Dinner @ Dave & Donna's

David and Donna usually have their Polish version of Easter dinner on Easter Sunday but this year there were some scheduling conflicts and they had the dinner party on Saturday evening instead. That was fine for us as we weren't going anywhere. We probably would have been in Philly with Kate and the kids if not for my recent eye surgeries.

It was a wonderful meal as usual with that Polish flair. I had a big plate full of the pork schnitzel, grilled Polish sausages, kraut and potato perogies and a lot of other stuff including some nice veggies including a good green beans dish. Becky made an asparagus and peppers dish. I wish I took a photo of my full plate.

We left with a big container of leftovers too. 

Of course there was the Gaspar Special desert table that was a big hit as always. There were some amazing deserts laid out there including Becky's chocolate chip cookies with M&Ms on the top. Donna had an assortment of her great cookies and there was a nice pile of candies too.

There were a lot of people there. 18 all total. I had lots of nice conversations. I spent a lot of time with Tom and sat next to him at dinner. We talked a lot and I could see and feel his struggles. Diane wasn't there because she was recovering from a medical procedure. Eric brought Tom to the dinner and drove him home afterward. I had a nice talk with Joe and Lori. Joe wants to be included the next time me and Dave walk down to the PM for a couple of beers. I had a talk with Any and her daughter Natalie who is 15 now. We talked about music and Natalie is getting into it just like her mother. I asked her about her favorite new band and she immediately said boygenius and was surprised when I said I had albums by the three members of that supergroup... Phoebe Bridges, Julian Baker and that my favorite was Lucy Dacus. I then asked her what her favorite old band was and she immediately said The Velvet Underground. She was very excited when I said I saw them a couple of times in concert back in the 60's and I had all their albums. Amy was excited too.

I had fun hanging outside with Dave and Joe while Dave was grilling the sausage.

The Lockers

I woke up from a dream about lockers. It didn't make sense. A little later it got me thinking about my experience with lockers throughout my life. We had our own lockers in high school for storing our books and coats. I remember mine vividly from North Catholic and the  Each year you got a new locker. I think my first experience with lockers was at the Germantown Boys Club and the swimming pool there. When you went there to go swimming you first waited in a line to get a locker to put your clothes in while at the pool. I went to that swimming pool regularly for many years.

Perhaps my most intense experience with lockers was in the Navy. In our barracks we always had a locker for your uniforms and personal belongings. Later that's where we kept our civilian clothes too. The lockers onboard our ships were a little different. They were part of the bunk. They were often called coffin lockers or racks. The mattress area lifted up and our locker was under the bunk area. That is unless you had the top bunk and then you had a regular standup locker instead of the bunk locker.

A lot of people use lockers when going to the gym or some club for playing golf. I haven't done anything like that in decades.

Just the other day I used a locker. Now I'm using medical lockers. I was having a scan of my injured shoulder and I was given access to a locker for my stuff along with a key. After the procedure I went back to the locker for my clothes and stuff. I guess we use lockers our entire lives.

Driving Without Glasses

I ran some errands yesterday and it was the first time in my life I drove a car without wearing glasses... oh, I did try out driving with my new big black freebee sunglasses the nurse gave me. It did feel a little weird but I could really see well. Much better than I have the past year or so. My eyes have a ways to go for a full recovery.

Today I had an eye doctor appointment out on Sheridan Drive at 8 am. I was on the road a little before 7:30. It was a quick and easy drive because it was Good Friday and there wasn't much traffic on the roads. I did run into some serious early morning sunrise glare when I was driving toward the sun. These sunglasses were absolutely necessary because of that very intense glare.

It was much better driving home. No glare at all. 

Heaven Must Be There - Songs 1984 FV

Heaven must be there. That was a nice one hit wonder song and a good pick to start this mix of more songs in my collection from albums released in 1984. Again this is mostly new wave songs and a few other pop songs both hits and deep cuts. I played a lot of this stuff bacj in the day from that sound booth too.

