A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER Z

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER Z  

Today is the letter Z. We have come to the end of the challenge until next year. I’ve had a lot of fun doing these blogs through the alphabet, and hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. Thank you to everyone who visited, liked, and commented. I appreciate you all.

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Letter Z is for…ZZ Top

ZZ Top is an American band, that was formed in 1969, in Houston, Tx. Their debut album, “ZZ Top’s First Album”, was released in 1971. The group consists of the three men, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, and Frank Beard, and have been together for the past 45 years. Their musical style is that of Southern Rock, Boogie, Metal, and Blues. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

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Letter Z is for…the Zombies

The Zombies are a British rock band. Their song, “Time of the Season”, was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios, in 1967, and released in 1968. The song has been played throughout the years, and recognized as a reference to the late ’60s. You may have heard this song on television programs, commercials, movies, and even at baseball games.

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And…just for fun…

Letter Z is for…Zuider Zee

The Zuider Zee is a restaurant that we had here in town. It isn’t here any more, but it was a really good seafood restaurant. Also, a good date night destination! 🙂

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Mystery Box Chickens & Giraffe were happy to meet you. Have a great summer, and see you next year! 🙂

Mystery Box Chickens say, “See ya next April”. ❤

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Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

Think about joining in next April…it’s fun! 🙂

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER Y

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER Y

 

Today’s letter we will be writing about is Y.

This one was a bit hard. There are a lot of words with Y, but trying to find a interesting way to say something…not so easy.

So, this is what I came up with. A few Y words made into a silly story. 🙂

The words: yo-yo, yeti, yew, yuppie, yogurt, yoga, Yatzee.

Some songs mentioned: “Yesterday” by the Beatles, “Yellow Submarine” by the Beatles, “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan, “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon.

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Letter Y is for…Yancy, the Yeti

Yesterday, a Yeti, by the name of Yancy Drew,

Went aboard his Yellow Submarine, to sail the ocean blue.

He took along some yogurt, and a yo-yo just for fun,

Then docking by an island, he got out to get some sun.

Laying down his yoga mat, underneath a tree of Yew,

He did some poses for awhile, and

Man, the time it flew.

He took a nap, while feeling Mellow Yellow,

When suddenly he woke to see, another fellow.

It was a Yuppie, come to play, holding a Yatzee game.

Even though he’d never seen a person like this,

He wanted to play, just the same.

As Yeti Yancy rolled the dice,

He smiled an bragged, and wasn’t nice.

He told the Yuppie about his fortune and fame,

So much so, he was a pain.

The fellow was bored, up and left the game,

As he sang the song, You’re So Vain.

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Here’s Carly Simon, singing her 1972 song, “You’re So Vain”.

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© 2016 BS

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Mystery Box Chickens have 1 more box to open tomorrow!

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Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

 

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER X

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER X 

Today’s letter to write something about is X.

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Letter X is for… Xavier Roberts

I’ll bet you’ve heard of Xavier Roberts, even if you’re not sure where, especially if you have daughters.

Xavier Roberts is the manufacturer/owner of the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls industry. Back in the late ’70s he created a soft sculpture doll, which he sold at art fairs, under the name of his business, “Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc.”. He called his dolls, ‘Little People’. It was very similar to the now well known Cabbage Patch Dolls, which got the attention of a person named Martha Nelson Thomas. They claimed Mr. Roberts had stolen their original creation, and sued him.Ultimately, the case was settled out of court. The rest is, as they say, history.

Xavier Roberts went on to manufacture the Cabbage Patch Dolls, and by 1984 they had become a big hit in the doll markets, and a wide-spread fad. You may have one or more of the dolls. I know my daughters had a couple, and now my grand-daughter has one, too. One way to tell if the doll is an original, is by the authenticity signature of Xavier Roberts on the behind of every doll. 🙂

 

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Now, I couldn’t find any good songs from the 60s and 70s that started with the letter X, but here’s one, by the Beatles, that has an X in the words of the title. 🙂

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Mystery Box Chickens wish for you an X-citing day! 🙂

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Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge 2016, by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER W

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER W  

Today’s letter to write something about is W

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Letter W is for…Woodstock

Pretty much everyone has heard of Woodstock. It was advertised as ‘3 Days of Peace & Music’, to be held in the summer of 1969, August 15-18. The setting was a huge field, in Bethel, New York. There were 32 music acts that performed, and the audience grew to at least 400,000. There was an award winning documentary made of the event, with actual film of the acts, and the many people who took part. It was directed by Michael Wadleigh, and released in 1970.

