WHITE MEAT! HA!! Is that story true? I have no idea, I read it somewhere and thought it was funny.  (My guess is that it IS true, it sounds just like him!)

Winston Churchill was half American, did you know?  His mother was American but really did not have much to do with his upbringing, that was left to his nanny.  Winston was always grateful to his "Woomany" (which is what he called his nanny.)  As Prime Minister, Winston Churchill is well known for rallying the British people during World War II.   He also wrote many books and was a talented painter.



And we would do well to remember some of his quotes!  Very often, they were inspiring, but I think he could have been a great stand-up comic!







Thought you might like to see another wonderful half English/half American...this is a photo of our son, Christopher!  He does not have the top of his head here since I took the photo, but you can still see that wonderful smile and that is why I have it here for you! I have been listening to the CD that he made us for Christmas of his own music and it is wonderful! Wish him luck with his songs, would you?  I hope he takes Winston's advice...NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP!

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead, with lots to inspire you AND to make you laugh.

 

Dogwood Trees/ Poinsettias



Do you know the legend of the Dogwood tree?  On our hike up Panola Mountain on Saturday, the dogwood trees were in full bloom and were gorgeous. Some of the people on this hike did not know this tree and they did not know its connection to Easter.  

At the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood had reached the size of the mighty oak tree. So strong and firm was the wood that it was chosen as the timber for Jesus' cross.
     To be used for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the dogwood. While nailed upon it, Jesus sensed this, and in his compassion said. "Because of your pity for my suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth, it shall be slender, bent, and twisted, and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross–two long and two short petals.      "In the center of the outer edge of each petal will be the print of nails. In the center of the flower, stained with blood, will be a crown of thorns so that all who see it will remember."


When I saw that date for Easter this year, I thought that the Dogwood trees would be long past blooming, but that was not so: the trees have been blooming for weeks now but they were at their peak on Easter Sunday.  Perfect.

The crown like center in the middle are really the flowers, the petals are the bracts.  This should remind you of the plant associated with Christmas, the poinsettia. It is the same, the middle part would be the tiny flowers and the red part that most would think of as the flower are really the bracts.   Joel R. Poinsett brought this plant back from Mexico.  You should click on that link and read about him, I knew that the poinsettia was named after him, but I had no idea what a fascinating man he truly was...if I were a movie maker, I would make a movie about him! 
Recently, Meike from her blog in Germany showed us some beautiful flowers from the gardens at Ludwigsburg Palace and they were called Euphorbia.  The poinsettia must be related to those same flowers as the poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima!

Today is the anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare. (That is how my church would say it, so much better than saying "birthday", don't you think?)  Tomorrow, is my Dad's 87th birthday!  My Dad played a nice game on Sunday of tossing a few beanbags (strict rules...27 feet from the target!), the game is called Cornhole!  I got that darn beanbag into the hole ONCE and ONCE only!  AHHH!! How in the world did I ever do it? God only knows!

 See the wood box beside my Dad in the photo above?  There is another one just like it EXACTLY 27 feet away and that is what he is aiming for! 

"My glass shall not persuade me I am old".  
 Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Butterfly Hike At Panola Mountain

Beautiful hike up Panola Mountain today...it was a scheduled Butterfly Hike but as it was a very cool rainy day we did not see one butterfly!  No matter, I always want to hike the mountain and I was hoping to see the lilies that bloom there only in the Spring.

The lake at the base of Panola Mountain is a very nice sight at any time of the year, but with all the Spring greens and the dogwood trees that are still blooming, it was truly stunning.

 

Once again, it was a nice group of people and Phil was our guide, the same guide that took us on the wildflower hike!  Thanks, Phil! I will remember to bring a pad and pen on our next hike to take notes so I can remember more of the birds and plants that you tell us about!

The moss was emerald in the rain and the diamorpha  was beautiful with their white blooming flowers.  Remember that Panola Mountain has restricted access so you can see how it grows when it is not trampled upon by large groups of people!

 

We were lucky that we only had a light drizzle.  You can see how overcast it was!

This is called a Fringe Tree and the blossoms are very showy!

Panola Mountain is covered with such a diversity of plants that it is a stunning sight. 

 

I was very happy to see these lilies!  They are atamasco lilies and they are lovely.

 

 

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free,

While God is marching on.

(This is the last verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, written by Julia Ward Howe.) 

 

 

 

Even though we didn't see any butterflies today, this is Georgia and it will be sunny and hot very soon and there will be lots of butterflies to enjoy.  For today, the cool mist and fresh air was wonderful!  Happy Easter to everyone!

