The Monday Blues

I recently found out that a gal I dated years back passed away. We remained friends long after the break up. We’d catch up on the phone when we could and often send each other text messages. Our last text exchange was on her birthday in June.

I’ve stated before that the older we get, the more we ponder our mortality. My friend was only 52 years old. When friends younger than me start to pass away, I wake up thankful for another day.

Doyle Bramhall wrote a song called “Life By The Drop.” It was recorded by Stevie Ray Vaughn and appeared on his last album “The Sky Is Crying.”. While some think the song was written because Bramhall was jealous of Vaughn’s success, Bramhall ‘s widow says otherwise. She states that it is about “living life one drop at a time.”

Stevie Ray and Doyle grew up together. They played music together in Dallas as well. They remained friends until Stevie’s tragic death. Bramhall also co-wrote Vaughn’s hits “The House Is Rockin'” and “Tightrope.”

I find myself today living every day as if it was my last. Living life “one drop at a time.”

I love the vocal on this, but also love the guitar sound. It’s one of my favorites from SRV.

Life By the Drop

Hello there, my old friend
Not so long ago it was til the end
We played outside in the pouring rain
On our way up the road we started over again

You’re living our dream oh you on top
my mind is aching, ‘ Lord it won’t stop
That’s how it happens living life by the drop

Up and down the road in our worn down shoes
Talking about good things and singing the blues
you went your way and I stayed behind
We both knew it was just a matter of time

You’re living our dream oh, you on top
my mind is aching, ‘ Lord it won’t stop
That’s how it happens living life by the drop

No wasted time, we’re alive today
Churning up the past, there’s no easier way
Time’s been between us, a means to an end
God it’s good to be here walking together my friend

We’re living our dreams my mind’s stopped aching, ‘
That’s how it happened living life by the drop
That’s how it happened living life by the drop
That’s how it happened living life by the drop

Hoco 2025

I didn’t get a chance to blog yesterday. I’ve been on the go since Friday.

I took the day off on Friday so I could walk with Ella in the homecoming parade. After the Grand Marshall and Alumni Couple of the Year, the Kindergarten classes from the district were featured together. They walked behind a banner that said “Our Youngest Students – Class of 2038!”

Andrew and Ella hung out before we split up. He went with my wife to watch the parade (and catch candy), while Ella and I went to the staging area.

It was sunny and hot. The teachers did a good job keeping them focused for the 45 minutes we waited for everything to start. They played “telephone” and sang songs to pass the time.

Once the parade got going, we waved and tossed candy to spectators. The cars that had the Grand Marshall and the Alumni Couple were starting to break ahead of us. We certainly weren’t walking slow. They were going a bit fast.

So basically you had:

Alumni – space – half of kindergarten – space – rest of kindergarten – group behind them.

At one point, Ella and I, the principal and a couple others were stuck walking in the middle of the space. 10-15 feet of pavement in front of us and 10-15 feet pavement behind us. We couldn’t stand out any more!

I cracked jokes to the folks watching our little group along the route. “We’re pacing ourselves.” “Did you happen to see the front of the parade, we seem to have lost them.” “Wasn’t that invisible float in front of us fantastic?”

Ella, of course, took the opportunity to let the spotlight shine on her.

After about a quarter of the walk, she got tired and she wound up on my shoulders. I got quite the workout the rest of the way.

After the parade, the kids went home with Nana and Pa and I stayed for the football game. As you would expect, I was focused on the marching band.

The home team was up 21-0 at halftime. I was excited for the halftime show. The theme was “Black Widow.”. They had spider web things on the field and every band member changed from their standard uniforms into a spider designed outfit. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a band do a show not in uniform.

It was a long day/night but it was a homecoming win – 42-8 was the final score. We got home pretty late and Andrew just slept in his clothes because he was fast asleep.

Yesterday morning was soccer time for Ella. We were there early for pictures. The game followed. At one point Ella was a goalie. Apparently this meant standing in front of the net with both arms stretched across the top of it.

Aunt Margaret came to the game and took the kids to lunch afterwards. They love her. She brought them some books and some fun sensory toys.

I love when we are able to get together, even if it was just for a short time. I’m so blessed with her friendship.

Friday Photo Flashback

Here’s a photo I forgot about. It’s probably late 1970 or early 1971.

That, my friend, is yours truly.

