Blue Moon - what it is really all about! Besides stunning beauty in NECT

Once in a blue moon, we have a blue moon!

Wondering about the phrase "once in a blue moon" is like asking the old question, "Which came first? The chicken or the egg"?

Wikipedia, (which is kind of like talking to really entertaining people who "seem" to know a lot of stuff, but you are not completely sure of their accuracy) has tons of info on the history of blue moons. Check it out here.

One theory is that a blue moon is this: Most years have 12 full moons - one monthly. Each year contains roughly eleven days more than the lunar year , the extra days accumulate, so every two or three years there is an extra full moon.

As with most things, a lot of the blue moon story goes back to religion:  "If they say the moon is belewe / We must believe that it is true" [If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true].

All I can say is that it is beautiful here in Northeast CT tonight, and there have been some great songs sung about the blue moon.
Check out these:
Nat King Cole, Blue Moon
Chris Isaak, Blue Moon 
The Marcels, Blue Moon (this one I'm sure you've all heard - reminds me of American Graffiti and Happy Days...)
Dean Martin, Blue Moon (this guy kills me!)
Billie Holiday, Blue Moon (simply awesome call back to the old days)
Frank Sinatra, Blue Moon (I don't care what anyone says, I am a Frank fan)

Being a daughter of a Moone, I can surely appreciate a good blue moon! I am off to enjoy it now.
Hoping you have a clear sky to enjoy your views as well.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves a beautiful blue moon in Northeast CT!

Northeast CT's own Dr. Doolittle, she does a lot!

Do you know about Dr. Doolittle?

The one that walks with the animals and talks with the animals...
Most folks know of the movies, both old and recent.

But, did you know that the whole Dr. Doolittle thing started with a series of children's books, written by Hugh Lofting in the 1920's?

It is not difficult to believe that animals are preferable company over people at times, especially considering these stories were written during World War I, when people were perhaps not at their finest.

However, overall, even though I grew up with animals (chickens, ducks, bunnies, goats, dogs, cats, even a few cows), I am not an animal lover. Certainly I appreciate the pet owners that go wild over their pets, and consider them as family...many consider them as their children. Thank goodness for what these animals provide to my family and friends. I appreciate what they get out of these relationships.

Here in Northeast CT, we have our own Dr. Doolittle. She has a very busy life, with a successful career, family with a young child, pets of her own (a lot of pets)!, and she entertains musically in public on occasion. Yet she still rescues lost goats on the side of the road, finds baby birds to nurse to health, splints ducklings crooked web feet... She can't help herself. She is just naturally a good soul.

This lunchbox has her written all over it!

 

I hope you know such a good soul as we do in our own Northeast CT's Dr. Doolittle. 

I am a Putnamaniac that is alway impressed by our own caring Dr. Doolittle!

Sunflowers for Kids this Sunday in Northeast CT at Lapsley Orchards

How can you not love sunflowers?

You can get a great bouquet or two...or a hundred - this Sunday, September 2, 2012, Lapsley Orchards, on Rt 169, on the Pomfret/Brooklyn town line.

Not only do you take home some exploding yellow blossoms, but the sales benefit the United Services Center for Autism, right here in CT.

On top of the Sunflowers for Kids event, you can pick apples, buy all other sorts of our locally grown CT produce, listen to some music, take a horse drawn hay ride.... simply have some fun!

It is a gorgeous ride to get to this day-cation vacation spot.

You can also "like" Lapsley Orchards on facebook. 

Check out this and tons of other fun events going on in Northeast CT by using the WINY Radio "upcoming events" page!

I am a Putnamaniac that plans on getting some Sunflowers this Sunday!

Tattooed Librarians... the new trend and my friend Kat was a trendsetter!

A while back the State of TX Librarians Association put out a fundraising calendar - featuring their tattooed librarians! Check out that story here on ABC.com.

New England does not like missing out on something cool like this, and the MA Library Association is now in the planning and production stages of their own Tattooed Librarians calendar.

My marvelously sweet & talented friend, Kat, who is the children's librarian at the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library in Dudley, MA is tattooed to the hilt! She is like a moving art show. And guess what, she is going to be in the calendar!

