Friday, November 30, 2007

Wild Wind


Had a great outing today and got lots of nice shots. However, it was cold and blowing a real gale. The water has whitecaps through most of the photos. We were at the Roma Settlement in Brudenell. I've linked a Georgetown area history which includes Roma in Brudenell and the other Acadians. I had planned to go to their big Fete in September but it was the same night as my friend's 50th birthday party, where I went instead. It was also supposed to be the first day on my new job but I got the day off and started the next. My friend got a real chill today so we passed up on another site we were going to visit and will go there on Monday.

Had our staff party yesterday. We had the Christmas Buffet at the best room at the Culinary Institute. It was really fabulous with lots of superb service and special treatment because my boss is a student in the building. Oddly, there were no main entrees cooked without garlic and I am not able to have any. My first choice was poached salmon and it was in a garlic sauce so they were very soon able to get me some plain poached salmon before it touched the garlic. It was heavenly. Desserts to die for too. There was this chocolate cheesecake......

I'll put up some more missing music. Sugar by Nina Simone fits after the last paragraph and for the first paragraph her Wild Is The Wind is also a fit.

We are getting some snow. Two or three cm. over night and ten tomorrow night. It will all be accompanied by heavy winds. Yeah that I got my snow tires on yesterday. The landscape will certainly change then.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Best Ballads


My Fingerprint

Had a quiet day but it hadn't been planned that way. I had offered to help someone with some computer stuff but she didn't show up. I hung around thinking that she was late but shouldn't have. Being late or not showing up for something really irks me. It shows disrespect. I had asked her to call me if she couldn't come but she didn't. I haven't seen my elderly friend for two weeks and gave up seeing him to make this happen.

I'm making a couple of cd's for someone and a couple for someone else and am busy with that. One has an easy listening, romantic ballad sort of theme so that's the music I have for you today. There's A Kiss To Build A Dream On by kd lang and Tony Bennett as well as They Can"t Take That Away From Me by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Both of these duets are superb. The second would be considered a classic. The first will be one day. Tony Bennett had some pretty fine things about kd lang....nothing I've not said though. There is no voice like hers.

These have to be the longest song names/singers names combination ever to have to type so many times. Whew!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Rainy Hike


Today's hike was done in the rain. At times it was a drizzle and at times it was steady rain. A half hour before we went out it was really pouring and we expected that it might do so again but we were spared. It was lovely. I can't say rain has ever hurt me - just left me in varying degrees of wetness. I've always loved rain and walking in it but don't like rain for long periods. I have a brother who lives in coastal BC where it rains a lot. I could not live there as it is too encompassing of your whole being.

It is fourteen degrees today and is going to be minus one tomorrow and minus four the next day. A big change. Flus and colds are blamed on changing weather like that but I'm not convinced. There is talk of snow flurries tomorrow too. I hope it is just flurries because I don't get my snow tires on till Thursday.

I've lots of rain songs to choose from - hundreds really. A couple for today are The Sky Is Crying with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble for the blues fans and fans of Stevie's fabulous guitar style. Beauty of the Rain by Dar Williams is the second song. It describes my sentiment.

Today's photo is of Kayla, one of my wet hiking partners.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Monday Musings


I loved visiting the north shore beaches last week. I keep looking at the photos. I wish it had been a less bitter day though. We really were quite cold. You can dress for the weather but when you're photographing, your hands are uncovered and your photo subject might have you facing the head-on wind.

Managed a one hour hike today but nothing strenuous. That's for tomorrow. Monday's I'm a bit tired after Sunday's shift. Had lunch and a visit with a friend and we made plans for another photo shoot/hike on Friday. I have a full week with activities of some sort every day. I was thinking about the price of gas and how it costs so much to go anywhere. I realized that if I am out driving around, the furnace at home is off whereas if I was home and not driving in the car, the furnace is on keeping me warm. A reasonable trade off that made me not feel as bad.

I'm going to invite my sister-in-law for supper tonight if she drops in after work. If she already has plans I will have cooked my supper for tomorrow night. Pretty good either way. She probably has fish planned as her hubby is returning soon.

I needed a song uploaded the other day that had been on Page One and is not longer there. It was for another reason but it's such a fantastic piece that it is good as a choice for today. Crepuscular Solidao by Bonnie Raitt and Cesaria Evora is that song. Since Bonnie is so good in that duet, song number two is another one featuring her. It is Do I Ever Cross Your Mind with Ray Charles. She certainly has a voice and a style that make her fantastic in duets. I still have her first two albums on vinyl. A lot of people aren't familiar with them because she became famous only after her third and later were released.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

A Ducky Day


I've been cleaning my bathroom and need a break! That's not such a big job you're thinking but you'd have to see my bathroom. I have more than a hundred ducks and they're on every surface. They're on the walls, the window, the floor, several shelves, the old fashioned bathtub, the ceiling, the radiator, the towel racks and the back of the toilet. Once a year I do a thorough housecleaning and today is the day. The bathroom was all apart as I had a plumber in this morning finishing the tap installation. My friend had some problems so I had to call a plumber. It seemed like the right day for the big job.

I'm going out for dinner with my son, nephew and sister-in-law. I'm sure it will be a fun evening and the best part - I don't have to cook supper. My sister-in-law works on the north shore and experienced a snow storm/blizzard today. We have none on the south shore. Weird, eh? The last few posts on An Island Walk were from the area where she works and now those photo spots are all covered in snow.

Songs for today: Sweet Little Duck by Kathleen Edwards and Diving Duck Blues by Harry Manx and Kevin Breit. Those are already on the pages. To be replaced is the other song that I'd consider my favorite song on the pages along with Renee Olstead's version of Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby that I talked about a couple of days ago. This is Phoebe Snow's version of There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York. This has been one of my favorite songs since Never Letting Go, the album it's on, came out. I think it's from that album anyway. I have all of her albums and am a big fan. The job she does on this Gershwin song is remarkable. It stills stops me in my tracks every time I play it and that is quite often. Also today is Shirley Horne's version. If you choose only one, let Phoebe's be it. Spectacular, I say.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Favorite Songs


An early post today. I have friends coming for the afternoon who are arriving around two. Another friend was here this morning to put in a new set of bathroom taps for me. When he opened the box, there were no taps in it. He just called and has decided to come this afternoon too. He will pick up taps at another store and put them in. That's good as I have everything pulled out from under the sink and in another room so I'll have it all over with.

I have Page One cleaned up but there is a lot of music missing on Page Two as well. I hope to get to that next week. One song I found removed from Page Two, I am putting back up today. Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby is one of my all time favorite songs. I heard it first from Louis Jordan but Joe Jackson and Renee Olstead have done fabulous covers. My daughter is a great fan of the Renee Olstead version.

Her version was the first song I put on my music page along with Louis Jordan's version. When I started Page Two after the 500 songs on Page One became too ruly, the first song I put on it was Joe Jackson's version. For some reason, out of the 59 songs remaining on Page One, Renee and Louis are still there. Not so for poor Joe on Page Two. I'm linking all three versions and Jack, You Dead by Joe Jackson. This song is from the same era as Is You Is . Joe Jackson did an album of these jumpin' jive songs in the seventies as a tribute to his father. One of my all time favorite albums.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

The Land of Dunes


This south shore dweller got a trip up to the north shore dunes yesterday. Went to the beach at several spots between Morell and Lakeside. There are some beautiful properties in that area and some pretty fine 'cottages'. See above photo. The day was cold, windy and grey again. It seems every time I've gone out on these jaunts with my friend, the weather has been cold, windy, and grey. The great thing is that neither of us really mind the weather but it would be nice to get some photos with a blue sky. Everyone that is not accustomed to the island will think the sun never shines.

I can say this here. The grandchildren can't read and the parents know. I just finished packing the grandkid's presents to mail. They are very large ceramic piggy banks that I bought before I thought about how to get them 1300 miles away. I personalized them with paint and have just prepared them for the mail. I'm pretty confident about the packing but you can never be sure. I packed glass for the mail for years without any breakage. The only breakage occurred with a window for Newfoundland, packed and crated by a professional packer who came good for it. I had to make the window again, which I hadn't planned when buying the glass for the first one. A pain all around!

Page One is down to fifty-nine songs - I think. Started at five hundred. It makes me realize how much is missing that I have to replace so it frees up even thinking of new - I'm just replacing old for awhile. In honour of a trip to the dunes here's There Are Places I Remember by the Beatles and for the photo trips I've had lately it's Dylan with a live version from Belgium in 1998 of Blowin In the Wind. Essential don't you think?

