Hot Summer Music And Another Induction #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

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 of Curious 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. 

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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. 

Still More Day Lilies and their Shadows #ShadowshotSunday

Here are some day lilies in my garden for your Sunday enjoyment. 

This was taken July 14.  This photo is actually on its side because I liked how the shadow looked.

The next three were taken July 8.

Joining Lisa at This and That: A Blog for #ShadowshotSunday. 

Here We Go Again #SkywatchFriday

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.

I hope we can return to this kind of sky soon. 

Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday. 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2026 #WordlessWednesday

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.

Linking up with Carol at May Deam Gardens for her #GardenBloggersBloomDay

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

A Total Eclipse of My Heart #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

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 of Curious 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.

Silver Spotted Skipper #ShadowshotSunday

My bee balm plant is in full bloom.

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.  

Joining Lisa at This and That:  A Blog for her #ShadowshotSunday. 

 

Saturday In The Park #SkywatchFriday

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.

 It was a nice Saturday In the Park.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers for #SkywatchFriday. 

A New Mural #WordlessWednesday

A new mural was created next to a favorite Southern Tier ice cream shop this past month.

Closeup.

This mural was completed in June by a local art studio.  These pictures were taken on June 30.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday. 

Space Music #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

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 of Curious 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. 

Day Lily Season Begins

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.  

250 Years of Freedom #ShadowshotSunday

Today, the United States celebrates its 250th birthday. And I will post my picture for #ShadowshotSunday early, at the end of this post.

Today is our Independence Day, the day the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia and formalized the name "The United States of America".

Since then, we've adopted patriotic symbols. 

There's our flag, for example.  

There's this beautiful building near Maine, New York (taken several years ago). 

And parades celebrating our birthday, such as this one in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on July 4, 2023. 

I've been fortunate enough to be around for both the 200th and 250th birthdays. 

For the 200th, my spouse was in the military.  We were stationed at a base in Texas, where there were festivities. Now, we are in our 70's, and we are going to have (we hope!) a quiet day, watching nationwide festivities on television.  For me, it will be a day of gratitude and reflection.

My grandparents came here to escape persecution and to find a better life.  If they hadn't, they may well have been civilian casualties of World War II. So, in a way, I owe my very life to this country. 

I have been fortunate enough to have set foot in 46 states, missing only North Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana and Hawaii.  I've lived in New York, Florida, Iowa, Texas, Kansas, and Arkansas. I have visited 18 National Parks out of 63 (My spouse, 17). We've seen the Liberty Bell and Mt. Rushmore.  We've been to several Revolutionary War sites (Battles of Camden, South Carolina and Kings Mountain, South Carolina. Saratoga, New York.  Green-Wood cemetery in Brooklyn (New York City), part of which is on the Battle of Brooklyn battleground.) and Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (before the age of digital photography).

These life experiences taught me how beautiful this United States is.  

Yes, our country's history has stains.  Many of them.  Slavery, including the fact that some of our Founding Fathers held enslaved peoples. Jim Crow.  Our shameful treatment of Indigenous people. The internment of some 120,000 people of Japanese descent (most of whom were American citizens) in camps within the United States. Medical experiments, including the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Various race riots. Deletion of condemnation of the slave trade from the Declaration of Independence between July 3 and 4, 1776, because some delegates would not vote for its adoption without deletion of that passage.

We must teach what happened in our history in schools, both the good and the bad.   But there is so much good to be taught about our country, too.  We enjoy freedoms that so many other people do not enjoy.

Our country is not just the beauty of its landscapes.  Truly, we are a nation built by immigrants.  In my 21 years of living in New York City, I was in nearly daily contact with immigrants from all over the world.  Diversity of cultures was the norm.  It still is.

So, happy birthday to the United States of America.  And, as we enjoy today, please remember the men and women who gave their lives so that we might enjoy those freedoms.

Finally:

For Shadowshot Sunday, hosted by Lisa at This and That:  A Blog, I offer this artwork found in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in early July, 2023.  Only in America can you find art like this.

Tomorrow, day lilies. 

Before the Heat #SkywatchFriday

We are in the midst of a heatwave where I live in the Southern Tier of New York.  We unofficially hit 100F (37.7C) yesterday (see below), with a heat index of 110F (43.3C). Ditto for July 1 and our heat index that time was 113F (45C). The last time we officially hit 100 degrees was August 26, 1948.  

So, I am not out there taking pictures.  But I was out there on June 24, enjoying a walk in the park.

I already long for those days.

Afternoon of July 2

Joining Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.

Tomorrow (my country's 250th birthday) it is supposed to be cooler but with a chance of rain.  For us, I think it's going to be quiet, but I don't mind.  I hope that all my American readers have a fantastic 4th of July.
 

Flowers of the First Day of Summer #WordlessWednesday

To my Canadian readers a few hours from me, Happy Canada Day.  On July 1, 1867, the Constitution Act of 1867 took effect, creating the Dominion of Canada.   

On July 4, my country celebrates its 250th birthday. 

 I can't believe it's already July!  It's hot, too. I want to go back to some cooler times.  How about the first day of summer June 21 (for us in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway).

What was blooming on the first day of summer?

 My earliest day lilies, that's what!

The names are long forgotten but day lily season has just begun. 

This is one of two fuchsia plants I purchased from Select Seeds.   It's a variety called Pink Galore and I am loving those pink blooms.

Honoring Canada Day.

 Honoring our Independence Day coming on Saturday.

Times are tough, but I hope the friendship between our two nations can endure.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.