American Smooth/ "America"/Red Tailed Hawk

 

American Smooth!  It is a ballroom style dance that consists of four elegant dances: the Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango and Viennese Waltz.  It allows for open movements, underarm turns and side by side choreography. It seems to celebrate the joy of dancing! Last week I shared a video from "Strictly Come Dancing" of Chris McCausland and his partner. They danced this past week to the song "Jump" and they showed the joy of dancing with the American Smooth! ("Jump" was written by Van Halen, but the version on this show was sung by Paul Anka and the arrangement is so very different, it will astonish you.)  What did the couple score for this dance? A perfect 10! 

Hope you enjoy the video as much as I did! I would give it a 10!

The beginning of the Christmas ads are beginning to be shown on TV! Many of them are not very good but there is one that just came out that I really like! It is an ad from Kroger, and I will see if I can get it on here...

There, isn't that just so wonderful?  It is called "Share Your Food, Share Your Heart" and the song is "Lonely People" by America!

It made me so happy to hear that song on that advert!  There is an English connection, you know.  The background of the band "America" is interesting to me, they were American lads living in London (their fathers in the US military) and became a band.  They called themselves "America" because they didn't want folks to think they were British trying to pretend to be American! Their songs from 1974- 1979 were produced by George Martin!  (I hope you know that name from the BEATLES!)  America (band) - Wikipedia

There, you may click on that above and read more about them, if you like. They also did the song "Tin Man" which I have also told you about in a post before! And "Sister Golden Hair"!

Also, in my last post I showed you a photo of a red shouldered hawk that was in our back yard.  I made a mistake and called it a red TAILED hawk but went back later and corrected it. Well, what do you think?  We saw that there would be a Bird of Prey demonstration at Arabia Mountain this weekend and we happily signed up! Guess what bird was there?  Yep, a red-tailed hawk! Why, you could have knocked me down with a feather! LOL!  Did Richard get photos? You know he did!  It was so great.  The two bird handlers were just wonderful, and especially so with the children. They took such delight in explaining and sharing everything about the hawks. Who enjoyed this more, the men with the birds or those in attendance? Hard to say for sure! 

The above are all photos of the red-tailed hawk but they also had a Harris Hawk....

This bird did not look familiar to us and that is because it is indigenous to Southwest Texas, Arizona and Mexico! 

Do you like the way I tied things together in a somewhat American theme? I am AMERICAN SMOOTH! 

Just so you won't forget, this is the red shouldered hawk that we had in our backyard! 

We All Shine On! (Must SEE Video!)

 

                                                Great Video- Please watch!

The video that I have here for you is from "Strictly Come Dancing".  (It is on the BBC.) The woman dancer is the professional dancer, and her partner is Chris McCausland, a blind comedian and actor. There, you read that correctly, he is a man who cannot see. (He was not born blind; he lost his sight gradually to retinitis pigmentosa.) The dance in the video was performed to "Instant Karma/ We All Shine On" by John Lennon. (I had the single: the B side was Yoko Ono singing "Who Has Seen the Wind". Anybody else have that record?) Not sure who is doing the singing on this song, but it is a great choice for this dance. Now, I'm not going to say anything more about the video until I finish this post....

So, how are you all doing these days?  After a very sunny October, we had a very cloudy beginning to November which has been a shame because you really want the sun to shine on the colorful leaves! It's been very warm but overcast, so very strange weather...we had zero rain the entire month of October, so we are hoping for rain which we are promised tomorrow! 

Richard managed to get a few nice photos when the sun popped out!

See? I told you we have colorful leaves!  Americans call it "Fall" and it really makes sense to me. That is a LOT of falling leaves!

We have a red-tailed  red- shouldered hawk that comes down in our back yard. (Sorry folks, I think I've got it right now!) Richard just got this photo today. Isn't that a beautiful bird? 

I hope you could all see the video that I gave you at the beginning of this post!  They cut the lights out during the dance and the audience was in complete darkness!  When the lights came back, the male dancer was .... oh dear, I don't know technical dancing terms, he was twirling his partner around in the air! Amazing! How can anyone dance without having eyesight? I think the answer must be...very carefully and thoughtfully. And lots of counting steps, I imagine.

For me, this comedian on this dancing show....it is hopeful and uplifting and cheerful.  Can't we all use those things just now?

And since my husband and I had only one child, you know I had to share this video, which is also the same comedian, Chris McCausland. For our one and only (also a Chris!) hope you think this is funny too!

Keep Your Eye On The Ball! (Ain't No Pleasing You)

 

Last night, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series against the New York Yankees in a come -from -behind victory that was something to see! The Yankees were ahead 5-0 in the 5th inning...but then, it all fell apart.  One of the things that seemed to portend bad things to come...Aaron Judge DROPPED a pop-up ball that should have been a very easy catch. When they did a replay on it, the announcer just said, "he didn't have his eye on the ball".  Oh my, that reminded me of the sports radio announcer that we had here in Atlanta when I was a kid! I just looked him up. His name was Jack Hurst, and he was on WQXI (Quixie Radio) and his sign off was a most memorable: "Keep your eye on the ball".  It seems to me that we can all use that advice in our daily lives, to try our best to keep focused on what is important and not to be distracted.  

Now back to the baseball game, Freddie Freeman was named the World Series MVP (Most Valuable Player) and rightly so.  He broke a record: he is the first player to have hit a homerun in the first four games of a World Series. In that first game, he hit a grand slam! (Bases loaded, which means four runs scored!) He played with the Atlanta Braves for years until he was traded to the Dodgers. There are some who are not too nice about Freddie's success with the Dodgers, but I am not one of them! I think Freddie Freeman is great, and I only wish him the best success.  Looks like my wishes have come true for him!

I mentioned to you that Aaron Judge dropped that ball.... I read today that he was pretty upset about it, I think the quote was that he would never forgive himself. Gee, I hope that he will! Anyone can make a mistake! That is another lesson that we need to remember!  Yankees fans are pretty rough, so I can only imagine what he might have to put up with from them. I like to watch good baseball, and they were both good teams, but someone has to lose. 

"Ain't No Pleasing You", that is a song that seems to go along with this post!  I am so happy to tell you that the video by Chas & Dave was recently restored and is now in HD! 

I have told you before how much I enjoy our National Anthem sung before our ballgames. I loved this young woman named Pearle Peterson who is only 19 years old!  She sang this on Oct. 26th in Los Angeles. No trills or odd interpretations, just straight up great singing. Enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing...do you know why the Dodgers are called that name?  They were originally the Brooklyn Dodgers and when they were first there, it was the early days of the trolley cars, and the ballplayers would have to "dodge" the cars on their way to the ballpark!  

All the artwork that I showed you of the Peanuts characters, we missed this one.  Richard stood just beside a busy street to take this photo for you!  You know I had to share Linus and Sally! Aren't they just adorable?

Charles Schultz did a great cartoon once; I wish I could find it for you.  It showed Linus being very happy about his team winning a ballgame and going on and on about how much the crowd was cheering and Charlie Brown's reply was : "How did the other team feel?".  I always think of that after the World Series celebrations.  There is a lot of wisdom from cartoons! (I might have the characters wrong who said this, but you get the idea!)

Take care and remember, "keep your eye on the ball!"

October Update (One Way or Another)

 

The kids in Rockdale County finally went back to school yesterday after having been out of school for three weeks due to the BioLab disaster. (They are meant to have had virtual learning at home, and I do hope that they were able to do some kind of learning!) It has been a time of stress.  For over a week after the huge toxic cloud, we were told to "shelter in place" and not to open any doors or windows. Then, we were told it was okay to go out but if you saw a giant cloud come over you, to go back inside!   And then, for a time we were told that it was okay to go out but to shelter in place between 7PM and 7AM.  (Because as some funny person said online, toxic air has a curfew!)  I have asthma and I usually don't have any problems with it but for the past few weeks, I have used my inhaler quite a bit. I hate to think of those who are suffering from much more serious lung problems than mine. There is a push now for Biolab to be shut down permanently and you all must know that I agree with that.  During these past few weeks there have been meetings with government officials.  One was shown as a live stream from downtown Atlanta with our state representatives listening to powerful speeches from those who were closest to the BioLab facility.  One of those who spoke gave such an impassioned speech about the dangers of BioLab!  I am sorry to tell you that just after his talk, he walked outside where he collapsed in the hallway.  He later died at Grady Hospital in Atlanta.  His name was Kenny Johnson, and he was the Rockdale County Soil and Water Supervisor. A hero, if you ask me.

We are told that the EPA checked the air on a regular basis and also that the water was checked three times daily and that we should not be concerned.  (What about the vegetables that people have in their gardens, are they okay to eat, or should we be worried of the toxic chemicals that might have settled upon them? For that matter, what about the soil for future gardens?)  We are in hopes that the Good Earth (with its precious air over it) will try very hard to recover.  

