“… we’re goin’ crazy and we’re goin’ today …”

It’s time to confess.

I have a problem.

October 2010, 18 long months ago, I started listening to Leon Russell’s CD Retrospective — and I can’t seem to stop. My ears just can’t seem to get enough of the master of space and time.

Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Crazy weird?

Yep!

Can’t help it.

I’ve tried weaning myself from Leon’s music – multiple times — and I’ve even managed to for a day or so then it’s back to Leon. I have a whole slew of CD’s from which to choose but I keep coming back to Leon.

I’ve tried everything. Nora Jones lasted for almost a whole CD and I made it all the way through a Bare Naked Ladies CD. That was in December of 2010. Since then, I’ve tried Dan Fogelberg, The Eagles, Bob Seger, Cake, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, America, The Beatles, and even Janis Joplin. Then, finally, about 6 months ago, I brought out the big gun — John Fogerty. It lasted for about 3 days then it was back to Leon.

Is this a misguided effort to recapture my youth?

Don’t know. Don’t care.

Have you ever heard Leon’s Jumping Jack Flash? No? What’s stopping you? Try it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZIi188Cakk, you’ll like it. (341,555 views, and counting.)

I managed to listen to Leon’s 2006 CD, Angel in Disguise, for about a month in the summer of 2011. (I especially liked Honky Tonk Eyes.) But then it was back to vintage Leon.

I can’t stop. I have a problem. I need help. Sad, but true.

It got so bad my daughter tried to stage an intervention. Well, sort of. Actually, she just refuses to let me play Leon in the car when she’s with me. Not much help at all.

Jump forward to this week. I am determined to break this habit! (I would say cold turkey but finding the link above ~~made me~~ forced me to watch the video. Sorry. Couldn’t be helped.) I started out my commute this week with John Fogerty’s A Long Road Home. I love this CD. I’m a huge fan of Jon Fogerty and CCR. The title of this post is a line from his song, Rockin’ All Over the World. I love it!

But, the big question is — how long can my ears stay away from Leon and his drawl?

In case you’re wondering, Masquerade is my favorite Leon Russell song. I know everybody else likes A Song for You, but I’m hooked on Masquerade. Can’t get enough of it.

Maybe it’s a sickness. Maybe not.

Maybe I’m just in a musical rut.

Can John Fogerty get me out of the Leon Russell ditch?

We’ll see.

I just watched Leon on youtube playing Jambalaya on the Bayou, with Glen Campbell on guitar.

I am so in over my head!

Age is as age does — sort of.

Posted by goodoldgirl

Some say that age is a state of mind.

Rubbish!

If that were true then every fifteen year old in the world would be as grown up as he or she thinks himself or herself to be.

Age is what it is. If you’re 50, even if you think you’re 40, guess what — you’re still 50!

Some say they feel like a kid even when they look more like a kid’s grandpa or grandma. I get it. Everyone wants to feel younger, healthier, more agile, quicker, slimmer, sharper, happier. Some of us, though, want to be and feel who we are, how we are, when we are.

It’s okay to be 50 when you’re 50 and, yes Junior, it’s okay to be 15 when you’re 15.

Enjoy life as it comes and embrace every age as it happens.

It’s all good.

Old cats, new tricks!

Posted by goodoldgirl

Cats are people too!

Well, sort of.

At least mine seem to think they are.

Now, before you start thinking, “oh my gosh, not another old lady with cats,” let me explain that I have only two eleven year old cats, born a month apart. The reason I have two instead of one is that a former coworker managed to talk me into adopting one she had to give up.

The first one is a Siamese named Emily and the second is a Snowshoe named Oliver. Both were low-key, almost no maintenance, and a pleasure to have around — until about two years ago when they started acting like crabby, needy people and have been driving me crazy ever since.

The main reason I like cats in the first place is that they’re so low maintenance. They’re stand-offish, especially Siamese, and they sleep most of the time. Now that mine are older, though, they’ve become lap cats — and follow me all over the house cats — and meow at me constantly cats — and hair all over the place cats.

Between the two of them, they are my official timekeepers. At about 9:30 every night, Ollie walks up to me, lets out a string of plaintive meows, then heads for the stairs. He does this repeatedly until I turn off all the lights, etc. and follow him up to bed — or throw a coaster at him. (No, I don’t actually try to hit him. I just lob it in his direction to get him to go away and let me read my book for a while longer.) Emily, on the other hand, wakes me up every morning by sitting next to my head and purring — loudly. Who knew purring would make such a good alarm clock!

Okay, enough about cats — except for the pictures, of course …