I Hope You Dance/ Gold and Red

 

Lenora Park is a lovely park in Gwinnett County, Georgia.  When I was growing up, this property was still a working farm and was not far from our house. Every single time when we passed it, my Dad would admire it and say " that is the prettiest pasture and barn!".  He would love that they turned it into a park and now there are lovely walking trails winding around the edges of the land. They have left most of the gorgeous trees on there too. We just walked there yesterday...

Instead of animals in this barn, they seem to keep all the equipment needed to maintain this property.  One of the groundskeepers saw us admiring the trees and he stopped and invited us to pick up some of the pecans underneath one of the pecan trees just to the left of this barn. Wasn't that nice?  He seemed happy to stop and talk with us about our enjoyment of the trees. Hmm...I wonder how he knew I loved these trees?

Ha ha, it was dark under these trees but can you see me hugging this hickory? That golden color was gorgeous!

He told us that these Red Oaks were over 100 years old.  The red leaves lit up by the sun was stunning! I am holding one of the acorns that I picked up from under this tree. From a small acorn grows the mighty oak!

So grateful that the county bought this property for a park. I can remember seeing cows under these trees! How my Dad would love that my husband and I enjoy this walking trail now and that it is still the prettiest place!  (Note: Much of the property in Georgia is not destined for lovely parks. Trust me, it isn't!) 

Our November has been beautiful with lots of color!  Did you know that 2025 is a mast year for acorns? This happens every few years or so and it means that there is an overabundance of acorns and it is due to the weather and tree communication. Now, I don't pretend to know how trees communicate but I imagine that they only say what is necessary, don't you?

I promise I don't search out things from England; I just seem to find them. This video that I have given you above is of a couple from Liverpool! They are Joan and Jimmy O'Shaughnessy, and I think they are great. The video is only 17 seconds long and I can do this dance with them, even though, I am not as quick on the turn arounds as they are!  Do you like to dance? I do! Am I good at it? NO! Does that stop me? No way! If you have a chance, I hope you dance...

Of course, I have to find that song for you! I listened to several covers and I really like this one....

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Oh! And I meant to tell you that the dancing couple has a lot of dance videos to view but the two songs from Taylor Swift have MILLIONS of views! (twojays2).  It reminds me of watching "American Bandstand". Anybody remember that show?  The audience would "rate" new songs and often, they would give high marks if the song was "easy to dance to".  Guess Taylor's songs qualify! LOL!

Hey! I have a bonus video for you here too.  It is a video of Bill Mumy and Barry Livingston! Do you remember Will Robinson from "Lost in Space'? That child actor was Billy Mumy! (He now calls himself "Bill".).  And Barry Livingston was Ernie from "My Three Sons"!   How much TV did I watch in the 1960's? Well, a lot, I guess!  They both love music and Beatles music in particular, so they are obviously worthy to be included here. (If you are on Facebook, they also do "World Without Love". I really like that one!)

Worthy.  I like that word.  I am going to use it more. Hope you think this post is worthy of your time! Thank you for taking the time to read it. Take care, everyone!

No Offense/ None Taken- November!

 

After my last post, you all must have been wondering what in the world is Kay going on and on about now? I am not sure that many find the news from England as interesting as I do and even if I do, when I am not feeling very well, my brain doesn't work properly and therefore, I can't convey my thoughts very well.  I hope I didn't offend anyone.  I was reminded of being a teenager and hearing those words spoken if someone might have said the very slightest thing that might be considered off color or off limits.  "No offense" and the response was always the same, "None taken". Sigh, I do miss a lot about those times so long ago.  It seemed that courtesy was still alive and also, brevity of words. I miss them both.

A few things that have given me a reason to smile lately.... Paul McCartney is currently touring in the USA! Now, I didn't see him here in concert in Atlanta, but I know some folks who did! They said he was great; he performed for 2 hours and 45 minutes, isn't that awesome? He ended the show with "Golden Slumbers", a nice touch.

Did you see that they opened a new museum in Egypt? It is the "Grand Egyptian Museum" and it opened on Nov. 1st.  The museum looks amazing but what made me smile, was the image that I saw of the Danish Foreign Minister giving the Egyptian Foreign Minister a gift- it was a LEGO set of the Great Pyramid!  The delight and joy on that man's face when he received this gift!  I love that so much, let me see if I can link to it.... you may see it just here!

