Saturday 9: Wouldn't It Be Nice?

Saturday 9: Wouldn't It Be Nice? (1966)

. . . because Nonnie recommended the Beach Boys

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In the video for this song, the Beach Boys dive into the pool with all their clothes on. Have you ever ended up in the water while fully clothed? If yes, were you pushed?

A. I don't recall that ever happening.

2) In this song, Mike Love sings he wishes "every kiss could be neverending." Where did you receive your first kiss? Was it wonderful, or awkward?

A. First kiss. Hmm. I think my first kiss was in second grade but I'm not 100% sure of that. I don't remember it, anyway. I'm not overly romantic. I remember my first kiss with my husband but not with anyone else. My first kiss with him was at the ballroom of the Ramada Inn, where we had gone dancing after the Friday night football game.

3) Brian Wilson was the creative force behind the Beach Boys. It's possible that the group's legendary and unique sound came from a incident of bad parenting. Brian's father hit him so hard with a wooden plank that he is deaf in his right ear. Which of your senses is sharpest -- sight, hearing, smell or taste?

A. I have very good smell. I can smell things that other people cannot, like snakes. And mice. I can smell if a mouse is in the house. I can also smell molds and mildew. But I also have unique hearing in that I can hear very low sounds that others cannot and very high pitched sounds that others cannot. For example, my in-laws once had a TV that had a high-pitched screech to it that made me cringe in pain every time I went up there. No one else could hear it, but I could. Fortunately the TV died a fairly quick death (for a TV) and I was very glad.

4) Brian's brother Dennis was the cutest member of the group, and also the only one who could surf. Have you been to the beach yet this summer?

A. No, and I do not expect to go. We've gotten a little old and cumbersome for the beach. Nobody wants to see my white fat legs.

5) Dennis was also the Beach Boys' most colorful member. In 1968, he struck up an unfortunate and dangerous friendship with Charles Manson. Is there anyone in your life that you worry has bad taste in friends/lovers?

A. Nobody that I will mention.

6) Lead singer Mike Love is the grumpiest Beach Boy. He refuses to perform if the concert promotional materials refer to the group or their songs as "oldies." Does it bother you to hear the songs, TV shows and movies of your youth described as "classics" or "oldies?"

A. It doesn't bother me. It amuses me, mostly. I know I am moving on up in age; it's part of the process.

7) This song has appeared on soundtracks for movies as diverse as Shampoo (1975), The Big Chill (1983), 50 First Dates (2004) and It's Complicated (2009). Do you own any movie soundtracks?

A. I have The Lord of the Rings (all three films) soundtrack. (I bet that is a surprise - not.) I also have the soundtrack to Xena: Warrior Princess but that was a TV show, not a movie. I may also have the first Harry Potter movie soundtrack here somewhere but I don't listen to it if I do.

8) In 1966, the year this song was popular, the Miranda Warning became law. Without looking it up, can you recite any of the Miranda Warning?

A. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. If you give up that right, anything you say can and may be used against you.  How'd I do? (Looked it up: close enough.)

9) Random question: The local college is pleading for models of all ages and sizes to pose for the life drawing class. Would you help the kids by volunteering to pose in the nude?

A. I'd pose in shorts but I wouldn't pose nude. Maybe topless but it would depend on the make-up of the class. All boys? No. All girls? Maybe. Mixed? Maybe.


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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen

The Keystone Antique Tractor Museum in Petersburg, VA, which we visited a few weeks ago, had more than just tractors. They also had a collection of tobacco signs and related paraphernalia, old soda bottles, and tools.

I don't smoke or condone smoking, but the old signs are interesting.

These are old cigarette cartons.

These are old snuff/chewing tobacco cans.

Soda bottle holders.

Old cans of food items.

Old soda bottles.

Old tools.
 

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 511th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

When the Cows Come Home

We have had a couple of young cows finding their way out of the fence of late. This morning, one came knocking on the door seeking a glass of milk.

Knock knock. Guess who!

Hey, how about a nice glass of milk?

Yes, I am a good-looking cow, thanks to all of that milk!



Won't I fetch a handsome price at auction?

They don't find their way to the front porch very often. Generally speaking, they get out an average of once a year. Half the time we can never find the hole in the fence to fix it. They perform some kind of cow magic with the fences, I guess.

From the Days of Old

Do you know what this is?

 

 

Think about it before you look at the answer. Hmm. What could it be?

 

Give up?

 

 

 

 

It is a well pump.

This was one of the items on display at the Keystone Antique Tractor Museum.

Sunday Stealing: Music, Music

Sunday Stealing: Music

1: A song you like with a color in the title

A. Blue Bayou as sung by Linda Ronstadt

2: A song you like with a number in the title

A. 99 Luft Ballons (or 99 Red Balloons)

3: A song that reminds you of summertime

A. In the Summertime by Mungo Jerry

4: A song that needs to be played LOUD

A. Hair of the Dog by Nazareth

5: A song that makes you want to dance

A. Dancing Queen by Abba (this is the Mamma Mia version and it is fun)

6: A song to drive to

A. Radar Love by Golden Earring

7: A song about drugs or alcohol

A. Last Dance With Mary Jane by Tom Petty

8: A song that makes you happy

A. Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin

9: A song that makes you sad

A. The Last Goodbye (end of The Hobbit), by Billy Boyd

10: A song that you never get tired of

A. Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Wings (this links to the original video if you've never seen it)

