People have asked me why I don’t do covers. My answer has been that I don’t see the point. I don’t play in a cover band, and it’s much more fun to write and record original songs. I started thinking about covers, and I decided it might be a good idea to learn songs I like as it might help to improve my vocals.
Now that I’m letting my hair grow, Longhaired Redneck by David Allen Coe seemed to be a good song for my first cover. Since I’ve been blue from all the pain, my hair is white, and I’m a redneck; I’ve been all-American Red, White, and Blue lately.
Dawn
This is my therapy bunny. I needed a pillow to rest my left arm on at night. But since I don’t have a small pillow that fits on the edge of the bed, I started using the bunny.
Spunk likes to paw the water while the other cats jug.
Springing Forward is my 2024 Daylight Savings Time (DST) protest song (lyrics are below). The song is hyper, so don’t be surprised if you find it annoying, like changing to DST and losing an hour of sleep.
I’m particularly leery of losing an hour of sleep tonight since I’ve been having a lot of trouble with pain over the last several months and don’t always sleep very well. Side note: Laurie has more trouble sleeping than I do. Since last summer, I’ve been trying to get a handle on the pain. I started riding a mountain bike, changed to an anti-inflammatory diet, and lost over 35 pounds. You would think that would help a lot. But not really. I am still having a lot of joint and muscle pain, especially at night. If you noticed, I don’t write as much, don’t comment as much, and mostly write short comments; it’s because of the pain. I have enough trouble typing with numb fingertips, but with all the pain, my typing has gone to hell.
I reached out to my new GP last month and asked her what specialist I needed to see to try and get the pain under control. She had me go in and see her. She put me on Gabapentin at night and gave me some more dietary suggestions. I have a follow-up with her next week. My pain has been down to manageable background pain most of the time during the day for the past few weeks, but I still have issues with pain increasing at night, waking me up and keeping me awake. But it’s much better than it was a few weeks ago.
While it’s a real challenge to play guitar with numb fingertips, it is more of a challenge to play when my fingers are swollen, painful, and don’t want to move. But I play every day, whatever the condition of my hands are and how much I’m hurting elsewhere. My hands have not been as swollen over the past couple of weeks, so I was able to do halfway decent sloppy shredding on my guitar solos I recorded this morning for Springing Forward, above.
Red sky in the morning is an ominous warning about changing to DST and losing an hour of sleep!
Springing Forward, It’s So backward By Timothy Price
(4x) Springing forward It’s so backward
We lose an hour to save some time Springing forward It’s so backward
Body clocks are broken; we’re running behind Springing forward It’s so backward
Moving like zombies, we’re losing our minds Springing forward It’s so backward
We saved an hour by losing time Springing forward It’s so backward
It’s time for DST Lockstep to New Destiny If you thought you were free Don’t change your clock! You will see!
You Fools don’t complain But an hour is really insane The clocks are sacred, can’t you see? We’re not free to mess around
Springing forward. Leave time be It’s so backward. Can’t we see Springing forward. We’re not free To play like gods. You see?
(4x) Springing forward It’s so backward
It’s time again for DST Lockstep to New Destiny If you thought you were free Don’t change your clock! And you will see!
Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price. Vocals and CGI by Teagan Riordain Geneviene.
The lyrics for the song are adapted from a poem I wrote in 2017 when we had nine cats:
We enter the age of Aquarius Clawing at the cuffs of Heaven Fluorine feline in the household A clowder of kitties Infested
Novem gatti Fruits of the Spirit Nine worthies, three of each But who can say which Pagans, Christians, Jews?
All piled together Napping nonagon de gnari Like the symphonies of Beethoven Each plays their way Into our hearts
A naping nonagon de gnari. CGI by Teagan Riordain Geneviene.
The poem is all about Nine: Nine is said to be lucky in Aquarius, and nine is believed to symbolize divine completeness. Fluorine is the atomic number nine, a clowder is a group of cats, and there are nine fruits of the Spirit. Jacques de Longuyon wrote “Voeux du Paon”, a popular 14th-century romance, where he introduced the “Nine Worthies”— three Pagans, three Christians, and three Jews: Hector, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar; King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon; Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabeus — who were historical, legendary and scriptural figures that characterized the ideals of chivalry in the Middle Ages. A nonagon is a nine-sided polygon, and Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.
