The Cumberland Post

Moonshine

2012-03-08T03:00:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems we're on a kind of binge here at the old Post. All those drinking songs yesterday. And today it's moonshine. But we are sober today. Definitely sober.

White lightning, mountain dew, hooch, Tennessee white whiskey.

Whatever it's called, I've never actually tasted the stuff myself. It's a good guess that the "moonshine" moniker came from the fact that makers of illegal whiskey frequently brewed their liquor at night, by the light of the moon. Wiki has lots of info, including this:
Moonshine is any distilled spirit made in an unlicensed still. As with all distilled spirits, yeast ferments a sugar source to produce alcohol; the alcohol is then extracted through the process of distillation....Because of its illegal nature, moonshine is rarely aged in barrels like proper whiskey, and it sometimes contains impurities and off flavors....The pot still is made of copper or stainless steel, and a water filled barrel with a copper tubing coil for a condenser, is the traditional type of still, being popular with early moonshine producers due to its simplicity and ease of construction.

There are many songs in country music that speak of moonshine, stills, etc. One I enjoy a lot is Flatt and Scruggs' "Drinkin' That Mash and Talkin' That Trash." The copper tubing coil mentioned above by Wiki is what's referred to as the "worm" near the end of this old talking blues tune. Note: the phrase that's kinda hard to hear is that the shotgun made "kraut out of Pa."

I've heard the following song several times on my car's Sirius Bluegrass station, although not by this artist. Stonewall Jackson recorded "Bluefield" back in the '60s I believe. It's a story song that's interesting because (a) there's a twist near the end when the owner of the still is revealed, (b) it doesn't have a chorus, and (c) the name of the town "Bluefield" is repeated nine times in the song.

The video of the song is interesting too because it begins with a shot of a confederate flag which might seem inappropriate historically since West Virginia was created by the union out of confederate Virginia at the beginning of the Civil War. But the eastern Appalachian region of West Virginia was much more sympathetic to the confederate cause than the strongly unionist northwestern part of the state. What's that got to do with the price of eggs? Those mountains were where moonshine would be made later in the state's history.

Stonewall Jackson: "Bluefield"

Two more moonshine songs follow. The first one is the Stanley Brothers with the famous "Mountain Dew" tune. Tie yourself down because there's some super fast flat pickin' in this one. When you brew your next batch of hooch, just remember, "if your liquor's too red it'll swell up your head."

And, since I'm writing this in Tennessee, I'd be breakin' a state law if I didn't include this famous song, "Rocky Top," which is one of Tennessee's seven state songs. Don't ask me what the others are. I only know one of them. If you really want to know look rightchere.

Why do I see orange every time I hear this.

The Osborne Brothers: "Rocky Top" with some super high mountain tenor

the Romney Lead Is Now Insurmountable

2012-03-07T11:49:00.000-06:00

Romney didn't carry Tennessee but he carried six other states. Here's some figures from Tim Ross at Hollywood Republican:

As of tonight, Romney has 417 delegates. The other 3 candidates have 328 delegates… COMBINED. Romney has more than double the amount of delegates as Santorum, 4 times the number of delegates as Gingrich, and 10 times more delegates than Ron Paul. Romney is winning 57 percent of the delegates. Romney has won 64 percent of the primaries. Romney has 1,231,646 more total votes than the next closest candidate. There is no spin here, these are the real numbers.

Come on Rick.

How about it Newt?

Whatta ya say Ron?

Isn't it about time you threw in that sweaty towel and get behind the guy who can beat Obama in November?

The BSM (Big Spin Media) is running stories all over the place about the fracture in the Republican ranks, the vast number of conservatives who want somebody other than Romney, etc. CNN even gave Sarah Palin some time (gasp!) and a leading question so they could imply that she might become the nominee if the contest goes to a brokered convention. My local paper, the Tennessean, features a headline announcing "Santorum's Strong Showing Likely to Prolong GOP Contest," while columnist Gail Kerr says "TN Results Underscore GOP Divide."

Let me ask you a simple question. Do you think Obama will beat Romney in TN in November? Remember this is the state which McCain (arguably much more liberal than Romney) carried in 2008 by over 300,000 votes.

The contest is over. Rick, Newt, and Ron are toast.

