Memories of June and ELVIS

 

July is almost here, ready for the sunflowers?

I am showing you a photo of the very small sunflowers from July of 2016 when we had a severe drought here in Georgia. Funny thing, this photo caught my eye because I went for a walk just this morning and I wore this exact same t-shirt! (As long as my clothes don't fall apart, I wear them forever.)  You can't see it but on front of the shirt there is a map of the United States with each state being spelled out.  (I think they had to cram in Massachusetts and Mississippi a bit! LOL.)

I am a cartophile.  Are you one too?  Cartophile is a person with an interest in maps!

My son is the same...as a child he asked about getting a world map.  At the time that I looked into it, all the ones that I found were a bit expensive so what did I do? Found a plastic shower curtain with the world map upon it!  Whenever he asked about a place in the world, I told him to go and "look it up on the shower curtain!".  (This was in the days before the internet. Now you can look up anything.) I know y'all must be terribly impressed by my parenting skills!  Okay, fast forward a few years...after he had grown up and moved out, his old room is still the same for when he visits but it has a nice world map upon on the wall!  Hey, better late than never!

Now, this photo was from April of 2017, and it is from Stone Mountain.  Isn't it nice to see the sparkling blue lake and the spring green of the leaves?  Richard's photos are always so good, don't you think?

The green tree frog photo is from this year, he was in our irises on our front porch. I hope he was trying to get some of the mosquitoes that like to hang out there! Isn't he just the cutest thing?  

As I told you in my last post, we did have some incredible heat in Georgia in June (it was the same in many parts of the country) but thankfully, we had a few spells of rain which cooled things down a wee bit. THANK goodness!  I really was saying "bring me shade".

It's funny to try to park your car in the parking lots...everyone tries to get their car under some kind of shade tree, they are the first spaces to go!

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I was able to see the Elvis film! Even with the woman behind me with the LOUDEST cough on Earth and the man beside me who used the smelliest cologne in the Universe, I managed to enjoy the movie.  I have some criticisms about it, of course. Still, it is well worth seeing just for the performance of Austin Butler playing Elvis. It truly is extraordinary. I truly love Tom Hanks but for him to play Col. Parker.... Best for me to not truly say what I think sometimes.  I wonder what one of my favorite directors could have done with it...and that would be Michael Apted! Sadly, we will never know, since Mr. Apted is no longer with us. (If you remember he did the wonderful film , "Coal Miner's Daughter".) He totally understood Loretta Lynn being from the South, I suspect that he might have "gotten" Elvis too! Still, I am glad that this film was made. For one thing, it might make people see Elvis as a real person and not just an "icon" which if I hear that word just ONE more time....!!!!    I can't think the last time I went to a theatre to see a film...okay, just got my husband to help me remember and it was February in 2020!  

Hope the summer is going well for you all!

  And thank you, thank you very much! OH! And I forgot to say...I couldn't help but be thankful that when they portrayed the '68 TV special, I didn't have to be told about it, I already saw it- in 1968! And I LOVED it!

"Bring Me Sunshine"

 

If you know the British comedy duo of Morecombe & Wise, then you should recognize their theme song of "Bring Me Sunshine".  My English in-laws had a very nice couple who were their friends and neighbors who actually knew Eric Morecombe and Ernie Wise and they told us that were just as marvelous a pair as you could possibly imagine.  (I've mentioned before to you that I truly don't care how famous a person might be, it is the character that matters the most to me.) Now, I have found a video of them dancing to "Bring Me Sunshine" and I do hope that you will watch it and please, watch it all the way to the end!  (They remind me a bit of Laurel and Hardy, you all must know that I am big fan of them!)

 

The song was written in 1966 but it was adopted as the theme tune for "Morecombe & Wise" in 1969.  Willie Nelson did a version of it in late 1968 and it reached #16 in the Country Charts in 1969. (Imagine this passing for country music these days!) Of course, Willie Nelson has always been a songwriter, singer and musician who goes his own way. "Great music is great music" is his quote from his famous "Stardust" album from 1978.  (I might tell you more about that album on another post!)

For now, here is Willie singing the song....

There, you MUST be singing or humming or whistling it by now!

