We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
-John McRae
For more than 40 years we’ve been watching public service announcements exhorting us to “buckle up for safety.” We’ve seen terrifying post-crash photos with somber-voiced narrators and talking crash test dummies.
Frankly, I would have thought it impossible to come up with an utterly fresh way to promote seatbelt use. But this last week I saw spot from the UK that was not only different but possibly the most effective such spot I’ve ever seen. And there’s not a car in sight . . .
Fastening your seatbelt is a “what.” Staying alive for the people who love and need you is a “why.” Whys are always more powerful that Whats. That’s what makes this little bit of message delivery so compelling.
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Now on to music.
I’m a fan of electric blues. Several years ago I discovered a female blues guitarist/vocalist that just blew me away. Susan Tedeschsi’s smoky voice goes places that Bonnie Raitt’s only hinted at. Raitt is a better blues guitarist. But Tedeshci’s voice is a wonder.
A couple of years ago Tedeschi married an amazing blues slide guitar player named Derek Trucks. Their marital merger resulted in a blues super-group–The Tedeschi-Trucks band. Here they are at Eric Clapton’s “Crossroads” guitar festival playing a song off of their first album.
It’s my current favorite (non-Christian) song. Enjoy . . .
At some point in the next few overnight hours, the temperature here will drop below 70 degrees for the first time in about three months. Our long, monotonous string on 105-ish degree afternoons and 88 degree mornings is about to come to an end.
Cooler, of course, doesn’t necessarily mean “wetter.” And we remain in desperate need of rain. Here’s the view from our balcony:
