Category: childhood

Wednesday’s Theme Music

We’re into the middle band of the rainbow of days, a prism that never ends. That’s right, it’s Wednesday. We’re also into the final seven days of August, this being the 24th, and over halfway through the memorable year of 2022.

It’s 71 F right now and we expect to be in the upper nineties by day’s end, although we’re not anticipating passing 100. Not in the cards today, fingers crossed. Air quality isn’t bad today. It’s gone up and down by the hour in the last two days as the winds ebbed and flowed. Nighthold was broken at 6:28 this morning, but the darkness will be restored after sunset at 7:58 PM. “Night is coming,” people whisper. They’re talking about the long night. Others mock them, but those who understand these things are preparing for the long night.

“Lay Lady Lay” by Bob Dylan from 1969 has won the morning mental music stream over. The Neurons allowed me to see the progression made from thought to song today. It involved some writing so I’ll not say anything else. It’s a superstition of mine. The song was a favorite of mine for a bit. It came out when I was thirteen. There was a girl in school who showed interest in me. Sweet Vicky loved this song, so when she asked me about it, I loved it, too! We held hands, went to dances, malls, and movies, necking in secret for a few months, before going toward different lights. I have good memories of her and this song.

Stay positive, test negative, and take care of yourself, family, and community. I’ve had my coffee, thanks. Feel free to have some yerself. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Twosday’s Wandering Thought

Three young girls arrived. He’s not an expert in these matters, but their lithe size and small stature made him guess that they were probably ten to twelve years old. All were white and wore shorts, and four-to-five-inch-high heels with ankle straps. One of the pairs of heels had clear plastic. The other two were stiletto.

These, he was certain, were the youngest people he’d ever seen wearing high heels. He’d certainly never seen them on children this young before. It seemed like they portended something, but he didn’t know what.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Take your cover off and salute Wednesday, June 29, 2022. It’s been selected as the day and date in the great quantum arcade where such things are decided. Okay, that’s it, let’s move on.

Sunrise for this august June day was 5:37 AM. The sun’s turning away will be at … drum roll … 8:51 PM – again. Sunset times are in stasis for us. Probably the wrong term but, coffee hasn’t come yet.

Temperatures remain around our average today. It’s again 20 C right now but we expect 86 F this afternoon. This is all so yesterday, except the day and date.

I wandered around the house singing Frank Sinatra’s cover of “Winchester Cathedral” this morning as I pursued the morning rituals. Mom was a fan of ol’ blue eyes. His album, That’s Life (1968), was heavily featured in her stereo rotation. She’d put that vinyl on, cranked it up, and clean the house. I got to know a lot of those songs and do a pretty good Frank imitation. It surprises people, which is always fun. Singing Winchester today surprised the cats. Might have surprised the neighbors, too.

I was singing the song after some dreams prompted The Neurons to insert the song “That’s Life” into the morning mental music stream. It was just a dreamvella, also known as a dreamette in some cultures, that is, a briefer dream than a full-length production, about being a child, but it made a sufficient impression on The Neurons that they felt it deserved music. I previously knew the The New Vaudeville Band’s version of the song but The Neurons perched on Frank.

Anyway, that probably all makes little sense (cuz, coffee, you know), but here we are. Stay positive and test negative, and so on and so forth. Hit it, Frank, while I seek coffee. Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

A sunny flourish and a burst of heat and the calendar was made redundant, useless. We knew summer was here. The weather announced it via blazing sun, clear skies, and a sharply scaling thermometer.

Tis Wednesday, June 22, 2015. Tis summer. Nonetheless, the sunrise was at 5:35 AM and sunset will be at 8:51 PM, about the same as the day before summer began. It’s 67 F right now, with a wonderfully friendly and sweet cool breeze tempering the sun’s attitude. The cats love it. I went with the two into the backyard. After some washing (I didn’t participate), they rolled around on the patio. A scrub jay arrived. They abandoned their domestic posturing and proclaimed they’re mighty hunters, so beware.

Somewhere in all of this, the neurons introduced CCR, aka Creedence Clearwater Revival, and their song from 1970, “Up Around the Bend”. It’s pretty straightforward rock and roll. I first heard it when I was fourteen, and the song still entertains me. Hope it entertains you as well.

Stay positive, and hopeful, even optimistic. Test negative. Wear a mask as needed, and take other precautions. Act like you care about your friends and family and be responsible. I try to, with mixed results, then I try again. Now the neurons are singing the coffee song. Here’s CCR. Oh, it’s lifted from Youtube and a show called American Bandstand. They’re having a dance contest. I love this look at 1970s era pop culture – TV, music, fashion, hair, dancing, all rolled into one scene. The music doesn’t start until about 3:42, but you might want to see what it was like, at least for some, for a moment, back in the day. In reflection, I guess today’s theme is nostalgia. Cheers

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Thursday’s Theme Music

Gothic clouds black and white hover perilously over the southern ranges of sloping trees. Sunshine offers a brave front but the clouds, abetted by a chilly northern wind, own today’s weather.

It’s Thursday, June 16, 2022. The temperature since sunrise at 5:34 AM has slowly crept into the mid-fifties. Won’t get much higher, they tell us, before the 8:49 PM sunset, maybe hitting the low sixties, say 63 F.

“Never Ending Song of Love” by Delaney & Bonnie & Friends from 1971 is in the morning mental music stream. I enjoy this song’s vocalizations and beat, and the song is a regular that I sing to myself while walking or doing chores. Surprise registered when I discovered that I’ve never shared it as a choice for theme music.

Stay positive and test negative. COVID-19 in wastewater in our area is the highest recorded levels to date. All agree, this is due to tourism returning, mask use receding, and complacency rising. In parallel, testing kits in the area are sudden in short supply because demand has spiked. The COVID-19 pandemic remains a treacherous situation.

Here’s the music. Sing along, please. I’m gonna go get my coffee. Be right back. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Twilleekin on Tuesday trimantled toi toward testigenical twellings. But other than that, all is calm in the valley on Jun 14, 2022, at least in this household. Don’t know what’s going behind other walls and winders.

Fifty-one F is the claimed temperature and it feels right by degrees. Sunshine bathes cat furs and plants. We turned toward the sun at 5:33 this morning and will turn away at 8:48 this evening. Temperatures remain cool for spring’s final days, with 70 F being mentioned as the likely high. No rain today, alteough they rain has been welcomed in our area. Even with this added rainy season, our local lakes, rivers, and dams are only measuring at less than a quarter of capacity. Our local cistern is 100%, of course, but that’ll provide the city with about 31 days of water. The irrigation district, which provides water to a lot of farms and orchards, still says it can only provide about thirty days of water, not enough for a proper growing season, especially if we’re seeing regular breakouts above the century mark.

Did yardwork for the past several days — it’s an ongoing project — and discovered black bear scat just off the front porch. Wasn’t big so the bear probably wasn’t either. Sightings are regularly reported all around this area so it’s not a shock, just worth noting.

Jim Seals of Seals & Crofts died recently. They had several pop hits and the neurons have introduced their song, “Summer Breeze” into the morning mental music stream. The song was released in 1972. I entered tenth grade that year and met the girl who would become my spouse three years later. It’s a mellow song for a mellow day.

Stay positive, and so on. I am trying, myself. Speaking of which, here’s my coffee. Enjoy the music and thanks for reading. Cheers

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Friday’s Theme Music

Friday. June 10, 2022. That’s the bare facts of it. It gets interesting when we talk about sunrise and sunset and temperatures. That’s where places show their differences. Here in the Rogue Velly, it’s 72 F with a chance to hit 81 F. Sunny but cloudy, so it’s humid on us. Cats are in floof heaven, coming in to eat and then seeking a pleasant napping space outside, somewhere perchance to do bird watching and insect spying without getting too warm. The world’s spin will take the sun away at 8:46 PM after bringing it around to us at 5:34 AM.

Don’t tell Tucker about the weather, though, he still needs his ration of attention. Entering the office, he fixes a dark stare on me and makes a pitch: “Merow.” Having fed him, refilled all the bowls, and replenished his water, after spending a night petting him whenever the other one, Papi — they’re a tag team — woke me up, I ignore Tucker. He then comes over and sits beside me and asks, “Mmmmw.” I shake my head. A trill is issued and then Tucker jumps up onto the desk, walks around the computer, and waits for my hand to go to the mouse. As soon as it does, he begins rubbing his head and face against my hand, pouring out a purr that would shame an idling dragster.

Received my second COVID-19 booster yesterday, Moderna, and feeling it this morning. Like the body is fighting off a low-grade flu. Aching joints and listless muscles, lethargic brain, and low energy, right? Yeah. Got up late and will probably return to bed shortly. Tucker says, “I’ll join you if you do.”

The neurons are playing “Wishing You Were Here” by Chicago (1974) in the morning mental music stream. There is a chain of events for this. My wife bought me a small pin which says, “Wish you were beer.” I wear it on my Tilly hat. Often while chatting with people, they’ll say, “What’s that say on your hat.” Then they’re read it aloud. Overhearing that happen yesterday, the neurons began with the Chicago song. Why that instead of Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”? Don’t know. They’re not saying.

Here’s the song. Stay pos and test neg, etc. Enjoy your day. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

It’s Memorial Day in the U.S., a holiday to respect and honor the military who died defending the nation’s honor, principles, freedom, and democracy. This is often done through parades, barbecues or grilling out, concerts, and sporting events such as baseball games and auto-racing. Oh, yes, there will also be car and furniture sales to celebrate the day.

