A few days ago, I saw the most spectacular sight as I rounded a curve. A sheet of weather hung in front of my mountain. At first I thought, Oh no! Smoke! Then I realized it was a "local rain shower." What a sight! Then, as I checked my mail, I noticed that my rainbow was back. I looked up again, and the rainbow was double! Whoa! I really will stay put. No more talk of moving for me.
I'll admit I've been hiding under a rock as far as popular music since the early 70s is concerned. Once I got married, I didn't listen to much radio anymore, except for the occasional children's program. Therefore, I never latched onto any single singers or "groups" since Neil Diamond and The Monkees. Yeah, I'm that old.
When I moved up here to the mountains, my radio choice was limited to one station. Very recently that has expanded to three (the original AM and two upstart FMs), but the point is, country and western music is the commonest fare here.
I know the names of the regulars: Alan Jackson (who is my favorite), Clint Black, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, etc. A group name popped out of the radio a couple of months ago: Asleep at the Wheel. I was intrigued, but discovered that WalMart didn't carry any of their albums. I went online and researched the group, but didn't order any of their albums at that time.
Then a friend sent me an email with a patriotic song by Diamond Rio. The email lamented that the song--a standing-ovation favorite of audiences at concerts--wouldn't get any airtime being Uberpatriotic, and therefore wasn't released. I found out that it indeed did show up on their Greatest Hits II album (the email must have been making the rounds on the Internet for a while), and I had to have it.
Back online I went, and this time I ordered an album by Asleep at the Wheel as well as the album by Diamond Rio. AATW has been around for 31 years! How did I miss it? Great group! I don't know how long DR has been around, but I regret all my rock-hiding years.
One of the Diamond Rio songs I've been enjoying is Sweet Summer, which brings me to the whole point of this blog. Summer is winding down up here. Evenings are cooling off, and mornings are too. Fall is coming, and winter is right behind it. Soon I'll have to put away the fans, break out the flannel nightgowns, quilts, and space heaters, and make sure my gas fireplace is ready to go.
Next month the highway ice warning signs will be released from their summer prison, bolted up with blank faces. Word is going around that we're in for a wet winter (thanks be to God!), so I'll become more experienced in driving on snow or ice, which I don't particularly look forward to, due to the risk of accidents, but there you go. Ice and snow and accident risks come with the pleasure of living up here, and that can't be beat.
Which is your favorite season of the year? Do you love holing up in winter, greeting the newness of spring, getting out and about in summer, or enjoying the change of colors in fall?
I like fall. It's the end of the heat and the beginning of the cool, but not too cool. It's the time to start making holiday plans, deciding what gifts to buy and meals to serve, a time to take a deep breath before gearing up to do it all over again. Spring is a little soggy for me, summer is too hot, and winter is full of gray snow scooped up on the side of the road. Give me fall any time.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Tristi. I love the colored leaves, which are new to me, having lived most of my life where the seasons are Hot and Hotter.
ReplyDeleteI'm an autumn person too. I love all the seasons for one reason or another but Fall is the time of year I like best. It probably has something to do with the kids going back to school, but I also love home canning, sleeping with the window open and watching the leaves change. I used to think I'd love to live in California, but I would really miss the four seasons we get in Utah. I better stay here :-)
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