Monthly Archives: December 2013

Song-ography – Silver Bells

Silver Bells
by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston

Silver bells silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

City sidewalks busy sidewalks .
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There’s a feeling
of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you’ll hear

Silver bells silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day

Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush
home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa’s big scene
And above all this bustle
You’ll hear
Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day

Read more: Christmas Carols – Silver Bells Lyrics | MetroLyrics

The original performance of White Christmas from the movie “The Lemon Drop Kid.” Bob Hope’s costume is pretty sketchy in my opinion.

Song-ography

Weekend Reflections – Sunset at the BOK Center

Reflection of the sunset off the BOK Center here in Tulsa.

Just to the upper left of the building is the Creek Hanging Tree. Yep a hanging tree that was actually used way back when. Supposedly the area is haunted. Check it out.

Do you have any hanging trees in your neighborhood?

Weekend Reflections

Skywatch Friday – Back to Basics

Sorry for the double reflection. I made the shot through a double window.

The Sun is Setting in the West

(I finally figured out how to make a half way decent moon shot. With the camera I’ve had for a year and half. Manuals can be a wonderful thing if you read them. I’m a guy though.)

And the Moon is rising in the East

Skywatch Friday

Water World Wednesday – Sculpture and Pond

I took this pic back in late November before it got real cold. I took with my Diana Mini Lomography camera in the split frame mode where it puts two pics on one frame. So this pic is from one half a frame.

I just love the solitary moodiness of it, the low fidelity, the grain of the film, the whole deal. I even love it that the pile of white rocks dominates the pic and almost looks like a giant, creepy flower blossom, and the dark sculpture is obscure.

In case you were wondering what was on the other half frame:

Same park, different pond.

Why does the camera have a half frame mode? If you find out tell me and then we’ll both know. It is quirkiness like this that makes me love my collection of strange little plastic cameras.

Water World Wednesday

What To Do About Overstressed Cats

I am very worried about Logan’s cat LJ (“Logan Junior” just so you know). He is quite stressed and can’t seem to relax. I am wondering if we have too much going on the house. I mean maybe instead of trying to cram everything in during this holiday season we just kind of back off and get to basics. Just kick back and take it easy and maybe he would learn by our example. What do you think?

I think we are going to give it a shot because we are really worried about him. He just doesn’t seem to know how to loosen and just chill. He runs here and there and is about to wear himself out.

Does anybody know how we can get our poor overwrought kitty to relax?

Pondering the Spirit of Christmas

(Wreaths are one of my favorite decorations, and they include lights and candles, so much the better.)

Christmas is a very complicated thing I think. We celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas but everybody agrees that he was not born on Christmas. What is up with that?

(One of our several Nativity Scenes, we are keeping all of them!)

Then the whole Nativity Scene thing. We’ve seen it a zillion times. You know, the baby Jesus, Mary Joseph, the various critters, shepherds, and the three Wise Men. It makes a great scene but that is not the way it happened. Not according to my Bible at least. My Bible doesn’t specify the number of Wise Men and it doesn’t say that they appeared at a manger. They appeared at a house and worshipped a young boy, not a baby.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to be snide or act superior. I’m a Christian and I love nativity scenes, we have more than one and I believe in the virgin Birth and that Christ is my savior. I’m not trying to change the way you celebrate Christmas. My point is that Christmas is more than a religious holiday.

(Christmas trees on the Riverparks. I love’em.)

What else is Christmas? Lets see, lots of decorations, Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf , concerts, holidays, egg nog, hot chocolate!! Oh yes, I love all that also.

(Brian Setzer Orchestra. Wow, what a Christmas show. My first ever rockabilly Christmas.)

And don’t forget gifts. It is fun to give gifts and it is fun to receive them.

(Logan’s first Christmas. I love those little arms and legs and big smiles)

Nothing like watching a baby or a young one enjoy Christmas. Nothing like watching a loved one open up a special present you got just for him or her. Hey, and I won’t lie, I love receiving presents. I really do. I freely admit it. Do I feel bad for those who are not as blessed as me and my family? Yes, I feel horrible about it. What do I do about it? Not much I’m afraid, Angle Tree gifts and some money in various pots and kettles and such. We can all do much better I think.