Millions have voted early in the USA.  There is a young woman who paints seasonal pictures on the windows in Old Town Conyers and I love the Peanuts characters telling people to vote!  

I am sure that you heard the news that Liam Payne died in South America. Such sad news- it seems it is all we get these days. Even though he was a solo artist, I remember him as being one of those very young men from "One Direction".  I had a video on my blog of them doing a video for charity and I really liked it, so I am sharing it again with you here...

My friends, I do hope that you are all doing well.  We are hanging in there! Take care and look out for each other.  My best to you always.  x

Bio Lab Fire (Why Me Lord)

 

If you look at the side of my blog you will see that Richard and I live in Conyers, Georgia. (Rockdale County).  Have you heard that mentioned in the news where you live?  Yesterday, we had a huge fire here at Bio Lab, a plant that makes pool and spa chemicals.  Reports are that you could see the smoke from thirty miles away.  The entire area around the fire plume was evacuated therefore, 17,000 people were meant to leave their homes. The rest of the county was asked to "shelter in place" leaving windows and doors closed. (The population of the county is 93,000). Until the early hours of today, the very busy interstate highway which cuts the county in half was CLOSED. (This made for huge traffic problems for the area.) Waking up this morning, the update from the county was the same information from yesterday, to remain inside, keeping windows and doors tightly closed "until further notice". Chlorine has been detected in the air by the EPA. 

Well.

Coming on the heels of the hurricane that swept through the region, this is quite a time of stress for so many.  Speaking of that, I just casually mentioned to you in my last post that a storm was supposed to march up through Georgia, not knowing at the time how deadly that hurricane/tropical storm would become. Have you also seen the news on that?  The photos from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee are heart-breaking.  I could look up the latest death toll but it keeps going up, there are so many missing in the floods in North Carolina. The damage is terrible. (Regarding that storm, it veered to the right of us which meant we didn't get nearly as much wind as expected.  We still had trees that blocked some of the roads, but they were quickly removed. Our power went out for four hours. Quite a bit of rain but no flooding. We were lucky.)

Seems to me that we are all so caught up in the turmoil of life that we forget that we are just PEOPLE.  Human beings who are just trying to make it through life and maybe just have a bit of joy along the way and hopefully, help someone else on the way! So much hatred in politics and everyone thinks they know more than anyone else.  I think we should think more of being fellow creatures of this dear planet, Earth.

There, I will get off my soap box now, but I just wanted to let you all know that Richard and I are okay if any of you saw Conyers, Georgia on your TV screen or newspaper feed.

This statue of Madonna and Child was recently cleaned at the Monastery.  So beautiful and serene against that blue sky with the cumulus clouds.  (Photos taken by Richard on Saturday, one day after the hurricane and the day before the fire.)

 

Peace.

"Why Me Lord"    Kris Kristofferson (May he rest in peace).

Laughing and Singing/September Days

 

Wake me up when September ends!  (Of course, that was a hit song for Green Day back in 2004. Wow, that's twenty years ago now.) Where has this month gone? So busy! I have THREE birthdays in this month, plus the family reunion that I always like to attend. I always went with my Dad. Those folks miss the big pots of peas which he cooked from his own garden along with his famous cornbread and peach cobblers.

Recently, someone looked at a post that I wrote back in 2016. I told you in that post that unbelievably I had actually got up and sung in front of my co-workers. I wondered if I might find it on YouTube and yes, I found myself from 2016! Want to have a listen? Be kind! Oh dear, I am a bit embarrassed to share this with you, but I think you will see that I really laughed a lot as I was singing. My laughter came mainly because of the astonished looks on the faces in front of me! I guess they didn't think the old gal had it in her! HA!  

 

A bit of background story here... I took some papers into my manager's office, and he looked very sad.  I asked him what was wrong, and he said he couldn't get anyone to do any skits or songs for that week's upcoming meeting (with big wigs in attendance).  He was feeling the pressure from this, I could tell. His face lit up and he said, "YOU couldn't do something, could you, Kay?".  Now, this guy had always been so nice to me. His nickname for me was "Sunshine". I asked him before why he always called me that and he said it was because I was always smiling. I told him that I find it very hard to get up in front of a crowd. It might be true that you can hear my knees knocking.  That evening, I got to thinking that perhaps I could just take a song and change a few words and sing it. So, I did! Hey, for someone who calls you "Sunshine", wouldn't you?

