Ramblin' with Roger

Allergies and Ask Roger Anything

in the contract

I thought I was sick. But then I decided the stuffy head/runny nose/cough/sneezing was probably allergies. It’s primarily because my daughter and I traveled to Charlotte, NC, in mid-May, and then to Prospect Park in Brooklyn TWICE in the first week of June.

They are, of course, south of Albany, NY. And, oh yeah, my daughter has similar symptoms. And I’ve been so busy/tired/loopy that I haven’t even written WHY we went to Brooklyn twice.

When I told my Wordle buddy Matthew how I was feeling, he sent me a link to the song “Allergies,” a fairly obscure tune by Paul Simon, which had been running through my head as well.

The ask

So I find it more efficient/lazier to ask y’all to Ask Roger Anything. Like the Sunday Stealing prompt, I generally find it easier to respond to prompts when I’m sick/tired/overwhelmed than to create complete sentences.

If you would be so kind as to ask me whatever. Because it’s the contract, I will answer almost any question, no matter how off the wall. Moreover, I’m likely to respond fairly quickly, since the reserve of posts has been dwindling this month.

I would like to answer the Colbert Questionnaire – yes, I know that’s not how he spelled it – if someone were to ask. (Unsubtle hint.)

You can leave your questions in the comments section of this blog, in my email, referenced elsewhere on this blog, or on my Facebook page (Roger Owen Green); always look for the duck.

57th Ordnance Ammunition Company

Father’s Day

I had written about my father’s military history in the past, notably here and especially here, but because some records of the war were lost, I never knew where he was other than in the European theater of operations in 1946, beginning in February.

Well, not until May 2026, when I found this picture at my sister Marcia’s house in Charlotte, NC. I have actually used a copy of this picture in the past.

But I had not seen the other side. By his own hand, he describes that he was a Provost Sergeant of the 57th Ordnance Company. Here’s a history of the unit, whose “duty was the procurement, storage, and distribution of ammunition.” Further, “the 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company remained in Germany until 10 December 1946, when it was officially inactivated.” That month was also when my father was mustered out of the military.

NYPL

This item from the New York Public Library intrigued me:

Harris, Charles E., 1923-1996

Charles E. Harris World War II memorabilia collection, 1944-1971 [bulk 1944-1945]

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 767

0.25 linear feet (1 box)

During World War II, Charles Edward Harris was in the all-Black 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, whose duty was the procurement, storage, and distribution of ammunition. The Charles E. Harris World War II memorabilia collection includes two handwritten and typed histories of the 57th Ordnance Ammunition Company, love letters, two handkerchiefs, and a booklet.

This means that at some point I need to go to the NYPL to see whether Les Green appears in the documents. Or more specifically, MY Les Green. There are a lot of WWII soldiers named Leslie Green who are NOT the right fellow, such as this guy, this guy, and this guy.

This is my Father’s Day post, with one more nugget to explore.

Sunday Stealing Goes to the Mall

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

This week’s meme is inspired by Melanie at This Ain’t New York. We’re indulging in a little retail therapy. Tell us what you would pick up at each stop. Sunday Stealing Goes to the Mall.

Shopping Day. What’s on your shopping list from …

First, let it be known that I HATE most shopping. I remember one winter that my wife was going to buy me a coat. We went to J.C. Penney, and I tried on two coats. The second one fit and looked fine. “I’m ready.” She wondered, “Don’t you want to keep looking?” “NO!” Did I mention that I hate most shopping?

1. Target or Walmart, or other superstore?

My disdain for Walmart is well-documented here from 2013; it’s too big, as I was reminded the last time I went there. It is the largest supercenter in the United States. Target has been subject to a boycott, described here. A Costco is coming to the area on August 6, and it will have a massive footprint.

2. Dollar Tree or Dollar General, or poundstretcher/99p store?

Dollar stores tend to creep me out, with a bunch of stuff that I don’t really need. If I really need to shop, I’ll go to Lodge’s, a downtown Albany store that’s been around for nearly 160 years! I wrote about it here in 2018. The last time I went there, I bought socks, shirts, and sunglasses.

NOW we’re talkin’!

3. Best Buy or any other electronics/appliance store?

I have gone to Best Buy for electronics and, more pressingly, to get stuff fixed. The last thing I bought there was a boombox with a two-year warranty; it works better than some cheaper ones.

4. Book/music store?

I used to LOVE to go to record stores in Albany. Blue Note, Strawberry’s, World’s Records, et al. Last Vestige is the only one left, as far as I know, because I ain’t going to Walmart et al.

I went to several bookstores as well, but my favorite has long been The Book House in Stuyvesant Plaza. Oh, I was reminded that my good friend Norm Nissen, who worked there and provided great book selections, died ten years ago this very month; I miss him a lot.

Bonus question! Where do you want to stop for lunch?

