Our prompt for this week at 4M is…The early Roman began the calendar year with March because it brought the first day of spring and new beginnings. The approaching changing seasons with the evidence of life’s return is visible in our area and perhaps where you live, too. Pick songs that reflect the mood of sunny spring weather.
The challenge here is that March in Northwest Arkansas can bring 8″ of snow, thunderstorms and 8″ of rain, or sunny skies and “Chamber of Commerce Weather”. I am inclined to pick thunderstorms so here a a couple of songs that come to mind.
Stormy weather has long been the inspiration for love lost or gone wrong. A song, with the title, Stormy Weather, was first sung by Ethel Watters in the Cotton Club, New York City 1933. Here is Etta James with a classic recording.
Most of us have experienced a little Stormy Weather in romance, but some have seen the relationship go wrong and they’ve heard it when TheThunder Rolls.
In 1940 there was a movie called Stormy Weather. There is a showstopping dance number called Jumpin Jive! Let’s wrap this up with a video that will put a smile on your face and long for the days of pure entertainment.
We have several squirrels in our neighborhood. I have a bird feeder in the back yard and the squirrels hang out on the ground eating the seeds that the birds kick out of the feeder. I have had as many as four of these critters around the feeder at one time. When I let Lucy outside, she literally sneaks out onto the patio without them spotting her, then she does what cocker spaniels are supposed to do. She flushes them like a covey of quail and I get to capture Rocky and his friends scrambling in all directions, climbing the fence and leaving the area. When they’re not running from Lucy, the squirrels have spent their spare time trying to break into my birdseed source.
I have a five gallon bucket and lid that I got from Lowe’s. The lid seals the birdseed very well. The squirrels have literally tried to chew the lit off of the bucket to get to the birdseed. There are small pieces of blue plastic on the patio and the lid looks like it was attacked by a chainsaw. It looks like Lucy is going to have a very busy spring guarding the bucket and chasing these little bandits.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
This week at 4M is freedom of choice, meaning there is no theme and I can play anything I want, which is pretty much what I do anyway. I don’t really have a theme this week either so I thought I might just pick some songs and artists that are new to me. First up is Willow Avalon. I have never heard of her but she is a new country artist and this sound is one that is becoming popular in Nashville these days. Only time will tell if Willow is going to be a long time resident of Music City.
What do you get when you have an Englishman from Birmingham, UK, playing the sort of vintage two-steppin’ tunes that country’s founding fathers would be proud of? The unique and intriguing sound of Dom Glynn & His Sunday Best. I love these guys!
Kashus Culpepper hit it big in 2024 with the release of his tune ’After Me?’ to viral acclaim. From there, the hits just kept on coming, soulful country offerings like ‘Who Hurt You’ and ‘Out Of My Mind’ following and drawing more and more fans to his undeniable talent. Yet, there’s still so much more on the horizon for this quickly rising star.
Let’s wrap this up with Lanie Gardner, who has the only song here that I have ever heard. She wrote and recorded this song for the movie “Twister”. Have a blessed week.
Back in December these two got married and the photos just got back from the photographer. Yes, I did NOT take any of these photos. There were two photographers and they snapped over 1000 images! The gallery includes only the best, because a photographer never gives the client the good, the bad and the ugly! It was a beautiful ceremony and a very special day for the whole family. Enjoy the images.
The bride was stunning!!!
The Bride and her parents (Our daughter and son-in-law)
The Bride and her siblings.
The Bride & Groom with the Bride’s Family
The Bride & Groom with Us
Stay tuned, I will post additional images for Wordless Wednesday.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
What could be more appropriate for a post Valentine’s Day post than a wedding? Nothing, that’s what. So, in keeping with the photos above I’m going to post a few songs that I think are right for the occasion. First up, when we fall in love, there is that awkward time when you don’t know for sure if the person you’re dating likes you as much as you like them. You would just like to hand them a note and have them check the box.
The relationship becomes serious and you decide you want it to be a lifetime commitment, so you have to ask another question. Could I have this dance?
