When The Curtain Falls....

 I know I'm a little different when it comes to meeting celebrities. Most people want to see famous people...   That is what makes these people famous to begin with.  I'm not sure why...  
Perhaps they want the "Celebrity Dust" to rub off a little and allow them to find that magical status.   Or just the bragging rights to say that they saw "Celebrity X" live at this location on this date.   I don't really know...

But I DO know that whenever I have met a famous person,  it ended up being a different experience than I had imagined.   And Of Course!   How could it NOT be?    For example:   I met Charlton Heston back in 2000.   It was one of his last public appearances, and he looked VERY different from his days of Ben Hur!  He was old... and shaky,  and.... Normal for a man of 76 years.    If you ever watched the Ten Commandments,  you might think of Charlton Heston as a Great Leader of a Nation... or even GOD!  

But he was not.   He was just a man.   All of that Hollywood makeup and gray hair hid the fact that he was a young man playing an old man.   But in reality,   Age had caught him... and he was Old!   ( And looked it!)  No amount of acting was required at that age.  

And so it went at the concert last night.   Rod Stewart is old.   That is no secret.   And his farewell tour is meant as just that...  a Farewell.    Did I mention he sang 22 songs?    Incredible!   At his age, most people are in a home eating jello!    He is on stage,  dancing!   Singing!    And doing it for 2 hours in the sweltering Wisconsin heat and humidity!   

That!  Is amazing for Any man!   Let alone an aged one.

But human he is... And was,  last night.  He was not the polished person from the MTV videos that I remembered.   And his voice was not as sharp or clear as all of those songs I have playing in my car on my daily commute. ( yes, I play his songs,  mostly the new stuff,   just about everyday.) I never really thought I was a "Rod Stewart Fan",  But looking closely,  I guess I actually am.    

I was looking forward to last night in all honesty.   I wanted to hear him sing his latest songs with the grace and elegance that I have become attached to.   (I personally believe he is the BEST singer for "Time after Time".)   

But he sang HIS songs.   The ones he is known for...   And he had a LOT of them!  (22 songs!)   over the last 40-50 years!  ( That is a long time!)  the last several times I went to a concert  with bands that I knew,   The saved the one or two songs that I knew till the end.   Most of the concert was filled with songs I had never heard of.    

But last night, I knew ALL of the songs! 

But something felt a little "disappointing".   And it is difficult to put my finger on without sounding harsh.   Many of the songs he sang back in the 70's and 80's were young "Sexy" songs.( Do ya think I'm sexy,  Tonight's the Night.)     And watching an old man dance like he was 20 at first was rather entertaining...   But after the third song,  it began feeling a little .."odd."  (Creepy is too harsh of a word....) 

During the late 80's and early 90's,  I think his music had matured into songs about growing up and raising family.( Forever young, Have I told you lately. Young Turks.)   And later,  About memories and looking back on life  (On a Down Town Train.)   

And then his Great American Songbook album.   A masterpiece if you ask me.   Songs from before he was famous, sung by greats like Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby.   Songs written by Cole Porter and Jerome Kern, and Gershwin!  And Rod Stewart's voice has aged to perfection for many of these songs.   

But he did not sing any of those songs last night.    Which was rather disappointing for me.   

However,   no one else seemed to mind in the crowd.    They sang along and danced just like they were back in their teens again.  I imagine they saw the event like the first time I watched Styx in concert.   A time Machine to another Era.  And they did not see an old man on stage, but a talisman to their youth.  

I know there are people out there who, when they see a mountain,  feel the need to climb to the top of it to see what is there.   Rather than simply taking in the beauty that the snow caps and towering presents  the mountain brings,  they feel the need to discover its secrets and hidden mysteries.

But far too often in the process of climbing that mountain,  they only find injury, death, or worse:   Nothing!   

No Buddhist monk with all of the answers to happiness or life,   No fountain of youth, or city of gold. Nothing....  Just snow, and cold, and emptiness.   