Speaking of sunshine, it is very HOT just now!  When we got in the car today, it said 98 degrees! Once we were out of the parking lot, it cooled down to 95, so we're MUCH better now!   Now, we have to worry about this big storm that is promised to be on the way. It will march straight up from the Florida panhandle bringing rains and wind. Wish us luck! 

It's Hearts a busting time!

I've shown you these seeds before. Don't you love them? These are in a pot right outside my window, isn't that wonderful?

Dianthus with eastern swallowtail butterfly, also outside my window!

  This is the bridge over the South River on the Rockdale River Trail.  Here's the South River....

Every time I see this river, it always reminds me of the song, "I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water".  Hey, everything reminds me of a song!

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Did you see that they found an unknown piece of music from Mozart? Yes! They believe that it is something he wrote as a teenager. That reminds me....

Why didn't Mozart like chickens? Because they kept saying, "Bach, Bach, BACH!". 

 Keep laughing and singing, folks! (Hey, stand- up comedy for me next!)

La Seine Musicale /Cardboard Houses

 

La Seine Musicale (On MY TV!) Imagine how lovely this would be at night!

It seems like ages since the Olympics in Paris, doesn't it?  I still have fond memories of watching the events and then, pausing with the remote and researching the buildings in the background. During the Marathon, I had a full 26 miles and 385 yards in which to see the surrounding area around Paris! Why is the Marathon that unusual length? It is due to the 1908 Olympics that were held in London. 26 miles was agreed upon- the distance from Windsor Castle to White City Stadium but the 385 yards was for the last lap in the stadium so as for the athletes to finish in front of the Royal Box! Hey, the runners might not wish for that extra bit now but all the more for me to see Paris is fine by me.

The building that I have shown you above - I was truly intrigued by it. The description that I found of it is this: "A unique egg-shaped structure with a sail-like solar panel". It is a music venue! Located in the western suburbs of Paris, it opened in 2017. (The first artist to perform there was Bob Dylan!) The architect is Japanese named Shigeru Ban. In 2014, he was given the Pritzker Architecture Prize, not only for his modern buildings but also for his humanitarian efforts.  He is well known for his work with recycled cardboard tubes which can quickly be made into homes for disaster victims. The nominating committee called him "an inspiration."

 Look, let me see if I have a video to show you....

I wish I could find the video that I found of Shigeru Ban helping to build the houses in Maui- I think it was after the horrible fire.  The buildings had ...I think holes in the roofs that the builders could go in and out of as they were building, and then afterwards, they were used for light.  There, that might be a strange description, but it was very clever, and they were not only functional but very attractive.

I first heard this version of "Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole in the film "50 First Dates".  I have shared it with you before, but it is always nice to hear it again! 

I truly love beautiful buildings.  Paris inspired me to decorate my little creation at Panola Mountain State Park! (No children were around, so I had these wooden blocks all to myself.)

 

Morning Has Broken (Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!)

 

The summers in Georgia, USA are very hot.  However, this past week we have been lucky as we have had cool mornings down in the 60's. It has been heavenly!  Richard must have loved these mornings too as he has been playing "Morning Has Broken" on his guitar. I knew that     Yusuf/Cat Stevens  had a big hit with it in 1971.  (We also had our friend play it on the piano on our wedding day in 1983!)  I also knew that it was a hymn, with the words written by    Eleanor Farjeon.   The hymn was published in 1931.) Now, it made me wonder...who wrote the music?  Eleanor Farjeon is English and so is Cat Stevens but for the music, we have to go to Scotland....

It is set to the tune "Bunessan" which is a folk melody from the village of Bunessan which is a small village on the Isle of Mull off the southwest coast of Scotland. Mary Macdonald from the nearby community of Ardtun first used the traditional local tune to a Christmas Carol that she wrote in Gaelic, translated into "Christ In The Manger". She was the first to call the tune "Bunessan" but as it is true with many folk melodies, the author is unknown. Even though the songwriter is lost to history, we only know that is a lovely tune and we appreciate it.

  James Quinn,   a Jesuit priest from Glasgow, Scotland wrote some lovely lyrics to this same tune, "This Day God Gives Me".   I had never heard it before!  Finding this in my research was a true gift.... and I really loved this description of the priest, "He was known for his gentle manner". 

 I have given you links to those three people- Cat Stevens, Eleanor Farjeon and James Quinn.  Such fascinating life stories! It truly is worth your time to read about them.  I promise! (I do wish someone would make films about each of them. All of them are inspiring!)