November is with us now and our leaves are having some nice color. Want to see?

The dogwood is a native tree, and, in the Autumn, the leaves are a pretty red and the berries are loved by the birds.

 Hey, I was trying to hide in this tree, but Richard got me anyway! I was really trying to use my plant app to help me identify it. I thought it was either a black tupelo or a sourwood. Well, guess what- the dang app said the same thing! No matter if black tupelo or sourwood, it is a lovely color and is even prettier than the photo. Honest, it is.

These photos were just taken today, November 5th. As you can see, many of the trees still have a lot of green so, we will shall see more color. 

 Happy November to you all!

"Money for Nothing", a favorite of our son's.  Richard used to use the Bert puppet to entertain our son with this song when Christopher was just 2 or 3 years old! (Bert, you know from Bert and Ernie fame!) I think he would have Bert dance around to it and it must have been quite elaborate as Christopher has such memories of it! He is lucky to have such a talented father.  It's the little things, isn't it?

Take care everyone!

England News/Georgia Weather

   

 

Hey! Do you all remember me writing about the discovery of King Richard III's bones being discovered in a car park in Leicester, England? Phillipa Langley wrote a book about her experiences in bringing this discovery about and it was made into a film, "The Lost King".   I have written about it on my blog; you may find one post just here.  (If you look at that one, there is a link to the post where I mentioned it before that one.)

Now, I have been reading all week about Richard Taylor, an employee of Leicester University.  who sued Steve Coogan, who was the writer and producer of the film "The Lost King".  The court ruled in Richard Taylor's favor, and Steve Coogan and his company must pay "substantial damages".  Mr.  Taylor objected to his portrayal in the film. Phillipa Langley was unable to attend any court proceedings due to ill health.  To me, this does not seem fair.  You may read the court ruling just here.

Even though Richard Taylor won in court, he was still not satisfied and felt that Steve Coogan owed him an apology. If you don't click on any other link here, I hope you will read the piece that Steve Coogan wrote in The Guardian. He will not apologize! I hope you can read the article just here.  It is so well written that I wanted to share that with you!

Oh, and in other news from England...as I was getting my thoughts together about this post, I see that Prince Andrew has been stripped of his titles and must move out of the royal residence and will henceforth be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.  

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Really do wish I could think properly to write this post today, but I am a bit under the weather.  Normally, it is warm and sunny in October, but it has rained all week and the temps so cool, it has felt like wintertime.  Gray skies all week with pouring rain, off and on. Why, I had to wear my gold sweatshirt to create my own sunshine! The sun peeped out for a few moments today and I could see the lovely yellow of the hickory tree in my yard! Never mind, we are promised sun tomorrow.

Look, the last of our summer veggies. If those green tomatoes don't ripen on the windowsill, they will become fried green tomatoes. You know I can make them.

These rain lilies bloom at the Monastery; these were just photographed last week or so. They come out after a rain. How I love flowers.

Take care, everyone.  Hope this post makes some sort of sense!

Peace, Love and Understanding

 

 

I wish we lived in a world where a person would find a butterfly with a broken wing and take it to an animal rescue center for help.  Oh wait, we do!  Hope you can see the video above!

I wish I could find a hidden treasure.  Guess what, I did!  I was going through some old CD's and saw one that I had never seen before.  Richard had gotten it years ago.  He either forgot to tell me about it or else, he did, and it was at Christmas time, and I was very busy. Whatever the reason, it was brand new to me. What a wonderful surprise it was to hear "Quality Street". a Christmas album from Nick Lowe. He is an English songwriter/musician/singer and even though the name sounded familiar, I had to look up some more of his music. (And yes, I do know Quality Street chocolates, you know I do!)

    "What's So Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding" 

This song was written by Nick Lowe, but Elvis Costello had a big hit with it in 1978/1979.  Now, I found a video of Nick Lowe singing it himself and it is just lovely.  (It seems like a totally different song when you hear it slowed down like this.)  I hope you can listen to this video also.

