You would think by the third time, I would be able to handle it. Nope. No amount of preparation helped me at all. Last week, we had Ella’s open house to meet her kindergarten teacher. She was so excited. We were excited for her.
I held it together pretty well for this. We walked around the school, found her classroom, explored the library, strolled through the gym and met the teacher and principal. As we walked out of the building, I could feel the tears, but they never came … until Monday.
My goodness, I cannot fathom that she is really in kindergarten. I have no doubt that she is going to totally rock it! She has been waiting for this since preschool ended. My little girl is not so little anymore.
The school drop off is a lot different from when my boys were in school. There is a line of cars waiting to drop off. When you drop your child off, a teacher/staff member opens the car door so they can get out. They walk into the school and you drive away. Apparently, this makes it easier for the child and for you.
Sam was crying before the door even shut. My tears came a bit later. It’s weird because you want them to go to school and to learn. You want them to take on the world. You want them to grow into amazing adults. You want them to excel at everything they take on. But you don’t want to let go just yet.
Good luck, sweetheart. We are so very proud of you. You are going to do so well this year! Be a good friend. Keep smiling and take kindergarten by the horns! We love you!
Happy 56th birthday to country music’s Clay Walker!
Clay was one of the nicest guys in the business. I never felt rushed when he was doing a Meet and Greet. He was always happy to sign something or record a line for me. He was the same way with listeners. Someone would come out and tell folks “One picture and one signature per person,” and Clay would sign everything a listener brought back for him.
Clay had his share of ballads over the years, but A Few Questions is one that really struck a chord with people.
It was released in April 2003 as the lead-off single and title track from his album of the same name. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hit Country Singles & Tracks Charts.
When the song was just hitting radio, Clay said, “‘A Few Questions’ is touching people the way it touched me the first time I heard it. The choruses come right out of the Book of Job. When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 1996, the Book of Job is part of the Bible I read over and over, trying to understand what I needed to do. And every time I sing the song, it lifts up my own spirits as much as it lifts those of others. My favorite line in the song is “When you look down on me, can you see the good through all the bad.” That’s a powerful thought.” He told Country Weekly “It’s a very deep song to me. It really relates to me in a lot of ways, because I think everybody has questions in life.”
During an interview with CMT, Clay revealed that philosophical songs like “A Few Questions”, “The Chain of Love” and “It Ain’t Pretty”, are not his favorite form of songs when he said, “Those kinds of story songs are the ones that choke you up. I’m not a person that tends to listen to those songs a whole lot because they are deep. I like something with a little more vocal range in it. But those three songs really do make me think. It takes great songwriters to write them because they’re totally lyric-based. They’re not standing on production. They’re standing on the story and the words.”
As a man of faith, I can tell you there is a lot of stuff that I don’t understand. All I know is that while I don’t know the answer, God does. When people come to me and tell me of their struggles, I will often tell them that. It’s not in the easy times that people question God, it’s during the tribulations we go through.
I remember when my Grandpa died. I was 11 and standing on the driveway crying. I looked up and asked, “Why did you have to take him? Why do good people have to die?” I had no idea, but He did. If you have ever found yourself questioning “Why?” then you will be able to relate to this one.
Today would have been Patrick Swayze’s 73rd birthday. So it’s only fair to focus on his movie hit – She’s Like the Wind from Dirty Dancing.
“She’s Like The Wind” is featured in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing in the scene where Patrick Swayze says goodbye to Jennifer Grey after their summer fling. He tells her, “I’ll never be sorry.” Her reply: “Neither will I.”
Swayze doesn’t sing it on camera, making it a rare case where the star of a film soundtracks his own scene.
Songfacts.com says that this wasn’t written for Dirty Dancing. Swayze wrote the song with his friend Stacy Widelitz for a movie he was shooting in 1984 called Grandview, U.S.A.
Swayze had the basic chords and the opening lyrics (“She’s like the wind, through my tree…”). They hashed out the song over the next few days, but it was rejected for the film. Two years later, Swayze was working on Dirty Dancing, and he played the demo of the song for the producers, who gave it the green light. They recorded a proper version with Michael Lloyd producing, and the song became a big part of the soundtrack, which sold over 30 million copies and spent 18 weeks at #1 in the US. It was the first song Patrick Swayze released.
The song was the third hit from the movie soundtrack. The film itself was released in August of 1987. The first single, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” hit #1 US in November. The next single, “Hungry Eyes” reached #4 in February, and “She’s Like The Wind” landed at #3 later that month.
Songfacts.com says that Patrick Swayze was big into music, but there was far more demand for his acting than his singing. He did a duet with Larry Gatlin called “Brothers” for the soundtrack of his 1989 film Next Of Kin, and has two songs on the soundtrack to Road House, another film his starred in that year. His 2003 film One Last Dance also featured two Swayze songs on the soundtrack, but “She’s Like The Wind” was his only hit, making Swayze one of the more high-profile one-hit wonders.
This book has been out for a while, but I was just now finding it as an audio book. It is the third installment of the Marlow Murder Club stories. – The Queen of Poisons.
The Marlow Murder Club reminds me a lot of the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. It’s a group of friends who work together to solve a murder. This one was just as good or better than the previous books. Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
The Marlow Murder Club is on the hunt for a killer… Geoffrey Lushington, Mayor of Marlow, dies suddenly during a town council meeting. When traces of aconite―also known as the queen of poisons―are found in his coffee cup, the police realize he was murdered. But who did it? And why?
The police bring Judith, Suzie, and Becks in to investigate the murder as civilian advisors right from the start, so they have free rein to interview suspects and follow the evidence to their heart’s content… which is perfect because Judith has no time for rules and standard procedure. But this case has the Marlow Murder Club stumped. Who would want to kill the affable mayor of Marlow? How did they even get the poison into his coffee? And is anyone else in danger? The Marlow Murder Club is about to face their most difficult case yet…
This one was really well done. Right from the start you begin guessing who did it, and along the way you discover the various secrets of those who also had a reason to. Honestly, it kept me guessing all the way through. I changed who I thought the murder was a few times and was taken by surprise when the killer was revealed.
The fourth in the series is on my list to read, too. It is called Murder on the Marlow Belle. In January of next year the fifth book will hit the shelves. That will be called The Mysterious Affair of Judith Potts. I’m already looking forward to them.
If you love a mystery, I think you’ll like this one. It’s a “Golden Girls meets Columbo” kind of feel.
Al Hibbler was born on this day in 1915. The only way I can describe him is “unique.” The reason? No one seems to know how to categorize his work. He’s been called an R&B singer, and some of his hits were just that. He’s also been called a jazz singer, but he really wasn’t. However, he did perform with some of the greatest jazz musicians in music. Finally he is referred to as a pop singer, which is probably the best description. Many people see his music as “the bridge” between R&B and traditional pop music.
The other reason I call him “unique” is because of the way he sings. I tried to think how to even explain it and came up with nothing. Thankfully, there are a few descriptions of his singing I found online. His style was described as “mannered”, “over-stated”, and “full of idiosyncrasies” and “bizarre vocal pyrotechnics.” Keep this in mind as you listen to a couple songs I’ll post at the end of this blog.
Al was born blind, but he didn’t let that stop him from chasing a dream. He auditioned to be a singer for Duke Ellington and his orchestra in 1935. He failed miserably. Afterward, he entered a Memphis talent show and won. This win paired him up with Dub Jenkins and his Playmates. Dub was a local bandleader and sax player. He was with him until 1942 when he joined another band headed up by jazz pianist Jay McShane. The following year, when Herb Jeffries left the Ellington band – Hibbler was named his replacement. He was considered “undoubtedly the best” of Ellington’s male vocalists.
He stayed with Duke until 1951 and left because of a dispute over his pay. He bounced from band to band and from label to label until he started recording for Decca Records in 1955. It was there that he released his biggest hit, his version of Unchained Melody.
It is a coincidence that today is Al’s birthday. Yesterday on my way into work I heard a Hibbler song I had never heard before. I was surprised by the song because it could easily have been considered a Gospel song. Original Billboard review: “Al Hibbler contributes a warm, sincere warbling job on an effective ballad with a strong sacred theme, similar to “I Believe”. Hibbler is a big favorite with deejays, and the disk should stir up some action in the R&B field as well as pop”.
It’s really beautiful. This is “He.”
In 1956, he had his last top ten record with my favorite Hibbler track – After The Lights Go Down Low. It is in this song that those descriptions of his singing (“mannered”, “over-stated”, and “full of idiosyncrasies” and “bizarre vocal pyrotechnics”) really ring true.
Al Hibbler passed away in Chicago in 2001 at age 85. His work is sadly overlooked and many have never even heard of him. The songs above don’t do him justice. He is definitely an artist who should be on your “Listen to List.” You won’t be disappointed.
Back in the day, there used to be an event that toured the country called the Warrior Dash. The first one was in 2003. It was a 5K obstacle course with rough terrains and challenging obstacles. There were walls to climb, mud to crawl through, wrecked automobiles and tires to climb over, and fire to jump over and more.
I have never been in shape enough to do any kind of race, but my wife at the time convinced me to do it. I have to admit I was a bit freaked out when I saw the waiver we had to sign. Many of the obstacles were dangerous and we had to say that we knew of the danger. I almost backed out, but I was told that if you didn’t want to do an obstacle, you could go around it.
I believe it was in town for a couple weekends over the summer. We had booked ourselves for the last race of the event. This was a good thing because there were not a lot of participants and we had the ability to run at our own pace. The race was basically run for awhile – do an obstacle – run again for awhile – do an obstacle, etc…
Some of the obstacles were fun to do. I thought it was awesome to make my way over a bunch of beat up cars that were stuck in mud. There was a see saw type board that you had to run up and then down, which took some concentration and good balance. There was also a tree that was laid across a mud pit that you had to walk across without falling in. That was a challenge. The tight rope was easier because there was rope above you to hold onto.
At one point we were wading through a bog or something. The “water” was up to my waist and my shoes were sinking into the mud at the bottom with every step. I was so glad that I had them tied tight. One person was walking through and lost their shoe in the mud! One thing is for sure, there was no shortage of mud!
On the wall, there was a rope ladder that you climbed up one side, flipped over and climbed down the other side. Because there were only a few people running with us, as I crawled over the top of the wall, the rope slid down on the other side. I held on and climbed down.
One of the walls was just a wall with just a rope over it. There was no way I could do that one. My shoes were way to muddy and I couldn’t get a grip on the wall.
At the end of the race, there was a pile of shoes that people had worn for the race. They removed them and donated them. They would be washed and given to those in need.
There was cold beer waiting for participants at the end of the race, along with a band that played and places to get food. I remember the beer being ice cold, and it really hitting the spot. There was something else that was as cold (or colder) than the beer.
Everyone at the end of the race is a muddy mess. I mean, I had mud in places that were never made to have mud! It was disgusting. There was a place to “shower” which was literally where they hosed you down with water that was absolutely freezing!
It was awful. I was ready to go jump back in that muddy bog because it was warmer.
We drove back home still covered in mud and stinking to high heaven. I remember showering for a very long time, but when showering the days afterward I was still washing away mud! It was crazy.
As you can imagine, there were plenty of injuries related to this race. One of the Michigan participants the day before our race broke his neck. There was some confusion about the incident as to whether he fell and broke his neck or whether he jumped into a shallow mud puddle.