Of course,  I cannot finish this post without including "Morning Has Broken".  This is a video of Yusuf/Cat Stevens in 2022.  He still has a great sounding vocal. Enjoy!

Another thing I learned recently....I saw this book at our local library, "The Birds of Edward Lear". Fascinating! Did you know that not only was he an author but a fantastic artist?  Once again, such an amazing life story!  Edward Lear    There, I have another link!   

Perhaps you think I have given you many things to look up here, but you have no idea how many things I look up every single day!  Does curiosity keep you young?  Please, let that be so!  Hope you are all doing well and doing better with your time than I am these days!

I almost forgot to say....

"Oh, What A Beautiful Morning"! That song is from the musical "Oklahoma" by Rodgers and Hammerstein.  Therefore, those lyrics are by one of my great heroes, Oscar Hammerstein! Dare I say it, you MUST read up about him too!

  

Zinnia that I planted from seed.  Cannot tell you how happy this makes me!  Oh, so beautiful!

Sportingly Yours - 2024 Paris Olympics

  

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...", these are the opening words to "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens.  Reading the reviews of the opening ceremony for the Olympics in Paris somehow brought those words to my mind. It seemed you either loved them or hated them.  I didn't watch them on that day, but we recorded it and watched it the next day. Well....much of the beginning of it reminded me of when I was ill and had some drug induced nightmares. So much dancing!  It seemed to me much better when they focused more on the magnificent buildings in Paris! And there were moments that surprised me, the opera singer standing on that bridge and singing the National Anthem? What she wore and the way that she was posed during the entire song, it was most effective. Celine Dion singing from The Eiffel Tower? Wonderful! Oh, and the rain! Goodness me, it seems Paris has had wonderful sunny weather since that Friday! Oh well.  C'est la vie! 

Do you like sports? If so, you must enjoy the Olympics too! You know I do. It has been exciting to watch!  In my last post, I told you that I know the words to the French National Anthem. I sung along with Leon Marchand as he stood on the podium having won the Gold in the 400-meter individual medley!  It was fun to watch him swim the breaststroke, every time he surfaced, the crowd let out a huge cheer! Obviously, he was in his home country!

Ah, Paris! I have never, EVER seen it, but I think I love it! I am reading a book just now...

                           "Eiffel's Tower" by Jill Jonnes!  

While the Eiffel Tower itself is most astonishing, you would not believe all the characters associated with the tower and with the World's Fair in 1889 in which it was introduced! What characters? How about Thomas Edison, Paul Gauguin, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley? Not to mention the man behind the tower, Gustave Eiffel! (And where would we be without elevators in the tower? Another character to learn about, Mr. Otis from Otis Elevators!  "All safe, all safe".)  It is taking me some time to read this book as I keep looking up more information about each and every person that is highlighted.

Thomas Edison! How I think he would marvel at the Eiffel Tower when it lights up every hour from sunset until 1AM.  (AND the lights actually move and sparkle for the first five minutes for every hour after dusk!)  Instead of a torch for the Olympics, Paris chose a cauldron that looks like a hot air balloon! To me, it looks amazing in the day but just imagine it at night! At sunset, the balloon rises up 60 meters and returns to the ground at 2AM. It is not fire! Water is sprayed and beams of light are projected onto the mist using 40 LED spotlights.  Once again, I can't help but think of Thomas Edison loving this!

The French swimmer, Leon Marchard, that I told you about who won the Gold Medal, had written to the coach at Arizona State University (the same one who had coached Michael Phelps!).  He asked him if he could possibly help a young French swimmer like himself. Sure enough, he attended that university and now lives in Austin, Texas!

 Here's a little detail that I love - he signed that letter, "Sportlingly Yours".

The architecture in Paris is amazing, isn't it?  I have a photo from Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is from the old train depot there. If I can't get to Paris, I will appreciate what I can!

Oh, Say Can You SING? (National Anthem)

 

Last night was the Home Run Derby which is always at the beginning of the All-Star Break for Major League Baseball.  Of course, before it began there was a rendition of our National Anthem.  Now, it is a very difficult song to sing but this morning it was all on the news that it was a terrible rendition.  I could give you a link to it but honestly, you can look it up, if you like....it was by a country singer named Ingrid Andress.  (As I am typing this post, Richard just told me that the singer said she was drunk and has now admitted herself into a facility. Oh dear, let's hope she gets the help she needs.)