Thanks to all who left comments on my last post about the passing of John Lodge.  I mentioned in a reply to someone that so many left messages of how he personally connected with members of his audience, either from the stage or elsewhere.  Richard just met a friend today who said she saw him in concert in Atlanta a few years ago and John Lodge had spoken to her son. Unforgettable, of course! Upsetting when our heroes die, I didn't mention Robert Redford or Jane Goodall, but I was sad to hear of their passing also.  They were both nature and animal lovers and really, those two go hand in hand.  Great kindness links them all together, in my mind.

Pumpkins everywhere just now, ready for Halloween.  Richard took this photo last year in a local neighborhood. I don't think I shared it. Those jack o' lanterns would have terrified me as a kid. Not to mention Frankenstein and the skull at the door! Nowadays, I bet children just laugh at them. 

Take care and let me know if you can see those videos.

"Isn't Life Strange"- Keep the Faith (John Lodge)

 It is difficult to type this since my eyes are filled with tears. John Lodge passed away today unexpectedly.  He was an English songwriter and musician and if you don't know that he was the bass player with The Moody Blues, then I hope you will search out their music! We are huge Moody Blues fans. I have made the joke that if I had seen the Moody Blues in concert before Christopher was born, he would have been "Justin John", and I would have called him JJ.  (That is really not a joke, that would have happened!)

Richard and I saw them in concert several times when they were in Atlanta. (And each time, Christopher was with us!)  Richard saw Justin Hayward and John Lodge in England in 1975 when they performed as "The Blue Jays".) In 1981 when I first met Richard, he invited me to his home, and he proudly showed me the new Moody Blues album that he had just purchased. Now, let us pause here and remember great album covers, shall we?  This album was "Long Distance Voyager".  Isn't it lovely?  Wonderful songs too!

Fast forward to 2023...and Christopher gave Richard a John Lodge CD signed by John himself! ("The Moody Blues John Lodge- Days of Future Passed-My Sojourn".) A very special gift.

Richard got a poster when he went to the Blue Jays concert.... let's see if I can show it to you here....

When Christopher was five years old, we drove over to Birmingham, Alabama to see the Moody Blues perform.  (And John Lodge was also from Birmingham except he was from the one in England!) This concert was most memorable for me as John Lodge waved to ME! Here is my story:  We were on the second row in the balcony. There were two women in front of us, and they were waving and screaming at the band as soon as they got on stage.  Now, they were waving not just their hands but their arms in a very wild fashion. Knowing what English folks are like, I reasoned that if I waved my hand in a very small way that I might be noticed. Sure enough, John Lodge looked right at me and mimicked the exact wave back at me!  We had made friends with the couple sitting beside us and I said, "Look, he waved at us!". They said, "No, he waved to YOU".  There, that is a wonderful memory and reading just a few things on Facebook, that story is not unusual for John Lodge. 

John Lodge always ended concerts with these words, "Keep the faith"! He was a great bass player and singer, and his love of life and positive energy were always in evidence. Even though he is no longer with us, his music lives on forever. John had a stroke in 2023 but had recovered and was touring. I had just seen where he had scheduled new shows in California for December of this year.  After his stroke he had written a song "Love Will Conquer All".  I have it for you here.

 Peace, love and music!

Fear Nothing (Dreadnought)

 

September is slipping on by!

 Fear not, you now have a new blog post from me...

You will never guess what I just learned recently...you know I will tell you! Richard likes to look at guitars (after all he is an excellent guitarist, don't you know) and he was explaining the different kinds of guitars to me. One that he mentioned was a "dreadnought" guitar, which is an acoustic guitar that has a larger body and a squared shoulder shape with a strong bass. I looked it up!  It was first developed by C.F. Martin & Company in 1916. Now, here is the thing that really startled me - it is named after a British battleship.  It was the HMS Dreadnought, launched in 1906 that only used big guns and therefore, had a much larger shape. Looking further the word "dreadnought" had been around since the 17th century and it means "fear nothing".

 Just as a side note here, whenever we played Monopoly, I always wanted to be "the ship"! It was easy to hold onto, and I liked the idea of sailing around the board! My sister was always the dog, and my brother liked the car. Which one did you prefer? I think I read that they did away with the thimble. Shame, that is the one I got if someone else got the ship.

 I have a video (again) for you! Since I wrote my last post with the Turtles video, YouTube popped up with a video of the lead singer saying that they wrote "Eleanore" as a parody of "So Happy Together" just because the publishing company pressured them into making another hit.  I had no idea! Funny thing, even though it was written tongue in cheek, they are all so good, it DID become a huge hit for them. (Looking back, using the word "etcetera" is a bit cheeky but hey, I was just a kid in 1968, I thought it was just a really good song. We had the single and we played it over and over, along with "Hey Jude", which was also a big hit at the time.) I LOVE this video. The bandmember with the wild, wooly hair is Mark Volman, the one who just passed away recently. I love the wild abandon that he displays on the stage. It is fun to see! The lead singer, Howard Kaylen has such a great voice, and the drumming by John Barbata is spot-on, don't you think? (Sadly, only Howard Kaylen is still with us, the drummer died in 2024.) Remember when you watch the video, that this was performed LIVE and that just really shows you how great they were!

I found a short clip of "Who Do You Think You Are" with Richard Osman.  I urge you to look at YouTube and see the whole episode which is about an hour long. It is so good! You will thank me after you have watched it. (I wish I could meet his mother!)  Richard Osman is very successful as an author (you remember he has written "The Thursday Murder Club" books) but has been known in the UK for a long time as a popular TV Game show creator and host.  If you get the chance, search out the one called "Richard Osman's House of Games".  It is very well done, very funny and most entertaining. He is just so doggone nice! Watch him and see if you don't agree with me.  

Also, he has a new book that will be released this month, Sept. 30th in the USA.   It is "The Impossible Fortune". Note: The book was released on Sept. 25th in the UK. New book releases are on Tuesdays in the United States while they are released on Thursdays in the UK. See the things you learn from me?

September and that means, beautyberry! Those bright purple berries don't even look real, but they are. It is a native and even the leaves are gorgeous. It is also time for the "hearts a busting" to show the bright seeds for us... also a native!

                             Statue in middle of a roundabout in Old Town Conyers, Georgia.

I just looked at my blog title: "Fear Nothing (Dreadnought)". That is actually pretty good advice. Now, if only I can follow it myself...

Hope you are all doing well, my friends.  Take care. 

 

Happy Together/Penny Lane

 

It seems we are losing so many of our well-known songwriters/singers these days. Some are more well known than others. Mark Volman just died yesterday in Nashville at the age of 78.  May in rest in peace and love. You might not know the name, but he was one of the founding members of the Turtles.  One of their biggest hits was " Happy Together" from 1967.  I found a very good video of this song, and I hope you can see it above.  (It begins with the band in silhouette at the beginning and ends the same way.) Mark Volman is the one with the glasses and frizzy hair and to me, seems to be "the funny one". He plays around a bit when he is at the microphone with the lead singer, Howard Kaylen).  Reading about him, it seems that I am correct, he had a lot of joy in his work and life. (Also, look up the song "Eleanore". We had that single as kids in 1968 and almost wore it out!)

The Turtles were unusual at the time as they could not only write their own songs and play their own instruments, but they also covered other songs and made them into hit records. "Happy Together" had been rejected by so many that the demo was worn out and very scratchy.  The Turtles could hear the potential and decided to take a chance. Aren't we glad they did! It went to number one and knocked "Penny Lane" by the Beatles off the top of the charts. ("Penny Lane" only reached number two on the charts in the UK.  this is a fact that some Beatles fans still can't get over!)

"If I should call you up, invest a dime" refers to putting a thin dime into a pay phone in the 1960's.  I guess we will have to explain this to several generations now, but no one has to explain it to me, I remember this very well! 

Thinking of "Penny Lane", I must tell you that every time I see a fire truck on the road, I almost always sing, "He likes to keep his fire engine clean, it's a clean machine!" which of course, is from the song "Penny Lane"!   Americans say "fire trucks" but if you look on the side of the vehicle it will inform you that it is in fact ENGINE # 347 (or whatever number it is). So, now you know that we say fire trucks here but in the UK they call them fire engines.

Oh, I found the best video for you! It is Elvis Costello, and he is performing the song at the White House.  (Sir Paul McCartney is seated beside President Obama). You can feel the love and respect in this performance, I promise.