I Will Sing The Wondrous Story

Thinking of this coming Sunday which will be Easter, I was reminded of a hymn, " I Will Sing The Wondrous Story".    In the Episcopal church, this song is sung to the tune of "Hyfrydol" but in the Baptist church (the church from my childhood), it is sung to a tune by Peter B. Bilhorn (who wrote over 2000 hymns!).  The lyrics are by Francis H. Rowley, written in 1886.  The Rev. Rowley was not only a Baptist preacher but also an author and an advocate for the prevention of cruelty to animals.

 

 

This first video is of this song to the tune of "Hyfrydol" which in Welsh means "cheerful".  Sometimes, I think this is sung too slowly but this seems just right to me.  (This same tune is used for some other songs in the Episcopal church, one of my favorites is "Alleluia, Sing To Jesus", another beautiful hymn sung at Easter.)

This second video is of this same song but it is with the tune that I know from my childhood. This is from a Baptist church in Alabama.  Both versions are very dear to me.  I love them both.  After all, I am Georgia Girl With An English Heart, you know!

And the man who wrote the tune, Peter P. Bilhorn?  I was pleased to read that in 1900, he was invited to London to lead a choir of 4000 in  the Crystal Palace!  Queen Victoria also invited him to  Buckingham Palace.  (I believe that these men received the most satisfaction for knowing that their music and words went to the glory of God, but it still makes me glad that they were recognized and appreciated for their musical talents.)

No matter what tune is used, the words are strong and powerful and I have them for you here.
Do you have a favorite Easter hymn? Sing it!

 (I know that tomorrow is Good Friday, and one of the most moving hymns for that day is "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord".

1. I will sing the wondrous story
   Of the Christ Who died for me;
   How He left His home in glory
   For the cross of Calvary.
   
   • Refrain:
     Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story
     Of the Christ Who died for me,
     Sing it with the saints in glory,
     Gathered by the crystal sea.
2. I was lost, but Jesus found me,
   Found the sheep that went astray,
   Threw His loving arms around me,
   Drew me back into His way.
3. I was bruised, but Jesus healed me,
   Faint was I from many a fall,
   Sight was gone, and fears possessed me,
   But He freed me from them all.
4. Days of darkness still come o’er me,
   Sorrow’s path I often tread,
   But His presence still is with me;
   By His guiding hand I’m led.
5. He will keep me till the river
   Rolls its waters at my feet;
   Then He’ll bear me safely over,
   Where the loved ones I shall meet.

 

Atlanta Braves Grand Slam-Phillies Fans Reaction

Even if you don't know one thing about baseball, you should watch this video that I have here for you!  The Atlanta Braves played the Philadelphia Phillies last night.  The Phillies were ahead in the 9th inning and Dan Uggla came to bat with the bases loaded.  When the batter hits a HOMERUN with the bases loaded, that is called a GRAND SLAM, and it scores 4 runs!  That is just what Dan Uggla did!!!!  (Four exclamation points there.)   The Philly fans were taunting Dan Uggla while he was at bat and this video of their reaction to the homerun is priceless!  HA!  I love it!  Anybody from Philly might not find it so amusing!  The final score of the game was 9-6.   GO BRAVES!!!

 Oh dear, I just looked back at this blog and it says you can't see it on here...never mind, you can find it, it's out there. Watch it if you get the chance!

 

Morning Has Broken

"Morning Has Broken" is a hymn that is in the Hymnal in the Episcopal Church.  You might remember it was a hit by Cat Stevens if you know anything about music or if you were alive in the 1970's.  Many people think that he is the author of  this song as he is so closely identified with it, but he did not write it.  In 1931, an English poet and children's author by the name of Eleanor Farjeon  was asked to write the lyrics to a beautiful melody from Scotland called "Bunessan".  (Please, I hope no one takes offense...if it is Irish/Scottish/Welsh...I truly love this tune and it matters not from whence it came, it makes a lovely hymn and I am happy that it was made into a well received pop song.)

 

She wrote the words being inspired by the beauty of the English countryside, from Alfriston in East Sussex.

 

We sing this song at our church and I have a special fondness for it as I asked for it to be played at our wedding, also from the long ago time of June of 1983!

 

Hey! For people of the USA, tomorrow on April 15th, Arby's is giving away FREE curly fries!

Also, at Hard Rock Cafe, if you go after 5PM and sing a song in its entirety in front of the whole restaurant, you will be awarded a FREE entree! I cannot imagine how much booze you would have to give me to make me stand up in front of people and talk, let alone sing! This is in honor (or to make the day a bit easier to bear?) of it being the last day in which to file your income taxes! That is what I heard on TV  but I think it is really in honor of my birthday tomorrow! That is the real reason, I am sure of it! 