Ach Nein! Nine Gnari en la Casa. By Timothy Price
[Chorus x2) Ach Nein! Nine Gnari en la casa Mama Mia! C’est la vi
[Verse 1] As we enter The Age of Aquarius Clawing at The cuffs of Heaven
A flock of feline In the household Or are they called A clowder of cats?
[Chorus x2) Ach Nein! Nine Gnari en las casa Mama Mia! C’est la vi
[Verse 2] Nove gatti Fruits of the Spirit Nine worthies Three of each
But who can say which they might be Pagans, Christians Or the Jews?
[Bridge] All piled together One atop the other A naping nonagon de gnari Or you can say But say it with conviction Nine cats napping In a pile
[Chorus x2) Ach Nein! Nine Gnari en las casa Mama Mia! C’est la vi
I thought my latest song, Dick Meets Jane, would be good for Valentine’s Day. Lyrics are at the end of the post.
I have to admit, I hated Valentine’s Day and the “Dick and Jane” books when I was a kid. Valentine’s Day was humiliating, and the “Dick and Jane” books represented a culture that was polar opposite of mine. Something I read triggered the lyrics for the song quite a while ago. With Valentine’s Day approaching, I decided to put them to music.
Dawn
Crescent Moon in the Tangle Heart Tree.
First beaver sighting of 2024
Can you find the pTerodactyl?
Canadian Geese landing in the Rio Grande.
Kissy cranes
Déjà vu all over again!
It looks like the pTer is missing some feathers on his wing. Or perhaps he was given the “Black Spot” by the other pTerodactyls à la “Treasure Island.”
Jupiter and the crescent moon
Tangle heart tree and crescent moon.
Dick Meets Jane By Timothy Price
[Verse 1] I was reading on the trolley when I looked up to see A Goddess of a woman standing right next to me I stood and kindly offered her my seat She blushed as she sat, and I tried not to stare Inviting were her amber eyes, and her smile was so sweet Was it our destiny that we should meet?
[Chorus] Oh Lord, must you do this to me? You temp me with this lovely Lass Don’t you know that I am just way too plain Am I another player in her game?
[Verse 2] We got off at the same stop “Thanks for giving me your seat My name is Jane. Who are you? May I ask?” “So nice to meet you, Jane. Funny, you should ask. My name is Richard, but people call me Dick!” “Dick and Jane!” We both laughed “Are we like the storybook?” We joined hands and skipped along She sang an unfamiliar song
[Chorus] Oh Lord, must you do this to me? You temp me with this lovely Lass She’s a beauty and so divine Is this an act? Will she be mine?
[Bridge] We ducked into a Starbucks Espressos straight-up and black “May I have your number, Dick?” “I’m free can you take me out?” YES! “Yes! You’re a dream come true.”
[Outro] We dated, and we courted. We fell in love, I proposed As Dick and Jane, we got married. Two together apropos We are like a storybook. Lives perfectly aligned Together, we live in bliss, Happily and so divine
[Chorus] Oh Lord, I’m happy you did this to me Tempted with this lovely Lass Now that all my prayers are answered We are living our dream at last
Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price. Vocals by Teagan Riordain Geneviene.
Another year has passed, and the Wolf Moon is on the rise again as the new year begins. I wrote and recorded Wolf Is In The Winter Moon (above) to celebrate the 2024 Wolf Moon. To spare you my bloody awful voice, Teagan Riordain Geneviene @ Teagan’s Books gracious sang, lending her beautiful, smokey and slightly haunting voice to the song. Thank you so much, Teagan. I really appreciate your hard work on recording the vocals. Teagan’s voice is perfect for the song. She had the idea to add the howls underneath the chorus — a brilliant addition. You can find the lyrics at the end of the post.
We say two pTerodactyls flying over the Rio Grande tonight. This one turned around and flew close. I assume he wanted to be included in the celebration of the Wolf Moon.
pTer reflecting under the light of the Wolf Moon
Cranes under the light of the Wolf Moon
Wolf Moon over Resa’s Tree
Wolf Is In The Winter Moon By Timothy Price
[Verse] World of demons manifold and so robust They are possessed and driven by an insatiable lust For blood and power, their egos must be fed Innocent souls of the quick and of the dead Wolf’s in the Winter Moon that’s on the rise again Sheds light on the darkness of a cold and cruel world
[Bridge] Wolf and Moon together work in perfect harmony Wolf and Moon together work to set our spirits free
[Chorus] Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises and glory of the Winter Moon
Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises to bring an end to winter’s gloom
[Verse] Wolf is in the Winter Moon that’s on the rise again Shines its light on darkness as the year begins
[Bridge] Wolf and Moon together work in perfect harmony Wolf and Moon together work to set our spirits free
[Chorus] Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises and glory of the Winter Moon
Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises and glory Wolves howl with praises to bring an end to winter’s gloom
[Outro] Wolves howl with praises and glory of the Winter Moon Wolves howl with praises to bring an end to winter’s gloom
pTerodactyl stands vigil Over a dying pond Reflecting on things to come He saw the writing on the wall
Lyrics and music written and performed by Timothy Price.
Night
Dawn
Dusk
Writing’s On The Wall (Daniel 5:24-28†) By Timothy Price
[Verse] You should beware of the words, man As they were written by a bloodless hand You see, if you don’t change your ways You’ll succumb to what the inscription says
[Chorus] ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ Oh, the writing’s on the wall ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ It’s a prophecy of your fall ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ God is going to end it all ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ He won’t hear you when you call
[Bridge] ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ ‘M’ne!’ — God has counted up your kingdom ‘M’ne!’ — brought it to an end ‘T’kel’ — you’re weighed on the balance ‘T’kel’ — scale and come up short ‘P’res’ — your kingdom’s been divided given Given — to the Medes and the Persians
[Verse] You should beware of the words, man As they were written by a bloodless hand You see, if you don’t change your ways You’ll succumb to what the inscription says
[Chorus] ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ Oh, the writing’s on the wall ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ it’s a prophecy of your fall ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ God is going to end it all M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin’ He won’t hear you when you call
†24 This is why he sent the hand to write this inscription; 25 and the inscription says, ‘M’ne! M’ne! T’kel ufarsin.’ [a]26 This is what it means: ‘M’ne!’ — God has counted up your kingdom and brought it to an end. 27 ‘T’kel’ — you are weighed on the balance-scale and come up short. 28 ‘P’res’ — your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Complete Jewish Bible).
Glenda (foreground), and Gwendolyn (background) are in the catio looking for birthday birds. They were born on July 4, 2020.
Gwendolyn: “Three Years! That makes me like 28 years old!”
Gwendolyn (looking at the camera) and Glenda napping together on the deck.
Glenda reflecting
Spunk wrote a Heavy Metal parody called Death To All But Kitties for Glenda and Gwendolyn for their 3rd birthday. The lyrics are brutal, so dog lovers might not take well to Spunk’s parody. All of the cats dislike dogs, but Gwendolyn despises dogs more than anything. The first time Tristan brought Jake to the house, Gwendoly injured her spine trying to escape the monster dog that invaded her space. Jake only be’d a dog, but he really scared Gwendolyn. She lost the use of her legs for a week from her spinal injury. We were really worried about her. When she has gotten careless jumping on things or playing rough with the other kitties, she has reinjured her spine and again lost mobility in her hind legs. She still high-tails it when Tristan brings the dogs over, but she hasn’t injured herself in over a year.
Death To All But Kitties Lyrics by Spunk Kitty Music by Steel Panther
All right! Meow!
Down with stupid dogs, I’m spraying on the wall They look like shaggy retards licking on their balls Pluto is a fool, and so is Scooby doo Sniffing each other’s butts and rolling in their poo
They lick their butts, and people’s faces with their grody tongues Everybody shout, “Kitties rule! Cats are fun!”
Death to all but kitties Death to all but kitties Death to all but kitties
Death to all Dalmatians. Did you get their gist? They’re whizzing on the fires, getting burnt to a crisp Wearing black polka dots, really stupid critters Eating Tootsie Rolls that we bury in our litter
Where are the Stray Cats? And Sylvester, too? We strut around and act weird; that’s what kitties do
Death to all but kitties Death to all but kitties Death to all but kitties
Kill those dumb old doggies who have a pedigree They can hump on your leg all night; you won’t disagree
Kill sassy Lassie leaving Timmy in the well Kill Old Yeller too. Been done? Oh, what the hell? Screw Lady and the Tramp, death to Red Dog Blue They can do the doggie shag. Wouldn’t that be cool?
