Who needs a clock radio, anyway?

That was new…I woke up from a late afternoon nap by dreaming about two songs that suddenly started up. They were songs I like, “What a Bringdown” by Cream, and the first bit of “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” by ZZ Top. It was like I had a built in clock radio alarm.

I could do without that. Sure hope it doesn’t become a habit.

Speaking of songs, a couple of weeks ago, I started a list of songs that I would just start thinking about during the day, for no apparent reason. So far:

Paul McCartney / Wings: Medicine Jar
Tom Petty: Learning To Fly
Mott the Hoople: All the Way From Memphis
Al Stewart: Broadway Hotel
Buffalo Springfield: Bluebird
Neil Young: Cinnamon Girl
Rory Gallagher: The King Of Zydeco
The Police: Spirits In the Material World
Talking Heads: Once In a Lifetime
Alvin Lee / Ten Years After: I’m Going Home

Many of these I’ve already listed on my “favorite songs” project…still in progress. Over 425 entries…help, I’ve created a monster…must…edit…list…

If there’s a pattern to the above list, I’m not sure what it is (other than the Buffalo Springfield / Neil Young connection, and that three of the songs – Learning To Fly, All the Way From Memphis, and Spirits In the Material World – were catchy enough that I thought of them more than once).

It does remind me of the time back in the eighties a college friend, who was a radio DJ in another city, asked me to keep track of songs I heard on K.C. radio stations for a week. He had written down what he thought I’d be hearing. Best as I recall, he had a song or two written down that I did hear, but not on the same days. No ESP there, anyway.

The other thing my list shows, yes, I’m of the “baby boom” generation, and I’ve listened to a whole bunch of classic rock. My wife and I were talking this evening, and I admitted that I don’t have the foggiest idea of what music is out there these days (well, that’s not entirely true…I have watched a bit of American Idol). But I’m – happily – mostly out of touch with the current trends.

If it weren’t for homestarrunner.com and Strong Bad’s email’s, I wouldn’t have any contact with today’s pop culture. Those guys will keep us informed.

National Tell a Joke Day

Famous blogger James Lileks reminded us all on http://www.buzz.mn/ this morning, that today is National Tell a Joke Day. The subject of humor made me think of comic strips, of which I've been a fan for decades. Recently I searched on the web and found the site for the Charles M. Schulz museum in California. That looks like a fun destination. Maybe the next time I'm in California...

Anyway, I sure hope they've given the loyal museum staff a raise. The last time I heard, they were working for Peanuts.

Gotta give credit to my son for that...I just re-worked it a bit. His original:

The guy who helped Charles Schulz never made much money. He worked for Peanuts.

Bobservations

Earlier this year (February 17th, if you must know) I took a load of towels our of our dryer and started to fold them and put them away. One of them was a kitchen towel with this sentiment: "The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home".

Now that's all very well and good. But I say, "The Frog is the Philosopher of the Pond".

You'll never see that on a towel, though.

A hot evening for a walk

Most days, my wife and I take a one mile walk. In this blistering heat, we wait until after sunset, but before it's totally dark.

This evening's best comments:

Bob: "I wouldn't mind the cicadas so much, if we could teach them to sing a tune."
Bob's Wife: "But what if it was something you couldn't stand?"

The shuttle gouge: my two cents worth

After this week's nearly perfect launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, now we have word of a three inch square gash in the thermal protective tiles on the belly of the orbiter. The experts say this was caused by ice breaking off the external tank on launch, hitting Endeavour - not just the less dense foam insulation. What caught my eye in the article I read yesterday, was the word "worrisome".

From today's Space.com article, a quote by mission management team chairman, John Shannon:

"We have a rich flight history of tile damage, some of which is more significant looking than what we have right here," Shannon said. "Instead of guessing, we'll go and get the right characterization of what exactly the damage is."

The astronauts have three repair choices, they could apply "a heat resistant paint, a drill on patch, or a thick goop". Or, they could determine the gouge isn't sufficiently deep to need repair and do nothing (though it now may seem routine, extra vehicular activities still involve some risk, too).

I've been a fan of space exploration since 1961. I don't claim to be an expert, and I realize the aerospace engineers will have a much better understanding about such things. And I think the articles I've read are well written and reassuring - the situation is in hand.

Still, I think you paint the paint. Or you attach the patch. Or you spread the goop. Whichever method the experts say will give a more reliable repair. I'd sure hate for doing nothing to lead to another shuttle disaster.

Happy Birthday, Mike!

And many more.
Now remember, Darth Vader already knows what you got for your birthday. He felt your presents.

Seriously, I know that this year you have another special event to celebrate, and this will be a busy day. Congratulations all around, from me and my family.

Gentlemen, start your search engines!

Once in a while my mind wanders. That’s always been the case, but in recent years we have a new fun tool…the search engine. Sometimes while I’m “surfing” the internet, out of the blue a thought will occur to me, like “I wonder if there’s a picture of _____ on the net”.

