Thought for the Day

Texas: Signs and Song

Some signs from Texas . . .
(from https://www.opslens.com/2018/04/29/hilarious-signs-that-can-only-be-found-in-texas/10/ )

The above  Texas signs reminded me of the lyrics to a song The Devil Made Texas, which you can hear by clicking on the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xWkmFMkyxU"

For any Texans reading, just kidding y'all.

The Devil Made Texas

  

Oh, the devil in hell they say he was chained,

And there for a thousand years he remained;

He neither complained nor did he groan,

But decided he'd start up a hell of his own,

Where he could torment the souls of men

Without being shut in a prison pen;

So he asked the Lord if he had any sand

Left over from making this great land.

The Lord He said, "Yes, I have plenty on hand,

But it's away down south on the Rio Grande,

And to tell you the truth, the stuff is so poor

I doubt it will do for a hell anymore."

The Devil went down and looked over the truck,

And he said if it came as a gift he was stuck,

For when he'd examined it carefully and well

He decided the place was too dry for a hell.

But the Lord to just get the stuff off His hands

He promised the Devil He'd water the lands,

For He had some old water that was of no use,

A regular bog hole that stunk like the deuce.

So the contract was signed and the deed was given,

And the Lord went up to his spread up in heaven.

The Devil soon saw he had everything needed

To make a good hell and I'll say he succeeded.

He scattered tarantulas over the road,

Put thorns on the cactus and horns on the toads,

He sprinkled the sand with millions of ants

So the man that sits down must wear soles on his pants.

He lengthened the horns of the Texas steer,

And added an inch to the jack rabbit's ear;

He put water puppies in all of the lakes,

And under the rocks he put rattlesnakes.

He hung thorns and brambles on all of the trees.

He mixed up the dust with jiggers and fleas.

The rattlesnakes bites you, the scorpion stings,

The mesquito delights you by buzzing his wings.

The heat in the summer's a hundred and ten--

Too cool for the devil and too hot for men,

And all who remained in that climate soon bore

Stings, cuts, bites, scratches, and blisters galore.

He quickened the buck of the bronco steed

And poisoned the feet of the centipede.

The wild boar roams in the black chaparral.

It's a hell of a place that we've got for a hell.

He planted red pepper beside of the brooks;

The Mexicans use them in all that they cook.

Just dine with a Mexican and you will shout,

"I've got hell on the inside as well as the out!"

Quote for the Day

Henry Ward Beecher (1813 – 1887) 

was an American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer, and speaker, known for his support of the abolition of slavery, his emphasis on God's love, and his 1875 adultery trial.

20 of: Trench Art

Whilst watching an episode of Bargain Hunt on Youtube, an example of “trench art” came up. This particular item was a spent ship’s shell (try saying that quickly) with the names of the sailors of that ship carved into the brass. I mentioned to Kate that trench art was usually more elaborate (I did a post on this some years ago, as I recall), here are some comments and pics . . . 

Trench art is any decorative item made by soldiers, prisoners of war, or civilians where the manufacture is directly linked to armed conflict or its consequences. It offers an insight not only to their feelings and emotions about the war, but also their surroundings and the materials they had available to them.  

Not limited to the World Wars, the history of trench art spans conflicts from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day. Although the practice flourished during World War I, the term 'trench art' is also used to describe souvenirs manufactured by service personnel during World War II. Some items manufactured by soldiers, prisoners of war or civilians during earlier conflicts have been retrospectively described as trench art.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trench_art

Gallery: 

Shell casings on the roadside near the front lines, WWI 

Pair of shell cases with the names of two French villages totally destroyed and not rebuilt later 

A shell case embossed with an image of two wounded Tommies approaching the White Cliffs of Dover 

Chromed metal trench art ashtray made from a 25 pounder shell casing, 1942 

Turkish tobacco jar made from the lower part of a German cartridge, 1914 

Bullet crucifix, WW1 

Trench art jug created by a sapper in the Royal Engineers whilst he was manning an underground telephone exchange in the Ypres district during the First World War. The jug was made from a British 18-pounder Mark II brass shell case. 

Decorated shell casings, WW 1 

Part of a collector’s display of trench art 

Carved brass mortar shell vases depicting a young couple wearing traditional Lorraine or Alsace costumes with matching floral decorations. France, WW1. 

WW1 Australian AIF Trench Art tankard, made 1916-1918 

Collection of trench art military caps from WW1 made from cartridge cases.

WW1 Period trench art desk stand with two ink wells, decorated with shells, bombs and bullets. 

P-38 metal airplane model ashtray, trench art Australia WWII with kangaroo 

A collection of trench art knives and letter openers 

WW1 Imperial German trench art letter opener 

Early WW1 era trench art inkwell, dated for 1916. 

Trench art sweetheart jewellery pin from WW2 

1941 trench art shell case, Nazi German Eagle Iron Cross, 1941

Quote for the Day

Quickfacts: Music

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Vera Lynn, was born on 20 March 2017 and is still going strong. In 2000 she was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century. In 2017 she released an album “Vera Lynn 100” to commemorate her centennial year. It was a number 3 hit, making her the oldest recording artist in the world and first centenarian performer to have an album in the charts. 

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Eric Clapton is a three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of The Yardbirds, Cream and as a soloist. 

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Although The Yardbirds started as a blues cover band, their rave ups and innovations in feedback and distortion shaped such diverse genres as psychedelic rock, prog rock and punk. In addition to their six Top 40 songs, the Yardbirds will also be remembered as having produced the top three English blues-based guitarists of the Sixties: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. 

The Yardbirds, 1966. 

From left: Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Chris Dreja, Keith Relf and Jim McCarty. 

Clapton had left the group in 1965 after being frustrated at the commercial direction it was taking. He left the same day as “For Your Love” was released, the group’s first major hit. 

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In 1996, Ringo Starr appeared in a Japanese advertisement for apple sauce, which is what "Ringo" means in Japanese. 

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Freddie Mercury’s real name was Frederick Bulsara. 

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Johnny Cash was originally diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease, which he announced to his audience after nearly collapsing on stage in Flint, Michigan, on October 25, 1997. Soon afterwards, his diagnosis was changed to neurodegenerative disease Shy–Drager syndrome, a form of multiple system atrophy, and Cash was told he had approximately 18 months to live. The diagnosis was later again altered to autonomic neuropathy associated with diabetes. Cash died of complications from diabetes at approximately on September 12, 2003, aged 71, less than four months after his wife. June Carter, had died from complications following heart-valve replacement surgery. 

At his last public performance, a concert on July 5, 2003, Cash read a statement about his late wife that he had written shortly before taking the stage: 

The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her. We connect somewhere between here and Heaven. She came down for a short visit, I guess, from Heaven to visit with me tonight to give me courage and inspiration like she always has. She's never been one for me except courage and inspiration. I thank God for June Carter. I love her with all my heart. 

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Johnny Cash continued to record until shortly before his death. One of his last albums contained a cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails commented that he was initially skeptical about Cash's plan to cover "Hurt", but was later impressed and moved by the rendition. The video for "Hurt" received critical and popular acclaim, including a Grammy award. 

See/hear it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt1Pwfnh5pc

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By the way, remember that part in the Joachim Phoenix pic about Johnny Cash, Walk the Line, where cash proposes to June Carter on stage? That really did happen. Cash proposed in front of an audience of 7,000 people in London, Ontario on February 22, 1968 and they were married a few weeks later in Franklin, Kentucky; June was 39 and Johnny was 36.