A song was written about Woodstock, by Joni Mitchell, which she sang. Later, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young did the song, with a few changes. This is the one I’ve heard.

To read more about Woodstock, click below:

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

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W is for…Water Buffalo Sandals

There are these leather sandals that were very popular back in the era of the 60s and 70s. They were made in India, I believe, and the soles were flat. There was an instep strap, a piece that went between the toes, and a toe ring. The way to get them set to your feet, was to get them wet, then wear them until they took on the shape of an individual’s foot sole. I had several of these, and loved them.

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Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER V

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER V  

Today we have the letter V to write something about.

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Letter V is for…Video Games

A couple of video games got their start in the time period of the 70s. In 1971, “The Oregon Trail” was released, and in 1978, “Space Invaders” was released. I remember my daughter’s learning computer skills while they were in school, by playing “The Oregon Trail”. I remember “Space Invaders” being popular, by seeing people play the game on special tables in restaurants, and according to my reading on Wikipedia, this game was actually first released in a cocktail-table form. A little later, it had been upgraded to a cabinet to hold the game, and it was still in black and white. To simulate it being in color, you could stick cellophane color strips onto the screen. This all seems so primitive to me, now, as the video gaming industry has progressed so much.

Letter V is for…VW Van

The Volkswagen Van was a very popular vehicle for the hippies in the 60s and 70s. Lots of people decorated their vans with painted words and flowers. 🙂

Letter V is for…Vibes

Vibes…a word used to convey the feeling a person gets when in the presence of another person who is showing their friendly emotions by smiling, and by their body language, interaction with you, and having a positive effect on others…Good Vibes! 🙂

And here is a song by the Beach Boys, called “Good Vibrations”. It was released in 1966, and was written by Brian Wilson, and Mike Love. Enjoy!

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Good Vibes from the Mystery Box Chickens

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For more information on the A to Z Blog Challenge, just click below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

 

 

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER U

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE  2016 – LETTER U  

We are up to the letter U in the A to Z Blog Challenge. The next few days, we have some of the more difficult letters to write something about. Guess that’s one reason it is called a challenge. 🙂

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Letter U is for…Urban Legends

An urban legend is a story you hear from someone. They say they’ve heard it from somewhere, and it’s supposed to be true. The thing is, is that no one knows who started the story/rumor, and it just gets passed on, with misunderstandings, and misinterpretations about whatever it is. One common theme, is that it happened to a ‘friend of a friend’, and so it must be true.

Urban legends have always existed, however, they were very rampant in the 60s and 70s. Here are a few that have actually been proven to be false.

1. It was believed for awhile that the singer, Roy Orbison, was blind, because he always wore sunglasses.
2. The popular, hit song, “Louie, Louie”, by the Kingsmen (1965), was said to contain dirty lyrics.
3. The 1965 song, “Puff the Magic Dragon”, by Peter, Paul, and Mary, was supposed to be about marijuana use.
4. Paul McCartney was dead, according to some lyrics in the song “Strawberry Fields Forever”, by the Beatles. People began searching for clues everywhere in their songs, and album cover art.

I really don’t see how that last one got started, because he was singing on that song. Also, as you know, he is still with us, recording and touring.

There are lots more urban legends that make the rounds. Some are funny, some are scary, some are hoaxes, and some are downright unbelievable. I’ve heard a lot over the years. What are some you’ve heard?

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Here’s the Beatles, singing “Strawberry Fields Forever”

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Mystery Box Chickens & some friends want to wish you a Happy Monday, and a fun week ahead!

Mystery Box Chickens are Legendary!

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Here’s a few links, in case you want to read further on Urban Legends, and the Paul is Dead rumor.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3406300278.html

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

http://oldies.about.com/od/oldieshistory/a/oldiesmyths.htm

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Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

 

 

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER T

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE – LETTER T  

Today we have the letter T to write something about.

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Letter T is for…Tiny Tim

Tiny Tim (Herbert B Khaury, 1932-1996), was an American singer. He was well known as the ukulele player with the high falsetto voice,and long curly hair. In 1969, he married ‘Miss Vicki’ on one of the first televised weddings. It was on “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson”. I remember seeing this on TV. His best known song is called “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”. It is very unusual, and memorable. A fun fact: I once drew a huge poster of him, that was hung up in our high school cafeteria, during a special senior carnival event. On the picture of him, I wrote ‘Tiny Tim Loves You’. haha…actually everyone liked it.

