Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Monday, May 29, 2017

Who Would Have Thought!

I heard a few days ago that many cassette tapes are just as good now, if not better, than their CD counterparts.   It was also said that you need a good cassette player to get the best benefits.  I have some tapes left (gave most of them to Salvation Army several years ago) and one in particular has been riding around in my car for who knows how long:  through summer's heat, and winter's rainy cold.  My car, believe it or not, has a tape deck in it, so I thought I would try it out on my way to the gym.   The tape turned out to be merengue music that I had recorded absolutely years ago.  I haven't heard (or danced to)  good merengue music since I lived in the Washington, DC area during the 1990's.

The sound and quality were still great, and it was hard to keep my car going in a straight line while I was trying to dance to the music while sitting down!   Merengue originally came from the Dominican Republic, and is loved and adopted by most Central Americans and those from the Caribbean islands.   I was really stoked for the treadmill by the time I got to the gym!
 
I also have quite a few tapes of Toby Keith, Alan Jackson & of course, my secret love Willie Nelson.  I'm sure I'll find more around here somewhere, and I'll enjoy listening to music in my car. 

I'm at a loss to know why the hummingbirds haven't visited my new feeder.  The only thing I can think of is that since it is directly across the porch from one of the largest of my replacement windows, the big expanse of glass might frighten them.  The old jalousie windows were ugly and very noticeable.  I may try placing the feeder in a different spot on the porch - it will be close to the front door but I always have the blinds closed, even when I open the slats to let light in, so they should be able to see them.  The only other alternative I have is to get a pole on which to hang the feeder, although I don't have much room in the front where I can keep an eye on it. 

This is turning out to be a very quiet holiday for me.   So far the night noises of firecrackers being set off has been kept to a minimum.  I hope it stays that way, but since this is the actual holiday I expect there to be a fireworks display at the local park over by the river. 

I hope everyone is having a nice holiday whether or not you are with family or friends, or alone.   I've celebrated both ways during my life, but at this point I'd rather not be with a large crowd.  Sometimes I miss it though.

I would like to salute all our veterans and their families, as well as those currently serving.  I truly appreciate you. 

13 comments:

  1. Cassettes vs CD is the difference between analog and digital sound. Analog is closer to what we hear naturally. Digital is...well...truncated sounds. It's kind of fun to pull out albums or cassettes and watch the younger generation's eyes kind of light up when they hear analog. Then, they kind of understand why I'm such a Luddite.

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    1. Thank you for your easy to understand description of analog vs. digital. I know I prefer analog to any alternative. Can you tell me why I much prefer photos taken with film to digital photos. I'll take the old ones any day, and maybe looking at some of my really old pictures I can see that the color has faded, but then I've faded as well! Also, I can't understand half of what I hear on a cell phone. Is that digital at work again? You have me wondering about all sorts of things now!

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    2. Good to know my DH and I aren't the only Luddites in the world. Interestingly, I used to enjoy music, but the CD's can make me nervous. Lately, I just listen to my Amish chimes. I didn't realize there was such a difference between analog and digital. There is nothing like merengue to get you moving.

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    3. I think I am a true Luddite! I have always loved any kind of Latin music, especially Cuban, Mexican, and Central American. But I have always listened to a variety. At one time I recorded a huge variety of CD's onto my computer, but I never know what Apple does with the stuff. There are a lot of photos I can't find!

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    4. Yup, digital photos are squares of color not dots and I have trouble hearing on a cell phone but I tend to chalk that up to I'm going deaf.

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    5. It's ironic that we blame ourselves for not being able to hear on a cell phone, but maybe it's the technology that leaves us out.

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  2. It's hard to find a cassette player or a VCR anymore. I have tons of them both stored away. Who knows why. Winnona is old enough to have a VCR so even though we upgraded the TV, we kept it and really enjoy picking up VCRs to watch old films. Seldom pay more than $1 for them. Cheaper than the movies for sure.

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    1. I may look to see if I can find one somewhere the tape player in my car works fine, but I'd like to have a good radio with cassette player for inside the house. All the new models are so hi tech I can't even figure out how to turn them on, and of course they don't have words like ON, OFF, VOL, etc. You have to learn a whole new language of symbols. I may break down and buy something one of these days, maybe a refurbished model.

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  3. I have a vcr and tapes stored away. Maybe time to break them out:)

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  4. Wish I had known about the cassettes I had so many and I got rid of all of them when everything changed to CD players.

    I for one have stayed home today I no longer like going out on holiday's where everyone thinks getting drunk is the main reason for any celebration.. I haven't heard any fire crackers of shots being fired but it is still early.

    It might take a few days to a week for the hummers to show up. Or if there are lots of feral cats they may not come around at all. Nasty cats. I was finding half eaten birds all over my yard it was really upsetting to me. And the culprit was a neighbors cat. I called her but she never answers her phone I left a message and told her I knew it was her cat as it had on a collar and when I scared it off it ran right to her house.

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    1. You are right, they don't have to be feral to kill birds, as even house cats will do it. I've never had any problem getting the hummers back in just a day or two, but I'll be patient. I moved the feeder down a bit, just a little so it wouldn't be right in front of the window. I get so much enjoyment out of watching them and will be so sorry if they don't come back.

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  5. I still have cassette tapes and yes...I even have 8 track tapes...even though, no 8 track tape player!

    Mom's mini van has a cassette player and I have several cassette players at my house in Houston, though I have no idea if they still work after being in a non-air conditioned house for over four years.

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