I FOUND THE SINGER AND MORE.

    In my last post I left by wondering about  a third singer to go along with Perry Como and Johnny Ray. I found him and  more.

    I remembered a radio show called the Breakfast Club. It seemed to me the singer I was looking for was on the Breakfast Club. I found the Breakfast Club and right away I found the singer I was looking for...Johnny Desmond. Desmond had an active career in music, movies , television and show business. I was happy to find Johnny Desmond.

    After the Breakfast Club there was a 5 minute segment called Morning Devotions. I remember the theme music was from the cello and very calm and soothing. I've always like the cello. Now I don't remember any thing about the Morning Devotions. Hey, why don't I look it up?

    Now what I accidentally bumped into was more interesting. I remember listening to the Breakfast Club most mornings when I was a kid at home. It came on at 7: 15 AM for a half an hour. It had music and comedy and I'm not sure what else. I tried to listen to one or two of them and found the sound and quality very poor. I think the Breakfast Club started in 1933 with emcee Don McNiel. It ran into the early 60's.

    So does anybody else remember Johnny Desmond? Does anybody else remember the Breakfast Club.? It was also called the Swift's Breakfast Club when Swifts began sponsoring it.

    Oh , there was a comedian...Sam something, who I really liked. I have to go back and find this guy and see why I really liked him.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

       A few days ago In my reading list a blog seemed to have dumped all their posts at one time.

     I wanted to read and comment on some of the blogs I follow. They were not in the usual place. I had to go to my reading list and pick one blog at a time and see if they had posted. Then I could read ti post and comment.

     Did anyone else have this experience?

   

MORE SINGERS

    Sometimes a post just keeps carrying on. One thing leads to another. Your comments certainly bring up more info. How could I ever forget folk music. Folk music is worth a post or two.

     What was rolling around in my head when I did the Perry Como post were two other popular singers at the same time. I thought of one of them but cannot think of the third singer.

    So how could you forget Johnny Ray? Johnny Ray was a popular singer but a little over the top. It was in the days before rock and roll when singers were more like Perry Como or Frank Sinatra. Ray has been given some credit for influencing the origin of rock and roll. Ray was very popular through part of the fifties and then his career fell apart. Who can forget Cry or A Little White Cloud That Cried. Have a listen to them. Ray was a very heavy drinker and died from liver failure.

    There was a Swift's breakfast show from Chicago that Ray used to sing on. The third guy I'm thinking of also sang on the Swift's Breakfast club show. It seems to me that they alternated days when they performed. Of course , this was back in the days of live performance.

    Now some day I'm going tho think of the third singer who was popular about the time of Como and Ray.

PERRY COMO

     With my discovery of You Tube a couple of years ago , I've been able to revisit some music that I used to listen to at one time.

    My music tastes and listening have certainly changed over the years. When I was young. When I was very, very young we did not listen to much radio. Much of radio was programs rather than the station playing music. Some of the programs were country and western music. Other programs were like Lux Presents Hollywood. Fibber Magee and Molly and many more.

    Anyway when I was younger I listened to country and western music. But in there somehow I listened to singers like Perry Como . Perry Como popped into my brain the other  day and I checked you tube. I listened to his songs for a couple of hours. I'd forgotten how good the guy was. Perry Como picked good songs. He sang with a full  orchestra. No wonder I like the guy. I put this on face book and was surprised how many friends had their memories of Perry Como.

     Like any teenager in the fifties I was attracted the rock music. Elvis and many more performers caught my attention. At the same time I found some classical music that I liked to listen to. 

    One day as I was leaving the local library with a fist full of CD's someone said, " you have an eclectic taste in music." I had to come home and look up the meaning of eclectic. 

    Mr C started singing in the mid thirties . He had a long and varied career with bands , radio and television.

   I enjoyed listening to him the other evening.

   So do you remember Perry Como? Did you like him?

PAY FOR AIR?

    For a long time compressed air has been used in a variety of ways, Compressed air drives some tools. It's used in tires and many more ways that I don't know.

    A special pump fills a tank with air. There are valves that let the air out to run things. The tanks and pumps can develop a very high pressure. It used to be that there were corner garages. For courtesy they always had a line outside that their customers could use. Now we don't have corner garages but just gas stations and they don't need compressors. So they charge for the air.

    Now I happen to need air pressure from time to time to fill up my bike tires. Bike tires work best with  pressure of around 40 psi. I bought a small pump to pump up my bike tires. However, the pump got old and I had to go somewhere  you could get your bike tires filled with air.

    Since I hadn't done this for some time I was very surprised to find that you had to put coins in a slot to make the pump work. I hadn't taken any money and had to ride back home. This situation irked me to some degree.

    Three days ago I had to fill trailer tires with air. I got to the place that sells air and found out that they don't accept coins anymore but only cards. You had to tap your card on a screen. Guess what? I didn't have a card. I was about to go back home when a guy driving a motorcycle showed up. He said, " Don't worry . I'll use my card." Now that is a supper gesture. The air costs $1.50 for three or four minutes. Between the two of us it cost $3.00. I offered him money but no way was he accepting money.

