Category Archives: Flowers

I Fall to Pieces

February 22, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

I fall to pieces
Each time I see you again
I fall to pieces
How can I be just your friend?

You want me to act like we’ve never kissed
You want me to forget (to forget)
Pretend we’ve never met (never met)

And I’ve tried and I’ve tried
But I haven’t yet
You walk by and I fall to pieces

I fall to pieces
Each time someone speaks your name (speaks your name)
I fall to pieces
Time only adds to the flame

You tell me to find someone else to love
Someone who love me too (love me too)
The way you used to do (used to do)
But each time I go out with someone new
You walk by and I fall to pieces
You walk by and I fall to pieces
-Written by Hank Cochran & Harlan Howard
-Made Famous by Patsy Cline

I do love the song “Crazy” but “I Fall to Pieces” is really my favorite Patsy Cline song.

But Thursdays are for flowers. And most of this flowertography session took place in my yard, but there are some bonus pictures (including one of Naima) that I took at Dickcissel.

The next flowertography collection will be less experimental. A bit more macro.

Animals, Flowers, Macro

Crazy

February 15, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

Crazy, I’m crazy for feeling so lonely
I’m crazy, crazy for feeling so blue
I knew you’d love me as long as you wanted
And then someday you’d leave me for somebody new

Worry, why do I let myself worry?
Wondering what in the world did I do?
Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you
I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying

And I’m crazy for loving you
Crazy for thinking that my love could hold you
I’m crazy for trying and crazy for crying
And I’m crazy for loving you
-Written by Willie Nelson
-Performed by Patsy Cline

Was kind of feeling this song as I recently endured the 1985 biopic about the life of Patsy Cline starring Jessica Lange called SWEET DREAMS. It is absolutely a dreadful movie. Do not put yourself through it. Somebody really needs to make a better movie about Patsy Cline that is truer to who she was and more historically accurate. Also, a movie that does the scene where she dies in an airplane, not laughably campy. Also, if you do see the movie, know that the airplane she was in didn’t fly straight into the side of the mountain and blow up on impact.

If you took this movie about Patsy Cline at face value, you would think she was never more than a middling success that spent her downtime as a punching bag for her husband. Do yourself a favor and watch COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER. It isn’t about Patsy Cline, but its representation of her is truer to her than this flaming pile of garbage is.

But Thursdays are for flowers. This flowertography session consists of pictures of flowers in my yard:

Next Thursday’s flowertography session will include more flowers from my yard!

Animals, Flowers, Macro

Couldn’t Love You More

February 8, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett Leave a comment

If you kissed the sun right out of the sky for me
And if you told me all the lies that I deserve
And if you laid all night in the rain for me

Well, I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
I couldn’t love you more

And if you loved me ’til my eyes gave no more shine for you
If you walked beside me all the long way home
And if you wasted all of your time on me

Well, I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more

And if you gave me all the things I’d never ask of you
And if you showed me all the ways you have to cry
And if you laid all night in the rain for me

I couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
Just couldn’t love you more
John Martyn

I’m not going to cover much about this song. If you are a music lover, and you haven’t heard it, I would urge you to track it down and listen to it. The emotional delivery of the artist will blow you away!

But Thursdays are for flowers! This flowertography session consists of flowers in my yard. Coneflowers, sunflowers, daisies, lilies, oh my!

The warm weather lately has really triggered my urge to do some flowertography. I almost bought some flowers the other day, just to feed the beast. But I didn’t. However, I have today and tomorrow off and depending on how this morning went, I just might.

Flowers, Macro

Both Sides Now

February 1, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
Looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It’s cloud illusions I recall
I really don’t know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I’ve looked at love that way

But now it’s just another show
And you leave ’em laughing when you go
And if you care, don’t let them know
Don’t give yourself away

I’ve looked at love from both sides now
From give and take and still somehow
It’s love’s illusions that I recall
I really don’t know love
Really don’t know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say, “I love you” right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I’ve looked at life that way

Oh, but now old friends they’re acting strange
And they shake their heads and they tell me that I’ve changed
Well something’s lost, but something’s gained
In living every day

I’ve looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It’s life’s illusions I recall
I really don’t know life at all

It’s life’s illusions that I recall
I really don’t know life
I really don’t know life at all
-Joni Mitchell

This might not be a straight love song, like the other journal titles. But it is definitely one of the best songs ever written. It was written by Joni Mitchell when she was 24, but it feels like it is written by somebody that is much farther along on their life’s journey. The song was originally recorded by Judy Collins, before Joni Mitchell recorded itself. It has been reported that it has been covered over 1500 times. If I was in a band or had a drop of musical talent, I would cover it in a heartbeat as well.

