Carolingian Minuscule Anyone?

I don’t suppose these young Renaissance enthusiasts changed the fonts in their instant messengers to Carolingian minuscule for texting while in character. Carolingian minuscule was developed in the middle ages (the “Dark Ages” to the Renaissance humanists) during the reign of Charlemagne, but those very humanists thought that the Carolingian minuscule script was so beautiful that it had come from their beloved Roman Empire. So much so, that the humanists mistook old Carolingian manuscripts from the 8th and 9th centuries as original ancient Roman manuscripts. Since the humanists failed in their backward quest to restore the glory of the Roman Empire, the Renaissance didn’t happen as it was supposed to. Scientific inquiry, experimentation, and observation, theology, economics, education, etc. of the time proved that so many things from the Roman Empire were wrong, “the Renaissance” is the high middle ages and the early modern period. However, it seems to me young people in costume, on their phones texting at a Renaissance Faire is true to the Renaissance.

Protodawn, predawn, dawn

Purple Stain

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*:

  1. Conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern: characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine.
  2. According with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, procedure, or principle.
  3. Approximating the statistical average or norm.
  4. Generally free from physical or mental impairment or dysfunction: exhibiting or marked by healthy or sound functioning.
  5. Not exhibiting defect or irregularity.
  6. 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.

*https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal

Life’s Habit

Life’s Habit
Music: Jefferson Airplane
Lyrics: Timothy Price

One bill makes you wonder
And one Bill makes you sad
And the bill for the electric
Only makes you mad
Was in Corrales
When I took the call

When climbing walls becomes a habit
And there’s no paper in the stall
You dream of hula and smoking hot chicks
You have nothing left at all
To call Corrales
Where I take my calls

You see those men on the surfboard
Hang ten got it all on GoPro
They crash and burn like Max Headroom
Now their moving very slow
Was in Corrales
I had seen the show

Sympathy nor restoration
Dialog cut off is dead
And the dark nights reel us backwards
And feeling mad about what’s ahead
Remember simple words you said
“Try peace instead, try peace instead”

Beauties and the Trees

Resa posted Art Gowns ~ Femme Finale at https://wp.me/p3qQOA-2qQ yesterday. She has used her tree, Holly’s tree, and Marina’s tree in her Princess Blue Holly (PDH) series set in Paris, France. PBH battles Evilomlap to save the Art Gown models from his dastardly evil plans. Resa’s drawings are delightful, and her stories lots of fun. Her Art Gowns are fabulous works of art. The celebrates Resa, Princess Blue Holly, and all the Art Gown models, I’ve posted an aerial photograph that shows where all the trees all the women bloggers have claimed are on our property and the surrounding area. I also included the location of the tree that both owlets are in. Big Baby Owl flew over last night and the two owlets where so happy to be reunited after being apart for almost two weeks.

Trees

The mosaic below shows all the trees that are in the above aerial image. Mouse over the photos of the trees to match them to the aerial map:

 

Below are a series of roses from our garden. I did not identify the roses.

La Llorona

I haven’t posted a parody in quite a long time. I’m sure there are many people who think it would be just fine if I never posted another parody. But life presses on, and I love making parodies, so another one has come to fruition. Besides, I could not let this opportunity for a parody pass me by.

It all started on New Years Day when Wade came over for black-eyed peas. We prepare and eat black-eyed peas every New Years Day for good luck (Laurie does most of the cooking). Wade and I went for a walk to Beaver point. Wade had never been to the river in Corrales, and he noticed the jetties along the riverbank. He commented that the river bank looked like Normandy with the large, jacks-shaped iron jetties along the edge of the river.

While I was explaining how the jetties were installed by the Conservancy for flood control, I pointed out a knot in one of the large cables that used to run through a line of jetties. I explained that La Llorona was the only one around here who had enough strength to tie a knot in a 1 1/4 steel cable. Wade asked “Who? I’ve never heard of La Llorona. Is she like ‘My Sharona?'” I said no, but realized at that moment that La Llorona was a perfect parody for “My Sharona”. You may know the song by The Knack? I was surprised I hadn’t put La Llorona and “My Sharona” together before now. It’s such an obvious fit. I wrote the lyrics and recorded the parody of The Knack’s music the next day. But it took a lot of thinking before I came up with an idea for a video.

It might have been right around Epiphany that I had an epiphany to employ Lego® figurines for La Llorona and her children. I knew we still had a lot of Legos out in the infinite shed of doom, so I plunged in and found some Lego figurines that were more than happy to play the parts. I also used photos of Muertas from Albuquerque’s annual Dia de los Muertos Marigold Parade in the video.

La Llorona

Lyrics: Timothy Price
Music: The Knack
Vocals AWB

Ooo, she lost her little ones, her little ones
When she drowned them in the ditch, la Llorona!
Ooo, then she tried to run, tried to run
Turned around and killed herself, la Llorona.

Never stops looking, gave them up, crying all the time
She can’t give them up, her wet embrace will break your spine
Cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!

L-l-l-la Llorona

Come a little closer, she drown you in the ditch
Close enough to scratch your eyes, la Llorona
She is a mystery, always crying, look and see
Running down the ditch she shrieks on high, Llorona

Never stops looking, gave them up, crying all the time
She can’t give them up, her wet embrace will break your spine
Cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!

L-l-l-la Llorona
L-l-l-la Llorona (Yeah!)

When’s she going to give it up, give it up
She’s just crying all the time, la Llorona
Is it just infanticide, infanticide
Or is it murder in your mind, Llorona?

Never stops looking, gave them up, crying all the time
She can’t give them up, her wet embrace will break your spine
Cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!
C-c-c-c-c-c-c-cry, cry, cry, cry-cry, woo!

L-l-l-la Llorona
L-l-l-la Llorona
L-l-l-la Llorona
L-l-l-la Llorona

Aaaaah-oooh, la Llorona
Aaaaah-oooh, la Llorona
Aaaaah-oooh, la Llorona

Here’s some “My Sharona” trivia: “My Sharona”  was recorded in a single take in the studio and released on the album “Get The Knack” in June 1979. It sold over a half a million copies in record time for the 70s, and became the fastest Capital Record debut to reach gold since the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964.