The turkey is in the fridge thawing out and should be ready for the oven by Thursday morning. We always cook it in a bag, and it usually comes out ok. I’m looking forward to a simple Thanksgiving holiday.
I’ve always loved this picture of Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson from Sanford and Son
I follow Joe Lennon Cartoons on Facebook and he’s had some great cartoons on his page. He did a whole month of Halloween themed cartoons and he’s posting Thanksgiving themed ones now. Two favorites:
I was sad to hear of the passing of a Detroit Tiger great – Willie Hernandez. He was part of the amazing bullpen that helped us win the 1984 World Series. He had just recently celebrated his 69th birthday. He was so fun to watch! Rest well, Willie.
We had some Christmas photos taken last week. The kids were crazy! They would hardly sit still. Ella, who went to the doctor today, may have been at the beginning of her illness for pictures. She was not her “smiley” self. They should be available for download by tomorrow, but a couple preview pictures wound up on our photographer’s Facebook page.
Can’t wait to see the rest of them. I pray we got at least one good family photo for Christmas Cards!
Speaking of Christmas, I was reminded by my wife that after Thanksgiving, the Elf on the Shelf has to make her return. Last year I really struggled to come up with fun ideas. I don’t even know what to do this year! I guess Sam bought some Elf shirts for the kids that “Twinkles” will bring with her when she returns. I probably should have been planning for the month of Elf stuff long before now….
I am so glad for the short work week. I’m looking forward to family time. Sam and I have Friday off and we are going to the Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo. We did this almost every year we have been together, but haven’t ventured through it with the kids yet. This will be their first time and we’re excited!
Even through all the bad years, I have been a Lions fan. Yesterday’s game was an amazing comeback. If you haven’t seen it, all you need to watch are the highlights from the last 3 minutes of the game. Detroit was down 12 points and in those 3 minutes, they put up 17 points to win the game. What a game!
As a bonus, for the first time since the 1960’s they have an 8-2 record.
Had a virtual appointment with my ADHD doc today. I told her how I was feeling. I had told my therapist how I felt and she asked me to ask people close to me if they noticed a difference. When I asked my wife, she was honest, as always. “Since you started this medication, you have been a complete A-hole.” So there you have it, I wasn’t wrong. It isn’t working.
We discussed a lot and she knows what med she wants to try, but it might boost up the blood pressure. She wants a baseline EKG, which I think they will do at my physical this week, to check my heart. Then, if all looks ok, she’ll order up the medication. Fingers crossed that this new med works.
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For those of you who asked just how big the puppy is …
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I mentioned that I put that tree up on the side porch. Lit up it actually looks good.
It is time for one of my favorite features to write for – Turntable Talk, hosted by Dave Ruch over at A Sound Day. This is the 20th round for this feature and Dave has brought it full circle, so to speak. The first edition was about the Beatles and whether they were still relevant (With a brand new song out recently, I think that makes the answer a solid YES.). We were given the task of writing something Beatle oriented. I remember the pressure of trying to figure out what to write about. I wound up writing about the songs I would play for someone who had never heard of the Beatles.
This round Dave is asking about another British Rock Band, The Rolling Stones. His instructions were: Do we still care about the Rolling Stones? Why, or why not? Mick & Keith have been at it for over 60 years (wow- let that sink in!) and are in the news again with ‘Hackney Diamonds’ out this month. So, talk about the Stones. Do they matter? Or what was their best song, or album?
The Rolling Stones are a band that has been going nonstop since 1962! If you pull up a list of all of their songs you will notice two things. First, the influence of Blues (and R&B) music on the group. Over the years they have recorded songs written by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, Slim Harpo, Willie Dixon, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddly, Rufus Thomas and more. You will also notice just how many songs Jaggar and Richards have written together! I didn’t take the time to count them all, but to say that their songwriting is prolific is an understatement!
I’m not what you call a diehard fan of the group, but I do like them. If I took all of their hits and divided them up into “songs I like” and “songs I don’t care for,” there might be more on the latter list. That, in no way, discounts just what a great band they are. The fact that they continue to make music and sell music speaks volumes.
I have found that there are Stones songs that I love because of the music and not so much they lyrics. At the same time, there are Stones songs I love because of the lyrics and not the music. Perhaps that is common for all of us music lovers. I can’t be the only one who listens to a song and says, “Wow! This is great!” and then much later hear the lyrics and go, “Uh, I didn’t know that’s what they said” or “…what that is about.”
As I sat and thought about what to write about “Mick and the Rolling Uglies” (as we used to say on the radio), I came up empty. If you want to read about them, their Wikipedia page is loaded with information. Instead, I am taking the easy way out and thought I would share my top 5 Rolling Stones songs and afterward, you will probably see a pattern of just why these 5 catch my ear every time. So in no particular order…
Honky Tonk Women
Released in 1969, it was a non-album single. The song was inspired by a trip to Brazil. Two versions were recorded, the hit version and a country version entitled Country Honk (which was on the Let It Bleed album). When it was released, Rolling Stone magazine hailed “Honky Tonk Women” as “likely the strongest three minutes of rock and roll yet released in 1969.”
The song contains one of my favorite lines in classic rock, “She blew my nose and then she blew my mind.”
It’s Only Rock and Roll
Released in 1974, this song was not the hit many expected. It didn’t crack the Top 10 in the United States. This was the title track for the album and most of the album’s backing tracks were recorded first. The solo vocals were recorded later by Jagger, about whom Richards would say, “he often comes up with his best stuff alone in the studio with just an engineer.” The chorus of the song is a great “sing along” and was always a popular song with audiences when they played it in concert.
Brown Sugar
Released in 1971 and appearing on the Sticky Fingers album, this shot all the way to the Top Spot on the Billboard charts. Due to the subject matter of the song, the song was removed from the band’s set list at shows in 2021.
In 1995, Jaggar was interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine and credited himself with the lyrics. Keith Richards also gave Mick credit in his book. He attributed the success of the song to a “good groove”. After noting that the lyrics could mean so many lewd subjects,he again noted that the combination of those subjects, the lyrical ambiguity was partially why the song was considered successful. He noted, “That makes it… the whole mess thrown in. God knows what I’m on about on that song. It’s such a mishmash. All the nasty subjects in one go… I never would write that song now.” When he was asked why, he said, “I would probably censor myself. I’d think, ‘Oh God, I can’t. I’ve got to stop. I can’t just write raw like that.'”
Start Me Up
Released in 1981 on their Tattoo You album, it is considered by many to be “the last, great Rolling Stones song.” The song has an interesting back story. They began to play around with it in 1978, hoping to put it on the Some Girls album. At the time, it was being worked as a reggae song called “Never Stop.” They never felt it was right and shelved it.
As the band was getting ready to tour, the recording engineer told Jaggar that they might want to look at some of the archived material to include in their tour set list. They found about 50 reggae versions of “Never Stop” as well as two that were a bit more rock oriented. The song was reworked and released as the first single from the album.
Jumpin’ Jack Flash
Released in 1968, it is a song that has never left the Stones’ concert set list. It has been featured prominently in many movies and has been covered by many performers including Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner.
Keith Richards explained how the song came to be: He and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards’ country house, when they were awoken one morning by the clumping footsteps of his gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. Surprised, Jagger asked what it was, and Richards responded: “Oh, that’s Jack – that’s jumpin’ Jack.” The lyrics evolved from there. The classic first line “I was born in a crossfire hurricane”, was written by Richards, and refers to his being born amid the bombing and air raid sirens of England, in 1943 during World War II.
The song has such a unique sound. Keith describes how he came up with that sound:
I used a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic tuned to open D, six string. Open D or open E, which is the same thing – same intervals – but it would be slackened down some for D. Then there was a capo on it, to get that really tight sound. And there was another guitar over the top of that, but tuned to Nashville tuning. I learned that from somebody in George Jones’ band in San Antonio in 1964. The high-strung guitar was an acoustic, too. Both acoustics were put through a Philips cassette recorder. Just jam the mic right in the guitar and play it back through an extension speaker.
So there they are – my five favorite Stones songs. The thing they all seem to have in common for me is a great intro. Those intros catch my ear immediately. The cowbell in Honky Tonk Women; the guitar licks in Brown Sugar, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and Start Me Up; and the overall sound of It’s Only Rock and Roll all make me want to hear more (not to mention that they are all some of the greatest licks in rock!).
Before I wrap this up, I want to just say that while some of these songs may not be “PC” today, they certainly helped to make the Rolling Stones one of the greatest rock bands in history. My thanks again to Dave for asking me to be a part of this feature. Thanks to the other participants who, no doubt, will contribute fantastic pieces on the topic as well. Thanks for reading!
I’d like to begin by thanking each of you who reached out either in the comments, via email, or text offering support after yesterday’s blog. I truly appreciate it you.
Today ends with more emotions – anger, sadness, confusion, and helplessness. I truly cannot wait for my appointment this week. Something has got to change. It is affecting me and those around me.
Enough of that. I want to share one of the highlights of my day.
Poke
Ella and I went to the doctor so she could get her flu shot. I needed to go to the lab in the same building to get my blood drawn. Before we walked in, Ella asked if she was going to “get a poke.” I told her, yes, but “it’s only a little poke.” She began to tear up and I told her that I’d be there with her.
I told her that I had to get a “poke” too and that she could help by being with me when I got mine. As we sat in the waiting room, she observed and announced everything!
“That guy must have gotten his poke, daddy.”
“Look a that little baby, daddy. She’s wearing small shoes.”
“Daddy, that lady is wearing pink lipstick.”
There was a guy who was just sitting with his eyes closed across from us. Ella announced, “Daddy. That guy must be tired because he is sleeping right here in front of everyone!” He smiled and opened his eyes. “Oh, he’s awake now,” she said.
“That lady has two babies!”
“Did you see that girl’s Paw Patrol shoes!?”
It was nonstop. She brought many smiles to the folks in the waiting room. When they finally called me back to the lab, they had me sit in the chair. She was next to me. The tech but that rubber thing on my arm and began to feel for a vein. She had no luck on one arm, so she tried the other. She then asked me, “Do they usually have a hard time finding a vein on you?” I told her that usually, it is no problem.
She kept feeling around and then asked her other tech, “Would you use a smaller needle on this vein?” The other tech came over and began to feel around. She had me drop my arm down and a vein popped right out. I guess that was the key. Anyway, they apologized for taking so long. They said, good thing you are not afraid of needles, or the wait would have made it worse.
Ella piped up right away. She looked me right in the eye and said, “Don’t worry, daddy. It’s just a little poke!” This brought smiles and laughter to all the ladies in the lab. She was showered with more stickers and a sucker.
Thank you, Ella, for being a ray of sunshine on a very hard day.
Holiday Decor
I mentioned yesterday that my coworker gave us a tree for the side porch. It went up surprisingly easy today after I got home from the doctor.
Sam had me put it in the corner on the side porch. I can’t wait to see what it looks like when I get home tonight.
I blogged about the arch that Sam bought for the front yard this week. She left the lights on and I was really impressed at how beautiful it looks at night. Those LED lights are bright. She did a video chat last night and I got to see it on her phone, but seeing it in person was so much better.
Engage!
I’m listening to a new audiobook in the car.
I’ve always liked Patrick Stewart. He is such a great actor. His one man show of A Christmas Carol is something that I listen to every holiday season. He reads it, and even though he has aged a bit, his voice is still strong and he is so expressive with his reading. I’m only about 10 chapters in, but it is very good.
With all that is on my mind, it helps to get lost in a good book on my drive to and from work.
I’m forcing myself to write today. I have some funny things to share, and these are the type of things that have kept me going the last couple weeks.
Feeling … not right
When I got the diagnosis of ADHD recently and began the new medication, I had hoped that I would start to feel some things change. They did, but not in the way I expected. Now, I’m told that it takes 4-6 weeks for this new med to really do what it is supposed to do, and I have only been on half of the dose for a month. They are supposed to up the dose the next time I see them. I have an appointment with the place where I got my diagnosis this week, so I hope to get things sorted out.
I should not be feeling more depressed than I was before the medication, but I am. I am supposed to have my yearly physical next week and I am embarrassed to go in. All the weight I lost is back. Bad choices and emotional eating are to blame (ok, I am to blame, too!). There is no motivation. I have tried to psyche myself up to no avail. There is a program through work that I just stopped doing because I wasn’t feeling like myself and didn’t think it was helping. I have to go get bloodwork tomorrow and I always fret about what that is going to show.
I’m not saying meds are the answer, but something isn’t right. Here’s hoping that we figure it out.
Vet Visit
Daisy had a vet appointment today. She is 21 pounds already. The vet seems to think she will be bigger than we anticipated. “At least 100 pounds” Sam said.
