Lonesome Magic At Studio B

If you ever find yourself in Nashville and looking for something to do, take the tour of Studio B that is offered by the Country Music Hall Of Fame.

So many amazing hits were recorded at the historic RCA Studio B that it would be impossible to name them all. Roy Orbison, Floyd Cramer, Fats Domino, Willie, Dolly and even Elvis recorded here during the glory days from 1957 until 1973.

I was reminded of this place last night. Sometimes it’s fun to jump down the rabbit hole that is YouTube and look for good music. Last night I enjoyed street buskers, vintage soul, disco and even a great acoustic cover of the old Looking Glass song “Brandy” before landing on Elvis singing “Are You Lonesome Tonight.”

If you take the Studio B tour, they talk about many recordings that were done here and dwell some on the work that Elvis did and how the King harnessed the power of light and colors. They hung Christmas lights for holiday albums and had a set of filters to place over the lights to make the room red or blue.

When he recorded “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” Elvis wanted the room completely dark.

That’s right. He and the band were shrouded in complete darkness. He wanted the song to not just be sad. He wanted it to be absolutely forlorn.

Photo courtesy Google Images

When the tour guide reached this point in the story, he turned off the lights and played the song for us.

It was like hearing the song for the first time and it was almost magical sitting in the room where he recorded it. I almost expected him to be there when they turned on the lights.

I still get goosebumps at the memory.

Want to experience the song in a new way? Turn out the lights or at least close your eyes while you have a listen. Click here to listen now.

I honestly don’t recall the cost of the ticket but I do remember thinking it was worth every penny. Admission includes transportation from the Hall Of Fame to Studio B, your guided tour and a little bit of magic if you enjoy country and rock and roll music.

Lies My Planner Told Me

If you judge a book by its cover, this book is a liar. Never in my life has a book lied to me in such a blatant and unabashed way.

This is a fantastic planner, a Christmas gift from a friend that I was using to track my 2020 travels and adventures. I spent the winter carefully noting movie release dates, upcoming concerts, vacation plans and even antique stores to visit.

There’s lots of room for notes and even fun stickers to enhance the planning process making it the perfect adventure planner.

I found it while cleaning last week, realizing that it hasn’t been opened since I crossed out a long weekend and author talk back in March. It’s all been down hill since then and the darn thing was a bit dusty.

After all, we don’t need a calendar to tell us everything is cancelled and that dreams will not be coming true. Not this year anyway.

The Small Things

Our big world is comprised of an array of small things that we tend to miss as we go about our business.

Here are a few observations from last night’s hike – things that are worth stopping to enjoy.

A mushroom along a wooded trail.

And another all dressed up in a dangerous red.

A ray of sunlight gently cascading through the trees.

Rocks that have been slowly changing shape over thousands of years.

It’s easy to get caught up in how busy and important we are.

Wherever you are in this world, whether it be city or country, America or somewhere oceans away, I ask that you do me a favor. Stop and look around you. Notice some small details about your neighborhood, about your flower garden, about your home. Take them in, study the colors and shapes and appreciate them for what they are.

It’s Getting Better

So many friends have reached out with well wishes for Scout and myself.

He’s had a few days to cool off and is doing much better. I worked on organization and cleaning projects this weekend and he’s such a helpful (nosy) little guy that he couldn’t resist getting involved. This busyness was good for him. He’s also gotten some rest, calmed down and appears to no longer blame me for the porch incident of which we no longer speak.

He’s pictured here basking in his favorite sunny patch yesterday but he curled up next to me every time I sat down this weekend. And as long as we were sitting together he was purring.

My wounds still look nasty and one still tingles but conditions are improving and my issues will heal. It’s just good to hear him purr again and to feel those soft little paws pressing on my leg while he sleeps.

Everything is exactly as it should be in the world, according to Scout.

The Moose

The Moose Lodge in Glouster always makes me smile. Here’s hoping these fun details brighten your day as well!

Trauma On The Homefront

Scout and I suffered a traumatic event Thursday night. It was actually the worst day of his life since he came to live with me last year.

He’s a house cat. There are too many predators where I live to make it safe for him to roam freely. Instead, I take him out to the screened in porch to sit in his playpen or I hold him while we investigate flowers, watch birds or just sit and enjoy the day. But I have long wanted to leash train him so that he could walk in the grass and explore the world more freely.

He’s not fond of the harness but I strapped him in it Thursday night and we went out to the porch. He was doing ok, sniffing flowers and hanging out. But a loud vehicle went by and it terrified the little guy.

Mind you, the reason I have Scout is that he was a stray that got spooked by a noisy truck and ran into traffic. I scooped him up and didn’t have the heart to just put him back down in the street.

So when he was scared the other night, my sweet little house panther turned into a wildcat, hissing, biting and scratching while he lashed out at everything. He knocked over plants and snagged the table cloth before lunging at the screen and climbing toward the ceiling.

He even escaped the harness which is supposed to be escape proof.

I opened the door and he thankfully hurled his little body inside and ran under the bed for safety. I was left shocked, bloody and not sure what I had just witnessed.

If we had been inside, the noise would not have been been a problem. If I had been holding him, it would have been ok. But standing on his own four paws with the harness he hates and without my chin to tuck himself under, well, I was asking for trouble.

He hid under the bed all evening, refusing treats, toys and comfort. Even when he came out, he kept his distance as well as his eye on me at all times.

The whole darn mess is clearly my fault and I am not to be trusted. His message was loud and clear.

He’s still skittish. He’s still not completely participating in our routines. He’s still a little shaken up. Although he did help clean a closet last night and this little adventure did him a world of good.

As for me, the bleeding has stopped but there will undoubtedly be scars to remind me of this horrible incident.

Even when we coddle and adore our pets, we have no way of knowing what they experienced before they met us or how deep the trauma lies. I don’t know how far or how long he ran from scary noises before he ran into me but he clearly has PTSD.

While my world is quite large and I have no fear of what lies beyond my backdoor, he clearly does. I just never noticed because he’s happy in his comfort zone. His home is our house and wherever he’s in my arms.

I won’t do that to him again. The harness and leash will go away. If I can coax him onto the porch again, I’ll carry him around and we’ll chirp at the birds and sniff the flowers together. We will be happy in his little world.

The photo above was taken late Thursday night when he finally claimed his usual spot in the bed. Look how upset he is. That’s an expression I hope to never see again.