Monday’s Theme Music
Feels like Marpril today. No wind, light spring showers and robust sunshine making nice. 50 degrees F in sight with eyes toward 65 F.
It’s Monday, Marpil 13, 2023, 3.4/13/2023. Sunrise took over at 7:26 AM and the sun’s rule will continue in Ashlandia until 7:15 PM. Snow still caps the mountains and ridges, so you have a developing spring portrait set against a snowy black and white background.
The spring ahead hour change is a little drain on my morning buoyancy. Yes, I do enjoy a little bounce before my coffee. Ain’t big, but it’s there. It comes from the sunshine streaming in when I get up. Now, we’ve set the time forward and the sunshine ain’t there, and there goes my bounce to eagerly take on the day. Back to the roll out trudge for a few days.
I’m one of those who come down against the time change. I don’t think much is saved. I’ve seen studies which vet that. Is it worth it for what it does to so many people’s individual energy banks and lives?
Thinking about time drove The Neurons to deliver a plethora of songs about time. I asked Bing’s fancy new search engine how many songs about time have been written. It replied, “I’m not sure. One source cites more than twenty-seven. Another says there’s been thirty.” Damn, I think I could brainstorm thirty before my coffee.
Anyway, I moved away from the usual and favorites. Those are the ones heard in childhood, so they have staying power, or the ones which came at a special moment in life. Instead, I just rolled some in my head. Finally, good old Kevn came through.
No, Kevin isn’t a performer or a brain cell’s name, or search engine. Kevin is a friend. we spent time together in the mid to late nineties. He was a Darius Rucker, Hootie & the Blowfish fan. Thanks to him and a camping trip with him (Laguna Seca, for the vintage cars), I know the song, “Time” by H&tB from 1993. Good sing, I think. It is one of those songs, which, while listening to it, we asked one another, “What is he singing?”
Stay pos and enjoy your day. Carpes diem, yo. I’m carpes some coffee. Here’s the Blowfish. Cheers
Sunday’s Wandering Thought
He disliked people’s tendency to pigeonhole matters. He found himself doing it and constantly resisted. Pigeonholing simplified and generalized.
He didn’t know how he started on that path when he was young but it began infuriating him with clothing. ‘Church’ clothes. ‘School’ clothes, play outfits. WTF? A lot of it was marketing and advertising.
A friend once asked, “Why are you wearing a golf shirt?”
He shook his head. “It’s just a shirt to me.”
Spring Day’s Theme Music
Happy Spring Day. Yeah, it’s that day in the U.S. where we spring ahead an hour.
This day felt feels like the spring ahead might have been a quantum leap, taking us out of winter’s claws and into spring’s embrace. Warmer, 42 F now — which was the overnight low — with sights on a mid-fifties high, with showers. The clouds have gathered for the chance to shower us but there’s still sunlight between the clouds.
Sunrise slipped back to 7:26 this morning as we ‘sprang’ ahead, and sunset will be an hour later than yesterday, 7:15 PM. The time change surprised the cats. Tucker immediately adjusted, telling me, “Alight then, let’s go eat.” Papi was asleep. Startled awake, his expression asked, “What are you doing up? What time is it, anyway?” He recovered as soon as a can of food was opened.
It’s Sunday, March 12, 2023.
A concert is on our schedule this afternoon, a volunteer symphony. Friends are in it and we’re supporting them. But the concerts are generally entertaining and a diversion from our usual routines. Old friends are coming into town tomorrow, so plans are afoot for socializing.
I have a song by Almost Monday trapped in the morning mental music stream. The Neurons heard it on Hulu several times. I tend, as part of my writing routine, to watch a series repeatedly at some point, leery of upsetting the writing balance. Superstitious, isn’t it? Was Bosch. Vera followed. Now it’s Justified (again). Justified is on Hulu, and for some reason, they play a few minutes of music video each night. This week it’s Almost Monday with “Only Wanna Dance”. Hulu is the only place I’ve heard it, but The Neurons said, “Say, that’s sort of interesting,” and refuse to let it go. So I must pass it on. That’s just the way it works.
Stay pos, and happy Sunday, or whatever day it is in your leg of the world. Coffee is finished, as is breakfast. Time to take on the world again. Here’s the tune. Cheers
Saturday’s Wandering Thought
He’d watched the weather. Falling snow shifted from pellets to fat flakes to faint flakes.
The snow stopped. A rising sun melted it all away. Steam lifted from the cement and asphalt.
A hummingbird flew up to the plants under his window. Zipping between each offering, it didn’t land, hurrying on to another set of plants.
A hummingbird. In winter. He knew it was possible and shouldn’t surprise him, but it was a first for him.
Encounter
He encountered his neighbor as she walked her son’s dog. “Happy Saturday,” she called.
He responded in the same. She enthused, “It’s a gorgeous day.”
Both looked up at the blue sky and sun. Yes, he agreed, and told her that Alexa said it was foggy and to expect rain showers throughout the day.
She laughed. “That wouldn’t surprise me. It’s probably coming. I don’t care. I’m just enjoying this now.”
Saturday’s Theme Music
Scintillating sunshine sprawls across Ashlandia. I’m out of bed with the thought, must be after eight with all this sunshine. No, it’s seven. That’ll change tomorrow.
I ask Alexa for Ashlandia’s weather. “Thirty-six with fog,” she tells me. “Rain showers throughout the day.” I study the clear blue sky as she finished, “High of 56.” I see no fog anywhere in the valley or the hills and mountains. Machine is smoking something again.
Sunrise was at 6:30 this morning. Sunset will be at 6:13. It’s Saturday, March 11, 2023.
We took a friend shopping yesterday. Macular degeneration stops her from driving herself and her husband is extremely limited with multiple health issues, including COPD. He’s always on O2. Took her to Target, Trader Joe’s, Costco. She tipped us with a nine pack of Charmin from the package bought at Costco.
Also stopped at the latest sensation, Crumbs, a cookie place. Bought a five-dollar gourmet. Good cookie, tasty and quality, but not worth five dollars. Also not the most expensive cookie I’ve ever eaten.
With all that sunshine surrounding them, The Neurons came up with “Sunshine”, a 2021 song from OneRepublic. It’s a bouncy tune about sunshine and good vibes and making efforts to change things and be pos.
[Chorus]
Runnin’ through this strange life
Chasin’ all them green lights
Throwin’ off the shade for a little bit of sunshine
Hit me with them good vibes
Pictures on my phone like
Everything is so fine
A little bit of sunshine
[Verse 1]
Crazy lately I’m confirmin’
Tryna write myself a sermon
You just tryna get a word in, life is not fair
I been workin’ on my tunnel vision
Tryna get a new prescription
Takin’ swings and even missin’ but I don’t care
[Pre-Chorus]
I’m dancin’ more just a little bit
Breathin’ more just a little bit
Care a little less just a little bit
Like life is woo-hoo!
I’m makin’ more just a littlе bit
Spend a little more to gеt rid of it
Smile a little more and I’m into it
h/t Genius.com
That’ll work for today’s theme music. Like the song urges, smile a little more, care a little less. Be pos. Coffee is served. Here we go.
Cheers
The Writing Moment
He called it ‘a bad writing day’.
It was challenging and stressful. He didn’t like what he was editing, something he’d written months ago. It seemed good then but the need for deep revisions were obvious.
Disappointed, he struggled through as much as he could and broke it off to save his sanity. In truth, he was relegating the work to his subconscious. The next morning, returning to the manuscript, he understood how to fix that chapter. Coffee was poured. Revising was eagerly resumed.
