An Aaahhhhhsome Day

Today I start my new work schedule with an additional day off - Mondays!!!! Those exclamation points can hopefully express my excitement. I'm so in need of an extra day off and I'm enjoying it fully. I have friends coming for dinner and have all the salads made, the lemon meringue pie in the fridge, the ribs slow cooking in the oven and the floor swept. I've been very busy but I'm not going to work. Yeah!!!! I don't like being indoors for the dishwasher cycle so took that time out for a visit with two friends so I feel happy all around. An extra day off will do that, much like a long weekend usually does.

I have resident crows. The same ones hang around and keep watch knowing I will often feed them. They are checking it out constantly. There are three in this first photo - one is in the shade to the left of the tree. I like having them around. I've always admired their shiny black feathers, their intelligence and fierce tenacity. They are a bit shy even though they should know after all these years that I'm no harm.



I've been blindly clicking different playlists on the mp3 player every time I sit at the computer. That there is so much great music always amazes me. There is more than any of us could listen to in a lifetime if we played music from this moment on. Like books, where couldn't ever read them all - even a speed reader. Here are two good songs I listened to today that are no longer on the music pages. Baby Please Don't Go is done here by Greg Brown and Bill Morrissey. Here are a couple of other versions too. One from the late, great Dutchie Mason and one by our Harry Manx. I won't play Van's version as was requested a while back by the Net Sheriff.

Oh oh, Dutchie's is no longer here. If I knew how to make the horizontal line through it I would. I'll put it back some other time. Mississippi Fred McDowell's is gone too.

The other choice today is the traditional blues song, Trouble in Mind, by Snooks Eaglin and here's a bonus. It's the song that's playing at the moment. Speed of the Sound of Loneliness by Nancy Griffith and John Prine. This song always reminds me of a friend who sings and does a fine job with both these artists.

My friends are here. I will add music later.

Update: When I look back on this post after a few drinks and a great dinner and visit with dear friends, I see a strange mixture of music from me. It's not related other than the songs were all on playlists I'm listening to and they grabbed my attention. So much more than just these songs has enthralled me. I listened to a live cut from The Waifs live album on one of the playlists and have enjoyed it so much in the mix.

Spring and All

I got the lawn mowed after work tonight but didn't do nearly as good a job as my daughter did last week. Is it because I dislike the job so much and she likes doing it? Anyway, I'll be back at it in less than a week and will have a chance to improve upon this week's mess.

The photo is a small little piece of Monday evening's sky. I wish I could see more of it frome here and I didn't have the opportunity to go for a drive. It would be easy to get a fabulous sunset by taking very short drives and I just never do. Laziness or just content being at home are a couple of choices for a reason.

Haven't played any Greg Brown in a while. Ain't Life a Brook is a song I really like about splitting up by Greg and Bill Morrissey. They're fantastic together with their deep voices. Spring and All is by just Greg. His songs are always stories.

Weather Woes

I stayed in town last night. After dinner at a friend's house, I went to leave and there was a half inch of ice covering my car. I wouldn't have attempted to drive in freezing rain. My son overshot the driveway when he came home and I heard the roads were terrible.

One time I was visiting these same friends. They live on a fairly narrow street and when I came out the mirror had been knocked off the car. This morning I found that the signal/park light housing had been hit and is just hanging. The fender is also scraped. Nothing I can do really but pay to have it fixed.

My son is taking me to dinner tomorrow night for my birthday. That will be very nice as I've not spent much time with him over the holidays. He worked every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Day, and Sundays.

Music: I'm still into that deep Greg Brown voice. Here's Treat Each Other Right and Brand New Dodge and for Greg Brown with Bill Morrissey here's the link to, He Was A Friend of Mine.

Blurry

It's Friday night. It's late and I've had my fill. My friend Serge is here doing the Friday night Happy Hour thing that is mostly defunct but is still happening on many levels. We just played "Serge", one of my playlists from last year and found Baby Please Don't Go by Mississippi Fred MacDowell that I'd put on a playlist for him last year. It's definitely worth a listen. We found it quite funny that I'd put up another version just today. It's from Greg Brown & Bill Morrissey.

We've been dancing and now it's time to slow down. It's way past my bedtime and I have to work in the morning. We're good that way...my friends are all accommodating to each others work schedules and moods.....we're mature now. It's time to slow down the dancing.....another one from the "Serge" playlist...La Vie En Rose but this time by Edith Piaf. I swear we're coming full circle tonight. Didn't I post this song by another person yesterday? Edith's version is the standard for all others isn't it. It's not my favorite but it does set the standard....the first one I ever heard and definitely a favorite of the multitudes. I think sometimes that I have too many versions of too many songs....but....that thought is only fleeting when you're a collector of songs.