Category: weather

Tuesday’s Theme Music

More high winds last night. Reports arrived that the 2023 barrage brought trees down a few days ago. Several pines and sycamore trees went down in Lithia Park. Over on Oak Street toward the town’s north side, a large tree landed on power lines, taking out people’s power. A few other trees caused more minor damages and inconveniences. In our neighborhood, I’ve only seen a neighbor lose two smaller fir trees.

No rain last night as the atmospheric river afflicting California leaned south. Beyond these salient pieces, we’ve reached another Tuesday, it’s 40 degrees F but 53 is the projected high, and scattered showers are expected. Yesterday afternoon was worthy of being outdoors, with a high of 56 F, no wind or rain, and plentiful sunshine. They keep that up, we’ll be spoiled.

For the record, this is January 10, 2023. The sun’s presence loomed over the southeastern rim of mountains at 7:39 this morning — same as yesterday — and the daylight portion of the show will begin ending at 4:57 PM. We had sunshine through the southern windows but that’s been doused by a band of clouds.

I felt like a change was needed and was talking to myself about a change of atmosphere. After all, it’s a new year, innit. Something’s gotta change. I was also reading others’ blogs about changes you can make to improve your writing. I’m all in on that. That personal and private conversation with self was overheard by some busybody Neurons who used that to inject the song “Rush” by Big Audio Dynamite II from 1991 into the morning mental music stream. Why that song? Because it has the lyrics, “Rush for a change of atmosphere” in it, I guess.

One of the things about BAD and BAD II was that Mick Jones of the Clash was band’s the driving force. So when I first heard “Rush”, I heard Jones’s vocals and concluded it’s the Clash. I’d not heard of Big Audio Dynamite before “Rush”. Don’t know why but I suspect that it was a combo of the times. I’d been serving in Germany until ’91 and was moving back to the U.S. The Desert Storm & Desert Shield buildup was going on, and we were dealing with the aftermath of the fall of the U.S.S.R., the toppling of the Berlin Wall, reunification of Germany, and the impending dismantling and deactivation of my unit. All that was absorbing a lot of my time and attention.

The other thing about this particular song is that they sample several other songs in it, which sometimes threw me off when I heard “Rush”. If you know it, you’ll see what I mean. Finally, my brain was a little confused about a song called “Rush” when a rock group called Rush existed. It taxed my processing skills, I tells ya. But “Rush” is this day’s theme music.

Coffee is being served. It’s self-serve, so I, you know… Stay positive and test negative. See you on the flip side. Here’s BAD II. Cheers

0

Monday’s Theme Music

Sunshine coats our southern and western views. Huzzah, my spirit shows. A cup of coffee is served in celebration.

This might be part of recent weather pattern. Calm, sunny mornings. Winds begin gamboling. Then they start raging. By early evening, rain begins. The rains and winds intensify and slam us throughout the night. They fade away with morning.

Not bad for us. We’re on the edge of the atmospheric river slamming California. Stories from the mountains’ south side are about floods and wind destructions, miracles of lives saved, the tragedy of another death. The other cities just a short distance north and west see little of this. While our monthly and seasonal rain levels surge and our cisterns and dams fill, those other places, such as Medford, fifteen miles away, remains behind on their precipitation levels.

This is 2023, Monday, January 9. Sunset has moved back to 4:57 PM. Sunrise keeps yesterday’s schedule, coming in at 7:39 again this morning. It’s 40 degrees F beyond my windows. Letting a cat in (or was it out?), my nose finds that wintry smell has departed from our place. Today’s high temperature will be balanced out at 54 F.

Today’s theme music sprang from DIY projects. Three projects are lined up. As I walked around and considered them, and the steps I’d take to research them and get them completed, I thought, I’ll find a way. That’s like my motto for 2023 so far. Last week, while editing and reconciliating the novel in progress, I ran into a problem. I will find a way, I told myself, but I knew it wouldn’t happen that day. Anyway, I ended up with that as some lyrics being sung in the morning mental music stream. Eventually a song by Tesla, “Love Song” from 1989, was identified. So here we are.

