Fearless Rabbit #WordlessWednesday

 Last Wednesday I was admiring flowers in my front and side yards.  

 I turned around and there was a rabbit.

The rabbit was so close to me and it didn’t even run away when I locked eyes with it.

Here is our photo shoot. 

Finally I had to chase it out of my yard.  I've had rabbit damage before.  

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Five for Music #MusicMovesMe

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.)   We have occasional theme weeks, but you are welcome to ignore the theme and use music of your chice.  Why not join us?  You don't have to sing, or play an instrument.  All music lovers are welcome.

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.

This week's theme is "Song about get-a-ways to chillaxing or anything that makes you think of summer fun" but I am going to blog about something different this week.

In the past 10 days or so, our world lost a number of music greats, and actors.  So it is time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven.

The first three are inductions into Rock and Roll Heaven.  The others show the musical sides of a couple of other performers we lost in the past week.

First up: George Kooymans, guitarist and co-founder of Golden Earring, died July 23 at the age of 77.  The cause of death was complications of ALS, a horrific disease that took the lives of a late friend's father and brother.  He had been diagnosed with ALS in 2020.

The surviving members of the band, which had broken up several years ago after a run of nearly 50 years,  plan to play a benefit concert in January of 2026 with proceeds going to ALS research.

For my tribute I picked Radar Love, written by Kooymans, which is perhaps one of the best driving songs there is.  Maybe, in a way, this fits today's theme.  

Next, there is Ozzy Osbourne, who died July 22 possibly (because this is still being investigated) from complications of Parkinson's.  He was 76.  I decided to feature a clip from his final concert, July 5, 2025.  Here is Mr. Crowley.  

Jazz musician Chuck Mangione, age 84, died in his sleep in his hometown of Rochester, New York, which is about a two hour 30 minute drive from where I live.  He never forgot his home city and is greatly mourned in the area.  Here is the full version of his 1977 hit song Feels So Good. 

Next - Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan? The sometimes controversial wrestler who died July 24 from cardiac arrest at age 71?  Well, for music, yes.  For a time he wrestled in Japan, where he was nicknamed "Ichiban" (number one). He wrote and performed a song called Ichiban from 1983. 

Finally, actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, perhaps best known as the character Theo Huxtable" on the Cosby Show died from drowning July 20 at age 54.  Warner was multi-talented, also being a poet and a musician.  Here he is, ironically at a 2024 tribute concert, playing bass guitar on the song Joy and Pain.

And that is another sad wrap.

Join me again next week, when I hope not to be reporting on the induction of anyone else into Rock and Roll Heaven. 

 

Chair Shadow and Crickets #ShadowshotSunday

On the day before I took this shadow picture, I also heard the first crickets of the year:  July 23.

I thought it was my imagination, but the chorus is quite obvious now.  

Summer, unofficially, has ended. The first crickets of 2025 have sung.  Fall has arrived, no matter what the heat is saying.

Wednesday joins this list of first hearing dates of crickets I've accumulated during my years of blogging.  Each date has a link to that year's post.

July 29, 2009
July 22, 2010
July 30, 2011 
then, there were two dates in 2012, perhaps due to an early spring
May 21, 2012
July 25, 2012 

apparently no post for 2013 but we were undergoing a caregiving crisis, as I recall, and that might have been why.
August 3, 2014
July 28, 2015 
July 24, 2016 
July 31, 2018 

July 8, 2019

July 23, 2020

July 26, 2021

July 22, 2022

July 27, 2023 

July 30, 2024 

So, what does this pattern of dates mean?  Not much, perhaps. But it is a way to track the weather - and nature.

As I blogged in 2022:

We all are called by Nature in some way.  The trees know when to drop their leaves and sprout new leaves in spring.  The migrating birds of our area know (although climate change is messing up these signals, sadly, especially in spring) when to leave for their true homes..

Now, I hear the call of the crickets.  It may make me sad to know summer is fleeting, but it's all the more reason to live each day in the moment.