She is totally puppy and chewing everything in sight. Housebreaking remains a challenge, but she starts her “Puppy Obedience” classes after Thanksgiving.
Ella went to the vet with Sam. When they got home, Sam says, “Hey Ella, tell daddy how they had to take Daisy’s temperature.” Without skipping a beat, she yells, “They used a butt thermometer!”
She’s still giggling about it.
Holiday Decor
While Sam and Ella were at the vet, Andrew and I put together the 8 foot arch that we got for out front. It wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated and I was able to get it up in about 30 minutes. Each bulb and the Merry Christmas sign have LED lights, so I cannot wait to see how this looks at night.
With the construction finally done, and our yard being semi-put back together, I need to get out and get some of the leaves out of the way. They have that hay with the netting all over the lawn so the grass will grow back, so I’m not sure just how much I can actually rake.
The majority of the holiday decorating is done, however, there are still a couple small things I need to do. I have those light nets for a couple of the bushes I need to get up and some lighted garland that I will put around the front door. Normally, when that is done, I am done. Not this year.
Sam wants to put an artificial tree out on the side porch this year. We didn’t want to buy a new one, so we kept an eye on Facebook marketplace for one. I asked a coworker if she knew anyone who was getting rid of a tree and she actually said she had one that had been sitting in the garage since they got one from her parents. At some point this weekend, there will be another tree to decorate.
Grades
Over the past two weeks, I finished up three tests for my Bible classes. This semester, we are in the books of Romans and Matthew. We are also in an Old Testament Survey class and a Preparation and Delivery of Sermons class.
I aced all three tests. They were tough. I plan on using my lunch break at work daily to watch the classes and take tests. It’s a nice, because usually no one is in the building, so it is uninterrupted.
Brotherly Q & A
My brother, who has written a couple times for this blog in a “guest” role contacted me and said he really enjoyed it. So he thought it would be cool to think of some holiday themed questions to ask each other. He sent me his, and I was surprised that I had a lot of the same questions on my list. I combined the two lists into one and we’re going to share with each other. Some of the questions are more personal or family oriented, but I may share those answers here. We’ll see.
This is a song that I have always loved by Willie Nelson. Granted, I was unaware that he had recorded it many times before the album I heard it on. It was originally recorded by Willie in 1964. Waylon Jennings covered it in 1996 and Alison Krauss covered it in 2017.
The reason I love the song is because it is a man proclaiming his love for someone, but you’d never know it by the title. You see, that’s why I love it. He is singing to someone who has been told that all men are liars. So in order to proclaim his love to her, he tells her only lies.
I began listening to Willie Nelson in the late 70’s and 80’s (thanks to my dad and my grandpa). I came to love his music and the arrangements of his songs. I have always said that his Stardust album in one of my top 3 albums of all time.
In 1989, he released an album entitled A Horse Called Music. I Never Cared For You is on this album, and it is this version that I heard first. Willie get’s you immediately with the opening guitar and the first line. I love the minor key that the song is in and it really fits the lyrics.
Here is the version I was familiar with, I hope you enjoy it.
I’m not sure, but this may be the original. It is off The Essential Willie Nelson. I feel like the 1989 version is much better.
This version is similar, from his Me and Paul album.
In 1998, Willie recorded it again for his Teatro album with piano and a longer intro.
The sun is filled with ice and gives no warmth at all And the sky was never blue The stars are raindrops searching for a place to fall And I never cared for you
I know you won’t believe these thing I tell you I know you won’t believe Your heart has been forewarned all men will lie to you And your mind cannot conceive Now all depends on what I say to you And on your doubting me So I’ve prepared these statements far from true Pay heed and disbelieve
The sun is filled with ice and gives no warmth at all The sky was never blue Stars are raindrops searching for a place to fall And I never cared for you
And the sun is filled with ice and gives no warmth at all The sky was never blue The stars are raindrops searching for a place to fall And I never cared for you I never cared for you I never cared for you
Ok, technically, I’m not decking the halls. I’m not decking them with boughs of holly either, but I did get a few more things done over the weekend.
We have one of those fake electric fireplaces at our house. The heating element went a year or so ago, and we never did have it looked at. However, we’ve always wanted to do something with the mantle. This year, we found some really nice garland that lights up and it fits the mantle perfectly. We also got new stockings for every one and hung them up a little lower than years past. My wife just loves the way it looks.