Today’s weather fetches memories of other morning skies. Clouds with abstract shapes and ominous dark tones only permit brief snatches of blue skies and sunshine. It’s used to be more overcast in other places in the morning. In Mountain View, CA, and Sunnyvale, by this time of year, those clouds would all burn off by ten in the morning, a light breeze would begin its dance, and the temperatures would drift into low, pleasant seventies. Half Moon Bay was wholly different, with fog and overcast skies arriving, remaining until mid-afternoon. A break would be permitted then, tantalizing you with amazing ocean views before the clouds shouted, “Enough,” and shut back down. Temperatures would hover in the low sixties.

Back east, in western Pennsylvania, southern WV, and Ohio, the days were all over the place. Cloudy and chilly mornings weren’t unusual in this time of year. Nor was rain. But the temperatures would generally break out and climb into the seventies, and sometimes into the low eighties. Down in Florida, it’d be humid and sunny, much like the Philippines and Okinawa. Central Germany was more often like Half Moon Bay, featuring brooding overcast skies that didn’t really let the sun in or the air to get too warm.

Here, today, it’s 47 F. Rain is expected, along with a high in the low to mid-sixties. The sun began its warming attempts at 5:38 this morning and will close out its time in our valley at 8:38, granting us a full fifteen hours of daylight.

Today is Sunday, May 30, 2022.

I have a bit of music that the neurons snagged yesterday while I was out walking. A car pulled up to a red light where I waited to cross. The small SUV’s passenger window was partially down, and music was wafting out. As the car pulled away, I decided that the song being heard was “Carry On/Questions” from 1970 by Crosby, Stills & Nash, from the terrific album, Déjà Vu. Whether I correctly identified the song, the neurons started playing it in my head, along with other songs from the album. I humbly offer “Carry On/Questions” up to you as our theme music.

Coffee time. Stay positive, test negative, etc., and enjoy your day and your week. Cheers

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A Traveling Dream

I was a young man, with my extended family. Cousins, including three deceased members, were there, along with aunts and uncles, and my parents (who, in RL, divorced when I was young).

We were ‘getting ready to go’. Where we were heading wasn’t properly defined. We’d had a reunion party the night before. The next day found the place trashed. Cans of beer and beer kegs were in the bathrooms. I was walking around, trying to make sense of things. We had two buildings divided by a parking lot where we were staying. Each of those buildings had a large game room with several bathrooms off of them. But beer was everywhere, mostly domestic brands like Schlitz, Miller’s, Stroh’s, and Buds, drinks from my childhood. I was laughing at that beer selection, questioning them, “Couldn’t we have done better?” They accused me of being a snob. We laughed about it all.

But the chaos annoyed me. We were due to leave soon. No one seemed ready, and they didn’t seem to care. Two vehicles were there for our travels. Both were sort of RVs. One was black and the other was red. Polished and shiny, they looked like wingless jets with wheels. People were filling them up with things they were taking. Checking it out, I proclaimed, “You’re trying to take too much. We’re not going to have any room for people.”

I went down into a game room to use the bathroom and encountered my father. He was in a jovial mood. I told him that I wanted to use a bathroom and was going to move the beer out of there so I could and asked if he would help. He just laughed and opened a beer. I said, “You’re having a beer now? But we’re getting ready to go.”

I became a little annoyed then and went back to the red and black RVs. An aunt came out, chastising everyone that we need to get a move on. I told her, “I know, I’ve been trying to get them organized.” Cousins started piling into the vehicles. I asked, “Who’s driving?” Aunt P answered, “You are.” I replied, “But I don’t even know where I’m going.”

She said, “Of course you do. You always know.”

Dream end.

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Sunday’s Theme Music

Was supposed to be rainy again today but the weather changed overnight. It’s damp and chilly, with sunshine sprinting out between the clouds while the clouds hurry to stop the sun. Winds gust and fuss about the trees and bushes, sending the cats back in for cover. It’s 44 F now and we’re looking at a high of 56 F.

Hi. This is Sunday, May 29, 2022. Sunrise was at 5:39 AM and sunset will be here almost fifteen hours later, at 8:38 PM.

I have a song called “How Can I Be Sure” in my morning mental music stream. The neurons put it there. I was skating through Facebook last night to see what my family is up to — they’re always up to something, as this is birthday season for several young nieces and nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews — when I saw a post by a friend. She’s approaching her fiftieth and was a David Cassidy fan, so she’d shared his version of “How Can I Be Sure” on her FB page. My neurons remembered the Young Rascals rendition, because my older sister had and played on her record player, so here we are. The neurons have it on a loop, giggling as it plays in the background to everything that I’m doing. I must share it to release it to the ROW and save my sanity.

Stay positive, test negative, etc. I find that drinking coffee often helps me reach a positive state, and recommend it. Here’s the song. Cheers

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