Heaven Must Be There - Songs 1984 FV

1. Heaven (Must Be There) - Eurogliders       
2. Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream) - The Icicle Works        
3. You've Got Everything Now - The Smiths   
4. Middle Of The Road - Pretenders
5. Thieves Like Us - New Order 
6. Blue Jean - David Bowie        
7. A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing) - Romeo Void        
8. Cherry Bomb - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts  
9. I Want You Back - Hoodoo Gurus    
10. Turn To You - The Go-Go's   
11. Heaven - The Psychedelic Furs       
12. Spiritwalker - The Cult 
13. Amplifier - The dB's     
14. Silver (Tidal Wave) - Echo & The Bunnymen         
15. Easy Does - Let's Active        
16. All The Things She Gave Me - The Waterboys      
17. Love Inside You - Box Of Frogs       
18. Don't Give It Up Now - Lyres  
19. East Of Eden - Big Country         
20. What's She Done To Your Mind - The Rain Parade         
21. Sharkey's Day - Laurie Anderson     
22. Nobody Told Me - John Lennon       

Some Bad Wine

We had Becky's cousin over an evening last week. She stopped by for a couple of hours and brought a bottle of wine. She was excited about bringing a bottle of Barefoot merlot. That brand is a well known bad wine but is cheap.

Becky was drinking some soda water and I had an NA beer. Val had two glasses of wine. I had no desire to have any of that wine. The bottle sat on the counter for a week without either of us touching it. I was tempted a couple of times because I generally like red wine but I opened the cork and the wine smelled bad. 

There was a lot left in the bottle. We should have had Val take it home with her but we just were not thinking about the wine when she was leaving. It was just going to go really bad sitting around the house. I took this photo and then I poured it down the sink. It really did stink and I had to flush the sink with lots of hot water. Then I took the empty bottle outside and put it in the recycle container.

I remember that at our neighborhood weekly Wine on Wednesday get togethers it is always a joke when someone brings a bottle of Barefoot. It doesn't happen very often but people do tend to avoid those bottles. It's some kind of joke that on their bottles they have a slogan... "Most Awarded Wine Brand". LOL.

Could It Be - Late Night Soul FV

This is the fourth Final Versions mostly 70's soul mix. It also runs for about an hour and a half like all of the FV mixes and starts off with Could It Be I'm Falling In Love by The Spinners. Like the previous mixes from this series it has a lot of my favorite songs from many of my favorite soul artist of the late 1960's and early 1970's. This set starts to get into the dance party mood and anticipates the the Late Night Soul of the next group of mixes which get really funky.

Could It Be - Late Night Soul FV

1. Could It Be I’m Falling In Love – The Spinners, 1973
2. Lookin’ For A Love – Bobby Womack , 1974
3. That Lady (Part 1 & 2) - The Isley Brothers, 1973
4. Why Did You Have To Desert Me? – Taj Mahal, 1974
5. Respect Yourself – The Staple Singers, 1972
6. Smiling Faces Sometimes – The Undisputed Truth, 1971
7. Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone – The Temptations, 1972
8. Goin’ To See My Baby – The Fatback Band, 1971
9. She’s Not Just Another Woman – The 8th Day, 1971
10. Superstition – Stevie Wonder, 1972
11. I Like Your Lovin’ (Do You Like Mine) – The Chi-Lites, 1970
12. Wear It On Our Face – The Dells, 1968
13. I Want You Back – The Jackson 5, 1969
14. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone – Aretha Franklin, 1968
15. Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life) - The Four Tops, 1970
16. Snatching It Back – Clarence Carter, 1969
17. Turn Back The Hands Of Time – Tyrone Davis, 1970
18. We Got More Soul – Dyke & The Blazers, 1969
19. I’m A Midnight Mover – Wilson Pickett, 1968
20. Do What You Want – Billy Preston, 1969
21. Give Me Just A Little More Time – Chairmen of the Board, 1970
22. River Deep, Mountain High – The Four Tops & The Supremes, 1970
23. Family Affair – Sly & The Family Stone, 1971
24. Groove Me – King Floyd, 1970
25. Get Up (I Feel Like A Sex Machine) – James Brown, 1970

Coles Tonight

Becky and I decided to go out for dinner tonight. We wanted something simple like good sandwiches. Pub food. We went to one of our old favorites, a regular place for a good meal and a place for some interesting beers. So it was over to Elmwood Avenue after parking at our usual spot on Potomac Ave. Coles. 

Becky had a chicken finger Buffalo tortilla wrap with fries. I had a Clancy Sandwich which is roast beef with melted provolone, peppers and onions on garlic bread with a side of au jus.  Some really delicious fries too. 