As you may recall from a blog or two ago, we bought a new kitchen table to eat at. The old one remains in the basement where it has been for some time. When I was going through the Christmas decorations, I found some placemats we had bought when we first got together. I was finally able to put them out and used a little Christmas tree that we used to put up on the mantle as a centerpiece. I may need to throw some decorations on it.
I went to let the puppy outside and it really wasn’t too cold, so I put jackets on the kids and let the pup roam around the yard and I put the lights up on the side porch. It’s very different from last year, as the railings are no longer there. I ran lights up and down the posts and hung the big Christmas bulbs.
Since they tore up our front yard, I figured I would skip the front yard this year, but Sam had other plans. Our porch is small, so getting the lights on it is no issue at all. I have some lighted garland that I will drape over the front door. The newest addition is on the way to the house. She ordered it from Sam’s Club. It’s a huge 8 foot arch!!
I think it will look cool, even though the yard looks bad. When it snows, it will look great! This should be arriving mid-week. It is supposed to be a bit warm, this week, so I hope to be able to get it up and done before it gets too cold.
Now, just what I am going to do with this big thing in the off season, I have no idea!!
Followers of this blog know that my wife can listen to Christmas music all year round. She will put her Pandora stations on shuffle when she is in the shower and Christmas music will play often. Well, this week Sirius XM launched quite a few Christmas music channels. I thought I would jot them all down for her so that she program them in her car.
Last night when I got home, I sat in the driveway and just punched from channel to channel writing down the Holiday channels. As I did this I stumbled on stations I didn’t know existed. To be fair, I have all my stations preset and have been listening to more books in the car so I haven’t really channel surfed in a while.
One of the stations I found has the potential to make car rides more pleasant. It is called Moonbug radio. It is basically nothing but toddler songs. The Wheels on the Bus, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Rain Rain Go Away are all songs that Ella and Andrew love to sing along with. It isn’t something that I would listen to, but if the kids are in the car – I will be putting it on!
As I continued to surf, I came across another channel that was cool. It is Disney Hits.
It plays songs from Disney movies and Disney shows. As a matter of fact, I heard a song that my older boys and I used to love from the Phineas and Ferb TV show – Gitchee Gitchee Goo. They sang that all the time when they were younger. I actually sat and listened to the whole thing and smiled as it took me back to days on the couch watching the show with them.
I may have to go back and watch those shows again. It was SO good.
Anyway, the holiday channels are programmed now and I will tune in when I am ready to get in the spirit. It’s never too early, right?
This was a book that I added to my list because of its title and because it is based on a true story. I have never read anything by Madeline Martin, but I think I will visit some of her other stories after this one.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.
With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto.
But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families—and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left—literature.
I know I had read about Hitler destroying books and replacing them with “approved” books instead, but I hadn’t realized there were so many people who worked to save the ones the Nazis were trying to get rid of. These librarians played such an important role in saving great literature.
I was also aware of the destruction of Warsaw, but had no idea of the group of people who fought back against the Nazis. This fictional story that is woven into real historical events includes real people and those who were created based on real people. It is a story that serves as a reminder of just how terrible things were and how badly people were treated. I found myself engulfed in these characters and felt their emotions, too, as I read.
The author really makes you feel the cost of the occupation and it makes The Keeper of Hidden Booksa tough story to “enjoy”. As another reader put it “I would recommend it to everyone, but I would also recommend choosing a moment when you’re ready to experience some angst and heartache.” When you finish this book, you cannot help but feel grateful for the freedom and peace that we enjoy as you are reminded what that freedom cost.
So much testing is happening with our little guy. Yesterday, Sam took him in for the Barium Swallow study. He’s been choking a lot and while it may be because of low muscle tone, they wanted to see it in more detail.
Next test is his EEG to check out the Neuro stuff. One of the things they told us was that he needed button up pajamas for the study. Sam found a few pair and I’m not going to lie – I think they look cute on him! Of course, the slippers and my reading glasses make him look like a little old man!
He was handling things pretty well and is loving having his own backpack. He and mommy are playing with playdough, coloring and snuggling.
Hoping for good news after these tests. Next up – MRI.
We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. It means so much to us.
Oh, before I forget, Dave asked for more puppy pictures. So here is Daisy in a totally weird sleeping position …
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 