On Tuesday, I was cooking supper when I became aware that there was a nice sunset out there.
I missed the best of the sunset, but it was just as well, because....
I caught this sight- mist coming off the river.
What a wonderful gift for the end of February.
Thankful I was in the right place at the right time.
Joining Yogi and other skywatching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.
A pair of blue jays (a bird native to the Eastern United States where I live) have taken up residence in bushes outside our home.
He or she gave me one last opportunity by perching in the upper right just to the left of a snow patch before flying away.
Can I officially call my home Blue Jay Way?
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
It's Monday and it's time for music!
Today I am joining up with other Music Moves Me bloggers (and you can join us at the linky above). We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post link may be labeled "No Music" or even removed.)
Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.
Every other week we have a theme. This week's theme is "Cabin Fever - or running a fever". But today, it's time for another induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (although this singer was more into soul). I decided to deviate as I wanted to pay tribute to soul singer (and, later, politician who became a Cook County Illinois commissioner) Jerry Butler, who died Thursday at age 85 from complications of Parkinson's disease. No worries, I included a theme oriented song at the end of this post.
Here's more about the singer also known as the Iceman.
I immediately thought of this 1965 song by The Impressions, which included Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield - People Get Ready.
Let's go all the way back to 1958 and For Your Precious Love.
From 1968, Only The Strong Survive.
My spouse, upon hearing of Butler's death, immediately thought of these two songs.
Hey, Western Union Man from 1968. Yes, I'm a dinosaur. I remember telegrams. I even remember my father sending them.
Moody Woman, from 1969.
And that's another sad wrap, as we lose more and more of a generation of musicians.
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Yesterday, as we started to defrost where we live, plus enjoyed some sun, I went to a nearby park in the early afternoon.
Shadows on the snow and ice are getting shorter.
Meanwhile, my shadow starts to shrink as spring approaches.
Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for #ShadowshotSunday.
It's been so cold, with icy sidewalks, that I've only gone out for necessary things - no sky pictures for this week. So I am using couple of pictures I took last week where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.
This February 13 reflection in a puddle surrounded by slush, while the sun was out and some melting was taking place, caught my eye.
This, taken February 11, is more like what we see too much of the time during the winter. Can you tell that I am sick of winter? I'm not one for the pleasures of winters. I long for green and flowers but know that the pleasures of spring come out of this type of weather for us.
We did have a brief thaw last weekend where a lot of the snow melted, and the Canadian geese returned to a local park, taken February 15. Now, the ground is covered again, with both snow and ice, including lake effect snows we got late yesterday afternoon into the evening.
Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.
For today, I'm digging into my photos. I took this photo in a supermarket on July 3.
You've probably heard of Pez candy. I loved the dispensers, and I loved the candy when I was growing up. Many people, in fact, collect the dispensers. There are literally thousands of different types.
I'm positive I've blogged about Pez at least once, when I had the opportunity to visit the Pez factory's visitor center in Orange, Connecticut, but perhaps not. I can't find the post. (I highly recommend visiting this if you want to feel like a kid again. It was so much fun. And it's not expensive.)
Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
It's Monday and it's time for music!
Today I am joining up with other Music Moves Me bloggers (and you can join us at the linky above). We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post link may be labeled "No Music" or even removed.)
Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.
Every other week we have a theme. This week's theme is "Freedom of Choice-You Pick".
At this time of year, where I live, we wish for the sun. Oh, sometimes we get sun but it is almost always teamed with colder than usual weather.
But maybe I can summon the sun with music. Let's try.
The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun.
a-ha: The Sun Always Shines on TV, from 1985. How I love this song.
One more - 1969's Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures), as the Fifth Dimension covers songs fro the musical Hair.
Did I succeed in summoning the sun? Only time will tell.
Come on, sun. Come on, spring!
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
It will be a while before my jonquils bloom, but I recently rediscovered this picture taken in the spring of 2017.
Yesterday, more snow and ice. Today, more rain. I'm longing for spring flowers but it will be a while longer. Patience....
Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for her #ShadowshotSunday.
Remember when? Remember warm temperatures? Flowers blooming outdoors? No ice?
We are in the part of the year, here in my zone 6a garden, where we just ache for the first flowers of spring. Maybe next month?
But today is the 15th of the month, when I join with other bloggers at Carol at May Dreams Gardens' Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, to show what is blooming in our yards or homes.
All I can offer you today is some indoor blooms.
The other day, my spider plant was blooming profusely. Of course, today the blooms were shut up tight.
My last flowering African violet is finishing up.
In the meantime, I continue to dream of spring.
Why not visit Carol's blog (link above) and see what else is blooming in our world?
Today is Valentine's Day, and, no, I don't have any Valentine's Day skies to share with you. Instead, what I decided to do is go through my library and find pictures with red (and sky) in them.
Oh, for clear blue skies. Maybe one day. But, for now, winter still reigns where I live.
Oh, all right. One recent picture, from February 11, taken right before sunrise. An actual glimpse of the sky!
Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.
Earlier, I introduced my Wordless Wednesday readers to the historic Harris Diner in Owego, New York , where my guest photographer and I had lunch earlier in January.
This diner recently celebrated its 100th birthday.
Here are several photos she took. The diner was darkish and if she had used flash, there would have been glare off the glass and stools. But I think she still did a good job.
I wonder if the owner is a Yankees fan.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
It's Monday and it's time for music!
Today I am joining up with other Music Moves Me bloggers (and you can join us at the linky above). We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post link may be labeled "No Music" or even removed.)
Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.
Every other week we have a theme. This week's theme is "Valentine's day songs or red themed songs". I'm going to change this up slightly and feature songs/music about love.
Love can be grand, or love can hurt. How about two of each?
On this Valentine's Day week, let's start with the Broadway recording of "Love Makes the World Go Round".
Paloma Faith and her 2014 hit "Only Love Can Hurt Like This".
Nazareth and "Love Hurts".
And love can be funny. Here is a video that's kind of NSFW but I think is so funny, teamed with such an upbeat song. From 1993 (the song), here's "A Night at the Roxbury (What is Love - Haddaway)" from 1998.
Finally, one "red themed" love song. "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" has been covered so many times, but I am partial to this instrumental from Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra from 1965.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week with another episode of Music Moves Me. And, if you have a music video to share (it can be any genre), why not join us so we can see how Music Moves You?
A late January day. It's sunny out.
And a stretch....ahh, that felt good.
Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for her #ShadowshotSunday.
Why not come out of the shadows and join us? All you need is a picture with a shadow on it.
Our weather has been bouncing up and down like a rubber ball. Let's look at some late January and early February skies today.
January 27 post sunset.
January 29.
February 1.
February 3, and it was in the 40's (7 C). Now, that's more like it - these are our normal skies at this time of year.
Our snow cover has gone up and down. Yesterday we had sleet and snow (what a mess) and the snow and gloom were back.
Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.
Over the summer, I bought a crochet hook. I thought I had brought it home but then I couldn't find it. Although I didn't need it at the time for a project, I wondered, from time to time, what had happened to it.
In October, the mystery was solved.
The tow truck driver, in changing out our battery, found....the crochet hook.
In the engine compartment.
How it ended up there I have no idea, but it did make for a good story.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday.
It's Monday and it's time for music!
Today I am joining up with other Music Moves Me bloggers (and you can join us at the linky above). We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be labeled "No Music".)
Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.
Every other week we have a theme. This week's theme is "you pick" .
I had a (sort of) theme for this week, but first, I have to announce a new induction into Rock and Roll Heaven. Singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull passed away on January 30 at the age of 78. She had a hard life in some ways due to drug addiction and a spell of homelessness while she was addicted, but she also carved her own path.
She had a four year romantic relationship with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, and this may be her best known song, written by Mick and Keith Richards. Here is "As Tears Go By".
There is also, years later, the song "Broken English" shows how much her hard life changed her voice.
What I was originally going to use as a theme was the Chinese New Year. This year is the Year of the Snake.
Here are two songs mentioning snakes.
Jim Stafford had a hit with the song "Spiders and Snakes" in 1974, where it spent over five months on the charts here in the United States. Here he sings the song to and with Dolly Parton.
The song The Snake was first written and recorded in 1963. A couple of its covers have become hits; this is one of them.
Here is Al Wilson's 1968 cover of The Snake.
Finally, just because, here is a song about celebration. Maybe I'm celebrating the fact that spring is coming closer and closer each day. So here is 3 Dog Night and their 1975 hit "Celebrate".
How fitting that, this year, that Shadowshot Sunday comes on Groundhog Day.
Although these shadows won't predict if we will have an early spring or six more weeks of winter (noting that the official Groundhog of Groundhog Day is only right about 40% of the time), they make for a good Shadowshot.
Groundhog in shadow from back in June, 2024.
Incidentally, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Let's hope he's wrong again.
And, in a number of cultures, they are celebrating the new year. This year will be the Year of the Snake. This picture of a shake was taken this past September.
More information:
Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for #ShadowshotSunday.