I quite enjoyed watching a lot of the Euros. (I spent loads of time looking up the history of each and every city in Germany where the games were played!)  Richard made sure to record the ten minutes or so before the games started just so I could hear the National Anthems. (I only know the words to two of them, "God Save the King" and "La Marseillaise"- the anthems for the United Kingdom and France. I sang along to them both!)

For all the countries, I liked seeing how many of the players and coaches sang along to their national anthems. Quite often, they sang with great gusto and that also included many of those in the audience. The National Anthem for the USA is "The Star-Spangled Banner" and I while I really like the song myself, it IS a truly challenging song to sing!

I am not the first one to say that we really should change it to "America the Beautiful".  There, I said it and I say it again..."America the Beautiful" for the National Anthem! 

Did you know that it used to be the custom for the National Anthem to be played at the end of the films in British theaters? Yes! Ray Bradbury wrote a story about this, "The Anthem Sprinters". He must have found it very amusing when he was spending time in Ireland and heard of men who tried to run out of the theatre before the National Anthem started. The guys would race out as fast as they could, the last man out would have to buy the drinks at the pub! 

I looked this up and it states that this practice stopped sometime in the 1970's but it seems to me that Richard and I went to a play in 1985 in Eastbourne, and I was surprised that "God Save the Queen" was played at the end. Maybe this was still done in certain places, or perhaps in live theater? 

Of course, it didn't bother me one bit - I sang right along!

Now, if you have a chance, do YOU sing along?  During baseball games, we are asked to sing along to "Take Me Out to the Ballgames".  People do sing but without a lot of enthusiasm.  Such a shame! 

There are a lot of videos of "America the Beautiful" but I am very fond of this version by Ray Charles.  He did this just after 9/11 and it was much needed. Hope you like it!

Okay now, I have to be practical. I doubt that the USA will ever change their National Anthem. In that case, it should be sung with a special consideration. Here, let's see if I can find one that we all will like.... Trish Yearwood!  Hey, guess what?  Both these artists, Ray Charles and Trish Yearwood are from Georgia. 

                                                     "God Save the King"

                              "La Marseillaise" 

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In other news, our night blooming cereus bloomed!  This is very exciting!  Just as the name states, it only blooms at night, you have to get up very early to get a photo of it before it closes up.

Richard and I were invited to a garden party, and you know we attended! The gardens were lovely as was the home.

     Who is that crazy lady trying to hide behind the potted ferns?

Lots of videos on here for you but hey, I could have found more! HA! Take care!

1969 Music/Funny Photos/ "The Long Charade"

 

If you are as old as I am, you will remember 1969.  Can you remember all the music from that year? Our son was NOT around in 1969, yet he must know more about that year's music than I do.  He recently wrote not one but two pieces regarding that year's music! The first one about the beautiful, beguiling folk music is just here.  The second piece is of the epic rock masterpieces from 1969- you may read it just here! 

10 beautiful, beguiling and bold folk albums from 1969 (audiophix.com)

15 epic and influential American rock albums from 1969 (audiophix.com)

Just in case, I have the links above also!  

Okay folks, seen anything funny or unusual lately? Sometimes, things will just catch my eye and I wonder if anyone else notices. Did Walmart just run out of display boxes that they had to use a pesticide one in order to store these green bean seeds? "Kills fast- Up to 12 months!". Maybe people did notice this, it doesn't look as if anyone wants to buy these seeds! (Or maybe they only saw the price, $3.74 for seeds!)

This minion was on the back of a truck. I had to take a photo! Can you see that it is made of all kinds of tools and truck parts? So clever!

The next two photos are from the Chattanooga Train Station! I loved the old telephone booth.  The entire train station has now been restored or else, is still in the process of being restored. Since this post began with music, I might as well end this with a music trivia question. What was the very first gold record?  (Hint: this train station should give you a clue!)  Yes! It was "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra from 1942 which sold 1.2 million copies. There, see the things you learn from me? 

 

I 

Please do read the music articles that Christopher wrote about on Audio Phix!  The first one about folk music has had, thousands of views!  And the second one, even if you don't have time to read it all, make sure you go to the end where he gives you his review of what he considers the best album of 1969. He truly put so much passion into it, it's simply wonderful how much knowledge he has about music! (You will have to read it now, to know what he considers the top album!)

OH! And I almost forgot, here is a video for you.  Now, the sound quality is not the best but it is Christopher from about 10 years ago and he and his friend, Tim wrote this song and performed it. Both were on guitars and both are singing.  "The Long Charade". (Typical guys, I think I would have put the camera down with something showing other than a heater vent! LOL!) Hey, that goes along with my funny photos!