In November Romney can put a little Obama jelly on that toast and have a nice snack. The President seems to be doing all he can to help. Cartoon by Ken Catalino.

Old Country Drinking Songs I: The Alcohol of Fame

2012-03-07T02:30:00.001-06:00

You push through the door and head toward the bar. The light is low and warm and the bottles look like little gods of forgiveness on the glass shelf. There's a pungent smokey smell in the air and you see a guy sitting alone at the end of the bar who's bent over his drink. A half smoked cigar rests in the ashtray in front of him and smoke curls up toward the ceiling. Two men at a table behind you suck on their brown beer bottles like a baby sucks his mother's milk.

You order a shot of whiskey and a beer and sit there thinking about her. How many months have passed now, how many years? And still her face. The bitch. What'd she have to go and do that to you for? It was all her damn fault.

There's the sound of change being fed into the jukebox on the side wall. A guy makes his selections slowly, deliberately, like the fate of the entire world hangs in the balance. After an eternity, the music starts.

But you ain't in a hurry, you're just gonna sit here and drink.

You tap the bar by your shot glass and the bartender pours. You remember that night. Her face pops up now into your consciousness like the triangular fortune on one of those black eight balls you had as a child. Her face, your fortune forever, says, "no, not now, not ever." That was the night she couldn't take any more.

It's as clear in your mind as yesterday or clearer since you can't remember yesterday at all. The clock on the dash of your old Ford said four a.m. The bars had all finally closed. You leaned forward and put your head on the steering wheel. The horn blew. Lights went on across the street at the Johnsons. Yeah. You were home drunk again.

You tap the bar again and the bartender gives you another. You toss it back and take another hit on the beer. A woman comes in, a redhead. Her dress is a pale green and it hangs on her skinny frame like a faded and worn out tent. She's in her late forties and her wrinkled face looks like the saddest map you've ever tried to read. She sits at a table in the corner, lights a cigarette, and orders a bottle of cheap wine.

You throw back another shot and wipe your mouth with your sleeve. Then you think about the pint you had earlier. Was that at lunch or later in the afternoon? Or was it just before you came in here? You're not sure. Hell. Maybe you've already passed the Pint of No Return.

You kill the rest of the beer. You look around. The place is empty. Bartender stops polishing a glas and points to his watch. Yeah, you think, I could be that guy, they oughtta put me in the "Alcohol of Fame."

Romney for President

2012-03-06T14:30:00.002-06:00

Well, today is Super Tuesday, which means I gotta make up my mind on a candidate and cast a vote. I've kept up with the Republican campaign so far during this primary season and watched the different candidates rise up and then sink back into the political sea. Their surges and ebbs have been almost as regular and as quick as the way the tides rise and fall daily with the moon.

I watched Cain's surge and found I liked his business experience and blunt way of speaking. Plus that clip of him singing his pizza version of "Imagine" was clever. Then sexual bombs starting falling, and in an amazingly short time he was out of the picture. Politicians are human and they have their failings like the rest of us. Cain is no exception. Anyway, there were already signs that he might not be the best person for the job. And to really mix up my metaphors, I got off the Cain Train long before the sexual excrement hit the fan.

I felt a lot better about Gingrich's rise and seriously considered voting for him. He's very articulate, quick witted, and his comments usually seem grounded in history. But I've cooled down considerably regarding his chances, not because of his three marriages, but primarily because it seems clear that a lot of people in congress (Republicans) were not supportive of his candidacy and indicated that if he were the nominee he might crash and burn and bring others down with him. I liked his knowledge of history, but it seems his own political history might have contributed to his slide.

Paul, of course, has been there all along. I find him to be a decent man and some of his libertarian views appeal to me. I think his idea of basing foreign aid on support for the U.S. and its policies makes a certain amount of sense (with the caveat that other countries (i.e. China, Russia) could use their own aid to influence people in other countries against us and that might not be a good thing. But, I don't think his 19th century idea of an isolated America is possible, and his suggested military reductions are dangerous.

Santorum is the latest candidate to catch the wave. But I've never been attracted to him. He seems like a nice enough guy with a big family, but when I try to think of him as the nominee, something just doesn't click for me. There are things in his voting record that bother me, but my feeling here is much more subjective.