And for those reasons,  There are times when I choose to keep the magic of beauty a mystery.   I do not need to know the meaning behind the song to appreciate the lyrics or the music.  Sometimes it adds to it,   Other times, it takes away...   But I would rather simply listen to the song and enjoy it what the meaning I give it.  

And the same goes for the Celebrities who sing the songs.   Seeing them in person will most likely not make the music sound any better.   In fact, I think it distracts from the music when you discover that they are just normal people doing a very specialized job.   Singing a song, sounding possibly no better than you when you sing that song in the shower.....  But they are doing it on stage... in front of hundreds or even thousands of people. And making it look easy!  ( Because that is what they do...   Routinely!) 

 Sometimes, looking behind the curtain only takes the magic and wonder away...

So a farewell to Rod Stewart...  Who is Human after all.   And that actually brings a smile to my face.  For rather than focusing on an old man trying to behave as if he were still 20.   By writing this blog post I can appreciate that an 80 year old... was doing things that many 50 year olds can't do! (Hey wait!  I'm 55!)    And Seeing that in person,   makes me still believe that humans can do AMAZING things...   Even when they are old.  Even when they have "out aged" their songs.  Perhaps it is the magic and mystery in the music.... that keeps us young.   And helps him Make every second count. 

A Happy Birthday.

 Yesterday, was my birthday. ( August 8th)  I'm writing this after midnight, so officially,   my birthday ended about an hour ago...   So here is how it went...

I started the day with  enjoying an extra several hours of sleep.   For some reason,  I woke up around 7 am and figured that was way too early...  So I climbed back into bed and grabbed an extra 4 hours of shut eye!   

I then got a text from Helen that she had made me a Pie!   And I could pick it up whenever, as long as it was before she left around 4 pm.  So...  After drinking a pot of  "wake up" coffee,  I headed over there.

She said I should wait 4 hours before cutting into it...  But You only get once shot at "Fresh" pie!   I felt the bottom and it seemed cool enough...  Time to   sample the Birthday Pie!

Blueberries....   Sour cream...  And toasted pecans..  With that signature pie crust that sets Helen apart. I really should not compare this pie to her Apple pie... Because I don't want to start a war within myself...  But let's just say,   I now have a second pie that will be light years ahead of any other pie I had before.   AND...  She still has a French Silk pie that I have not tasted...  So there is a possibility of a third one.  

Bottom line:  That pie will have a short shelf life... So, to Honor Helen's efforts,  I will be forced to eat it all... Probably tonight.   Maybe I'll leave some for tomorrow.   

Oh!  And I did give Dave a piece.   Because eating the whole thing would make me  seem selfish and greedy.... and chubby!  Good thing Dave got that 1/6th of a slice to keep those added calories away from me....

 Shortly after that,   Dave picked me up and we headed to some place in Illinois for a Rod Stewart Concert.   His "Farewell Tour"!    Dave won two tickets on the Radio call in show and offered to bring me along.  

The first band was Cheap Trick!   I remember their songs from the late 70's and all through the 80's.   Although I was not a huge fan,  I did like several of their songs back in the day.  But Age has caught up with them, just like so many other 80's groups.  Still, it was kind of fun seeing them live on stage.  

Then came Rod Stewart.   I was thinking of putting my thoughts down on this blog post, but ti is getting late, and that is a deeper subject I wanted to explore .  So I will see if I can flesh that topic out tomorrow.   In the mean time,  let's just say he sang 22 songs!   And I think most, if not all of them were hits!  From his past.  

He certainly had a lot of songs that I knew.   I personally was hoping he would sing some of the recent stuff that I have become a fan of.  Songs from Frank Sinatra and Cole Porter.  

That being said,  the Man is a legend!   And still does stuff on stage that I believe I would never be able to do.   And it was cool being able to see him on his last farewell tour.  

And now,  I think I will end this post rather abruptly... Because it has been a long day and I'm rather tired.   God Willing, I will wake up once again tomorrow and hopefully will be granted enough time to fill in the details of this birthday day...  Until then.   Let's try to make every second count.  

A Weekend Of Repairs!

 So remember that cool Mural I worked on for most of my Saturday?   Well,  It began to unravel.   Literally!   The paper began to peel away from the wall and curl over on itself!   A TOTAL disaster!

