Music Monday - "Chanson D'Amour" by Art and Dotty Todd

My Music Monday song this week is "Chanson D'Amour" by Art and Dotty Todd.  They were a husband and wife singing duo, and they charted with this hit song in 1958.  It is a lovely song, and one of my favorite classic pop tunes.  It has always sounded like a song you might have heard at a cocktail party or night club in the late 1950's.  It evokes a sense of time and place.   

Friday Faves: Happy About the Long Winter

Happy Friday!   I hope you've had a good week.  I'm on the run today, so I'll keep my Friday Faves short and sweet.

My first Friday Fave is The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Over the past few weeks, I've enjoyed participating in a children's literature group read of The Long Winter.  This book, published in 1940, tells the story of the Ingalls family during the blizzard of 1880 - 1881 (South Dakota).  The Ingalls family was living in a store building in the little town when the blizzard arrived.  (You'll find photos of their actual home here:  Frontiergirl website.)  It is inspiring to read how the family pulled together to make do as food ran low, and they were snowbound inside.  Laura Ingalls' future husband, Almanzo Wilder, is a hero of this book, as he goes with a friend, Cap Garland, to find wheat for the town.  I have read all the Little House books many times, but had not read this one in quite a while.  It was a perfect winter read -- and it made me grateful for our winter weather in the south, as variable as it may be.

I'm also happy about the song "Happy" by Pharrell Williams this week.  I usually listen to older music (oldies, jazz, Broadway), but this song is everywhere.  I love it -- especially the line:  "Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof."  

Wishing you a great weekend!

Music Monday - "They Say It's Spring" by Blossom Dearie

Blossom Dearie is one of my favorite jazz singers.  In addition to one of the best names ever, she had such a light, pretty voice, and was a talented jazz pianist as well.  "They Say It's Spring" was a hit for her in 1957.  This song was written by Bob Haymes, who wrote the great standard song, "That's All," and it has a similar sound.  It is a beautiful, Spring-like day in Atlanta, and this seems like a perfect song to share with you today.

Friday Faves: Daylight Saving Time and the Napoleon Bowl

Happy Friday!  Hope you've had a great week.  

My first Friday Fave is Daylight Saving Time.  We spring forward Saturday night, and Sunday, March 9 will be the first day of DST.  I like Daylight Saving Time:  it always makes me feel energized, and I love sunlight that lasts later in the day.  

My other Friday Fave is the Napoleon bowl.   This is one of my favorite restaurant meals, and it is served at Napoleon's, a little pub in Decatur, Georgia (Atlanta area).  I order my bowl with no cheese and guacamole added instead.  This is what it looks like:

It is a layer of rice, salsa, black beans, tomatillo sauce (salsa verde), onions, tomatoes, and guacamole, with a little crown of tortilla chips.  Yummy!

Napoleon's is a fun little restaurant.  I was there with a group for my Mom's birthday.  (Happy Birthday, Mom!) She had the fried green tomato sandwich on marbled rye, with chipotle mayonnaise and sweet potato fries.

Napoleon's has several vegetarian entrees. I wish the restaurant had more vegan options, but you can special order and vegan-ize a few things on the menu.

How about you -- how has your week been?  What do you think of Daylight Savings Time?    I hope you'll leave a comment below.

Music Monday: "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young

I will tell you a secret:  when I cannot sleep at night I listen to "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young.  Oh, I listen to other songs too, but I keep coming back to this one. I'm not sure why.  If you listen to the lyrics, it's actually a sad song, although it sings like poetry.  It moves me.

I first encountered "After the Gold Rush" by Prelude, when I was in elementary school.  Later I loved the version by three of my favorite singers, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris from one of their Trio albums.  But this is the version that I always come back to: