Somewhere Near the Bat Cave

 

Aww Mondays

Linked to Sandee at Comedy Plus

As you can see, Lucy is not exactly a “Morning Pup”. She sleeps in her kennel at night and gets up with me around 6:30 a.m. I go to the kitchen to fix breakfast and make my first cup of coffee while Lucy relocates to the den and her bed for the first nap of the day. Once I finish breakfast and pour my coffee, I will go to the den, turn on the morning news and sit in the recliner for a while. At that point Lucy leaves this bed and repositions herself in my lap and resumes her nap. Such is a dog’s life.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

It’s another freedom of choice week, so I am going to feature some artists that may have slipped though the cracks of our memory. As a child of the sixties I was fortunate to be exposed to a lot of great music. Each generation has it’s superstars as well as those who seemed to come and go, then are only remembered when their music qualifies to be played on the “Oldies” radio stations. I think one such group was “The Band”. My favorite song from this group was “The Weight”.

Another group that got my attention was Deep Purple and the song, “Smoke on the Water”.

I was fascinated by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their musicianship was unsurpassed but much of their music never reached the radio play lists because the songs were just too long for air play. For most, their music was hard to define. It was a combination of rock, blues & jazz. The title cut from the Tarkus album is a prime example of their style. Have a blessed week.

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The past couple of weeks I posted some images I had captured of potted flowers on our patio. I had taken a spray bottle and misted the plants with water and I found the results quite pleasing. Every once in a while an image begs to be manipulated. This is one of those images.

There is no real manipulation here, but a verse of scripture came to mind.

Then the thought came to mind, what if I convert this image to Black & White.

Well that was interesting but maybe we need to add something else.  So I took the image into my Nik filter collection for PhotoShop Elements and added a little contrast and a vintage frame for a little drama.

That was fun, but what if I add a little canvas texture and a subtle white vignette to the image.

And that’s what I call “Fun With Filters”. Have a blessed week.

 

 

 

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Independence Part II

Last week was a free choice week but I couldn’t resist jumping ahead and posting music about this week’s theme, Songs of with an Independent theme, either personal or national. For most of us Independence means freedom and being free to live our own lives. Our first real experience with freedom is when we gain access to a car. Our freedom expands when we move out on our own. Occasionally we find that freedom is a little too expensive so we move back in with our parents for a while. Finally, we take the leap and leave the nest to make our own way in this world. We find out that there really is no such thing as a “Free Ride”.

Last week I focused on the national pride and independence. This week I am just going to put together a collection of songs about being free on some level. Enjoy.

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Just Add Water II

Aww Monday

My first dog 1954. His name was Muggs and yes he was a Cocker Spaniel.

My current dog Lucy, and yes, she is a Cocker Spaniel.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

A while back our fearless leader, Curious as a Cathy contacted me about co-hosting a month of 4M. I have never hosted nor co-hosted a blog hop, so I am not sure how this is going to go. I consider it an honor to join the others who participate in this endeavor. The best things about this blog hop is that I get to hear music that is new to me and I also get to revisit music from my past that I have forgotten about over the years. So with your patience and understanding, here we go.

This week is supposed to be a freedom of choice week but since Independence day is just around the corner, I am going to get an early start on my Songs of Independence theme.  I don’t know about you but I am forever grateful that I was born, raised and live in the USA. When you look at the world around us and consider all of the places where you could have entered this world and all of the trials and tribulations that might have been a part of your everyday life, it is easier to see just how blessed we are to be born and bred U. S. citizens. Few nations offer their citizens the the freedoms and opportunities found in this great country. I am doubly thankful for having been born and raised in the the great state of Oklahoma. Although we now call Arkansas home, Oklahoma will always have my heart. I love the honesty, friendliness, and independent nature of people in this part of the world. I love that I have always lived in smaller cities and communities and that the countryside has always been just a few minutes drive from my residence. We lived in Dallas for a couple of years and while I love the people of Texas, Dallas was just more people that I wanted to deal with on a daily basis. But, like I said, I am forever grateful that I was “Born in the USA”!

I am truly thankful that our country has come to realize the sacrifices that those in the military make in order for the rest of the citizens to enjoy living the American Dream. It hasn’t always been that way. I was drafted into the military in 1966 and deployed to Vietnam in 1967. The Vietnam war caused some of the worst civil unrest in history of  this country and a portion of the anger was directed at those soldiers returning home. One needs to keep in mind that a soldier does not pick the cause nor his adversary. He does not select the battle nor debate the validity of the conflict. A soldier goes where he is ordered, engages the enemy of his day and if necessary gives his life for a cause chosen for him by his government. War takes its toll on everyone who serves and it is impossible to explain the personal impact that combat has on those who survive. For those of us fortunate enough to return from the war, we were the Fortunate Sons.

On September 11, 2001 our world was turned upside down when two hijacked airliners were flown into the World Trade Center Towers and killed more Americans than we lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Thus we were thrust into the war on terrorism and it continues to this day. Americans saw live, what an act of terrorism looks like and the brutal reality of war. It left a hole in the ground and another one in the heart of this nation.

Today the war on terrorism continues. But just in case you were wondering, this is what freedom looks and sounds like.

Our nation is divided on a number of issues and the two sides don’t always seem to be truly interested in solving the problems set before them. Still, this is the land of the free and the home of the brave and for all of it’s scars, bumps, bruises, and imperfections, it is still America the Beautiful. Have a blessed week.

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Just Add Water

 

Last Light of the Day

 

 

 

 

Aww Monday’s

Don’t tell me you wouldn’t take this little fur ball home if you had the chance. You would scoop him up in a heart beat and you know it!

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Okay boys and girls it’s another “Your Choice” week on the 4M dance floor. Last October I posted songs from one of my all-time favorite groups and artist, John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Today I think I will revisit the Fogerty songbook and see what I can find. I believe that I will concentrate on songs that mostly didn’t make radio playlists. You had to own the album to even know these songs were done by John or CCR.

First up is a song that is gospel in nature. That’s right, John Fogerty did a gospel number. Fogerty and CCR were pioneers in what came to be known as swamp rock and they could play with any country band as well. Most country artists have a gospel album in their discography so it isn’t a real surprise to find that Fogerty recorded at least one gospel song. This song, the background vocals and this video bring visions of Elvis and the Jordanaires to mind.

After the break up of Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty launched a solo career. Legal battles prevented him from playing many, if not all of his CCR hits. He had to start over. His most successful album was probably “Centerfield”. The title song is played at almost every minor league ball part in the country. Another cut from that album that is lesser know is this tune, Rock ‘n Roll Girls.

My favorite solo album from Fogerty is probably “Revival”. There is such a variety of music, lyrics, and range of vocals that it truly shows John’s immense range of talent. I love this next song.

The roots of Creedence Clearwater Revival are clearly evident in this next tune. The familiar rhythms and vocals are pure Creedence, but the music is solely Fogerty.

My last selection will also come from the Revival album. This song should have been a top country tune. The lyrics were written by Forgerty and is a testimony of his life before and after meeting his wife. Enjoy and have a blessed week everyone.