Romney's candidacy has not been subject to the same fluctuations. He's been the slow and steady tortoise to the others' anaerobic hares. He's experienced at organizing and running a campaign. He has executive experience as a governor. He's got successful business experience in spades. He has also has a beautiful family.

Romney is criticized for changing his mind on some issues (flip flopping), for being a Rhino, for being a Mormon, for being rich, etc. etc.

I don't know about you, but I've changed my mind on quite a few issues over my lifetime. I was a liberal Democrat and supported most of their ideas for many years. But slowly I came to the conclusion that I was looking at things the wrong way. I finally realized hat there was another perspective that made a lot more sense for the long term. I consider the fact that Romney has changed his mind on several issues a positive, not a negative. Where some people see his changes as political expediency, I see them as growth.

Romney is also called a Rhino, a Republican in name only. When someone says that she usually means (a) he's too close to the center of the political spectrum, and/or (b) he's more in tune with liberals on social issues.

Point one, most Americans are closer to the political center than to either of the extremes.

Point two, Romney's Mormonism, his personal morality and ethics, in my view, put him on an even par with Santorum on social issues. I personally don't care if he's a Mormon or a Seventh Day Agnostic. What I do care about is his personal morality and his ethical standards. The life he's lived, his family, his service, all of that, tells me he's okay. He's not perfect, I'm sure. But I don't expect that. And I may or may not agree with him on every social issue. But those issues are not top priority with me (and I believe many other Americans) right now.

Point three, I personally think Romney is as conservative as any candidate running now. If you've ever been in an administrative position, you know that in order to make the organization work, to provide the service or to make the product, compromises have to be made. Remember, Romney was governor of one of the most liberal states in the union. He not only got elected as a Republican in that state, he got some things done. And as far as the health care issue, his plan was a state plan, not a national plan. And it did not involve mandates.

And as for the argument against Romney for being rich, I think it's nonsense. If you think about it, the argument really has it's roots in the socialistic/communistic assumption that individual wealth is itself unfair and evil. I'm on the capitalist side of that argument. I'm a proud capitalist (not necessarily a succesful one!) and I think this system best reflects human nature and simultaneously gives structure to human inclinations. All the attempts to create some kind of socialist or communist utopia have not eliminated poverty or imbalances in income. It just can't be done.

Finally, I'm glad Romney's rich. Would you rather have a guy who's already rich get elected, or someone who only has a modest income but comes out a rich man? (Both Clinton, for example, and his VP Gore come to mind.) I think Romney won't be distracted by pursuing his own agenda and cutting a lot of deals as president to pad his pockets for the post presidency. He doesn't have to.

I understand that he might use his position to protect his wealth, but I think his personal ethics would work against that. Still, should he waver, such policies that follow from "protecting his wealth" might ultimately do all of us some good.

I sincerely believe that Mitt Romney and his team can lead America out of the financial crisis that we're in and restore our faith in our country. I think he will generate jobs and growth by having a sound energy policy that involves building the Keystone pipeline and opening up exploration and drilling for oil on and off shore. I believe he will take the necessary steps to cut back the size of government, deal with the looming entitlement crisis, and put us on the road to a balanced budget and fiscal responsibility.

Under President Romney, I don't think there will be any World Apology Tours. I think he will clear up and establish consistency in our currently muddled and inconsistent foreign policy. I also believe that he will use the might of U.S. military to protect and defend American interests here and abroad.

That's my two cents worth. Now, I've gotta go down to the polling place and do my duty as an American citizen. By voting, I have some say in governmental affairs. Every American has a right to speak his/her mind about political issues. But the act of voting, I think, gives me a little more authority if I want to support or complain about what's coming out of D. C. or the TN state legislature.

Wonderland's "Dust My Broom"

2012-03-05T11:54:00.000-06:00

Last week, after Davy Jones of the Monkees died, I was looking up a bunch of stuff about all of the different guys in the group and what happened to them. I found that Mike Nesmith has continued to work in the entertainment business and has produced some artists, including an album by award winning blues singer/guitarist Ms. Carolyn Wonderland. That's her in the pic (by Ron Baker).

Since I've been on a little Blues kick lately, I immediately checked to see what wonderful "Wonderland" stuff is available the You Tube. I picked the blues standard, "Dust My Broom." There's an ongoing debate about whether the song was written by Robert Johnson or Elmore James, but we won't go there. I am gonna play James' version later, but first I want you to hear this lady.

Before you click on the arrow below, gird yourself my friend and tighten that rubber band you use to hold up your socks, cause this lady's gonna wake you up. Notice she don't pick lightly like some girl pickers I know. And she don't play around with that slide, she's slamming that thing around like she means business. As Big Joe Johnson says, "dust my broom" means "I'm puttin' you down, leavin' for good, won't be back no more!" (There's a Wonderland "Broom" video with better sound quality available on You Tube, but I like this one since you can actually see this woman in action.)

Here's take two on the song, this older one by Mr. Elmore James has better sound quality.

UPDATE: In his comment, Buck has a link to a post he wrote about his first experience with Ms. Wonderland. Follow the link and read and enjoy. You won't be disappointed!

Lonestar Blues

2012-03-04T15:39:00.001-06:00

Lest you misconstrue the previous post's intent (Death and the Purple Robe) and infer we're in a morbid mood here at the Cumberland Post today, I searched around and found this draft in our files. Or should that be draught as in Beer?

Lubbock, TX native Delbert McClinton has enjoyed a successful career as a sideman, singer, and songwriter. McClinton, who wrote Emmylou's hit "Two More Bottles of Wine," is in the TX Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame. His voice has a rough edged bluesman's quality to it. Here's his "Lonestar Blues." It's good for what ails you.

Death and the Purple Robe

2012-03-04T14:21:00.000-06:00

In the sophomore literature classes I taught, we used to read a play called Everyman. This play, from the late 15th century in England, is categorized by scholars as an allegorical morality play, a play that uses personifications to teach a lesson about life. A morality play is in effect a dramatized sermon with the purpose of getting Christians to live their life in a moral manner that will ensure their salvation. Though it sounds foreboding and a bit morbid, the play actually has quite a bit of humor.

This link will lead you to a good study guide if you want to get the complete plot and other information.

In the beginning of Everyman, the central character, Everyman (that would be all of us at some point in our lives), is confronted by a mysterious character named Death who basically says, it's time for you to come with me (die). Everyman is allowed some brief time to get anyone he can to go along with him. He asks his friends, his relatives, and his material goods to go with him. When they discover where he's going they all offer excuses, some of which are lol funny. In the end, only Everyman's Good Deeds will accompany him on his final journey.

The personification of Death is a technique that's been used in other literary and musical works. One of my favorite bluegrass songs is Ralph Stanley's "O Death," in which the singer (Stanley does it A capella) directly addresses Death, who has come for him. Like Everyman, the singer-narrator in this song tries to talk his way out of Death's invitation. The song gained a larger audience after Stanley performed it in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?).

Gospel has been a significant part of bluegrass music from its origins. The Stanley Brothers (Ralph and his brother Carter) had many excellent ones in their repertoire, including "Rank Strangers," "In Heaven We'll Never Grow Old," and "Angel Band." This tune is by Odell McLeod and is called "Purple Robe." It describes the scene from the Bible where Jesus is falsely accused and brought to trial before Pontius Pilate.

The focus in the song is on the inhumanity of the mob and the suffering and innocence of the accused. I first heard this song on The Vanderbilt University radio station back in the early '80s (they had a bluegrass show on Sunday afternoons at the time) and spent a few of those pre-internet days trying to learn the chords on my guitar. I really like the fine, clear guitar picking on this one, as well as the great harmonies (that mix of the high tenor and the resonating bass voice is simply outstanding).

Peter Kingdom's Alvis TE21 Drophead vs. Facel Vega HK500

2012-03-03T00:27:00.000-06:00

Joyce and I have enjoyed Netflix streaming for several months now and I have a long queue of movies and TV shows lined up for our nighttime viewing.

It's a lot of fun to discuss a movie afterward and then decide on a rating. The ratings we give what we view are important because the computer program makes suggestions based on that and develops categories that might interest us. The more shows you rate, the better the program gets at knowing what you like. It's fun but a bit scary in a Big Brother kind of way.

