Choo Choo Me Home

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disclosure Day/Red Cardinal

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

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

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

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

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

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