Elvis Presley's Birthday

Today, January 8th, is Elvis Presley's birthday, and in honor of the King of Rock and Roll, I felt I should blog!

Blogging has been on hold for the last few weeks, due to a sudden tsunami of activities and obligations which left me and all constituent possums virtually flooded with frantic scurrying and hurrying. Now that the hub-bub has slacked off to some degree, I look forward to getting back to at least the possibility of calmer and more serene (serener) day-to-day business.

Guess what? I'm not sure if the problem is with Blogger, my computer, or WHAT, but I can't get any photos to download. When I click on the Insert Image icon, it should go to Browse so I could choose a picture, but that doesn't happen. Nothing happens. No pictures of Elvis, no pictures of his little birthplace in Tupelo, Mississippi! Nothing!

So, I'll just say, once again,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVIS!

I'll come back to this later.

How very interesting. I've found that the computer will allow me to add pictures that are from my blog, from previous posts, but it still won't let me upload new pictures from any place else. So, here are some photos of friends and family who are celebrating the King's birthday in their own way.

This is Musey, celebrating Elvis's birthday in a cardboard box.

This is Gretchen the Wonder Dog, waiting for birthday cake, and humming

You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog

This is a likeness of Chicken Little, the meanest chicken who ever walked the earth,

of whom my sister and I were the unfortunate care-takers.

Here are two well-wishers, celebrating the day.

Here's Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. They're all celebrating Elvis's birthday!

I Have a Good Day, Now and Then

It looks like we are still talking about chickens.

As Aunt Pitty Pat would say, "Chickens on the internet! How did they ever get in?"

Plans are underway for the 5th annual Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival to be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19, 2009, at the Lions Club Fairgrounds in Moulton, Alabama.
Of course, it would have to be in Moulton, where all the chickens are moltin’! Do you think that town was chosen just for the name?

According to the Alabama Department of Agriculture, agriculture is the number one industry in Alabama. It employs over 476,000 people, which is roughly 21% of the state’s work force. Furthermore, producing over 1 billion birds a year, Alabama is the #3 producer of chickens in the nation.The Lawrence County Arts Council, Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, Alabama Cooperative Extension Services, Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and the Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel have joined forces to promote the Chicken and Egg Festival, hoping to educate the public on the economic impact and health values of poultry and eggs.

Here’s the Chicken and Egg Festival website.

http://www.alabamachickenandeggfestival.com/

Among other fun and unique activities, there will be a chicken clucking contest, an egg toss, a chicken-wing eating contest, Bluegrass music, Southern folklife artists, and more than 100 live Exotic Bantam Chickens.

And PAUL THORN!

Headlining the 2009 Chicken Stage is the Paul Thorn Band. One of the most accomplished and enjoyable musicians ever, Paul does blues, country, gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. His distinctive voice and poetic lyrics have carried him from Tupelo, Mississippi to stardom!

Here's Paul Thorn performing his song "I Have a Good Day Now and Then," which has been recorded by Paul McCartney. No joke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk3WLyVQ9rM

You couldn't ask for much more than that.
.
Check out the festivities!

A Chicken After My Own Heart

On this beautiful St. Patrick's Day, the sun is shining and Spring is just around the corner, so it seems. I think about all the lovely sunny days ahead, and suddenly and without warning, I think about a chicken. That's right. Not just some random chicken, but a particular chicken with a singularly Irish personality; smart, handsome, and terribly testy.

My sister and I raised him from an orphaned egg.
The name we gave him was Chicken Little, and while he was yet very small, you couldn't have asked for a more agreeable little fellow. He was promptly baptised, showered with love, affection and attention, and treated like a member of the family. Chicken Little lived in a small cage on the living room coffee table, went with us on picnics, where he chased bugs and small snakes along the creekbank, and was just a marvelous companion. Even as an adolescent bird, he remained sweet and amenable to all playtime activities, like having doll clothes forced upon him and tiny bandanas tied around his pin-feathery head.

Chicken Little indeed! We should have named him George Meany. Upon reaching maturity, his personality took a foul turn! Man, that was one mean chicken! Of course, he had to be banned from the inside of our home, due to his lurking around corners and attacking like a chicken possessed. But putting him outside seemed to make matters worse. He hid just around the back of the house, and whenever one of us bare-legged humans ventured down the backporch steps, Chicken Little flew at us like a demon chicken, uttering the most terrifying pawks you can imagine, pecking and flogging without mercy.

Now, what would make a formerly benign chicken turn into a Jekyl & Hyde monster? Nobody knows.

So, my daddy traded him for two bunnies, a brown one and a gray one, dubbed Pierre and Twinkle Nose. They were promptly baptised, and NEVER attacked us.

I'll never forget Chicken Little. Both his personalities made lasting impressions, as did his "Top o' the mornin' to you!" greeting and his dagger-like beak.