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The Water's Wide

Stroll on over to Keep the Coffee Coming and start your day out with a good song...

"The Water is Wide" is a longtime fav of mine. The tune was strong in me Oct 4-6, 1998, and glad I was for it... CLICK the link and listen to a fine singing of it by John Gorka over at Kat's place.

"Woke up this mornin'... "

You write your own blues song for today. Go ahead. use the standard, all-purpose "Woke up this mornin'" opener.

Not me. Woke up this morning to a cool, overcast day here in America's Third World County™. Out and about early. The greens really poppin'. Small town tree-lined-and-shaded (almost "tree-wrapped") streets. Oaks and elms and maples and willows and pecans and walnuts and magnolias and... green, green grasses of every imaginable variety. My front yard, which is mostly suited to growing rocks and moles, nevertheless green and in need of mowing.

I tell myself it's too wet.

Look at all the marigolds! And all the other purty flars I cain't put a name to right now. (Sadly, my dandelion crop was a bit disappointing this year. *sigh*) In our front flar bed. Purty. And that hosta I transplanted from the neighbor's yard (hey! He asked me to dig it up and take it. Really!) last week is lookin' real good, too. Even those bulbs of some indeterminate flar from my neighbor's back yard are shooting out fast. And that lil cypress I planted for Arbor Day I thought was dead? Shoots comin' up at the base.

Heck, it's too purty today to work myself to death, even though I have no client work scheduled and yard work beackons.

"It's too wet to mow," I repeat...

OTOH, I did pledge to Wonder Woman that I'd finish up Step 1 on the south wall of the living room. My son asked me why I was doing a complicated faux plaster/paint/glaze treatment since I plan to cover the whole wall with a bookcase/entertainment center. The answer, of course, is that I will know what's behind all that.

You know, maybe that's another issue to address in pop culture. Few seem to care what's behind all the flash and sizzle... If it's purty on the outside, on the part that's seen then that's all that seems to count for many.

Another day, maybe. Today's just too beautiful.

OK, maybe later today...

:-)

Posted: Precision Guided Humor Roundup: Fantasy Headlines!

The Alliance of Free Blogs has its weekly PGHA list up. Worth some surfing...

Check out the Fantasy Headlines for 2006 here. Oh, and be sure and catch this guy's fantasy headlines while you're at it. (Yeh. Shameless plug.)

Crosses aCross America

Cao did me the very good turn of linking to Crosses aCross America—Thanks, Cao!

Take up the torch. Hold high the flame of your faith. Clearly and unapologetically proclaim your religious beliefs, regardless of pressures from LLMB and MMPA to remove all such expressions from public view. Put crosses on your lawn or home. Stars of David. Whatever symbol proclaims your true faith.

OK, for some of you that will be a picture of Franklin on a $100 bill. That's fine, as long as it is honest. (We'll talk later. :-) It's your right to do so.

Oh, and while you are at it—putting up symbols—better make darn sure your lifestyle affirms what those symbols stand for...

Crossposted at third world county.

Five are up!

Get 'em while they're hot!

The Beeb has Beethoven's symphonies #1—#5 up and available for download right now. High quality mp3s. Large downloads, so I hope you have a fat pipe or a lot of patience (and a good download manager) if you are on dialup. Very credible performances, so far.

Recommended read

A good place, Soliloquoy... one writer's thoughts

Nancy Bond has some recommended reading posted. Looks interesting. In fact, The Gravesavers looks like a buy to me. Those of y'all who've visited here a while already know my reading tastes are... eclectic. From the reviews (including Nancy's comments) this is a little toward the edge of my taste in fiction, but it sounds like something that would be both good for me to read and enjoyable at the same time. I'm going to buy a copy, and if it is in the ballpark of being as good as its press, I know I'll be pushing it off on folks to read until finally someone doesn't return it. heh

Hey, Nancy! Maybe I'll begin my own less-informed review of current reads and add my 2¢ to your $2 reviews from time to time. (Just my estimate of the relative worth of our comments on others' writing. :-)

And folks, do drop in over at Nancy's blog, Soliloquoy... one writer's thoughts. Some good stuff there.

See what's happening at Random Rambling

Some interesting viewpoints and some growth as a writer going on over there at Random Rambling.

Drop on over and comment on one of his posts—particularly the one where he's asking for reading suggestions in sci-fi. It's kinda fun for me to see someone's writing and thinking visibly tighten up as they write more (unlike mine, which remains as prolix and obscurantist as ever, no matter what I try to do to be brief and simple and stay on topic. See what I mean? *LOL*).

Oh, and while you're at it, why not send other folks by to make sci-fi reading suggestions or just (constructively) comment on one of his posts?

BTW, for those of you who care, he's one of the good guys. yep. That's what I said. A devoted coffee drinker. Don't get me wrong; he's got his own set of problems. Yep. He likes rap "music". *shudder*

:-)

Take note(s)

NOTE CHANGE: Beginning next Monday, [ed--first performance broadcast Monday, downloads begin to be available Tuesday] the BBC will be offering all 9 of Beethoven's symphonies for download...

Info at the site:

Download all nine of Beethoven's symphonies here the day after they are broadcast. All the symphonies are performed by BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda.

Symphonies 1 & 3 will be broadcast on Monday 6th June, and available to download from Tuesday 7th June to Monday 13th June.
Symphonies 2, 4 & 5 will be broadcast on Tuesday 7th June, and available to download from Wednesday 8th June to Tuesday 14th June.
Symphony 6 will be broadcast on Monday 27th June, and available to download from Tuesday 28th June to Monday 4th July.
Symphony 7 will be broadcast on Tuesday 28th June, and available to download from Wednesday 29th June to Tuesday 5th July.
Symphony 8 will be broadcast on Wednesday 29th June, and available to download from Thursday 30th June to Wednesday 6th July.
Symphony 9 will be broadcast on Thursday 30th June, and available to download from Friday 1st July to Thursday 7th July

Always a good idea to hear other interpretations of these works. I have my favs, but I can be surprised by a fresh performance, just like anyone else.

The BBC is still stuck in the 20th Century and requires Real Player for (a rather limited) live listening, rather than adopting a better, more cross-platform streaming solution, so downloading the mp3s after they are made available may be the best option for you. OTOH, here's a Real Player alternative that works. Transparent and (completely unlike Real Player) non-intrusive, non-invasive, Real Alternative is a decent software solution to Real Player's stinkiness.

Good eats; great treats. What's not to like?

Carnival of the Recipes #42 is up at Conservative Friends

Oh man! I already had Christine's Pancake Soufflé on the schedule for this weekend, and now I'm working through about a month's worth of new recipes in this Carnival alone!

Go check out the foods of the blogoshere, drool, wipe your face (and change your clothes) and then get out your grocery list, cos it's gonna be a great ride with the grocery cart after this one!

Of course, don't neglect my quick n easy quiche recipe. And browse around third world county while you're at it. There's bound to be something here that'll annoy the devil outa you.

:-)

Meme-ory Lane

UPDATE: Romeocat loves this "meme-ory" tag. I can see why. Her list reminds me of many other childhood memories of my own.
UPDATE #2: Spurs chimes in with... another list I can resonate strongly with. Oh, and Spurs just HAD to add another meme-ory—and it's one that'll crack you up... Spurs really got ahead on his blogroll entry rent. :-)
UPDATE #3: Christine outdoes herself! She posted a collection not only at Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea, but a different collection at By the Way.
UPDATE #4:

BTW, if you're not a regular reader of any of the blogs above, browse around their blogs for some good reads. I blogrolled each of these because I read them daily.


Detestable Dan does it again,
(I don't know what's up with this guy)
He tags me once more, detestable man,
Just winds one up and lets fly!

Dan Riehl, of Riehl World View, decided the way to end the week was by misspelling the name of my blog (he obviously has no idea how hard it is to get my fingers to type "Riehl"), insulting me and then asking me to participate in what he calls "this Detestable Meme."

"...Third World Country [SIC] - I know, I didn't take up some of the memes you sent me. One was even the music meme mentioned in VC's double whammy post. For saddling me with such tremendous guilt, what better pay back than to return the favor. No need to thank me. Bwahahaha!"

Ever one to fold in the face of such saccharine sweetness and smarmy blandishments (no thanks to Dan, indeed :-) I hereby take up the torch he passes on! Anyone singed by the flame can take responsibility for their own burns. That'll teach you a lesson.

The rules (quoting Dan, with minor edits):

Remove the #1 item from the following list, bump everyone up one place and add your blog's name in the #5 spot. You need to... actually link to each of the blogs for the link-whorage aspect of this fiendish meme-age to kick in.

1. Unrepentant Individual
2. No Government Cheese
3. Villainous Company
4. Riehlworldview
5. third world county

Next, select four unsuspecting victims, list and link to them.

Fine

1. Boudicca's Voice – With boys like yours, Bou, you just HAVE to do this... for perspective, if nothing else. :-)
2. Cathouse Chat's Romeocat – What with the move and all, you have all that extra time on your hands for this, right?
3. Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea – Christine has to have some interesting answers for this.
4. Pull My Finger – to paraphrase Dan Riehl, rent's due on the blogroll, Spurs. :-)
   
   Now - the subject of "this Detestable Meme" is Five Things I Miss From My Childhood:
   

1. The Green Rocking Chair: Sitting in that chair in a day when being five didn't mean being bundled off to Prison For Kids, Heidi (our Dachsund) in my lap hanging her head over the side to catch some warmth from the floor heater, watching black and white TV. In the evening, the five of us kids would swarm Mother's lap as she sat in that chair and read us Bible stories.

2. Granddaddy's Whistling: the guy was a credible bass singer, a competent all-around handyman (was a farmer with foresight: missed the Depression and the Dustbowl by that much by getting abd keeping a job in the post office shortly before both whomped the small OK town he lived in), great company—stories, poetry, fishing, teaching a boy how to hold a paintbrush, use a saw, make a magnet, swing a hammer and much, much more. And boy, could he whistle a tune. Add in Grandmother's cooking and what more could a boy want in the summer? Oh, yeh. Climbing the redbud tree in his back yard with a matching cousin.

3. My Schwinn: Easily modified from Dan's listing of a much newer ten-speed bike (Dan must still be in his first childhood for him to remember one of those new-fangled ten-speeds as a fav childhood memory -CORRECTION: Dan's first was an older model :-). Second hand. Heavy clunker with those old fat tires. Red. One speed, stomp-on-'em brakes. Coasting down the looooong hills to the public library (and slogging that one-speed back up 'em on the way home) riding over squashed frogs there and back in the spring and enjoying the bite of the air and sting of snow in the winter. Hit twice from behind by cars when the drivers just weren't looking, the second time retired that old bike forever.

4. Dad-Dad's preaching: Add Granddaddy's ability to quote page upon page of Sir Walter Scott to Dad-Dad's sermons and it's little wonder I grew up with an ear tuned to detect subliterate speech. heh. For a guy from a hardscrabble tobacco farm in the Ozarks whose high school and college education came late, after some years in the Oklahoma boomtown oilfields, Dad-Dad was one of the two most literate men I have ever met (due in large part to one of the most literate women I have ever met: his wife, Me-Ma, who was also his teacher). I still re-read his sermons from time to time when I want to hear clear, honest, good speaking.

5. The Little Red Wagon: Yep. That Little Red Wagon. It wasn't so much mine as it belonged to all of us—me and my four sibs. We'd load the thing up and off we'd go down the street—wherever. It was a great dump truck for hauling dirt around the back yard when building yet another fort. A handy piece of equipment for my first business venture: gathering (with my older and very grown up and responsible seven-year-old sister to watch our for me) discarded pop bottles from alleys and empty lots in the vicinity of our neighborhood, taking them down to the corner grocery and redeeming them for warm, fuzzy cash. Of course, my sister—and later other sibs—had their share of the loot. And, truth be told, the venture was her idea, anyway, as I recall.

There, now. That wasn't as hard as I had supposed it might be. Of course, if may have something to do with the way my memories age as I get older. From a distance, they all seem to be surrounded by a slight golden haze... eh? What's that you say sonny? I cain't hear ya boy! Speak up... (aehhhh kids these days...)

NOTE: the "five things" above are in no particular order and draw from a deep well. I could easily have listed any of many other five things. Dan even points to one of them in another post on his blog when he mentions Michelle Malkin's recent spelling bee post. but that's another tale all its own and belongs in one of my public school rants.

Posted also at third world county.