The song has a connection to multiple aspects of the songs I have been using for flowertography journal entry titles. In 2022, Joni Mitchell made her first appearance at the Newport Folk Folk Festival since 1967. Her first full-length concert since 2000. Brandi Carlile was the force behind Mitchell’s return to the stage. Of course “Both Sides Now” was one of the songs she played.

Another connection is that “Both Sides Now” makes an appearance in FLORA AND SON. After being aghast at Flora’s terrible taste in music, Jeff gives her “homework”. Her homework is to listen to the song “Both Sides Now”. The song makes Flora cry. (Side note: In the original screenplay for FLORA AND SON this song was supposed to be “Couldn’t Love You More” by John Martyn. – This isn’t the only song that was changed from the page to the screen, but that is a story for another day.)

However, FLORA AND SON is not the movie I affiliate “Both Sides Now”. That movie is the 2021 movie CODA. A movie that would win the Oscar for Best Motion Picture. CODA (in addition to having a musical definition) stands for Child Of Death Adults.

A rudimentary Google search will come up with following storyline of CODA:

Ruby is the only hearing member of a deaf family from Gloucester, Massachusetts. At 17, she works mornings before school to help her parents and brother keep their fishing business afloat. But in joining her high school’s choir club, Ruby finds herself drawn to both her duet partner and her latent passion for singing.

Side note: The actor that plays the “duet partner” is Ferdia Walsh-Peelo who was the star of SING STREET.

That synopsis leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn’t cover Ruby’s (played by Emilia Jones) relationship with her music teacher (played by Eugenio Derbez). Or more importantly the friction between Ruby and her parents, played by Troy Kotsur and Marlee Martin. Ruby is the only person in her family that can hear, which makes it hard for her to share her passion for music with her family. Plus they rely on her heavily to communicate with the outside world.

I don’t want to give a way much more of the story, but “Both Sides Now” is the song that Ruby performs that reaches her family.

CODA streams on AppleTV+ and I highly recommend it.

Thursday is for flowers. Today’s flowertography collection was all taken in my yard:

Next Thursday’s flowertography session will involve more flowers from my yard.

Flowers, Grandma, Macro, Mom

Talking to You

January 25, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 1 Comment

If I said purple
You’d say red
With your brown hair tumbling
Like an unmade bed
Then we’d both die laughing
At something I said
Talking to you

I find my point
And you lose your sh*t
There’s just so much broken
That the words can’t fix
And the dawn is breaking
But I just can’t quit
Talking to you

I’ve seen a Jesus
Roller skating down Sunset
Watched a ballet of sprinklers
In the rain
But I know I’d go crazy
If I couldn’t get
To talk to you again
So if God takes me
And leaves you here
I want no black limousines
And no sad tears
‘Cause I’ll still be hanging around
The atmosphere
Talking to you

And no words or music
Can come even near
To talking to you

-Written by Gary Clark
-Performed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

This is the final song I’m going to use as a journal title from FLORA AND SON. I haven’t discussed the story much yet. But here is the basic synopsis you would get from a rudimentary Google search:

Single mom Flora is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max. Her efforts to keep him out of trouble lead to a beat-up acoustic guitar, a washed-up LA musician, and harmony for this frayed Dublin family.

FLORA AND SON has the basic theme of all John Carney films. A couple of down on their luck people find one another and put their lives back together by making music.

The movie stars Eve Hewson (Bono’s daughter) as Flora, who quite frankly is a terrible mom, who finally finds common ground wither her son Max (Oren Kinlan) when they bond over making music. Flora pulls a beat up old guitar out of a dumpster and tries to give it to Max. When he shuns her gift, she decides to learn how to play guitar in an attempt to win her ex back. She starts taking internet guitar lessons from Jeff (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a somewhat washed up musician.

