Silence is Golden

Silence is golden and because it is, I'm going to make this a wordless post. Starting riiiiight... now!

What's Puzzling You is the Nature of My Game

Just for fun, and because winter is long and boring, I thought I'd try something new for this blog post. Maybe not so new because I've done this sort of thing before but none of you fine people were coming around to read at that time, so for all intents and purposes, we'll say that it's new.

I'm still presenting some of my usual photos - because that's what I do - but they'll have nothing to do with the rest of the content.

The photos were snapped on two different days in lovely, late January afternoon sunshine.

Have a look beneath each image and you'll see a familiar (hopefully) lyrical snippet from a song. There are twelve images and twelve different songs represented. Can you figure out what all of the songs have in common?

First, you might want to discover which songs are represented (that's not the challenge, so feel free to allow Google to help you with that part) and then you might determine what they have in common.

I'm going to turn the moderation feature on just for this post, so your guesses will not appear for a while. Any incorrect or unrelated comments will show up as soon as I notice the alert. I'll post the correct answer along with the names of those who got it right (and the rest of the comments) in a few days. Have fun!





1) "Crimson flames tied through my ears."






2) "All in a dream, all in a dream The loading had begun. They were flying Mother Nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun."






3) "Don't cry. Don't raise your eye."






4) "What a field day for the heat. A thousand people in the street."






5) "I am yours. You are mine. You are what you are."






6) "McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher in L.A. You know where that's at. And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass."






7) "The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands."






8) "Too late, my time has come. Sends shivers down my spine. Body's aching all the time."






9) "Found my coat and grabbed my hat. Made the bus in seconds flat."






10) "Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"






11) "Yeah, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles."






12) "Pisces, Virgo rising is a very good sign."

Remember that comment moderation will be on just for this post. Your guesses will be published in a few days. Comments without guesses (or incorrect guesses) will appear as soon as I receive the notification.

So tell me, what do the above songs have in common?

Milkweed

Milkweed
©2009 by Rolland G. Smith

I wonder when our lives are done,
If there is something past the Sun?
I feel it in a pod display
And see it in its light array.

The wings of down sustain the life
When endings burst in seeming strife.
There must be more beyond the pod
When usefulness becomes the sod.

Angelic seeds will take its flight
Upon the breeze of day or night.
And start anew in place supreme
To let the soul expand its dream.

Permission to post this poem was kindly granted by Rolland G. Smith.

Please watch this one minute video of him narrating his lovely poem.

You can also visit his website and blog.

The Seedy Side

Autumn is a time of abundance.

Birds happily feed on seed which Frank spreads around his place. This sweet little chickadee enjoyed the feast.

The creatures are quite cooperative and as soon as the chickadee flew off, this adorable chipmunk took over.

He wasn't alone. A few feet to the right, his buddy was getting ready to fill his cheeks with premium bird seed.

Nature has her own way of spreading seed around. This is the pods of the Indian Balsam flower, photographed shortly after a rainfall.

The lightest touch will cause them to pop open and scatter their seeds. This is why they're also known as Touch Me Nots.

Cedar seeds are very lightweight and by late September they're scattered all over the place with even a gentle wind. These landed on the frosted glass top of the patio table.

An unknown (to me) seed, up close and personal.

I took the macro lens out around the fields near Frank's place, one day. I enjoyed taking photos of what has become one of my new favourite subjects - milkweed seeds. These recently escaped from the pod.

I love its silky, white hair which glistens in the late-day sunlight.

Today's seed, drifting in the wind becomes next year's flower for butterflies, once again.

Thanks for joining me on the seedy side.

On A Country Road

I guess I'm officially in spring/summer mode. Lately I've been scrambling to get blog posts out, I am often remiss about responding to your comments and I tend to be visiting your blogs less frequently. I sometimes catch up only to find myself way behind again just two days later.

The good weather means I'm enjoying the outdoors more, clicking the camera more and will have more photos to share. The downside is that I have less time to visit and comment on your own fine posts. Posts of the week will continue as long as I have at least a few to share. That too may suffer through this season of fine weather, outings and time spent away from home. I hope you understand my sporadic visits.

Below are a few scenes which caught my eye when I took a stroll down a country road, leaving the fishing to Frank and his son.

Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

I like fences of all shapes and sizes. This simple wire fence beside a knotted tree just caught my attention. It just seemed right on a lazy, hazy country day.

A good neighbor is a fellow who smiles at you over the back fence, but doesn't climb over it. ~ Arthur Baer

Another roadside fence, with a canoe ready for portage to the waters just across the road. You can see that a young artist lives at this home - a bright red chalkboard at the ready for some colourful creations.

Give me a fruitful error anytime, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. ~ Vilfredo Pareto

An interesting seed pod in the middle of a vine-like growth. I have no idea what it might be but I liked its swirls and colours.

If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then unto me. ~ William Shakespeare

A pair of milkweed pods, complete with feathery seeds willing to perpetuate this plant's life.

Always write angry letters to your enemies. Never mail them. ~ James Fallows

A bright red mailbox, reflected in a puddled country road. I wonder if there was happy news within, or did they just get bills like the rest of us?

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness. ~ William Arthur Ward

There were at least two dozen cut trees close to the edge of the road along the half-mile or so stretch where I walked. I'm not sure why. This stump stood out because it appeared to be winking and smiling at me - kind of like a typed smiley, like this... ;)

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This was a drive-by shooting, on our way home. There was a car behind us and Frank couldn't stop. You can see part of the back, side window at the bottom of the image. The door leads to a tiny, over-packed shop, filled with yard sale-like items. I know that because we've stopped by for a visit in the past.

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms who celebrate this day, here in North America. I'll have more photos for you in a few days.