These days, I might be changing the lyrics a bit for Georgia and saying, "bring me SHADE"!  It is expected to be in the 90's this week and with humidity, it will feel like 107 degrees...and of course, that's measured in the shade! Still, we have had some very pretty days with temps in the low 80's and a cool breeze.  It has been very nice weather and most enjoyable for our flowers.  And the high temps mean that our birds will very much like their bird baths to be clean and ready for them. You know they will be!

A very wet Towhee!  And by the way, this bird is called a towhee, because that is the call that it makes...Tow-WHEEE".  And I am also happy to say that it also says..."Rich...ARD".  That is what it sounds like to us anyway!  It took years for us to learn that this particular bird had that call. We saw it on a branch of a tree at Panola Mountain State Park and it looked right at us and called Richard's name. It was like discovering gold!

On the topic of not knowing things...we have enjoyed this particular flower at Panola State Park (it blooms along one of the trails there) and we really are not sure of its name. (We think it is some type of native sunflower but other than that.... we love it all the same.)

 

Memories of May

 

"Am I too big a bird to bathe in this little bird bath?"

"Guess not!"

Wish I could show you a video of this bird bathing, it is a Brown Thrasher and that brown color is just beautiful! Each and every state has a "state bird" and for Georgia it is the Brown Thrasher. Can you see that it is rather large? And also that it has a gorgeous long tail? You should see it all fanned out! It is in the same family as the Mockingbird and it also "mimics" other birds.  If you hear a bird repeating a phrase THREE times, that would be a mockingbird.  If the bird repeats TWO times, that would be the Brown Thrasher! (Now listen, it might be very important for you all to know this one day, so don't forget it! HA HA.)

We also have another brown feathered bird visitor. It is the Carolina wren!

Quite a difference in size! Now that little tail is constantly moving up and down, that should be a very good way to identify it.  The song from this little bird is amazing. I read somewhere that one of the Native American names for it translated into "Little bird with a big voice." Now, I have no idea if that is true but if so, it fits perfectly.

If we want to go even smaller, let me show you a great shot that Richard got of the male Ruby throat hummingbird! You know it's male because of the ruby throat, which you can only see if the bird is turned just right.

Here's the female!

We do love our birds!  Of course, we have other visitors that are also very welcome.

Anoles, get a grip!

What marvelous creatures they are!

(Milk jug that Richard uses outside for watering is used by this anole for posing.)

Anoles are a bit different in their "sticking power", so to speak. Want the science behind it?  Read all about it just here!

The pretty purple flowers that I received for Mother's Day lasted a long time! 

So, May is almost over now. The May flowers are always very welcome.

Hope you are all well! Let's get on the Chattanooga Choo Choo! (Richard played this on the guitar at a party this month. I don't have Richard on video but I found another lad from Croydon...Ralph McTell!)

Joy From Flowers and Music

 

Blooming flowers! I never tire of them. Honestly, every time I see a flower, it is as if I have never seen one before...

Walking Iris or Apostle Plant. (Neomarica gracilis).  

The walking iris is on our front porch and we have several in pots.

The blooms only last for one day but what a great day that is!

We also very much enjoy the blooms on different trees and shrubs that we see on our walks.  

Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus).

This is a native tree, also called "Grancy greybeard"!  Such a lovely thing! We saw this planted on the grounds at the Monastery and also in the woods at Panola Mountain State Park. (And also growing in woods beside the roads here and in other yards!) Wish I had one!

Mourning doves at our very expensive bird bath.  It's quite amusing to see a bird this size take a bath in such a tiny amount of water but they seem to enjoy it. (Keep it clean and the birds will come. I promise!)

Does this rabbit look big to you? Or is it just me? We have a wildlife haven at our home, I tell you!

If you remember my last post, I wrote about air conditioning and how grateful I am for it in Georgia.  So, it's a bit funny that we just had a very comfortable April and it has even been fairly cool the first two weeks of May!  The mornings in particular have been truly lovely.  What about you in your part of the world?  Do tell!

In a recent post I also spoke of seeing the International Space Station. Well, TONIGHT you should be able to see a total eclipse of the moon!  I say YOU should because I won't be able to stay up to see it, so please let me know if you do! LOL!

I don't see too many films these days but I do believe that I would like to see the new film about Elvis that will be coming out in June.

I've read that Priscilla and Lisa Marie have seen it and both of them love it.

That's good enough for me!  You have most likely seen the trailer so I am going to try to find you one of my favorite videos of Elvis....

This was from the special on TV in 1968.  I remember it well. Just like my spring flowers, it still brings me joy!

