Goodbye Fred

Our reliable old friend is gone.

Fred was always there when needed, day-in and day-out for 18 long years — he lived with me for eleven years and then with my daughter for seven. Sure, he had a few mishaps here and there but he just kept coming back strong, dependable, always on course, never-failing to amuse, eyes forward, always between the lines.

Ah, the memories …

There was the time we got lost out in the boonies.

Then there was that incident with the milkshake. (Chocolate milkshake spilled in Jeep, not pretty.)

Fred, you were such a good sport that time we loaded you up with mulch. (In bags but still smelly.)

And, the Christmas trees — I’ll never be able to smell pine without thinking of you, Fred.

Good times. Good times.

We mourn the loss of Fred, old reliable Fred, and cherish the time we had together.

Goodbye Fred and don’t forget to write!

Ahem.

Hello, new kid on the block!

Wish it was mine, but it’s my daughter’s.

Sniff, sniff.

(She’s such a copy cat!)

Then again, she now has car payments and I don’t!

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

Posted by goodoldgirl

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!

Nothing but one-pointers!

Posted by goodoldgirl

I like to play Scrabble.

Some games, though, I just can’t seem to get a break. You know what I mean? It’s those games when all you get are one-point letters.

It seems to happen the most when I play on-line with an old friend from high school — she beats my socks off regularly.

I’m convinced she plays with a Scrabble dictionary at her fingertips. If she doesn’t, I’m in deeper %^&@Q$% than I thought. She also gets all — I mean ALL — the letters with higher points. She’s the luckiest Scrabble player I’ve ever come across and I’ve played a lot of Scrabble.

She’s pretty smart too, so there’s that.

I beat her every now and then, but it ain’t easy.

Sad. Very sad.

I did catch a break a few days ago, while playing at my sister’s house. Somehow, I managed to get a 7-letter word with an X on a double letter and the last letter of the word on a triple word for a total of 125 points.

It will never happen again — promise.

When I was younger, and much more innocent, I thought Scrabble was all about making neat words and having fun.

Un-uh. It’s all about the points, baby!