Tuesday’s Tune: “Blue Skies”

I am number that third guy who walks into a music store searching for a tune he’s heard, sometimes I’ll have the tune, or maybe a bit of the chorus. Sometimes I have it correct, most times though, I am all messed up. Eventually I get it right and find the song.

Monday morning - nothing but blue skies do I see
Monday morning – nothing but blue skies do I see

Blues skies made an appearance yesterday. It was great to see them after Sunday’s storms. Storms rolled across the lake in waves Sunday afternoon. The first wave came around noon and brought wind, thunder, lightning, and rain. The second wave came a couple of hours later. The third wave came around 5 PM.

B and I had decided that gardening would have to wait for another day and she took off with O and friends to let the kids see a movie and to shop – she needed paint for the downstairs powder room among a few other items. I finished my chores and decided to watch a baseball game upstairs when the last wave rolled through.

5:09 PM Sunday August 2nd

I had my back to the lake and suddenly I heard the wind whip up and hail rapidly ‘ping’ against the house, windows, and on the roof. Fortunately, It wasn’t large hail, but the winds were ferocious. The power went out and moments later, the generator kicked on. I clambered downstairs and watched the storm through the window. The pontoon cover flapped furiously in the wind and I watched in horror as the neighbor’s boat came loose from its lift and careened towards our boat. It missed our boat and the neighbors before it was blown down the lake. A neighbor’s lift awning was shredded and flapping in the high winds. Lightning, thunder, heavy rain and small hail came down. The storm passed and the winds calmed, but it continued to rain until almost seven. I ventured out once or twice, but spent time safely inside and offered the door to Ivy, who refused – though earlier had tried to make a break through a cracked door while I shouted to our neighbor, the one who’d lost his boat  – I caught her and sent her inside.

B, her friend, and the kids spent three hours on I-75 inching along – high winds downed trees and closed the interstate. The storm wreaked havoc with Sunday afternoon traffic. They rolled in late Sunday night – close to ten and we had pizza and before turning the lights out on a stormy Sunday.

The power’s been out since and I can still hear the hum of generators up and down the lane.

The electric lines are still down and the power company is predicting restoration of power by Thursday, August 6th at 4:00 PM.

Neighbors on both sides lost trees and sticks and leaves littered the yard, driveway, and deck. We picked up from the storm and wiped down our boats. I took a Sea Doo ride along the shore and saw more downed trees.

The sun was up and the skies were blue. Clouds came and went, but it was mostly a blues skies kind of day.

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you’re in love, my how they fly
From “Blue Skies” by Irving Berlin

The days are hurrying by. This afternoon I leave for home to pick up W. His ten-day trek ends this afternoon at Philmont and he flies home Wednesday night. I’ll pick him up at the airport and we’ll be back here Thursday afternoon. Three days. He has until Sunday afternoon to enjoy the north woods and the lake before reality and high school football kicks in Monday morning. I have another week before my reality – back to school – sets in.

blue skies over the lake Monday afternoon
blue skies over the lake Monday afternoon

Those days will hurry by, they always do.

“Blue Skies”
Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you’re in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

(Scat)

I never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you’re in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on
Written by Irving Berlin performed by many including Ella Fitzgerald and Willie Nelson

I have several versions of “Blue Skies” in my iTunes library, but I especially love Willie Nelson’s version. It’s from his Stardust album released in April 1978, I remember selling it back in the day, it’s the third track on the A side, in case you have the vinyl.

Storms blow through life from time to time and blue skies come along to remind us that you gotta take the good with the bad. Life is a balancing act. Today is gonna be a great day, never saw the sun shining so bright, never saw things going so right, nothing but blue skies, from now on. I have a few chores before I leave, so I had better jump up, jump in and seize the day. Today is gonna be a great day. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, blue skies or stormy skies, you gotta take the day as it comes.

How ‘blue’ are your skies?  

15 thoughts on “Tuesday’s Tune: “Blue Skies”

    1. I try to look at the great things I can see in my world\daily walk. I was watching a baseball game and the plink of the hail quickly got my attention. When I turned around i saw the boat covers flapping furiously and was worried they would’ve been ripped to shreds – only a ripped tie down and a couple of broken snaps – small problems in the big picture. Thanks for stopping in – have a wonderful week!

    1. Thank you, I am, too. Were you up north? I saw that Traverse City and the Glen Arbor area got it much worse than we did. We were fortunate it was only trees and power lines. #firstworldproblems Thank you for stopping in and have a great week.

    1. It was a wild ride – I should’ve remembered to say that to Susie! It’s all small potatoes and minor inconveniences. I am grateful for what I have. Thanks for stopping in and a have a great week – I’ll keep the light on for you! 🙂

  1. That is so intense. During my dad’s art show, a storm blew in and for a few minutes the rain dropped sideways. I’d never seen that before. I wish I had taped it. Our storms are going to get more and more severe. I hope power is restored soon. Glad you are all okay!

    1. Susie – I’ve been coming up north since ’92 and I’ve been up in almost every season and that storm was the worst storm I’d ever been through at the lake. It was a close second to Hurricane Alicia I slept though in August of ’83. Power was restored Wednesday afternoon, and even though we have a backup generator, we were relatively conservative with our power. I do believe our storms are becoming more intense and our extremes are more extreme – hot is hotter and cold is colder. Only trees were harned – no people and very minimal structure damage. A true blessing. Thanks for stopping in – have a wonderful week.

    1. Thanks – where in Illinois? I’m from Wheaton and headed home this evening. I saw storms roll across Chicago Sunday afternoon and I read about the tent collapse – sad. I was watching the news on the young woman who was lost off Porter Beach in Indiana – sad story. I pray for the woman’s family. Weather can be vicious and unpredictable, but blue skies all come afterwards. Have a wonderful week.

      1. I never used to be afraid of storms or come in out of them until my town was torn up about 20 years ago from the same storm that got that tent. So sad. Like you say, unpredictable. There were northwest tornadoes, random where they didn’t even warn, it was supposed to miss them. There were also some vicious ones up in Wisconsin.
        Have a safe trip.

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