Okay now, think of me when you are eating those curly fries!

  Who loves ya, baby? (This is also a quote that is a blast from the past...anybody remember who said that?)

Arabia Mountain- Amazing In April!

The wildflowers on Arabia Mountain are at their peak just now.  My husband, Richard, loves to take photos of them and he allows me to share them here with you.  Enjoy.

The bright red Diamorpha is a joy to behold but incredibly the plant blooms with a tiny white cross-like flower in the Spring. Gorgeous!

JOY! Before I knew what these were called, I used to call these "joyflowers" because they gave me such joy! They are called SANDWORT.  ("Wort" is an Old English word which means "root", something I learned in my reading...I am not a botanist or a linguist!)

 

Can you see the white blooms on the Diamorpha, the yellow of the Hairy Groundsel and the spring greens of the trees?  Beauty in lots of colors!

 

In this photo, you can see a closer view of the Hairy Groundsel. It was bright yellow in the sun!

What a delightful name for a flower! These are Sunnybells!

 

My husband and I truly love walking at Arabia Mountain. The view on the horizon, the clouds, the wildflowers, the pools of water, the trees...even the rock itself  is a different color depending on how the sunlight falls upon it.  I just met a woman on a walk at Panola Mountain and when I asked her if she was familiar with Arabia, she told me that she had "trained" by running up the mountain. I suggested that she might want to go back and LOOK at what she must have missed! There are lots of paved trails but Arabia Mountain itself...I am sorry, but I think this is something special and should be treated as such.

Even though Arabia Mountain was heavily quarried for many years, the wonder of Nature is taking it back but only for those who have the eyes to see it!

Toadflax - Very hard to photograph, the color is a gorgeous shade of lavender!

 

It is as if these flowers are blooming on solid rock, but of course, it is just a very small amount of soil that has collected on the rock that supports this plant, the magnificent Diamorpha. (Elf orpine it is called but since it is Diamorpha smalli, we have always called it Diamorpha!) 

  Hope you liked this hike with us at Arabia Mountain.  All of these photos were taken late afternoon on April 11th.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

 

(I have so many posts that I have in mind for you, but as always, very little time to compose my thoughts!)

Birds and Butterflies at Panola/ Sunnybells at Arabia!

After my hike at Panola Mountain on Saturday, I was the only one from our hike who went on the bird walk at Alexander Lake!  But you knew I would, didn't you??  (In defense of the other hikers on this day, many of them came from some distance away and some had other commitments that could not be changed at the last minute.  Me, I had TONS of housework that needed doing, but hey, it wasn't going anywhere, was it?)

There were a total of five us on the bird walk including our guide, Phil. (The other folks didn't know about the first hike, but they expressed doubt that they could have done it. ! They have no idea how easy it is!)  The most wonderful thing, one of the guys, Jack, had brought a gigantic scope on a tripod to see birds!  We were able to get to some wetlands that they have on the Power of Flight area at Panola Mountain. It is an open meadow where they have worked for years to get it back into a natural state. (This is same spot where I did the wildflower planting and grass seed collecting this past September.) Phil said that we must have heard and seen at least 30 species.  Not bad for two o'clock in the afternoon!
Two birds that I have never seen before were at the wetlands...a blue winged teal duck and a semipalmated sandpiper, both so lovely that I said that I wished that could do a painting of them! Sorry I could not get a photo of the birds for you but we saw butterflies too!  I found a video for you. Most of these photos were taken at the Power of Flight area!

 

   I took this photo of the dogwood blooms against a blue sky on Saturday...

And Richard took this photo the next day at Arabia Mountain! They are Sunnybells!

 

 

 

Panola Mountain Hike - PERFECT Day!

Saturday, the 5th of April, was a lovely day.  In Georgia, we can go from winter to summer in a heartbeat but Saturday was a true Spring day, the high for the day was about 67 degrees.  A wonderful day for a hike through the woods and up Panola Mountain!  Our hike was from 10 AM until 1PM.
Perfect!

The dogwood trees were in full bloom and were blooming all through the woods.

 Ready?  Let's go!  This is at the very beginning of the hike which must be led by a guide, as Panola Mountain is a protected state park, and a National Natural Landmark.  Our leader was Phil Delestrez, who is also the Resource Manager at Hard Labor Creek State Park in Rutledge.  (If anyone remembers Rutledge from my blog, I have mentioned it before, that is where my Dad lives...not at the park, mind you, just in the same area...Rutledge, Georgia!)  It was great to have someone so knowledgeable about trees, geology, birds, dragonflies, butterflies, and wildflowers as our guide! I think that any readers of  my blog might guess that I pestered poor Phil with all my questions!

