When your mother dies on Groundhog Day

the shock and grief section

Trudy and Roger Green

When your mother dies on Groundhog Day…

1

When your mother dies on Groundhog Day, her passing is always associated with Punxsutawney.

2

When your mother dies on Groundhog Day, her passing is always associated with Punxsutawney.

You don’t relive the day, not exactly, but it has similar beats.

3

You don’t relive the day, not exactly, but it has similar beats.

In the hospital, you think that she is in great distress, so you ring for help, and a troop of nurses run in before they notice that she has a DNR.

4

In the hospital, you think that she is in great distress, so you ring for help, and a troop of nurses run in before they notice that she has a DNR.

One nurse scolds me, “She has a DNR.” I knew that but didn’t know what somebody sounded like before they died.

5

One nurse scolds me, “She has a DNR.” I knew that but didn’t know what somebody sounded like before they died.

She’s not in great distress; it’s merely the death rattle. Sorry, nurse, this is my first time seeing someone die.

6

She’s not in great distress; it’s merely the death rattle. Sorry, nurse, this is my first time seeing someone die.

Mom passes.

7

Mom passes.

There’s no point in calling your sisters, who are already en route. One of your sisters says, “Oh, she’s sleeping,” and you say, “Umm, no, she passed.”

8

There’s no point in calling your sisters, who are already en route. One of your sisters says, “Oh, she’s sleeping,” and you say, “Umm, no, she passed.”

You have to make decisions about the “disposition of the body,” and you’re annoyed because you’re still in the shock and grief section of the process.

9

You have to make decisions about the “disposition of the body,” and you’re annoyed because you’re still in the shock and grief section of the process.

You all leave the hospital, and you don’t rush to worry about what the plan is for the funeral. We already know what the plan is going to be.

10

You all leave the hospital, and you don’t rush to worry about what the plan is for the funeral. We already know what the plan is going to be.

She’s going to be cremated and buried next to her husband of 50 years in a North Carolina military cemetery.

11

She’s going to be cremated and buried next to her husband of 50 years in a North Carolina military cemetery.

We tell Trudy stories.

12

We tell Trudy stories, well-worn tales about her making a meal, which we have always described as tasting like the green bleaching crystals of the laundry detergent called Oxydol. It was awful.

13

…well-worn tales about her making a meal, which we have always described as tasting like the green bleaching crystals of the laundry detergent called Oxydol. It was awful.

Then we remembered how much she loved Nat King Cole, not just his voice but his looks, and it made us happy that she had this crush on the man who wasn’t our father, oddly enough.

14

When your mother dies on Groundhog Day, her passing is always associated with Punxsutawney.

You don’t relive the day, not exactly, but it has similar beats.

In the hospital, you think that she is in great distress, so you ring for help, and a troop of nurses run in before they notice that she has a DNR.

One nurse scolds me, “She has a DNR.” I knew that but didn’t know what somebody sounded like before they died.

She’s not in great distress; it’s merely the death rattle. Sorry, nurse, this is my first time seeing someone die.

Mom passes.

There’s no point in calling your sisters, who are already en route. One of your sisters says, “Oh, she’s sleeping,” and you say, “Umm, no, she passed.”

You have to make decisions about the “disposition of the body,” and you’re annoyed because you’re still in the shock and grief section of the process.

You all leave the hospital, and you don’t rush to worry about what the plan is for the funeral. We already know what the plan is going to be.

She’s going to be cremated and buried next to her husband of 50 years in a North Carolina military cemetery.

We tell Trudy stories, well-worn tales about her making a meal, which we have always described as tasting like the green bleaching crystals of the laundry detergent called Oxydol. It was awful.

Then we remembered how much she loved Nat King Cole, not just his voice but his looks, and it made us happy that she had this crush on the man who wasn’t our father, oddly enough.

Gertrude Elizabeth (Williams) Green, known as Trudy, was born November 17th, 1927, and died February 2nd, 2011.

1915 #1 hits

anti-war song adopted by the pacifist movement

Before getting into the 1915 #1 hits, I should note how the charts were compiled per Joel Whitburn’s A Century of Pop Music. Talking Machine World published monthly lists of the best-selling records as provided by the major record companies from 1914 to 1921. Billboard offered a weekly list of the most popular songs in vaudeville from 1913 to 1918. ASCAP published a selected list of the most popular songs in its history.

Other information about top sheet music was from record company publications, led by Victor, Columbia, and Edison, plus other lists by Roger Kinkle, Jim Walsh, and Murrells.

It’s A Long, Long Way To Tipperary – John McCormick (Victor), eight weeks at #1. It was also a #1 hit for the American Quartet for seven weeks in 1914.

They Didn’t Believe Me – Harry McDonald and Alice Green (Victor), seven weeks at #1. A Herbert Reynolds/Jerome Kern song from the musical The Girl From Utah.

Hello, Frisco! (I Called You Up To Say “Hello!”) – Alice Green and Edward Hamilton, orchestra conducted by Walter B. Rogers (Victor), six weeks at #1, from the Ziegfeld production “The Follies of 1915.” The singers were also known as Olive Kline and Reinald Werrenrath

A Little Bit of Heaven (Shure, They Call It Ireland) -George McFarlane (Victor), five weeks at #1. I could not find it on YouTube, only via the   Discography of American Historical Recordings.

The FBI! 

Carry Me Back To Old Virginny  (Plantation Melody)- Alma Gluck (Victor), five weeks at #1, gold record. Written by James Bland. The singer was “born Reba Feinsohn in Romania and moved at an early age to the U.S. The opera and concert soprano was married (2nd husband) to violinist-composer-conductor Efrem Zimbalist and was the mother of actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.”

I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier – Peerless Quartet (Columbia), four weeks at #1. “Popular anti-war song adopted by the pacifist movement prior to the U.S. entry into WWI. Henry Burr (lead), Albert Campbell, Arthur Collins, and John H. Meyer were probably the Peerless personnel at the time of this recording.”

My Bird of Paradise – Peerless Quartet (Victor), four weeks at #1

I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier – Morton Harvey (Victor), three weeks at #1

Close To My Heart – Henry Burr and Albert Campbell (Columbia), two weeks at #1 [not a great recording]

My Little Dream Girl – James F. Harrison and James Reed (Victor), two weeks at #1. Their real names were Reed Miller & Frederick J. Wheeler

Chinatown, My Chinatown – American Quartet (Victor), two weeks at #1. Unsurprisingly, it’s a dollop of racialized ick.

Home, Sweet Home – Alice Nielsen (Columbia), two weeks at #1. There are a lot of versions of this song, but I can’t find this recording. Here’s a version from 1913 by Elsie Baker. 

Bishop Takes King

radical ideology?

Recently, I posted on Facebook a cartoon called Bishop Takes King, drawn by David Cohen, “an Asheville-based artist/musician and resident of over forty years. He primarily draws editorial and commissioned cartoons for various outlets and companies.”

It commemorated the Service of Prayer for the Nation on January 21 and the sermon by the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde.

Most people enjoyed it, but one commenter wrote, “Roger, she’s mentally ill. ” OMG! I must read the transcript.

“The first foundation for unity is honoring the inherent dignity of every human being, which is, as all faiths represented here affirm, the birthright of all people as children of the One God…”

Isaiah 1:17: Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

Direct message

“Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you. As you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are transgender children in both Republican and Democratic families who fear for their lives.”

Isaiah 58:6-7: “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

“And the people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in our poultry farms and meat-packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shift in hospitals—they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes, and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches, mosques and synagogues, gurdwara, and temples.”

Mercy

Proverbs 31:8-9: Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

“Have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. Help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were once strangers in this land.”

I’ve read that the ancestors of most folks in America, including those of the person she spoke to, came from somewhere else.

“May God grant us all the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, speak the truth in love, and walk humbly with one another and our God, for the good of all the people of this nation and the world.”

I’m still looking for the insanity of her words.

The Speaker

As satirist Borowitz noted: “Outraged by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s eloquent plea for kindness at the National Prayer Service, House Speaker Mike Johnson posted a furious rant on X.

“‘Bishop Budde hijacked the National Prayer Service to promote her radical ideology,’ he charged.” Compassion is radical?

“This was an opportunity to unify the country in prayer, but she used it to sow division. Even worse, she’s continued her political crusade in media interviews. Shameful.” I’m all for thoughts and prayers, but Jesus was also into action.

He was so distraught that House Resolution 59 was submitted, “Expressing the sense of the House… that the sermon..,  was a display of political activism and condemning its distorted message.”

“It’s hard to imagine who besides Mike Johnson would consider Budde’s pro-mercy stance ‘radical ideology,’ except maybe the late, great Hannibal Lecter and his number one fan.”

Despite FOX News freaking out her “woke” ideology, it’s consistent with the Biblical teachings I’ve learned.

Instead

I was also admonished on Facebook:  “You don’t like putting America first, do you?” I was at a loss. “The administration’s order to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans prompted confusion across state capitols and local government offices… leaving them at a loss on how even to calculate its impact.”

The policy was withdrawn after a federal judge in the District of Columbia blocked the order just as it was set to go into effect, and it was subsequently withdrawn. Was it because  Republican Congressional members complained? I never understood how this move made America great. 

An NYT opinion piece [paywall] is titled If All This Sounds Delusional, That’s Because It Is. “The American system of government is not one in which the people imbue the president with their sovereign authority. He is a servant of the Constitution, bound by its demands. Most presidents in our history have understood this, even as they inevitably pushed for more and greater authority.”

[FOTUS] “sees no distinction between him and the office, and he sees the office as a grant of unlimited power, or as he once said, ‘I have an Article II, where I have the right to do whatever I want as president.’

“He wants to usurp the power of the purse for himself. He wants to make the Constitution a grant of absolute and unchecked authority. He wants to remake the government in his image. He wants to be king.”

The Hollywood Reporter asks who will stand up to the broligarchs? “The lack of legal guardrails… is becoming an existential crisis.”

January rambling: lethologica

civic ignorance

Why Your Brain Blanks on Familiar Words. This phenomenon is often referred to metaphorically as something being on the “tip of your tongue,” but the technical term is “lethologica.”

Global Economy could face a 50% loss in GDP between 2070 and 2090 from Climate shocks, say actuaries

1.21.25 Sermon by The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde at the Washington National Cathedral

How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days: He used the Constitution to shatter the Constitution.

There’s No Place for Politics at the Bedside — When bias or prejudice intersect with power, terrible harm can ensue.

Jules Feiffer, Famed Cartoonist and ‘Carnal Knowledge’ Screenwriter, Dies at 95. In the day, I bought the Village Voice in no part for his cartoons.

Cecile Richards, Former Planned Parenthood President, Dies at 67

David Lynch, Visionary Director of ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Blue Velvet,’ Dies at 78

Joan Plowright, Venerable Legend of the British Stage, Dies at 95

Cancer deaths are down, but cancer in women and young people is up

Everything is on fire

Filmmakers Offer Old Location Photos to Help Fire Victims — And Prove Insurance Claims

Popeye, Singin’ in the Rain, Sound and the Fury: Welcome to the Public Domain

First-timers Ichiro, CC, and elite closer Wagner were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Yeah, for Billy Wagner

Photo: An Evergreen Snowflake

20 Defunct U.S. Airlines You Might Remember Flying; I flew on five of them

Baldoni v. Nicepool: How the ‘Deadpool’ Character Entered the Legal Fray

The Little Mermaid home video cover scandal
Ross Ulbricht, Pardoned Silk Road Founder, to Speak Out in Surprise Documentary

Now I Know: China’s City of Ice and Fan Mail for the Spam King? and And Here Comes the Pizza, and Homer Simpson is Not a Murderer

FOTUS: hardly a complete list

 Vision for a “Golden Age of America”: Oligarchy Plus Ultranationalism

He Is Exploiting ‘Civic Ignorance’

How He Will War With Hollywood While Swiping All Its Tricks

Immediately reminding America of his pettiness and fragile ego

End of Birthright Citizenship? (ft. Liz Dye)

Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement (Again): What This Moment Means for Climate Action

Schools, Churches, and Hospitals Aren’t Off-Limits to Immigration Police

Federal health agencies — HHS, CDC, FDA, NIH — are instructed to pause all external communications, including weekly scientific reports, health advisories, data updates, and other information. 

The HHS website scrubbed for the word “abortion,” and ReproductiveRights.gov — a site the Biden administration launched after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — is now a broken link.

Admin halting of EPA limits on PFAS in drinking water 

The Groundwork for Transgender Military Ban

A WHO Exit Is a Huge Mistake

An Executive Order Sets Out What Could Be a Road Map for Retribution. The order is titled “Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” but it asserts that the Biden administration might have acted illegally and directs agencies to seek evidence.

We’ve become that S***hole Country

The Floridazation of America

TV Ratings: Trump’s Second Inauguration Down From 2017 (and 2021) in Early Numbers

INFLATION

From Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News from Behan Communications, which I read regularly –

AGE OF GRIEVANCE: Those are the words Richard Edelman, chief executive of the eponymous global communications firm, used to describe the conclusions of a worldwide survey of 33,000 people that found an unprecedented lack of faith in governments, business leaders, and the media, Bloomberg reports. Three-quarters of respondents across 28 countries said they worried their pay would not keep up with inflation, and 60 percent worried about job losses…

PRICE SHOCKS: The combined threat of mass deportations with new tariffs could make many fresh fruit and vegetables luxury goods that are priced out of the reach of many U.S. consumers. That’s the conclusion of Harvard researchers who examined the potential impacts if those threats are carried out, based on an analysis of how fresh produce is grown and harvested and who is doing the work…

Regardless of how this issue plays out, get ready to pay a lot more for your daily coffee — double-digit inflation looms for coffee drinkers in early 2025, Bloomberg reports. “Given the lag between wholesale and retail prices, the cost of your cup of morning heart-starter could increase by at least 20% to 25% in the next few months,” writes Javier Bias, whose specialty is energy and commodities.

MUSIC

Garth Hudson, Organist for The Band, Dies at 87. Chest Fever – The Band.

Angelo Badalamenti: Twin Peaks Theme

David Lynch and Karen O: Pinky’s Dream

Nina Simone: Sinnerman

Brian Eno – Prophecy Theme (From “Dune” Soundtrack)

Walk This Road – Doobie Brothers, ft. Mavis Staples

Mad World  – Michael Andrews (feat. Gary Jules)

Peter Sprague Plays Spain (mas tempo)

Even If – Danny Farrant

Coverville 1518: The R.E.M. Cover Story V and 1519: The Elvis Presley Cover Story IV

Taking Chances – Marimo

Jim Croce

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band – The Flintstones Meet The President

Downtown in four languages and a remake – Petula Clark

Mention My Name In Sheboygan – Dick Van Dyke, Shirley Jones, Pat Boone

Tabuh-Tabuhaby by Colin McPhee

Crowded House – Don’t Dream It’s Over

Set Out Running – Neko Case

The Rhythm of Life is from the musical Sweet Charity. Performers are from the BBC series Strictly Come Dancing

Hazy Shade of Winter – MonaLisa Twins

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards

The Battle Of Prague by Frantisek Kotzwara

Movie review: A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan

My wife and I went to the Spectrum Theatre in Albany to see A Complete Unknown at a Saturday matinee in late December. I asked the cashier whether people approached them and sang the title. They said a few did because they were trying to remember the film’s name; rather than saying, “Oh, the Dylan film,” they dug up the line from Like a Rolling Stone. The theater was quite full, with most patrons appearing to be eligible for Social Security.

It isn’t easy to analyze the film without the big caveats that many have already shared about the chronology and veracity of what happened to Bob Dylan between 1961 and 1965.  Characters are combined, and events happen in different order. What DID Pete Seeger feel about Dylan “going electric”? (Pete has long suggested that the distorted sound, not the volume, bothered him.)

All I can do is evaluate the film I saw. I liked it quite a bit, and my wife, who is a bit younger than me and not as immersed in early 1960s folk/pop music culture, also enjoyed it.

Timothée Chalamet did a credible job as Dylan or an element of Dylan. The movie’s Dylan seems to have been consistently oblique about his upbringing. His first girlfriend in New York City, Sylvie (Elle Fanning), complained that he’d never discussed it. Dylan pointed out that we’re all reinventing ourselves. 

So it was with the real Bob, from his white face paint in the Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975 to his religious era in the late 1970s and beyond.

Edward Norton did a wonderful job as Pete Seeger. Boyd Harrison was an adequate Johnny Cash, more with the swagger than the voice. Monica Barbaro was a pretty good Joan Baez; I think, in some ways, she had the hardest job of all since, to my ear, Joan’s is wonderfully specific.

A fan

I’m a big fan of these artists. I have a lot of Dylan, as well as several albums of Dylan covers, including this one. To be honest, seeing him in 2008 was rather unsatisfying.

Joan’s Best of Joan Baez album on Vanguard in the early ’60s was pivotal in my understanding of folk music. My father, sister Leslie, and I sag So Soon In The Morning from that album.  I saw her sing at the 1998 Newport Folk Festival. Recommend: the documentary I Am A Noise. About A Complete Unknown, she said that she didn’t have to see the film: “I lived it.”

My father owned the Pete Seeger album We Shall Overcome, Live from Carnegie Hall (1963). It got played a lot and had a huge effect on my father. I saw Pete sing in person probably three dozen times, mostly in the Mid-Hudson. One day, he performed at anti-war rallies in New Paltz and Kingston, NY.  I even spoke to him once at an anti-Springboks demonstration in September 1981 in Albany.

While I watched his ABC TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s, I rediscovered Johnny Cash in the mid-1990s through his American Recordings.

Ramblin' with Roger
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