I had two beers. A Patty's Irish Ale from Rohrbach Brewery and then a Pseudo Sue Pale Ale from Toppling Goliath Brewery. Becky had an Athletic Brewery NA.

As usual we had a very good server and this young lady was very talkative and seemed to enjoy our company. We certainly enjoyed hers. 

Cole's continues to be one of our favorite restaurants. We think it would be a good idea to take Sara and whoever is with her when they come to Buffalo for the eclipse event.

Trump's Bible

 “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”― James Waterman Wise from The Christian Century 1936

Trump is selling bibles to raise money for his criminal activities. He is such a pathetic lowlife and will stoop to any kind of scam or con. He even had a fund raising ad with his bible where he talks about "making America pray again". It's amazing how many suckers there are in this country.

It's also pretty amazing that this antichrist is doing such a scam on Holy Week. I heard that Trump selling bibles is like Satan baptizing infants.

March Chamber Music Concert

We went to a wonderful chamber music concert tonight with the Takacs Quartet. It may have been the best show of the series so far this year. The final piece Beethoven's String Quartet No. 8 was spectacular. The playing ability of the musicians was amazing.

A Matter of Time - Songs 1984 FV

This another reworking of my Songs 1984 series of mixes featuring songs from albums in my collection released in 1984. Forty years ago. There was a similar mix with the same name created in 2017 that shared some of the songs but was also different in many ways. Shorter too. It has some hits and some deep cuts like all of my mixes in these Songs by Year mixes. All the mixes in this current series run about an hour and a half. Another personal view of a year in music.

This mix also contains songs that I regularly played in the sound booth of the Pastime Lounge in the mid 1980s. It was a lot of fun.

A Matter of Time - Songs 1984 FV

1. A Matter of Time - Los Lobos 
2. Talking In My Sleep - The Rain Parade       
3. Just Friends - Beat Rodeo     
4. This Charming Man - The Smiths     
5. All I Need Is Everything - Aztec Camera     
6. I'm On Fire - Bruce Springsteen       
7. It's My Life - Talk Talk  
8. Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2    
9. When Doves Cry - Prince       
10. Forever Young - Alphaville     
11. Careless Whisper - Wham!    
12. I Just Called To Say I Love You - Stevie Wonder  
13. I Used To Say I Love You - Robyn Hitchcock        
14. Once In A Very Blue Moon - Nanci Griffith  
15. It's All Over Now Baby Blue - Marianne Faithfull    
16. Aloysius - Cocteau Twins       
17. Waters Part - Let's Active       
18. I Guess I'm Just A Little Too Sensitive - Orange Juice     
19. Ivory Tower - The Long Ryders        
20. (Don't Go Back To) Rockville - R.E.M.        
21. Why Can't I Have You - The Cars     
22. Doctor! Doctor! - The Thompson Twins       

3 Body Problem - TV Series

I just finished watching the new Netflix science fiction series 3 Body Problem and enjoyed it very much. I read the novel several years ago during the early days of the pandemic. I think I liked the television series much better. After reading that book I had no great urge to read the other two books in the series. Now I will.

Moments in Love - Songs 1984 FV

This was the first mix in the original Songs 1984 series I put together in 2017 which was actually based on a much earlier CD mix from the 90's. They all began with the Art of Noise classic Moments in Love and ran about an hour. This new mix is part of my Final Version series and runs for about an hour and a half as they are do in the series. This mix here is mostly new wave, synth pop and jangle pop. These are also songs that I played in the sound booth of the Pastime Lounge during the mid 1980's. These songs were all mostly hits and not many deep cuts.

Moments in Love - Songs 1984 FV

1. Moments in Love - Art of Noise       
2. Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins         
3. Everything She Wants - Wham!       
4. Out Of Touch - Hall & Oates  
5. I Would Die 4 U - Prince        
6. You're The Best Thing - The Style Council  
7. I Wanna Be Loved - Elvis Costello/Attractions...    
8. What Is Love? - Howard Jones        
9. Drive - The Cars
10. Show Me - Pretenders 
11. Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions  
12. So. Central Rain - R.E.M.      
13. A Spy in the House of Love - The dB's        
14. No More Words - Berlin
15. Hang On To Your Love - Sade         
16. Love Resurrection - Alison Moyet     
17. I Love You Love Me Love - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
18. The More You Live The More You Love - A Flock of Seagulls    
19. Missing You - John Waite      
20. What's Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner         

March Snow Day

Here it is the 22nd of March and we are getting some unexpected accumulation of snow on a Friday afternoon. The birds are going a little crazy today at the feeder. It's been highly entertaining. Well, we might have gone to an art opening tonight but we really don't have anything planned. It's supposed to snow all night and into tomorrow morning before ending. We do have plans for tomorrow evening. Dinner with Dave & Donna at The Place and then to the Buffalo Philharmonic with four of those good tickets from Barbara.

An Eclipse Get Together

We got a text from our niece Sara about she and her daughter Eliza coming to Buffalo for the eclipse which is coming over directly above the city on the afternoon of Monday April 8th. She asked if they could stay at our house for the event. Of course we said yes. Later we found out she would be coming in on Saturday and leaving on Tuesday morning. So now it was three nights.

Becky and I were not planning on doing anything special for the eclipse event. We knew it was going to be a crazy crowded weekend with people coming to Buffalo from all over the country. It was also not a good thing for me to be looking up at the sun even with the special glasses on because of my eye surgery so we were going to ignore the eclipse for the most part. It was also not a good time to be going out to a restaurant that weekend or down to the waterfront.

But with Sara and Eliza coming in Saturday, Sunday and Monday we thought we may need to entertain them or take them out somewhere. Then she texted again with news that she wanted to bring her brother Chris along with Olivia and Nolan. That was going to be an issue as to where we would put them. Sara talked about sleeping bags on the floor. Becky was a little upset about this and I told Sara in the text that we didn't have the room and were uncomfortable with that many people coming for three days. She said they would look into maybe getting a hotel room.

I did some online searching for hotel rooms available in Buffalo that weekend and came up with a big nothing. Bookins.com actually stated that 98% of hotel rooms in WNY were booked for that weekend. Sara was talking about the girls Eliza and Livvie having a road trip get together and if it was just Sara and the two teenage girls we could make it work but Chris and Nolan complicate things. We really only have one bed for an adult and two children's beds that would not be comfortable for teenagers. 

We talked with Sara on the phone last night and she clarified some of their plans. Apparently Chris heard about her trip to Buffalo and thought it would be fun for him and the kids went along too. He is looking for a hotel room and seems to think he will be able to find one ok. We think that maybe he and Nolan will get a room while Sara, Eliza and Livvie stay at our house. They also talked about stopping in mid PA after touring around on Saturday. They would stay at a motel Sat night and then come into Buffalo on Sunday. 

The weekend of their coming is still two weeks away so we will see how things go. We are looking forward to spending some time with them.

20/20 Vision

Today I had my post op appointment with the surgeon following my second cataract surgery yesterday. Everything went well and my eyes are feeling good. The tech gave me an eye exam and both eyes were 20/20 which she said was extraordinary on the day after surgery. My meeting with the surgeon was good and we talked about the surgery, the recovery and what to expect in the future especially with my need for reading glasses.

The glasses I recently had made for my computer that had a mid-range prescription have now become useless. I can't see anything with them. I got one of Becky's reading glasses and I can use them for working on the computer, up close reading and looking at my cell phone. It's weird now needing reading glasses when I didn't need them prior to my surgery. The doctor said I would eventually need reading glasses and I was lucky to not have needed them up until now. This is all going to take some getting use to. In the meantime it's nice not having to wear my glasses all the time.

Started looking at reading glasses on Amazon. Quite the assortment.

Irish Soda Bread Continues

We're still working on that loaf of Irish soda bread Becky made on St. Patrick's Day and we've been enjoying it at least once a day since. We're a little more than half way through the loaf now. Next time she makes it maybe it should be when we have a house full of guests. That would be nice.

I'm eating some now smeared with butter.

Walk With Me - Late Night Soul FV

More of that early 1970's and late 1960's soul groove. This is the third mix in the reworked soul mixes... the Late Night Soul Final Versions. It runs about an hour and a half and never lets up with that soulful sound. It opens with a song I've used to start some other soul mixes over the years. The Four Tops begin with their expression "walk with me" and the wonderful song Still Water (Love) takes off. It's always been a great way to begin a mix. Lots of great songs in this mix and wraps up with some topical social commentary too.