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Mixed Up


I haven't taken the photos off my camera after today's hike so here's one that could be from today. I did the six km. in an hour and thirty-five minutes. I was alone and walk much faster without a partner - unless that partner is my sis-in-law whom I can't keep up with. I then helped out a stranded friend and got some groceries. I had no list but knew I could get anything I missed tomorrow as I have to go to that town again.

I have been invited out for supper tonight. I have to help cook but that's ok. My bro-in-law is away and when he is, sis-in-law and I eat fish at her house. He can't stand the smell of it cooked there. Maybe tomorrow there will be lobster or something.

I just looked at that photo above and realize it could not have been today because in it, the sun is shining. It was not shining today and the temp was around three. Cool but wonderful for walking. I was in a lather from all the hills when I got back but started out with a hat and gloves.

I've been working on getting rid of the listings for the songs that are gone from my music pages. It's a time consuming job. I got a hundred and seventy-five done last night. I find that a whole lot of essential songs are missing so it is my job to get them back up there. Like Lila Downs' versions of two of my favorite songs ever. Quizas, Quizas, Quizas or Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps if you're so inclined and Besame Mucho. I have twenty-three versions of Besame Mucho and this is by far the best of any. I had five or six versions up but they were all gone. Yes, these songs and an essential few others will be going back on the pages straight away.

It seems funny to see the 0 (zero) in the number of plays for Lila Downs' , Quizas,Quizas, Quizas. It was month after month a favorite song and in July, before it disappeared, had 273 hits. Goodness, I've just discovered that Lila's version of Besame Mucho hadn't disappeared so I'll put up another missing one. Andrea Bocelli's was popular so I've chosen it, but have a listen to Lila's as it is more than spectacular.

Monday, November 19, 2007

One in Five


They say that one in five women you know will get breast cancer. I have a friend who was just diagnosed with cancer in both breasts. I am in total shock. This vital, amazing woman is in for the fight of her life, literally. She is strong and she's a fighter so I'm betting she beats this and teaches all of us a whole lot in the process.

I've been painting for a couple of weeks but keep saying I feel like doing glass work. Last night I got a probable commission. That should satisfy the itch. Makes me get at the painting with earnest too because I can only do one thing in my studio at a time so will have to be done with the paint so I can put it away.

On Monday I usually look forward to tomorrow's hike but my mind is only on my friend. Today's music is for her. And The Healing Has Begun and The Healing Game both by Van Morrison come to mind first. I already have The Healing Game up so here's another Van classic, Did You Get Healed. This is from his Live In Montreaux 1990 bootleg.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Rushed


I've been watching blackbirds gathering like this all week. I've been watching them for a month but this week they are tending to their migration in a much more serious way. They've been hanging out in the pastures behind my house all week. The largest meeting I've ever seen had gathered one day this week but I haven't seen one that big again. I know where there are other big groupings in the neighbourhood and I'd say there will be only a couple more practice runs and they will be gone.

I had a nice day in town yesterday but didn't get all my errands finished so have to go in again sometime next week. I don't really like going into town so often so that's kind of a pain. And with gas prices so high......

Music: I started this blog early and am getting back to it late - busy, busy - so have not thought about music. My son will be here in an hour for supper. Yikes! I'm just going to close my eyes and grab the first thing I come to. I've never done that here before. Ok, I got Michelle Shocked doing a live song, The Quality of Mercy, and Eryka Badu with Back In the Day. That was fun but I like choosing the songs more carefully. My son is here asking me if he can turn the oven on. He's hungry and I'm rushed. Someone talk to that boy, please.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

All The Way to Cardigan To Get a Little Seed


Picked up my car last night. Though I was $175.02 poorer, I had a wonderful outing today. I had errands and needed bird seed and picked up a friend who needed some too. Off to the feed store in Cardigan. This little village has a river running through it and a small marina. It was famous when I moved out to the country for being the closest liquor store. The local Cardigan area band - guys my age and friends of mine, wrote a well known PEI song called All the Way to Cardigan to Get a Case of Beer. Everyone of a certain age and their kids, who are all friends too, know this song on PEI. The photo above is from the marina. It's of the only boat not put away. Got some nice photos which will be around on the other blogs - see side bar.

We are to have one more warm 15 degree day then a cold front is coming to visit and will likely stay. I'm getting out to walk as much as possible in the next day. You can always join me on a walk. Just come to the new blog, An Island Walk. Just in case no one knows about that. Oops, read back and see I have shameless self promotion on both paragraphs. What's a girl to do?

