One Liner Wednesday – Are We Who We Once Were?

I have been thinking a lot about how we become who we are as adults. Do we lost that child inside? Do the winds of life alter our trajectory? What is the impetus that moves us to who we will become? Inside I still feel that little girl that wandered barefoot through the countryside. 

“The child I was is just one breath away from me.”

Sheniz Janmohamed

 

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One liner Wednesday is brought to us each week by the lovely Linda Hill. Please visit Linda’s blog to read the rules, read other one liners, and possibly join in the fun!

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Coming up for Air

This will be the fifth or sixth time I have started this post. I was thinking about Linda’s SoCS prompt ‘up and down’ and I certainly have been experiencing both of late.

I will let my heart guide me through this post, so please bear with me.

My heart is heavy. We had loss with tragic circumstances in my extended family. It has been hard to come to terms with. It is not my place to say much more than that, but if you are a prayer-minded person, I would appreciate your prayers for those in my family who are struggling to come to terms with all that has transpired.

I returned from Florida last Tuesday. The day I left, there were intense Florida afternoon storms that kicked up my vertigo. I took Dramamine and then got on the plane, then a 50 minute ride home on winding mountain roads. By the time I arrived home I was well into a full blown attack. I am still a bit woozy even now but it is getting better. I am going to schedule an appointment with my doctor to see about a referral to a physical therapist. This is getting old.

My trip to Florida was wonderful. I had a great time visiting with my family. My three-year-old granddaughter is a hoot and kept me in stitches all the time. Sadly, she picked up a stomach bug and had two days she felt rather under the weather. Other than that, we had a grand time! We shared a few days in the pool and she stayed home from daycare a couple of days so we could spend time together. She kept me on my toes for sure.

Of course, me being me, something had to go wrong. My DIL and I decided to meet my daughter for lunch one afternoon. Walking from the car to the restaurant, I stepped off the curb, onto a rock, twisted my ankle and down I went. I banged up my knees, scraped my palms on the pavement and bruised my ribs when I fell onto my purse. People came running to my aid to make sure I was okay which I was – my pride was bruised more than anything – and I tore a hole in my capri pants. Lunch and a show – who knew?

The weather in Florida was hot, but mostly clear (up until the day I left). I was able to meet my dear friend Susan for lunch one afternoon. Although we speak on the phone frequently, we had not seen each other in several years. It was so good to see her and catch up on our lives. She is so brave. As she eeks into her 70’s, she decided to start taking stand-up comedy classes and she is quite funny! I am so proud of her.

Summer has fully set in here. The only flowers we have are on the Rose of Sharon and one lone lily. Our garden is thriving, although it looks like we have powdery mildew on our cucumbers. I may resort to the Farmer’s Market for pickling cucumbers. Our bear friend has been here – once around 8 am and once around 8:45 pm. We keep a party-sized air horn here to dissuade him should he get too close or too comfortable.

After lots of prep time and waiting, hubby’s metal building is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. Then the electrician and Duke Power will get involved to bring power to the building and then he will be in business. He has lots of tools to move from the garage to his workspace.

You may remember my episode with a snake in the house while hubby was in Kentucky. Well, this past week I saw a field mouse scurry across the floor. Luckily, we could close the door and keep him isolated until we could get him out of the house. I was glad hubby was here to tackle this one. Nothing like mountain life I tell you!

Today would be my sister Rosie’s 71st birthday. It is so hard to believe she has been gone for 11 years. We always had frequent chats on the phone and I really miss those phone calls. Time passes quickly, folks. Much too quickly.

My son and my grandchildren are coming to spend a couple of days next week. I am looking forward to having them with us. It has been an empty house much too long. Soon after their visit we will head back to Florida for our granddaughter’s birthday. I am not sure if we will drive or fly because hubby received a summons for jury duty the week we planned to leave. If I have learned nothing else this past year, I have learned to be patient.

I didn’t write for Song Lyric Sunday yesterday, but if I had, I would have chosen “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” written by Kris Kristofferson and performed by the legendary Johnny Cash.

