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in the brick building!

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"Martha"

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Prettiest chorus ever . . . end of story:

"Those were days of roses
Poetry and prose and Martha
All I had was you and all you had was me
There were no tomorrows
As we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day"
(T. Waits)

Please listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFlofWSH5AA



Martha
(T. Waits)

Operator, number, please
It's been so many years
Will she remember my old voice
While I fight the tears?











Hello, hello there, is this Martha?
This is old Tom Frost
I am calling long distance
Don't worry about the cost
'Cause it's been forty years or more
Now Martha please recall
Meet me out for coffee
Where we'll talk about it all

Those were days of roses
Poetry and prose and Martha
All I had was you and all you had was me
There were no tomorrows
As we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day













And I feel so much older now
And you're much older too
How's your husband? How's your kids?
You know that I got married too
Lucky that you found someone
To make you feel secure
'Cause we were all so young and foolish
Now we are mature

Those were days of roses
Poetry and prose and Martha
All I had was you and all you had was me
There were no tomorrows
As we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day











And I was always so impulsive
I guess that I still am
And all that really mattered then
Was that I was a man
I guess that our being together
Was never meant to be
But Martha, Martha
I love you can't you see?

Those were days of roses
Poetry and prose and Martha
All I had was you and all you had was me
There were no tomorrows
As we packed away our sorrows
And we saved them for a rainy day

And I remember quiet evenings
Trembling close to you . . .




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God Bless South Africa For A Great World Cup, But Guys - About Those Horns . . .

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I've got a beer for anyone who can make it through all seven minutes and seven seconds of the following.

And a beer and a shot if you can do it without laughing.

Classic movie theme songs . . . played on vuvuzela!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTFKjJaV15I




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I FOUND IT!

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For the past 28 years I have been looking for the above photograph.

I originally owned two master prints. Many years ago I gave the one copy to my late sister Peggy as a gift. I assume that it is still in her home.

While moving the last of my belongings from ye olde Smith homestead this past week, I stumbled upon all of the prints and contact prints from the photography class that I took at the Dayton Art Institute in 1982. In the bottom of that box was the other master copy of the long lost photograph.

I think that the photo captures the unique bond that I always sensed between Dad and Peggy. Everybody laughed at my Dad's jokes, but Peggy *really* laughed at them. :-)

It is also a very special photograph to me because my father was not a "hands-on" type of person - figuratively or literally. That's not a complaint. He simply was not that kind of a person. Seeing Dad's hands resting so kindly and naturally on Peggy's shoulders confirms what I knew and felt all along: my Dad may not have been the best at expressing affection, but the love that he had for his family was very much present nonetheless.

I love that about the photo, and of course, I love the very natural and relaxed smiles.

I saw those smiling faces a thousand times over through the years, and I am very happy that I will now be able see them a thousand times more, on the wall across from me.

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Happy Humans

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. . . . . . . . . . . .. Happy Humans (part une)



. . . . . . . . . . . . . Happy Humans (part deux)



. . . . . . . . . . . . Happy Humans (part trois)




. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The End (Finis)

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Screw Waldo! Where's Kevin!

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Where's Kevin?



6' 1" and 54 pounds (approx.) . . . a lean, mean, balling machine




. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hell yes! Go Freshman!


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Happy Independence Day From Guided By Voices!

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Guided By Voices say: "Fly that flag with pride!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqmcINr4JKA


The Official Ironmen Rally Song
(R. Pollard)

bitter fish in crude oil sea
you don't have to bother me
you just have to join in on this song

calling people on your knees
don't take this so seriously
You just have to hum it all day long

to dine alone
to build a private zone
or trigger a synapse
and free us from our traps

you won't see me turn my back
whip my head against my stack
spitting teeth and breaking open skin

official ironmen you are free
champions, officially
but you won't catch me on an open chin

to dine alone
to build a private zone
or trigger a synapse
and free us from our traps

knock-out punches for the freaks
happy little babies with red cheeks
you will rock them gently out of sync

confirmations through the wire
spitting gas into the fire
am i also worthy of a drink?

to dine alone
to build a private zone
or trigger a synapse
and free us from our traps




Melodic and lyrical genius . . . nothing more, nothing less.

"official ironmen you are free
..champions, officially"

The lines still make me teary-eyed, some 14 years later. But of course I am a big pussy.

Happy Independence Day from Jimi, Marley the Cat, and Me!

A String Version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

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Here is an achingly beautiful string version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" by the group, Time For Three.

I thought that I would miss the vocals. I was wrong.

Thanks to the classical music station Dayton Public Radio (88.1) for bringing this version to my attention. DPR is my station of choice when driving around town, and it has been so for about two years now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_SZp_L3q4c


The first couple to dance to this without getting teary-eyed gets a dollar, courtesy of your friends here at Kevin's Myth.




. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . my father's violin





This song and post are dedicated to Penny.

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Smitty Is A Cock!

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Now I know what you're thinking after reading the title of this blog entry.

You're thinking: "Smitty is a cock? No duh. Tell us something that we *don't* know."

Well, that is what I am about to do.

Back in the early spring, I purchased 26 baby chicks for Miss Penny Lee Cooper.

("We knew that already")

Hold your horses, dammit and hear me out!