 So many trees, and can you see that they are almost all hardwood trees in this area...this was about the only spot where I could see the sky, there were just that many trees! 

 Anybody remember this same photo from a few weeks back?  I miss my son holding up that tree on the left! (Wish you could have been on this hike, Christopher!).  What a great bunch of folks on this hike! In fact, if you look over on the side of my blog, my newest follower is Sherri and she was one of those on this hike! Thanks, Sherri!  Hope to see you again on this trail or at Arabia Mountain!

This lake is just at the base of Panola Mountain and you should have heard the birdsong here! One bird's call sounded like "Sweet, sweet, sweet...I'm so sweet"!  Phil told us what bird that it was...but I can't remember the name! Never mind, the bird's song was lovely to hear.

Here we are hiking up the mountain.  Sherri, isn't that you just behind Phil? Bless you, I must have been quiet when I was taking photos.  Too bad that I didn't take many photos, right?  HA!

As we were hiking on the mountain, I looked down and noticed...how can I put this, something that I did not want to step upon!  "Uh, Phil, what animal dropping is this", I said, one of many questions from yours truly!!  Phil, turning around to see, was quite happy that I noticed this and telling us that he hoped not to freak anybody out...picked up the animal droppings and proceeded to pull it apart (with his bare hands!) He told us it was coyote scat and he could tell that it was mostly fur, bones and he even found ONE whisker (a feral cat, was his guess).  For me, it was like being on a hike with David Attenborough (but one with a bit of a Chicago accent!): it was perfectly fine with me! Tell me more!  I want to know everything!

The sandwort (white flowers) were dazzling in the sunshine...

 As were the red diamorpha which now have these lovely white blooms!  Look how thickly they grow in this protected area of Panola Mountain!

One of the MAIN flowers that I wanted to see was the Atamsco lily, which unfortunately, was not blooming just yet...but wait, I told you it was a perfect day...

One brilliant white Atamsco lily in the bright Georgia sun, so very happy to see it that I could hardly hold the camera steady!




We saw this Fulcate Orange-Tip Butterfly on this hike! (Richard took this photo last year at a butterfly hike on Panola Mountain.) Richard couldn't go on this hike with me, which was a shame because he would have loved it!

As our hike neared the end at 1:00PM, Phil told us that he was going to lead a bird walk at Alexander Lake (also part of the Panola Mountain State Park) which would last from 2PM until 4PM and would anybody be interested in going to that?



Dear reader of my blog, what do you think that I said?   You will find out in a future post!
 

Asbestos Awareness Week

Heather Von St. James is a remarkable woman who works to promote awareness of the dangers of asbestos which causes mesothelioma.  Heather was diagnosed with this disease at the age of 36, just after the birth of her baby (her daughter was only 3 1/2 months old.) You might be surprised to find out that asbestos is not banned in the USA. (It certainly came as a shock to me!)

 

April 1-7 is Asbestos Awareness Week.  Won't you please take a few moments and see and hear the story about Heather Von St. James?  You may find it  just here.  Once there, be sure to click on her lovely photo to watch the video.

 She has such a positive attitude that it reminded me of a story that I have had on my blog before...

Lots of starfish are washed up high and dry on a beach and a woman  begins to throw them back into the ocean. A man sees her and says, "What are you doing, are you crazy, there must be hundreds! You can't make any difference, there are too many!"

She picks one up and throws it into the deep water and said, " I made a difference to THAT one!"


Heather, may God bless you for sharing your story and I wish you the best of everything!

 

Looking at life through rose colored glasses, the best way to view it, I believe!

Wildflower Hike At Panola Mountain!

Tomorrow will be another hike for me up Panola Mountain!  Just in case my photos don't turn out very well, would you like to see what was blooming on Arabia Mountain on April 5, 2013?  These blooms will be very similar on Panola but they might not be as far along this year since we have had a much cooler Spring than last year...still, it should be nice!

This is a scheduled Wildflower Hike, so I will be most happy to hear about all the flowers that are blooming. There might not be as many blooming as they normally are this time of year, but that is okay with me, the bright red diamorpha, the lovely white sandwort (I used to call them joyflowers before I knew the name!) and the bright yellow blooms of the hairy grounsel will make me very happy indeed.

 

 

 

 

It is supposed to be a beautiful day and I will be looking at the sky too!  I really love these monadnocks. When I am there, I am in my element and the time passes by so quickly.

Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend too, doing what you love!

(I have so many posts that I am working on for you. So many things to tell you and so little time!)