"Sunshine on My Shoulders....

Makes me happy

Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry

Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

Sunshine almost always makes me high" John Denver

Today's sunshine after days and days of rain does make me happy. It also reminded me of John Denver's song and of him.

John Denver was one of my favourite singers in the 70's. I still love to listen to his albums. I think "Annie's Song" and "Take Me Home Country Roads" are my most favored although I like them all.

As he became more popular and I learned more about his career, I remember thinking very briefly that we might be related. It was when I heard his real name was Henry John Deutschendorf. I didn't catch the name at first and hadn't seen it in writing. All I could remember was De.........dorf. "What was that? Deardorf? Wow. Maybe we are distant cousins."

I'm not even sure how my great-great-great grandmother Isobel Deardorff spelled her name. Her daughter Catherine married David Lippincott. Their daughter Matilda married George Means. Their daughter Delphia married Joe Ridnour and they were the parents of my Mother, Ruth. At one time I had a copy of some Deardorff family history clear back to the 1600's in Germany. I hope it is still in a box somewhere and not lost in my moves.

John Denver's song "Rocky Mountain High", which is now one of two official state songs of Colorado, was a hit around the time of my first trip to Colorado. I remember wanting to fall in love with the mountains because my brother and sister-in-law loved them so much. Instead, I experienced altitude sickness and felt like: "You've seen one mountain; you've seen them all." I am a self-proclaimed 'flat-lander'.

"If I had a tale that I could tell you

I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile

If I had a wish that I could wish for you

I'd make a wish for sunshine for all the while.."

(The accompanying picture is one I took on Cinco de Mayo. The morning sun and the fountain combined for a surprising rainbow over the pond.)