Now. "Happy Together".... listen to it.  You will either be singing along or tapping your foot, same thing for "Penny Lane".  They are both wonderful songs.

September is here!  I always have a spring in my step in September! I mustn't be too sprightly though; I might step on a butterfly! Watch out for butterflies and all living creatures.  Take care everyone.

August-All the World A Garden

 

Recently, just over 6 1/2 inches of rain fell in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It happened very quickly and took everyone by surprise.  There was a video of a woman being rescued from her car on I-24. (It was a young man who worked for a power company, and he was able to break the window and pull her to safety.) I hope you can see the video that I have for you above. This brought tears to my eyes. What a hero! (One of his co-workers handed him that heavy tool from their truck, he said afterward he will always carry a hammer in his vehicle now just for this purpose!)

If anyone remembers, our son and daughter-in-law live in Chattanooga and they are fine, but you know I always watch the news very carefully for that area!

The news of the floods and wildfires and now, an impending hurricane...there is always so much to watch out for! 

It has been so incredibly hot that it has been hard to think.  We try to get out as early as we can before the sun heats everything to the boiling point. (My brain included.) Still, it's good for the butterflies!

The first photo is on my zinnias which are in pots at my house and the second photo are of two butterflies on a butterfly bush at the Monastery. You know Richard took the Monastery one!

The Monastery gets so many visitors they are building a new block of restrooms. The thought and design behind this building is much appreciated. When we saw they were clearing trees, we asked what was coming, so that is how we know. If you don't know, ask! 

This isn't finished yet, but I just know it will be lovely and will look as if it has always been there. I love the arched doorways and the copper gutters and downspouts.  Can you tell that I am interested in architecture? It's true, I am! I am not that knowledgeable about it; I am never sure what things are called but I just know what I like. 

We just took care of a zebra finch for a dear friend. We just decided to bring the caged bird to our house to make it easier since we had her for almost two weeks. I called her "Beepy". If you have ever heard a zebra finch, you will know why! We love birds and we have put out fresh water for our wild birds so much, we told this caged bird that she was welcome at our "bird spa"! We have a bird clock that has bird calls on the hour and this little finch liked the 7 o'clock hour, that is the Carolina wren song. Maybe it was the loudest? Not sure, only that she responded the most to that one.

I think I have told you before that if you see a lot of blue at the bottom of the wing of the tiger swallowtail butterfly, it is a female. So- looking good, girl! 

We go for years without seeing any blooms on our night blooming cereus cactus, but this summer, we had a total of four flowers! As the name tells you, they only bloom at night, opening in full at about midnight and they begin to close as soon as the sun rises.  My Aunt Leona gave us this plant in 1994. Richard lugs it into the garage every single winter. (St. Richard!) 

As you can see, we haven't been away very much.  Still, I enjoy the adventures of others through my blog!  In my dreams, I have been to Yorkshire with Meike...From My Mental Library: Ripon 2025 - Day 8

And thanks to Bob, I am thinking and learning more of Scotland!  Alex and Bob`s Blue Sky Scotland: Levengrove Park and The Havoc Grasslands Walk.

And can you believe it, BOTH of these bloggers made a reference to "The Secret Garden", one of my favorite books.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  If you have not read it, do so, right away. You're welcome. 

"If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden".

There Will Be Butterflies (And Beatles and Bee Gees!)

 

Happy August to all my friends! 

I hope you are able to see the video that I have above for you! It is a clip of The Bee Gees from a TV show called "The Midnight Special" that used to come on very late at night (or early hours of the morning, technically.) This was from 1973.  The Bee Gees had had a bit of a slump in their career, so they decided to perform these songs by the Beatles. Of course, they are wonderful!  Enjoy.

Red Admiral Butterfly!   (Vanessa Atalanta)

 It is a medium sized butterfly with black wings, red bands and white spots. The first time that we saw this butterfly, Richard identified it immediately. It is also in England! Why is it called "Admiral"?  The word just became that over the years; it was really called the Red "Admirable"! Language is interesting that way. Now, whenever you meet up with this butterfly, you should look at it and think, you certainly are deserving of admiration.  (Hard to get a photo of it, it was a very fast flier.)

Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis Archippus). 

It is a North American butterfly, and it is a mimic of the Monarch butterfly.  Many say that it is hard to tell them apart, but I will tell you how to do so.  The Viceroy is about 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches in size and the Monarch is 3 1/2 to 5 inches.  So, the Monarch is much bigger! Now, if the butterfly opens its wings, look for that black line across the bottom of the wings. See it in the photo above? That is certainly a Viceroy! (The Monarch does not have this.)

The above small brown butterfly might not seem very colorful or exciting, but we were so pleased to see it! We had never seen it before, and it took a while to identify it. (Richard did so from our book, "Butterflies of North America".  We do a lot of searches on our computer but sometimes, it is just good to thumb through a book.) It is a Northern Pearly Eye butterfly! (Lethe Anthedon) Pearly eyes are grouped under "Pearly-eyes and Browns".  All pearly eyes and browns are brown, medium sized butterflies.  Pearly eyes have the hindwing spots surrounded as a group with white. Browns have a white circle around EACH eye-spot.  Okay, got that now?  Tee hee, you do not want to know how long I studied Richard's photo and the photos in my book and online.  Really, you don't! The pearly eye caterpillar feeds on canes and other grasses and I was pleased to recognize the river cane under the bridge on the trail, very close to this butterfly! (Thank you, Phil who told us about river cane on a hike at Panola Mountain State Park one time.  I ♥ park rangers!)

We also saw a Red Spotted Purple butterfly on this trail. 

(Limenitis Arthemis)

Just to confuse us, it has beautiful blue wings with orange spots!  

All of these butterflies are unlikely to be in your garden. All pictured here were in a wetlands area, near a little stream on the trail at Johnson Park, here in Rockdale County, Georgia.   This particular part of the trail is next to a big stand of trees.  They do not feed on nectar from flowers but rather from tree sap, rotting fruit and even animal dung. 

I was going to end my post just there but how can I end it on "animal dung"?  No, I will tell you about the butterflies that visit us that do eat the nectar from flowers but that will have to wait until another post.  All the flower loving butterflies like the Gulf Fritillary above have really enjoyed the zinnias in our garden. I am so very happy to tell you that I planted them from seed! I want to tell the world, "plant zinnia seeds!".  There, let me say again, "plant zinnia seeds" and the butterflies will come, I promise. 

Butterflies  = happiness!

McDonough Meteorite

 

Remember me telling you about the meteorite in June that crashed into the roof of a house in Henry County, Georgia?  Here is a link to more information about it....

https://www.11alive.com/article/tech/science/mcdonough-meteorite-explains-georgia-bolide/85-7283d194-c93b-4a73-8ed7-f2e523fdce5d

Meteorite!

I found this very interesting! Just imagine the speed that this was going when it crashed into the house. The owner said they are still picking dust out of the furniture from it!  One thing and I know that in the scheme of things, no one else will really care but if they do end up calling this meteorite, the McDonough meteorite, I do hope that they will say the town name correctly.  On the news, it is pronounced "MICK- dunna".  The locals have always said "Mick-donna".  Just a slight difference perhaps but it hurts my ears to hear it incorrectly! 

No meteorites in Rockdale County but we do have butterflies! If only they would be still long enough for me to take a few photos for you.

Richard should have some good photos for you! Look out for another post soon!  

Sailing/Luna Moth

 Hello, my friends. How are you all doing? Sailing along through the summer? Well, Wimbledon is over, and I can't help but feel sad.  I enjoy the tennis (what I had time to watch) but honestly, it was the brief glimpses they would give us of London that would make me sit up and pause the TV and admire whatever scene they chose to give us. Sometimes, it was Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth Tower, Tower Bridge, or the view of the Thames with all the new modern buildings. What a city! 

Just before Wimbledon, the Brits had the Glastonbury Festival.  It is a musical festival that has taken place since 1970 on 900 acres in Somerset, which is in Southwest England. This year it was from June 25 through June 29.  Reading some of the reviews, it seemed that many criticized Sir Rod Stewart. Say what?  What is wrong with people? Don't you know a good entertainer when you see one? I really liked the video of him singing the song "Sailing". 

