Muskrat Lodge

Muskrat lodge, take at Watershed Nature Center a few days ago.  Across the lake from where I saw this Muskrat a few weeks earlier, don't think I've posted him/her before:

Anyway, just a little something to get you thinking about "Muskrat Love".  I don't care if it is the Capt and Tennille version or the America version.  Maybe Todd Rundgren?  Michael Johnson?  The Entourage?  Any one will stick in your head.

Drink Me

Important message found under the foil wrap on a bottle of wine...  My mind, perhaps predictably, jumped immediately to "Alice in Wonderland:

There seemed to be no use in waiting by the little door, so she went back to the table, half hoping she might find another key on it, or at any rate a book of rules for shutting people up like telescopes: this time she found a little bottle on it, (`which certainly was not here before,' said Alice,) and round the neck of the bottle was a paper label, with the words `DRINK ME' beautifully printed on it in large letters.  ...  ... this bottle was not marked `poison,' so Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice, (it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavour of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffee, and hot buttered toast,) she very soon finished it off.

And, in fact, this particular wine was also very nice.  And my wife and I had very soon (or soon enough) finished it off.

If you care (and why should you?), this was Stefano Di Blasi 2018 Toscana.  Something we got at a recent trivia night / fund raiser.

March 1970

Fifty years ago this month, what what happening on the music charts?

Well, during the 4 weeks of March 1970, there were 53 songs that spent time in the Top 40. Lots of great stuff.

But one song dominated the Top spot: Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water.  It spent all 4 weeks at #1, in the middle of a 6 week stay at the top.


Songs making their Top 40 debut, ranked based on entering position (not peak position)

• Let It Be The Beatles #6
• ABC - Jackson 5 #14
• Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan #32
• Instant Karma (We All Shine On) - John Ono Lennon #33
• Celebrate - Three Dog Night #34
• American Woman/No Sugar Tonight - The Guess Who #34
• Long Lonesome Highway - Michael Parks #35
• All I Have To Do Is Dream - Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell #36
• You're The One-Part II - Little Sister #37
• The Bells - The Originals #37
• Something's Burning - Kenny Rogers and The First Edition #37
• Come And Get It - Badfinger #38
• Love Or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends Of Distinction #38
• Shilo - Neil Diamond #39
• Spirit In The Sky - Norman Greenbaum #39
• Up The Ladder To The Roof - The Supremes #39
• Temma Harbour - Mary Hopkin #39
• Who's Your Baby? The Archies #40

Lots of great songs...

1970 - Q1 Albums

1970 was a great year in music, and given that it was 50 years ago, I'm planning on doing spotlights all along.  Hopefully my reality will keep up with my plans.

Today (3/7/2020) is the 1st Saturday of the last month of the 1st quarter of the year.  (got that?).  So, I figured to look at albums released during that span (1st quarter) of 1970.  Quite a few notables:

• Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel: Released January, 1970.  8M+ units in USA, #51 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
• Bitches Brew - Miles Davis:  Released March 1970.  1M+ units in USA. #51 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
• Déjà Vu - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Released March 1970.  8M+ units in USA, #148 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
• Moondance - Van Morrison:  Released January 1970.  3M+ units in USA, #65 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
• Sweet Baby James - James Taylor:  Released February 1970.  3M+ units in USA, #104 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
• Morrison Hotel - The Doors:  Released February 1970.  1M+ units in USA.  The penultimate studio album by the Doors (with Jim Morrison)

Probably not a surprise, but I do have all of those albums.  A few other albums released this quarter (that quarter?) that I own:  Argent-Argent, Mountain-Climbing, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-Uncle Charlie

*  Note:  Black Sabbath's first album was released in February, but only in UK.  Since I'm in USA, I'll had this one for Q@, since the US release was June 1970

Flash Of Red - 2020

Folks who know me know that I have an affinity for Black and White photography.  Just check out my other blog, Happenstance.   Anyway, one of the regular things over at 365Project is called "Flash Of Red.  The idea is to do a month of only monochrome photos, except for Valentine's Day, when you post a selective color image, black and white with a "Flash Of Red".  They's done this for at least the last 4 years. 

So, when the month is over, participants are invited to post a screenshot of their month, which can be pretty interesting.  Here's mine for 2020:

You'll notice that I missed a couple of days.  But you won't see that quite a few images were back-posted.  There's a few I'm pretty happy with though, including:

36 - Farm To Table

The Price You Pay

New Lines On Love

Rt. 36 Bridge, crossing the Wasbash River.

Seven?

Only 7 posts here in February, my lowest in 6 months.  I really need to work on my consistency.  Meanwhile it was a pretty slow month over at 365project, too.  Must be the season...

I'll try to do better.

Meanwhile, what about 7???

There's "Seven", the 1974 album from Poco.  One of their harder rocking albums, va very solid offering.

Or Chicago's "VII".  I don't own that album, but I do have the songs (I've Been) Searchin' So Long,
Wishing You Were Here and Call on Me.

Or even Moody Blues' "Seventh Sojourn".  Another album which I only have a few songs from.  But one of my favorite titles!


And there's way to may songs with "7" to mention.....