    Now my faith in humanity was strengthened when I was helped by a stranger.

   But what about selling air? That seems a little funny to me.

   

   

INCIDENTAL SKY SHOTS

    The last few days I got some incidental sky shots while I was trying to take a picture of something else. 

    OK , I'll back up  bit. My ability in photography is limited at best. I had forgotten how to use my camera telephoto. I have a 34 zoom so not much. I wanted to take some shots of the harvest moon. Another problem I have is to keep the camera still. When you're 80 , it's a big problem.

    So Friday evening I went out on my step and leaned against the house wall for support and tried to get moon shots. So what ? Skies get dark!

     Into every life a little cloud must come. There were thin clouds going across the moon.

    Did I say I hadn't found my zoom for a while. The zoom taught me that it focuses on what's closer.

  I couldn't quite get the people in the balloon.

This time the camera picked up the yellow and black sign and almost ignored the tree branch

OUR ELECTION IS ON

     Yesterday our Prime minister went to the Governor General and asked that a general election be held on Oct. 21,2019.

     We have a parliamentary system and this is the first time we've had a set election date. Usually a Prime Minister decides which time is best for him to have an election.

    We have 5 official parties running candidates.  Three of the parties run candidates in all constituencies. Three  parties are main parties Two parties are fringe and then many independents run on their own.

    It's sad that elections have deteriorated to name calling, lies and sleeze. One of our main parties likes to play it dirty. The other main party tries to keep out of the muck.

   Of the two main parties we have one that is right wing and promotes all the baggage  from that side. They have not presented a set of policies yet. They want to smear and criticize the other party. The other main party is more progressive. They've outlined policies and tell people what they'd like to do. 

    I used to be a political junky of some sort and followed current events keenly. Now I keep informed but that's it. 

    So you know that I'm definitely not a right winger. Their monetary policies don't work. They want to make huge cuts to services for the people ...health care, seniors, armed forces. I think that people should come first. The big boys will do just fine looking after themselves. 

    So I have two progressive parties to choose from. I will listen to what they say.

   So that's it from me about our election.

SETTLING SCHOOL FIGHTS

    As most of you know, I taught Middle School for 37 good years. It was an interesting level to teach as you got to wear many hats and the clientele were quite changeable.

    One of the duties that came by from time to time was to look after fights. This was far from my favorite job. 

    Now the good city planners planned so that two middle schools were kitty corner to each other. One was a public school and the other was a separate school or Catholic school.

    So from time to time for whatever imagined reason a fight between the two schools was rumored to take place. Some of these gatherings took place and others were only rumors. But several times a year a crowd (100 kids) gathered .

    I had a classroom on the playground side of the school. I was told to watch the yard and if anything happened I was to go out. Another teacher was also given the same assignment. Ole weighed about 300 lbs and was 6' 4".

    So when a crowd gathered on the field Ole and I would slowly walk to the field. There were a number of reasons for the slow walk. One was to assess the situation. I always made sure I was a couple of steps behind Ole. I was a coward!

   We would walk to the edge of the crowd and it appeared like a small group in the center was in discussion. No punches or pushing. Shortly the group in the center parted and both groups went off in their own direction.

    These "meetings" were unpredictable. There's not a lot two teachers could do if there was a rumble.

    Our kids knew very well what happened if they ever fought or attended a fight. They also liked Ole and they didn't want to get on the wrong side of him.

    So we went back into the school and to the staff room. Some teachers always wanted to know what went on. Ole would always say with a big chuckle , "They called it off on account of lack of interest!"

   Now over all the years I never saw a punch thrown or any shoving.  It appears that most of it was about turf. I'll come on your yard and I'll chase you off our yard. 

    

    

HOW MUCH BAD LUCK CAN ONE PERSON HAVE ?

    My neighbor S has been handicapped since the age of seven when she had a major head injury.   She is now about 50. Her left arm dangles and does not move at all. Her left leg is also limited but she is able to walk quite well. She is also able to drive.

    Here people in S's condition get what is called AISH and it's supposed to be enough to live on. You are allowed to make a small amount above the AISH. S lives with her Mom but is involved in quite a few things.

    S is a competent baby sitter. She volunteers at a number of places. She's also a pretty good bottle picker.

    S is very happy and always cheerful.

    She helps a senior citizen in a care home with a few things. The other day while helping the senior S tripped and fell and severely injured the right shoulder. She's in the hospital and has had a plate installed to put things back together.

    Now here's the problem. With no arms what can you do? Try eating? Try putting on your clothes? Try going to the bathroom. You got it . You are helpless. 

   Now I have to ask myself how unlucky S can get. She's a cheerful person and always willing to help. When her mother is away S will cut the grass even though her mother tells her not to because of safety. 

   They are going to get some home care until she gets some use of her right arm.

    Knowing S, as I do, she will bounce back.

BLUE SKIES

   I live in a rather dry area. We have an average rainfall of 12 inches.That means that we rarely get the big cloud formations . There's not much moisture in the air. We have some high cloud. Many times we get the brilliant blue skies without a cloud on the horizon.

    It was that way today..not a cloud on the horizon. It was a darker blue about 2 hours before I got around to taking these photos.