The chicks were mailed overnight (no kidding) to Penny in Bainbridge, Ohio. Since it is impossible to tell a male chick from a female chick, the Mount Healthy Hatchery simply promises that you will receive at least three roosters or cocks. Penny had decided on the Cincinnati-based hatchery and it sounded good to me. I mean, if you are looking to purchase the by-product of chicken carnal knowledge (i.e. "coitus chickensus"), what better name for a hatchery than "Mount Healthy."

To my great delight, Penny had agreed in advance - after some coaxing from an individual who has asked to remain anonymous - to name the studliest of the guaranteed three roosters "Smitty" in my honor.

The baby chicks very quickly outgrew their small cage inside one of Penny's sheds, and so she, her son, and his girlfriend, built a wonderful pen. This pen is attached to a larger shed so the chickens can have a covered area if necessary. The new and much improved lodging for the chickens was proudly named "Coop's Coop," in honor of the Cooper family name.

The chicks continued to grow at an amazing pace. Several of them started to display slightly more aggressive behavior. These chickens also appeared to be somewhat larger, and began to develop "combs." Penny decided that the one that was the biggest of this small subset of chickens/maybe roosters was probably going to be "Smitty."

On my next trip to Penny's, I met the chosen chicken. I was very proud to see that he had a beautiful feathery coat of gold and grey.


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."Smitty?" . . .


Unfortunately, not long after Smitty received his christening and became my studly namesake, Penny's brother decided that Smitty might not be a "fella" after all. I immediately suggested to Penny that we tentatively change Smitty's name to "RuPaul" and just in case (I suppose "Reverse Rupaul" would have been more accurate). And so that is what we did.


. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . or "Reverse RuPaul?"


Last weekend, as per usual, Penny was working in her various gardens, when she heard what she described as a "godawful croaking" sound from Coop's Coop. When she walked over to the pen to investigate she saw "Smitty/Reverse Rupaul" attempting to . . . you guessed it - crow!

The mystery had been solved.

Smitty was a cock!

Penny also reported that after each painfully weak attempt at "crowing," Smitty would quickly prance around the pen as if he was king of the world (i.e. "the shit").

Apparently, Smitty is continuing to hone his crowing skills. He has also begun to receive informal voice lessons from a distant tutor. An adult rooster down the road from Penny's house will occasionally let out a full-bodied and proud crow, and Smitty will respond with his charming, and slowly improving, "croak of death."

I say: "Good boy, Smitty! You show 'em who's boss! And like all of us - you will find your true voice in due time"



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."SMITTY!!!"






NEXT! . . . on "Coop's Coop" . . . an unwelcome visitor crashes the party and the chicken count dwindles to twenty-five . . . or is it twenty-four?

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"Penny Land is in my ears and in my eyes" (photos)

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"Penny Land is in my ears and in my eyes
.Here 'neath blue suburban skies I sit
.And meanwhile back . . . Penny Land"
.(Lennon/McCartney/Smith)


Here are some photos from yesterday's visit to Penny Land, located on the very eastern edge of Highland County, Ohio - walking distance from the exact point where Highland, Ross, and Pike County meet.

[Ed. note: Please click on photo to increase image size, and then again if desired]



The crew at the Dairy Queen in downtown Bainbridge (front row, l to r): Penny and her three grandsons, Deegan ("Deegs"), Kade, and Keegan; (back row): Penny's daughter and Deegan's mom, Mandy; not pictured: "Paw Paw" Kevin)




Penny's newest garden area in the front/side yard. I have been told that this is a "work in progress." Next year there will be more vegetables introduced to the area, in addition to grapes for the wooden arbor. At that point, the area will receive it's formal name of "Kevin's Garden." The stone seat (middle, left) is already called "Kevin's Seat." The search for a garden statue of "Saint Kevin of Ireland" is currently in progress. The entire project leaves me completely flattered, stunned, and speechless - even though I'm sure that Penny is just teasing about the Saint Kevin of Ireland statue. I think.




This is the kick ass clubhouse and swing set built by Penny's Mennonite neighbor, Junior.



Grandma Penny doubling up with Deegs while Kade and Keegan annoy the hell out of each other.




Deegs going solo . . . will he hold on? or will it be the much dreaded "face plant?"




. . . . . . . . . . . Deegs holds on! No "face plant" for this guy!




Unfortunately, Mandy did *not* hold on. No - wait. That's right. Mandy is resting.




Pictured left to right: Trouble #1 and Trouble #2. The photo was taken about five minutes before the three of us engaged in a game of "sideways swinging hockey body checks." Today's important lesson: if you're going to play "sideways swinging hockey body checks" you do not want to be sitting in the middle swing (right Kade?). Oh yeah, and never play the game with an old guy who weighs 260 pounds. :-)



The day concluded with the obvious celebration: sitting around the TV and watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Well, some of us sat around and watched.

Penny, Mandy, and I started to doze off about five minutes into the movie. Hey - and we were the three oldest folks present . . . hmmm . . . oh well - I'm sure that's just a coincidence.


A great big "Thank You" to Penny, Mandy, Deegan, Keegan, and Kade for the fun time! :-)

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HIGHTECHREDNECK'S

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I visited my Penny in beautiful southern Ohio today.

On the drive down, about 10 miles north of Hillsboro, a billboard for HIGHTECHREDNECK'S caught my eye.

I thought that you might enjoy it as much as I did.



It looks like you can get just about anything at HIGHTECHREDNECK'S.

However, a closer look at the illustration leads me to believe that their "computer repair" work may not be one of their more noteworthy services.







[coming soon to this very blog . . . more photos from today's visit!]

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Thursday, July 8th

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