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“Morning Has Broken” by Cat Stevens and Eleanor Farjeon
The song “Morning Has Broken” was based on a traditional Scottish Gaelic tune called “Bunessan,” a song named for the village of Bunessan on the Isle of Mull. It was then set to lyrics by author Eleanor Farjeon, who was known for writing children’s stories, poetry, plays, and more. This version, with Farjeon’s lyrics, was first published as a hymn in 1931 in the second edition of the hymnal Songs of Praise. However, it was this cover by Cat Stevens, recorded in 1971, that brought much wider recognition to the song.
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Prairie Moon Friends: Fireflies
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‘OUÏ’ by Camille
Parisian singer-songwriter Camille’s 2017 release OUÏ blends vocals with instrumentation seamlessly, often experimentally as heard in the striking vocal arrangements in “Fontaine de lait,” and sometimes hauntingly, as in the song “Nuit debout,” with lyrics flowing with colorful language as she shifts between French and English. OUÏ is her fifth studio album, released by Because Music. Here is the fourth track on the album, “Seeds.”
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Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
When a young witch leaves home on a clear night with a full moon, as is customary for witches, she and her cat Jiji start a new life and find new possibilities in the city of Koriko, where Kiki starts a flying delivery service as she becomes independent. This delightful movie, created by Studio Ghibli (My Neighbor Totoro, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, Spirited Away, When Marnie Was There, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and more), is the fourth film in my year of watching 50 Japanese movies. Kiki’s Delivery Service (originally titled Majo no takkyûbin) was produced and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and based on the novel Kiki’s…
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‘I Need to Start a Garden’ by Haley Heynderickx
As we round out the spring, I don’t want it to end without mentioning what has been my spring anthem for the past two years, I Need to Start a Garden by Haley Heynderickx. Lively and playful like the season, I Need to Start a Garden also touches on many themes relating to this time of reawakening, like the song about the personalities of insects and moving them out of a house to please someone, “The Bug Collector,” and the title itself, as heard in the song “Oom Sha La La.” I Need to Start a Garden was Haley Heynderickx’s debut full-length album, released in 2018 by Mama Bird Recording Company.…
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Prairie Moon Friends: Rabbit
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My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
A Japanese movie marathon wouldn’t be right without delving into the wonderful world of Japanese animation, and I’m starting with my favorite out of the few that I’ve seen, the beautifully hand-illustrated film My Neighbor Totoro. Set in 1950s Japan, My Neighbor Totoro tells the story of a professor, Tatsuo Kusakabe, and his two daughters, Satsuki and Mei, who move to the countryside to be closer to their mother who is in the hospital recovering from a long-term illness. Once they arrive, the children start to explore the old house that they are moving into, and discover that it’s inhabited by dust bunny-like spirits called “susuwatari” or “soot sprites” that…
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‘city life’ by Birb
I love falling down rabbit holes of obscure piano music and city life is one of the best finds yet as far as obscure piano rabbit holes go. The four-song EP was released on August 31, 2021 by Birb and features short, simple but pensive instrumental piano songs. You know with titles like “falling in love with a new york pigeon,” “a cat gets stuck in traffic,” “the same cat gets stuck in the infinite time loop of life,” and “small fish drowns in the big city,” it’s got to be good. Other singles, albums, and EPs by Birb include 2025’s the cat collection, daydreaming in an empty parking lot…
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The Beales and The Bealses
One of my wish list items is to build a documented family tree, and this week my curiosity brought me back to genealogy to do just that. One of my sisters and I were watching clips of Little Edie Beale in Grey Gardens and my sister said “daddy always said that if you meet someone with the last name Beale or Beals, that we’re probably related because it’s a rare name.” Beals was my maiden name, and while I’m not married now, I kept my married last name to have the same name as my daughter so I don’t go by Beals now, but it is our family name. My…
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Ecuador Culture, Cuisine, & Natural Features of the Mainland
Recently, I returned from Ecuador and have spent much of my time since sifting through the hundreds of photos I took. I went with two of my good friends with a group of ten photographers in total, and I was one of only two people who used their phones as the main camera. If there’s one thing I learned about photography while I was there, it’s to take tons of pictures and select the best ones later. Take pictures of everything of interest, everything that might be of interest, and from different areas of focus and from different viewpoints. I ended up with hundreds of pics, most which I love.…