I like the little things about Christmas like the ranch owner who made a wreath out of rope, spray paint, and a bow and put it on a fence out in the middle of nowhere. I just love things like this. It is a gift to me and others from somebody. We don’t know each other but they gave us something out of the blue.

(Warehouse district in Oklahoma City)

I watch secular Christmas movies like Home Alone and others where they talk the “The Spirit of Christmas.” That always confuses me, what is the Spirit of Christmas. Maybe it is grace. Being kind to each other, even total strangers, in small acts and large. I think it is at the very roots of Christianity. I think though that Christmas has enough room in it for others besides Christians. It better, for there is a lot going on at Christmas that doesn’t have anything to do with Christianity.

So, what do you think the Spirit of Christmas is about?

Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat – Logan’s Recital

Our son Logan has been taking voice lessons at a private music school since last summer. The school had their Winter Recital Saturday so Logan got a chance to show his chops in the singing business.

The program went from youngest to oldest. The younger ones were really young but they got through their pieces be it the guitar, or piano or a song and we, who didn’t know each other at all, were happy for the kids and their nervous parents and grandparents. As you would expect as the kids got older they displayed more polish and skill and a few had that “presence” up on the stage that hints at real promise. Remarkably there were only three boys in the entire program.

Logan came on toward the end and sang “Sit Down You Are Rocking the Boat” from the Musical “Guys and Dolls.” In my humble opinion (“IMHO” as the political facebookers say) Logan sang it very well. He had a microphone but he was one of the few kids who didn’t need one. He remembered his lines and sang his way through the piece with feeling and vigor and sat down. His Grandmother, (and world’s best MIL) Nana, has taught him to “sell” it whenever he performs. Heather and I are very proud of Logan. He loves singing and performing and it makes him feel good about himself and that is enough for us right now.

It is Somebody’s Birthday Today – Somebody Special

It is Heather’s birthday today.

I’ll say she is somebody special.

Logan will agree!

She is the deep thinker of the family. I think the two of them are thinking about what to do about me.

She’s my biking partner.

She’s part of the dynamtic duo with her mother Nana.

She always has a smile for me!

Happy Birthday Heather!!

Skywatch Friday – Whining Away the Days Edition

This pic is from late November. Since then it has turned cold, really cold. At least what we here in Oklahoma consider to be cold. Plus it snowed. So I have been inside fighting off the kid and the dogs and cats for space in front of the hearth. So I have lots of pics of Christmas Trees and ornaments and such. Not much in the way of skies or anything like that.

(View from my old office, sniff)

(My new office, “Joy to the World” on beige)

Plus I went from a cubicle with a window to an inside office with lots of gas company beige. I am ashamed to say that I got so wrapped up in my ~~napping~~ work that I forget to look up and sunset time is over.

(Warmer times)

Generally, Wednesday night has been good Skywatch time for me because that is my weekly kitchen pass to go run. But with it getting dark at 5 pm and I don’t get off until 6 and don’t hit the river parks trail until 6:30 I am ~~shuffling~~ running in the dark now.

(However, last minute addition to the post. On my running last night, I did come across these Christmas trees on the river trails. They were a nice surprise.)

So sorry, I have no game this week, just a pic off my front porch as the sun was going down.

Skywatch Friday

LJ the Inquisitive Cat

Meet LJ, short for “Logan Junior.” LJ was a Christmas gift to Logan a few years ago. He is a rescue cat but do you think he is grateful at all. No sir!! We are lucky to have him as far as he is concerned. He is one of those bottom heavy cats who doesn’t like to be picked up and when you go to put him down he jumps away leaving you all scratched and clawed.

I guess that we’ll keep him though. He is a handsome devil. The bane of his existance is Chrissy our big Maine Coon. When she gets into a bad mood she just stomps over and lays into him. It is kind of fun to watch.

YogisDen.us

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