"Sailing" was written by Gavin and Iain Sutherland, two brothers from Scotland. In the words of Gavin... " The song has nothing to do with romance or ships. It's an account of mankind's spiritual odyssey through life on his way to freedom and fulfillment with the Supreme Being.".  There, isn't songwriting fascinating?  You all know I think so.

And LIVE AID was on July 13, 1985! So, gee whiz, that was 40 years ago now.  The most memorable thing for me was Freddie Mercury with Queen, what a performance, don't you agree?

Oh, and those scenes from London? I forgot to mention St. Paul's Cathedral!  This is NOT from the TV screen, it is a photo that Richard took one year that we were there. The area around St. Paul's has changed so very much! 

On a walk recently at Panola Mountain State Park, Richard spotted this moth beside the trail resting on a tree.  He did very well to see this, it was well camouflaged.  It is a Luna moth and it is very special to see one.  The Luna Moth only lives from 7-10 days and it does not eat. It has no mouth or digestive system, living off whatever was eaten in the pupal stage. The Luna Moth is nocturnal and since they are attracted by lights, you are more likely to see it in a parking lot or on a tennis court, for example. (Which is the only other time that we saw one. Christopher was about ten years old taking tennis lessons. He was astonished that hardly anyone else noticed this bright green moth, with a 4 inch wingspan!)

Male Luna moths have bushy antennae while the female have much thinner antennae. So, is the one we saw male or female?  Looking at photos, I can't tell.  Anybody want to guess? And you have to look very closely but it is missing the long bits hanging down...what do you call them?  Those bits must have been taken off by a predator. You all must be mightily impressed by my scientific wording, "those bits", but if you understand what I mean, well, that's what it's all about isn't it? 

Trying to walk every day in this heat is tricky. We have to be out very early and even then, it is hot. Very!  Wish us luck, we just keep sailing along.

 

Rod Stewart at The Royal Albert Hall from 2004! Enjoy!

Wouldn't It Be Nice/Wimbledon

 

While I was watching the Capitol 4th on PBS, I was pleased to hear the Beach Boys as the final act! Just to hear those opening notes of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" brought me joy but THEN, the lead singer had such a great, strong vocal.  (I wonder if that might have been Christian Love, Mike Love's son? Does anyone know?) Anyway, I thought it sounded wonderful. I have the video for you above! Enjoy!

The Championships, Wimbledon!  Hasn't it been interesting? I really loved the story of Carlos Alcaraz taking a water bottle from his own bag to someone in the stands who had a medical problem. Isn't he just the nicest guy? And a pretty darn good tennis player too, I know but honestly, I appreciate his kindness.  Have you noticed the members of the British military in the background at Wimbledon? I guessed they must be used for security reasons. I looked it up and that is correct. (They also help people to their seats, make sure mobile phones are switched off and help with any medical emergency.) When the Championships were resumed in 1946 after World War II, they had military personnel direct people to their seats around the bomb damage! (Wimbledon had been heavily bombed.) Since that time, the servicemen and women have been unpaid volunteers. This year, there are just over 450 military personnel. So, now you know! 

Also, there is a song that they keep playing on our TV coverage here during Wimbledon. Did anyone else pay attention to that?

It is "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand.  Here is a video.... if you can't view my video, you can look it up yourself! You know you want to!

Wimbledon is still going on and no one knows for sure who will be "taken out", that is what makes it so much fun! You can predict all you like but in sports, you just never know....

Hope you all remembered to say "peace and love" at noon on July 7th.  Ringo Starr always asks this for his birthday. He turned 85 yesterday. Bless him! Richard and I got to see him in concert in Nashville with our son and daughter-in-law in 2023. Best anniversary gift ever, Christopher and Sarah! Thank you!

Zinnias from seeds that I planted! Took FOREVER for them to come up and they are tiny flowers but hey, the butterflies don't mind!

Happy 4th/ Meteorite News/ Peace & Love

 

Happy 4th of July to everyone! 

 Of course, you might not have it as a holiday in your part of the world, but it is still the 4th of July!  Properly, it is "Independence Day" but how many use that phrase in the USA? Hardly anyone, we simply say it is the "4th of July"! 