Maybe I'll even be able to take a cricket picture one day. For now, chair shadows will have to do. 

Joining Lisa at This and That:  A Blog (note the change of venue) for her #ShadowshotSunday. 

Ideal Skies #SkywatchFriday

Pictures taken July 10 in the vicinity of a former hospital that was called Ideal hospital.  The campus lives on as a nursing home and senior apartments. 

Clouds within clouds.

Part of one of the buildings.  

March of the clouds.  Right now, clouds are welcome as we encounter another heat wave.

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday. 

 

The 1901 Train Wreck #WordlessWednesday

 Rocker Ozzy Osbourne passed away yesterday, as we continue to lose the musicians of our younger years.

His song "Crazy Train" reminded me of this historical marker on the Vestal Rail Trail, where my spouse and I spent many hours walking for exercise. 

Not a Crazy Train but a Tragic Train Wreck (taken in 2018)

We've passed this marker many times, one that tells the story of a 1901 train wreck that took place here on Saturday, June 8, 1901 around 9:45 pm. 

Here is the Ozzy Osbourne song, which is not about this train wreck. 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

(I'll feature a tribute to Ozzy next Monday on my Music Moves Me post). 

Connie Francis RIP #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday, and it's time, once again, 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.)   We have occasional theme weeks, but you are welcome to ignore the theme and use music of your chice.  Why not join us?  You don't have to sing, or play an instrument.  All music lovers are welcome.

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.

This week's theme is "You Pick", and, once again, it is time to induct a great into Rock and Roll Heaven.  Today's inductee is a woman who had become so popular in the past year or so, thanks to Tik Tok, that she was thinking of coming out of retirement.  Alas, it was not to be.

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, better known to us as Connie Francis, entered Rock and Roll Heaven on July 17.  She was 87 and this multi-hit artist and actor became the first female artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  She sang in nine languages, and was fluent in at least four (English, Spanish, Yiddish, and Italian).  Yet, she never made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Francis endured many tragedies in life.  The following video (no music) needs a trigger alert for its content in various categories, but is well worth listening to.

Later in life, partially due to her personal and family tragedies, Francis became an advocate for mental health and survivors of violent crimes. 

Here's the song that brought a new generation to her.  Pretty Little Baby is a song from 1923 that Connie originally covered in 1960. 

 Where the Boys Are.

Here's an example of her singing in Italian. You can chose to hear Al Di La in either English or Italian. 

A 1958 performance of Who's Sorry Now. 

Finally, a song co-written by Neil Sedaka and later recorded by him - Stupid Cupid.

And that's another sad wrap.

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me. 

Saturday Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Taken yesterday. 

Street shadow.

Front yard flowers.

Along the house. 

Yellow daylily.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

Through the Tree Sunset #SkywatchFriday

The other day, our local power company came by to trim trees that were growing too close to power lines.  They are only concerned with cutting away offending branches, and their trim jobs are rarely, shall we say, pretty.  But at least it's on their dime (which, really, is our dime, but whatever).

Earlier this week, after the job was done, I saw a beautiful sunset in progress.  I knew I didn't have enough time to go to my local lookout spot, so I took pictures through the tree. 

I've seen too few sunsets recently.

I did like the view, though.

I need to take time out to watch more sunsets.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.

Why Buy Art? #WordlessWednesday

 Seen at the Colorscape Chenango Arts festival in Norwich, New York last September.

"Buy some art to stare at in case your phone breaks".

Colorscape (which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this September) takes place each year on the weekend after Labor Day.  It's free, and it's fun.

And you really shouldn't be staring at your phone. 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2025 and Wordless Wednesday

Is it already the 15th of July?  This year is rushing by and I just want to yell "stop! stop!".  It seems like fall will arrive in the next two or three days and, as much as I don't like the heat where I live in the Southern Tier, zone 6a, I like winter even less.  

And why is my Wordless Wednesday post on Tuesday?  

