All Purls. No Swine.
On what would have been Roy Acuff's 120th birthday (September 15, 2023) here's his greatest hit, from 1936. A much-loved family favorite, one which I've lost count of the live performances of which (by so many others) I've viewed over the years: https://youtu.be/kpQBiyNCeXc When it comes to "Crazy Tennesseans" I can't help noticing that many… Continue reading The Wabash Cannonball–On Relatives and Crazy Hillbillies, if not Much Else
LOL. Just listening to my boyfriend Willie Nelson's latest-but-one album (I Don't Know a Thing About Love) which is a compilation of the works of country music songwriter/genius Harlan Howard. It includes such gems as Streets of Baltimore (otherwhere recorded by Gram Parsons and featuring a very young Emmylou Harris): https://youtu.be/VjAMoU6es-8 and She Called Me… Continue reading Do I Really Want “A Tiger by the Tail?” Not At My Age 🙄
Oh, as I've said a few times, sometimes these posts write themselves. I'm just the witless scribe. This morning, one of my favorite Ricochet posters linked to the hymn, Amazing Grace, as performed by Dan Vasc, a 34-year old Brazilian heavy metal singer and YouTube star. A tough pill to swallow, if you're me, the… Continue reading Amazing Grace, Dan Vasc Edition
On Saturday afternoon, a small group of friends and family and I set out from the farm to enjoy a much looked-forward-to event, Willie Nelson in concert at the nearby (about 30 miles from my front door) Star Lake Amphitheater. I was excited. My entire family, both birth and married, are avid traditional country music fans,… Continue reading Lifting the Curse, and Living to Tell the Tale
As many of you know from previous tales of my gardening exploits and my rare modest successes, I generally enter into the fray–in the spirit of Dr. Johnson and his animadversions on second marriages–internalizing the “triumph of hope over experience.” Still, with the help and advice of good friends who are better at it than… Continue reading Meu Limao: My Lovely Lemon Tree
Sixty-one years ago today, on July 23, 1962, a small (less than 36 inches in diameter) satellite which orbited the earth once about every two-and-a-half hours, transmitted--simultaneously and at the same time--the first of two scheduled, scripted, public transatlantic television programs onto home screens throughout the Western world. For the first time ever, families could… Continue reading Telstar: “The Electronic Bridge”
As we're about to see June, 2023 over the side (Hallelujah! some might say, although the month has been pretty good to me), I thought I'd take a little glimpse into musical history, and see what song was #1 in the USA one-hundred years ago today. Turns out that the winner is "Dearest," sung by… Continue reading Dearest….A Reflection or Two on Human Nature
June 24, 2023 would have been my mother’s 95th birthday. She died in September 2014, at the age of 86 after a long struggle with the effects of fronto-temporal dementia. Her death was, in the eyes of her children and others who loved her, a release and a blessing. And for her, peace at last.… Continue reading Music To Bury My Mother By–Redux, 2023 Edition
And today, I (can't really sustain the Bob Dole mannerism of talking about myself in the third-person for more than the headline) heartily recommend an odd little movie from 19 years ago, one which celebrates the life of American composer and songwriter Cole Porter, born 131 years ago today, on June 9, 1891. De-Lovely is… Continue reading It’s “De-Lovely:” RWKJ Goes to the Movies
Lucy: “An English name, Lucy means ‘of the light.'” So sue me, I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon watching the Coronation Concert, which was carried live on PBS. Overall, it was considerably better than I expected, with a couple of bizarre and untuneful exceptions. What has probably been the most controversial act —… Continue reading Bringing the Light