Is It Getting Hot? Turn On That AC!

There, I typed "AC" but in real life, I always say "air conditioning", honest, I do! I live in Georgia and let me tell you folks, it gets HOT in Georgia! Here's the thing about air conditioning, like so many things we take it for granted.  We just switch it on when it gets hot, we expect it to be in all buildings and vehicles and if it breaks, we plead with the repairman to come out and fix it! (Maybe you don't, but I do!) Now, how many of you know who invented it? Anybody?  Ha! Maybe you all know and I am the last one to find out but that won't stop me from telling you about Mr. Willis Haviland Carrier and his wonderful invention...

Willis Haviland Carrier was an American engineer born in Angola, New York on Nov. 26, 1876. He graduated from Angola Academy in 1894 and from Buffalo High School in 1897. He then attended Cornell University and graduated with a Master of Engineering degree in 1901.  Alright, got those dates in mind? Now, I am going to tell you that in the summer of 1902, a publishing company was having great difficulties with the humidity and heat in Brooklyn, New York. The paper to be used in printing would grow and shrink in the humidity.  Mr, Carrier to the rescue! He submitted drawings for what would become the first modern air conditioning system. We may think of it as just cooling the air, but it must do these four things:

1.  Control temperature

2. Control humidity

3. Control air circulation and ventilation

4. Cleanse the air

After more refinement, Mr. Carrier was granted a patent for his invention in 1906. (He called it "an apparatus for treating air".)   He received another patent in 1907 for the "law of constant dewpoint depression".  I have read that he stepped off a train station in the early morning in a dense fog and that started his mind turning! He learned that getting rid of the humidity was the way to cool the air. The key was to dry the air by producing artificial fog.

The first use of his air conditioning was for businesses such as the publishing company that I told you about. The first building to be air conditioned just for comfort was the New York Stock Exchange Building in NYC which was also in 1902. The first time that it was used in a home was in 1926.   The following video explains how it is used in the Sistine Chapel, "The Art of the Invisible"....

Fast forward to the early 1960's in Georgia...which was MY childhood.  I well remember stepping into a drugstore with my Daddy and the cold air that blasted out as I crossed over the threshold is something I will never forget! "What is that?!", I remember asking him.  "Tee, hee, hee....THAT is air conditioning!", he replied.  Ah, don't worry, it didn't take me long to get used to it and I didn't want to leave! It was so lovely and cool and you know I sat at a counter and had a Cherry Coke before we left! (With a paper straw, of course!) We didn't have air conditioning in our homes or schools.  I don't think that came as a standard thing until the late 1970s.  I have tried to explain to our son that things like watermelon and ice cream were such an important part of summer for us, they were cooling and very, very welcome in the Georgia heat!

RATIONAL PSYCHROMETRIC FORMULAE

THEIR RELATION TO THE PROBLEMS OF METEOROLOGY AND OF AIR CONDITIONING

By Willis H. Carrier

ABSTRACT OF PAPER

In many industries such as the manufacture of textiles, food products, high explosives, photographic films, tobacco, etc., regulation of the humidity of the atmosphere is of great importance. This paper deals with the subject of the artificial regulation of atmospheric moisture, technically known as air conditioning. It gives a theoretical discussion of the subject in which formulae are developed for the solution of problems. These formulae are based upon the most recently determined data and in order to establish a logical basis for the presentation of these data and the derivation of the formulae, the principles governing atmospheric moisture are reviewed and the present methods of determining atmospheric humidity are discussed.

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 Most of the dogwood trees have now lost their blossoms and underneath them you may see a carpet of white petals.  If you ever find yourself underneath one on a sunny day, make sure you take a photo. I asked Richard to do so and here it is!

Hope you are all doing well these days, my friends!

And next time you find yourself on a foggy day, think of our hero, Mr. Carrier and how grateful we all are for his invention.

Look Up! It Might Be the International Space Station

 

Wait, what's that in the sky?

It is the lovely moon, of course!  No matter where you are, we can all look at the sky and marvel at what we see....

Happy April, everyone! March just marched on by for me but the one thing that I can tell you that I truly enjoyed was viewing the International Space Station on March 17th! Now maybe all of you have seen it many times and is just a kind of a ho-hum thing for you to see but Richard and I were pleased to see it fly right over! (You will see it called the ISS but my friends, I will type out "International Space Station" EVERY time because, well, that's just how I roll! Drives me crazy how EVERYTHING is just initials now, I don't know half of what folks are talking about!)  Anyway, before my old annoyed self butted in, I was telling you about looking at the sky....