Over the past couple of years we've enjoyed quite a few British TV series, including Doc Martin (5 stars), Monarch of the Glen (4 stars), Midsomer Murders (4 stars), as well as several British produced miniseries (e.g. The Politician's Wife, 5 stars).

We have recently watched a few episodes of a show starring Stephen Fry called Kingdom. The show is about Norfolk solicitor Peter Kingdom whose "quirky clientele supplies him with a bounty of unusual cases, which he juggles with tending to his unbalanced half-sister, Beatrice, and searching for their long lost brother."

I wanted to give the series 5 stars but Joyce convinced me that just because I love the stunning car that Kingdom (Fry) drives around in I shouldn't be guilty of grade inflation. This is true. But the Alvis TE21 Drophead is such a beauty. I think I'm in love. Sigh. Joyce is used to this. Especially since we sold the XK8.

I hadn't heard of an Alvis before. As a matter of fact when I caught the first glimpse of the car used in the Kingdom series, I thought it was a Facel Vega HK500, which I remembered seeing long ago in a magazine, and which you'll have to agree shares some features with the Alvis. Well, actually one feature, the dual over/under headlight pods.

When I thought of the Facel Vega, I wondered immediately, why would the English be using a French car for a very English hero in an English TV series? Well they wouldn't now, would they?

But here's a pic of the Facel Vega HK500 so you can see the slight similarity. That chap standing proudly by his own HK500 is English racing driver, Stirling Moss, who's often called "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship."

But the car in Kingdom is not an HK500. The two are quite different. The Facel Vega is a French made car. The Alvis is very much an English automobile. From Wiki:

Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd was a British manufacturing company that existed in Coventry,England from 1919 – 1967. In addition to automobiles designed for the civilian market, the company also produced racing cars, aircraft engines, armoured cars and other armoured fighting vehicles, the latter continuing long after civilian car production ceased.

Alvis manufactured the TE21 between 1963 and 1966. It was powered by a 130hp, straight six. According to the producers of the Kingdom series, it was selected because it's very rare and it was designed as a gentleman's car. Here's Fry standing by the one used in the series.

Here's a brief video of the beautiful Alvis spinning around slowly so you can see it from all angles.

Now, let me briefly consider the Facel Vega HK500. I said earlier that it was built by FACEL (Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir); the company manufactured Facels between 1954 and 1964. The engine the French used in the '54 HK500 model was a 275 cubic inch Desoto Firedome, Hemi V8. That's right. A Hemi. A French car company actually used something made in America. In '56 they even used the bigger 330 cubic inch Chrysler hemi.

As you look at the car you may notice a few external American style cues as well--wrap around windshield, lots of chrome. And here's another fact: a new Facel Vega cost more than a Rolls Royce. The advertising slogan the company used was "For the few who own the finest."

The HK500 had a sleek and elegant skin, but hiding under that beauty was enough brute power to give Facel the confidence to claim it was the world's fastest production car at the time. Guess that explains why Sir Stirling had one.

Ah gee whiz. I'm so fickle. I think I want both cars. I love this HK too.

Maybe when it comes to cars, I'm a bigamist. Actually make that a depraved, lust ravaged, polygamist.

I'll leave you with a brief video of this lovely, but very, very hot car. You can check out the curves, look at the fabulous interior, and listen to that lusty Hemi V8. I'm starting to sweat a bit here.

No Place to Fall - Townes Van Zandt Part 2

2012-03-02T03:08:00.000-06:00

Townes Van Zandt died on January 1, 1997, at the age of 52, exactly 44 years to the day that one of his greatest influences in music, Hank Williams, died.

Van Zandt seems to me to have been a trapped man. What I mean is that he was this one odd thing, while the world wanted something else, something more polished, something ideal, or at the very least, something familiar, something they could get a handle on.

The world expected him to fit into a certain category and live a certain way. It wasn't that he had other plans. He just didn't want or couldn't follow their plans. And he certainly didn't fit into any of the identities or niches they imagined for him.

He was boxed in, imprisoned in a kind of psychological Alcatraz. He was trapped by others' expectations, the terrible darkness his manic visions showed him, the poetry his genius gave him to express those visions, and by his own very human weaknesses and dependencies.