I, in my panic,  forgot to take pics of it.   But I wrestled with the sticky underside and unraveled the pieces to put them back up right again.   (Ever try to un stick tape that has stuck to itself?   Yeah!   That multiplied by 1000!)  

I was pretty proud that I dealt with it and did not cave and rip it all down.   I knew after the first few minutes that I was in total Damage Control....  I was not going to expect it to be as good as those first pics. 

As I slept through the night... with a few "band aids" applied...  I woke up to the edges peeling once again.   This time, at least, It was merely unsightly and not a disaster that had to be unraveled.  I then began to formulate a plan. 

The mural is designed to be able to be pulled off.   So it is "semi-permanent".   The problem is I had hoped that it would stay put until I wanted to pull it off!   Not less than and hour after installation.    

So how do you keep the ability to remove it while still having it stay on the wall?  My solution:

Painters tape and wallpaper glue!  I would tape under the seams and then glue the vinyl mural to the top of the tape!   

But when I went to Menhards, I discovered 2 sided tape by Gorilla Glue!

In retrospect, I should have bought a second roll.... because that Gorilla Tape did the trick!   It grabbed onto the sticky adhesive that came on the backside of the Mural.   And it has held up so far. I honestly see no reason now why it should fail ( the first 24 hours would have been the test)    

However, I did run out of that tape... so I was forced to use my plan "A" after all.   Which also worked!   So I am pretty proud of that at the moment.  I did have a third option of taping the two seams together... but thankfully I did not have to go down that path.   I tested the theory out on a small section, and it "worked" but was a flimsy, lumpy solution.   The gorilla tape worked the best!

So now I have to work on the seams that are slightly turned up.   I can press them down, but they still pop up.    So I will do the Wall paper trick of glue and a putty knife to smooth it down.  But I may have to wait on that one when I have more time. 

Other than that,   I failed to mention the monthly allowance of Candy from the Haribo!   We got a number of goodies... including Wild Berry Bears,  Unicorns, Reindeer, and Sour Spaghetti. I shared mine with a number of Zebra friends because I knew they had requested Gummys from Phil and Patty and never got them. Besides... What was I going to do with all of that candy?

I'm sure I will be unloading more treats on various friends in the future as the gummys pile up.  Might as well share the love.  

By the way,  the Unicorn and Wild Berry Bears are AWESOME!   And fresh.   Personally I think Fresh trumps everything in the realm of food. And having gummy bears that are this fresh will probably make you never want to buy them from the store again!    

I believe the Chanterelles are closing up shop for the summer.   It really had to hunt for them last Sunday, but still managed to fill a basket.   I also found a few other dandies along the way.   But I'm going to miss finding the Chanterelles now.   I guess the next things to look out for will be the hen of the woods and Lung Oysters.  I know the Shrimp of the woods and Chicken of the woods are still viable finds.  Along with the Lion's mane.  But they never pop out in the numbers like the Chanterelles.   So finding those mushrooms are kind of like a flash of light....   Fun for a moment, but then quickly forgotten. 

Another week begins!  And Monday is already over!  Time certainly flies at the Haribo...  And you really have to focus to make every second count.  

A Busy Week! A Busy Day!

 Every now and then, too many things happen that I just can't blog about all of them in one post.   But if I try to split things up... I end up cutting something.   And too many cool things that were blog worthy happened this week...  So I will try to fit them all in as best I can. 

How do you make a mountain out of a Molehill?  That is the writer's dilemma.   I mean..  It has to be somewhat entertaining, right?    Phil says that my blog posts have become boring, as of late.   And if there is one things Phil is known for... It's his honesty.   (Usually Brutal honestly, but honest all the same.... I can respect that.)  

But this is my blog, and sometimes  the blog posts are just a serious of facts and events of the life...  And not solely written for Phil's entertainment value.....   So let us begin with the dull and boring life that is mine. (I personally find my life fun and fulfilling.   But I admit I have a bit of a bias...) 