 

Song Lyric Sunday – A Duo Of Songs by Train

The prompt from Jim:

This week we the theme of Greet, Hey, Howdy.

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I did not plan to write today as I am in the midst of a two week vacation with my family in Florida. We all just came in from a late morning swim and everyone decided to take an afternoon nap except me. The remnants of a thunderstorm are rumbling in the distance and I decided to offer up my selections.

The first song that came to mind was “Hey Soul Sister” by San Francisco band Train. The song was written by lead singer Pat Monahan, and Norwegian production duo Amund Bjørklund and Espen Lind. Monahan wanted to write a song reminiscent of the style of the band INXS. Espen suggested using a ukulele instead of the guitar and Monahan felt it made the song come together.

The song was written about what Monahan imagined the environment to be at Burning Man, an annual festival that takes place in the Western United States although he had never attended.

”Hey Soul Sister” was released in 2009, won a Grammy and was the second best selling single in the U.S. in 2010.

“Hey Soul Sister”
Lyrics from Songfacts.com

Hey hey hey hey

Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains
I knew I wouldn’t forget you
And so I went and let you blow my mind
Your sweet moving
The smell of you in every single dream I dream
I knew when we collided you’re the one I have decided
Who’s one of my kind

Hey soul sister, ain’t that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight

Hey hey hey hey

Just in time, I’m so glad you have a one track mind like me
You gave my life direction
A game show love connection, we can’t deny
I’m so obsessed
My heart is bound to beat right out my untrimmed chest
I believe in you, like a virgin, you’re Madonna
And I’m always gonna wanna blow your mind

Hey soul sister, ain’t that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight

Well you can cut a rug
Watching you is the only drug I need
So gangster, I’m so thug
You’re the only one I’m dreaming of
You see I can be myself now finally
In fact there’s nothing I can’t be
I want the world to see you’ll be with me

Hey soul sister, ain’t that mister mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain’t fair you know
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Hey soul sister, I don’t wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Hey hey hey hey (tonight)
Hey hey hey hey (tonight)

The second song also by Train is “Drops of Jupiter” written by Patrick Monahan and was inspired by his mother who died from lung cancer. It was his way of exploring the possibility that his mother was still with him except in a different form.

”Drops of Jupiter” was released in 2001 and was nominated for five Grammys, winning two.

“Drops of Jupiter”
Lyrics from Songfacts.com

Now that she’s back in the atmosphere
With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey
She acts like summer and walks like rain
Reminds me that there’s time to change, hey, hey
Since the return from her stay on the moon
She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey

Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated

Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

Now that she’s back from that soul vacation
Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey
She checks out Mozart while she does tae-bo
Reminds me that there’s room to grow, hey, hey

Now that she’s back in the atmosphere
I’m afraid that she might think of me as plain ol’ Jane
Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did landTell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back to the milky way
And tell me, did Venus blow your mind
Was it everything you wanted to find
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken
Your best friend always sticking up for you even when I know you’re wrong
Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone
Conversation
The best soy latte that you ever had, and me

Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way

And are you lonely looking for yourself out there?

Tell me did you sail across the sun
Did you make it to the milky way to see the lights all faded
And that heaven is overrated

Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star
One without a permanent scar
And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there

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Song Lyric Sunday is hosted every Sunday by Jim Adams. If you would like to join in the fun, check out his blog for the rules and to take in all the other music posted by other bloggers.

Monday Missive

I did it. I boarded a plane and flew to Florida. What a glorious feeling to hug my granddaughter and my daughter and daughter-in-law after 15 long months. But of course almost everyone knows what that means since we have all suffered the same quarantine together.