11: A song from your preteen years

A. Bad Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce

12: One of your favorite 80’s songs

A. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

13: One of your favorite classical songs

A. The soundtrack from Lord of the Rings.

14: A song that you would sing a duet with someone on karaoke

A. Jackson by Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash

15: A song from the year that you were born

A. Rhythm of the Rain by the Cascades

16: A song that makes you think about life

A. Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin

17: A song that you think everybody should listen to

A. Sound of Silence by Disturbed

18: A song by a band you wish were still together

A. Long Train Runnin' by The Dobbie Brothers

19: A song by an artist no longer living

A. Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (Freddie Mercury)

20: A song that breaks your heart

A. Vincent (Starry Starry Night) by Don McLean

21: A song by an artist with a voice that you love

A. Weather Channel by Sheryl Crow


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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Angel

Saturday 9: Angel (1998)

. . . because Bev recommended it

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Sarah McLachlan wrote this song about someone she barely knew. She read the obit of Jonathan Melvoin, keyboard player for the Smashing Pumpkins, who died of a heroin overdose. What's the most recent news story that touched you deeply?

A. Mostly the news just makes me angry these days. It's a very deep anger. Does that count?

2) Ms. McLachlan performed this in tribute to Linda McCartney at the 1999 Concert for Linda. She was expressing her hope that, in death, Linda found relief and peace after a long and painful battle with cancer. What do you think happens to us when we die?

A. The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinnacle on your snout. I hope I feed a nice tree somewhere.

3) Daytime dramas General Hospital and As the World Turns used this song on-air after a major character died. Do you follow any "soap operas?"

A. Not any more. I used to be a big Dark Shadows and Guiding Light fan when I was (much) younger. Now I watch Game of Thrones, Supergirl, and Survivor.

4) In 2007, Sarah donated her recording of this song to the ASPCA. Do you have a pet? If yes, how did you get it (shelter, pet store, etc.)?

A. I do not have a pet now. In 1984, I picked up my dog who lived for 17 years (outside, yes, I was a bad dog mama) at the flea market when she was about seven weeks old. The cows are not pets, but we buy them in herds from other farmers or at the auction house.

5) She admits she can't watch those ASPCA commercials, where her recording of "Angel" plays over sad photos of animals. Is there a TV commercial that really gets to you (in either a good or a bad way)?

A. Those Christmas commercials where the kid sneaks in from college and starts the Folgers brewing and his parents wake up to find him home used to make me sniffle.

6) In 1994, Sarah was stalked by an obsessed fan. Tell us about a time you were really frightened. In retrospect, was your fear commensurate with the threat?

A. My husband scares me every time he is behind the wheel because he drives with his ear toward the road instead of his eyes. He has never wrecked a car (but I have) so I suppose my fear is unwarranted, but damn I wish he'd pay attention and stop looking out the side windows.

7) Sarah was adopted by Jack and Dorice McLachlan. Though she has a friendly relationship with her birth mother, she always considered Dorice her mother and sees herself behaving with her son the way Dorice did with her. Is there anyone in your family that you feel you resemble, either physically or by behavior?

A. I am a lot like my aunt, my mother's sister. Neither of us like to cook, we're both not into fashion, etc., and we both like to color.

8) McLachlan is one of the founders of Lilith Fair, a summer concert series designed to showcase talented female performers. Do/did your summer plans include an outdoor concert?

A. No. I generally don't go to those because people smoke.

9) Random question: Which of these men would you most like to be seated with at dinner -- Clint Eastwood, Prince William or Jimmy Fallon?

A. I have no interest in any of them, and I most certainly would never sit with Clint Eastwood, so if I must pick one, I shall go with royalty and say Prince William. Perhaps I would remember to hold out my pinky whilst I drink my tea, but I am afraid my curtsey leaves much to be desired.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen #510

In Petersburg, Virginia, is a private museum open to the public. Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum showcases one man's collection of old farm tractors, big diesel trucks, antique fire equipment, sports cars, and other oily things with gears.

Here are thirteen of the old tractors:

This is made from the parts of an old Indian motorcycle.

No clue. I didn't take notes. My husband could tell you, but he isn't here.



Most of these things were bigger than I was. I couldn't have climbed in the seat if I had to.

This is an old road grader.

I think this is what many people think of when they think "old tractor."

Moline tractors are more popular out west, I think.

This was my favorite.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 510th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

My Katydid

When I was young, we used to listen for the sounds of the katydid at night. The insect made a noise that sounded exactly like it's name, as well as noise that sounded like "katy didn't."

The insect below is fork-tailed bush katydid (according to my National Audubon book, anyway). I am not an entomologist, but that's my best guess based on the book photos.

These are my photos of my katydid, another creature living in my flower garden.

Katydid



Katy didn't

Those are long antennae, aren't they? Almost four times as long as the bug's body. They'd give me a headache!

My Garden Lizard

 

This is the lizard that I keep seeing in my rose garden. He runs very fast, almost mostly on his hind legs. But he was sunning the other day on my seashell and I was able to grab a photo. Apparently he is an Eastern fence lizard.

After I scared him, he slipped under the heat pump and I was surprised to see the bright blue on the underbelly. Apparently that is indicative of its sex (male), based on my quick research.

I don't mind him too much, although he has startled me a time or two. Lizards aren't poisonous so he can't hurt me, but reptiles tend to creep me out regardless.