Saturday, February 12, 2011

Perry Como's " It's Impossible"

Combining a gentle voice with a pleasant personality, Como celebrated in life and in song romantic love and lifelong fidelity. He parlayed these values and his ability to express them in song into one of the most successful careers in twentieth-century popular entertainment. http://www.perrycomo.com/




IT'S IMPOSSIBLE

It's impossible, tell the sun to leave the sky, it's just impossible
1




It's impossible, ask a baby not to cry, it's just impossible
2





















Can I hold you closer to me and not feel you goin' through me?
3




Split the second that I never think of you? Oh, how impossible




























Can the ocean keep from rushin' to the shore? It's just impossible
4



If I had you, could I ever want for more? It's just impossible























And tomorrow, shouldya ask me for the world, somehow I'd get it
I would sell my very soul and not regret it
5



For to live without your love--It's just impossible















Can the ocean keep from rushin' to the shore? It's just impossible

6




If I had you, could I ever want for more? It's just impossible























And tomorrow, shouldya ask me for the world, somehow I'd get it
I would sell my very soul and not regret it
7




For to live without your love--It's just impossible


















Impossible, immmmmm-impossible

8












This post is linked to Natasha's Valentine's Day Sunday Song.









photo credits:
1.www.planetsave.com
2.www.purplecrying.info/sections/index.php?sct=4&sctpg=40&
3.occupyfun.com/photos/photo.php?title=Polar-Bears-Romantic-Hug
4.www.imagesunion.com/image/Easy-Waves/
5.gurdjieffbooks.wordpress.com/category/joseph-azize-page/george-adie-joseph-azize-page/
6.www.beachpicturesbeachpictures.net/beach_picture_waves_Tydan.htm - by Tydan
7.hd.engadget.com/2009/04/22/nasa-celebrates-earth-day-with-some-hd/ - by Richard Lawler
8.cardsbystefanie.com/id1.html

Friday, February 11, 2011

Once Upon A Time

This is a continuation of the prior post.

Sound logic would have had me check the county records to see who owned the house, and possibly find out other information. Tossing sound logic aside I drove back to the property and knocked on the door of the house closest to the gates.

The curtains were drawn, no one came to the door, and there was not one chair on the big front porch. I had the feeling that no one lived there anymore, but I knew that something was going on due to the sign beside a tree in front of the house.




















As I started back to my car a gentleman came from the house next door. Though I wasn't doing anything wrong I would not have been surprised if he had asked me to leave. Instead he ask if he could help. Well, he just happened to be related to the family that had lived in the house where I had just been. I was so glad that I had not tried to peep through the windows. He was very nice and did not seem to mind my questions. This is what I learned.






















The county dates this tree to be 300 years old. They are trying to save it, but I am concerned that the road will come very close to the roots.


















Children used to scamper, squeal and play under the arbor behind the house. Now it stands unattended.























There is no sign indicating that this tree will be saved, but it does have its own legacy. You can see the cement cover where there was once a well. An acorn found its way to this site and grew into a mature tree. One day without warning the ground gave way and the tree dropped about eight feet into the ground. Dirt was shoveled in around the tree truck to fill the hole and it was expected that the in time the tree would die. That was thirty years ago.



And now the rest of the story

Once upon a time two families lived next door to each other and the husbands and wives were very good friends. Many years went by and each couple lost their spouse - one becoming a widower, and one becoming a widow. To the delight of their children the two later became more than friends, fell in love, were married, and were very happy together. He moved into the house where she lived which was the farm house her ancestors had built in the 1800's.



















After some time the gentleman decided to show his love for her by building a fine home on the grounds where they lived. He wanted her to have a house that would mirror those from an earlier era; a style that he knew she admired. He researched books and talked with professionals to find out all the details, small and large, so the house would be a true replica.

Because it was taking time to gather the information and convert the data to actual plans, he decided that he would go ahead and put in a more substantial set of gates where the path led from the road to the barn located toward the back of the property. They were looking forward to the day when construction would begin on their new home, and even more excited about moving in.













In the lower right hand corner you can see the gates, and the path that ambles to the northwest where a barn used to be. The pathway then goes south between two houses and back to the road.


Some stories do not proceed the way you would choose, and I wish I could change this one. Just before the ground breaking was to occur his lady love took sick and died. He had no interest in going further with the plans in which he had invested so much time and work. This house was to be a present for his wife, and without her it meant nothing. He would rather live in the old farm house where they had shared happiness together.

Time went on and he too passed away. Later their children decided to sell the property to the county for the purpose of developing a park.

Today the gates are closed and padlocked, much the way you bundle your memories and tie them with a blue ribbon.


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Where to?

Have you ever had a nagging question about something you have seen for years, and one day you say to yourself, "OK that's it. I am going to find out more about this. It may not be my business, but...so."

Let me introduce The Gates. These have been in my periphery vision every time I drive down this particular road, and I do not remember when they were not there.



















Closed and padlocked. From this angle you may not be able to tell it, but there is no real drive on the other side, and it has been this way for years. There is only the path that the grass mower has made. From where I took this picture there is no evidence that there were ever any structures there.

























