"Early In The Morning" - my new and final CD album!

Yes! Yes!  My new CD album is finely-crafted  double album "Early In The Morning".  It contains some awesome surprises (that you will never hear elsewhere)"Pride and Joy" and "Out Of Nowhere". And beyond those, along with some favorites of assorted genres. I've prepared a typed insert for the inside back of the disc; it tells how and why each song was chosen for this project.  When I finished writing it, I had to smile at the truths it conveys. So it's definitely worth a read. All songs are representative of my biographical life (in random not chronological order). Along with my most recent original "Early In The Morning" (the morning is my most creative time) are awesome cover songs "Since I Fell For You", there are special tributes to cosmic travelers, my beautiful companions (you must hear "Dixie Lee's Song"), a precious person, and wonderful emotional and spiritual elements that have shaped, elevated, and enriched my life.

Humor interweaves there, too in songs like Pride And Joy.  Listen to the CDs to identify my awesome life enhancers! The album (with a total of 16 songs) came into being via the very artistic and capable hands of William (Sandy) Garrett of Songwriters Recording Studio in Knoxville, whose amazing talents are without limit. He did the recording and mastering of the songs and a beautiful job on the album's graphic design. His website is at www.songrecord.com. The albums are ready now!  Please contact me at (865) 659-5383 if you'd like to get one. 

Keeping My Promise –

I did complete the Addendum at 2010 summer's end. Its proper name is "The Caboose" and it follows my previously released Memoirs & Musings. I had it posted here on Lady Wolf's Notes for a while, but have taken it down to save space on the blog. I'll be happy to postal mail a hard copy of it to anyone who requests it.

"The Caboose" was fun to write ... is light-hearted and a pretty good read.
　

The Circus Is In Town –

What a week last week was...and its events aren’t over! All at the same time, a fence company came and moved my dog’s chain link fence and posts; the carport salesman came to take measurements, etc. in preparation of installing a second carport; the Avalanche came home from the dealership; the paving company came and dug out, graveled, and rolled the front parking spot which has now been extended into a semi-circle. And today a tree company came and did some major pruning on a tree that had limbs lying on my house’s service wires. The paving crew and the fence-moving crew were, literally, here at the same time, vying for the limited parking space and jockeying their vehicles and equipment around to accommodate each other, me, Jerry, and our neighbors who share the main driveway. It was a circus. Then, just as the paving guys were about to call for the tar truck to come, the sky turned black and the wind came up. Yep ... a big storm was blowing in, with lots of rain, thunder, and lightning. So they couldn’t complete the job. That night we had some more soaking rains, so the following day the situation had to dry out. That day, being Friday, means that my next shot at getting the parking area asphalted will be tomorrow (Monday). I’m hoping, hoping, hoping!

Words —

I’d like to publish here a little poem (I’ve written many ... some serious, some comical) entitled "Words". Sometimes I’m even more aware than usual of the power of words. Words create and project energies. When we string words into a sentence, we create something that has power, sometimes enough power to take on a life of its own. What we say can be for the good or can be destructive. Truly, words can be weapons, words can be tools, words can be caresses. How wonderful to caress someone with words, and to be so caressed, so positively stroked!

Here is the funny little poem written a number of years ago (it almost qualifies as a limerick except for its rhythm):

WORDS
Light on their feet,
Or as heavy as they can be,
Lofty and good, Base and bad,
Bold, playful, somber, sad...
Not bland or namby-pamby.

　
　

Damn Those Musicians –

Who knows why memories of certain experiences drift back into our minds at times that don’t seem to make any sense in terms of connection? I guess I’m assuming this happens to other people, besides me. My mind is a veritable well with an accompanying apparatus that often vigorously dips down into it ... drawing up, from various levels ... happenings and feelings from my lifescape.

This morning, while driving down North Broadway here in Knoxville, I could hear the words of a job interviewer (I don’t know what her real title was) from eight or nine years ago. At the time, I was still the roving, roaming, itinerant humane education director for a local non-profit organization, visiting schools and organizations in Knox and contiguous counties with my program. The "EF" employee (initials of recruiter organization), who later served as interviewer, contacted me and asked if I would please consider coming in and applying for a part-time job with her organization – a job that would involve my working with inner-city youth. I loved that prospect, so I figured why not complete the application? Soon I had my initial meeting with her. Her eagerness for me to be a serious job candidate was evident and a bit disconcerting, as she later phoned me to ask me to please remain interested in the position.

