Fire and Rain has got to be up there.
A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall
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Best Rainy Day Songs
Thursday, September 19th, 2024Thursday, September 19th, 2024
I went to visit my college friends in North Carolina this weekend. We try to meet at least once a year at Dana’s family’s farm outside of Asheville. Acres and acres of farmland overlooked by mountains, and dotted with cows and bales of hay. Her mom and step-dad weren’t there this weekend, so we had the run of the place – the big house and the guest house – and all four of us had our own bed. Total awesomeness! The only drawbacks might be the nearly-full moon diminishing the stars and the fact that it was too warm for a fire. Which really aren’t bad problems to have.
Thursday, September 19th, 2024
My feelings are hurt.
That doesn’t happen very often, but it happened. Can’t believe I’m posting it on my blog, but I thought perhaps I am not the only mom in the world who has experienced it, and writing about it may make me feel better.
Favorite Songs of 2010
Thursday, September 19th, 2024Lyrics vs. music.
Georgia – Band of Horses
Evening Kitchen – BoH. “you wasted my time.” So sweet-sounding and melancholy. Reminds me of driving across the bridge over the lake in the dark with tills when she was talking to the stars. “I counted on you. And if you’re ever left with any doubt, what you’ll live with and what you’ll do without, I’m only sorry that it took so long to figure out.”
Cee Lo – F U
Desire Lines – Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
All those oh-whoa-ohs just draw me in, plus the driving repetitive part at the end, speeding up, spiraling out of control. Love it.
Arcade Fire – Ready to Start. So catchy.
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains): “They heard me singing and they told me to stop. Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock.” “We rode our bikes to the nearest park, sat under the swings and kissed in the dark.”
Best Coast – Kinda like a Juliana Hatfield or Liz Phair for the 2000s. Singsongy and stupid, but catchy.
Black Angels – Bad Vibrations. I am a sucker for that change at the end where it picks up and rocks out.
Frightened Rabbit: Swim Until You Can’t See land. “Swim, until you can’t see land, are you a man or are you a bag of sand?”
The National – So many great moments on this album.
xmas
Thursday, September 19th, 2024http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance
Favorite Albums of 2010
Thursday, September 19th, 2024The Black Keys – Brothers. Solid album. If you’ve never seen them before, then go look at a picture of them. Trust me.
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Mumford and Sons – sigh no more (Released last year, but I didn’t listen to it until this year.)
magnetic Fields – Realism
“You can’t go round just stayin stuff because it’s pretty and i no longer drink enough to think you’re witty.”
The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream
Best Coast – Best Coast
Girl Talk –
Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
Beach House – Teen Dream
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
The National – High Violet
Upon first listen, i was disappointed by this album. I was definitely late to the National game, but had picked up Alligator and Boxer in the last couple of years and loved them. This one just didn’t seem up to par, but I kept listening to it, and it grew on me like a beautiful cancer. I LOVE it now.
“But I won’t follow you into the rabbit hole. I said I would, but then I saw your shriveled bones, they didn’t want me to.” The end of this song, Terrible Love, sounded HUGE live.
Owen Pallet – BORING
Surfer Blood – Astrocoast
Tokyo Police Club – Not sure why these guys aren’t really famous. So damn catchy. My kids know every word to this album. I do too. Solid album throughout – not a bad song on the whole thing.
Plus: Favorite shows – The National, Galaxy 500. The Pixies. Pavement. Arcade Fire.
The Post I wrote the night i found out how long I might have with my mom.
Thursday, September 19th, 2024So, tonight, I’m thinking about who I want to be. It is easy to be me, blase, nonchalant, in every day life. I have a charmed life. Love, happiness, health. Wonderful family, friends, husband, children. In the big scheme of things, nothing bad has ever happened to me.
Who will I be when something bad befalls me? I like to think that i will be brave, calm, full of grace. Accepting, thoughtful, giving, not angry. Positive, understanding, compassionate, grateful. Energetic, focused, strong.
I am not at all sure who I will be. I am not sure who I want to be, or if I could even control it if I tried.
31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month
Thursday, September 19th, 2024March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would… like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.
March 2 — Post a photo of one of your female ancestors. Who is in the photo? When was it taken? Why did you select this photo?
March 3 — Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother, or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree.
March 4 — Do you have marriage records for your grandparents or great-grandparents? Write a post about where they were married and when. Any family stories about the wedding day? Post a photo too if you have one.
March 5 — How did they meet? You’ve documented marriages, now, go back a bit. Do you know the story of how your parents met? Your grandparents?
March 6 — Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor (wedding ring or other jewelry, china, clothing, etc.) If you don’t have any, then write about a specific object you remember from your mother or grandmother, or aunt (a scarf, a hat, cooking utensil, furniture, etc.)
March 7 — Share a favorite recipe from your mother or grandmother’s kitchen. Why is this dish your favorite? If you don’t have one that’s been passed down, describe a favorite holiday or other meal you shared with your family.
March 8 — Did one of your female ancestors leave a diary, journal, or collection of letters? Share an entry or excerpt.
March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information.