I'd love to have a copy of the Rubber Boot Band and All the Way to Cardigan and I'll actually try to find out if anyone has one. But for now, I don't. I do have the shortest song in my music files uploaded today. That song is Dirty Old Town by Ewan MacColl. Also today, Run Myself Out of Town by the Holmes Brothers. All in honour of tomorrow being a town day.

Just realized I didn't say that my seed was not available. Every kind was present except for black oil which I use exclusively. My friend was able to get hers. Supposedly it is available but at an extremely high price of $30. per large bag. It's usually $15. The feed store is not going to order it at that high price. Time to go.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Fallen


I had a nice walk in the local woods today and did a favor for my sis-in-law at the same time. I'd say no one has walked the trail since the big winds we've had over the last couple of weeks. There was deadfall everywhere across the path. My sis-in-law skis this trail and if we'd had snow over all that, you would never be able to ski over it. The only tree I couldn't remove myself is pictured above and you can duck down and ski under it if it doesn't manage to get removed. There are several dead trees with holes where birds make their homes and nests and a lot of them managed to stay up. That's good.

I had planned to walk to the beach but the tide was in. We had a north wind which isn't the best wind for walking to the beach so when the tide managed to be in that sealed the deal.

I just called about my car and it is just being looked at now. It feels strange not to have a car in the yard. I have no where I have to go and I can get rides if I do have to go somewhere so it's not that. It just feels a little scary not to have your car available. It certainly means security and freedom to me.

I love this Ruthie Foster song and uploaded it before but....it has disappeared. really isn't about fallen trees but the title can make us pretend. Her song, To The FallenHarder Than The Fall isn't about trees either but it's by Ruthie Foster and that's reason enough to listen to it.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Snows and Woes



We are having our first wintery weather. It snowed an inch, turned to rain and it seems to have stopped with a half inch still on the ground. It was supposed to turn to freezing rain but we may have missed that step in the bad weather.

I went on a short walk today and not my usual Tuesday hike. I am having car problems once again and the car had to be taken to the shop. I had to get a ride home with a friend before the forecast freezing rain. The walk was to a lovely spot. It is a bird sanctuary with a series of pretty ponds and a dam. Very nice except that it was snowing quite hard so visibility was not great.

The car is probably going to be expensive as the mechanic thinks it is the starter and there's something specific about Toyota starters that make them so. Oh, dear! Everything is starting to break down in this car but what can you do? You Roll With the Punches. That's what Randy Newman says. You could also buy a new car. Geoff and Maria Muldaur say to get a Chevrolet but I kind of like my Toyota. Funny that I sent you to a website yesterday to hear Geoff and Maria Muldaur not knowing I would be playing them today.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Sunday Monday


I'm listening to some great music on another blog right now so should give it a shout out. I've pointed you here before, to Keep the Coffee Coming, where like here, there are two songs a day. Not like me, a slacker, Kat has four songs on the weekends, she doesn't miss a day, and she's a great writer. I've checked in every day for a couple of years. It's like an old friend. Here's the post of the song I'm listening to and here's a link to the blog. When I fix up my sidebar.....

The weather is not nice today so I didn't walk. Didn't dance either. I'm always tired on Monday after Sunday's shift. Cooked, cleaned, did laundry - Monday stuff. These are the cold, windy days of November. It's too sudden after the wonderful unseasonable weather we've had. Brrr.

I'm going to have a four song day today after all. I was looking for a certain song with Sunday in the title. I found it and three others. Two were up on Page One previously, but have been removed. They were popular too, as both artists do a great job of this song. Here's Sunday Morning Coming Down by Johnny Cash and by Kris Kristofferson & Steve Earl. Also, Working Sunday, by Dorado which is what I was looking for for this post and Sunday Morning by K-os.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Weathery Weekend

Blueberry Field in November


Here it is another Saturday and we're awaiting a storm. Last week it was post hurricane Noel and today a Nor-easter is expected. I will get some water ready in case we lose the power again and I have food and a stove so I'm all set. It's just a bit of weather.

I've been trying to get rid of some files. The photos are easy enough but the music is darned near impossible. I am strict enough when I first get music that if I don't like it I don't keep it which means I like everything I have. Once in a great while after several listens to something I can let it go but this doesn't happen all that often. I backup every month or so on an external hard drive so they're safe but it seems things are slowing down when I have multiple windows open so it would be nice to have some more something. I'm not sure if it's room on the hard drive.

