Today nearly 100 bloggers from around the world are paying tribute to the much beloved blogger and kind heart Tina Downey who passed away on August 23rd. In her honor many of us are planting sunflowers or displaying representations of sunflowers. The sunflower was Tina's favorite flower. Hopefully we can in our various ways help to carry on the memory of Tina Downey.
A Garden Is an Expression of Hope
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| The "flower bed" in my backyard |
I've never been much of a gardener. When we first moved into the house where we live, I attempted to turn most of the backyard into a vegetable garden. I ended up with more jalapenos and Anaheim chiles than I could use and some of the sorriest scrawniest cucumbers I'd ever seen and that was the extent of my crop. The following year I decided to turn most of the backyard into a patio with only a tiny strip allotted to plants.
There are flowering plants in the little circular place you see pictured above, but the blooms don't stay long. It's a pretty scraggly mess I will admit. I planted a row of sunflower seeds along the wall and while I was in a planting mood, I also planted some kind of flower that I cannot recall what it was. Hopefully they'll grow, but we'll see.
My Garden Is Not Hopeless
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| Those two plants you see on either side were started years ago from tiny houseplants. |
For any of you who lack faith in my gardening abilities I will let you know that several years ago I actually did have a nice healthy stand of tall sunflowers growing in one corner of this same strip where I've planted my sunflowers for Tina. I don't recall whatever happened to those previous sunflowers, but I assure you that they were there for some time and quite beautiful.
Also on either side of my little garden children you see in the above photo are a rubber tree and some other palm-like plant that I planted as small houseplants that were given to my teacher wife many years ago by one of her students. Actually my sister transplanted them and left them to my care--or should I say non-care. Despite neglect those plants have flourished. In fact, I've pruned that rubber tree several times as it grows like crazy. So stuff does grow in my backyard. And I don't do much of anything. That's why there's not much of a garden there.
I think Tina would get a chuckle out of my ineptitude as a gardener. But, hey. I'm trying--kind of. I don't know if there is any particular season for growing sunflowers in Los Angeles. As far as I know the growing season here is kind of year round. Then again what do I know about planting stuff?
I hope I see some sunflowers in my backyard. Along with those other flowers that I won't know what they are if they grow. If I do get any flowers, I'll put a picture of them on my blog.
Be sure to visit the other tributes to Tina Downey. The complete list of participants can be found here.
BATTLE OF THE BANDS RESULTS!
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My match-up between Anjelica Huston and Lou Reed performing their versions of "September Song" ended up with some surprising results as well as more than a few unfavorable opinions about both artists. My vote in this one doesn't matter one way or another in regard to the final outcome. Anjelica trounced Lou by 25 to 9 votes. Not as I expected.
When I put together my Battle of the Band segments, I don't choose the versions that I necessarily think are among the best. I'm looking for the most interesting. Sometimes those might be the best while at times they might be the worst. Besides it's all a matter of that little issue called taste. What's good to one person may not be all that great to another.
In the case of the contest at hand I went into it with Lou Reed as my pick. I've liked the Lost in The Stars: The Songs of Kurt Weill album since I first bought it in the mid-80's. When I thought of "September Song" I decided that Reed's version would be the male entry in the contest.
I chose Anjelica Huston because I liked the connection with her grandfather Walter Huston. When I first listened to Anjelica's version I hated it. In fact I didn't even listen to the whole thing. Then I listened to it again--all the way through. Then again. And again. Then it began to dawn upon me. Anjelica Huston was not just singing the song, she was dramatizing it. I began to feel it. Soon I liked it better than Lou Reed's version.
And that's how I changed my vote to Anjelica Huston. I like her version better now. I still enjoy the version by Reed, but it's more of a poppish novelty. The Huston version is a mini-drama. A soliloquy. A meaningful admonition to the young and all the rest of us. I believe Anjelica Huston's version the most.
Final Vote:
Anjelica Huston 26
Lou Reed 9
When I put together my Battle of the Band segments, I don't choose the versions that I necessarily think are among the best. I'm looking for the most interesting. Sometimes those might be the best while at times they might be the worst. Besides it's all a matter of that little issue called taste. What's good to one person may not be all that great to another.
In the case of the contest at hand I went into it with Lou Reed as my pick. I've liked the Lost in The Stars: The Songs of Kurt Weill album since I first bought it in the mid-80's. When I thought of "September Song" I decided that Reed's version would be the male entry in the contest.
I chose Anjelica Huston because I liked the connection with her grandfather Walter Huston. When I first listened to Anjelica's version I hated it. In fact I didn't even listen to the whole thing. Then I listened to it again--all the way through. Then again. And again. Then it began to dawn upon me. Anjelica Huston was not just singing the song, she was dramatizing it. I began to feel it. Soon I liked it better than Lou Reed's version.
And that's how I changed my vote to Anjelica Huston. I like her version better now. I still enjoy the version by Reed, but it's more of a poppish novelty. The Huston version is a mini-drama. A soliloquy. A meaningful admonition to the young and all the rest of us. I believe Anjelica Huston's version the most.
Final Vote:
Anjelica Huston 26
Lou Reed 9
Be here next Monday September 15th for another Battle of the Bands. This will be where I address the inevitable in BOTB for future battles as I present a special tribute Battle with potential marketing implications.
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