I remember this song from the regular work and shopping circuit my spouse and I followed in the 1990s. This song was part of the heavy rotation of the stations I rotated through, depending on our moods and what we were pursuing, and the time of day. NPR with “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and “Car Talk” were part of the weekend’s rotation.

Ah, the morning coffee is done. I’ll be on to other Monday things now, if you’ll excuse me. Stay pos, test neg. Here’s Tesla. BTW, this is the first time I’ve seen this video. Although I knew Tesla was part of the ‘Hair Metal’ movement, I’d never seen them and their appearance surprised me. They got the hair, they got the moves, they have the sound. Looking back like this is fun.

May your Monday be terrific. Cheers

0

Sunday’s Theme Music

We rose to a sky rich with sunshine. It’s Sunday, January 8, 2023. The sunshine is welcome. It’s in the forties here but the cats and wife agree, it feels colder than that. I was out at midnight last night, delivering used kitty litter to a trash can, and paused to check out the night. It smelled like winter to me, if you know what I mean. That sort of element has been missing for this winter except for a few days.

Sunrise finally moved off of 7:40 AM. At last we’ve begun moving toward an earlier sunrise, with the sun sneaking up on us a full minute earlier. Friggin’ rejoice. Sunset is all the way back to 4:56 this evening. By next week, it’ll be setting after 5 PM. I’m looking forward to a longer day. A cougar prowling the town after sunset reduces my willingness to go out there. I don’t think the big cat will attack me, but I really don’t need to test that theory.

Today’s song is by a group called Montrose. The name comes from Ronnie Montrose, the lead guitarist and band founder. Sammy Hagar was the lead singer. The song in the morning mental music stream is “I’ve Got the Fire”. Watching the video and listening, it’s interesting how much Sammy’s voice stayed the same through the decades. Anyway, the song came out in 1974. I didn’t know about it at the time. I entered the military in October of 1974 and the album was released a little later. When in basic, we had little outside contact. This was before the net, personal computers, and cell phones. For people to reach us, they had to contact the squadron office and leave a message. We weren’t permitted to hear radios or watch televisions. Riding in motorized vehicles were off limits until the final week. We had to earn the right to visit the base exchange after several weeks. Funny in retrospect, but we knew little going on outside of our unit. We were allowed to line up and use the pay phone to call home after three or four weeks, if you and your unit were making satisfactory progress.

Anyway, after finishing basic and listening to music again, I discovered the new Montrose album. Montrose was another band that my high school friends didn’t appreciate, except for Scott and Rick. The three of us were considered strange, but we had fun.

The song is in mind today because of ginger cat, Papi. It was pouring rain last night. The wind at one point growled like a large, angry giant, and then slammed the house’s side like it was really pissed off. Of course, Papi doesn’t care about that. Doesn’t care about cougars, either. Just, let me out!

I was going to use an audio only file, but I couldn’t resist this Midnight Special video. “Paper Money” leads off. “I Got the Fire” starts at 4:56 in if you want to cut to it.

I finally did after stern words and ignoring him was ignored. A while later, he banged on the door to get back in. Yeah, he was cold and soaked. I mentioned, “Come in to the heat. We got the fire.” Then I helped him dry off. Meanwhile, The Neurons started several fire songs. I foolishly let my mind wander into the pickets of music I’ve heard in my life, focusing on all the songs that mentioned fire. There are a lot. Somehow, The Neurons dug out this lesser known 1974 song. Voila, it’s our theme music for today.

Stay pos and test neg. I’m off for a cup of coffee, hear what I’m saying. Hope your Sunday trends in a positive way. Cheers

1

Saturday’s Theme Music

Ah, rain, faded sunshine, and mild winds. Feels like another Ashland winter day, 2023 edition.

We’ve slipped Saturday, January 7, 2023, on. It feels a little loose to me, but it’s possible it’ll shrink. Hope you have a better fit. A loose fit isn’t bad, though. It allows greater movement and flexibility.

Sunrise was — again — at 7:40 AM. I believe the sun is stuck on that time. Maybe we need to turn it on and off or reboot it or something. That works with my Roku. Anyone ever have to deal with a stuck sun before? I might need to do some online searches to see what others have done when their sun keeps showing up at the same time.

