May 25, 2019

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 25, 2018, okay Jack, we get it.
Five years ago today: May 25, 2014, at the Romainian Embassy.
Nine years ago today: May 25, 2010, not 3-1/2 seconds.
Random years ago today: May 25, 2012, Bang! He’s consequented.

           All day with music, since I never before thought seriously of playing in Nashville. Now the opportunity is throwing itself at me and I’m not ready. Nor is this just some other band. Here’s the only non-music event of the past while. It’s a clip of Sammy meeting the turtle. My tendency to walk the dogs before feeding them means they check out everything. When we get home, it also does wonders for their finicky appetites. Don’t tell the Reb, but I’ve been giving them ice cold water these days. She’d insist it is a shock to their systems, but I’ve seen farm dogs leap from baking sunlight into spring water. There is also the issue of snuffling.

           What? Snuffling? Yes, the dogs are spoiled, and will snuffle a lot before even tasting some foods. Sammy the breakfast snuffler will often pick out all the goodies and leave the pellet food behind. For Sparky, the kitchen hoover. So what I did was give them two identical bowls, one with the tepid water they usually get, and the other with thawing ice in the mix. Where they would normally snuffle and take turns, they gang up on the ice water. To me, that says it best.

           We were at the lake again this morning but the wind had drifted a lot of floating junk to the shore, so I would not let the animals in. And when we got home, I have instituted showers. Where before they got their paws individually wiped, they how stand under the hose and get a good dousing. And I’d say that also adds to their appetites, which I like because I tend to cook their extras fresh each time. They know when I’m around they get egg for breakfast.

Picture of the day.
Tractor.
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           I realized you may not have a photo of the latest summer pie. My apologies, what was I thinking? Here it is, Texas summer pie. Why summer? Because there are extra spices not normally found in meat pies and this one is intended to be eaten chilled, with a dollop of mild Dijon. There are potatoes in the mix, so with maybe a side of cold rice, this is a complete meal. Yes it is as good as it sounds.

           The afternoon was devoted to music. There are 49 songs on the list, of which I can play around 30, almost enough. While I’ve heard a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan, I think I have an explanation why I never learned any of his music. I was a Beatles devotee until well past my teens, so I did not really latch onto that entire era where electric guitar met the 12-bar blues. I’d listen to it, but the music could have been anything from the 1950s onward. I just was not into it.
           Today I gave a deep listen to such tunes on the new list that featured his quitar playing. To me, it would have sounded “old” even when it was brand new, it’s the out-dated style I never cared for, not being a guitar player. So imagine my surprise to hear the bass lines. They are the same simple fare I cranked out for my old Hollywood band. By tomorrow, I may well have another five to add to my ready list. I often use cheat sheets to keep awake during these repetitious tunes and I have no qualms about using music pages on stage. None whatsoever.

           Another boost is the chick songs I missed at first. Like “Hell on Heels” because the only tune to date I liked by Pistol Annies was “Got My Name Changed Back”. Are we again seeing that annoying guitar player habit of picking the B-sides, Glenn? I’m once again encountering songs in sharp or flat keys, usually capoed. It’s been years since so many hits came out in keys like Db and F#. I’ll need time tomorrow to electronically change my copies. Except for one George Strait swing in Bb, everything on their chart is in natural keys.

           [Author's note 2020: This doggie clip was the original post, probably an error, but here's the boys, snuffling.]

Last Laugh