It's because today is the 15th day of the month, and it's time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, brought to us by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.  On the 15th of the month we show what is blooming in our yards or homes.  And, my time is limited this week (meaning also that I may not get to your blogs right away, and I apologize).  So I can't do both a Tuesday and a Wednesday post.

But please stop for a minute, breathe deep, and admire Nature's beauty below. 

July, in my front and side yards, mean day lilies, and I have so many I can't even show you all of them. So first, some of my other flowers. 

Yellow loosestrife, which is trying to take my yard over.  A lot of this will have to be ripped out, alas.  Time and other priorities have made that impossible as of right now.

Sweet peas, which reseeded all over the flower bed.  These are also, shall we say, vigerous. 

Same for these cranebill geraniums.  Is there a pattern developing here?  

Bee balm.

Hosta.  I also have white blooming ones, but I didn't get around to taking their pictures. 

Onto the day lilies.  The names are buried in the mists of time (and, probably, my blog, but I don't have time to look.  And I have lots more but I don't want to overwhelm this blog.  Right now I don't have software for a collage.

I've had this one for many years.

My tallest one.

Possibly the one I've had the longest - possibly more than 20 years.

I love ruffled day lilies.

My one spider day lily.

Last, but not least. 

 

Besides Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (go to Carol's blog, link above, to see what others are posting) I am joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

 

Sailing #MusicMovesMe

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, and this is one of those weeks. Today, our theme is "The Bikini debited in 1948 this month.  Let's celebrate the occasion with song picks about swimwear and/or water fun."

I've traveled to cities and towns in the Finger Lakes region of New York State a number of times, and when I see the sailboats in various of the Finger Lakes, I think "I wonder how I would like being on one."  I'm prone to seasickness, but still, there is  just something about a sailboat that seems so fun and so peaceful.

Or perhaps it's about the dream of getting on a boat and just escaping all your responsibilities. 

So today, I am going to make my theme sailing or songs that have the word "sail" or "sailing" in them.  Maybe I'm deviating from the theme today but it's what moves me. 

First up - Enya and her 1988 earworm "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)". 

Styx and their 1977 hit "Come Sail Away"  True, this song is not about sailing, but space travel, but it has the word "sail" in it. 

We can't neglect Christopher Cross and "Sailing" from 1980.  

Or Crosby, Stills and Nash and "Southern Cross". 

Finally, a song more about surviving life's storms, here are the Beach Boys and Sail On Sailor" 

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.  I hope it moves you, too. 

Lawnmower Nonpersistance of Memory #ShadowshotSunday

I have a battery powered electric lawnmower for my small lawn.  It's nice, but it's also a pain.

There are two battery compartments.  One is for the battery in use, and the other is a place for a spare in case the battery in use dies while you are mowing. 

For some reason, I find it difficult to install the batteries and I can never seem to remember how to place them.

So I ended up taking a couple of pictures.  

 The next time, I'll have photos of how to place them.  

And, as a bonus, both pictures have shadows.  So now I have them on my blog, too.

Just in case. 

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for #ShadowshotSunday.

Tranquility #SkywatchFriday

Today, a little variety pack of recent skies.

The first two pictures were taken July 8. 

On top of an area hill.

These look so peaceful, but there's a story in that sky.

These last two pictures were taken about four hours before a destructive storm hit our area on July 3.  Many think we had a tornado but the weather service has determined it was a microburst.  Trees down everwhere, lots of hail damage, many people without power for a day or so.  I know someone whose car was totalled and another person who suffered a lot of damage to her home. They mentioned our area briefly on the national news that night.

I know what happened was minor compared to what has happened in several communities since, and I, myself was fortunate - only minor damage for us.

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday. 

Blueberry Pie Oreo Yea or Nay? #WordlessWednesday

It's been a while since I've done a Yea or Nay on my blog for interesting flavors of Oreo cookies. 

This has been brought back by popular demand, although I don't even remember them.  I loved Oreos as a child.  I rarely buy Oreos anymore, but these intrigued me.  Not enough to buy them (still hurting from my dental work last week) but I love blueberry pie.