• I am thankful I had a short flight.  As I was arriving at the airport I received a notice the flight had been delayed 20 minutes. That meant another 20 minutes in the terminal. Eventually we were notified of yet another 20 minute delay so my arrival was an hour later than expected.
• There were signs posted on the terminal entrance stating masks were mandated. Did everyone comply? Not even close. I wore my mask from the time hubby dropped me off until the time my daughter picked me up. Americans are just a bunch of lawless cowboys and there is no sheriff to be found.
• It’s hot and humid here. I had forgotten how that feels. We have heat and humidity in the mountains, but it is rare to this extent.
• My granddaughter is in day care today, but she will be staying home with us Tuesday and Wednesday so we can have some time to play together.
• Hubby is left at home to try and get his building complete. The concrete was poured last Tuesday and has had time to cure. Now he must wait until the manufacturer can deliver then it’s electricity then final grading.
• I have been trying to finish this short blog all day. Once I got tired and napped, then I sat on the floor and colored and played house with my granddaughter’s Woodsie house (a family of owls). Those seemed a better use of my time at the moment.

 

Song Lyric Sunday – A Duo of Neil Young Songs

The prompt from Jim:

This week we the theme of Old, New, Borrowed, Blue.

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This week I selected a duo of songs from Neil Young, both containing the word ‘old’, both from the same album, both recorded during the same studio sessions, and both with Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor singing backup.

These two songs were the biggest hits for Neil Young. Both songs feature acoustic guitar. Young was recovering from a back injury and he could play the acoustic while sitting. The “Harvest” album held the number one spot on the charts for 2 weeks and would become the best selling album in the U.S. In 1972.

“Heart of Gold” is Young’s only number one hit in the U.S. It reached number one in 1972. “Old Man” was his second highest charting song in the U.S. reaching #31 on the charts. This article from Wikipedia gives background on the song “Old Man”.

From Wikipedia:

The song was written for the caretaker of the Northern California Broken Arrow Ranch, which Young purchased for $350,000 in 1970. The song compares a young man’s life to an old man’s and shows that the young man has, to some extent, the same needs as the old one. James Taylor played six-string banjo (tuned like a guitar) and sang on the song, and Linda Ronstadt also contributed vocals.^[3]

In the film Heart of Gold, Young introduces the song as follows:

About that time when I wrote (“Heart of Gold”), and I was touring, I had also—just, you know, being a rich hippie for the first time—I had purchased a ranch, and I still live there today. And there was a couple living on it that were the caretakers, an old gentleman named Louis Avila and his wife Clara. And there was this old blue Jeep there, and Louis took me for a ride in this blue Jeep. He gets me up there on the top side of the place, and there’s this lake up there that fed all the pastures, and he says, “Well, tell me, how does a young man like yourself have enough money to buy a place like this?” And I said, “Well, just lucky, Louis, just real lucky.” And he said, “Well, that’s the darnedest thing I ever heard.” And I wrote this song for him.

“Heart of Gold”
Lyrics from songfacts.com

I want to live
I want to give
I’ve been a miner
For a heart of gold
It’s these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching
For a heart of gold
And I’m getting old
Keep me searching
For a heart of gold
And I’m getting old

I’ve been to Hollywood
I’ve been to Redwood
I crossed the ocean
For a heart of gold
I’ve been in my mind
It’s such a fine line
That keeps me searching
For a heart of gold
And I’m getting old
Keeps me searching
For a heart of gold
And I’m getting old

Keep me searching
For a heart of gold
You keep me searching
And I’m growing old
Keep me searching
For a heart of gold
I’ve been a miner
For a heart of gold

“Old Man”
Lyrics from song facts.com

Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man look at my life
I’m a lot like you were

Old man, look at my life
Twenty four and there’s so much more
Live alone in a paradise
That makes me think of two

Love lost, such a cost
Give me things that don’t get lost
Like a coin that won’t get tossed
Rolling home to you

Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true

Lullabies, look in your eyes
Run around the same old town
Doesn’t mean that much to me
To mean that much to you

I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past
But I’m all alone at last
Rolling home to you

Old man, take a look at my life, I’m a lot like you
I need someone to love me the whole day through
Ah, one look in my eyes and you can tell that’s true

Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were
Old man, look at my life
I’m a lot like you were

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Song Lyric Sunday is hosted every Sunday by Jim Adams. If you would like to join in the fun, check out his blog for the rules and to take in all the other music posted by other bloggers.