There’s not much to the photo. However, it is obvious that I have looked cute in a beret since I was young.

The thing that really stands out here is the gold couch that I have mentioned before. Take a look at that ridiculous pattern. I don’t understand the appeal of it. It is so gaudy. If this was the best looking piece, I can only imagine what else was in the showroom.

I remember it being really rough when we did sit on it. Maybe that’s why people were thinner in the past – the furniture was so uncomfortable or ugly they never sat down. Just a thought…

What’s Been Going On

This past weekend was a busy one. Once again Ella had soccer. Watching these gals play is so fun. I’m not sure why they all want to be the goalie.

At one point over half the team was in front of the goal. Ella had her back to the other team because she was chatting up the goalie on the field behind them.

Later that evening, my niece was cheerleading for one of the youth football teams. The kids were like 5-7 years old and they were playing tackle football. That was really cool to watch.

The game was at the high school in our district, but my niece was cheering for the visiting team (who won). After watching her cousin, Ella wants to cheer, too.

On Sunday, we finally got out and “Falled up” the yard. Sam had me run up to get hay bales. I took her car and hay was everywhere. Needless to say, I went to the car wash to vacuum it out.

Sam put out the mums that she ordered, had me drag out the pumpkin inflatable, and moved her goose to the front porch. At some point we need to get some corn stalks, but it looks nice.

Our older cat, Maizey, has been scratching a lot. She’s also been licking herself. It’s been so bad that she’s missing hair on her back and the upper part of her tail. She’s also got scabs from where she was scratching.

Monday I took her to the vet. They were running behind because of a new computer system. She waited patiently for the doc.

They think it’s an allergy. They gave her steroids, an antibiotic and her rabies shot. Hopefully, it will get better in a day or two.

Andrew’s teachers are very good about posting pictures on their classroom page. Every now and then one will crack me up. Like this one…

I’m really not sure what he’s doing!

Yesterday, I was on my way to work and bumped into my old morning show partner, Steph. We chatted for about 45 minutes catching up and laughing. That was so nice. I hope it isn’t roo long before we see each other next. It’s always good to laugh!

Book Recommendation – The Woman in the Window

I am really behind the times with the book I just finished. I found out that it came out in 2018, and actually had already been made into a Netflix movie.

The Woman in the Window was recommended to me by the owner of a used book store I frequent. We were talking about our recent reads and she asked if I had read it.

The Author AJ Finn wrote End of Story, which I really enjoyed. The Woman in the Window was his debut novel. Before I offer my thoughts, here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Anna Fox lives alone, a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.

Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother and their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble and its shocking secrets are laid bare.

What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this diabolically gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

As I read this book, I kept thinking about Hitchcock’s Rear Window. I suppose that is what the author hoped for in that the main character loved old movies. She references them often throughout the book.

There were quite a few surprises along the way. I really found myself on the edge of my seat a couple times. The end was certainly not what I expected, but in a good way.

Finn does a fantastic job describing the fears of agoraphobia in the main character, Anna. Her character made me think of the main character in Sorry, Wrong Number. At times she is calm, at times she is frantic, and other times she is lost in despair. She is a very complex character and along the way, you find out why.

At one point I remember reading what seemed to be the “wrap up,” but I knew it could be because of how many pages were left. Where the story went from here really had me turning pages.

The Netflix movie stars Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, and Juliette Moore. I’ve heard good and bad about it, so I may or may not decide to see it. As far as the book, it is worth the read.

4 out of 5 stars.

Tune Tuesday

It was on this day in 1967 that the Box Tops started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘The Letter’, a No.5 hit in the UK. The record went on to sell over four million copies and receive two Grammy nominations. It was also a Top Ten hit for Joe Cocker in 1970.

Nashville songwriter Wayne Carson Thompson wrote the song after his father gave him the line, “Give me a ticket for an aeroplane.” Thompson gave the song to The Box Tops on the recommendation of his friend, Chips Moman, who ran ARS Studios. Moman liked the sound of an unnamed band headed by Alex Chilton (who was 16 at the time) who auditioned for him in 1967.

Thompson played guitar on the recording. He didn’t like the singing, believing the lead vocal was too husky, and wasn’t fond of the production either. The addition of the jet sound “didn’t make sense” to him. When producer Dan Penn added the airplane sound to the recording, Wayne Carson Thompson clearly thought that Penn had lost his mind. He hadn’t – several weeks later it became one of the biggest records of the ’60s.