Take care everyone! Keep finding amusement in the world...and music!

Disney/Derry Girls- "Don't Rock the Boat!"

 Hey! 

How are you all doing? Listen, I only have about 7 minutes of energy these days, so I better type this very quickly....

In my last post, I told you what book you should read.  Now, I will tell you what you should watch on TV!  And in connection with that, I hope you will watch the following video I am sharing here!

There, wasn't that wonderful? Apparently, it is a something that folks in Ireland have been doing at weddings and birthdays for decades.  "Rock the Boat" was a hit for The Hues Corporation in 1973.   This was shown on one of the episodes of "Derry Girls", which is a TV series that I want you to see! It is SO funny, I laughed until I cried.

The video is from Derry from May of this year.  They broke a World record with 1,888 people all lined up like that while seated on the street. And it was done for charity!  It is called a dance, but it is more of a swaying with arm movements to me which is meant to be an imitation of rowing a boat. I was most impressed by not only the number of people involved but also how perfectly they are in sync with one another.

Isn't it a joyful thing?  Wouldn't it be great for other cities to do this same thing?  Our son and daughter-in-law live in Chattanooga, which is right next to the mighty Tennessee River, don't you think the organizers there should do this too? There is a massive Riverwalk there, so lots of space for it!  With money being raised for charity, it would truly be something good to imitate.

Okay, I told you to watch "Derry Girls". Now, I MUST tell you how much I enjoyed watching "How Disney Built America". (It was on the History Channel). It was a five-part series, and I loved every minute of it!  You might think you know Walt Disney, but I promise you will learn more about him! And also, about his brother, Roy who was the one to handle the "money" side of things. Walt was the one with the dreams and the big ideas! There is also another man that I found fascinating, the one behind much of the merchandising, Kay Kaymen. Have any of you seen this series? Did you love it as much as I did? I always loved "Uncle Walt" as a kid, I am pleased to learn that I had great taste even as a child. What a guy!

Here are some "watery" photos for you. One from Eastbourne, England and the other from Georgia, USA!

 Don't Rock the Boat!   

  This has taken me longer than 7 minutes to type so, if there are any mistakes, blame my lack of energy!  

The previous record for the most people dancing to "Rock the Boat" was in Galway. I have that video for you too!

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

 Imagine this:

It is the first day of January in 1916, and you are trapped on an island of ice in Antarctica.   It is cold and you are hungry.  Returning from a trip across the ice, you are on skis and are almost back to camp....

Suddenly, and without warning, a giant head pops up from the ice! You run as fast as you can and shout for help! The animal - a sea leopard- springs out of the water and comes straight after you! It almost reaches you when suddenly, it goes underwater again, in the slushy part of the ice. You have almost made it to the side of the ice floe when the sea leopard's head comes right up in front of you!  The animal has tracked your shadow across the ice. One of your mates has heard your screams and has a rifle.  The animal tries to bite HIM but he gets a shot off and kills the creature. When they bring the carcass of the sea leopard into camp, it measures 12 feet long and they estimate it to be about 1,100 pounds.  They give the jawbone to you as a souvenir, it is nearly 9 inches across.

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The above story is a true one and it is one of the accounts in the extraordinary book : "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing.  Perhaps you have read many books about Ernest Shackleton or maybe you don't know one thing about him. Either way, you should read this book! Alfred Lansing's book was published in 1959 and he had been able to interview many of those who had been on this expedition and to also study their journals. (What wonderful writers they all were, and so very good to include so many of their own words in this book!)

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  Led by Sir Ernest Shackelton, the polar expedition had set sail on August 1914 for Antarctica on the Endurance.  It became trapped in ice and finally sank on Nov. 21, 1915. You will be filled with admiration for Ernest Shackleton, I promise that you will! Here's the thing: you will like ALL these men on this trip, you will! It is a truly wonderful story of survival and of the power of being positive.  I don't think I am giving anything away by telling you that ALL SURVIVED! Did you know that many major corporations now have classes that follow the leadership techniques of Sir Ernest Shackleton? It's true! 

My friends, I have read a great many books of non-fiction in my life. THIS book might possibly be one of the best.  This should be an example of how to write, not just non fiction but how to write, period.

As I started to write this post, I recalled how much I loved giving book reports in school and how much my classmates enjoyed them. I always had to start my report in front of the class with a true "hook" for the guys who never read books unless they had to do so.   That is what made me think of opening with this account of the sea leopard! I hope you will understand my line of thought.

