Feathers #WordlessWednesday

Feathers on a lawn.

What story do they tell?

Were they just shed there as part of molting?

Or was a bird attacked?  Did he or her escape?

We may never know the story.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday 

The Mathematics of Satire #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 "You Pick".  

My pick is another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven, although I don't think you could consider this man a rocker.  He was a favorite of those who enjoyed intelligent satire, whether or not you agreed with him.

Tom Lehrer, who died at the age of 97 on July 26, was a mathematician, songwriter, satirist, and possibly a researcher at Los Alamos. 

Warning in advance:  a number of his songs are not what you might call Politically Correct.  

This video has two of his songs:  National Brotherhood Week and When You Are are Old and Grey.  The latter song was written when he was 21. I wonder what he thought about it when he entered his 90s. 

An older Tom Lehrer, in 1998, performing Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.  

 In the 1960's, Lehrer appeared on the satirical TV Show That Was the Week That Was, which I listened to with my parents.  Subsequently, he appeared on a comedy show called The Frost Report.  This is a song called Decimals (I did mention he was a mathematician, didn't I?) 

New Math. Can you identify, even years later?  (Note, you'll have to watch this directly on You Tube).

Lehrer also wrote songs for the educational children's TV program, The Electric Company.  Here is Silent E.

Many of us (including me) were introduced to Lehrer through the Dr. Demento [Barry Hansen] show, which featured novelty and comedic songs for many years until Hansen's retirement this past June.

In 2020, Lehrer released all his works into the public domain, so we can all enjoy them.  He will be missed.

Rest in Peace, Tom.

And that's a wrap.

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

 

Bee Balm and Bee #ShadowshotSunday

From mid-July:  my bee balm plant, complete with bees.

Hard to see here.

A better view.

We have so many fewer bees than in fewer years.  I hope this last, beeless picture isn't our future.

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

Late July Puddles and a Rabbit #SkywatchFriday

Our July seemed to be like a see-saw:  heat wave, rain.  Heat wave, rain.  Heat wave, lots of rain.

These photos were taken July 25th

A tiny slice of sky and lots of leaves.

The sky.  The white dots are some kind of foam.

One more sky and clouds.

And since it's August 1, I'll join the tradition of saying rabbit/rabbit/rabbit. 

May all my readers have good luck this month.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers for #SkywatchFriday.
 

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.