Smoky
Month: June 2019
Of Tractors & Pterodactyls
A tractor was out plowing a field and making lots of dust in the cool of the evening. The wind blew the dust over the clearwater ditch and into the bosque. Mr pT, a pterodactyl formerly known as a Great blue Heron, was wading in the clearwater ditch, took flight, and flew through the dust into the bosque.
Pop-top FDC
Neuropathic Mambo
I wrote this song for my buddy Inchcock at Inchcock Today: Old, sick, weary, but harmless. I need to make others smile!, the dynamic pensioner in Nottingham, England, who had a stroke a couple of months ago. Since he’s been writing about the involuntary moving, shaking and dancing of his arms, legs and fingers, and the electrical shocks that run through his limbs since the stroke, I promised to write him a song about the issues. I spent most of Father’s Day writing, assembling and recording Neutopathic Mambo, as I know all about the electrical shocks and vibrations from dying nerves, as I still get them from the nerve damage caused by chemo. As I’ve noted in the past, I also have numb toes and fingertips, as well. But Inchcock and I are not ones to complain, other than making fun of our conditions, because like my doctor told me — “The annoyance of some nerve damage is better than the alternative.” Since Inchcock made it out of the stroke ward alive, he was told others who were in the stroke ward at the same as him did not live, he’s made a great recovery. I believe his fantastic recovery has a lot to do with his drive to entertain his followers with his daily descriptions of woe and wonderment of his life in Nottingham, not to mention his updates on his unmentionables and daily constitutionals.
Neuropathic Mambo
Lyrics by Timothy Price
Digital percussion and music assembled and arranged by Timothy Price
When the legs go dancing on their own
Electric feelings shock my bones
Arms all flailing, fingers shake and role
Bumping and grinding out a neuropathic mambo
Shaking
Shocking
neuro pathic mambo
Shocking
Shaking
My knees get weak and start a shake
My arms go limp and then they quake
I stub my toe Ouch I’m still alive
Instead of Typing, my fingers do the hand jive
Shocking
Shaking
neuro pathic mambo
Shocking
Shaking
When the legs start dancing on their own
Electric feelings shock my bones
Arms all flailing, fingers shake and role
Bumping and grinding out a neuropathic mambo
Shaking, shocking, bumping out a mambo
Shaking, shocking, bumping out a neuropathic mambo
Shaking, shocking, bumping out a neuropathic mambo
Shaking, shocking, bumping out a neuropathic mambo
The Boot
Male Queen
This is a male Queen Butterfly feeding on purple wildflowers in the bosque. You can tell he’s a male by the black, teardrop shaped spots on the lower inside of his wings that are pheromone scales. Unlike Monarch butterflies that don’t use pheromones to attract mates, the Queens do.
Turkey Lurking in the Weeds
A turkey’s lurking in the weeds
I think she sees me, yes indeed
That’s alright miss turkey lurk
I’ll leave you be to dust and scratch
I’ll leave you to your turkey work
Trackside Table
An American Tourister on Old Route 66
Radio?
When I told Spunk the exciting news about Felder Rushing asking permission to play Spunk’s song, Dumpsta-Spunk Meowing at the Half Moon, for the “cheesy tune of the week” section on his radio program called The Gestalt Gardener that airs on NPR on Friday and Saturday mornings each week, Spunk just gave me his look of (see above) “Felder??? Radio??? NPR??? Cheesy??? What the catnip are you talking about?” I forgot that Spunk is a Cyber kitty whose main reference to the airwaves is WiFi and Kitty ESP. After I explained that “cheesy” is like “cool”, and that Felder Rushing has a “cool”, but not “cheesy”, website/blog called Felder Rushing’s Blog: Gardening Wisdom and Whimsy, and that he gives “unique keynote lectures, workshops, and informal garden talks, coast to coast, for Master Gardeners (national, regional, and state levels), garden clubs, horticulture societies, botanic gardens, universities, library groups, banquets, and even ‘spouse entertainment’ events at various non-gardening conventions.”, Spunk was much more impressed, but he still doesn’t get the parts about radio and cheesy.
Felder learned about my blog from Susan Rushton. Susan and I have followed each other’s blogs for a long time. Susan does fantastic photos of the most interesting flowers and gardens. Susan’s blog is Susan Rushton: Celebrating gardens, nature, photography and a creative life.
Off Center & Not Even 