It’s late February here in the Northeast, and Mother Nature has been in a wacky mood! All month long, within a 24 hour span, it jumps from 65 degree Spring teasers back to freezing cold snow squalls (literally, that’s a thing), but we will take the nice weather whenever we can get it. This winter feels like it’s 80 winters long, and I truly hope this is the last season of the m*&%erf*#$ing pandemic.

Not to keep pressing on about the weather (what is this, small talk before a Zoom meeting?), but it really does dictate so much. Even the music that we’re listening to! Maybe it’s just me because I’m super emo about the seasons, but there are certain songs and artists that I need to listen to when the weather changes. Colder Fall and Winter months have me reaching for artists like Neko Case, The Tallest Man On Earth (I always envision him singing in a cold echoey forest), Mumford & Sons, etc. while summertime calls for Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, and similar breezy vibes.

Over the past few weeks, on those unseasonably nice days when we were outside on very important stick hunts, I felt the need to pop on the folky, nature-themed music of Sam Hinton.

Sam Hinton was an American Folk singer who unfortunately passed away in 2009 at age 92, but he left behind a robust musical legacy, including a lengthy list of songs for kids. He had a love of nature and wildlife which is very evident in his music. He even studied zoology at UCLA in the late 1930’s, moving on to become a Marine Biologist, all while pursuing music and the arts. He led a very fascinating life!

His children’s album, “Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts” offers an easy soundtrack on a nice Spring-like Day. “The Frog Song” was one of the first songs we discovered, which is in fun spoken-word style. “The Crawdad Song” will make you want to grab a pole and go fishin’. And my personal favorite is “The Green Grass Growing All Around”.

Yesterday the weather reached almost 70 degrees(!) and the kids and I were outside playing. I happened to look up at just the right moment, when a BALD EAGLE was soaring his way to a nearby tree. When he perched, I saw the size of him and the white head, tail, and yellow beak, and I instantly got chills. I had never seen a Bald Eagle before, especially in my backyard! I’ve become increasingly fascinated with birds in general, so this was very exciting.

In the moment, like many that are special, I tried to balance the experience between watching with my actual eyes, and capturing it on my phone for the memory. I was fumbling of course, and got the absolute worst shot of it perched in a tree:

THANKFULLY, he made a return later in the day and I got a great video of him soaring through the sky. I can’t post video on these blogs because this version of WordPress is as basic as a girl in Uggs ordering pumpkin spiced lattes at Starbs, but check my Insta/FB for the footage.

It was a moment that made me feel grateful and justified in always prioritizing outdoor time.

Playlist updated with Sam Hinton tunes! Maybe Spring will arrive sooner if we all listen to his songs….

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!