Carpenter Ants/"The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" - Tony Bennett and Sting, and also the Muppets

While taking pictures of our gardens on Sunday, I noticed insects swarming at the edge of one of the beds.  I got dear husband and older son to come see.  They told me that the insects were carpenter ants, both male and female, flying off to find mates from other nests. 

The carpenter ants weren't very coordinated about it.  Many would fly up an inch or two and then flop back into the leaves.  Older son and dear husband picked up a few to give them some height, and those ants were more successful.  They flew off down the hill.  Fortunately, the wind blows away from the house in that part of the yard.

Dear husband said that most of the ants would probably not find mates, which led me to immediately break out singing:

I walk along the street of sorrow
The boulevard of broken dreams
Where gigolo and gigilette
Can take a kiss without regret
So they forget their broken dreams...

Here's the version by Tony Bennett and Sting; they recorded this song for Tony Bennett's album, Duets:  An American Classic (2007).

•  Boulevard of Broken Dreams was originally written for the 1934 film, Moulin Rouge.
• Tony Bennett has recorded this four times:  1950, 1952, 1990, and 2007.
• Click here to listen to Diana Krall's recording from her album, All for You:  A dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio.
• Here's a version made even more poignant by wind, fog, an alley cat, and a lonely hallway. On episode 6 of Muppets Tonight, Johnny Fiama, a lounge singer whose hero is Tony Bennett, kicks out his personal assistant, Sal the monkey.  Start at 5:38:

Comments

[Steve]

This is the kind of unique and creative connection that makes me love reading your blog - and makes me love living with you.