Both families come from a background of faith and these two will make the Savior the center of their marriage. Based on that, they can both say, “I’m Gonna Love You Forever and Ever, Amen.”
I am in the process of thinning the herd. I have five portable hard drives that contain several thousand images. I have captured over 25,000 images with my current camera and I am on my fifth DSLR in the past 20 years. It is amazing what the old photos can tell you. Let’s take a walk down Memory Lane.
It 2001 the oldest grand daughter graduated from pre-school and was excited about heading to kindergarten and real school.
Today she is a wife, mother, kindergarten teacher, teacher of the year, and will earn her masters degree online later this year. Oh, and her side hustle is travel consultant for all things Disney! She is a busy young woman.
In 2008 the middle grand daughter was rocking her favorite hoodie and had no interest in sports. She was all about dance in general and ballet in particular.
Today she has her masters degree in sports therapy and is working in Major League Baseball with the Athletics organization. We have an awesome relationship.
In 2011 the youngest grand daughter was tubing on our family vacation and this image tells you all you need to know. She just grabs life with both hands and hangs on for the next adventure.
She got married in December and the happy couple are starting their new life together in Texas.
In 2014 the grandson was all about summer and baseball. A little later in life he decided that basketball was his favorite sport.
Today he is an electrical lineman for one of the power companies and right now you will find him and his crew in Mississippi helping restore power to thousands of residents who are recovering from the recent winter storm.
I have to admit, I have enjoyed this walk down Memory Lane. Like I said, I’ve got thousands of images so there may be more of these posts as I thin the herd of images that I don’t need. Needless to say, these images are keepers.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
This is a freedom of choice week at 4M. My choices may seem a little disconnected, but that’s because I like a lot of different music. I also like finding new songs, or at least songs I haven’t heard from my favorite artists. Buckle up, here we go.
This coming Saturday will be Valentine’s Day so I thought about bringing a unique song to the table that is certainly not as romantic and one would expect for this occasion but there is an element of romance in the lyrics. We’ve all done things that we would have never done “If It Hadn’t Been For Love”. Here is The Steel Drivers featuring Chris Stapleton. And yes, the table decoration is compliments of my wife.
90’s Country Music produced some incredible artists and none bigger than Garth Brooks. There was Alan Jackson, George Strait, Travis Tritt, etc. On the ladies side of country was Trish Yearwood, Martina McBride, Sarah Evans, Shania Twain and the list goes on. One of my favorite female artists of the era was Teri Clark. Here is a song that is most likely new-to-you.
I don’t believe the next group is still together but I loved their sound back in the day.
There have been some great Rock ‘n Roll divas in the past. Linda Ronstadt, Cher, Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane) to mention a few, but nobody has done it better than Bonnie Raitt. Have a blessed week y’all!
From time to time I will grab my camera and head out the door to several flea markets/antique malls in the area and look for something interesting to photograph. One of my favorite sources is a booth of a friend. She is an interior designer and there always seems to be a few objects that catch my interest. This decoy was a recent find and I just fell in love with it. It has color, texture, depth, and craftsmanship, plus it is very photogenic. If I had a cabin on the lake, this would occupy a prominent location in the main living area. Have a blessed week.
Monday’s Music Moves Me
February is the shortest month of the year. With that, use “short” in song titles or lyrics for your music choice inspiration. Okay, but I have to move away from the obvious, Michelle, Amy, Ruby Tuesday, etc. This group may not be familar to some of you but the lead singer is a force in country music. The Steel Drivers, featuring Chris Stapleton with “Heaven Sent”
Lets move from upbeat to heart felt. Chris Stapleton and “Fire Away”.
Let’s lighten the mood a bit with one of the finest songsmiths in country music and one of the best guitar players in any genre of music. It’s Vince Gill singing “Little Brother”.
The sixties gave us some of the best female vocalists in music. There was Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Ann Murray, Carol King, Emmy Lou Harris, Carley Simon and my final artist, Rita Coolidge singing We’re All Alone”.
That’s it for short song titles. Have a blessed week.
Driller's Place 