Sunset seems okay, shifting back to 4:55. Today’s temperatures will flutter between 44 and 51, a narrow operating zone, with the present temperature wheeling around 47 F.

Today’s theme music comes from looking out the office window. The cats and I were admiring the sunshine flooding the western side from the sun’s southeastern position. I was telling the cats that it looked like a nice day out there, relatively speaking. Of course, on the cats’ side, one was looking at me and saying, “More food.” The other was watching a bird outside of the window and saying, “More food.” They weren’t at all interested in the weather from my POV.

Then clouds slid across the sun’s position, bludgeoning the light out of the day. I told the cats, “Did you guys see how that light faded?” Rain began falling. One cat replied, “More food.” The other said, “Where the bird go?”

Seizing the moment and the part about fading, The Neurons started the song, “(I Know) I’m Losing You”. Yes, this is a repeat; The Neurons aren’t very original, especially if they haven’t had coffee.

If you know this song, you probably also know that three excellent renditions exist by notable performers. First came The Temptations, making it a hit in 1966. Rare Earth covered it in 1970, and that’s a damn fine version, too. The Rare Earth performance felt like it had a lot of play time on the AM radio where I heard my pop and rock music. Rod Stewart and Faces covered and released the song in 1971, and it was more to my preference, so that’s the one I’m going with today, even though it was the Rare Earth version which The Neurons first released into the morning mental music stream today.

Okay, coffee is in the cup and ready for launch into my mouth, and then on down its caffeinating journey. Stay pos and test neg. Here is Rod and the boys. Have a fine one. Cheers

0

Friday’s Theme Music

Friday, January 6, 2023 barged in like a lion, gusting like March. Sunshine flickered in at – guess what, 7:40 in the morning, again – ameliorating the gloom, licking off the rain’s remains. Sunset comes at 4:54, just like a Chevy big block (yeah, that’s a 454). It’s 46 F now, gonna be 50 F before the sun’s remains drift away.

A lovely sky, striated and marbled blues, lords over the area. Winds keep coming and will keep coming till this evening, they inform us. Down California way, southwesterly of our location, it’s flooding, with trees crashing down, and rocks and mud slip-sliding away, as the atmospheric river wrecks havoc. I think we should name that river the Shitstorm. Then we can just say, “The Shitstorm is running fast again,” and the rest of us will nod and understand. “It’s coming our way.” Then we’ll all know to batten down the patio and get some books and puzzles and candles, and food that can eaten without being heated, and figure out how to keep warm. Been there in other life segments.

I wasted some of my morning singing to my cat. (What, you don’t sing to your pets? Animal.) I was singing to the tune of “Fell in Love with a Girl” by the White Stripes (2002). It was one of those songs I regularly heard while blitzing errands in that era, living in Half Moon Bay, dashing over the hill to go to work Monday to Friday and shopping on the weekends. The floof in question was Tucker, who was shadowing for attention, so I cheered him up with the song. That was the plan but the boy looked more like he was thinking, “That’s not what I wanted at all.”

Anyway, The Neurons of course delivered the real song by the White Stripes to the morning mental music stream, where Jack White still delivers chords and manic vocals to my head.

Time for coffee, isn’t it? Are you sure?

I’m sure, so here I go again, for the day’s first cup. Have a merry one. Stay pos and test neg. Here’s the Stripes. Cheers

2

Wednesday’s Theme Music

Today’s wind music is a head-banging offering of fast guitar riffs, thrumming bass, and shrieking Deep Purple concert vocals. Christmas trees were on the curbs to be picked up. Not any more. Wind rolls them into the street like holiday tumbleweeds. A few trees have been downed, and branches have surrendered.

It’s warm, though, for January 4, 2023, 40 degrees with a forecasted high of 13 degrees C. Sunshine and clouds have been doing moves since the sun’s 7:40 valley appearance. (“It’s a valley sun, a valley sun, oh my my, fer sure fer sure, it’s a valley sun and there ain’t no cure.”) The planet’s rotation will spirit the sun’s presence from us at 4:52 PM. Rain is on the way, the radar says.

I was musing about time and changes and the shifts I’ve seen in my lifetime. Some of them were the changes witnessed in other individuals, or the organic growth of new norms and mores that accompanied technology’s growth. A few thoughts went along fault lines of how I see myself as changed, and what I can’t see about myself that’s changed.

After staying quiet over this for a while, The Neurons began the 2006 song by Staind, “Everything Changes”, in the morning mental music stream. The song came out a year after our move from the SF bay area to Ashland, a huge shift of demographics and density. It was also ten years after my military retirement, and the year that IBM bought ISS. All of those were large changes for me. 2006 was a year of huge changes and recognition and adjustments to previous changes. So this song kindled thoughts about what was once the way and the plans which had been made, and how all of it tilted and rolled. That’s life for some of us. Others plot it out and follow their life like sheet music.

Stay positive, test negative. Adjust and change as needed to thrive. Speaking of thriving, I’d do much better with coffee in me. Here’s Staind. Cheers

3

Tuesday’s Theme Music

It’s a nice day for a white sky. Trees still demonstrate a belly-dance shimmy to the wind’s energetic music. Temperatures have climbed to 41 F. Sunshine sneaks in, lays a flash on us, and darts back away. A high of 46 F is on the way, they say.

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. I find myself surprised. Tuesday, already? Three days into the new year. Well, that was fast. It’s like the year is racing in to claim it as its own. Sunrise was at the same time as the last two days, 7:40 AM, but sunset has moved another minute back, to 4:51 PM. I cherish the extra light.

News has me delayed from the posting the theme music. First there was news that another friend died last year. Nobody knew what had happened to her. We kept asking others. Yesterday, we learned that she died the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. Processing that used some emotional currency. Then, watching that NFL game last night, and witnessing what happened to the Bills Safety, Damar Hamlin. I instantly thought, cardiac arrest from how he dropped. When they mentioned he was hit in the chest during the play and I saw the impact, I was absolutely certain, and waited to hear what happened to him. Yes, it’s a violent game. The world is a violent place and yet we play these games. It’s another part of my socialization, playing it as a child, through my teenage years, and then watching it. I admire and appreciate the athleticism and experience vicarious joy when my team wins or the players do well. Hamlin’s injury is a terrible shock and highlights my frustrations with myself and my choices. Regardless, I despise those who try to blame Hamlin’s collapse on COVID-19 vaccinations. They offer no proof. They disgust me.

Then there was the House Speaker drama. Kevin McCarthy did not win. Not surprising to anyone following the buildup. What’s terrible is the impact to House business. None can be done until a Speaker is voted in. The question before us is, will compromise among the GOP factions be achieved so that we can move forward? The last time this happened, I read, was in 1923. Nine votes were required to elect a Speaker that year.

I’ve been swimming in dreams for the last two weeks. Reviewing today’s dreams, I thought, it’s a good thing that I’m not being charged for my dreams. Wouldn’t that be an interesting world? No dreams allowed until you pay the dream tax. That’s the law.

Anyway, as part of that cogitation, The Neurons burst into the morning mental music stream with a Blondie song from 1979, “Dreaming”. Seems to fit. Besides the nocturnal brain action, the energetic music affirms plans, hopes, and efforts — you know, the elements of the real-world dreams which I pursue through writing, plotting, and murder. Oops, not the last. Nobody has been harmed in my RW dreams except my ass and various organs.

Stay pos and test neg. I’m about to murder another cup o’ coffee. Hope good fortune has kick-started your 2023 and you can ride that fortune all year long. Cheers

0

Monday’s Theme Music

It’s a beautiful non-snowy winter day out there. Plants are shimmering and swaying to the wind’s music like it was a 1960s Motown cover band.

It’s a brand-new Monday, Jan 2, 2023. Time to carpe Monday. Sunrise is listed as the same time as yesterday but it felt like it might have been a few wingbeats earlier. The temperature has steadily climbed to 39 F. Clouds filter the sunshine but the sun has a new year’s resolution to be a little brighter and warmer for us in January, so it’s out there trying. The hot part of the day comes later, when we’ll see 44 F. The sun will continue on its journey out of our valley at 4:50 PM, because new year or not, the Earth plans to keep on rotating. Rain is expected.