For music I have cuts from Atlantic Canada to share. Shaye is a group of three women. Tara MacLean is from PEI and is Brody's (who is linked on the side) cousin. Kim Stockwood and Damhnait Doyle are Newfoundlanders. They formed a group and made their debut album in 2003. Sinead Lohen's song, No Mermaid was a cover on that first release. Here is Shay's version and Sinead's which was already up. Jenn Grant is another Prince Edward Islander with a song or two. Here is Rainy Day for the expected weather.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Lost


Well, I have a tale to tell. I was lost in the woods yesterday with a friend. We were on her land so she knew that we would come out eventually somewhere recognizable but it was scary. My friend has a serious heart condition and she was very, very tired - extremely tired. I was never so glad to come out of the woods. We had walked through swamps so our feet were soaked and I thought that pretty soon she wouldn't be able to go any further. We did get to see her beaver pond of which a beaver run is pictured above.

This is the same friend who went into quicksand last week. She always has adventures like that she says. Hard for someone like me who does not like unplanned events to take place to that extreme. Lost in the woods!

I had planned a walk to the beach today but needed a day at home. I have a beef stew cooking and it smells wonderful. I was invited to a dinner and an overnight at a friend's but have bowed out gracefully. Don't feel like having a tired day tomorrow. I want to take that walk to the beach. It is forecast that Sunday is bringing another severe storm.

A song I really like and have already put up is Walk Around the Lake by the band Lost In the Trees. Out of the Woods by Sinead Lohan is a song already have in the music pages as well. They both have appropriate titles for today's post. For new ones today it's Martha Wainwright with Whither Must I Wander and good old Tom Waits with A Sight For Sore Eyes from his 2001 album, Used Songs 1973 - 1990. Tom always has an appropriate song.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Wearing Out the Shoe Leather

The pasture at my friend's house has sustained hurricane damage. The apple tree has been toppled. My friend said they were certainly wishing for a camera the next day. A large number of cows were gathered all around in a circle looking at it and assessing the damage. Photo worthy indeed!

I figured out the pedometer/mileage question. It is five miles not kilometers that 10,000 steps measures. That is equal to eight kilometers and that makes sense. In sixty-one steps I'll have reached that magic number for today. I did serious housework and laundry this morning and some serious walking in the afternoon. Endorphens are swirling around. I have another outing planned for one day this week to hike new trails that are promised to be fabulous.

For walking you need shoes. You can find shoes in music. Patty Griffin brings us Burgundy Shoes and Lori McKenna has Ruby's Shoes. Both very, very nice songs. Cool that both shoe songs have shades of the colour red in their titles too.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

I Play Myself


I didn't realize I had passed the milestone of 500 posts on this blog. This is 504. It would have been the same time as my one year on Shutterchance last week. Blogger has been experiencing problems in the photo upload department for the last couple of weeks. It seems I can't upload one now. There is a scheduled outage tonight and perhaps it will be fixed. Until then I'll try again, hopefully not in vain.

While on our hike today, we encountered a few trees down from the wind on the weekend. Nothing we couldn't get by or over. It was a really beautiful morning for walking. Even though the walk is 5.4 km it is only 8000 steps with the pedometer I'm using. I had understood 10,000 steps was 5 km. I'm not sure how to determine whether I should change the stride length. I would assume I have a medium stride and that's what it's set for. What other reason would 5.4 km. equal only 8000 steps? No matter how many steps, the hills we climb are a great workout.

I haven't given a lot of thought to the music today. I've written nothing about movies but that's the theme for the music today. Here art the Great Lake Swimmers with Moving Pictures Silent Film and Tim Seely with On Film I Play Myself from his album Funeral Music.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Aftermath


I had an appointment in town today and forgot my camera at home so didn't get any storm photos. There were trees down here and there but not as many as after Hurricane Juan. There was part of a roof and part of a wall blown off a barn that looked as though they were ready to blow off anyway. One poplar about 6 -7 inches in diameter broke here on my property and there are a few small branches about but that's it. Came through fine.

We lost our power during the night and it remained out till ten after one in the afternoon. I went to work then. Luckily I have a propane campstove so could boil water for coffee and sponge bathing. I learned during Hurricane Juan to have a day's coffee already ground and stored in the freezer. It's very frustrating to be able to make coffee and have nothing but unground beans.

