One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain. – Bob Marley
Carole has perhaps picked the best topic ever for this 10 on Tuesday, she wants to know:
10 Albums You Love. As in, you love the entire album, not just a few select songs
Wow, how do you even start with this topic – better yet, WHERE do you start?! Who gets the number one spot? How do you pick just ten? So, in no particular order (okay, alphabetical because there has to be some logic, right?) here you go, the 10 albums I love – in their entirety!
Beethoven – 6th Symphony (but really, how do you pick)
Van Morrison – Moondance
Dave Brubeck – The Essential Dave Brubeck
Etta James – At Last!
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
Diana Krall – When I Look In Your Eyes (I have every single Diana Krall album and they are all spectacular, but this is my favorite)
The Manhattan Transfer Anthology – Down In Birdland (a cheat but I have all their albums and they are all in the entire category)
John Mayer – Continuum
Frank Sinatra – Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years (I am going to sound like a broken record – but this was a hard choice, I love every single thing he had ever done, but this one is so good)
The Wailin’ Jennys – 40 Days
So, when I first did this list there were 19 albums on it and, sadly, this is not 19 on Tuesday! So, in thinning this out a bit I tried to pick albums that might not be on everyone’s list. Maybe I will be surprised and find that there are many duplicates! However, I thought it important note that it goes without saying that there is so much good music available today. But, more importantly is that even though a musician might be gone from this world – their music lives on (and in a way they do too) every time we listen.
If you do not see an artist on my list, it does not necessarily mean I do not love them and they are not ENTIRE ALBUM WORTHY – they are. (Hello Adele, James Taylor, Brandi Carlile, Aaron Neville, Tony Bennett, the band, Fleetwood Mac, fun., Mussorgsky, Gillian Welch, Joan Baez, Le Vent du Nord, The Lumineers, Mat Kearney, Michael Bublé, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Avett Brothers, Pearl Django, Patsy Cline, Sam Cooke, Sarah Vaughn, and Warren Zevon – I am looking at all of you!) Picking 10 was just such a difficult decision, truly!
I hope you see something new on my list, something or someone you maybe did not know, and they become something you love! Because, really, I hope the music never ends!
After a very cold, snowy, blowy weekend a milder Monday has arrived. Milder temperatures, softer breezes, and gentle rains greeted my morning.
It was so bitterly icy and cold on Sunday morning I am afraid I may have lost my poppy and yarrow, which were growing nicely and this morning look quite miserable. I could just cry!
But, there was some fun this weekend!!
There was a simple, but delicious Friday Cocktail Supper. A bit of hummus, salami, carrots, grapes, crackers, and Manhattans were perfect to usher in the weekend.
There were new herbs obtained. They smell so much like summer! I am itching to get in my garden, but these little beauties are a nice way to pacify that urge until the weather is more conducive to gardening!
There was some spinning. I think I did a fairly good job of replicating the singles in the Briar Rose Yarn, I won’t know until I have washed the yarn though. I hope to ply and finish the sample skein later today and maybe it will be dry enough to knit a sample with it tomorrow or Wednesday!
And there was an impromptu get away on Saturday night – a change of scenery can have a positive impact! And, confession time – I took knitting, but I did not knit one stitch! There was some discussion of Sheep and Wool in Maryland, and while I know Steve is not overly thrilled about the prospect, I think we figured out an option to satisfy (okay, maybe not satisfy exactly) err, make it work.
On our way home we stopped for lunch at Fathead’s – two words – Buffalo Cauliflower. The sandwiches and beers were fantastic (I mean, a Reuben with Kimchi?? YUM!!) but the Buffalo Cauliflower stole the show! The cauliflower was not at all over cooked, and it was not breaded! I think this might be a fairly healthy option if you are a fan of wings! There was much discussion of how we could replicate this for our Friday Night cocktail suppers. I think we might have figured it out, stay tuned to see.
I hope your Monday is like the weather here today – mild, soft, and gentle.
The very definition of ‘beauty’ is outside. – Adam Carolla
The weather is turning nicer and, appropriately, Carole wants to know:
10 Things You Love To Do Outside
Does Carole have perfect timing, or what? Especially with the weather warming nicely here, I am itching to get outdoors and do things!
Here are my 10 Favorite things to do outdoors:
Work in my garden. There is really nothing better than watching things you planted to grow, bloom, and produce! While I do have a small flower/perennial garden – my first love is my vegetable garden and especially eating and preserving the good things we’ve grown!
Al Fresco dining – I just love it. Outdoors, fresh air, and good food. Is it just me, or does everything just taste better outdoors?
Cooking outdoors – from grilling to making pizza in the pizza oven. Perhaps this is why the food just tastes so much better – because this is not a flavor you can replicate in the house.
Enjoying sunrises, sunsets are nice too but there is just something spectacular about a sunrise.
Walking along the water’s edge – especially the shores of Lake Michigan, perhaps my favorite place on earth.
Improving my photography skills with the spectacular things in nature – nothing like a nice walk outside to give you a new perspective on photography!
Exploring – my city and places I visit.
Enjoying the wildlife in my neighborhood. There is nothing quite like sitting outside listening to the birds sing, watch the hawks, and see the deer (yes, we have lots of deer in Pittsburgh!)
Knitting and spinning!
Another of the best things of summer. Nothing quite like sitting around the fire as the day draws to a close. It is just so peaceful.
There you have it, my outside favorites, but tell me, what is your favorite thing to do outside?
I had only one superstition. I made sure to touch all the bases when I hit a home run.
– Babe Ruth
Carole is really stretching me today with this week’s 10 on Tuesday:
10 Superstitions You Believe In
This could be a challenge, because I am not really sure I believe in any superstitions, so I went to my friend Google and came up with this list, now let’s see just how superstitions I am, shall we!
Beginner’s Luck, I really don’t believe in good luck or bad luck but, I did have this interesting experience. If you live in Michigan, you probably know what Club Keno is. Well, way back when it started I was at a local establishment and everyone was playing this new game. Caving to peer pressure, I put $20 on some random picks (the machine picks your numbers) and won over $10,000.00 on those picks. There may be something to this one…
Find a penny, pick it up… yes, I pick up coins that I find. What is not to love about free money!
Don’t walk under ladders. Well, obviously – unless you want to risk something falling on you!
Black cats… apparently this is such a real thing that there are a number of groups for the adoption of black cats. For the record, I have happily owned one or two black cats in my life.
Rabbit’s feet… So, IMO, having one is pretty unlucky for the poor rabbit. I do not now, nor have ever had a rabbit’s foot.
Breaking mirrors. Been there, done that – with no apparent ill effects.
666 – the only biblical one on this list. Now, I am not sure I want to move to a house with the number 666, but I did find this from 5 days ago amusing… (FYI his delegate count has since changed, so a momentary blip of additional insanity to an already insane election cycle)
Knock on wood – does this fall in the category of spilling salt? Anyways, it is a phrase I have used.
Wishbone’s – one of the best things about Thanksgiving. What kid has not done this?
Cross your fingers – I have said this to many people and I have done this for some as well. Do I believe it works? Not really, but sometimes being politically correct happens.
Umbrellas inside – this is a new one for me, now I keep an umbrella inside, and I have even kept an open umbrella inside (I am sure you have too – how else do you dry out a soaking wet umbrella??) I have never put anyone’s eye out, nor had bad luck because of this.
Friday the 13th No triskaidekaphobia here! It is usually a day like any other – benefited only because it is FRIDAY!!
Yes, I am adding one more because I think this one might have some merit – it has to do with Bracket’s, March Madness, and Michigan State. I am not a Michigan State fan, having sent daughter #1 to the UofM (Go Blue!) Anyways, every year I do not pick Michigan State to do well in brackets out of my dislike of them and they always, always do well – there by busting my bracket. Well, this year I decided to not be so foolish and I picked them to go all the way. Yes, All. The. Way! They were a number 2 seed after all and came into the contest with a great record, even if it pains me to say it. And, what happens?? They are eliminated in ROUND ONE BY A NUMBER 15 SEEDED TEAM!!! Who says there is not superstition!! Well, Tom Izzo here is one for you – I will now be picking you to go ALL THE WAY EVERY YEAR and thereby forfeit my bracket for you every single year if I can get these results!