March 10 — What role did religion play in your family? How did your female ancestors practice their faith? If they did not, why didn’t they? Did you have any female ancestors who served their churches in some capacity?
March 11 — Did you have any female ancestors who died young or from tragic or unexpected circumstances? Describe and how did this affect the family?
March 12 — Working girl: Did your mother or grandmother work outside the home? What did she do? Describe her occupation.
March 13 — Moment of Strength: share a story where a female ancestor showed courage or strength in a difficult situation.
March 14 — Newsmakers? Did you have a female ancestor who made the news? Why? Was she famous or notorious? Did she appear in the social column?
March 15 — Write a six-word memoir tribute to one of your female ancestors.
March 16 — If you could have lunch with any female family member (living or dead) or any famous female who would it be and why? Where would you go? What would you eat?
March 17 — Social Butterfly? What social organizations or groups did your mother or grandmother belong to? Sewing circle, church group, fraternal benefit society or lodge? Describe her role in the group.
March 18 — Shining star: Did you have a female ancestor who had a special talent? Artist, singer, actress, athlete, seamstress, or other? Describe.
March 19 — Have you discovered a surprising fact about one of your female ancestors? What was it and how did you learn it? How did you feel when you found out?
March 20 — Is there a female ancestor who is your brick wall? Why? List possible sources for finding more information.
March 21 — Describe a tender moment one of your female ancestors shared with you or another family member.
March 22 — If a famous director wanted to make a movie about one of your female ancestors who would it be? What actress would you cast in the role and why?
March 23 — Create a timeline for a female ancestor using your favorite software program or an online timeline generator such as OurTimelines.Post an image of it or link.
March 24 — Do you share any physical resemblance or personality trait with one of your female ancestors? Who? What is it?
March 25 — Tell how a female ancestor interacted with her children. Was she loving or supportive? A disciplinarian? A bit of both?
March 26 — What education did your mother receive? Your grandmothers? Great-grandmothers? Note any advanced degrees or special achievements.
March 27 — Do you know the immigration story of one or more female ancestors? Do you have any passenger lists, passports, or other documentation? Interesting family stories?
March 28 — Do you remember your mother’s best friend? Your grandmother’s? How and where did they meet? How long were they friends? What activities did they share?
March 29 — Create a free Footnote Page or a Genealogy Trading Card at Big Huge Labs for a female ancestor. Some of you may have created your own card back in September 2009 following Sheri Fenley’s post over at The Educated Genealogist. This time, the card is for your female ancestor. Tell us about who you’ve selected and why and then post a link to what you’ve created.
March 30 — Did you receive any advice or words of wisdom from your mother or another female ancestor?
March 31 — Pick one female ancestor and write a mini-profile (500 words or less).
BONUS: Take all of your postings and turn them into a memory or tribute booklet for future generations.
Post an entry on your Blog when you have created your tribute. Tell us how you did it (what format, how you printed it or digitized it, etc.).
Fearless Females
Thursday, September 19th, 2024So, if you know me, you know I am a total history nerd. This has bled into an interest in family history. (I found myself asking where were my ancestors when all these interesting events were taking place?) So, in honor of Women’s History Month, and because I have been a blogging slacker lately, with too many morose and disturbing things going on in my mind to possibly pour out on the internet, (I know, right? Who thought i would ever say there are things that I won’t put on the internet?) I saw this:
Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month
Usually, i think blogging prompts are kind of lame. If you need to be prompted to write, maybe you don’t have anything interesting to say in the first place. But for me, in my current space and time, this is perfect, and extremely interesting to me.
Doubt I’ll be able to do all 31 days, but I am interested to see what it prompts me to write about my female ancestors, what insight it will give me about the females in my family today, and what it might tell me about myself. Were the women in my family fearless? How do i compare?
March 1 — Do you have a favorite female ancestor? One you are drawn to or want to learn more about? Write down some key facts you have already learned or what you would… like to learn and outline your goals and potential sources you plan to check.
This one is not so easy. . . I am torn between two. On the one hand, i am very interested in knowing what life was like for Medora Louis Hall Dunstan. Her middle name itself is a mystery – I have seen a few different versions of it: Louis, Lewis, or Louise? I want to know why she was adopted by what I think were her grandparents. I want to know what life was like in Fredericksburg, Va, where she lived as a girl during the Civil War. Was she there during the battle? Did she really see a dead soldier and steal his handkerchief? How did she meet her husband? Was her husband a Yankee soldier, or just a Canadian who came down after Reconstruction. What was with her husband the mining engineer traveling all over the world?
But it is the second woman that really keeps me up at night, knowing there must be a clue about her out there somewhere, and that every day that passes, there is more of a chance of her story slipping away from me.
She was my great grandfather Charles Clifford Smith Sr.’s mother. Her maiden name was Mary Catherine Shannon.
For a long time, I didn’t even know her name. Finally, a cousin remembered some fuzzy details about her: Her name was very traditional Irish Catholic-sounding. She may have had my great grandfather out of wedlock. Ooh, a scandal! I love those.
Mama Likes Wine
Thursday, September 19th, 2024And Daddy knows it. Look what he brought me from Buenos Aires!
And also, this, which is kind of a romantic gift, I think.