Random Scenes From the Weekend

This weekend began with a beautiful 72 degree day on Saturday; that meant lots of laundry as I made the annual transition from flannel sheets back to regular sheets. In between loads of laundry I did lots of yardwork - clearing leaves out of beds, weeding, pruning roses, mums, and hydrangeas, and dealing with my excess columbine seedlings.

When Ryan moved to Colorado, it seemed as if I saw columbines almost everywhere and I was entranced. I bought some seeds, planted them in pots indoors, and carefully tended them for almost two years before I thought they were ready to plant in beds outside. I attributed my success to all the loving care I lavished on my seeds, but now I have to laugh at how easy they really are to start. I have hundreds of volunteers growing in between the stones in the garden path, so I dug out quite a few of them to transplant to a relatively bare bed. I know that more columbines means even more volunteers sprouting where I don't want them next year, but too many columbines is a better problem than not enough.

 My amaryllis is blooming again, at the end of April! It's a true wonder to see.

I also have a slightly confused Easter cactus just starting to bloom and covered with buds. No complaints here; I'll take blossoms wherever and whenever I can get them.

I needed to get a sympathy card and because our Hallmark store is crammed full of every kind of knick-knack and tchotchke imaginable, I had some fun looking around.

If anyone needs a large stuffed sloth (cute or creepy? I can't decide), just let me know. 

Sunday was cold and chilly so I was just puttering around inside when Justin arrived for a very quick visit. He's been trying to convince me that I need an xbox one, and once he explained I could use it for Netflix, Amazon video, and Spotify, we headed to GameStop. I am now the proud owner of a used console, and Justin even help me set it up. 

He played a few of his video games, "just to make sure everything works, Mom", but I'm hopeful that I'll be able to finish my sister's socks even more quickly knitting along with my Spotify knitting playlists. 

Truer words were never stitched on a tea towel!

Three on Thursday

Joining Kat and Carole for Three on Thursday, and today it's with some music.

Most of my listening is in the form of audiobooks, but I do occasionally have some music in my ears. Justin listens to music almost all day, every day, and I'm lucky that he often sends me Spotify links via Messenger (often from his Discover Weekly playlist). I love opening them up, listening, and adding them to my "From Justin" playlist. They're always new and very different from my usual listens. Here are three songs direct from Justin; two are from when I was with him in his truck and took photos so I wouldn't forget the titles, and the last one is an interesting speech/music combination he wanted me to listen to on his xbox. 

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This is just a nice song that is fun to sing in the kitchen while I'm making dinner.

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A poignant reminder of what we've lost in Afghanistan. 

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This one surprised me the most, but Justin says it's helped him more than once to to get motivated to do what needed to be done. I found out it also helps me to get out there and walk when it's much easier to sit and knit.

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I can't say that any of these are going to be daily listens for me; I'm pretty well stuck in the 70s and 80s when it comes to music (except for Jason Isbell). I mainly love that Justin shares his interests with me, and it's also proof that an old dog can listen to new things!
Head on over here to read more Three on Thursday posts.

Random Bits and Pieces

I don't know if it's August doldrums or just lack of imagination, but I've been wracking my brain to try and come up with something interesting to write about. All I've got is a collection of small things, so random bits and pieces it is.

I managed to take some photos of several poppies before the petals fell. They don't last long, but are pretty in sunlight and shadow.

Slightly cooler temperatures and decreasing humidity make me think of baking. I woke up one morning this week with temperatures in the upper 50s and thought, "It's time to make the calzones." So I did.

Stuffed with pepperoni and cheese, they aren't the healthiest thing I could have baked, but since my diet has consisted mainly of tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and zucchini, calzones made a nice change.

After my recent musical revelations with hick hop, I got the best recommendations from Margene and Vicki. Margene suggested Jason Isbell, and I've listened to two of his albums, The Nashville Sound and Something More Than Free. Vicki recommended Gregory Alan Isakov and the Colorado Symphony, and I've been listening to all three excellent albums pretty much non-stop on spotify. I used to use my ipod mainly for audiobooks, but now it's also got lots of good music on it. If you have any musical suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Remember the picnic table that got in the way of a crashing branch?

The kind and wonderful tree guy dropped off new pressure treated lumber and said he would be back to do the repairs. I told him that wasn't necessary because Justin and I worked together, replaced the top, and it's almost as good as new.

I'm going to be testing my "new" picnic table by serving some homemade salsa made with garden tomatoes and a nice beer or two on it. Hope this weekend is a good one for you!

Musical Revelations

I (used to) hate country music, but this weekend has brought some musical revelations (and no one is more surprised than I am.) I'm not sure where my intense dislike of country came from, but it goes waayy back, and because I already knew I didn't like country music, I never listened to any. (Yes, now I see the problem with that.)

But then I got a text from Justin. His tastes in music are wide-ranging, and after a year in Texas, they certainly include country music. He has taken on the tough job of trying to broaden the genres of music that I listen to, and will often make suggestions.

It only took me two weeks, but I did listen to "Backyard Lullaby". My bias against country music kicked in at the beginning, but after listening several times, I was intrigued.

I asked Justin if he could recommend another similar song and he suggested "Workin' On" by Colt Ford.

I really like this one and have been listening to both songs pretty much nonstop this weekend. Once I started actively listening to the lyrics, I thought, "Hey, they're singing about my kid, me, and so many of us." I think that deep down we all have many of the same problems, and many of the same ways to try and cope.

Shutting off our pride, fixing bridges we burned,
learning how to live and learn
Keeping our demons down and our trucks up and running
Fighting with the man in the mirror til we gone
Yeah, that’s what all us good ol’ boys gonna go out workin’ on

Giving more forgiveness, picking battles worth choosing

Little less cussin’ and losin’ my temper and my tools
Dialin’ down my restless, outgrowing my reckless
Realizin’ what I got what I got before it’s gone
That’s what this good ol' boy’s gonna go out
Workin’ on

Owning up to my weakness, keeping it humble but strong
Doin’ the best I can with this flesh and bone

The song was originally written to bring attention to soldiers suffering from PTSD, and while I am neither a soldier nor a good ol' boy, these lyrics are completely honest and relatable for me, and I like the combination of rap/spoken word and a good melody. After Justin told me that this genre was called hick hop, I was really tickled. 

So thanks to Justin, Demun, and Colt for a revelation, some really enjoyable songs, and a new (dare I say?) love for a new genre. I have a lot of hick hop to check out!

Weekending Down by the Water

The photos are neither close-up nor clear, and I think the audio and video are also pretty bad, so you'll just have to take my word for it. This concert was absolutely great and seeing The Decemberists in Ithaca made for the best weekend I've had in a long time!

Ten on Tuesday

Uh-oh. I'm wondering where Carole got today's Ten On Tuesday prompt - 10 Songs About Where You Live. I couldn't think of even one off the top of my head, but with Google and a lot of help from friends, I did come up with a few.

1. "Flemington" by Danny Federici. Danny was the keyboard player for the E Street Band before he sadly passed away in 2008. He's kind of a big deal around here and did a solo album entitled Flemington with a title track of the same name in 1996.
2. "Flemington" - Tom Day. I had never heard this song, but I quite like it. I think Tom's Flemington is in Australia, not NJ, but I thank him anyway.
3. "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)" - The Four Seasons. I was lucky enough to find two songs named for the town I live in, but then had to branch out state-wide. This one was in the Broadway show Jersey Boys.
4. "Jersey Girl" - Tom Waits. Tom wrote the song and sings it best.
5. "Diamond Street Church Choir"- The Gaslight Anthem. This song is an ode to the New Brunswick (think Rutgers) bar where they played their first show. 
6. "Jersey Bounce" - Ella Fitzgerald. Because we need something besides rock on this list.
7. "Who Says You Can't Go Home" - Jon Bon Jovi. New Jersey's second most famous rocker, he's singing about coming home to NJ. 
8. "Trapped" - Bruce Springsteen. I got to number 8 before I listed New Jersey's most famous musician. I'm always surprised by how many people don't know this song, but it's my favorite by Bruce. There have been times I feel trapped in NJ (when I'm longing to be in Colorado), but it's simply a great song.
9. “Governor Chris Christie’s Fort Lee, New Jersey Traffic Jam” - Jimmy Fallon and Bruce Springsteen. In September of 2013 our esteemed governor was embroiled in a scandal that involved closing lanes on the George Washington Bridge, the busiest motor vehicle bridge in the world. This resulted in three days of epic gridlock, recounted in this brilliant parody:
   Sprung from cages on Highway 9, we got three lanes closed, so Jersey get your ass in line
   Whoa, maybe this Bridgegate was just payback, it's a bitchslap to the state Democrats
10.  Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. - Bruce Springsteen. His first album is one of his best, and with a title like that I couldn't pick just one song. It's hard to believe that this album wasn't a big hit in 1973, but now no list of songs about where I live would be complete without him.

I was afraid my list would be all Bruce, but I'm glad Carole presented this opportunity to branch out a bit and recognize that there is a lot of music about where I live. I'm looking forward to some interesting lists and interesting listens today!

Ten on Tuesday

 

I wasn't going to write a Ten on Tuesday post for today (10 Favorite David Bowie Songs) because I couldn't seem to think of ten David Bowie songs. When I gave the topic a little more consideration, I realized that so many of his songs had provided a sound track to my life over the years. So, in honor of his music and a great songwriter, musician, actor (he'll always be the Goblin King to me), collaborator, developer of personas, and man who greatly influenced music as we know it:

1. Rebel, Rebel
2. Changes
3. Dancing in the Street
4. Let's Dance
5. Golden Years 
6. Space Oddity
7. Fame
8. Modern Love 
9. Young Americans  

Number ten is one of my favorites. David Bowie said that he appeared on Bing Crosby's Christmas special because "I just knew my mother liked him." That's a reason any mother can appreciate, and listen to what their partnership produced.

The New York Times says of David Bowie that "his message was that there was always empathy beyond difference", something we would all do well to remember, celebrate, and put into practice.

Ten on Tuesday - the Happy Titanium Clutter All Around Me Edition!

Today's Ten on Tuesday is a really excellent one - 10 Random Songs From Your iPod.
Here are my 10 shuffled songs:

1.  "Guitar Sound" by Ronald Jenkees from Disorganized Fun

2.  "The Island: Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning" by The Decemberists from The Crane Wife

3.  "Titanium" by The Piano Guys from The Piano Guys album

4.  "Bad Day" by R.E.M. from The Best of R.E.M.

5.  "Le Hardy Rapids" by Music of Nature from Echoes of Yellowstone

6.  "Clutter" by Ronald Jenkees from the Ronald Jenkees album

7.  "All Around Me" by Flyleaf from the Flyleaf album

8.  "Let It Go" by Pentatonix from That's Christmas to Me

9. "Happy (Gru's Theme from Despicable Me 2)" by Pharrell Williams from the Happy album

10. "The Ashgrove" by Philip Boulding from the Elegance of Hammered Dulcimer album

This random list is so perfect for me today that I have to think that the universe randomized and provided just what I needed. I've created a playlist and am happily singing, humming, and dancing my way through it as I write. I'm really looking forward to reading everyone's random song lists, as I'm sure more crooning and cavorting will ensue!