Through this meeting and through music, they start to put their lives back together. I don’t want to go more into the details of the movie cause I think you should watch it yourself. The movie currently streams on AppleTV+.

The song “Talking to You” isn’t the most important song in the movie. That is probably “Meet in the Middle” the song that Flora and Jeff write together or the song “High Life” that Flora, Max, Jeff, and her ex-Ian perform together at the end of the movie. In fact you could very easily miss “Talking to You”. Jeff references writing a song for Flora, but we never get to hear it… until the closing credits. That song… “Talking to You”.

But Thursday’s are for flowers. This flowertography session consists of flowers in my yard:

The beautiful pink flowers belonged to my Mom and Grandma. They sit in two metal kettles. During the fall I take them down and store them in a dark place in my basement. This year I’m hoping to split the flowers in two of the kettles into 3 kettles so that Carla and Teresa can also have one. Will need to find a metal kettle for that though.

The next Thursday flowertography session will involve a song that actually does appear in FLORA AND SON, but it isn’t an original song. In fact it is a song that is over 50 years old. But I affiliate it with a movie that is only a few years old.

Flowers, Macro, Mom, Naima

I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)

January 18, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

I get along without you very well
Of course, I do
Except when soft rains fall
And drip from leaves, then I recall
The thrill of being sheltered in your arms
Of course, I do
But I get along without you very well

I’ve forgotten you
Just like I should
Of course, I have
Except to hear your name
Or someone’s laugh that is the same
But I’ve forgotten you just like I should

What a guy
What a fool am I
To think my breaking heart
Could kid the moon

What’s in store?
Should I phone once more?
No, it’s best that I stick to my tune

I get along without you very well
Of course, I do
Except perhaps in spring
But I should never think of spring
For that would surely break my heart in two
-Written by Hoagy Carmichael
-Inspired by poem by Jane Brown Thompson
-Recorded many times but perhaps most famously by Chet Baker and most successfully by Red Norvo

This is another song that is featured in FLORA AND SON. It clearly isn’t an original song as Hoagy Carmichael was born in 1899. “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)” isn’t his most famous song. That is probably “Stardust” famously recorded by Willie Nelson and many, many, many others or “Georgia on My Mind” made famous by Ray Charles.

If that wasn’t enough to make Hoagy Carmichael a legend, Ian Fleming described James Bond as looking like Hoagy Carmichael.

“I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)” also has a fascinating history. Check this from The Wiki:

“I Get Along Without You Very Well” is a popular song composed by Hoagy Carmichael in 1939, with lyrics based on a poem written by Jane Brown Thompson

Thompson’s identity as the author of the poem was for many years unknown, even to Carmichael; he had been handed the poem anonymously at an event at Indiana University, and the poem only noted the author as “J.B.”. Carmichael noted J.B.’s name in the song’s sheet music as the author of the poem that inspired the lyrics, and asked for help to identify “J.B.”. However, it wasn’t until the mid-1950s that a positive identification was made. Jane Brown Thompson died the night before the song was introduced on radio by Dick Powell.

What an amazing story! And an amazing song!

But how does it fit into the movie?

I’m not going to get into the full story of the movie, but to understand the scene blow it should be sufficient for you to know that the movie is about Flora, who takes up guitar to win her ex-husband back. She starts taking online guitar lessons from Jeff. This scene is the interaction from their second lesson.

From the screenplay and no apologies to any James Blunt songs:

INT. FLORA’S TINY KITCHEN – LATER 31
Flora has changed into clothes that don’t leave much to the imagination, and put on a lot of lipstick and eye shadow on. She pours, lights up, and waits by the computer. Checks watch. Then she suddenly remembers about the No Wine Rule, and moves the bottle and glass behind the well out of frame to the side of the screen. She picks up her guitar and readies herself. Takes a swig. She clicks on her email and opens a Zoom session. Jeff is waiting there.

FLORA
Hiya. I can’t believe you got back to me.
JEFF
You’re a challenge. I like challenges. Shall we begin?
FLORA
Let’s rock!
She picks up her guitar.
JEFF
Let’s find out who you are, Flora. What’s your all time favorite song?
She thinks hard.
FLORA
I’m more into dance music. Oh, “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt.
Jeff’s face falls.
JEFF
Okay, we may have a problem here.
FLORA
Why?
JEFF
That’s not an acceptable song.
FLORA
It’s catchy.

JEFF
So was Cholera.
FLORA
I don’t know that one.
JEFF
If you’re going to learn how to play songs we’ll have to raise the bar a little bit.
FLORA
So what have you written then?
JEFF
I’m a teacher.
FLORA
Exactly. So shut up, criticizing Blunt. YOU do it.
JEFF
Do what?
FLORA
Write a song that reaches millions of people’s hearts. And makes them weep.
JEFF
Making people cry isn’t an achievement. Bullies do it every day.
FLORA
Let’s hear one of your songs then.
JEFF
We’re here about you. Not me.
FLORA
Jesus, it’s a guitar lesson, not a therapy session.
JEFF
Wrong. Lyrics have to be more than “You’re beautiful”. Or a series of platitudes to lonely women telling them how great they are. That’s not a love song. It’s a self help group.

FLORA
You don’t know the first thing about women if you think that.
JEFF
I know that grown up women don’t just want to hear how stunning they are, like some creep in a bar trying to pick them up.
FLORA
Jesus Christ, It’s just a bloody.. Song.
JEFF
No! It’s never just “a song”. It’s a three and half minute pause in time, in which to do something wonderful. Something touched by God.
FLORA
Oh no. Are you some sort of Christian evangelist dude?
Suddenly, and frustrated, Jeff begins plucking a familiar song. “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)” by Hoagy Carmichael.
He sings the first verse and chorus. He is a fantastic singer.
JEFF
I get along without you very well
Of course I do
Except when soft rains fall
And drip from leaves, then I recall
The thrill of being sheltered in your arms
Of course I do
But I get along without you very well

The chord rings out. In song terms, this is a slam dunk. No question. Flora is blown away. Also, we have travelled round him, and now, all screens are gone, and they are sitting fact to face across her kitchen table.
FLORA
Jesus Christ.
JEFF
Right?

FLORA
That’s unbelievable.
JEFF
So simple. So direct. Nothing about beauty.
FLORA
You are a genius. What are you doing hanging around the internet teaching muppets like me with a song like that?
He starts to realize she thinks he wrote that. He lets it go for a minute.
JEFF
Do you really like it?
FLORA
It’s stunning.
JEFF
It’s never just “A song”. It’s three and half minutes in which time shuts down. It’s all we’ve got.
She feels his passion for this.
FLORA
You’ve got to get that out there into the world.
JEFF
Do you think it would sell like “You’re Beautiful”?
FLORA
Maybe not as much as that. I still like the other song too. Is that allowed?
JEFF
No! That’s Stockholm syndrome. Don’t worry- we’ll de-brainwash you. By the time you’ve finished here you just won’t have time for childish jingles and cliches.

The line:

“No! It’s never just “a song”. It’s a three and half minute pause in time, in which to do something wonderful. Something touched by God.”

Maybe my favorite line from any movie I saw in 2023.

Next week we will share one last song that appears in FLORA AND SON.

But Thursdays are for flowers! This flowertography session consists of flowers from my yard and includes a bonus picture of Naima.

The pink lily is sort of a miracle flower for me. I transplanted it from my Mom’s yard. It didn’t come up in 2022. But then there it was in 2023!

Next flowertography session will involve more flowers from my yard.

Animals, Flowers, Nature

High Trestle Trailin’ It!

January 13, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

Back on June 23 I took a little jaunt out to the High Trestle Trail Bridge. If you are going to go out there, it would be tragic if you didn’t take a picture or three. So I took a few. Here are some of those pictures:

It has been awhile since I’ve been out there. Maybe I should go tomorrow. Anybody know what the weather is supposed to be like?