At last, the day of my defining interview arrived and I sweetly and sincerely accepted the invitation into her office. A few moments into our talk, she said "I know, and you admit here (on my paperwork), that you’re a musician!". Then, without stopping, she went on: "Don’t you think you would be a bad influence on children?" Well, it was really, what would be referred to in the vernacular, a "sucker shot" -- one that definitely caught me unprepared.

In that moment, I realized she’d never intended to consider me for the job and had, in fact, put a lot of effort into bringing me to that place and time. Possibly so that she could say that to me? Who knows? Maybe I fulfilled some obscure category on her EOE documentation; is there one for "musician"?. Anyway, I remember looking at her and managing to say "I consider music a positive thing", then getting up and leaving ... bewildered on my drive home.

I don’t know who was hired for that job, but odds are that he or she boasted of having a tin ear.

　

Strolling Through The Park –

"I was strolling through the park one day,
In the merry, merry month of May,
I was taken by surprise, By a pair of roguish eyes,
In a moment my poor heart was stole away!"

Music and Lyrics were composed by by Ed Haley in 1884; the song’s genre was/is "parlor song" and it has an additional verse. BTW (this is an aside) I came across alternate, parody lyrics entitled While Strolling In Iraq One Day on The Boot Newt Sing-A-Long Blog at bootnewt.blogspot.com; I'm guessing those lyrics were written during the presidential campaign.

Anyway...

Dixie Lee and I took our Thursday outing today...we went to one of several parks we enjoy. Suddenly, the lines of this little song began to play in my head and soon I was singing it as we walked. I felt very uninhibited and the little melody continued on, again and again. May really is a "merry" month. Spring has grabbed hold with a firm and lovely grip and the little flora faeries have begun their seasonal dance among the flowers. Now, as the merry month draws to a close, the sultry (I always think of the month of June as sultry, seductive...that’s why the opening line in my song "That’s The Way You Make Me Feel" is "Like a sweet, summer day sometime in June" -- hear it on my Song Page link at www.claralandau.com). I guess it naturally follows that we could ascribe one-word "mood tags" for each month. I’d be very interested in hearing your ideas about that, dear reader. What is the general tone of July, of September, the rest of them? Well, it’s kind of hard, when we’re standing here and straddling the line between being merry and being sultry, to imagine the mood tone for any other time. But let me know if you can!

Who Knoo?

That I might get a new vehicle?

That we’d have two straight weeks of rain in east Tennessee?

That the economy would start to improve?

That Chrysler would file for bankruptcy?

That I'd receive Victoria’s Secret mauve, lacey underwear for Mother’s Day?

That I'd receive a bottle of (immunity-boosting) food-grade H202 (hydrogen peroxide) for Mother’s Day?

That I'd love sci-fi TV series "Moonlight" and its handsome starring vampire?

That I would be pet-sitting a 19-year-old adorable little dog?

Yowie-Zowie --

Spring is here! Or maybe it's Sprummer -- because it is hot. The weather here in east Tennessee is erratic and interesting. You just never know what it really will be, until it arrives :)

The “Dance, Dance, Dance” Link –

The post title is mine, not the dance troupe's. I came across this link recently. It’s great fun to watch, again and again.

The info about it says it is a commercial that was shot at the Liverpool Street Subway Station in London on January 15th. Only the dancers knew what was to happen; the general public didn't have a clue what was about to unfold. The link is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM.

Enjoy!

Song Population –

I wonder if there are millions or even billions of songs that have been composed and are still known throughout the world. Just closing my eyes for a few minutes and letting that mental ticker-tape of song titles travel across my mind makes me realize the incalculable amount of creative energy that has gone into song writing through the ages. I’ve contributed majorly, even disproportionately to the song population (if we were to imagine for a moment that everyone had a permit to give birth to two songs). Fortunately, the realm of artistic creativity doesn’t work that way!

And, to sum up on a kinda-sorta frivolous note: Two song titles popped up in my head, as dueling opposites of each other ... at opposite ends of the music spectrum in the world of cover songs (songs composed by other people); they are "Who Let The Dogs Out?" and "Let’s Build A Stairway To The Stars." Think of these as bookends to the vast library of songs out there in the world, and you may smile!