The Box Tops went on to score with a few other Thompson compositions, including their follow-up release, “Neon Rainbow” (#24, 1967), “Soul Deep” (a #18 hit in 1969) and “You Keep Tightening Up On Me” (their last chart hit, which peaked at #74 in 1970). A few years later, Thompson won a Grammy for co-writing the hit “Always On My Mind.”

When the group recorded this they still did not have a name. One band member suggested, “Let’s have a contest and everybody can send in 50 cents and a box top.” Producer Dan Penn then dubbed them The Box Tops.

Fun Fact: At 1:58, the Box Tops’ version of this was the last #1 hit to be shorter than two minutes in length.

Fun Fact #2: The title is never sung in this song: his baby writes him “a letter.”

I always got a kick out of one particular parody of The Letter. “Vanna Pick Me a Letter” is the title of a 1987 single by the artist Dr. Dave (who reminded me of Cheech from Cheech and Chong). It, of course, references Vanna White, Pat Sajak and the game Wheel of Fortune. The phrase itself became an iconic catchphrase associated with the show and White’s role as a letter-turner.

The Monday Blues

I thought we’d head to the swamp today.

“I’m a King Bee” is what they call a “swamp blues” song. It was written and first recorded by Slim Harpo in 1957. It has been performed and recorded by numerous blues and other artists since, but Slim’s version is paramount.

Harpo’s legal name was James Moore. He played guitar and was a master of the blues harmonica, known in blues circles as a “harp”. Influenced in style by Jimmy Reed, he began performing in Baton Rouge bars using the name “Harmonica Slim”

He started his recording career in March 1957, working with the A&R man and record producer J. D. “Jay” Miller in Crowley, Louisiana. To differentiate himself from another performer called Harmonica Slim he took his wife’s suggestion and adopted the name Slim Harpo.

His most successful and influential recordings included today’s song “I’m a King Bee” (1957), “Rainin’ in My Heart” (1961), and “Baby Scratch My Back” (1966), which reached number one on Billboard’s R&B chart and number 16 on its broader Hot 100 singles chart.

The recording features an arrangement and instrumentation that was typical of J.D. Miller’s production approach. Accompanying Slim Harpo were Gabriel “Guitar Gable” Perrodin on guitar, John “Fats” Perrodin on bass, and Clarence “Jockey” Etienne on drums.

The song has an interesting feel to it in that it has an irregular number of bars (as opposed to the standard 12 bars.) According to the well known blues historian Gerard Herzhaft, it is derived from songs by Memphis Minnie, Bo Carter and the great Muddy Waters. Herhaft states that the song uses the rhythm figure from “Rockin’ and Rollin” by Lil’ Son Jackson.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Excello Records originally released it in 1957 as the B-Side to his debut solo single, “I Got Love if You Want It”

Music critic Cub Koda wrote of Slim’s appeal:

Harpo was more adaptable than [Jimmy] Reed or most other bluesmen. His material not only made the national charts, but also proved to be quite adaptable for white artists on both sides of the Atlantic … A people-pleasing club entertainer, he certainly wasn’t above working rock & roll rhythms into his music, along with hard-stressed, country & western vocal inflections … By the time his first single became a Southern jukebox favorite, his songs were being adapted and played by white musicians left and right. Here was good-time Saturday-night blues that could be sung by elements of the Caucasian persuasion with a straight face.

In 2008, “I’m a King Bee” received a Grammy Hall Of Fame Award which “honors recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance”

Let’s buzz around the hive…..

Objection Sustained

September 21, 1957 – 68 years ago today Perry Mason premiered on CBS.

Based on the character from the books of Erle Stanley Gardner, Raymond Burr starred in the title role. The show was the first weekly hour-long drama series.

Lasting nine seasons, the original show was nominated nine times for an Emmy and won five including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Burr, 1959 and 1960) and Best Supporting Actress (Barbara Hale, 1959).

A few years ago, I took part in a TV Show draft. Like fantasy football, each round we got to pick our show. I chose Perry Mason in the third round. You can read that blog here.

TV Show Draft – Round 3 – Perry Mason – Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian https://share.google/Y0FtIrGcGxccOqy53

The show has been shown in syndication ever since it went off the air on May 22, 1966!