I changed the oil in the Subaru!   I know this seems like it is not a big deal... Until you see how long it has been since my last oil change!

Judging from the handwriting, I think I was the last one to do it.   I must have done it right after I purchased the car.    That means it has been almost a YEAR since my last oil change!   

Now before I get the hate mail pointing out my ineptitude at Motor Vehicle Maintenance...  I want to qualify a few things.   

One:   Subie takes 0w20 Full Synthetic Oil.....  Which is rather expensive.    Along with the oil filters.   

Two:   According to the Owner's Manual,  you only need to change the oil once every 10,000 miles!   \

And three,  I have been checking on the oil so it never runs low.   (Usually every other fuel up.)   I'll add a quart here and there when I need to.  

And lastly,  I have not even driven the full 10,000 miles yet!   So I actually changed it ahead of schedule.  

To be honest,   I was getting a little nervous waiting that long.  Especially after being religious about the 3000 mile change up....   But I have read and watched videos that this is the new norm.    And perhaaps the newer cars are build with a better design.. provided you stay up on the "check the oil" part of things.  

Back with the Silver Bullet,  I never had to check the oil,   I would always change it before it was down a quart... so it was never an issue.  But the Full Synthetic seems to wear a little bit better and lasts a bit longer.   All I can do is follow the directions of the manufacturer for the best results. 

Last Sunday I went out mushroom hunting with my favorite Partner:  Ladybird the Mushroom Dog!   We found another basket full of Chanterelles, along with a number of other beauties.   (Some of witch were not edible.. but pretty!)  I finally had to move a number of them into the freezer as I was not eating them fast enough.   I also gave a bunch away to one of the Bartenders at the Clubhouse;   who also likes wild mushrooms.   I may go out gain tomorrow and see if there are any new Chanterelles sprouting up.  ( It just rained over the last couple of days...) You have to make hay when the sun shines!  OR in this case,  "Find the Mushrooms when it rains!"  It's nice to know that I have a few people who appreciate them and are willing to take a few off of my hands. 

I got new glasses!   They came in last night and I picked them up this afternoon.   It is a bit odd whenever I get new glasses..   I am past the point of caring how I look..( Mostly)   But I now focus on whether the things even work!   Becoming farsighted has really plunged me into a new category!   And these bifocals are really tricky to get the hang of.  I'm sure my brain will adjust over time...  and I will hopefully notice that I can see a little better.   Hopefully. 

And finally...  I installed the Wallpaper mural that I purchased  several weeks ago.   It has been a while since I put one of these things up, and doing it alone was both calming and scary at the same time.   Calming in that I did not have to argue with anyone over how best to install it.   And scary because there were several times when an extra set of hands would have come in handy.   Even if only to hold something while I flattened the paper to the wall. 

The first sheet went up easy enough.   This old house is not 100% level or square... so I had to rely on my small hand level to make sure things were straight.   And really....  I doubt anyone will pull out a calipers to make sure there are no gaps in the paper. 

The second one went up a little easier.   There was no overlap on this mural ( I discovered that along the way...)   So I had to be as precise as I could with the lining up of the seams.   Thankfully I could pull it off and adjust  as I went along. 

The third was getting easier, and it began to take shape.   Now for the Windows!

Not as tough as you might think.  I do feel a bit wasteful cutting off large chunks of the picture and tossing them.   In all honesty, I'm keeping them just in case...  for when my other mural arrives.   There are a couple of areas that may need a bit of a background filler... so I would rather have it around and not need it rather than discovering that I need it to late! 

All done!   Now to put the chair and dresser back in place.   When the next one comes I will have my own corner of the forest.  and it "should" look like I'm sleeping in the woods or surfing the internet on a forest trail.   

It seems like there are other things I wanted to blog about, but those can wait.   Dave invited me for dinner and I should start heading over there.  Honestly... ( And don't take this as a joke...)  I think the last time I had any of Dave's cooking was the day of the fire. So this will be a milestone of some sort.   ( Not really sure...  but it has been noted.)  So I shall end this blog post and quickly add the pics before heading out.   Sometimes it id a challenge to make every second count.