Saturday Journey To The Park in Threesome –

Today my daughter, the lovely Shara, drove down from Maggie Valley, NC to visit with me. I’m always ecstatic when she comes because we get a chance to girl-talk, shop, sip cups of tea, and go to lunch. We did those things today. And – we decided to drive to the park and do some walking. We didn’t want to disappoint Dixie Lee, my dog (see photographs of), so decided to take her along with us. The only wrinkle in the plan was the need to fit an 80-pound dog who is accustomed to riding with a seat belt wrapped around her, along with Shara and me, in the 2-seater cab of my truck. I was the driver; Shara had to wedge herself in the middle of the seat of the vehicle, somehow co-existing with a five-speed floor-shift. It was a comic and amusing ride, really a lot of fun. Our walk was great and there were a number of other people in the park with their dogs. When we ran out of steam, we carefully loaded ourselves back into my truck and drove back home. Along the way, Shara athletically managed to snap a picture of herself with my cell phone, next to Dixie Lee, who, by that time, was slightly drooling. What a great day that came to an end too soon, as always, as the hands of the clock spun around. And, as always, I waved goodbye and shed tears, as I watched Shara’s car drive out of sight on her journey home.

Predatory –

I’ve recently been told, in carefully chosen, delicate terms, that I am ... er, hmm, well ... seeking to entice a troubled, struggling man onto an erring path; the concept was articulated to me by said individual. Gosh ... I was told that he "can feel the tension" and needs to "distance" himself! Well, that certainly was unexpected, but I have thought of a rebuttal of sorts: Should it not be in my nature to fix my sight on the quarry? After all, I’m the Lady Wolf, not the Lady Deer or the Lady Salamander! My ego is tempted to flex its muscle and smirk "Sorry you just can’t deal with it' (it being that quietly elusive temptress quality that I find myself momentarily wishing to possess)! :)

Oak Leaf Friday –

Yesterday I spent the entire day clearing out oak leaves that had covered my flower beds, wedged themselves between, over, and under the gazillion rocks that border the walkway and garden, carpeted the front lawn, and tangled themselves intricately in the branches of my shrubs. Did I neglect to do leaf removal in the autumn? No, it had been thoroughly done by a handyman leaf service in November and again in January. Do I have oak trees? No, but the large yard perched on an incline across the street has oak trees. Why am I writing about this? Just to vent, I guess. The people who live there watch ever so gleefully each year as tons of oak leaves swirl, dance, and gust from their yard into their neighbors’ yards, those adjoining and those that are here on the downslope across the roadway. I’ve seen the oak owners strolling around their yard, winking at the brown, crispy leaves and waving "bon voyage". The "plus" is (and this is really a stretch but I was determined to find a plus) in finding that sometimes the bogged-down leaves have insulated a tender plant or an interesting caterpillar from the winter cold.

Have You Noticed?

Have you noticed ...

- My revised website (at http://claralandau.home.comcast.net)?

- That insurance companies run our health care ‘system’ (and decide who will live or die)?

- That women’s dresses (and other clothing) sizes have shrunk drastically now that 99 and 44/100% of our clothing is made in China? I must tell you about the special, pretty dress I prepaid (which was mandatory) and ordered, a couple of years ago, to wear at my daughter’s wedding ... and the $350 african violet plant that was what I finally walked away with. Here is the story: I was measured by the clerk and ordered a dress two sizes larger than I normally take, since I learned that the dresses are made in some other part of the world. The dress came in weeks later and was way too small everywhere and seemed out of proportion. After several alterations and refittings at the store – each costing extra – it still didn’t fit or look right. Oh, but it can "for another $35". By then I thought of the dress in terms that bordered on hateful ... it was like a bouffant, exploding, giant blade of very green grass. When the price was about to approach the $400 mark, I said to the clerk, "enough" – but, see, that’s why they make you prepay, so you’re stuck. I told them to keep the dress and I walked out of the store carrying "Herbie", the one-leafed (dried-up-due-to-no-water-or-light) african violet that was on the counter next to the cash register. I already knew Herbie's name because I'd been back to the store so many times. "Keep the dress, and I’ll take Herbie and try to help him" is what I said as I left the store, leaving the astonished clerk staring. Herbie is thriving, to the extent that I’ve had to re-pot him twice. He is, by far, the most expensive plant I’ve ever brought home. (P.S. I bought a lovely, perfectly-sized dress off the rack at Sear's at 50% off, for the wedding)!