Weekend Laugh

An Englishman, a Scotsman, an Irishman, a Welshman, a Latvian, a Turk, a German, an Indian, several Americans (including a southerner, a New Englander, and a Californian) an Argentinean, a Dane, an Australian, a Slovakian, an Egyptian, a Japanese, a Moroccan, a Frenchman, a New Zealander, a Spaniard, a Russian, a Guatemalan, a Colombian, a Pakistani, a Malaysian, a Croatian, a Uzbek, a Cypriot, a Pole, a Lithuanian, a Chinese, a Sri Lankan, a Lebanese, a Cayman Islander, a Ugandan, a Vietnamese, a Korean, a Uruguayan, a Czech, an Icelander, a Mexican, a Finn, a Honduran, a Panamanian, an Andorran, an Israeli, a Venezuelan, a Fijian, a Peruvian, an Estonian, a Brazilian, a Portuguese, a Liechtensteiner, a Mongolian, a Hungarian, a Canadian, a Moldovan, a Haitian, a Norfolk Islander, a Macedonian, a Bolivian, a Cook Islander, a Tajikistani, a Samoan, an Armenian, an Aruban, an Albanian, a Greenlander, a Micronesian, a Virgin Islander, a Georgian, a Bahaman, a Belarusian, a Cuban, a Tongan, a Cambodian, a Qatari, an Azerbaijani, a Romanian, a Chilean, a Kyrgyzstani, a Jamaican, a Filipino, a Ukrainian, a Dutchman, a Ecuadorian, a Costa Rican, a Swede, a Bulgarian, a Serb, a Swiss, a Greek, a Belgian, a Singaporean, an Italian, a Norwegian and 47 Africans walk up to a nightclub.

The doorman scrutinizes the group one by one and stops their entrance saying,

“Sorry, you can’t come in here without a Thai. “

Friday Photo Flashback

Remember the Polaroid One Step camera? Everyone in our family had one. You snapped a picture, the photo would spit out the front and slowly develop before your eyes. At family events, you needed a pen so when everyone took the same picture, they could write their name on the bottom so they knew what picture belonged to them.

At the time, so many people took pictures with that camera. Back in the day, you put them in a photo album where they stayed until the digital age. Then we all started scanning them. When we began to do this, many people realized that those pictures didn’t hold up too good. Take for example my photo today.

That picture is one of my favorites of my grandparents. As you can see, the photo has cracks all throughout it. I’m sure there are people who restore pictures, and at some point I may have to do that to this one and a number of others.

The story of this picture is a simple one. My grandpa’s feet always seemed to bother him. They hurt all the time. So for Christmas that year, we bought him a “Foot Fixer.” If memory serves me right, the year that it came out there was a barrage of commercials for it on TV. There was probably some joking that proceeded him actually getting one.

The thing I love about this picture is the natural smile on my grandpa’s face. He was genuinely happy to have gotten this! Any time someone bought him something, he’d say, “Why did you by me something?” or “No, no, I don’t need anything.” He may have even said it before he opened this, but he sure did love getting it.

A couple things stand out in this picture for me. First, is my grandma’s beehive hairstyle. She wore her hair like this for many, many years. Many of my core memories of her include that hair.

Next, is the orange couch. If you go back through some of my previous Friday Flashbacks, you will probably see the loud/ugly furniture that used to reside in this room. The couch was this awful gold swirly flowery design. I cannot remember why grandma got rid of that furniture because NO ONE every really sat on it. It looked like it was brand new. However, she did get rid of it and solid color prevailed.

There is a crocheted afghan on the back of the couch. I can probably bet that my mom was responsible for making it. She made countless afghans with the pile of yarn she had. I wish I had one of those now.

The thing behind my grandpa is not the grandfather clock I thought it was. I cannot recall if that was even the place that she put the clock. At first glance to me, that is what I thought it was. Upon closer examination, I can see that it is a shelving unit of some kind. It looks solid because you can see the front door behind it. I do not remember this thing or any of the things that are sitting on the shelves.

As I look at this picture, I see my grandparents happy and healthy. They look great here. I am sure that as a kid behind the camera, I am just enjoying having them around. I never really thought about the possibility of them getting sick or getting older. I miss them both a lot, but am happy to have some great photos to remember them.