In 2016, the Baton Rouge Warrior Dash had an obstacle collapsed with 20 people on it. 12 of the participants were transported to hospitals by ambulance or helicopter, including a 10-year-old child. Injuries included broken bones, lacerations, and back and neck trauma. This led to an investigation into the race, the obstacles and the discovery of many safety issues at other locations in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
The race was presented by a company called Red Frog Events. The company closed up in 2019 and all of the races that were scheduled were cancelled. They offered no refund for anyone, took money from participants and continued to advertise, knowing they were going to close up shop. Red Frog has not responded to messages. Other races have attempted to fill the gap by offering free admission for those registered for a Warrior Dash that was cancelled.
The race I ran was in July of 2013, long before all of those issues. I’m glad that I was able to participate – and not get hurt. When I crossed the finish line, it was such a great feeling. I felt like I had accomplished something. I never thought I’d be able to finish, but I did.
This was the pre-race photo. I’d post the post-race photos, but I’ll need to crop out some people, LOL.
Today is the 80th anniversary of V-J Day, or Victory Over Japan Day. After the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August of 1945, Japan announced its surrender, leading to widespread celebrations globally. This led to the official end of World War II.
Many of the images that Americans associate with the end of the war were taken on this day (8/14). In the United Kingdom, however, the following day—August 15—was formally declared as V-J Day and remains so to the present day. Japan commemorates August 15 as the end of the war as well.
While the initial announcement of surrender led to immediate celebrations, but the formal signing of the surrender documents happened on September 2, 1945. That is what solidified the end of the war and is officially recognized by the US as V-J Day.
One of the most famous photos taken on August 14th was of a sailor kissing a woman in the middle of Time Square.
The sailor in the iconic “V-J Day in Times Square” photo was George Mendosa, and the woman he kissed was Greta Zimmer Friedman. The photograph captures the moment of jubilation in Times Square after the announcement of Japan’s surrender.
Many people think that the photo depicts a “nurse,” Friedman was actually a dental assistant, and the white uniform she wore was standard attire for dental assistants at the time. Mendonsa, who was on leave from the Navy, got caught up in the celebratory atmosphere of the day. He later stated he acted on instinct, grabbing and kissing the woman in the white uniform. A truly iconic moment captured on film forever.
Just to be clarify, the identities of the two in the photo has been a topic of controversy for some time. Carl Muscarello (a retired NY policeman) said the soldier was him in 1995. In 2007, Glenn McDuffie made the claim that it was him. A woman named Edith Shain claimed to be the woman claiming to be kissed by Muscarello.
Whoever is in the photo, it remains one of the most famous photos of World War II. It inspired a bronze statue of the moment called “Unconditional Surrender.” Copies of the statue have appeared all over the country. On June 18, 2016 a copy was installed in my home state of Michigan in the city of Royal Oak. It went on display in the city’s Memorial Park on June 20. The city manager expected that the statue would increase tourism and help raise money for the Michigan WWII Legacy Memorial, a permanent World War II memorial in the park. It remained there until December of 2016.
The statue was located on Woodward Ave, which I drove daily to get to work. It was an amazing sight to see up close. I was sad when they moved it to its next destination.
Medical insurance companies must have a lot of fun messing with people. They always seem to have a legitimate reason for why something isn’t covered. I always hang up wondering, “Well, just what IS covered then? With all the money I am paying, I’d assume something like this would be covered!”
I was completely prepared to have my angiogram Tuesday morning. We’d arranged for a baby sitter for the kids, I had work on standby in case I wouldn’t make it in, and I had filled out the questionnaire they needed. Then the phone rang ….
Monday at 3pm, I got a call from the hospital saying that my procedure had been cancelled. The reason? My insurance company would not authorize it. The hospital told me that the ordering doctor was not available to talk with the insurance company, so it was cancelled. (My doc is out for a couple weeks for a medical procedure.)