Frankenweenie is a drag, Snoopy, don’t come home Let ’em fight it out in a thunder dome
Death to all but kitties Death to all but kitties Death to all but kitties
Venus, Mars, stars, and the Moon aligned last night from lower right to upper left.
The key to the night sky last night from LiveSky.com.
How many flies do flycatchers catch when flycatchers are catching flies? That is a good 17-syllable question. However, I couldn’t get a Timku out of the question as it is phrased. I made a couple of gifs and wrote and recorded a silly song to go with the gifs, and made a music video instead of a Timku.
This lizard ran up ahead of me and stopped in a sliver of shade and looked at me. When it saw its reflection in the Bazooka, it came back toward me to challenge the lizard in the lens. I had to back up because it got too close for me to focus. It did push-ups for the challenge.
WARNING! Psychodilic features a Psycho Kitty, a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, a Black Mamba, and colorful psychedelic patterns and holes that move in a regular, irregular fashion. The lyrics are nonsensical, as well. If you have tendencies toward Ailurophobia Psychopathesis (Fear of Psychopathic Cats), Ophidiophobia (Fear of Snakes), Trypophobia (Fear of clustered patterns of irregular holes), or Emetophobia (fear of vomiting), you might want to take a pass on viewing the above music video, and simply enjoy the photo of the sunset below.
Psychodelic Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price
[Chorus] Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la
Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
[Verses] Psycho kitty drives me crazy Psycho colors are so hazy Psychopathic’s normal say How can we live this way
Psycho kitty drives me crazy Psycho-spastic, I’m not lazy Psychopathy’s here to stay How can we live this way
Shaking like a rattlesnake I don’t even hesitate Feeling how it resonates I bite the viper’s tongue
Shaking like a rattlesnake You know I hallucinate How it makes me salivate I bite the viper’s tongue
[chorus] Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la
Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
[Bridge] See, Black Mambas are biting on my legs I’m still alive how can that be Their snaky licks, oh, how they tickle Keep your fangs to yourself I don’t want to die this way
Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
[Guitar Solo]
Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
[Verses] Psycho kitty drives me crazy Psycho colors are so hazy Psychopathic’s normal say How can we live this way
Psycho kitty drives me crazy Psycho-spastic, I’m not lazy Psychopathy’s here to stay How can we live this way
Shaking like a rattlesnake I don’t even hesitate Feeling how it resonates I bite the viper’s tongue
Shaking like a rattlesnake You know I hallucinate How it makes me salivate I bite the viper’s tongue
[Chorus/Outro] Psycho Kitty Psycho Kitty
Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la Spunk Kitty La la la la
If you don’t want to listen to the new song (it’s hard rock/metal) about the new abnormal, you can simply enjoy the photo of the sliver moon and Venus hanging out together in the clouds last night.
While I was cleaning out my address book of people who have died or simply disappeared over the past three years, I realized that outside of my family and work, I have only a few real, in-the-flesh friends in town who I rarely see. I started thinking about how my physical world has grown so small, how the powers that be work hard to keep the world in turmoil, and while their mouthpieces and talking heads in the popular press speak of the “new normal” it’s really the “new abnormal” that is being shoved down our throats. For better or worse, it inspired a new song.
New Abnormal Lyrics and Music by Timothy Price
[verse] I’ve watched my world as it’s grown so small I sit, I stare, as I listen to The Wall I would like to break bottles in the hall But plastic bottles won’t break at all. I’m feeling spastic I’m all alone My world is dreary no one’s home
[Chorus] Will we ever be normal again? Can we say what normal has been? The new abnormal is tearing us asunder They divide us up as they plunder.
[verse] The hand of doom it pleases me Mother Mary, can you set me free? “Man, oh man, you sinned indeed! Maybe that’s why you can’t see!” I may be blind my cross-eyed Mary But the world I see is desolate and scary
[Chorus] Will we ever be normal again? Can we say what normal has been? The new abnormal is tearing us asunder They divide us up as they plunder.
[Bridge] All my friends have disappeared Pandemic lockdowns made us weird Thinking each other is deranged Now we are ideologically estranged Isolation made us rage We took it in, we felt the pain Masked like bandits, identities were lost Now we’re strangers. Was it worth the cost?
[Outro] Will we ever be normal again? They said our norms were mortal sins Their new abnormal will save us any bother They divide us up
Will we ever be normal again? They said our norms were mortal sins Their new abnormal will save us any bother They divide us up.
Off Center & Not Even 