Welcome! I hope I bring a spot of calm and happiness into these uncertain times. I blog about my photography adventures, flowers, gardening, the importance of chocolate in a well lived life, or anything else on my mind.
On Wednesday, our area got a lot of rain. We broke a rainfall record where I live in the Southern Tier of New York, but it was nothing compared to the Hudson Valley of New York. Our state capitol, Albany, received almost seven inches (17.78 cm) of rain, in two days, and many roads and areas were flooded.
Meanwhile, yesterday, we had intermittent rain showers.
It was interesting, if you faced different directions, the sky looked so different.
This was so much like a winter sky - this is a color picture, not B&W.
It's Monday and it's time for music! I also apologize for the assortment of font sizes. I don't know why this is happening but, not knowing html, I can't seem to fix it. Anyway...
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? 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! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "You Pick". So, sadly, it is time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven. Today we celebrate jazz musician Plas Johnson, who passed away July 15 at the age of 94, six days before his 95th birthday. This talented musician played flute, clarinet , tuba, and saxophone. He started out, as a youngster, singing with his father's family music group and, when given a soprano saxophone as a gift from his father (a professional saxophone player) taught himself to play it.
He was perhaps known for his sax sol in 1963's Pink Panther Theme. He performed on several other movie soundtracks and a number of rock songs (some of which I feature below).
Johnson was a session musician for over 20 years. Here are some of the songs you can hear him on.
Help Me Rhonda - Beach Boys, from 1963, with Johnson on tenor saxophone. 1966's Wouldn't It Be Nice - Beach Boys, from the iconic album Pet Sounds. Johnson also played tenor sax here.
The Platters - The Great Pretender, 1955, with Johnson on tenor sax. Lowdown - Boz Scaggs from 1976. Johnson on tenor sax and contributed to the horn section. Aja - Steely Dan from 1977, with Johnson on flute and tenor sax.
And that's a wrap! But first a bonus track: The Pink Panther Theme. Note, you will have to go to You Tube (following link within the video) to play this.
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
It's been a while since I've posted puddle pictures, maybe because it's been a while since I've seen a puddle.
But these aren't just any puddles.
Last week, we, along with a lot of the United States, were dealing with bad air from wildfires. But help was on the way July 18, in the form of a powerful cold front that brought rain, wind, and a possible F1 tornado to our area. My neighborhood wasn't that impacted (except for small branches down) and s we were a lot more fortunate than many. So, here are two puddles, one rain apart.
After rain number one, during which the bad air was still greatly impacting us, I was mystified to see a puddle with strange white bubbles. Here is a picture. You can barely see the sky, over to the left, as it is still so clogged with the bad air.
What is that white stuff? Its residues from the wildfire smoke, brought down by the rain. When the rainwater hits the ground (so I've read), the water combines with oil from the road, breaking surface tension and resulting in that white stuff.
After the second rainfall, with better air behind it, I went out and took this picture. Finally, we could see clouds again.
So much better!
I don't think I've ever had a puddle before and after.
Joining Yogi and other skywatchers today for #SkywatchFriday. You'll note the URL for the linkup is different - Yogi had to use a different website and hopefully, the linky will work.
Ghost signs (signs of long ago businesses no longer in business that were painted on the sides of buildings back in the day) have always fascinated me.
Here is one of them, on the edge of the Court Street historic district of Binghamton, New York. The district consists of some 87 buildings, most of which were commercial buildings built between 1840 and 1939.
It's sad to see history fade away like this. I can't make out enough of this building to know what business it was advertising. I know there is another ghost sign not far from this building, which is in much better condition. Strangely, I didn't remember seeing this one until I saw it in late June of 2026.
I wonder if that sign has something to do with storage. Perhaps I'll never know.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? 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! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "In ancient
times, “Dog Days of Summer” was connected with bad luck, mad dog
attacks, unexpected thunderstorms, heat, and drought. These days gained
the “Dog Days” name because they are connected with a star in the Canis
Major (Greater Dog) star system known as Sirius. Nowadays, “Dog Days of
Summer” is associated for summer’s long hot days. Based on these
interesting tidbits use your imagination to find music that’ll make us
howl on the dance floor!"
Summer always makes me think of several songs dating back from my New York City Childhood. I've had them on my blog before but I hope you enjoy them as reruns. But before I do, it's time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven.
Freddie "Boom Boom? Cannon died July 17 at the age of 89.
I best knew him for his 1962 hit Palisades Park. Palisades Amusement Park was a now-closed amusement park in New Jersey, which I went to several times growing up in New York City. They were famous for a huge salt water pool and their musical entertainment, which included famous Big Bands, and, in the rock era, the Four Seasons, Bill Haley & the Comets, the Jackson Five, Diana Ross & the Supremes and yes, Freddie Cannon . The property is now occupied by high-rise condominiums but New Yorkers of my age fondly remember it.
Nothing says "summer" like amusement parks for many people.
N
His first hit was Tallahassee Lassie".
And now, to our theme.
Summer in the City - a 1966 hit for The Lovin' Spoonful.
Dancing in the Street - a 1964 hit for Martha and the Vandellas.
Two more, from the 1970s:
Hot Summer Nights - Walter Egan, best known here for his 1978 hit Magnet and Steel.
I almost didn't include this, as I'll bet others include it, but here's a song from the movie Grease, Summer Nights, sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This was a big hit in the summer of 1978.
Tell me more? No, I'm fresh out of words.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Like so much of the United States, our skies for the last two days have been blanketed by wildfire smoke.
I missed photographing the sunrises and sunsets. Wednesday, especially, I didn't even want to go out there. The sky looked yellow (at least it didn't look red) and it smelled like a campfire. Someone told me the Thursday sunrise was nice and red. I was sleeping at the time.
Thursday, around 8pm, I took this picture. I'm thankful that it wasn't bright orange like it was for so many people in the Northeast.
It's another two memes for the price of one day - Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Wordless Wednesday.
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day has been a years old meme. hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. On the 15th of each month, flower gardeners from all over the world take pictures of what is blooming in their yard and/or houses. Carol is retiring from this meme the end of the year, so this is the last July installment.
In my zone 6a Southern Tier of New York, it's hot and dry. Today, we are also enduring a bonus - wildfire smoke. I feel for all those affected. Fire is a terrible thing. So most of these blooms are from yesterday.
My astilbe didn't make it until today, alas. And, I also have a confession. In the last two years, my flower gardens have been neglected (long personal story why) and are a bit out of control. I'm going to have to pay someone to help me get it into shape, but not this hot week.
Much of the blooming in my gardens is from the humble daylily, and I'll be sharing some of my daylily collection in a minute. But first, some non-daylily blooms.
Bee balm, leaves wilted but the flowers still beckoning bees.
Yellow million bells.
Yellow loosestrife. Lesson learned from this plant: when buying a plant from the local extension service plant sale and they warn you, "this is aggressive", believe them, no matter how pretty the plant is. I started from one plant. I don't want to count what I have now.
Ditto for these perennial sweet peas, which we grew from seed, and now wish we hadn't.
One of several hosts.
Now the daylilies
This is my oldest daylily.
I bought this at the same time, I think. It was from a mail order nursery.
Thankfully, these beauties don't mind heat or little water.
These are my tallest dallies, and good thing, as they are competing with other plants.
I'm going to call it quits now, because I'd like to visit some of you, so have a Happy Wednesday filled with joy.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? 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! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "You Pick" .
It's my sad duty to conduct another set of inductions into Rock and Roll Heaven.
Bonnie Tyler, Welsh musician, passed away July 8 after having been in a medically induced coma after emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal back on May 6. She was expected to recover but it was not to be. Tyler had a long musical career, including three Grammy Award nominations.
These are the three songs I know from her.
1983's power anthem Total Eclipse of the Heart was Tyler's biggest hit in the United States and I have to admit, as a total eclipse of the sun watcher (three successfully, one unsuccessfully) that this song has been played to death in connection with eclipse coverage. As for me, I never tire of it.
1984's Holding Out for a Hero, from the Footloose movie soundtrack, subsequently was covered in at least two other movies, Shrek 2 and The Super Mario Bros. movie.
Finally from 1978, It's a Heartache, was subsequently covered by Rod Stewart. For this tribute, though, I am using Tyler's original.
My next induction is for someone who died way too young. Lauren Bennett, singer most famous for being included in Party Rock Anthem, died May 29 at the age of 36, but her passing was just recently announced. Sadly, she had suffered from mental health issues and her father claims she never got the proper help. She leaves a six year old daughter.
I loved Party Rock Anthem. Years ago I took water Zumba classes and nearly every session, we danced to this song. Here is LMFAO, feat. Lauren Bennett.
Finally, Paul Wheatbread, the original drummer for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, died July 6 at the age of 80. Causes of death were Alzheimer's and complications of kidney failure. Here is their hit "Over You" from 1968.
So many heartaches recently, as the rock musicians of my youth and young adulthood pass away.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
On July 8 I saw a lovely butterfly on it. I followed it around as it went from flower to flower.
Thank you for visiting!
I think this is the first time I've ever seen one of these butterflies. Or are they butterflies? I looked them up and, at least at the present time, the skipper family is considered a type of butterfly.
On July 4, my country (the United States) turned 250 and my spouse and I decided to have a quiet day.
We didn't go to any live fireworks shows. We sat back, watched TV, had a simple dinner, and watched the sky.
Except for the last photo, these were all taken during a walk at a local park.
I went out again about 9:10 pm.
A bit surprisingly, we didn't have as many unofficial (as I call them) neighborhood fireworks shows., but the vanishing light after the sun sent down created layers of beauty.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? 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! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "Around the
globe early July, World UFO Day is observed. Prompts this week you might
consider is anything space related – stars, aliens, spaceships, galaxy,
…. Get out of this world wild while having loads of fun discovering
music to share!
Let's start with the original Star Trek series, that first aired in 1966 and was on for three seasons. My childhood was filled with the United States space program, even watching manned launches on television. I was reading science fiction by the time I was 10. I was more than ready for Star Trek .
Theme song to the original Star Trek series, 1968 version.
Theme to the Star Wars movies. I saw the first movie with my spouse and a friend in a theater in 1977.
Next, here is a song actually sung in space: David Bowie's Space Oddity, covered by Canadian astronaut and International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield in 2013. OK, he's not David Bowie, but this video is a must-see.
Major Tom (Coming Home), a 1983 sort-of sequel, from Peter Schilling (English version). I never realized until reaching another music post that this was originally released in West Germany in 1982 as "Major Tom (völlig losgelöst), which means "fully detached".
Europe - The Final Countdown, from 1986.
Under the Milky Way - The Church, from 1988. Not about space, but I don't care.
Finally, from 1977, Come Sail Away-Styx, a song that takes a sudden science-fiction-y turn towards the end when we realize it's a first contact song.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Here is a collection of my day lilies, taken July 1 through 4. Their names, of course, are lost to history as I am terrible at recording gardening facts.
Most of these pictures were taken during a heat wave, but day lilies just soldier on.
This is a reblooming day lily.
Pink and yellow.
Another orange.
Finally, a large yellow.
These aren't all of them. Several have shadows on them (like my lovely spider day lily) and I may post them next Sunday for Shadowshot Sunday.