“Brand New Day” by Sting (1999) seemed like a natural for The Neurons. Looking out at the Monscape, the song rose into the morning mental music stream. Sitting beside me, the cats began singing and swaying to the beat. I may have imagined that part; I really don’t think they could have carried the tune as well as it seemed.

I’m off to carpe some coffee. Stay pos, test neg. Remember, today is the first day after the last day. Here’s Sting with his music. Cheers

0

Sunday’s Theme Music

Well, we did it, we crossed the midnight Rubicon into a brave new world. Which, ah, looks quite a bit like the old world, unless you squint past the fog. Even then, the house across the street and the street and all the bushes and trees surrounding them are not new. But it was a new sunrise, which, admittedly, can be said every day. But this wall calendar is new, so take that, you scoffers.

Welcome to New Year’s Day, January 1, 2023. It is all about attitude, this New Year thing, innit? But the same can be said about every day. It’s a new day, with a new chance, a day which will never be experienced again, unless, of course, we solve the whole time-travel dilemma and find ways to go into the past, or it’s revealed that reality is much looser than the tidy order of days on a calendar and hours on a clock. So live for now as if it is new, right? Why not.

Sunrise was at 7:40 AM. Sunset will come at 4:50 PM. It’s 37 degrees F outside. Rain, with a high of 41 F, is expected. A dip in temperatures is coming this week. Nothing severe. No snow.

We went out to dinner with friends last night. The restaurant, open for thirty-five years, is closing. That was its last day. It served Thai food, and it was delicious. I thought it had been there for less time, but I was wrong. Then, dancing at an old hotel where an old band played music from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. We danced, but not on the dance floor. One of our group was wearing her Apple watch. It warned her that the music was dangerously loud, 98 decibels. Adjusting, we danced in the corner by our table and had fun.

I’m using an old song, from all the way back in 1983, “New Year’s Day” by the Irish band, U2. Not much more to say about it on New Year’s Day.

Here’s the music. I’m going to get a new cup of coffee in an old cup. Feels like a good metaphor for something. Stay positive. Test negative. Press on. Cheers.

0

Saturday’s Theme Music

“Overture! Hit the lights! This is it, the night of nights.” That’s the Bugs Bunny Show theme music. The show was my favorite Saturday morning show for several years. I have not seen it in decades and I don’t know if it’s still broadcast. I suspect it is.

Yes, it’s 2022’s final day. The song is over. Fog in the morning, issue a warning. Rain and fog are again the day’s ruling roosters. The sun tapped in at 7:39 AM, bringing up the light to see the fog. Temperature then was 41 F; it’s now 42 F, with a 50 degree high projected and rain. Sunset is 4:48 PM. Then into New Year’s Eve. We’ll be dining out with friends and then to a local hotel for dancing until Midnight. A local band, who are also friends, will provide the music. We will be masked although a friend reports health authorities find no COVID in our town’s wastewater. There is the flu surging around here, though. Restlessness and the desire to do something is pushing the evening agenda.

The last time we saw the new year in like this was back in 2019, I think. Our companions then were the same as the ones going out with us tonight. They packed it in about an hour before midnight. If you’ve seen one new year, you’ve seen them all, is this gang’s opinion. Sadly, though, the night marks the final night of the restaurant where we’re eating. They’re going out of business after twenty-five years. It’s Thai food and I’ve only eaten there three times since I’ve lived here. Two of those times was on New Year’s Eve.

A Boz Scaggs song called “Breakdown Dead Ahead” is in the morning mental music stream. Do Der Neurons know something that they’re trying to tell me with this 1980 musical choice? They always give me the feeling that they know more than they’re letting on to me. It sometimes feels like they’re deliberately withholding information to make me look or feel inept. I think I’m going to keep an eye on them. I just don’t feel like I can trust them, you know what I’m saying?

Coffee time. (And now The Neurons have substituted coffee time for hammer time and are playing that melody. They’re loony tunes up there in my head.) Stay pos, test negative, and enjoy the holiday as you can. Do you have big plans?

Till next year. Yes, it’s a law that the joke be put out there as often as humanly possible. At least, that’s what The Neurons are telling me. Cheers

2

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