I am so glad that she applied to be in this calendar for so many reasons. She is one of the most beautiful and caring people that I know. Her dedication to family, friends, and work are extraordinary! Now she will represent her love for tattoos and self expression, the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library, as well as raising money for the MA LibraryAssociation.

You can also "like" the Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library on facebook. 

I know some pretty great people - and I can't wait for the calendar to come out!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves tattoos, libraries, and tattooed librarians!

Fair season continues this weekend at the Woodstock Fair ~ always on Labor Day Weekend!

Fair season is in full swing and continues this upcoming weekend at the Woodstock Fair - always on Labor Day weekend!

The Woodstock Fair is a big one and it really gets hopping, with something for everyone. They boast great musical entertainment each year, too. Click here to see the schedule of events, pricing, and even a fairgrounds map.

I love to go early in the morning when it is still cool & crisp, with not too many people around. I enjoy taking my time to see what is there. Others love to go when it is jammed full and rocking. Either way, you will see people you know, smell some great stuff, view tons of great exhibits, visit with the animals.... and on and on the fun goes!

If you have a little time this coming weekend, and would like to drive through a gorgeous area to a fun spot, head on over to the Woodstock Fair!

You can also "like" the Woodstock Fair on facebook for updates and other info!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves when fair season is in full swing! Especially with the fun fairs in beautiful Northeast CT!

My under 8 and over 80 rule, with exceptions to that rule!

I have a simple rule I live by.... not really so much a rule as how things seem to work out.

Naturally I seem to get along perfectly with people under age 8 and over age 80.

Why???

Both groups are usually quite honest, they don't fall for fake people trying to impress them, they take you for what you are, you can share fart jokes with them, they don't care what you are wearing or if your hair is a mess, they tell you they like your mustache, and they can be a lot of fun.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course.  I like lots of other folks that are in between that more difficult of age groups for me, ranging from 9-79, but if you fit the description above, then we get along just fine!

How do you feel about this? Do you find this is also a good equation for you?

I am a Putnamaniac that abides by the under 8 and over 80 rule, with some fine exceptions!

Saturday in the park - feet were up and smiles were large!

This morning jogging I passed the happiest kid in the world to be out for a walk with her momma on the River Trail.

Feet were up, smiles were large, curls were bouncing! I didn't have my camera, so I made a mental picture to carry with me and brighten my days.

What a great start to another great day in Putnamania.

Remember the song "Saturday in the Park" by Chicago? Check it out on youtube here. 

Saturday in the park, I think it was the 25th of September!!!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves Saturdays in the park!

Back to School!!! What do you remember fondly of back to school days?

Can you imagine that the summer is almost over, and it is time for school to begin again?

Mixed feelings and tons of memories arise when I read the school bus routes and lunch menus in the paper this week.

I love the cooler nights, brisk & crisp clear days, and colors of fall that will approach soon.
I hate the evenings getting dark so early, feeling like they are closing in on me.

Remember how exciting the beginning of the school year was for you? Especially when we were very young...

Before school began each year, you could go to the elementary school in my town (Davisville Elementary) and go to each room's window to find your name. You'd see the teacher's name and all of the kids in your class! I'd get so excited!

A new back to school wardrobe was also a big deal! We'd wear those sweaters and end up so sweaty by the end of the day since the temps tend to rise rather high on New England September days. It was worth it to wear our nice new outfits.

Lunch boxes??? Another huge thrill was to choose your clunky metal lunch box. I remember a Partridge Family lunch box that was just the best ever, and we lived so close to the school that we actually walked home for lunch most days. It occurs to me that my mom was pretty nice to get us lunch boxes even though we probably didn't need them nor could afford such a luxury.

Both elementary and middle schools (we called them junior highs back then) were within walking distance. That was a million times better than riding a bus to me! Of course, once my younger brother, Skee, entered his school years, I'd have to get him to focus a bit more on actually getting to school. He'd stop and pet every dog, say hi to everyone he saw, chase a few squirrels, pick up some worms.... But somehow we made it to school on time!

Recess - goodness knows that was so much fun! We got to go outside, play kickball, dodgeball, hop scotch. In general we just got to run around like crazy for a nice break from school work! How nice would our grown up work days be if we got to do the same thing?

So, I could go on and on with memories of back to school, but why don't you take a minute and think of all the nice memories you have about those days. Share them with your kids, your better half, or a good friend. Let the stories roll!

I am a Putnamaniac that has great memories of back to school days!

Fort Hill Farms Friday night sounds! Folk sounds!

An amazing thing about Northeast CT is that there are always so many things to do - many of them happening all at the same time!!! You learn to manage your time so you can enjoy as many things as possible in this great (and fun) area!

This Friday night, August 24th, is no exception to the multiple fun rule.

I will be at the Brooklyn Fair, volunteering for The Last Green Valley.

At the same time, Fort Hill Farms is hosting some great local folk musicians to serenade visitors. See this great event and get more info on Facebook.

Check out the Farmer's Cow ice cream and the intense corn maze when you are at Fort Hill Farms, too. It is indeed a destination! You will need to go more than once.

I am a Putnamaniac because we have so many fun things to choose from, including Fort Hill Farms Friday night folk sounds!

Brooklyn Fair Time!

Did you like to go to the fairs when you were a kid?

Do you still like to go?

It surely is your time of year if you said yes!

Washington County Fair in RI just ended, but up next (starting tomorrow, Thursday, August 23 and running through Sunday, August 26) is the Brooklyn Fair!

You can also "like" the Brooklyn Fair on facebook.

My cousin and I were remembering the days of the Rocky Hill Fair in RI when we were young.

I remembered being petrified of the very loud fireworks display & the crash-em up demolition derbies!

Cousin Bobby remembered this funny tale: "My dad used to drop Paul (his brother) and I off at the fair on his way to work in the morning and then pick us up on his way home from work, we had so much fun spending the day at the fair. My grandmother used to go around to her relatives to get us some spending money to have at the fair. I can remember her telling them that "these kids need some change to spend at the fair" it was so funny. Paul would spend all his money in the 1st hour we were there and I would have to buy him lunch later on... those were good memories"

What memories do you have of your younger fair going days?

It is never too late to make more fun fair memories. Get out to the Brooklyn Fair this weekend! I'll see you there!

I am a Putnamaniac because I love my old memories of going to fairs, and I always look forward to making new memories every year!

Reminisce - a Concert and Dawley kids vocabulary!

Reminisce, New England's premier oldies band, will be performing in Rotary Park, downtown Putnam, on Saturday, August 25 from 7-10pm.

It is free, although they request you bring a non-perishable item, that will be donated to the local food bank, Daily Bread.

That is great!

However, the word "Reminisce" always makes me think of when we were kids...

During bad weather when we couldn't go out to play, Mom would sit us down, bring out the family photo albums and tell us to look through them all and "reminisce". We were the only kids in town that knew what that word meant when we were not very old.

That makes me "reminisce" of more Dawley kid vocabulary.

My little sister, Sue, never had "boo-boos". She had "injuries" from the time she could speak.

My brother, Skee, would say "o-bitch-uary" and "helllll-ocopter", just so he could get away with saying  swear words when he was quite young.

The vocab didn't stop with the Dawley kids, as my father would often use big and complicated words, inappropriately - and not on purpose!

So, there you go... isn't it funny how you start off thinking about how fun a free concert in the park with Reminisce will be, to thinking of all sorts of funny things from your days of growing up.

Let your mind wander and see where it takes you!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves the band Reminisce and also loves to reminisce!

40 Shades of Green - Johnny Cash's way, and my way!

I never really think "Irish Ditty" when I think of Johnny Cash, but 40 Shades of Green is a great song of his:

I close my eyes and picture the emerald of the sea
From the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores of Donaghadee
I miss the river Shannon and the folks at Skibbereen
The moorlands and the meadows with their forty shades of green
But most of all I miss a girl in Tipperary town
And most of all I miss her lips as soft as eiderdown
Again I want to see and do the things we've done and seen
Where the breeze is sweet as Shalimar and there's forty shades of green

I wish that I could spend an hour at Dublin's churning surf
I'd love to watch the farmers drain the bogs and spade the turf
To see again the thatching of the straw the women glean
I'd walk from Cork to Larne to see the forty shades of green
But most of all I miss a girl...

Watch Johnny Cash, the man in black, sing this song on youtube here. 

In Northeast CT, I love my 40+ shades of green. They are everywhere I look! Here are a few shots I enjoy, not only in pictures, but in real life every day!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves my 40+ Shades of GREEN!

A-mazing corn as high as an elephant's eye!

As a kid (although I was never really "little", at some time way back when I was smaller than I am now), I loved running through my grandfather's corn field!

Poppa Moone grew people corn, which I also loved to eat! It was great fun running down the rows, surrounded by stalks, ears, and silk everywhere! I felt so small!!!

Now that I am "big", I can't wait to get out into the corn maze at Fort Hill Farms, on Quaddick Road in Thompson, CT! This is a view of this year's maze.

Fort Hill Farms grows cow corn, which grows much taller than people corn. In fact, it seems to grow as high as an elephant's eye!  Each year Fort Hill Farms' corn maze is designed into a different shape, always including a cow- The Farmer's Cow, of course!

There is no way you can go wrong with a visit to Fort Hill Farms and their maize maze. Go with family, friends, coworkers, go by yourself and meet new friends! Hold a birthday party there, hold a business meeting there - what great team building! Get down on your knee and ask your favorite gal to marry you there! The possibilities are endless!!!

You can "like" Fort Hill Farms on facebook, too!

I am a Putnamaniac that will try to find you in the amazing corn/maize maze at Fort Hill Farms!

Willimantic Frogs vs North Kingstown Beagle - 2 terrifying nights in history!

Since I was in Willimantic the other night for their Third Thursdays, it made me think of their frog story.

Here is a brief summary, and you can get the entire story here.

Late at night, amongst threats of disease, Indian, French attacks the town was on edge. A servant walked down the dark road one night after visiting his girlfriend, he neared the Windham Green. It was there he began to hear a strange and terrifying sound echoing through the night air. The noise seemed to come from everywhere at once. They townsmen gathered, then proceeded to sound the alarm, waking those who had not already been aroused by this awful sound or by the screaming of the servant. As the noise continued, most thought it was an Indian ritual and by morning they would surely all be dead. Some insisted they heard Indian chants, some said there was nothing on earth that could make such an outlandish commotion and contended that it could only mean one thing; it is the judgment day and nothing could be done to save them except prayer.

What they found the next day were thousands of dead and dying frogs, some still making their war cries. No one is sure why the frogs died. The theory held at the time was that they died fighting each other, possibly for the small amount of water in the lowered pond.
*****
A dark night years ago in North Kingstown, RI, a similar situation occurred. My father, a young police officer, worked the 3rd shit, leaving my young mother and two small children home alone. One night my mother heard the hurried footsteps outside the house. It sounded like someone was running and running and running around our home. She was petrified and frozen into taking any action at all. At dawn the next morning, the doorbell rang. Mom bravely went to answer it, ready to protect me & Skee. It was our neighbor from across the street, Mr. Stevens, holding one of our beagles that had gotten loose in the middle of the night. He said, "I thought for sure he'd have woken you up. He's been running around the house all night long."

Both stories = hilarious!

It goes to show what an active imagination and a dark night can do to seemingly heroic and cool witted folks!

I am a Putnamanic that is also afraid of the dark and sometimes my imagination gets the best of me in those wee hours of the night, too!

Quiet Corner Grooming's Customer Appreciation Day is Sunday, Aug 19!

There is a great local business here in Putnam.

Can you guess that I am talking about Quiet Corner Grooming?

They have a big event coming up Sunday, August 19th, from 10am-4pm, with Yard Sale from 9am-3pm.

The event is "Customer Appreciation" day, but it is so much more.

On top of the Yard Sale, which will benefit the rescue dogs at QC Grooming, there will be a DJ, dunk tank, food, raffles, gift baskets, balloon, and more!

If you are a pet lover, if you are a local business fan, if you are a fan of good people, then this is the event for you! Stop by and meet Wendy & Brent, and all their friends - furry ones, four legged ones, and two legged ones, too!

"Like"  Quiet Corner Grooming on facebook.

I am a Putnamaniac because I know and love the people who started, own, and run Quiet Corner Grooming!

Tears & rain falling throughout NECT! Good tears for good guy Gary O!

We have fabulous people in Northeast CT. 

One great and well known couple is Karen & Gary Osbrey, owners of WINY Radio.

Watch them at a public event sometime. They know everyone. Not just the faces, but the names and stories behind them. They care about the community and the people in it. They work tirelessly to make us a better community.

If you listen to WINY Radio, you've heard Gary share his personal story of being adopted, and his long search hoping to find his birth parent(s), with the support of his adoptive family.

Recently RI's laws changed so that original birth certificates are now available, with birth parent(s) names included. Gary was chosen as one of the first to receive his original birth certificate.

Think about this situation, deeply, for a moment.....How would you feel about it?  How would you feel as the adopted child who has never know his birth parents? How would you feel as a young parent who made the difficult choice for whatever reason to give your child for adoption?

People are so strongly opinionated about adoption, even when it does not affect them in any way.

Step outside yourself for a minute, and put yourself into any other pair of these shoes....just think...

..............

Now, Check out Gary's interview and when he gets his original birth certificate in RI on this youtube clip. 

Gary filled all of us listeners in as he discovered where his birth mother now lives. He shared how he wrote a letter to her. He shared with all of us what took place in their first phone call with each other ever.

Never has a community held its collective breath, and prayed, and hoped for a great outcome as the days marched on.

This week, Gary O traveled to meet his birth mother.

A short time ago, Gary O posted this picture and message to facebook after their meeting for the first time in his fifty years.  Sharing a very special moment again, with all of us in his community family.

"Fingertips. That's how my first meeting with my birthmother began. I flew out on Monday and met with her on Tuesday and again today. On Monday, July 2nd, I received my original birth certificate from the state of RI. Forty-three days later, she's holding her son in her arms for the first time ever. I am traveling tomorrow and will return to the air chair on Friday morning with great stories to tell. Thank you to everyone who sent emails, cards and letters, face to face meetings and above all, those who prayed for success. Prayers have been answered! Is there a cloud higher than 9, 'cause I'm on it. See you Friday morning!~garyo~"

There are about a gazillion "likes" on Gary's post, and about a gazillion comments that follow.

So, as I sit looking out my window to the wet skies, I think that there are also many tears of joy falling in Northeast CT as well as raindrops. 

You can "like" WINY Radio on facebook, and can listen online anytime!

I am a Putnamaniac that is watching the raindrops fall through tear drops of happiness! Sometimes good guys win!

A Musical Score from Scores of Legs (insect legs, that is)!

Arriving home from work just now, my ears were tingling with the symphony going on in my backyard!

Wow!!!!

Take a listen (and this video does not even sound nearly as loud as it really is carrying on right now)!

I'm pretty sure these guys were out there playing a few bars....

I am a Putnamaniac that loves the musical scores being played by scores of insect legs in my back yard!

Allis Chalmers vs Pee Wee Herman Bike vs Automobiles... who wins this race on Rt 6 in Brooklyn?

Driving home from work in rural Northeast CT, you sometimes get stuck behind a tractor.

This week, I was about 3rd in a long line of cars behind a big Allis Chalmers tractor (like the one in the picture below). The tractor was towing something even bigger behind it - all this occurring at approximately the Rt 6 and Rt 169 intersection in Brooklyn, not far from the Brooklyn Fair.

On the side of the road next to the tractor was this out of shape gentleman, riding a Pee Wee Herman like bike:

It was really a race! The bike guy was peddling and huffing and puffing like crazy - and keeping up with the tractor - and therefore also keeping up with all of us cars rolling along at a break neck speed of less than 10 miles an hour.

Somehow as this scene played out in front of me it made me laugh my head off! It was great entertainment!

I hope if you are stuck in traffic that you are this well entertained!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves the tractor vs bike vs auto races in Northeast CT!

Sethie-O is a Dancin', dancin', dancin' machine!

How can you resist this Putnamaniac dancin' machine??

My pal, Seth, was dancing up a storm to the Patriot music being played at the Colangelo house on Grove Street during the Deary Memorial Race this weekend. His moves were busting out so well that one runner ran over and high fived Seth!


Do you remember the Jackson 5 song Dancin' Machine? Check out the blast from the past on youtube here. 

Are you a dancin' machine???? I totally am!!! 

I am a Putnamaniac that knows and loves a six-almost seven year old Dancin' Machine!

Twelve hours til a great car cruise! Where else? Putnamania!

In approximately twelve hours there will be about a gazillion cars in downtown Putnam for the Annual Main Street Car Cruise.


If you are a car lover, you will want to check it out!

A full day of motor city, Northeast CT style.

Here are directions if you would like to partake!

I am a Putnamaniac and car fan that will enjoy tomorrow's annual Main Street Car Cruise! Will you?

Bradley Theater + The Sound of Music = My Great Night Ahead!!!

I enjoyed a nice day off today leading up to a great weekend! What a treat!

The day started out with 25 miles of jogging/walking, since I really wanted to make an effort towards raising money for the Deary Memorial Cancer Fund by doing more miles than the actual event. I was inspired to do so by my Putnamaniac pal, Scott Deslongchamp, who starts at midnight tonight, and runs 50 miles!!! Thanks to generous friends, I have raised $500 for the fund.
The Deary Memorial Race/Walk Ride's big event is tomorrow (Saturday, August 11th). Click to see the race info. 

Next up for my fun-filled weekend is The Sound of Music at the Bradley Playhouse.

Need I say anything more???

Superb local theater putting on a great  musical!

Check out the rest of the weekend's events by clicking on this other recent blog.

I love my town!

See you around!!!

 I am a Putnamaniac that is looking forward to a great night and weekend, right here in Putnam!

Love the one you're with - yourself... now I get it!

I'm not the brightest bulb nor very good at finding the deeper meaning of things.

I am black and white, not gray.

In school, when you had to read poems, and then explain what the author was conveying when they wrote "the ball was laying in the snow"...I failed miserably. To me, it meant that the ball was laying in the snow.

Say what you mean - give me no clues - I am not a detective for goodness sake!

However, occasionally a light bulb goes off and brightens my dimness if but for a moment.

Listening to the song "Love the One You're With" for the gazillionth time today, it occurred to me that this song's meaning is that you should love yourself. Considering that you are always with yourself, this now makes perfect sense to me.

So, be sure to love yourself every day.

I am a Putnamaniac that works hard every day to love the one I'm with - myself!

The calm before the storm of events this weekend!!!

I just took a tour around Rotary Park, downtown Putnamania.... it was pretty calm... the calm before the storm of events this weekend!!!

Saturday morning starts out with the walk/run/bike race for the Deary Memorial Cancer Fund. It is not too late to sign up!  

Saturday evening there is a concert with The Little Big Band in Rotary Park, to be followed by River Fire.

Sunday starts off bright and early with a Car Cruise! There will be literally thousands of cars on display in downtown Putnam. The streets are shut down so you can walk and enjoy the endless varieties of cars, as well as some vehicular entertainment!

At 1:30 the Arc Duck race begins, where a bucket loader full of rubber duckies are dumped into the Quinebaug River. Prizes are great and plentiful, and there is still time to buy tickets!

Add to all of these non-stop events, shows at The Bradley (The Sound of Music), and The Black Box (Avenue Q), and you will be busy and entertained all weekend in Putnam!

So, although it was pretty calm in Putnam tonight, it is just the calm before the storm of fun events this weekend! Check out all the events in our area on the WINY Radio Upcoming Events page.

I am a Putnamaniac because I love the calm before the storm of fun events coming up!

I'm a Cowboy Junkie, and it is easy to be one here in Northeast CT!

One of the many gorgeous roads I can take home from work is Rt. 97 through Hampton and Pomfret and right into Putnam.

I had to stop and take this picture today, although it is a picture that appears in my mind many times...

Did you ever see the old movie starring John Wayne called "The Cowboys".

Man! I loved that movie. It is one of my all time favorites.

Great camaraderie, great life lessons, good vs. evil, and overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges...This movie says it all for me. Plus, it has cowboys in it!

Living here in Northeast, CT. I am surrounded by all of these values, while enjoying the beauty of the land.

So, as I appreciate the beauty around me tonight when I lay down to sleep, I'll sing these lyrics, because deep greens and blues are the colors I choose:

Well, there is a young cowboy he lives on the range
His horse and his cattle are his only companions
He works in the saddle and he sleeps in the canyons
Just waiting for Summer, his pastures to change

And as the moon rises he sits by his fire
Thinking about women and glasses of beer
And closing his eyes as the dogies retire
He sings out a song which is soft but it's clear
As if maybe someone could hear

Goodnight you moonlight ladies
Rockabye sweet baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rockabye sweet baby James

Here is James Taylor singing this great Cowboy song on youtube.

I am a Putnamaniac, who is also a cowboy junkie, that loves the deep greens and blues that surround me here!

Take me home country road...reminds me of a Dover Foxcroft, ME road...

Country Roads, take me home
To the place I belong
Putnamania, CT, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads

Although it is not a popular opinion with everyone I know, I love John Denver, and I love his lyrics - especially the verse above (tailored to fit my home, of course).

The other day I was out jogging and went up the country roads and into Woodstock.

Nothing but cows, some corn fields, a few houses, a horse, more fields, more trees, rivers, ponds, wildlife, peace, quiet and beauty.

My area in "The Quiet Corner" of CT reminds me of summer visits years ago to Dover Foxcroft, ME, where my grandparents lived in their retirement.

(Coincidentally, both sets of my grandparents retired to Maine.The Dawleys to Dover Foxcroft, and the Moones to the town next door of Guilford, specifically the Sangerville section).

My Poppa Dawley called it "God's Country", and he was by no means a man of organized religion.

That Maine country road the Dawley's lived on was Bear Hill Road, if my mom's memory serves her correctly. (I could not come up with that name, although I remember taking lots of long walks on it way back when - surrounded by black flies that threatened to carry us off)!

I guess I have always loved more of a country life, so it is no wonder I love Putnam, CT!

I hope country roads take you home where you belong.

I am a Putnamaniac that lets country roads take me home and remind me of other country roads I've traveled in the past!

Paying it forward - I am proud to have a friend that did just that today!

This was just posted by one of my friends on Facebook:

"Left the 5 Army soldiers guessing who paid...here's to all of them!!"

Aspire to be like him - pay it forward. Appreciate what you have and don't be afraid to do something kind for others. 

I am thrilled to know Mr. Carl Pallister of East Greenwich, RI, even though he makes me cry by doing such thoughtful and unselfish deeds.

I am a Putnamaniac that knows some great people that inspire me to be better every day myself!

 

 

One of my pals....

I have a friendly and wonderful relationship with an old fellow who's name I do not even know.

How on earth does such a thing happen and evolve?

I see him sitting in his car every morning in one of the parking areas along the River Trail. Every morning I jog and/or drive past him and wave. He always waves back.

Afternoons he and a friend sit in lawn chairs along a different section of the River Trail. I see them when I jog and/or drive past. I wave, they wave back.

This morning I went past him twice on the far side of the road, and got two waves in return for mine.

I love this guy! I look for his car every day! So although I don't know his name or anything else about him, he sure does brighten up my days!

I am a Putnamaniac that just loves seeing one of my pals every day!

I'm a Putnamaniac because we are FIREWORKS!

Why, you ask, am I a Putnamaniac???

Because tonight Putnam's August First Friday kicked off with this nice outburst!

I was happily Rangering in The Last Green Valley's booth.

Both local theaters, The Bradley and The Black Box were sold out.

Every restaurant, including the Courthouse, which I was set up in front of, was loaded with hungry folks.

A great band began to play, everyone was dancing, from the youngest child to the oldest adult.

The place was jumping.

And once it ended, I drove my one mile home, to a full moon against a beautiful country sky and nothing but peace and quiet.

Ah, the life!

Now you know one reason I am a Putnamaniac... because we have lots of nights like tonight!

I am a Putnamaniac because baby we are FIREWORKS!

The next two nights are FREE fun with more to come in NECT!

I love Northeast CT for many reasons.

One is that there are so many fun, FREE things to do!

The next two nights there are free events, and many more to come in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned!

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 2nd, Thompson Speedway is hosting a free night to all Putnam and Killingly residents, just bring proof of residency. Check out the Speedway's website here. 

Friday, August 3rd, Downtown Putnam and the Putnam Business Association will host the First Friday for this month, also free! Artists, music, performances, all free! 

Of course there are things to buy at both events, but no one is twisting your arm. However, since you got to get in to both events for free, you can afford a snack or a trinket to remind you of the fun you had.

I am a Putnamaniac that will be enjoying Northeast CT for FREE for the next two nights! What are you doing?