Tag: memories

Sunday’s Theme Music

The sky looks like a gray warship going by. “Sun?” the valley asks. “What is this sun you speak of?”

Today is Sunday, April 10, 2022, but winter is on the stage for an encore, bringing snow to the upper levels — three thousand feet — and rain down in the valley, a perfect complement to the cold air. It’s 39 F now. We expect 50 but I don’t know… The cats are doubtful, curling up in warm spaces and already asleep, their day plan already being executed. We humans take snow and rain here in southern Oregon. Give us something to refill the water tables in all its phases and elements, and water the food chain.

The sun’s moment came at 6:39 AM but she balked over showing off her blaze. She leaves our stage at 7:47 this evening.

Another night of brisk dreams had my neurons singing several songs. Finally, while in the bathroom shaving and thinking about my reflection, they began singing bits of a song about being older, so much older. Took a minute or two to realize the neurons were having fun with me, playing the opening lines to John Mellencamp’s “Hurt So Good”. The neurons were sobered some when I pointed out that the song came out when I was living on Okinawa, which would put it forty years ago. They were like, “Wow, we were only twenty-six then. Where does the time go?” “Indeed, my little neurons,” I replied, “indeed.”

Gotta admit, this seems like a strange music video. Never saw it before. Was reluctant to post it after watching it. But I did, though I grimaced.

Stay positive, test negative…you know the routine by now. If you don’t, then I think you might be a lost cause. Coffee is coming up and I am out of here. Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Today began with a great force shifting the world as we hurtled through space. Then, like other days, another rotation was completed (although it was just a little slower than yesterday’s) and we moved a little further from the sun. All things are relative.

Today is the only ‘w’ day in the week, Wednesday, named for another god, Woden. It’s 47 in the valley. Bright sunshine strains the eyes and heats the skin. Sunrise came at a proper 6:45 AM, and our planet’s dynamics will move the sun out of our valley at 7:42 PM. In between, we’ll hit 76 degrees F, maybe higher. There are mixed feelings about that. The heat feels good, the sunshine is engaging and energizing, but we need water falling from the sky and filling the basins, lakes, rivers, ponds, creeks, streams, and cisterns.

For the record, this is April 6, 2022.

The only dream of note was about clawing out of something. It didn’t move the neurons toward any music. Instead, they’re channeling Hall & Oates and van Halen into the morning mental music stream. “She’s Gone” from 1974 is one of those break-up songs that torches the skin and screams through the bones in sympathy with what you’re going through. I was going through a lot when it came out, so it’s memorable to me.

But it’s not today’s song. That honor falls to “Young, Dumb and Broke” by Khalid (2017). As I was pursuing memories and thoughts that the neurons churned up this morning, I remembered when my wife and I were young and broke. The neurons, being the critters they are, immediately loaded “Young, Dumb and Broke”. It’s an entertaining song, though.

Stay positive, and so on. You know the pandemic mantra by now. I’m up for coffee; can I get you anything? No. Alright. Here’s the tune. Enjoy.

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Thursday’s Theme Music

A Steve McQueen sort of quiet cool reigns today, Thursday, March 24, 2022. The sun spit some rays into the sky at 7:08 AM. Light came up but warmth is still to follow. We’re sitting at 47 F but are expecting a high of 74. Hazy blue rules over us, with a few larger clouds peeking around the ridges but it looks like we’re set for a day of sunshine. Sunset comes at 7:28 PM.

The cats are quiet today. Sick cat lingers on. He gave me a scare last night. I’d let him out the front to enjoy some fresh air. I was with him, then turned my back for a minute, and he was gone. I thought, I’ll probably never see him again. Broke my heart thinking of him out there in the cold, waiting to die. I cursed myself for my stupidity. My spouse and I donned flashlights and walked around, searching and calling for forty-five minutes. He neither showed nor answer. Then, lo’, two hours later, he was back at the front door.

I’ve been meditating on of my friend’s death, and my short history with him. I’ve only known him ten years. He was an intelligent, earnest, amiable guy. I met him through Brains on Beer, an informal group of retired scientists and engineers who like to drink beer and talk science, the arts, and politics. I was member number seven. Only one of the original six remain, but we’ve managed to expand to twelve. I advocated setting up a gofundme to take donations in his name for some of his charities, and the others agreed, so I’ll be doing that today.

