A Virtual Bouquet of Roses #WordlessWednesday

It's time for another Wordless Wednesday, and today, my topic is roses.

These pictures were taken Saturday at Cutler Botanic Gardens in Binghamton, New York.  For us, these are early roses.

Harison's Yellow Rose, an heirloom from a New York City garden circa 1824, it seems to have gone out west with settlers "and is still found in old homesteads along the Oregon Trail".  Fascinating story.

 

Frau Dagmar Hastrup (which my auto correct somehow turned into "Frau Dagmar Hardtop").

Last but not least:  Sarah Van Fleet, from the 1920's.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for #WordlessWednesday

The Fickle Finger of Fate

I try very hard not to be grim on my blog, but it's been hot, and I am just a little bit sad this morning.  So, once again, this isn't the post I meant to write.

It just seems, nowadays, that it doesn't take much to put people on edge. It's sad - and deadly. We all ask ourselves "why?"

Something happened yesterday that reminded me how precious life is.

Yesterday, I found out that a man who has brought joy to many people in this area has a rare, incurable brain disorder.  He was only recently diagnosed, and is declining rapidly.  It's a cruel way to die.

It's hard to take in, after all that has happened in the past year.   It just seems cruel.  Let me amend that.  It is cruel.  He's only in his late 50's. Did I mention that it's cruel?

If you go to the picture at the bottom of this post, he's the lead guitarist of the band (Monkeys Typing).

Friends are requesting short videos or short "I'm thinking of you" emails while he is still lucid.  So, here I am trying to think of what to say.  Maybe just "thank you".  I didn't know him personally but was a fan of the band.

Jeff (his real name) was a business owner here in Binghamton for some 22 years, and he struggled mightly to keep his cybercafe (remember them?) open.  Many times, he thought it wasn't worth it but he stuck it out, to the joy of many college students and others.  Eventually, the band Monkeys Typing disbanded, too. 

It's the fickle finger of fate that has touched Jeff, and one day it will come for you and me. 

If you've stuck with me this long, I'd like to reward you, my valued readers, with a flower picture.

Please take a moment, although you never knew him, to think of Jeff.

THANK YOU!

Happy Birthday #MusicMovesMe

Happy birthday, Xmas Dolly!

We are going to celebrate today with Music.

Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only , please!)   First, there is XmasDolly, who has a brand new blogging home. Her co-hosts are: Stacy of Stacy Uncorked, Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, and me. Each month we have a guest conductor. This month we welcome none other than Xmas Dolly, who will be setting the themes for the month of June.

Xmas Dolly has chosen as her theme (drum roll): songs to celebrate her upcoming birthday yesterday!  Hint-Hint… her favorite song ever is Frankie Vali’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You”.  

So our challenge is-an appropriate play list.

Now, as many of us know, Frankie Vali fronted a group called The Four Seasons.  What if I start with them?

How about Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons?  This is a new song to me, but I liked it.  Hope you will, too.

I loved Neil Sedaka growing up, and although you aren't Sweet Sixteen, here is Neil and "Happy Birthday Sweet 16"

I love Weird Al Yankovic and he wants to wish you a happy birthday. 

Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson want to wish you a happy birthday, too, with this cover of "Happy Birthday Baby".

I know you like movies, so how about this Happy Birthday clip from 1938?

I am going to end today's post with one of my many favorite Frankie Valli songs - the theme from the movie "Grease".

So, one more time, happy birthday, Xmas Dolly!

 

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week, same time, same place, for more music!

How Many More Anniversaries?

Memories of World War II were still recent when I was young.  I played with plastic toy soldiers of World War II.  I watched reruns of Hollywood movies on the local New York City TV Channels - everything from Guadalcanal Diary to Twelve O'clock High to Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.

As an adult, I made the acquaintance of more movies - Casablanca, The Best Years of Our Lives,and even the German Das Boot made long after the war was over.

On June 6, 1944, over 160,000 Allied troops landed on a 50 mile stretch of French beaches at Normandy to begin one of the greatest invasions of all time.

There are many stories written by survivors of World War II.  Possibly few of those stories would ever have been written if not for D-Day. On that day, some 160,000 Allied soldiers stormed beaches on the coastline of France.  Although some 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded on that day, others began the march across Europe to liberate the people.  Today is the 77th anniversary of that landing.

Now, the surviving soldiers of World War II are elderly, and dying.  We lost many survivors last year during the COVID epidemic.

Many of the remains of the combat dead remained in France, where one of my cousin's spouses (of part French ancestry) makes a point of visiting cemeteries to honor them.  These are memorials to American dead but there are other graves and memorials for British, Canadian, Australian, French, Greek, citizens of New Zealand, Norwegian, Polish and others who gave their lives that day.

Some of my relatives have been to those cemeteries.  I have never been to Europe but I intend to visit these, too, if and when I go.

Women?  American women worked in various war factories back home, and we need to remember them.  My spouse's 107 year old aunt, who died in 2019, was one of them.  My late mother was another.

In my lifetime, the last Civil War veteran died (1956), the last Spanish-American War vet (1993), the last World War I veteran (2012) passed away. (Note, there are some veteran claims that are disputed - these dates seem to be the most reliable).   If I live long enough, I will see the last member of the Greatest Generation pass from our Earth.

That makes me sad.  

On what anniversary of D-Day will there be no more of the Greatest Generation left to remember?

We, the succeeding generations, have that burden now.

Even More Rhododendrons

Today is hot for us here in the Southern Tier of New York - it's supposed to hit near 90 degrees F (32.2 C). Maybe not hot for my southern readers, but it is for us.

After a trip to the supermarket, and then the farmer's market (took no pictures) and buying my (maybe) last annual of the season, we did some flower viewing and took a short walk on a tree lined street in Binghamton, New York.  It has a lot of beautiful linden trees and the fragrant (but small) flowers are just starting to open up.

So a short post today. Next, I have to do my houseplant watering, and then - maybe be lazy the rest of the day.

I had some leftover rhodie pictures from yesterday's post, so here are some more for your enjoyment.  After all, we can't have too many flowers.

Rhododendrons at Cornell Gardens, Ithaca.

A Rosebud azalea, also at Cornell.

A Mollis azalea (I think). I'm sure one of my readers will tell me if it's not.

Let's get a little more traditional.  This one is mine and came with our house (it's well over 30 years old). It's languishing and has been the past several years although it seems to be getting better with some TLC. 

Last, but not least, another traditional rhodie color.  In years past, this would have been loaded with bees.  Each year there are fewer and fewer.  So far, I haven't seen one on my rhodies.  It's concerning.

This hot weather will be pleasant for some of my bloomers and perhaps deadly for others, but others have it hotter, and I'm not going to complain.

Have a great weekend!

Rhodies and Skies #SkywatchFriday

Ithaca, New York on a beautiful spring day. These pictures (mostly) were taken at the Cornell Gardens (formerly the Cornell Plantation) on the Cornell University campus.

There's a wonderful collection of rhododendrons in their gardens and the best part is, it's free.  The skies were wonderful, too.

There are lots of trees, especially conifers, and lots of hostas, but the sky is what drew a lot of my attention.

It was so clear and blue.

I wish I could stay in that day forever.

But it's almost time to go.

On the way out, still on the Cornell campus, I took one last shot of the sky, with the Cornell Clocktower in the distance. 

Happy birthday in heaven to my Mom.  I know she would have enjoyed this garden, too.

Joining up, as I do every Friday, with Yogi and other sky watchers at #SkywatchFriday

The Year of Languishing

"One Day at a Time" is not just a TV show.

Is this you?

Some days, I feel like I've been in a foxhole for the past 16 or so months, hiding from the incoming artillery exploding overhead.  The shrapnel never touched me directly, but it hit people I know or the families of people I know, killing several people, and sickening others. At least one took many months to fully recover.

I knew I was fortunate.  I didn't have to go into my office to work (unlike others I knew, who had a job impossible to do from home.)  I'm retired and working part time.  I was able to "shelter in place" and take advantage of senior hours at stores.

Now, the bombardment has stopped.  But is it for good, or just for now?

I wait, and I peek my head above ground.  Is it safe?  I have my shield (aka vaccination) in place.  Shouldn't I be out dancing in celebration and running to embrace my old life, the life that included (sometimes) having people over, working in an office, traveling, occasional eating out, visiting family in other places...all those things we took for granted once upon a time.

I've taken steps out of the foxhole.I've gone to stores I haven't been in since March of 2020. I've been to all our local libraries now and marvel at the changes they had to make. (One remodeled, and got a paint job, and has outside tables - it was amazing.) Yesterday, my spouse and I ate out for the first time - I mean an actual meal, not an ice cream cone or takeout meal.  No, a meal.  With a server waiting on us.  It was outside on a patio, but still.

After the meal (this was a brew pub that was built at our local mall during the pandemic, and it is beautiful) we went into the mall.  For the first time since February.  Just to see what it was like in there now.  

But....

Thinking of travel anywhere jangles my nerves.  It feels like I'm planning a major military campaign.  I've cancelled a day trip to a destination an hour and a half from here.  Twice.  And, at that, much of the route is familiar to me.  Or was, until last March.

Some days, it's hard to focus. I don't seem to have ambition.  I don't check in with people I know, and they aren't checking in with me, either.   It isn't depression (which I am familiar with) - I get great joy from our bird feeder, from my flowers, from perfect lighting for a picture.  

Recently, I found the word for my feelings.  It was made popular by a New York Times article, which I  read a summary of but I think this link (the NY Times is behind a paywall) says it all.

Languishing.  I am languishing.   

Was I the only one languishing?  I know now that, in the midst of the crowds of people seemingly embracing every part of "returning to normal", I'm not the only one languishing.  I'm in good company.

Knowing the name of how I feel makes me feel a lot better.  I know now to be kind to myself. My spouse is kind, too (especially every time I'm hesitant to do something).   One step at a time.  Challenge myself in small ways daily.

That's why we ate lunch out earlier this week, and then we (I was the one who suggested it!) took that walk around the mall.

OK, at least three people I know traveled on planes in the last two weeks (all domestic flights), but I'm not ready for indoor crowds.

Even someone I know who has been on long trips a couple of times admitted to me she has some of the same symptoms as I do.

We are all traumatized in some way.  We will climb out of the foxhole one day and view the light with wonder  Maybe this blog post will become part of a historical record.  I'll reread it years from now, and smile at what my future self has accomplished.

Maybe one day soon...I'll take that hour and a half trip.  It will be wonderful.

Sweet Rocket #WordlessWednesday

 One of the first wildflowers I noticed in the late spring after I moved back to New York State over 30 years ago was this one.  At that time, these flowers bloomed in early June.

Now, they bloom in mid May.

This is Dame's Rocket, also known as Sweet Rocket, or Hesperis matronalis, an invasive plant not native to the United States.  It comes in several shades of pink and purple.  Although it looks like garden phlox, it is not.

Although I have a sweet spot in my heart for this plant, it is not something that belongs in a garden.

A stand of sweet rocket in Ithaca, New York on May 31.

White closeup (taken May 23 at another location).

Pink closeup, also May 23.

Joining Sandee for her #WordlessWednesday. 

A What If Historic Website

No, the Internet isn't 100 years old and there are no websites that date from 1921, but consider this for a minute:

You may have been keeping up with the news reports and commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa, Oklahoma race riots, a tragedy where tens of Black owned businesses were destroyed, homes burned, and Black citizens killed by mobs of whites.

So the question I heard on television today was "what if those businesses still existed today?  Wouldn't they have a website, perhaps a social media page (or two, or three), and a mobile site?  Wouldn't they be engaged in e-commerce?  Why not teach disadvantaged youngsters how to code, and teach them about history at the same time?"

It's being done in Tulsa.

You may want to check this website out:  Historic Black Wall Street is an effort by an organization called the Urban Coders Guild to do just that.

The website contains a directory of various businesses that were located in the district, as imagined by the students.  They did research, including some menu items of a local cafe, and the phone numbers of the various business.  For other details, they had to use their imagination.  What would the hotel be charging now?  What would its lobby have looked like in 2021?

This website will expand over the coming months to include more student projects connected to this history that is being uncovered by the residents of Tulsa.

I don't know if other cities that experienced these kinds of riots are doing something like this, but, to me, it sounds like a wonderful idea.

What do you think?

May Birthday Selections #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and you know what day it is, right?

Yes, it's Memorial Day in the United States (see my post from this past weekend) but now it is time for music.

 Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only , please!)   First, there is XmasDolly, who has a brand new blogging home. Her co-hosts are: Stacy of Stacy Uncorked, Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, and me. Each month we have a guest conductor. This month we welcome, once more, John from The Sound of One Hand Typing.  Thank you one last time for the great themes you gave us this past May, John.

Today, John's theme is "You Pick".  

So, shall we get to the music I'm picking for today?  My first picks are late May birthdays.

On May 26, Stevie Nicks celebrated her 73rd birthday and I will celebrate with her hit "Edge of Seventeen".

May 28th marked two music birthdays.  A belated happy 76th birthday to musician John Fogerty.  We celebrate with one of my favorite songs of his:  "Centerfield".

The other birthday person from May 28th was Gladys Knight, who turned 77. Here is a hit from Gladys Knight and the Pips: "Midnight Train to Georgia".

This next song has been an earworm for me this past couple of weeks, and I hope this will finally let the worm escape from my ear (not literally, of course).  From 1982, let's listen to the Motels and  "Only the Lonely."

This song has also been on my mind recently - a 1969 hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes "Some Day We'll Be Together". 

I end today with a song out of my normal posting zone:   Seether and their 2014 song "Words as Weapons".  They sure are.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next Monday - same time, same place.

The 107 Year Old Witness

I can't imagine a 107 year old woman testifying before Congress, yet it happened recently.

History is forgotten for many reasons. May 31, 1921 and the days after marked an event that many of us in the United States didn't even know about until recent years, because the horrific event was never taught in our history classes.

It wasn't taught to me as a schoolchild, even though I grew up during the Civil Rights era.

But it is known now, as this news feature on CBS yesterday morning describes.

Known as the Greenwood Massacre, or the Tulsa Race Massacre, a flourishing black area of Tulsa, Oklahoma called Greenwood, or "Black Wall Street" for its concentration of black-owned prospering businesses, was destroyed by angry white mobs storming through the streets.  There were even rioters flying planes overhead, dropping kerosene bombs on those trying to flee.  The 100th anniversary is upon us.

It was possibly the worst racial incident in United States history.  The final death toll is still in dispute but it is possible it might be upwards of 300 innocent victims plus over 1,000 houses destroyed.

And even then, the survivors weren't safe, as they were rounded up, arrested, and held in internment camps for weeks.

As with other events of this type, the massacre was covered up.  But a seven year old girl witnessed the horrors of this event, and still lives with the trauma every day as sunset approaches.

I knew a 107 year old woman.  I blogged about her several times.  She passed away a couple of months after turning 107.  Until her last couple of years, she had a sharp memory.   She was a living link to history.

100 years is a long time for a woman to wait to get her chance to bear public witness to history. But, in this era of increasing hate and violence, as we struggle with change caused by the pandemic, it is necessary for us to listen and learn. This wasn't the only "race massacre" in our history, either, just possibly the worst.

Even as our country has so much to be proud of in our history, we must also consider times that were far from our proudest moments.  There's a saying that history does not repeat itself, but it rhymes.

Tulsa is finally confronting its past, and we can only hope some healing will come from this, and not more violence. 

100 years is a long time.

 

Memorial Day Minus One 2021

This post, first written in 2012 and updated periodically, has become a tradition on my blog.  This year, there is increased meaning in the Memorial Day holiday, as the world still struggles with COVID-19 and increased violence in several parts of the world.

Memorial Day is the holiday where we honor our war dead.  This year, it isn't just the war dead.  As of yesterday, the U.S. veteran death toll in VA facilities, per AARP, is around 12, 100.  I wonder how many World War II vets have met their end since COVID-19 hit our shores in our non VA facilities, nursing homes, and other places.
 
Memorial Day in the United States, sadly, had also evolved into a major shopping event for many people.  It missed the element of what it originally stood for.  But now, people want to get out there so badly, as they remember how things were just months ago.  But let's not forget what Memorial Day, May 30, is all about.

There are several versions of the origin of Memorial Day.  Some of the stories depend on if you were from the Federal side, or the Confederate side, of the United States Civil War (1861-1865.).  What the stories have in common is that Memorial Day, once known as Decoration Day, originated in a desire to honor the sacrifice of those who died in our Civil War.  The Library of Congress lists several stories.  Here are what are perhaps the two main origin stories:

Waterloo, New York, considers itself the birthplace of Memorial Day, and has a federally recognized Memorial Day museum.  According to this story, Henry Wells, a local druggist, suggested a holiday in the fall of 1865 to honor the sacrifice of Civil War dead.  The idea gained traction, and the first Memorial Day was held on May 5, 1866.  This year, their ceremonies have been cancelled, for the second year.  Let's hope for next year.

But there are other stories. One takes place in Mississippi, a state late a member of the Confederate States of America.  As that story goes, many of the wounded of the bloody battle of Shiloh (1862) were taken to Columbus, Mississippi.  Columbus ended up with its Friendship Cemetery full of Civil War dead of both sides.  Eventually, the Federal dead were relocated to other area cemeteries.

According to Columbus, the first Memorial Day was held on April 5, 1866, as the women of Columbus decorated the graves of both Federal and Confederate soldiers buried in Columbus.

Some states of the former Confederacy also have separate holidays, called Confederate Memorial Day, or Confederate Heroes Day.

Regardless of what the "true story" of Memorial Day is, I want to leave you with this though:
Each loss of life from COVID-19  diminishes each of us.  I will think of those veterans of wars, especially World War II, who gave up their late teenaged and early adult years to fight for our freedoms.   In 2020, many died alone, unable to have family there to ease their last moments.

Tomorrow, a different type of memorial.

Morning after The Eclipse #SkywatchFriday

I never got to see the total eclipse of the moon a couple of days ago, because I live in the Northeast United States, the moon was setting, and I wasn't in a good area to view, anywhere. 

But that morning, I woke up perhaps an hour after sunrise and this is the sight that awaited me.

I moved a few feet and got a slightly better view.

Later that day, the sky looked like this.

Finally, this was the sky yesterday afternoon, with a bonus shot of another pink horse chestnut.  I blogged about horse chestnut trees yesterday, if you are interested.

 Joining up with Yogi and other sky loving bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.

Pretty in White and Pink #ThursdayTreeLove

Our late spring flowering trees are now dropping their blooms - their time is over.  It makes me sad in a way - true spring is not that long where I live in New York State.  It seems like it is over in a snap of the fingers.

For the next few days, the weather will be cooling down here after highs near 90 F (32C) and maybe spring will slow down just a little.

Unlike some spring trees, the horse chestnuts don't flower until their leaves are grown out.  Flowers can be either whitish or pink.  

This is one of the white varieties - these can be quite majestic and grow up to 100 feet (30.5 meters) tall.

This is a pink tree I found today on an exercise walk, and there is a story related to that tree that is worth another post.

The pink flowered varieties aren't that common around here. The one large specimen I know of is in the middle of a roundabout (aka traffic circle) and no way I'm going to try to take a picture of that tree.

In the fall, the horse chestnut tree produces inedible nuts that children love to play games with.  One game, in particular, conkers, stretches back hundreds of years.  There's an entire tradition in Great Britain built around preparing and playing with your horse chestnut nut.   My spouse played a variation of this game growing up near New York City.

What a lot of history rolled into one tree.

But, what are horse chestnuts, exactly?

They are not native to our country, but rather, to the Balkins.  They were introduced into Great Britain in the 1600's.

One thing they are not is edible - in fact, the entire plant, including its nuts (in Europe, they are called "conkers") are mildly poisonous.  

The nuts are edible for horses (and deer); perhaps that is the origin of the name. Their scientific name is Aesculus (with about 15 species - I don't know which one I took a picture of but I suspect it is hippocastanum).  The trees have an interesting history.

As for conkers, my spouse, growing up near New York City, would play that game.  It was a favorite game at one time in Great Britain.

I wonder if it enjoyed a resurgence last year, and, if so, if it will keep its popularity as our isolation ends.

As the saying goes, only time will tell.  

Normally, I would link up with Parul of Happiness and Food at her #ThursdayTreeLove but COVID is still rampaging through India and I don't know if she and others will be able to join us.  If they can, I will update this page.

Please continue to think of them.

The Purple Parade #WordlessWednesday

I call this the Purple Parade - various flowers now blooming in my yard.

Purple iris.  They smell so good.

Purple iris and a basket with purple violas or johnny jump ups, I forget which.

Purple iris and petunias.

Purple pansies.  They look blueish but they are purple.

 Purple million bells.

I have more (can you tell I love purple) but this, after all, is a day to relax and let the pictures do the writing. 

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.

Manhattanhenge 2021

In May of 2019, I blogged about Manhattanhenge, the four periods of time each year (twice for the sunrise, twice for the sunset) when the sun lines up with the east-west streets of the main Manhattan (New York City) street grid.

 Who knew?  I sure didn't, in my 21 years of growing up in New York City.

I grew up in the New York City of the 1950's and 1960's.  In my school years I was fortunate enough (or unfortunate enough, however you view it) to take yearly school field trips to the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan and a play (I don't remember what the play was).  At some point I was taken to the Statue of Liberty.  My public elementary school even took our class to the World's Fair in Flushing Meadows in 1964.

One thing I never knew about, though, in all my growing years, was a phenomenon which is now called Manhattanhenge.  This celestial event was popularized by astrophysicist and educator Neil deGrasse Tyson.  Tyson, as it happens, went to the same high school as I did. (Just not at the same time!)

Tyson coined the name "Manhattanhenge" in 2002, almost 30 years after I left New York City for good.

So I never have seen Manhattanhenge.  Me, the person who delights in photographing sunrises and sunsets, has never witnessed this event.

For the sunset, the alignment it is two sunsets in late May and, again, two sunsets in mid July. One sunset of each pair is a "full Manhattanhenge" and one is a "half Manhattanhenge".  Full Manhattanhenge is May 30.  The sunrise "reverse Manhattanhenge" for 2021 has already occurred.

This year, the May event is May 29-31.  The Memorial Day weekend.

Where to stand, in case you are interested.

It also brings traffic to a standstill and crowds jostle for the best photographic angle.  Yes, I've seen those photos, too.  Of course, that didn't happen in 2020.  Perhaps the crowds will be back in 2021.  My back, though, isn't ready for it.  Still....I priced a hypothetical trip for three nights in a motel in Brooklyn we stayed at once before and, not including food, the chance to see Manhattanhenge would set us back nearly $1,000.  With my present back issues, I'm not up to traveling down there and standing for hours, either.

I don't envy those I know in New York City what they went through in 2020, but I can envy them this display.

Apparently, there are other cities with their own "henges". But New York City was my birthplace, and it's where I want to view it.

New York City here I come for Manhattanhenge.  One day.

Eurovision Song Contest #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday, and guess what?  It is time for music with the Music Moves Me bloggers!

Who are the #MusicMovesMe bloggers? We are bloggers who blog about music each Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only , please!)   First, there is XmasDolly, who has a brand new blogging home. Her co-hosts are: Stacy of Stacy Uncorked, Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, and me. Each month we have a guest conductor. This month we again welcome John from The Sound of One Hand Typing.  Thank you for the great themes you gave us this past May, John!

John's theme for today is:  "Songs from the Eurovision song contest to celebrate its 65th anniversary".

When I told my spouse I was blogging today about Eurovision, he responded "What's Eurovision?"  It inspired me to write this post.

I suspect many Americans would have the same reaction, which is a shame.  My Saturday post above gave a brief introduction to the competition, which held its finals on Saturday.  I watched it on Peacock and it was interesting.  I have to admit, though, that I don't understand the voting process. I understand the 50% judges/50% public process, but why would a first place vote by the judges be called a "12"?

The winner was a punk rock group from Italy, Måneskin.  I loved their song, but I realize it wasn't representative of the majority of entries this year.  I like this musical style, though, and am posting their official music video for the contest.

The building where the contest was held was a COVID-19 emergency hospital last year - I marvel at how far we have come.

This year's contest is over, but let's see some highlights from past Eurovision contests. 

ABBA became famous through Eurovision and their 1974 win.  Here is their performance of their hit "Waterloo" at the 1974 Eurovision, which was actually the second year they competed.

Céline Dion competed in 1988 for Switzerland (you don't have to be a native of the country you compete on behalf of.)  She won with the song "Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi" and also rose to fame.

This song may sound familiar.  From 1976, Brotherhood of Man - Save Your Kisses for Me.

 Måns Zelmerlöw’s Heroes (representing Sweden) - the winning song of the 2015 Eurovision.

and this, better known as Volare  from 1958 - Domenico Modugno - Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)

Finally, I wanted to show you perhaps the most successful interval act of Eurovision - 1974, where Riverdance introduced themselves to the world.  (An interval act performs while the votes for the winner are tallied, and have become as well anticipated as the music acts themselves.  I somehow missed this year's interval act because I just couldn't sit through four hours of television.

Like the idea of Eurovision?  Well, next year we are going to have our own version in the States - the American Song Contest. But it isn't our entire continent, it's just the United States.  So I'm just curious - would you watch an American Song Contest?

And that's a wrap!

Join me next Monday, same time, same place, for another episode of Music Moves Me.

A Late May Walk on the Trail

Shall we take a walk on the Vestal Rail Trail in Vestal, New York?  At this time of year, there are so many flowers to see. 

I am not the best ID person, and some of my ID's are guesses - feel free to correct me. 

Pictures taken 5-21-21:

These are honeysuckle, and I suspect, from their popularity on the trail, that both are invasive types.  There is a pink flowered one.

And a yellow flowered one.

Wild viburnum.

I "think" this may be a wild strawberry, due to the yellow center, but I've been fooled before.  Seems to me a wild strawberry would have its tiny fruit close to ready, and I have never seen what I know are strawberries in this location before.

OK, here's one.  For years I thought these were Russian olives (they were common in Kansas, where I lived years ago)just without the silvery foliage I remembered.  But one of my regular readers (thank you!) thought these were autumn olives.  I think he is right. 

Here's a closeup of leaves and flowers, taken today.

Finally, a locust tree is starting to flower.  How sweet these flowers smell!  I think this is a black locust - we couldn't see any thorns.

We've been warmer than normal but today was somewhat cloudy and a nice breeze was blowing.  

Happy Sunday to you!

The World's Largest Song Contest

Today (at 3pm Eastern Daylight Time) the finals of Eurovision will begin.

On Monday, when I join the bloggers of #MusicMovesMe, a weekly music meme, our theme for the week is "65th anniversary Eurovision".

When I told my spouse I was blogging today and Monday about Eurovision, he responded "What's Eurovision?"

 Basically, Eurovision is an annual contest which originated in the aftermath of World War II, when Europe was struggling to recover from the horrors of World War II.  The idea was for various European countries to cooperate with each other "through cross-border TV broadcasts". The contest started in 1956, based on an Italian music festival,  with seven countries participating, and has expanded into quite an undertaking.

In fact, it's now the most watched song contest in the world.  Sadly, in 2020 it was cancelled due to COVID-19.  Apparently, a number of the participants have tested positive during this year's contest, which is being held in Rotterdam. 

Last year, Netflex showed a Will Farrell movie called "Eurovision Song Contest - The Story of Fire Saga" about an Icelandic duo who is chosen as Iceland's entry in Eurovision.  I don't have Netflix, but I read the reviews on You Tube, many of which pointed out it did not mock the contest, or its participants.  But it did introduce a lot of pandemic Netflix listeners to Eurovision.

I've never seen Eurovision. Although I did know it existed, I'm only learning about it now, as I prepare my Monday post ahead of times. 

I had no idea that the singers Celene Dion and the group ABBA, among others got their start from Eurovision.  I was aware that Riverdance had its start as the "interval" act in 1994. (An interval act performs after the last act in the final during the tallying of the votes, and some of these acts have won their own brand of fame.)

The Forbes article I linked to above mentioned that the United States will be holding its own version of Eurovision next year, called the American Song Contest.  That should be interesting.

I'll leave you with this interval act from 2016 called Love, Love, Peace, Peace, which is a gentle satire of what it takes to succeed at Eurovision.

Have any of my readers watched Eurovision? (In the United States the finals will be streamed, starting at 3pm, on Peacock, which I don't have, either.)

May Means Skies and Robin Babies Continued #SkywatchFriday

May.  It flies by in a second.  Where I live in New York State, it can start with frosts and even snow flurries.  I say to myself "Too cold to get out there for the sunset" and "when can I plant my frost sensitive veggies and flowers?"

Broome County Library, Binghamton, NY 4-23-21

Just a month ago, Bradford Pears were blooming under clear blue skies.

But suddenly, it's summer, with temperatures approaching 90F and we are scrambling to get our veggies and flowers in.  

We took an exercise walk in Otsiningo Park Sunday and, along the Chenango River, we saw this interesting cloud formation on the right side of the photo.

This  Kwanzan cherry tree (I call them "carnation trees") is done with its blooms so I can admire its shape, which looks (to some) like a martini glass.  This was also taken Sunday. 

That sky is so blue.

I took this picture Tuesday when I got up for work.  You can barely see the last lights of sunrise. 

Yesterday, it was 88 F (31.1 C) and today it should reach 90 (32 C).  

One last series of photos, although they aren't of the sky. I've been watching a nest robins built on my patio ledge.  The robins are close to fledging. 

Here they were Wednesday.

And yesterday.  This is the closest I was able to get to date, and I saw there are four babies.

A couple of hours later, we noticed one robin baby had left the nest and was on the ground.  Hard to see - I didn't want to get close as the parents were calling to it and feeding it (normal behavior at this point of development)

The other robins were still in the nest the last time we looked.

I wish them luck as they enter a dangerous time in their lives.  I haven't checked on them yet today but I won't be surprised to find them gone.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers for #SkywatchFriday.