In the spirit of better late than never, my spouse and I, along with a couple of in laws, visited a local treasure, the Roberson Museum, for its annual Home for the Holidays yesterday afternoon.
I thought you might enjoy these ornaments from a needlework based tree even though Christmas 2025 is gone and it's New Year's Eve.
Here is a video if you want to see more of the exhibit.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday, and wishing all my readers a Happy New Year.
Now that it's winter, any day with shadows is a treasure.
Wishing other shadow photographers a Happy New Year.
Joining Lisa at This and That: A Blog, for her #ShadowshotSunday.
It's Monday, and it's time for music!
Who are the Music Moves Me Bloggers?
We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post link may be labeled "No Music" or even removed.) We have occasional theme weeks, but you are welcome to ignore the theme and use music of your choice. Why not join us? You don't have to sing, or play an instrument. All music lovers are welcome.
This month's theme is "Whatever Christmas music moves you" . It's also the final Music Moves Me for 2025. I, for one, am happy to leave 2025 in the rear view mirror. We've lost so many people who enriched our world, including too many musicians. In fact, I will have to delay another Rock and Roll Heaven induction until January, so I hope you'll also join me on January 5.
For me, one song and one song only defines New Year's Eve. That is Auld Lang Syne, and today, I present two covers (so to speak) of this classic song.
Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians took Auld Lang Syne from a Scottish folk song with words by Robert Burns to the theme song of New Year's Eve, starting with their radio broadcasts in 1929. I heard this song every year live from New York's Waldorf-Astoria, a place this native New Yorker has never been to. This recording is from 1947. Guy Lombardo certainly earned his nickname of Mr. New Year's Eve.
The Times Square (New York City) ball drop, ushering in 1953. I was a baby (and not there). Guess the song that starts playing partway through the video.
These are the words of the song.
First verse:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Second verse:
And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup!
and surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
Chorus
Third verse:
We twa hae run about the braes,
and pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin’ auld lang syne.
Chorus
Fourth verse:
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin’ auld lang syne.
Chorus
Fifth verse:
And there’s a hand,
my trusty fiere!
and gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak’ a right gude-willie waught,
for auld lang syne.
And that's a wrap. Happy New Year to all my blog readers!!
Join me again next year for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Sunrise on December 21.
Winter has begun on the calendar, although, where I live, the weather was already wintry.
The next day we saw blue sky, and then, Tuesday, we were hit by a snowstorm. We are going to have another storm later today, but our weather is not anything like what the people on the West Coast are suffering through with the atmospheric river. I hope all of the bloggers I read from that part of the United States are safe. Floods are a terrible thing.
Finally, Happy Boxing Day for those who celebrate.
Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year, as this is the last Skywatch post of 2025.
We are going to have a White Christmas after all.
There's snow place like home. Wishing all my readers who celebrate a seasonal holiday at this time of year much happiness.
Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.
It's Monday and it's time for music!
Who are the Music Moves Me Bloggers?
We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post link may be labeled "No Music" or even removed.) We have occasional theme weeks, but you are welcome to ignore the theme and use music of your choice. Why not join us? You don't have to sing, or play an instrument. All music lovers are welcome.
This month's theme is "Whatever Christmas music moves you" .
Here in the Northern hemisphere, winter began yesterday. So, it's quite logical, given that so many Christmas songs originated in the snowy places, that many popular Christmas songs mention winter and/or snow.
So, in honor of the winter solstice, some wintry Christmas songs and some that aren't.
Winter Wonderland was made famous by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, as one of our Music Moves Me bloggers (Debbie Doglady) reminded us earlier in the season, so let's start with this original, recorded in October of 1934.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! was first recorded by Vaughn Monroe in 1945. It was written in the midst of a heat wave. It was an immediate hit and has been covered by hundreds of artists.
Christmas wasn't a happy time for Irving Berlin, though. His newborn son, only three weeks old, died on December 25, 1928. He would visit his son's grave each Christmas.
More on this song at this link.
The last three songs are a bit, shall we say, out of the ordinary.
I fell in love on first listening of this song, The Midnight Piper of Midwinter, from H.A.i. lander/H3rbBeatz"and decided to use it although the video, and possibly the song, apparently, was AI generated. You Tube has labeled this as synthetic content. Still....what do you think?
Here, for real, because You Tube brought this to my attention, is The Altai Band from Mongolia and a Mongolian version of Jingle Bells. Lots of snow here but the singers seem so warm and snug.For my last song I am deviating from my own theme.Finally, just because I can, is a twisted favorite of mine, Weird Al Yankovic and his 1986 now-classic song Christmas at Ground Zero. This is a parody of Phil Spector "wall of sound" songs that came about because Weird Al's record label kept insisting that he record a Christmas album. This song was the result.
And that's a Christmas wrap! Oh wait, not yet. There's a bonus song for you.
The Waitresses and Christmas Wrapping.
I wish all my readers who celebrate Christmas a most happy one.
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
A display of a menorah and several dreidels at a local office.
I like the modern design of the menorah. The sentiments expressed are all, I think, essential to a good life.
A couple of days ago, I was returning from an appointment.
Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