These losses — the friend and sick cat’s waning battle — set me on a mental memory roadshow. Before living on Oregon, I lived in California for fourteen years. After moving to Oregon, business kept taking me to California for a few more years, so I have California on my mind. My neurons noticed and now “California Dreamin'” by the Mamas and the Papas (1965) in on the morning mental music stream’s PA system. It’s been featured as theme music before, but it’s a solid song and will work again. I like this video of it from the Ed Sullivan Show. Hope you enjoy it, too.

And now the neurons are whispering, “Pardon, sir, might we have a bit o’coffee for the blood?” Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the shots as needed. Have a better one. Cheers

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Monday’s Theme Music

The theme music from “Family Guy” is haunting the morning’s mental music stream today. I shall find something to exorcise it.

Today is Monday, March 21, 2022. We’re striding toward April.

April may be larger than it appears. February and January are fading in our mirrors. May and June are just around the bend, let’s hope by July we have peace in Ukraine again. Then it’s on to August, which translates to smoke and heat in these parts, followed by September, when local school starts. October comes with a fall, and then the holiday season starts to call. We’ll hear Christmas music in our ears by then, and many will grit their teeth and wish it ends. November brings Thanksgiving, and December brings Kwanzaa, Hannukah, and Christmas, and we’ll look back on the year and realized we missed much. Next thing you’ll know we’ll be counting down the time, and that’s it for me because I can’t think of another rhyme.

Ah. Need coffee.

It’s a dreary day beyond the window, trapped between spring and winter, drizzle and sunshine. The air’s moisture lends an extra taste of chilliness that brings out sweaters. Although the sun cracked our skies at 7:13 AM, it’s been muted by dingy blankets of clouds. It’s a surprise to learn the temp is 41 degrees F. The feel of this day brings back memories of being in the military, standing outside, stamping feet to stay warm, sniffing back dribbles from our noses, waiting for instructions about where we were to go and what we were to do. Back then, people were given permission to light ’em if you got ’em, so a crowd of folks in battle dress uniforms would be blowing smoke. Sunset will be at 7:24 PM.

A pause to consider the skies and hills beyond my mountain brought U2’s 1987 song, “In God’s Country”, into the morning mental music stream. For some reason, when I first though of the song, I thought, 1999, but sitting her, I went, what, wait? That came out when I was in Germany, which would have been in the late 1980s. I eventually pegged it as 1987 based on remembered conversations about it and where I listened to it. Also, in something that isn’t relevant, a neighbor has put a sheet up in their window. Why did they do that? It’s sort of a purply gray thing, just in the left side. I noticed it because the bottom looks like a giant face pressed against the window. It’s creepy.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, when needed, and get the shots. Here’s the music. Off for a cup of the dark hot brew that wakes me up. Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music

Saturday’s daylight is a thin gruel. Clouds dilute its potency, taking the light from blazing whisky to tepid tea. Enough light has wormed through the parting clouds that snow is seen on the surrounding mountain ranges. That’s something to cheer on for today, March 5, 2022. They’ll be updating the water tables and snowpack information this week, giving us a peek into our future expectations vis-à-vis our drought and water situation this summer. Sunrise came at 6:40 AM and the sun’s dip beneath the horizon at daylight’s end will be at 6:06 PM. We’re grinding closer to twelve hours of daylight. Moving toward the time shift, too, just when I’m starting to feel sorted. Temperatures smack of late winter/early spring — let’s call it lawiearing, pronounced ‘la wearing’ — with the current thermometer reading of 40 F (but it feels like 34) and an expectation of 44 for the high, much like yesterday.

I have two sick cats today. One isn’t eating, vomits once in a while, and remains aloof. The other is being turned into the elephant cat with tumors but still pushes to eat, socialize, and drink water. Caring for them challenges every aspect of normalcy. My admiration for full-time caregivers continue to rise. They must have enormous capacities to care for others and patience that’s beyond human.

I have Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders singing “Middle of the Road” from 1983 up in the morning mental music stream. I was first thinking about 1983 from a comment related to me from my wife about a friend. That was like the pebble that rolls down and creates an avalanche. Then, you know, I looked out of the window and wondered, “What’s that in the middle of the road?” That’s all the cheeky little neurons needed to light the song up in my head.

Come on, baby. Let’s get some coffee in the middle of the road. Stay positive, etc., knock on wood and fingers crossed that it’ll work well as masks are slipped away in a bureaucratic striptease. Here’s the song. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

The snow made it! Woo-hoo!

Shortly after posting yesterday’s theme music, light snow showers began. A few degrees were sliced off and we ping-ponged between sleet and snow for several hours. As the temperature shimmied down to 33 F, fat flakes faithfully fell, lining the world with white. Then the temperature shimmied back up, the snow stopped, and the sidewalks and streets cleared but remained on everything else. Then heavier snow began and continued through the night. We only achieved one to three inches locally, which, great. It’s up in the Sierras and Cascades where we need it. Reports are that it fell heavy there.

A little sigh of relief.

Today is Tuesday, 2/22/2022. Our temperature is now 31. Thin snow flurries fall in the front of the house; sunshine peeks through waning clouds on the house’s backside. The high temperature is expected to be 43 with lows dipping to 12 to 23 degrees, depending on where you are. My house will likely experience twenty-five. Sunrise was at 6:57 this morning and sunset will be at 5:52 this evening.

The snow affected the royal clowder. Sick cat chilled on his space and Tucker assumed his position beside me per usual. Papi, the ginger wonder, usually likes being the squeeze box, going in and out and in and out and in and out and in and out. Not so last night. Three times in and out, then done. I had a great night of rest.

I have a 1976 Gordon Lightfoot song in the morning mental music stream, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”. Wrecks and accidents fascinate me, mostly because I’m intrigued by the backstories, not the mayhem. While researching the Soviet space program yesterday (I’m reading “The Apollo Murders”), I became sidetracked on an accident website. Out of that, my neurons began humming the Lightfoot song. So, here we are.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and boosters when you can. BTW, the clouds have broken and scattered. It’s now blue skies and sunshine out the front window, and the temperature is up to — wait a sec, please.

“What’s that, coffee? You want me to come and drink you? Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Gotta go. Here’s the music. Cheers

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Wednesday’s Theme Music

Tattered clouds hang over us, letting us glimpse blue sky and sunshine through the rips and tears. Today is Wednesday, I remind myself after a moment, the mid-week for anyone concerned, February 16, 2022. Happy birthday to someone, somewhere. And happy anniversary to someone out there. Congratulations to your new job or promotion, to someone else — well done! For those of you mourning a loss, I feel you, and words loss traction, going nowhere, as I try to express my condolences.

The sun came around the mountains at 7:06 AM and will turn away at 5:45 PM. Feels chilly today, endured and welcomed, because it’s closer to normal and averages. It’s 41 F now — feels like 35 — close to the forecasted high of 47 F. The clouds are fragmenting into large white ships on a calm blue sea.

Today’s music arrived in mental music stream during a walk yesterday afternoon. It was about 4:30 PM. I was thinking, it’s chilly. No sunshine glowed where I walked on the valley’s southern side. Clouds and sun conspired to create a narrow golden band on the valley’s opposite side. I thought about how nice it would be to be over in that sunshine. From there, the neurons said, “Out in the sunshine. The sun is mine.” With that, Soundgarden was playing “Burden in My Hand” from 1996. I share it with you. See if it jogs your memory, where you can say, “Oh, yeah, I remember being with so-and-so and this song played.” Or something like that. That’s always music’s magic for me. With this song, I remember being with John in a club, drinking a beer and singing the song with him, and smiling. He was getting ready to retire, and it was a sweet night. His girlfriend was the DJ.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and boosters when you can. Here is the song. Time to refill the coffee cup. Cheers

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Tuesday’s Theme Music

Blades of sunshine broke over the mountain a while before the sun broke cover at 7:07 AM. We had rain last night — hurray! Not heavy stuff in our area. With the temperature sitting at 37 F, I checked the surrounding mountains for snow. They said we’d get three to six inches about 5000 feet of elevation. And there it was, a creamy white layer topping the northern mountain ridge. Not much but nice to have it, as it’s been too dry this year. Fingers crossed that more will arrive, especially after reading an article that posits the idea that the U.S. West is in a megadrought. Joy.

Feathered clouds streak the sky with cotton candy pink and blue. We expect a high of 47 today, and no more rain around us, alas. Sunset is expected at 5:43 PM on this Tuesday, February 15, 2022. Note to self: February is over half gone.

Today’s song comes out of walking and eyeing the clouds through a cold rain as I took a walk yesterday and from watching the movie CODA the other night. One featured song in the film was “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell. Released back in 1969, it didn’t make a great impression on this thirteen-year-old American male. It wasn’t until later that I appreciated the song’s nuances and insights about change and perspective.

Stay positive, test negative, wear a mask as needed, and get the vax and boosters when you’re able. Here’s the music. Guess what I’m doing now? If you guessed I’m going for coffee, you’re wrong. I already have it. I’m drinking my coffee. Cheers

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