Here’s Tiny Tim singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”

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Other interesting things starting with the letter T:

Twiggy (Lesley Hornsby [Lawson]) is an English model, singer, actress, who was very popular in the mid 60s. She wore the styles of the day, had very short hair, and wore eye make-up that made her eyes look large. Later, she did more acting, and won Golden Globe Awards for her performance in “The Boyfriend”. Today, she has her own Twitter and Blog account, which focuses on relevant styles for women in their 60s and 70s.

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Tie-Dye…It was a big thing to do back in the day. Taking a plain, white t-shirt, or other garment, tying or wrapping a rubber band around different sections of it, then dipping it in different color fabric dyes. When releasing the bands and drying the shirt, there would be unique patterns left from the dyes. I did a few of these, and they all turned out pretty cool.

Another great song from the Eagles, is “Take It to the Limit”. This song was written by Randy Meisner, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey, and released in 1975. Enjoy!

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Mystery Box Chickens wish you a Terrific weekend! See ya on Monday! ☺

Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

 

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER S

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE – LETTER S  

Today we have the letter S to write something about.

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Letter S is for…Surfing

Have you been surfing? I have, once…and if I remember correctly, I couldn’t even get up on the board! 😉 But, surfing is a big time sport, and it looks like everyone has fun while they’re doing it, unless they wipe-out.

Surfing has provided many musical artists to write and sing songs about it. One duo was Jan and Dean. Back in 1963, they came out with “Surf City”. It was written by Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys), and Jan Berry. This song, I believe, was the very first surfing song to hit number one on the charts.

That same year, The Beach Boys had their own surfing song. It was “Surfin’ USA”. It was written by Brian Wilson and Chuck Berry,  and seemed to define their unique style, as they had many more with the same subject of surfing.

A really good book about the hey-day of the 60s and 70s, and the great rock bands that were touring, is “When We Get to Surf City”, by Bob Greene. He spent several years, touring and playing music with Jan and Dean. This was in the 90s. He met up with many of the bands and groups that were still touring after all these years. It was quite the adventure, with a behind the scenes look at all that it took to tour. I’d recommend reading it, and there are some wonderful photos included.  (sources: Wikipedia, Amazon Books, and my own copy of the book).

Here’s the two songs I mentioned! Enjoy!

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Mystery Box Chickens going surfing?

Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER R

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER R  

Letter R is the letter of the day to write something about in this month long challenge. We’ll get right to it! 🙂

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Letter R is for…Rock Music

What we call ‘rock’ music covers a wide array of musical genres. It was believed to have originated in the southern U.S. back in the 40s and 50s, but this has been debated. However it came to be, the style of rock music has taken elements from many other types of music. Some of these will be from country, gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, swing, and folk music. As time has passed, there have been many labels associated within the rock genre. A few of these would be  hard rock, alternative rock, punk rock, glam rock, and many sub-genres.

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Some of the slang words used back in the 60s and 70s also begin with the letter R…

Rad – as in radical, and cool

Rap – a friendly conversation

Right on – a strong agreement with someone

Righteous – really great

Rock On – a positive, encouraging exclamation.

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So, let’s all Rock On to this Righteous song. It’s Rad! Then we’ll Rap about it, ok? Right on!

This song is called…”Rock On” 🙂 It is a 1974 song, by David Essex. It has also been recorded and performed by other artists, among them, Michael Damian’s cover of the song in 1989, Smashing Pumpkins, in 2001, and Def Leppard, in 2006.

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Mystery Box Chickens…Rock Stars! (cool name for a rock band?)

To find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge, just click below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS

 

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER Q

A to Z BLOG CHALLENGE 2016 – LETTER Q  

Today’s letter to write about is the letter Q.

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Mystery Box Chickens think it’s all about the BB-Q …

Well, that sounds good, but today we are going to be

writing about something else.

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Letter Q is for…Suzie Q

Suzie Q is a song. It was written in 1957, by Dale Hawkins. This song proved very popular, as many artists covered it on their own albums, in their own style. Some of these include, the Rolling Stones, Suzie Quatro, the Everly Brothers, Linda McCartney, Bobby McFerrin, Jose Feliciano, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. I remember CCR’s version best.

They recorded Suzie Q in 1968. It was said to be in the genre of ‘rockabilly’, and was a pretty long song. The single 45 record used both A-side, and B-side, as part one and part two of the song.

Here they are, singing “Suzie Q”

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Find out more about the A to Z Blog Challenge by clicking below:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

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Thanks for visiting! Peace }I{

© 2016 BS