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Music in the Garden
Smiley
Say the name Smiley and most people I know will associate it with the character from John Le Carre’s novels and and their film adaptations. But that’s not where I’m going tonight. Tonight your Daily Dose goes down to New Orleans to celebrate Smiley Lewis. Mr. Lewis has been referred to as the unluckiest man in New Orleans because he found himself deep in the shadow of Fats Domino. He was born in 1913 and passed in 1966 of stomach cancer.
Here’s the Smiley Lewis original of You Hear me Knockin’ followed by the cover of his song by the more popular Fats Domino.
Back to Smiley, here he is performing One Night of Sin. Nice!
Why did you go away and leave me in Big Mamou? Why’d you do it babe?
One more….Fans of the HBO show Treme will know this one as it was the title and focus of the fifth episode of that show, which included a re-written version. This tune rocks.
Hats off to Smiley Lewis tonight.
The Shovel Garden (again)
This shady garden has become one of my favourites. I think I might photograph it throughout the summer (thank you gentle readers for putting up with my excesses)
The Tomato Garden
This is a new garden this year. I made it surrounding the bird house, which by the way is still occupied by a family of sparrows. We see them anytime we are not ready with a camera. I have a morning glory growing up the pole, some basil and lettuce and Swiss Chard and a number of tomato plants that were grown from seed and given to me by my friend Spicecat. This garden, like much of my yard has marginal sun for tomatoes, but they’re doing quite well and I expect a fine crop.
The Clematis
The Jackmanii Clematis out front started blooming two days ago. They’re growing on the Leaning Tower of 27th Street, a makeshift trellis made up of a metal trellis that wasn’t tall enough with a wood trellis on top. The wood trellis broke from the weight so I reinforced it with three bamboo stakes, all wired together in a most haphazard manner. then I added a wood star to one side and the plants have started climbing the star now too. In another week or so this clematis will really start to show off.
Spiderwort
I planted one spiderwort plant on each side of the clematis in the front garden. I love the contrast between the bright blue flowers and light green foliage. These add unexpected accents to the big garden out front.
Zucchini From Another Planet
It has been years since I’ve grown a zucchini plant. The last time was back at the house on Blackthorn when I planted two plants that gave me enough zucchini to feed a small country. I thought this year I would scale that back and just plant one. However, weather has been perfect and it’s been growing like crazy in the corner of my little veggie garden.
Ellie Mae and her Pals
Ellie Mae and Jack Shadbolt
- Ellie Mae and Shadow
They’re Off
The Queen’s Plate is in the news, not only because it’s going to happen on Sunday but also because the historic horse race is in jeopardy.
Horse racing needs to stand on its own four feet because Ontario can’t afford to subsidize it any longer, a spokesman for Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said Thursday.
It’s all about slot machine revenue and it’s about slot machine revenue because the ponies don’t pull in enough bucks these days.
I’m no fan of horse racing but it is in the family. My father bet the ponies with enthusiasm as a younger man and even as an older man could recite the breeding history of any number of horses at mention of their name. I associate horse racing with his generation and with Bukowski and with Jim Thompson. Tough guys. Fedoras. Swell-looking babes.
My father told me once, “It’s hard to make a living off the horses these days, son. There’s too many good handicappers. Back in my day we had an edge.” And he’d say, “Look, if you bet $5 a race, if you win, keep betting $5 a race. They’re depending on you to give it all right back.” And, “Being a good handicapper, that was a job. You’d have to get up early and be down at the track every morning at dawn, watching the workouts”.
The one time I went to the Queen’s Plate, my sister and I took my father. By that time he was confined to a wheelchair and his eyes were bad, too bad to read the form. So we read it to him. He picked the winner of the big race. no problem. We all bet on his horse and won enough dough for dinner. The old guy still had his touch. “I knew when I saw who the jockey was. They brought him up from the States and that’s expensive. They were taking a run.”
He used to like the old Greenwood track in the east end. It was a shorter track than the newer Woodbine track up in Rexdale. “If they put a rabbit in with a good post postion on a fast track, look out.” He’s say that kind of thing to me as if I had any idea what he was talking about.
Maybe horse racing is on the way out. If so, I’ll miss it only because it reminds me of my father and his old stories.
Missed the Storm
After I came home from work today, I fed the beasts and then thought, hey I feel really tired, maybe I’ll just have a wee nap, just close my eyes for a few minutes. Tuffy P was up in Richmond Hill visiting with her dad. I set up the big comfy pillow on the sofa beside the big John Howlin painting and drifted off to dreamland. Two hours later I awoke, a little dazed and confused. Outside water was puddled on the street. I noticed a limb from the big maple in Nick’s yard next door had fallen to the ground. Apparently, I missed a thunderstorm.
Memphis looked at me as if to say, hey Jack you missed our evening constitutional, let’s get a move on. So off we went for a post thunderstorm walk. The clouds were still roiling about but a breeze was up down by the lake and it was actually pleasant to be out walking. A bit of misty rain started up, enough to notice but not enough to get seriously wet. The streets were quiet, nobody about.
Down at the corner of Lake Prominade and 23rd, a car heading southbound slowed down a little for the stop sign and make the right turn. This reminded me that I intended to write about this corner. Hardly anyone ever stops at this stop sign. I’ve made a point of watching every time I pass by. Cars slow down but a full stop rarely happens. This isn’t just the case for southbound traffic. Cars headed east on Lake Prom rarely stop before making the left up 23rd either. One day a local cop is going to realize this opportunity and set up an unmarked car in the little nook that ends the road just south of Lake Prominade. There is no end to the revenue the City could rake in at this corner.
Stop Sign (Photo credit: ladybeames)
Now it’s bedtime and do you think I’m sleepy in the slightest? That’s the cost of the afternoon nap I suppose. It was good though.
27th Street 