B J Thomas (1942-2021)

 As many of you know, I appreciate and write about songwriters but what you might not know is that I also greatly admire talented singers. We just lost a very good one- B J Thomas.  He died of lung cancer which was just diagnosed at the end of March of this year.  If you look at his website, it states that he didn't write "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" but he defined it.   His official website is just here.  I urge you to visit it!  Not only was he a great singer but a really nice guy. I loved how he would call so many of his friends, his "brothers". We need more people like B J Thomas in the world, spreading love and music with a positive message.  

B J Thomas went through a rough patch at one point in his life but he credited his wife for getting him back on the right track.  It is his wife and daughters and family that I am thinking of at this moment, along with his many friends around the world. 

Enough of my words, let's hear B J Thomas singing "In The Garden".

 "Most of All"

"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

"Rock and Roll Lullaby"

"Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"  (From the film, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid")

The lyrics to this song were very helpful for me in 2020.  The positive message will be for all time.  (Written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. It is the B J Thomas vocal that stays with you.)

Billy Joe Thomas (BJ) was a big admirer of Elvis.  It seems that I remember reading that BJ took over the rest of Elvis Presley's concert tour in 1977 after Elvis died.  Writing this post, I tried to research this and can't find that anywhere, perhaps someone could tell me if this is so?  I read a great interview where he talked about driving from Texas to Graceland in Memphis in the 1960's and when he got there, he simply told them, "I'm here to see Elvis".  (Elvis wasn't there, he was in California at the time filming movies but nevertheless, B J was invited inside for sandwiches made by Minnie Mae, Elvis' grandmother.  A different time, the 1960's.) 

 

B J Thomas, rest in peace, my brother.

Remember That ONE Time (Runnin' Down A Dream)

 

The Eastern fence lizard is a very common lizard but when you happen upon it as you hike, it seems a very extraordinary creature, indeed.  This photo was in very bright sun but the bronze coloring was quite beautiful. They can also be called pine lizard for their preference for pine trees which is what you see here. Notice the long legs, it is believed that this is an adaption within the last 70 years to the introduction of the imported fire ant, which can kill the lizard within one minute.  ("Take that FIRE ANT, I will just grow longer legs and get away from you!"  There, you didn't know I can read the minds of lizards, did you?)

These photos were taken at Panola Mountain State Park, which is not too far away from us, luckily. I think the hikes up the mountain have started again, so I hope to be able to go on one of those soon. If you remember, Panola Mountain is a guided hike only, and you can only climb it with a group and an employee of Panola Mountain. (Of course, there are great trails in the park that do not require a guide and are open from dawn to dusk. We take advantage of them! So many trees!)

Anybody remember that I did a moonlight hike climbing Panola Mountain once? It was magical! The moonlight lit up the granite of the mountain and it felt like I was walking on diamonds....ah, am I too old to walk that in the dark now? Oh well, at least I did it that one time!

Just that one time...can you think of something that you have done once or seen once that you will never forget? I am thinking of a place too...Lake Tahoe. Just once in my life, I saw it and I will never forget it, the color of that lake, such a gorgeous color. I was in a group and I asked if we could drive over the California state line just so I could say I had been to California! (Lake Tahoe is partly in Nevada and partly in California.) Lately, Richard and I have enjoyed watching some TV shows that were filmed in Spain and we have had fun looking up the locations and learning about them. We have never been to Spain but in my mind...that's another thing! 

Of course, we have our own window on the world into our back yard! Richard took these photos of the female cardinal feeding one of her young. The male cardinal (the bright red one) will also feed the babies! We see this scene every year, the little birds fluttering their wings for food, we never tire of it. The cardinal itself, very common but just like the lizard, quite extraordinary.

Runnin' Down A Dream by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. 

Enjoy.

Interruptions (Porlock) - Happy Trails!

 

There are things that seem to disrupt my inspired creativity these days...

Do you all know the poem "Kubla Klan" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge? I bet you do.  The one that talks about "a stately pleasure dome" and "the river Alph" and "Xanadu"?  The full title of the poem is "Kubla Khan: or A Vision In A Dream". You see, the poem came to him after a drug induced dream in the year 1797.  The next morning when he set about to write it all down, he was interrupted by a visitor from the neighboring village of Porlock. Sad to say, he just could not get back into the rhythm of it and was not able to fully complete it as he wanted. He wrote down what he could and was unhappy about it, as it was not as he originally envisioned and only showed it to friends. Coleridge left it unpublished until his friend, Lord Byron persuaded him to publish it in the year 1816.  Therefore, if one has a "visitor from Porlock" or just "Porlock" it means that someone or something has interrupted one's inspired creativity!

Now, I have TWO things that make me think of the word "interrupt"...one is quite lovely and the other is quite silly.

I know you are all dying to know my examples!

Okay, here is the beautiful one..."Interrupted fern".

Ferns are so beautiful! I have spent quite some time trying to identify ferns recently. You might think that this would be a simple thing, but that is not the case. Georgia has a great number of native ferns and they are just as difficult to identify as oak trees! The interrupted fern is not one that I would see here in Georgia but the sound of it pleases me, I can't say why that is so. (The interrupted fern is called that because there is an "interruption" of fronds in the middle.) 

Now, for the silly one... it is a knock knock joke!

"Knock knock".

"Who's there"

"The interrupting cow".

"The interrupting cow, wh...."

"MOO".

HA HA! Silly but funny.  And not a bad joke for children, you can teach them some manners at the same time.

Happy trails, my friends!

April - Amaryllis/Asyndeton

April is amazing.  My last blog post was two weeks ago today and since that time, our trees are almost in their full summer splendor of green leaves.  On our front porch, the amaryllis flowers are blooming nicely.  Can you spot a little character that Richard has placed between the blooms? My husband is quite a character himself!

In case you can't see...I have another photo for you!

There, that should make you smile!

Asyndeton is a literary device that omits conjunctions. (From the Greek meaning "unconnected", it is used to shorten a sentence and to focus on its meaning. I can't tell you how much I loved learning this and reading different examples! Here's a famous one:

Julius Caesar..."I came. I saw. I conquered." 

 This really drives home the point, no time to clog up the meaning with "ands" in between!  I have read that using asyndeton gives writing a nice rhythm and pace. This somehow reminds me of how much I would like to edit both books and films...there is so much that just isn't necessary.  I do wonder...did any of you ever read the Reader's Digest Condensed Books as a child? I did and I enjoyed them immensely. I did have several teachers who told me that they disapproved of me reading them. They said that the authors would not like their books "condensed" for readers, that was not how they were written. I found that the books that were in the Reader's Digest Condensed Book series were very often so good that it really didn't matter if I didn't get the "whole" picture so to speak, if the writing was good, it was good. Period.  And I have always appreciated something that gets to the point.  (In Britain, they say "full stop" instead of "period.") 

We were able to see our son recently and as always, I asked him to play his guitar and sing us a song. One of the songs that he did...oh, how I wish I could have it on this blog post for you all to hear...was "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", a song from the 1980's by the English group, "Tears For Fears".  Now, no offense to those men in the group, but honestly, Christopher's vocal is better. No lie.

It's a good song!  You should listen to this and march around the room for exercise. You know that I do.  (And I loved the 1980's! So, it makes me happy to hear this music!)

P.S.  April, Amaryllis, Asyndeton.  Awesome alliteration! 

Lilies, Butterflies and Lilibet (Queen Elizabeth's Nickname)

 

Atamasco lilies!  These were from last year on April 11th but I am sure they are either blooming now or about to do so. They are wildflowers.  Aren't they lovely?  They do remind you of the Easter lily, don't they?

The Easter lily is not a native flower, it was originally from Taiwan. It is a very tricky thing to get them to bloom in time for Easter since Easter is on a different day every year, it is always on the first Sunday following the first full moon of the vernal equinox. Keep in mind that the Easter lily is poisonous to cats! Do not give these plants to anyone who owns a cat. (Uh, I might have forgotten this and done this very thing, so...learn from my mistakes, won't you?)

The photo here is from a local church.  I really liked the painting... 

MUD PUDDLING! That is what the butterflies are doing here...they are getting nutrients from the wet soil.  There were six butterflies here, all Eastern tiger swallowtails. They flew off just as Richard snapped the photo! (The Eastern tiger swallowtail is the state butterfly of Georgia, we think it might be the largest butterfly that we see.)

The mud might be good for nutrients but you can't beat a colorful flower for a great photo!

Of course, you have all heard of the passing of Prince Phillip.  Do you know that the Queen sends a telegram to British citizens when they turn 100? So, Prince Phillip was just two months shy of getting that telegram. (And from what I have read, he would have gotten one. The Queen Mother did when she turned 100!) Queen Elizabeth also sends a telegram to those celebrating wedding anniversaries, at number 60, 65 and 70.  Don't know about you but I think that is blooming marvelous!  You all must have seen so many photos the past few days of Prince Phillip but I think one of my favorites is from a postage stamp that I saved from one of my packages from England...

Richard says that no matter what you think of the idea of royalty in 2021, no one can deny that Prince Phillip and the Queen have done everything that has been expected of them and have done so with grace and dignity for a lifetime.

65th Wedding Anniversary Card and Telegram. This was to Richard's aunt and uncle in 2015. (Delivered by courier in livery- which means a fancy uniform to me!) Update: I have been informed that they once were telegrams but now it is cards that the Queen sends out and they are delivered by mail, although from what I have read they are stamped "Special Delivery"! 

 

Now, what song for this post? There can be only one!

 

 

Happy Spring! Happy Easter!

 

Ready for some of Richard's wonderful photos of the lovely Spring? Hope you enjoy!

Fringe flower. The flower petals are long and bright pink. Richard got this shot of the bud before it burst into bloom. The color is just stunning!

This was on one of our overcast days, but trust me, it's gorgeous.

Beaver alert!  You can see how the beaver has cut this tree down. Do you also see how it looks as if it also took giant bites from the felled tree? I looked it up and that is just what they do, they only eat the inner bark, apparently. "Just give me the tender bark, Sylvia". Ha, ha...anybody know why I chose the name, "Sylvia"?  

Sylvia is feminine given name of Latin origin, also spelled SILVIA.

The name originates from the Latin word for forest SILVA and its meaning is spirit of the wood.

Pansies and cabbages get along very nicely in a planting.

                              Lilacs in blooms! I was so excited to see them (and smell them!) I wonder if it is rare that they bloom in Georgia. I really have only seen them when I was visiting England. So pretty against a blue sky! 

Here is a photo of "MY" very large tree at Panola Mountain State Park!  It is only mine because of my love for it...I have no idea what kind of tree that it is...it has a very stripy trunk and very small leaves. It is some kind of oak because it has acorns underneath it in the Autumn!

My stripy tree is just behind this tree in the foreground. And yes, they are both very tall!  (But the stripy tree is taller, just a trick of perception, don't you know.)

The Eastern Swallowtail butterfly was very fluttery over this pink azalea. The only reason the butterfly is out of focus is because it is moving, Richard is as steady as a rock!

There, this one landed and was still for just a split second...

Today is Easter Sunday.  Here is one of the songs that we always sang at our services at the Episcopal church. It is one of my son's favorites...

Happy Easter!  Happy Spring!

I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts (Sing It Forthwith!)

 

Just learned something new to me!  Believe it or not, I read a book of fiction recently. What was it, something hot and new at the top of the Bestseller list?  No, it was "The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells. One of the things that was mentioned was a "coconut shy". Now, I wrote it down on a slip of paper and looked it up later... 

"A coconut shy (or shie, which means to "throw") is a traditional game frequently seen at funfairs and fetes. The game consists of throwing wooden balls at a row of coconuts balanced on posts. A player buys three balls and wins when each coconut is knocked off the post."

Now, the song "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" should come to mind! (And I warn you, it is such a catchy little tune, you will be humming it and singing it for days!) Anybody remember the scene from " The Lion King" when the character Zazu, in a most funny way, sang a snippet of "I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"?  If you don't remember, I have it for you here...

The song holds another memory for me from my visits to England...but funnily enough, I can't remember who used to sing it. Was it Richard's Mum, in a moment of comedic frolic? Was it his cousin who was also a very jolly soul? Memory is like that sometimes, it might be something so very familiar and yet...you might not be able to place all the details. Is it like that for anyone else or is that just me?   Anyway, the song is very well known in Britain, I think but maybe not so much in America, although it was a big hit in the USA in the 1950's with Danny Kaye and Merv Griffin both having big hits with the song.  (By the way, Merv Griffin...you must know developed many of the game shows on TV...Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, besides having his own talk show.  Good trivia to know- Merv Griffin actually wrote the music that you hear during the "Final Jeopardy Question"!) 

Something else that I wrote down from my reading the book "The Invisible Man" was the word, "forthwith".  He used it quite a lot.  Of course, it means "immediately" or "without delay".  Isn't it funny how it is really not used anymore? I like it and I think I shall begin using it forthwith.  (While we're at it, I miss the word "shall", shouldn't that word be used more often too?)  I shall use it!

Two names that I also wrote down from the book I must share with you... "Miss Cuss" and "Miss Sackbutt".  Sorry, that made me giggle.

Now this post is not actually about coconuts but I urge you to read more about coconuts!  The word itself..."coco" meaning head or skull, with the three indentations at the top resembling a face.  One can eat coconut, drink the coconut milk and make rope from the fibers and lots more!   The Indonesians claimed that coconuts had more uses than there were days of the year. (They should know!)

Should you ever find yourself in Great Britain and wonder what kind of chocolate you should buy yourself, I would highly recommend a "Bounty" bar!  In America, it is very similar to an "Almond Joy" but without the almond! Just pure joy! 

(Speaking of "Bounty"...another fascinating subject: "Mutiny On The Bounty"...you all know how much I love non-fiction. Look it up!)

Now, if you should find yourself humming this song... you're very welcome.

When we visit England, we bring back teabags and chocolate.  Some for ourselves and some to give to family and friends  Looks like I had already eaten all the Bounty bars! HA!

Really do miss walking beside the seaside in Eastbourne, England....

Hope you are all doing well in your part of the world, wherever that might be.