Walk With Me - Late Night Soul FV

1. Still Water (Love) – The Four Tops, 1970
2. Reflections – The Supremes, 1968
3. Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love) – The Delfonics, 1969
4. I Say A Little Prayer – Aretha Franklin, 1968
5. Mercy Mercy Me – Marvin Gaye, 1971
6. When Will I See You Again – The Three Degrees, 1973
7. That’s The Way Of The World – Earth, Wind & Fire, 1975
8. Take Me To The River – Al Green, 1974
9. Too High – Stevie Wonder, 1973
10. I’ll Take You There – The Staple Singers, 1969
11. Midnight Train To Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips, 1973
12. Then Came You – The Spinners, 1974
13. Shakey Ground – The Temptations, 1973
14. Everything’s Coming Our Way – Santana, 1971
15. Band of Gold – Freda Payne, 1970
16. More Today Than Yesterday – Spiral Staircase, 1969
17. Sweet Inspiration – The Sweet Inspirations, 1968
18. Can I Change Your Mind – Tyrone Davis, 1969
19. Gypsy Woman – Brian Hyland, 1970
20. Back Stabbers – The O’Jays, 1972
21. Pusherman – Curtis Mayfield, 1972
22. Across 110th Street – Bobby Womack, 1973
23. Harlem – Bill Withers, 1971
24. The Bottle – Gil Scott-Heron, 1974
25. Inspiration Information – Shuggie Otis, 1974

Love That Chicken

Becky made some more of that wonderful chicken from Dash's today along with some nice broccoli and carrots and sweet potatoes. Very tasty. She also made enough chicken so that there would be some significant leftovers to put in a soup later.

It was a nice dinner after a day of early morning surgery and a nap. Then watching some March Madness.

Come and Get It - Covers FV

A mix of cover songs that is part of my Final Version series.

Come and Get It - Covers FV

1. Come and Get It – Adrian Belew (Badfinger)
2. So You Want To Be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (The Byrds)
3. La Grange – Yo La Tengo (ZZ Top)
4. Breed – Steve Earle (Nirvana)
5. Do You Wanna Touch Me – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts (Gary Glitter)
6. Hello I Love You – Adam Ant (The Doors)
7. Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere – David Bowie (The Who)
8. The Shape of Things to Come – The Ramones (Max Frost & The Troopers)
9. I Wanna Be Your Dog – B.E.F. (The Stooges)
10. I Started a Joke – The Dirtbombs (Bee Gees)
11. Baby Blue – Aimee Mann (Badfinger)
12. Thank You Girl – The Smithereens (The Beatles)
13. I Wanna Be Your Man – The Rolling Stones (The Beatles)
14. Louie Louie – Toots & The Maytals (The Kingsmen)
15. Fever – Susan Cadogan (Peggy Lee)
16. Light My Fire – UB40 (The Doors)
17. He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – Ali Campbell (Neil Diamond)
18. Billie Jean – Easy Star All-Stars (Michael Jackson)
19. Use Me – Grace Jones (Bill Withers)
20. Bad Case of Loving You – Robert Palmer (Moon Martin)
21. Suspicious Minds – Pete Yorn (Elvis Presley)
22. Spirits in the Night – Ava Cherry and The Astronettes (Bruce Springsteen)
23. Jumping Someone Elses Train – Army Navy (The Cure)
24. Young Americans – The Cure (David Bowie)

Mary's Art Opening

Today Becky and I went up to SUNY Niagara College for Mary Begley's art opening of her show at the Dolce Valvo Art Center. The title of the show was "From the Forest Floor to the Ether"

She and Becky were in the graduate school MFA program together at UB in the late 1980's. 

We saw lots of people we knew at the show.  I had nice conversations with Pete & Barb, Al, Kate P, Barb B, Gerry M, Mary C, 

Doty came up to me. I really didn't recognize her as it has been about twenty years since I saw her. I first met her in 1979 when I first came to live in Buffalo. She played bass in The Stains.

When we were leaving and getting into the car I saw Cheryl and she was going off in the wrong direction. Her car was parked next to ours and she came back to get some flowers she had for Mary. I said hi but she didn't recognize me at first probably because I had a hat on and wasn't wearing my glasses. I told her where the art opening was but she still went off in the wrong direction with the flowers. I guess she would eventually find Mary and the gallery.