I wonder if there used to be a house? If so what happened to it? Nothing left behind to give you any inkling.

With those famous words in mind: Tomorrow is another day I aim to find out what was once behind the wrought iron gates.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Celebrating Nutella

Today, February 5th, is World Nutella Day. Why?

Because Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy, and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso have solemnly declared it so.
















In their words, "It is a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella." This is a holiday they began in 2007, and it is fast becoming a tradition for many.



For a wee bit of a contribution to this day of celebration - and in conjunction with the 14th - I have added my two cents to this card.













































On Monday February 7th, you can click on World Nutella Day to see the Nutella recipes, pictures, art work, etc. that participants around the world have submitted.

In the meantime, if you would like to participate check out World Nutella Day Participation.






An earlier post about Nutella is here.

card credit:
Hallmark - Kim Anderson

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

SURREAL - part two

Teresa of The Altered Paper and Creations by Tee offered a wonderful grouping of some of her creations in her giveaway, and I was one of two people that was fortunate enough to win.

When I opened the parcel I found all the items presented in this lovely sheer, drawstring bag.




















The giveaway included 3 tag/book marks sporting one of Teresa's favorite historical characters, Marie Antoinette,




















and a cake of hand made chocolate soap. One whiff - no doubt - its cocoa. My husband said,"You mean I can't eat it?" I wish it were possible to put a scratch-and-sniff patch here so you could tell just how delicious it smells.






















But that was not all. Teresa had these extra gifts that she decided later to add. Sometimes things just get better and better.

She made this Valentine tag which is constructed with a smaller tag on the larger tag,























and this beautiful Valentine ATC.

























This is the equivalent of getting a Valentine early. Thank you, Teresa.

You can view Teresa's Etsy shop here.



Saturday, January 29, 2011

SURREAL - part one

When you win a giveaway you feel pretty lucky. But what do you call yourself when you win two giveaways? Double lucky? Dreaming? Blue? Yes, blue - from pinching myself; I could not believe it.

Jill of Untie the Ribbons, and Teresa of The Altered Paper and Creations by Tee were both having giveaways about the same time, and I, yours truly, won both. What are the odds?


For her giveaway Jill created this wonderfully whimsical, intricate wool box.






















The interior is constructed with spot dyed wool and the cheerful heart seems to spring up when you open the lid.
























Each side is a different little work of art and is decorated with pretty flowers, and little wool worms, rolled, shirred and couched.






















You can enlarge the pictures to see the details in the various stitches. Jill used mostly wool for the layered appliques but also used ribbon for a few of the leaves.

Many, many beads are sewn on the side panels of the box. This particular flower has over a hundred beads sewn onto its center.


















Here's the sweetest thing - Jill's little logo bird. He has beaded, ruffled paper wings and crown, and he has caught himself a woolly worm. His little legs are made of wire - look how Jill bent the wire to make his little feet. Too cute, too cute.




















I first put the little box on a table beside the bed, and now I move it around from place to place just because it makes me happy, and I smile every time I see it. Jill, just saying "Thank you," seems so inadequate but I sincerely mean it.

If Jill thinks about it, she will create it. If you scroll through her blog you will see various items that she has made: dolls, different kinds of boxes, and floor cloths to name a few. She has a huge assortment of dolls. Recently she introduced us to Euella and Flat Betty. Each doll (there are several Flat Bettys) has her own story.

In a few days I will continue with part two about Teresa's giveaway.




Sunday, January 23, 2011

Catching Up With a Belated Thank You

While I do not participate in many swaps, I occasionally swap ATC's. Recently I did join in the fun with a swap that had an open theme. The ATC that I received in December was from Lori of Out of the Mouth of Your Heart Speaks.
























This is a lovely and delicate card of soft hues. On the vintage background Lori has placed several items: little tags spelling out 'love', an opened fan, a picture in sepia of a lady smiling (maybe she has just received a letter from someone very special to her), a beautiful butterfly, swirls, star bursts and a geometrical pattern of a flower, and then she added a light touch of sparkly glitter.

I look forward to seeing other ATC's that Lori will create for swaps.

Lori, I thank you for mine.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Whew!

I want to thank you all for the concern and well wishes. So far, so good, and I think we are in the clear. The roads are a mess, but there have been very few power outages. What makes the main difference is the amount of ice.

Ordinarily we get a dusting of snow but lots of freezing rain. When the power lines get too heavy with the ice they come down, or the tree limbs snap under the weight of the ice and they fall on the lines. But this snow fall was actually snow, and the predicted freezing rain and sleet did not appear in our area except for a very slight freezing drizzle. You will notice that most of the snow was so light that it fell out of the trees.

We have been able to bundle up and take walks, look at the snow clad neighborhood,

























































































go sledding,


















and come back to a WARM home.


















There were many birds at the feeders, but plenty of seed had fallen to the ground.




















I feel for those who have not been so lucky. And look at all the flooding still going on in Australia. I know there is often bad weather occurring somewhere at most any given time, and there have been earthquakes, landslides, fires and threatening volcanoes making people evacuate their homes, so I try to remember to be grateful for dry, warm toes, a comfortable place to sleep, and enough to eat.
