This week, the subject was the art on fireworks labels. When it comes to fireworks, I’ve always preferred fountains, cones, Roman candles, sparklers, pinwheels, and ground bloom flowers (It’s more fun if it lights up, as a friend of mine once said). But I have shot off a fair number of firecrackers in the past. Imagine my delight to find this fun site:

www.crackerpacks.com

It was stinkin’ cool to see the good old Black Cat (wildcat) label. Not to mention Turtle brand (Best Quality Supercharged Flashlight Crackers), and of course, Thunder Bombs. Good memories…at one time or another, I had some of each of these. Many, many more are on display…what a collection!


This just in…look what I found in the basement. Must…scan…document…










I sure hope he doesn't get into my garden. I had enough trouble with squirrels until I put the green plastic fencing across the top.

Hot heat

Since everybody talks about the weather, I almost didn’t mention this. That kind of stuff is old news. But, it’s as good a place to begin as any, so why not?

It’s sure hot and dry here. Here being Missouri, more specifically the Kansas City area. Depending on what part of the city, or which suburb you live in, temperatures have reached highs of 97 to 104 this week. Monday the 6th (mid to late morning), I went out to check my garden. I wasn’t outside ten minutes, and I didn’t do anything I thought was strenuous. But in the process of opening part of the fence, picking two cucumbers, and putting the fence back, I almost passed out. I got back into the air conditioning just in time. A few hours later a reporter on the TV news said that temperatures and heat indexes are measured in the shade. In direct sunlight, you could be exposed to 115 to 125 degrees.

Now he tells me.

I’m not surprised that it’s hot (after all, it is August), and I’ve heard all the warnings before. What did take me by surprise was how quickly this affected me. Not that many years ago, I would stay out in the heat for hours. Bring it on. But now, it seems I don’t tolerate it as well.

My wife and I talked about this, and the discussion turned to how different our lives are from years ago. Long gone (for many, though not for all) are the days of houses without air conditioning. Gone also are long summer road trips with “470 air conditioning” (four windows rolled down, 70 miles per hour), sitting on hot vinyl seats with your shirt drenched with sweat. Sometimes we had to adapt our travel plans, driving mostly in the evening or at night. At home, we’d draw the shades and turn on some fans. When we were kids, we’d sometimes run through a lawn sprinkler outside to cool off. But now, we wouldn’t stand for houses or cars without air conditioning.

Enough about how times have changed. If it’s hot and humid enough that a heat advisory or heat warning is in effect, do the smart thing. Don’t go out unless you have to, and don’t stay out long. Wear a wide brimmed hat. Keep hydrated; drink more water than you think you need. If you have pets, make sure they have enough water. And, if you know people who have health problems or don’t have air conditioning, do them a favor and check to see if they’re all right.

Poppy's Front Porch RAQ's (Rarely Asked Questions)

Question: Is this a real place?
Answer: That depends on what you mean by real.
The front porch of our grandfather’s house was very real, but the house and porch no longer stand, except in our memories, and in a few old photos.
Poppy’s Front Porch exists now as this blog site, where my cousin Mike Scowden and I post things we’re interested in. Some posts may be of a serious nature, but mostly this is just for fun.

Question: Who are you people, anyway?
Answer: That’s a good question.
We’re two cousins, guys who both have families who tolerate our blogging (so far), as long as we don’t get too carried away.
When I was a kid and they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I replied, “A blogger”. Then they washed my mouth out with soap. Naah, that didn’t happen, I just made that up.

Question: Is this going to be a genealogy site with lists of names, dates, family stories, and old photos?
Answer: No, not really, though a family story or picture might appear from time to time. This is mainly about what’s happening in our lives now. One of us will bounce an idea off the other, then we’ll build on that and see what develops.

Question: So, you’re posting things you’re interested in. Is this just a waste of my time?
Answer: That depends on how long you’ve been looking at this.

Just logged on to a couple of minutes:
Welcome to the Porch! We hope you enjoy your stay!

Fifteen minutes to a half hour or so:
Wow, I’m humbled! Obviously, you’ve found something here you enjoy. Come back again, and tell your friends!

Hours and hours – “Must…stare…at…glowing…screen…”:
For pity’s sake, get up, move away from the computer, and do something! Go out in the fresh air! Take a walk or ride a bike! Exercise or play a sport, or go to a game! Wash your car! Walk your dog! Go to a park or lake! Take some pictures! Put old photos in albums! Build something! Visit with family members or friends! Mail a card or letter! Pray for somebody! Read a good book! Write a story! Put a hobby kit together or work on a craft project! Draw or paint something! Make some music! Cook something good! Start a business! Clean or organize something in your house! Do a load of laundry! Get stuff ready for recycling! Play cards or a board game! Work a puzzle! Work in your garden! Teach your bird to say something! Take a language class! Watch the sunset! Go out on a clear night and look at the stars! Live your life!