So, all you have to do is vote:  Yea or nay. Although feel welcome to say more if you are moved to.

Here are a couple of other Oreo posts:

Fireworks Oreos 

Peeps Oreos 

Joining up with Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

 

Capital Fourth Favorites #MusicMovesMe

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, and this is one of those weeks. Today, our theme is "You Pick".  But first:

I had mentioned needing dental work in an earlier post.  Last week, my dentist extracted what was left of a molar, one that had a root canal and crown years ago.  A couple of Fridays ago, the crown had come off while I was flossing.  The tooth also broke and the dentist took out what was remaining, which turned out to be a little complicated.  He also needed to do a bone graft.

 

At the end of next week I get the sutures out and then I will have the fun decision of getting either a bridge or an implant.  

 

So, in honor of my dental issues, here's Weird Al Yankovic and Cavity Search.  I can't believe this song, released in 1996, is almost thirty years old.

 

Meanwhile, on July 4, our PBS network celebrated the 45th anniversary of their coverage of A Capital Fourth, the musical/fireworks celebration on the National Mall in Washington, DC.  Some of my favorite groups/singers have performed, and I thought I would share some of my favorite songs of theirs.  The Temptations video is not from A Capital Fourth but the others are.

 

The Temptations, with their 1972 hit Papa Was A Rolling Stone, starts my set.  I'm posting the full version, all 11 plus minutes of it, way too long for a Capital Fourth.   If you don't have the time, please just listen to the musical introduction, which is about three minutes thirty seconds long.  You won't be sorry.

 

The Beach Boys performing a medley of their hits with Jimmy Buffet and John Stamos, from the 2018 Capital Fourth. 

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, at the 2014 Capital Fourth. (There are several songs here:  Grease, Can't Take My Eyes off of You, Let's Hang On).

 

Finally, it's an abridged version, but a tradition at a Capital Fourth is the War of 1812 Overture.  You might think:  what does an 1880 musical piece composed by a Russian to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon by the Russians in the war of 1812.  Well, as they like to say, it's complicated. (note, this link has some political commentary but most of it isn't). What I like about this is that it's a full choral version of the last four or so minutes complete with cannons - and fireworks!   It's a wonderful way to conclude today's post.

So that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me. 

 

 

 

 

Daylily Display in the Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

My shadow pictures today are more day lilies blooming in my yard taken yesterday and the day before.

I love daylilies.  I wish I had a larger yard (and a bigger budget).

Some of the names are on my blog from when I bought these but I am too lazy to look.

Almost all of these were purchased from a daylily grower in rural Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

This is one of my favorites.

This spider is, too.

I hope these pictures brighten your day.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for her #ShadowshotSunday.
 

Late June Sky Colors #SkywatchFriday

It is Independence Day where I live in the Southern Tier of New York State.  Tonight, many in our country will be looking towards the sky at fireworks shows.

We had ours though, yesterday afternoon, when a severe thunderstorm came through our area, downing trees, raining hail down on us, and disabling landline 911 (emergency) services. The building our year round farmer's market is located in was damaged and there will be no farmer's market Saturday.  Many county facilities and parks are closed until further notice.

We were fortunate; our power never went out and the pieces of tree branches that fell on my property were small.

I wasn't about to go out in that storm and take pictures, so these are from last week. 

The sky has its own colors, especially at sunrise and sunset.

For example, last week I was too late for the sunset, but not for the after show.

After sunset, the sky started its own show.

The trees learnt their own color.

 

Happy Independence Day to my readers living in the United States.

 

P.S. I had mentioned needing dental work in an earlier post.  Two days ago, my dentist extracted what was left of a molar, one that had a root canal and crown years ago.  Friday before last, the crown had come off while I was flossing.  The tooth underneath the crown had already broken in half (which I had never felt because of the root canal) and the dentist took out what was remaining.  He also needed to do a bone graft yesterday partially due to the complication.  In two weeks, I get the suctures out and then I will have the fun decision of either getting a bridge or an implant.  But again, it could have been worse.

 

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.