All Purls. No Swine.
Thursday, December 21 is the first day of astronomical winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Astronomy notwithstanding, the day of the Winter Solstice is historically recognized in the UK as "Midwinter's Day," just as the Summer Solstice occurs at the time of "Midsummer," never mind that the United States thinks that Summer's just begun. This… Continue reading Ave Atque Vale, Bleak Midwinter 2023!
Crimenutely. I’m not much of a fan of this woman, if for no other reason than of that bloody Titanic song that (just like the movie), went “on and on,” seemingly without end and forever. But I cannot have other than heart for her. Just a year ago, she announced that she'd been diagnosed with an… Continue reading Reset: Celine Dion
In digging around for something to post about today, I see that it's exactly sixteen years since The Spice Girls released their upcoming Greatest Hits album, announcing that it would be exclusively available at the Victoria's Secret lingerie chain for two months before it was released anywhere else. https://youtu.be/ot_hI9m95pE Never really been a fan. (Yawn.)… Continue reading Adding Spice, and Sexiness, to Life
Breathes there an English expat girl with soul so dead, who never to herself has said, “Well, having heard that bloody song again, I’m just going off–not for the first time–to have a quiet little cry…” Here's the song: https://youtu.be/hKdRpDpIR70 Unlike most popular stars of the 1970s and 80s, Roger Whittaker ploughed his own furrow… Continue reading Roger Whittaker: The Last Farewell
On what would have been Roy Acuff's 120th birthday (September 15, 2023) here's his greatest hit, from 1936. A much-loved family favorite, one which I've lost count of the live performances of which (by so many others) I've viewed over the years: https://youtu.be/kpQBiyNCeXc When it comes to "Crazy Tennesseans" I can't help noticing that many… Continue reading The Wabash Cannonball–On Relatives and Crazy Hillbillies, if not Much Else
LOL. Just listening to my boyfriend Willie Nelson's latest-but-one album (I Don't Know a Thing About Love) which is a compilation of the works of country music songwriter/genius Harlan Howard. It includes such gems as Streets of Baltimore (otherwhere recorded by Gram Parsons and featuring a very young Emmylou Harris): https://youtu.be/VjAMoU6es-8 and She Called Me… Continue reading Do I Really Want “A Tiger by the Tail?” Not At My Age 🙄
Oh, as I've said a few times, sometimes these posts write themselves. I'm just the witless scribe. This morning, one of my favorite Ricochet posters linked to the hymn, Amazing Grace, as performed by Dan Vasc, a 34-year old Brazilian heavy metal singer and YouTube star. A tough pill to swallow, if you're me, the… Continue reading Amazing Grace, Dan Vasc Edition
On Saturday afternoon, a small group of friends and family and I set out from the farm to enjoy a much looked-forward-to event, Willie Nelson in concert at the nearby (about 30 miles from my front door) Star Lake Amphitheater. I was excited. My entire family, both birth and married, are avid traditional country music fans,… Continue reading Lifting the Curse, and Living to Tell the Tale
As many of you know from previous tales of my gardening exploits and my rare modest successes, I generally enter into the fray–in the spirit of Dr. Johnson and his animadversions on second marriages–internalizing the “triumph of hope over experience.” Still, with the help and advice of good friends who are better at it than… Continue reading Meu Limao: My Lovely Lemon Tree
Sixty-one years ago today, on July 23, 1962, a small (less than 36 inches in diameter) satellite which orbited the earth once about every two-and-a-half hours, transmitted--simultaneously and at the same time--the first of two scheduled, scripted, public transatlantic television programs onto home screens throughout the Western world. For the first time ever, families could… Continue reading Telstar: “The Electronic Bridge”