Our drive up there and back wasn't too bad. There was no snow on the way up but coming back it snowed a lot but fortunately it wasn't sticking. It was just messy. Overall we had a wonderful afternoon.

It's All I Can Do - Late Night FV

It's all I can do. Keep you in the bar late at night by playing the music you want to hear even if it's something you've never heard before.

Another mix in my Final Version series... a Late Night mix of music I was spinning at that bar in the 80's.

It's All I Can Do - Late Night FV

1. It’s All I Can Do – The Cars, 1979
2. 12 O’Clock High – Dirty Looks, 1980
3. I Believe – Buzzcocks, 1979
4. Glory – Television, 1978
5. Dancing the Night Away – The Motors, 1977
6. The Wait – Pretenders, 1979
7. Someone Up There – Joe Jackson,
8. Gimme One More Chance – The Romantics, 1980
9. Love’s Got Me in Triangles – Haircut 100, 1982
10. Seedy Films – Soft Cell, 1981
11. Electricity – Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark, 1980
12. My Big Surprise – Electric Guitars, 1982
13. Reduction – Marerial, 1981
14. Paint Me Down – Spandau Ballet, 1982
15. Villiers Terrace – Echo & The Bunnymen, 1980
16. Stories For Boys – U2, 1980
17. Runaway Boys – The Stray Cats, 1982
18. Sitting Still – R.E.M., 1983
19. Phases of Travel – Ellen Foley, 1981
20. Stunned – T Bone Burnett, 1983
21. Two Hearts Running – Jon Butcher Axis, 1985
22. Couldn’t Stand the Weather – Stevie Ray Vaughan,1984

Scallion Pancakes & Rice Dish

Having a rice dish is a good excuse to have some nice scallion pancakes which we love. We like having some in the freezer just in case because they always taste so good with that special sauce on them. This evening Becky made some stir fried rice and veggies with peanuts and of course we had some scallion pancakes on the side. Or was it the rice dish on the side?

More Daffodils

And then the daffodils popped out all over the front garden. Lots of them in the backyard too. They love the cool weather and the sun. We'll see how they do over the next few days of cloudy weather with rain and snow showers. 

So today I went outside and snapped this photo of the daffodils today. Becky will probably go out there tomorrow and cut a few for some vases in the house.

Skillet Irish Soda Bread

For St Patrick's Day today Becky made some Irish Soda bread for the first time. She got a recipe from the NY Times for an Americanized version of a skillet Irish soda bread made with raisons. This American version also had sugar, eggs, butter and buttermilk. Authentic Irish soda bread contain no raisons, butter or, eggs. She baked it in a heavy iron skillet. It was delicious.

We will be eating this for several days.

It Doesn't Matter Anymore - Songs 1974 FV

It doesn't matter anymore because this mix is a little folk and some country with some pop hits and Elvis, Dylan, Elton John, John Cale, T. Rex, Steeleye Span, Joni, Linda Ronstadt, Big Star, Hot Tuna, ABBA, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr, Gram Parsons, 10cc, Neil Young, Badfinger, Tom Rush and many more. It was that kind of year.

It Doesn't Matter Anymore - Songs 1974 FV

1. It Doesn't Matter Anymore - Linda Ronstadt
2. Down To You - Joni Mitchell   
3. To Know Him Is To Love Him - Steeleye Span      
4. North Country - Roy Harper   
5. Going, Going, Gone - Bob Dylan      
6. I'm a Ramblin' Man - Waylon Jennings       
7. I Got The Same Old Blues - J.J. Cale
8. Same Old Sound - Roger McGuinn  
9. Another Try - America 
10. O My Soul - Big Star    
11. Grimsby - Elton John   
12. Living Just For You - Hot Tuna         
13. Venus Loon - T. Rex    
14. Silly Love - 10cc
15. Ring Ring - ABBA        
16. The Entertainer - Billy Joel     
17. Take Good Care Of Her - Elvis Presley       
18. In My Hour Of Darkness - Gram Parsons    
19. All By Myself - Ringo Starr     
20. Love Is Easy - Badfinger        
21. The Man Who Couldn't Afford to Orgy - John Cale
22. Now Your Baby Is A Lady - Rita Coolidge   
23. Revolution Blues - Neil Young
24. No Regrets - Tom Rush         
25. Farewell - Rod Stewart

Another Salmon Dinner

We love eating salmon and our neighborhood food markets have it available. Becky cooks a wonderful meal with salmon. We recently had it last month with creamy rice and veggies but tonight she made some nice potato home fries and a salad. Very delicious.