In Georgia, it was once against the law to have fireworks.  One had to drive over to Alabama and bring them back across the state line. Therefore, back in the day, there were only a few fireworks going off in backyards. Now?  It will sound like WW3 tonight! On the news I see that there have been several instances of fireworks going off in garages and causing severe injuries and even deaths. Common sense tells me that laws need to change with the use of fireworks. Still, common sense seems to have gone up in smoke....

Now, in my last post I told you about the meteorite that came down in the next county over, in Henry County.  A meteorite chaser (who knew there was such a thing?) visited that area and FOUND a piece of the actual meteorite!  There is a Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia and they now have a piece of it! Look, let's see if I can show you a video....

There, isn't that something?  Also, there was an image of something called a "sprite" that was taken by NASA early this morning....

Once again - amazing!  I find this kind of natural phenomenon more interesting than fireworks any day of the week.

If you are looking for a film to watch, I would suggest one of my FAVORITES: "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with Jimmy Cagney.  It is so good!  You know I sing along with every song! If only I could dance like Jimmy Cagney too! Live long and prosper everyone.  (You know I can do my hand like Spock's!) OH! And please don't forget to say.... 

       "PEACE AND LOVE"

on July 7th at 12 noon in your part of the world! It is Ringo Starr's birthday, and he wants everyone in the world to do this. I will!

Male and female Eastern bluebirds. (Male is bright blue, of course.) Richard took this photo. One doesn't often see a bluebird from the back, isn't it lovely?

The Sky is Falling (Spoiler: It's Not!)

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

Is it a meteor or a meteorite?  Why, it is a meteor in the sky, of course! When it hits our good old Earth, it is a meteorite! (When it is floating in space before it comes into the Earth's atmosphere, it is a meteoroid.)  At first, we were told of a "fireball" in the sky at around noon yesterday. We had been walking with friends, and we didn't see it. There were photos online of people taking videos in South Carolina. When I get home, I see on the news that the meteor was in the sky over Newton County, Georgia! (Newton County is the next county to the east of us!) AND pieces of it fell through a roof on a house in Henry County, which is the county to the southwest of us! Gee whiz, all of this is just a bit too close to home for me.  On top of that, this past Saturday, Richard and I were walking at a local park. We were on a sidewalk, which is just beside the parking lot with the softball fields on the OTHER side of the sidewalk. Suddenly, I hear Richard say, "WATCH OUT!".  I quickly ducked and covered my head!  The softball whizzed past me and landed HARD on one car and then, bounced off and hit another one.  I am just glad it wasn't my head! (Or arm or elbow, you get the idea.)

You must all remember that story of Chicken Little. When I was a kid, I always felt sorry for her. I mean, I just remember thinking, "she's just a little chicken, what does she know?"  If she alarmed everyone, well, shouldn't someone else have known better? See, I started early trying to take up for the little guys!

It is just too hot for June!  I am sure you all must have heard of the record-breaking heat in the USA.  Sadly, it has caused deaths. On a happy note, the young man that I told you about that was torn from his house by a tornado has been released from the Shepherd Spinal Center and has gone home! And he is walking!  Good news is always welcome. And what about that woman in Florida who had her home flipped on its side, and then, it fell back HARD, right side up? And she survived! She called it her "Wizard of Oz" moment, and it truly looked so much like it.  I was amazed. (The video of it was on a door camera from next door.)

The Atlanta Braves just finished a series against the New York Mets. Before the beginning of each game, the TV camera would linger for a few moments on different scenes of New York City.  One of the shots was of a bridge with a tram running alongside of it.  (Richard reminded me that it had to be the one used in a Spiderman film!) I looked it up, it is officially called the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, but I think everyone must still call it the 59th Street Bridge. Hey! Isn't there a song called that? You bet there is! 

 Hope you are feeling groovy, my friends! (Look up 59th Street song by Simon & Garfunkel, in case you can't see my video.)

Oh! And I did want to show you some of Richard's photos....

     Remember the starry rosinweed that is a wildflower that blooms in our yard? Richard propped it up with some bits of a tomato cage!

A dragonfly is supposed to eat one hundred mosquitoes a day. Welcome to our yard, you gorgeous creature, eat them all!

Finally, I want to share a photo of ...you will laugh.. it is of Richard's TROUSERS!  Honestly, it doesn't take much to tickle us, we don't get out much! There, is it funny or scary?  I don't want to ALARM anyone!