He was born into an old and influential and relatively wealthy Texas family. He was very smart and they imagined he could be a lawyer or possibly a senator. But Van Zandt seemed to spend his life trying to create an identity that was as far removed from that as possible. He became the stranger. The down and out-outsider. A guy on the edge of the abyss. An alcoholic. A veteran of one too many mornings in rehab. A strung out addict, who two years before he died, rode an old 1984 Honda Shadow motorcycle or drove around in an even older Jimmy pickup.

When he began his career in music in the mid '60s, he played in the Jester's Lounge in Houston, doing covers of Bob Dylan songs as well as covers of songs originated by bluesman Lightnin' Hopkins. But thanks to a meeting with Mickey Newbury, he ended up in Nashville in 1968 where musician and producer Cowboy Jack Clement began to try and fit him into the country niche, both as a writer and as a performer.

You've read the words to his songs. You've heard Van Zandt sing. Did he sound like any country singer in the late '60s, early '70s? Did he sound or act like Jimmy Dean, for example? Did he write like Dallas Frazier, for example? Jimmy Dean had some big '60s hits and a TV show and he did a lot for country music in that decade. But Van Zandt wasn't that kind of guy. Frazier wrote some great tunes in that era, but can you even use the word "tune" to describe a song like "Tecumseh Valley?"

After high school Van Zandt's family had wanted him to go to college. He went. But, worried about his binge drinking and depression, they brought him home in the spring of his sophomore year and put him in the hospital where he received three months of insulin shock therapy. This "therapy" put a patient in daily comas over several weeks. Van Zandt lost all his childhood memories as a result.

Van Zandt was manic depressive, or as it's sometimes labeled, bi-polar. He also had tremendous poetic and verbal skills which he employed as he tried to write himself out of those terrible dark places the manic episodes many times took him to. You can hear the ache in the words and in his voice as he sings about the darkness his illness helped him see. It's not imagined, it's a very real darkness most of us are too busy or "sane" to see. Facing that terror, and making art out of it, is a most noble and courageous human endeavor. But it doesn't ultimately lead to the solution of the problem. When the song is finished and the ink has dried on the paper, for a manic depressive the big Shadow still looms down the hall.

"No Place to Fall" was apparently written in or before 1973 when it was recorded on the "Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas" album. According to Wiki, the "Old Quarter" album wasn't released until 1977 and in the next year, the song also became part of the 1978 album "Flyin' Shoes."

In an earlier Van Zandt post I used Nanci Griffiths version of his "Techumseh Valley," called by some "the saddest song ever written." The song tells of a poor young woman who came over the hill from Spencer down into Tecumseh Valley. Her Pa had told her to find a job and make enough to buy some coal to bring back. But things didn't work out for her. Her Pa died and she chose a life on the streets. In time she was crushed by that life. Here's a couple of verses near the end.

She saved enough to get back home
When spring replaced the winter
But her dreams were denied, her Pa had died
The word come down from Spencer

She turned to whorin' out on the streets
With all the lust inside her
It was many a man returned again
To lay himself beside her

This version is by Van Zandt himself. As you listen, look into the poet's eyes. That's the Shadow reflected there.

Van Zandt might make art out of the Shadow, but his eyes also tell you that making that poem, making art won't be the end of the battle. The Shadow ain't goin' nowhere.

But the eyes also tell you that making art ain't the same as running. As a matter of fact, making art is one way of taking a stand against the darkness. I'm glad some of us have the courage to do that.

Note: this post is also posted on Country Dirt.

The Storms Are on the Ocean (and in Tennessee Today)

2012-02-29T11:09:00.000-06:00

I'm experimenting (playing around) with my blog template. It may change several times over the next few days. Thanks for your patience. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions about the look of the blog or its content, or my stats in the previous post, please comment.

The storms are on the ocean and today they're moving through Tennessee. A tornado watch is out for all of middle TN until 8 PM, but the focus, the paper says, is on the northern counties (that would be us). I hope there's only a pleasant breeze and warm sunshine wherever you are.

The Carter Family recorded this song in 1927 and released it (with "Single Girl, Married Girl" on the other side) in 1928. This was their second record and it became very popular. It's a country standard and has been recorded by many others since, including this version by Sharon White and Rickey Scaggs.

