Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Everywhere a Sign

We like signs, which you would readily see if you ever visited our apartment, as there's quite a varied collection. Signs are everywhere — above doorways, bedroom walls, kitchen walls, in the dining area, living room and in the entryway.

Since we can't invite everyone to our home, this post shows some most of our sign decor.
These two signs are in the kitchen area. To date, the first one hasn't deterred anyone from dining in our apartment. The second one is really so true.
These signs are displayed in the dining area above the wine glass holder and wine rack.
The two bathroom doorways and the bedroom doorways also have signs.
In our bedroom, there's a collection of signs, photo art and framed cards.
The bedroom walls also have these large decals.
The wall hanging below is a handmade gift from fellow blogger, Kathleen, years ago and it's also on display in our bedroom.
Some signs related to age are displayed in the living room above the bookcases.
The top shelf of a bookcase is dedicated to a collection of penguin and snowmen and it too has a sign above it.
Our living room bookcases contain cookbooks and framed family photos with a couple of signs included and one made with Scrabble tiles.

Our largest sign is a roadmap for life and summarizes some of the expressions on many of the other signs. It's the final line on this sign that says it all.
We create messages using Scrabble tiles with magnets glued on the back and have a board with extra letters. Correct spelling is optional, if we get the meaning.
The outside entry to our apartment also has signage, which is rotated seasonally and/or with the holidays. The top sign previously hung in our VA home, where we did have a back door.

Speaking of signs, does anyone remember the 1970s protest-rock song, Signs?

Performed by the Canadian rock group, Five Man Electrical Band, it was penned by the group's lead, Les Emmerson, who as he was traveling on Route 66 to Los Angeles from Canada, was offended by signs and billboards obscuring his view of the scenery. This reportedly led to his penning the tune which questions who had the right to make arbitrary rules interfering with nature and people. 

Signs was originally a B-side to an 1970 unsuccessful single, Hello Melinda Goodbye. After it was re-released as an A-side in 1971, it reached No. 4 on Canadian pop charts and No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Overall, it ranked as the No. 24 song of 1971 selling over 2 million copies worldwide and garnering a gold record.

Five Man Electrical Band disbanded in 1975 after touring fatigue and member departures. Emmerson, the lead singer and songwriter, revived a local version of the band for live performances. He died in 2021 at age 77 from COVID-19 complications.

For anyone interested in hearing Signs, again, or for the first time, here's a link below. 
Listen at the risk of having an ear worm the rest of the day.


1 comment:

Anvilcloud said...

That is very unique. Never heard of the song or group.