Of course, I could tell you a lot more about this book and what happened on this expedition to Antarctica, but I want you to read the book!

ENDURANCE: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing.

  

 

On the cover of this book, that is an actual photo of the ship stuck in the ice!

C's Caverns Concert Critique!

 Last week, our son and daughter-in-law went to a concert. Not just any concert, it was in a cavern! Now, I was just a WEE bit worried about it since there was severe weather predicted for that area, including a tornado watch. (They live in Chattanooga, Tennessee and The Caverns are in Pelham, Tennessee.) The cave itself is perfectly safe. You are inside a cave! It was the journey back that had me worried.

 Even though it rained on them, the worst of the storm came after they were safely home. Thank Goodness!  (I once asked my Daddy when did parents stop worrying about their kids. His reply? "Never!").

They had gone to see a British band called "Slowdive". Christopher has written about it on the Audio Phix site! Now, this type of music is called "Shoegaze" and even though I can't say that it is my cup of tea, C. wrote about it in such a way that I....well, it just blows me away, truly it does! Please read it if you can!  I know you all think I am just a proud Mama, and of course, I am but I also really appreciate a piece of writing that shows true passion!   You may read it just here! 

He also tells you about the venue itself, which sounds so interesting! Richard and I haven't been there yet but hope to see it one day with Christopher and Sarah!

If you happen to look at this post and the link no longer works, if you type in Audio Phix and Slowdive into a search engine, you should find it! 

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So, how are you all doing these days? Richard and I have been very busy, but we still try to get out on our walks! I was so pleased to find this blue-eyed grass beside a trail! That dear little blue flower pleases me no end! It really isn't a grass, but a tiny iris! Isn't that something? It is a native and if I had my way, it would be everywhere! 

The bright yellow flowers below are in a pot on our porch! We think we got them from the lady on Main Street in Conyers last Spring. I say "we think" because, honestly, we don't remember! However, when we walked past that same house recently, we saw these flowers blooming in her yard. We believe that it was a bonus plant for us when we bought the swamp sunflower from her!  These yellow flowers are evening primroses. We also see evening primroses at Panola Mountain, they are just a different variety.  I love them both!

 From Panola Mountain, you can see Stone Mountain on the horizon! It looks like we are in the mountains here, but I assure you we are not! This is Metro Atlanta and there is a busy, busy Interstate Highway between where we are here and Stone Mountain! AND tons of airplanes going overhead from THE busiest airport in the world. (Not kidding!)  Never mind, I only show you beauty on my blog! LOL!

Even though Richard and I don't get out much, I do love looking at places that others are able to visit! My friend in Germany has been visiting the Black Forest and you really must look at her posts! Oh my, how much I would love those hikes! OH! And where they stayed, in that comfy room! I could just sink into those lovely chairs! You may see them just here.

(I said "them", that links to just one, but look also at the ones before that one too, if that makes sense!)

Goodness me, I am advising you to link on some things here, but I promise you, it will be worth it! You will read about a well enjoyed concert in The Caverns in Tennessee and also, go on a hike in the Black Forest of Germany! 

You're welcome!  

James Bond Songs Ranked

 

Dutch irises in bloom in my garden.

James Bond. 007.

You must have fond memories of all the James Bond films!  How about the songs that would play at the beginning of the movies? Now, if you can remember them, perhaps you might ponder a moment and tell me which one is most memorable to you, the one that you might think is the very best?  If you are stretching your brain here to recall these songs, never fear!  I have a link to a piece written by our son!  He has ALL the songs listed and what is more, they are listed from #24 to #1, with #1 being the best, IN HIS HUMBLE OPINION. (As one might say these days.)  

Hope you might have time to click on this link and read this! Please do!

Nobody does it better: Ranking all James Bond theme songs (audiophix.com)

So, what do you think?  What is your favorite, or do you have one?

Now, I have given this some thought and I agree with Christopher!  "Nobody Does It Better" is the one for me! I wonder if I might think that way because it was so exciting in the film when we first heard it, when the Union Jack was displayed across the screen as a parachute! Also, Richard said that when he first saw that film at Leicester Square in London everyone let out a cheer!  Isn't it funny how our emotions can influence us in our opinion? 

Christopher, if you read this post - I really like the way you write. Keep up the good work.  And honestly, no one does it better.

 Baby, you're the best! 

Bandstand in Eastbourne, England

Audio Phix- James Bond Songs