Purple Stain
As with most parodies, Purple Stain started out to be humorous. However, the lyrics took a turn toward the more serious aspects of life. Purple Stain was inspired by Holly at House of Heart in the Fall of 2020 when we were commenting back and forth on images and poetry. I thought for a long time about how to do a video to go with the song. I finally worked it out.
Many of us don’t fit “Normal” as defined by Miriam Webster*:
- Conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern: characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine.
- According with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, procedure, or principle.
- Approximating the statistical average or norm.
- Generally free from physical or mental impairment or dysfunction: exhibiting or marked by healthy or sound functioning.
- Not exhibiting defect or irregularity.
- Within a range considered safe, healthy, or optimal.
For we who have fallen outside almost all of the above definitions of “normal” at one time or another throughout our lifetimes for various reasons that are often outside of our control, we have dealt with “normal” people who do not understand the issues surrounding the problems we have had, problems we have to deal with continually, and the problem of being different and trying to fit into a “normal” world.
Purple Stain
By Timothy Price
Inspired by Holly Rene Hunter
Cleverly we put off until tomorrow
Wearily the things that make us go insane
Fondly running into the waves and splashing
Fondly raising our glasses, waking with a purple stain
Purple stain, Purple stain
Are we insane? So insane
Purple rain, Purple stain
So here we are scrubbing and washing out that purple stain.
Forever longing wanting to be like others
Our sensitivities make us like the strangest friends
Unfortunately we feel our sensibilities are plundered
Again the same our glasses raised as we pretend
Purple stain, Purple stain
Are we insane? So insane
Purple stain, Purple stain
Funny how we see, we see how things are changing purple stain
You and I we need to live as two
Look! Something new
That time we had to greet her
She stared at us like we’re insane
I thought you were going to lose it
As it was all about it was all about our purple stain
Purple stain, Purple stain
Are we insane? So insane
Yeah!
Let’s get us out of here purple oh the pain
Walking hand in hand
We only want, we only want our sanity
We only want our sanity

Storm clouds built up in the early afternoon, with a constant rumble of thunder as the clouds rolled in. I took the above photo at 1:30 pm and the temperature was 81ºF (27.2ºC). Thirty minutes later the clouds pelted us with hail and heavy rain that lasted for thirty minutes or so. The temperature fell to 55ºF (12.7ºC) in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, our poor peonies got beaten up by the hail.