There’s a stretch of places less than two blocks from my house: Junior’s (especially between 11 am and 2 pm), Cafe Madison, and others. Also, across from the Washington Avenue library, the Iron Gate Cafe.

#1 pop hits of 1966

two by the Beatles, two by the Supremes

Here are the #1 pop hits of 1966. Well, some of them. All will be made clear eventually.

I’m A Believer – the Monkees, #1 for 7 weeks. The first week actually started on the last day of 1966. Written by Neil Diamond.

The Ballad of the Green Berets – s/Sgt Barry Sadler, #1 for five weeks. Also #1 AC (adult contemporary) for 5 weeks, and #2 CW (counry) for two weeks. Four years ago, I wrote a whole post about the song.

(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration – the Righteous Brothers, #1 for 3 weeks, #2 RB (rhythm and blues). One of the relatively few singles I owned.

Monday, Monday – the Mamas and the Papas, #1 for 3 weeks. “Can’t trust that day.”

Summer In The City – the Lovin’ Spoonful, #1 for 3 weeks. I played this (poorly) on my grandmother’s piano.

Cherish – the Association, #1 for 3 weeks, #38 AC

We Can Work It Out– the Beatles, #1 for 3 weeks. I was always fond of this because it was so clearly a Lennon-and-McCartney song. From the Yesterday… and Today album, which I bought at a Rexall drug store for $2.99, the first Beatles album I did NOT get from the Capitol Records Club.

Winchester Cathedral – the New Vaudeville Band, #1 for 3 weeks. Also #1 AC for four weeks. If I pinch my nose with two fingers, I can sort of approximate the vocal stylings of the song.

My Love – Petula Clark, 2 weeks at #1, #4 AC

When A Man Loves A Woman – Percy Sledge, 2 weeks at #1; #1 RB for four weeks

Paint It, Black – the Rolling Stones, 2 weeks at #1. This is the lead track of the first Stones album I ever purchased, Aftermath, though the song does NOT appear on the UK version of the LP.

Hanky Panky – Tommy James and the Shondells, 2 weeks at #1; #39 RB

Wild Thing – the Troggs, 2 weeks at #1. “But I wanna know for sure.”

Motown

You Can’t Hurry Love – the Supremes, 2 weeks at #1; also #1 RB for two weeks. This was on The Supremes A Go-Go, which my sister Leslie owned. Much later, I bought it on CD.

Reach Out I’ll BBe There – the Four Tops, 2 weeks at #1; also #1 RB for four weeks.. This was on the great The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland album, which I owned.

You Keep Me Hanging On – the Supremes, 2 weeks at #1; also #1 RB for four weeks. I owned this on the great The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland album.

The Sound of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel, 2 weeks at #1 . It’s the title song of an album I didn’t buy until after I got Bookends (1968). The original version, which appeared on Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., I didn’t purchase until well after I bought the Bridge Over Troubled water album in 1970. From Wikipedia: Throughout the month of January 1966 “The Sound of Silence” had a one-on-one battle with the Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” for the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. “The Sound of Silence” was number one for the weeks of January 1 and 22 and number two for the intervening two weeks. “We Can Work It Out” held the top spot for the weeks of January 8, 15, and 29, and it was number two for the two weeks that “The Sound of Silence” was number one.

Paperback Writer – the Beatles, 2 weeks at #1. Though it was recorded during the Revolver sessions, it was a stand-alone single (b/w Rain). I didn’t own it until I bought the peculiar Beatles Again/Hey Jude album when it came out in 1969. Oh, today is Ringo Starr’s 86th birthday.

I will revisit the topic soon with the one week at #1 pop songs, PLUS other #1s on non-Billboard charts.

Movie review: The Sheep Detectives

crimessolvers

My daughter and I saw a Wednesday matinee of the film The Sheep Detectives at the Spectrum Theatre in late May. Initially, we were the only people in the theater, but eventually two groups of three joined us.

One of the television ads featured a pull quote calling the movie a cross between Babe and Knives Out. That was a useful observation, as it let me know that we would have a bunch of talking animals.

“George (Hugh Jackman) is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can’t possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.”

Of course, it is easier to solve a book crime than an actual one, as sheep Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and the others (voiced by, among others, Patrick Stewart, Bryan Cranston, and Regina Hall) soon discover. And then, how do they convey the information to Officer Tim, the only cop in town?

There are a half dozen suspects: a couple of competing farmers, the shopkeeper who steals something from the letter carrier, maybe even the minister. How about that young woman new to town? Is the lawyer (Emma Thompson) on the up-and -up?

Big thumbs up

I adored this movie. It was smart and compassionate. The description one sheep made to others about the nature of God and the church was LOL funny to me. Those sheep had their own myth about death, which is no weirder than the one people you know have. The sheep have to get out of their comfort zones, physically and otherwise.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it received 95% positive reviews from critics and 96% from audiences. Recommended for someone 8 to 80. Warning: you may get a little teary-eyed.