Now, what did it look like? It looks like a very bright STAR moving across the sky, there are no flashing lights or anything and it does not change direction.  You will NOT mistake it for an airplane as it moves much faster! (Airplanes fly at 600 MPH and the Space Station flies at 17,500 miles per hour!)  So, remember, it looks like a moving star!  Richard and I watched it until it was gone out of sight. And it made me smile to think of someone else in another part of the country and then, another part of the world, also eagerly looking up to view it!  There is a site from NASA that shows when it may be viewed in your area.  You may see it just here!

Of course, you may look up at the sky at any time!  During the day to see the lovely clouds and each and every evening, you may see the moon in all its phases.  And it is FREE! And thinking of the moon, I do hope that you have all seen the film "Apollo 13".  It is based on the book by Jim Lovell, "Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13".  If you have not read it, you should do so!  At the end of the film, Jim Lovell is shown shaking hands with the astronauts aboard the ship, the IWO JIMA. He was offered to play an admiral but he refused with this reply: "I retired as a captain and a captain I will be". Isn't that just a nice thing to learn?  (I recognized Jim Lovell when I saw the film but I only just learned that quote from him.)

What song for this post? It has to be the one that I instantly thought of when I watched the International Space Station come up through the tall pines and then, go across the sky in front of us like a bright shining star.  It is a song by EARTH, WIND and FIRE!

When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano/St. Joseph's Day

 St. Joseph's Day was yesterday, March 19th. (St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and earthly father of Jesus.)  Years ago, my sister and I were invited to a St. Joseph's Day Altar by a friend of hers who was Italian-American. I have never forgotten it! There were all kinds of lovely food dishes artfully arranged in three tiers with flowers and fruit interspersed beside the dishes. (The top shelf had a statue of St. Joseph).  Reading up on it now, I realize that since St. Joseph's Day is always during the season of Lent, all the food would have been vegetable or fish dishes along with sweet cakes. Some of the dishes would have had breadcrumbs as toppings, these would symbolize sawdust to remind us of St. Joseph, the carpenter.  I really can't say that I remember that fact, but I do remember that it was all very good. We were given a fava bean when we left....

The St. Joseph's Altar came from Sicily.  During the Middle Ages, Sicily suffered from famine. The severe drought ended after the people prayed to St. Joseph. The fava bean is the crop that saved them from starvation and is therefore a traditional part of the St. Joseph's altars. 

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San Juan Capistrano! It is in California, there is a famous Mission there founded by Spanish Catholics in 1776.  It is well known because of the cliff swallows that return faithfully there very year in March, and it is also on March 19th, same day as St. Joseph's Day! I hope you know the story of the swallows! Father St. John O'Sullivan. who was the pastor of the church during the 1920's noticed a shopkeeper knocking down a nest of birds who were trying to build under the eaves of his shop. When he told Father O'Sullivan what he was doing, Father O'Sullivan said, "Come on swallows, I'll give you shelter.  Come to the mission. There's room enough there for all." The very next day, the swallows did just that and they have been returning to the Mission ever since. Mission San Juan Capistrano - Mission San Juan Capistrano (missionsjc.com)  

If you click on that link that I gave you above, you can read more about it!

Of course, there MUST be a song connected with this. (You knew there would be, I know!)  "When The Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" was written by Leon Rene and first recorded by The Ink Spots in 1940. (The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny! I have written about them before, you know I love the songs by them!) The most wonderful thing, the Rene Family donated the piano on which Leon Rene composed the tune and the Mission has it displayed in a special room at the Mission honoring the songwriter.

Leon Rene also wrote another song about a bird too! "Rocking Robin"! And I must tell you, robins are more likely to run along than to rock. They are not very good fliers so please be especially careful of robins if you see them in the road. Robins in America are in the thrush family and tend to be a bit bottom heavy. I have observed birds for many years so this is a personal observation of mine! 

Today is March 20th, first day of Spring! It is the time when we get to see the male cardinal (bright red) actually feed his mate! Now, I don't have a photo of it here but I promise that they do, just as faithfully as the swallows return to Capistrano, every year.

Happy Spring to you all!