Tomorrow is hiking day and I'm quite anxious to get out. The weather is to be cooler this week so it's wonderful for fast walking. The photo above is the one I had taken just before my friend fell into the sinkhole. I had passed by the spot where she got sucked in before she came down so am very lucky it didn't happen to me. I might have cried rather than laugh like she did. She has property with beaver ponds so I'm going to walk her property with her later in the week.

I haven't put up any Gotan Project for a while. Here's Una Musica Brutal from the album La Revancha Del Tango and from the album Lunatico, here's Amor Porteno which also features Calexico, another band I love. Every playlist should have one of Gotan Project's songs.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Tropical Storm Watch


We are on tropical storm watch as we have been downgrades from a hurricane. Parts of the Maritimes will be getting winds of 150 km per hour. Those are some pretty fierce winds. My deck is naked and looks so strange. My sis-in-law helped me move the trays of rocks off to the barn and my son is here now to help me with the rest. The barbecue is next. I usually only clear the deck at the first sign of snow so it's a bit early to be staring at a bare deck.

I have a staff meeting in a while and don't know how long it will last so am posting early. When I come back, I'll be cooking supper for the boy and I. He likes his mama's cooking.

I don't know how many versions of Stormy Weather I have. It's an old American standard that I really like. I can not believe there are none up thus far but I'll remedy that. Here's a girl version and a boy version. Dinah Washington or Willie Nelson. I believe Leon Russell is playing piano in Willie's version.Which one do you like? If neither appeal to you I have many more.
I just discovered I have uploaded both of these versions to Page One. I must investigate if they are still reachable through the page.

Friday, November 02, 2007

A November Hurricane

Hurricane Noel is heading to the east coast. Cape Breton, the western part of Nova Scotia that we see from our eastern shores is getting the brunt but we have just a narrow strait between us so we are going to get hit with a wallop. I was out stripping the deck this afternoon. There are hundreds of rocks on the deck and they can make pretty deadly missiles when the winds are over 100 km per hour. That is what is predicted. I would say we will lose our electricity so I must remember to unplug the electronics. I find we often get some vicious storms in November though not usually hurricanes.

I took my elderly friend to see the rescued horses today. He loves horses and these ones are beauts so it was time he saw them. I also took him up and down the hills that I walk in an attempt to show him why I go there. It is kind of an issue with him. He can't imagine why I drive 50 km in a round trip to walk in the woods when there are perfectly good woods around here. My sister-in-law stirs it all up with him. She said to him one day, "I've just come from the woods with Cuidado. I wanted to show her that she doesn't have to drive to find woods. We have perfectly good ones around here." Ha Ha Ha. He was then convinced he was right and that I should stay here so has been bugging me about it. Now after the drive today he is ok. He couldn't believe we had hills that steep on PEI. It's all so funny to sis-in-law and I. She actually has been out to those woods with me but she loves to have a good time so is getting it through lighting that fire under my old friend.

He had quite a laugh when I told him about the sinkhole incident yesterday. He is a relative of the woman who got sucked into the mud so could picture it all quite well.

Today for music is the very nice instrumental, I've Always Loved the Fall by the band, Lost In the Trees. I love the cello in the beginning. I say let's bring this weather on. Here's Hurricane by Alicia Wiley. Ha! An Alicia two days in a row.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Quicksand


The woman pictured above is walking into the Morell river to wash her feet, legs, pants, arms and shoes after a freak incident. We were walking on a beach and one of her legs fell into a sinkhole of quicksand. It was up to her thigh. She had a really hard time getting her leg out and once she did, her shoe stayed in so she had to reach in as far as her arms could go to retrieve the shoe. You can imagine what a mess she was. She washed first in the river then we went to a restaurant where she washed more thoroughly in a bathroom.

She has a wonderful sense of humour, luckily, and she and I and the other friend with us would burst into spontaneous laughter every time we would think of it. She was very lucky to have not gotten hurt as a similar incident happened with my mother-in-law a few years ago and she severely injured her knee. She was in a cast for months. We're also lucky that on November first, the weather was warm enough for someone to be able to wash off in a river.

We drove to the St. Peters/Morell area for a day of sightseeing and shopping at a big yearly craft blow-out sale. We had lots of fun with so much fun and laughter. We caused smiles wherever we went because due to the dirt on her clothing, my friend felt she had to explain. The laughter would begin anew.

Fallin' by Alicia Keys is my first pick for a song today. An old Dylan song sung by the Byrds, You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, is song number two. Both come to mind when I think of my friend in the quicksand. I'm just so glad she wasn't hurt; only her pride was a bit bruised.