I am linking to Outdoor Wednesday where you will find many outdoor scenes.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

It's Almost Here
















If you live in any of these pink to white areas you are probably going to experience some inconvenience during the next day or two. No power, no heat, closed roads and schools (did I hear a yeah from kids?)

I live in the Atlanta area, where we are never sure of the weather until it happens; however, the meteorologists seem pretty certain that we are going to get IT this time. I am hoping that they are wrong and we dodge the bullet once more.

Naturally there has been the usual crisis-clearing-of-the-stores. Yesterday, it was necessary to travel to three stores in order to find

chicken,













bread,













and milk.













I am glad I did not need water - I think they were going to flip for the last one.














We do have a gas range so fortunately I can still cook.

The neighborhood behind us has underground utilities so they usually miss out on the fun of trying to keep the body from freezing. The last time we went through this, I was staring out my kitchen window at the neighbors behind us. Though I was wearing a hat, gloves and several layers of clothes I believed I was turning into an icicle, and there up on the hill, they had their lights on, which meant that they were warm, and could listen to the radio and watch tv. Yes, I did consider sneaking up the hill with a long extension cord and plugging it into an outlet on their deck.
We do have a fireplace, but it is gas logs and in extremely cold weather it is useless.

If there are no posts on this blog next week please send help!





















------------------------------------------------

Update:

It is a few hours later and I am getting ready to post this. The IT has arrived and it is as bad as they said it would be. Everything was covered in less than 30 minutes and it is expected to snow all night and turn to freezing rain tomorrow. Freezing rain, just what we do not need. Oh well. Have you ever had any luck with a sun dance?

I think many of us across tha nation are in the same fix - STUCK. Guess there will be photos galore on the blogs later.

A friend of mine just called. She and her husband arrived at the Atlanta airport a little while ago to find that the interstates are closed. They will more than likely be sleeping on the airport floor tonight. At least I have my own bed and pillow.

In Jimmy Durante's words, "Good night Mrs. Calabash, where ever you are."




map source:
weather.com

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy Hogmanay

















Fireworks
over Atlanta, Georgia



Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year. It is, however, normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of New Year's Day or, in some cases, 2 January which is a Scottish Bank Holiday.

Though each area of Scotland developed its own particular Hogmanay rituals,
there are many national customs associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice of 'first-footing' which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink are then given to the guests. This may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day (although modern days see people visiting houses well into January). The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall dark men are preferred as the first-foot. wikipedia;associatedcontent.com






Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet, wrote the lyrics of Auld Lang Syne in the 19th century. The title translates to old long since, and is appropriately sung to remember old friends, and the events of the passing year. The tune is from an old Scottish folk song.



Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp!
and surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
and pu’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d i' the burn,
frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
and gie's a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willy waught,
for auld lang syne.




Happy New Year to you all!

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Music of the Christmas Season - sixth post: The Christmas We Have Not Forgotten

December 22




Pachelbel's Canon in D Minor.
Lyrics and arrangement by Paul O'Neill.
Sung by The Choristers, St. Bartholomew's Church, New York City.
Music played by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra,
from their album The Christmas Attic, 1998.
Later the music was used in TSO's production:
Ghosts of Christmas Eve




So often you hear the words spoken "The magic of Christmas." To me this presentation embodies the very idea of that magical feeling. Pachelbel's tune is so light, and the stage is barely decorated. There are a few children dressed in pj's, robes, and gowns. What looks like a cold mist is floating about, little white lights twinkle in the back ground, and there is a suggestion of falling snow. All simple, yet those words, We have not forgotten, say so very much.

A husband standing by his wife as she lovingly holds their baby; a few animals sharing their humble shelter seem about as simple as you can get. But this was not just any happy couple experiencing the birth of their child; this was truly a miraculous event. The Christ child had been born. However, there was an unimaginable event to follow. We know that the manger cast the shadow of a cross and another promise was to be fulfilled.


With this last selection, I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas,

Mya




1




The Choristers:

Marilina Acosta
Brendan Burgess
Julian George
Shoshana Frishberg
Julia George
Jack Gibson
Nina Gottlieb
Erick Hernandez
Michelle Repella
Anton Spivack




TOS's THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS EVE - is a unique fantasy trip through the magic of Christmas. Narrated by award-winning actor Ossie Davis, the production takes us on a journey of a runaway little girl's decision to return to her family after she enters a rundown theater for shelter and encounters an old caretaker who guides her on her journey. This magical story - which features appearances from Atlantic recording artists Jewel and Michael Crawford - was filmed entirely on location at the newly refurbished and historic Loews Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey, and includes performances of such tracks as "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Good King Joy," "Christmas Canon," "Music Box Blues," "Promises To Keep," and "This Christmas Day."





To be linked with Charlotte's and Ginger's Spiritual Sundays.









Music of the Christmas Season - Fifth Post
Music of the Christmas Season - Fourth Post
Music of the Christmas Season - Third Post
Music of the Christmas Season - Second Post
Music of the Christmas Season - First Post

photo credit:
1. 4junkdna.blogspot.com