- That music soothes the human as well as "the savage beast" (or are they one and the same)?

- That the amount of daylight (in the northern hemisphere) is noticeably increasing? A seemingly small, yet significant and reassuring sign, is that I don’t need to put the porch light on at 5 p.m. now – not even at 6 p.m. (EST).

- That hardly any trains have cabooses anymore?

- That there still are some people who care about helping others, even though life – in general – has become ever so much more crowded, complex and stressful?

Anything else you can think of, dear reader, that has changed noticeably in relatively recent times, please send it along in a comment!

Just Wondering ...

Remember when (long ago and far away), during December, kids would say "Jingle Bells, Santa smells, Easter’s on the way"? Can anyone tell me: Do they still do that?

OK ...

A while ago I asked Jerry if there was anything he’d like me to write about in my blog. I added, "it can be silly, it can be serious, it can be outrageous". That last one was meant to be a joke but he honed in on it and said, "Yup"! He tends to be more conservative than I am. I gingerly use the word "conservative" because I’ve grown allergic to it, though I’m not using the word here in a political or religious sense. I don’t know (and I've often wondered) if he considers me to be fool-hardy or very brave. There is, after all, a thin, fuzzy line between those attributes!

Out Of The Mouths Of ..... Comedians –

Always pushing the satirical envelope in ways that make us laugh – sometimes uproariously – at unfunny politics, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert lately have been outdoing themselves. They are having a veritable feast on our country’s current political and economic fumbles, foibles, fakes, and fools. One recent scene that my mind still sees and hears is the Colbert Report’s observation that by "wearing these (a look-alike for the old cardboard-framed 3-D) eyeglasses, McCain almost seems to come to life". Well, it was hilarious the way Colbert delivered the line. Seeing and hearing the clip where Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says (regarding the economic crisis) that Americans "got put on the hook by the system we have, the system we all let happen, the system that Congress, the administration, future administrations let exist" pushed hilarity and outrageousness together as book-ends.

Truly, the arts (and comedy is certainly an art) can effectively convey the truth that other methods of communication can only struggle with. These guys and their writers are comedic and political geniuses.

Lance, The Allure Of ...

I’ve written a number of posts that feature or mention my truck, Lance. I’ve just posted his picture. Lance (named for the car dealership where I found him ... the only Chevy among many Fords), has been with me since 1996. Six or seven years ago, the E.D. of the non-profit organization for which I’d created an education and outreach program, remarked to me that I have a very sexy truck. She was describing all the ways that she considered me to be lucky – my music, my free spirit, one or two physical attributes, and my truck! Up until that moment, I hadn’t realized my truck had this quality. I was probably too close to the woods to see the tree, as the saying goes. A sexy truck! Anyway, feast your eyes on my pal, Lance.

Let's Try To Keep Our Sense Of Humor :)

I’m thinking now of the economy. What – you say it’s not funny? Well OK ... I know, I know. In truth, it’s exceedingly troubling. The only remedies I can think of are to vote non-republican, meditate/pray/dance/sing (not at the same time), and laugh uproariously! Laughing won't keep us from going broke, but it may help keep us healthier and saner so we can stretch our dollars a bit further without having to buy extra meds and stress-related services.

Because my last two SS digits are in the government’s very last group of scheduled tax rebate mail-outs, I haven’t seen hide or hair of my rebate. I would say that maybe they’re running out of money, except that they were out of money way before the mail-out concept was even conceived.

I’ve heard that the hot line (for rebate inquiries) is not being answered (!) I wonder what that means. More reasons for therapeutic laughter in whatever uproarious style you prefer :)

Treasure Hunt --

Yesterday, I bought a drop-leaf dining table for $10 at Earl’s Used Furniture. It’s just the right size for my dining area. I love looking for items at Goodwill and second-hand stores ... it’s like a treasure hunt. I actually found a perfect-for-me, light-weight jacket/blazer (soft material, long length, vented sides) recently at GW. It’s brand label is "New York" and it is made in the USA. How about that? On the same trip, I bought a lovely teal color wine glass for 40 cents. Now I’m inspired to drink wine. Not to worry ... I won’t go overboard.