Good Vibrations - Covers FV

More covers and a few that I've been excited about for a long time. The opening song by the Troggs covering the Beach Boys classic was from an album I got in 1975 after hearing that song. A few others that had an impact on me long ago was the Young Rascals covering Wilson Pickett, X covering the Doors, Stevie Ray Vaughn's tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Patti Smith doing Gloria her way. Lots of others too. A fun mix to put together.

Good Vibrations - Covers FV

1. Good Vibrations – The Troggs (The Beach Boys)
2. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble (Jimi Hendrix)
3. Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35 – Lenny Kravitz (Bob Dylan)
4. Summertime Blues – T. Rex (Eddie Cochran)
5. I Can’t Explain – Yvonne Elliman (The Who)
6. Soul Kitchen – X (The Doors)
7. Slow Down – The Smithereens (Larry Williams)
8. Land of 1000 Dances – The Young Rascals (Wilson Pickett)
9. Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright – The Seekers (Bob Dylan)
10. You Keep Me Hanging On – B.E.F. (The Supremes)
11. Monkey Man – Amy Winehouse (Toots & The Maytals)
12. Long Cool Woman – Robert Gordon (The Hollies)
13. Under The Boardwalk – The Undertones (The Drifters)
14. Out of Time – The Ramones (The Rolling Stones)
15. American Girl – Matthew Sweet (Tom Petty)
16. Do Ya – Moods For Moderns (The Move)
17. Seven and Seven Is – Billy Bragg (Love)
18. Gloria: In Excelsis Deo – Patti Smith (Them)
19. Breed – Steve Earle (Nirvana)
20. Riders on the Storm – Dead Skeletons (The Doors)
21. Happiness is a Warm Gun – World Party (The Beatles)
22. Grinding Halt – The Soft Pack (The Cure)
23. Fire – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Jimi Hendrix)
24. Maggie’s Farm – The Walkabouts (Bob Dylan)
25. Let It All Hang Out – John Mellencamp (The Hombres)
26. Purple Haze – Richard Lloyd (Jimi Hendrix)
27. Helter Skelter – U2 (The Beatles)
28. You Really Got Me – 801 (The Kinks)

Post Op 1

Today I had my post op appointment with my surgeon. This time we had to drive down to the Ross Eye Center in Orchard Park because that is where the surgeon was on the day following surgery. Apparently that is his MO. He had quite a few surgeries yesterday and all of the people were in that waiting room with me.

The appointment was for 12:45 and we got down there a little early. Fortunately the route was the same as yesterday but just about 10 miles further down the road. We were checked in and in the waiting room by 12:30. Just a few minutes after that I was called into the nurse station where she took down all my information about how I was after the surgery. She also checked my eyes and gave me an eye exam. After I was done with her I was led to another waiting room where I spent a little more time waiting to see the doctor.

I saw him about 1:15 which wasn't bad considering how busy the medical center and he in particular. The exam was fairly short but he did closely exam my eye. He said everything was fine and we would see me again next week. I had a few questions which he answered for me. He also assured me that I would not need to wear regularly wear glasses anymore but maybe for reading. I would also need to wear that eye protector for a week after the surgery which means I will be wearing that thing in bed for two weeks. 

I'll be taking those drops every day for five weeks. The only real discomfort I've had since the surgery has been a sore finger which is a little bruised. The vein coming from that finger was the one they used for the port in my had for the anesthesia drugs. Who would have thought. 

Last evening Katie did a video call with the kids. First Violet saw me and looked very perturbed that I wasn't wearing my glasses. Then Clara said hi but immediately asked me where were my glasses. Henry looked at me and asked if I was feeling alright.

First Daffodils

The first daffodils of the season came up early this year. For the past couple of weeks there were a few of them in our front garden that looked like they would bloom at any time. This week they did. Well, a several of them. The weather is supposed to get bad again this coming week which will have a negative effect on the daffodils that bloomed. They will droop, lie down on the ground and not be viable in the coming weeks of spring.

So Becky cut a few of them and put them in a vase so that we can enjoy them in the house for awhile. It does look like there will be a lot more blooming in the coming weeks but for now we have some nice flowers in the house.