I called my doctor’s office, knowing that another doctor was filling in for mine. I explained that I needed the doctor to do a “peer to peer” with the insurance company to get the authorization. I was scurrying around making calls to insurance, to the hospital and my doctor’s office. In the end, the doctor was able to get ahold of the insurance company, however, they said they would not authorize the angiogram until I did the stress test.
The stress test is tomorrow. I have no idea what it is going to show, but I got an email today saying that I could schedule (REschedule) the angiogram, and if they felt like I didn’t need it, they’d cancel it. Well, obviously, my doctor seemed to think that I needed it. Since when do they get to decide what tests I need and don’t need? It’s ridiculous!
Happy Heavenly Birthday to Alvis Edgar Owens Jr. who was born on this day in 1929. You probably know him as “Buck.”
I was introduced to Buck when I saw him on Hee Haw with Roy Clark.
They co-hosted the show together from 1969-1986! Had quite a run full of hillbilly humor and corny jokes.
Buck taught himself how to play guitar, horns, mandolin, and drums. He was the frontman for The Buckaroos and together they chocked up 21 number one hits. He is best known for his Bakersfield sound, named in honor of Bakersfield, California.
In 1963, Johnny Russell pitched his song “Act Naturally” to Buck. Buck really didn’t care for it at first. His guitarist and longtime collaborator Don Rich, however, enjoyed it and convinced Owens to record it with the Buckaroos. Laid down on February 12, 1963, it was released on March 11 and entered the charts of April 13. By June 15 the single began its first of four non-consecutive weeks at the No. 1 position, Owens’s first top hit.
The song made an impact on four guys from Liverpool known as The Beatles. They covered the song in 1965 and Ringo Starr handled the lead vocals.
23 years later, Ringo and Buck would get together and perform the song as a duet.
Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He passed away in March of 2006.
1973’s American Graffiti is a classic film known for showcasing many young actors and actresses who who go on to very big things. Featured in the cast were Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, McKenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, and Suzanne Somers. The film is also known for its phenomenal soundtrack.
In the film, these tunes are often presented on the by the DJ, played by the legendary Wolfman Jack. On the soundtrack, there are actually some clips of Wolfman talking up some of the songs.
The soundtrack features 41 songs that were heard in the film. Sadly, they neglected to put Gee by The Crows on the album. It did show up, however, on a second soundtrack album. George Lucas said that each song was important to the scene of the movie it appears. His idea was that the characters are hearing the songs along with you and the music becomes part of the story.
Wiki states that “Lucas had to be realistic about the complexities of copyright clearances, though, and suggested a number of alternative tracks. Universal wanted Lucas and producer Gary Kurtz to hire an orchestra for sound-alikes. The studio eventually proposed a flat deal that offered every music publisher the same amount of money. This was acceptable to most of the companies representing Lucas’s first choices, but not to RCA—with the consequence that Elvis Presley is conspicuously absent from the soundtrack. Clearing the music licensing rights had cost approximately $90,000, and as a result, no money was left for a traditional film score.”
One of the songs that is featured on the soundtrack was first introduced to my by my dad. He and my Godfather loved some of the old blues songs and this was one of them – Fannie Mae by Buster Brown.
When my dad told me his name, all I could think about was Buster Brown shoes! He got his start in the 30’s and 40’s playing the harmonica in clubs and even made a few recordings. He moved from Georgia to New York in 1956. It was there that he was discovered by Fire Records.
Three years later (at 50 years old), he recorded Fannie Mae. He played the harmonica and “whooped” it up on the song. It became his first hit as it went to #38 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Brown didn’t have a lot of success after this song. He did enjoy the renewed interest in his music in 1973 thanks to the American Graffiti soundtrack.
The song has been covered by The Rolling Stones, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, The Steve Miller Band, Canned Heat, Gary US Bonds, and Elvin Bishop. To me, no one can touch the original. I’ve been wanting to share this one for a while and Movie Music Monday gave me the perfect excuse. Give this gritty blues song a listen.
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 