Taking Stock of The Cumberland Post Blog

2012-02-29T02:17:00.000-06:00

I think I'll probably change the look of my blog sometime soon. I'm going to use one of those wide screen layouts. I want to still try and keep my backyard pic, but right now, it looks like it's a little small for that layout.

Also, if you're a regular reader (or even if you're not), please tell me if my blog looks all squeezed up in the middle of the page with a lot of wasted space on the sides. And, if you have any other points to make about the look of the blog, the content, etc., please feel free to let me know. Like that famous guy who's a hero to the Japanese, W. Edwards Deming, we at the Post are interested in total quality improvement. BTW, that's his pic to the right. You can read the wiki about him here.

Besides all that, I've been trying to make some sense out of the stats I'm accumulating.

Although my profile says I've been on Blogger since 2007, I didn't really get started on this platform and the Cumberland Post blog until January of 2010. (What I was doing in those seven months in 2009, I don't have a clue. Seriously, Blogger may know, but I honestly don't remember.)

My first post on this blog, The Cumberland Post, a test in January 2010, had a pic of the woods behind our house and our snow covered backyard.

Since then, I've rarely checked the stats or any of the other data available. That stuff just didn't interest me because I mainly wanted a place to write from time to time. Recently, however, I've become more interested in all the stats. I'm curious, for example, about Germany. Why do I have more German google hits than English google hits?

And, why don't I do well in Japan?

Like somebody said to Alfie a long time ago, "What's it all about?"

So, here's some of my stats and my comments about them. But, before you look through these materials expecting some kind of denouement or rhetorically satisfying conclusion, let me warn you that I'm afraid I ended up with even more questions than I started with. And this stuff is awful boring, so don't fall asleep and knock the toaster over and burn down your house.

Okay. Here goes. This snapshot is taken from a day last week, Saturday if I remember right.

All Time Page Views Chart

Page Views

Pageviews today

Pageviews yesterday

Pageviews last month

3,488

Pageviews all time history

40,318

Comment on the chart and page view summary.

The number of page views has grown which is good. I think a good part of that is related to the fact that the older posts have accumulated and the frequent hits (unknown to me before now) on several of those older ones account for many of my current daily hits. You'll see those in another section below on Posts. But first here's the chart on my page views by country.

Pageviews by Countries

United States

23,471

Germany

1,549

United Kingdom

1,523

Canada

1,359

Netherlands

1,268

Russia

1,095

France

482

Australia

426

Comment on Page Views by Countries

Most, as you would expect, come from the U.S. But there are more from Germany than the U.K. I wonder why? And why are Russians more interested in my posts than the French? Slovenia doesn't show up here on the all time list but it did show up during the months of February and January. Why?

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1,957 Pageviews

Nude Friday Classic Hottie: Brigitte Bardot

Jul 2, 2010, 4 comments

1,460 Pageviews

Buick Hotrods for Hotrod Hearts

Nov 28, 2010, 5 comments

1,359 Pageviews

1959 Fiat Bianchina Transformabile: My Third Car

Jun 1, 2010, 4 comments

806 Pageviews

Day 1: On the Road

Aug 13, 2011, 1 comment

801 Pageviews

Another Memorial Day Post

May 30, 2011, 2 comments

774 Pageviews

Forsythia: The Real vs. The Concrete Poem

Mar 30, 2010, 2 comments

539 Pageviews

XF5F: Blackhawks' Grumman Skyrocket

Nov 19, 2010, 1 comment

473 Pageviews

What Super Bowl? We Got a Hockey Team! Preds 3, Re...

Feb 6, 2011, 5 comments

267 Pageviews

Comment on all time leading posts.

I guess there must be lots of people around the world who are still amazed at the story of Audie Murphy. I'm glad because he's been a hero of mine since childhood. I think I understand why the Bardot post is in #3 and why Lady Gaga is probably more responsible for the #2 post success than the five '50s cars I selected as most beautiful. But there are two other car posts on the list as well which tells me that I should keep doing those car posts (which I really enjoy). But that Forsythia poem post and the Blackhawks airplane post and the "What Super Bowl" post...I don't have a clue.

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Thanks Andy. Thanks Cookie. Way to go Google Canada.

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What the hell is Opera? GranParadiso sounds like a casino. Man, Netscape, which I used to use back in the day, is just about gone.

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