Flowers, Lensbaby

I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love with You

January 11, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

One, two, three, four

Well, I hope that I don’t fall in love with you

‘Cause falling in love just makes me blue
Well, the music plays and you display your heart for me to see
I had a beer and now I hear you calling out for me
And I hope that I don’t fall in love with you

Well, the room is crowded, people everywhere

And I wonder, should I offer you a chair?
Well, if you sit down with this old clown, take that frown and break it
Before the evening’s gone away, I think that we could make it
And I hope that I don’t fall in love with you

Well, the night does funny things inside a man

These old tomcat feelings you don’t understand

Well, I turn around to look at you, you light a cigarette
I wish I had the guts to bum one, but we’ve never met
And I hope that I don’t fall in love with you

I can see that you are lonesome just like me

And it being late, you’d like some company
Well, I turn around to look at you, and you look back at me
The guy you’re with, he’s up and split, the chair next to you’s free

And I hope that you don’t fall in love with me

Now it’s closing time, the music’s fading out

Last call for drinks, I’ll have another stout

Well, I turn around to look at you, you’re nowhere to be found
I search the place for your lost face, guess I’ll have another round
And I think that I just fell in love with you
-Tom Waits

While this song was not written for a John Carney movie, it does make an appearance in his most recent move, FLORA AND SON. I thought I should make it a journal entry because it is a pretty outstanding song. Except for the part about smoking, which is obviously disgusting. But once you get past that, it is a pretty great song.

This isn’t the only song that I think I will use as a Thursday journal title from FLORA AND SON though. Probably use a Hoagy Carmichael song and an original song as well.

But Thursdays are for flowers. And… it is another collection of iris images. Probably the last iris pictures I will share that I took from last year. And… maybe I chose this song title because I have made a bit of a cottage industry of hating irises. I have a reputation for hating cats, but that is just baseless rumor. But I have legitimately disliked irises for quite sometime. But… and don’t anybody tell Jen… after going through the iris pictures I took last year… while I’m not worried I’m falling in love with irises, I think they are growing on me. Don’t alert the media! I won’t be planting any in my yard this year, but I won’t accidentally trample over them if I see them on my adventures.

Here is a small flowertography collection of irises:

Most of these images (probably all of them if I’m being honest) were taken with a Lensbaby lens from their Velvet series of lenses. I do love these lenses. That isn’t a rumor and it isn’t something I’m warming up to either. It is full blown. I may send them a Valentines Day card.

Next Thursday’s flowertography session will involve flowers from my yard, including what I think of as my miracle flower.

Animals, Art, Baseball/Softball, Black & White, Calendar, Christianity, Drone, Flowers, Iowa State, Macro, Nature, Night, Slice of Life, Street Photography

2024 Photography 139 Calendar Rejects: The Ending

January 9, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the rest of the images that were rejected for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. Some of these are similar to ones included in the calendar. They come from a wide range of projects. From auxiliary images from THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT to alternates for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE to some just good old flowertography

There is still one more post about the 2024 calendar left. Then we can put it to bed or up on some walls.

Animals, Art, Black & White, Calendar, Christianity, Flowers, Kim, Lensbaby, Macro, Nature, Night, Ruins, Street Photography, Travel

2024 Photography 139 Calendar Rejects: The Beginning

January 7, 2024 Christopher D. Bennett

Time to share the final image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. The December image. It is an image of an abandoned (methinks) church I found in northeast Iowa on a THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT road trip:

DECEMBER

I chose this image for December because I usually like to either use a cold picture or some religious imagery for the December image. This picture might not scream “Christ is born!” but it is of a church. Not a lines are straight.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
CAMERA: Sony ILCE-7M4
DATE: August 20, 2022 – 12:34 PM
LENS: 28-75 f/2.8
FOCAL LENGTH: 28mm
EXPOSURE TIME: 1/5000
ISO: 100

It was converted to black & white in Photoshop.

That is it, that is the final image for the 2024 Photography 139 Calendar. But while those 13 images were selected for the calendar, they weren’t the only ones considered. Not by a long shot. There were 73 other images considered and not included. But I would like to give them some love.

Here is the first collection of reject images:

There still another 36 images that didn’t make the cut. That doesn’t mean that won’t make the cut next year. The cover image for the 2024 Calendar was rejected for the 2023 calendar. Share the rest on Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday.