Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, however, I saw my first robin outside our living room window this afternoon. So for me, Spring has sprung a day early.
“Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.” — Virgil A. Kraft
“The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” — Harriet Ann Jacobs
I’ve been struggling to write. I’m sure it is because I have had a lot of things on my mind over the past couple weeks. The things on my mind are not necessarily things I want to write about. It’s hard to be in this place. I’m still struggling to get through it, and pray that everything will be ok. That being said, I decided to sit and write about some happy things from the past few days.
“Raising Gamers?”
I usually only play on the X-box when the kids are asleep. Recently, I was in the middle of a game and Andrew woke up from his nap. I paused the game, went and got him, and spent two minutes finishing the silly car race. He loves the controllers of the game. Another time, Ella was done with her nap and came in to the bedroom where she saw me playing “the car game.”
Now, Andrew will grab a controller and point to the bedroom. He wants to play the game. Ella does, too. So I pulled the batteries out of two controllers and they hold them while I drive around. They, of course, think they are playing! It’s fun to watch them.
Too Many Tonies?
Remember a while back I mentioned the Tonie that the kid’s Aunt Margaret sent? We have ordered a few more to play on it. I guess we didn’t realize how many we had until we lined them up on the mantle.
Many of them have songs, some have stories, and some have both. It has been so nice and has helped keep the TV time down to a minimum. If you have little ones, it is worth every penny!
Too Many Ninis and the Genius of Andrew
From my wife’s Facebook:
Andrew is only suppose to have his pacifiers at bedtime. All of a sudden we were missing a TON of his pacifiers. There was none left in the diaper bag or his crib… yet all day long he would show up with one and we are constantly taking them from him.
Tonight while cleaning I found out that my brilliant child at 1 years old has hidden his pacifiers throughout the house. I have found 6 of his hiding places. I’m not even mad, I am truly impressed!
I swear, he is a genius. He plants them everywhere and knows exactly where to get one when we take one away!
Bunnies!
Our photographer friend, Beth (From Enjoy the View Photography), had Spring “Mini” sessions this week. We booked a session for just the kids. Originally, we were going to have them dress up like in Easter attire. Sam decided that she was going to have Ella in the outfit she was in for her birthday, and match Andrew up with her in some overalls. They looked so cute together!
As a bonus, Beth had real live bunnies for the session. Ella was so excited when she heard about them. We didn’t really know what to expect, but I think we were able to get some good pictures. We’ll know soon. I snapped just one that has a funny story to go with it.
Beth had a bag of carrots to feed the bunnies. The carrot that is in Andrew’s mouth, was just in the bunny’s mouth about two seconds before I snapped this. Well, at least it is a healthy snack!
Fab Four Week
I took part in a feature hosted by Max at the PowerPop Blog about the Beatles. The feature continues for the next few days. His idea was to write about your favorite Beatles song – or anything Beatles related. My write up gives a nod to one of the boys. Which one? Watch for the post in the next day or two.
My Guest Ideas
Last week I mentioned that I was thinking about hosting something similar to what Max is doing and what Dave does with Turntable Talk. I am still trying to think about whether I want to do something music, movie or TV related. Stay tuned…..
It has been a few weeks since I’ve done one of these. I’m not sure why it has been so long. Anyway, with this being a holiday, I found one that I wanted to re-share.
Today, I was going through Facebook Memories and I saw this photo from last year:
We snapped this on Andrew’s first St. Patrick’s Day. It’s really amazing to see how much these two have grown. They are almost the same weight and size now!
There really isn’t much more to say about the picture. It is one of my favorites of the two of them.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
In the almost 5 years that Sam and I have been married, we have never had matching outfits. Ok, there was one year we had matching Christmas Pajamas, but they don’t count. I think holiday PJ’s are totally ok, especially for photos and Christmas cards. However, I highly doubt that you will ever see Sam and I together in outfits like the ones pictured above.
Apparently, matching outfits were “a thing” back in the day. When I did a Google search for “Silly Matching Outfits” there were plenty of horrific photos that popped up. Here is another one –
REALLY!? Those are just terrible!! And this one is even worse –
It seems that the above is bedroom attire, but are matching PJ’s a thing? I don’t know.
Let me say that I do think it is ok to have kids match for pictures. My mom and dad obviously dressed my brother and I in the same suits one Easter –
Ella and Andrew had matching PJ’s for our Christmas photos and they were cute. Again, these were for a holiday shoot.
When we did family photos not too long ago, we all wore something that complimented the other outfits, but they were not matching outfits. We’re getting ready to have the kids pictures taken again for Easter and the outfits will certainly go together, but won’t be exact.
I say all of this because Sam and I will never EVER be seen in outfits like this –
….. unless it is for Halloween! However, we will match in another way.
While out shoe shopping this weekend, she mentioned wanting to get a pair of “Hey Dude” shoes. I had no idea what these were. She found the ones she wanted and on the way to the register, she saw they had them in men’s sizes, too. She wanted me to try them on. I hesitated, but I did. They were actually really comfortable. So I bought a pair … and yes, we match!
I shamefully admit that I don’t offer much to my wife when she needs a grocery list. I tend to offer up the same things I always do.
We are very different. I can eat a rotation of the same 7 meals every week if I had to, so I very rarely explore other avenues. On the rare occasion I am in the store shopping, I may see something that I want to try.
Sam, on the other hand, gets sick of eating the same meals all the time. Tonight is a good example. She reached out to her mom and asked for meal ideas. Tonight, for the first time in our marriage, we are having beef tips and noodles. I can’t wait!
At any rate, the reason for the blog today is to share a couple items that Sam bought this week that are absolutely delicious!! You can bet that they will be staples on our list from now on.
We’re always looking for something to snack on. Sam saw something on Pinterest or TikTok where someone took some Naan Bread pieces and made little pizzas.
She loves hummus. I don’t. But I LOVE garlic. So she found this garlic dip. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when I scooped some onto one of the pieces of bread it was truly amazing!
I swear, Sam and I could have eaten the whole tub of this stuff! Wow. It reminds me of the garlic stuff you get when you order Middle Eastern food. In the past, we’ve had chicken kabobs and the garlic stuff that came with it was very similar.
If you love garlic – I highly recommend!!
I stumbled on the above quote as I sat here thinking. If writing (or blogging) is the best way to improve my thinking, I figured I would just start typing and publish whatever winds up here.
Looking Ahead
I just finished another post for Dave Ruch’s Turntable Talk recently and I have come to really look forward to it. Yesterday, I put the finishing touches on an post I wrote for Max at the PowerPop blog. He is doing a “Beatles” themed week. Watch for that to post here in a week or so.
Max and Dave are just a couple of the normal bloggers that I have come to know. There are many others who participate in these monthly (or occasional) features. In the past I have also participated in Blogathons about movies and other “themed” features. I have also done “answers” to interview questions for more than one blog about radio, sleep, and other nonsense.
I say all that because I have often thought about hosting some sort of “theme” feature. Maybe not a monthly one, but an occasional one. Would any of my readers even want to commit to something like that? I don’t know if it would be music, movie, or book related. I really don’t even know what I could come up with. I know that my followers have increased because of “cross blogging,” so maybe I could help others get a few extra followers, too. My mind is still churning this around.
I have also had a couple “Guest Bloggers” here. I would love to do that again. My brother (who does not have a blog) wrote some very fun stuff about me and Max offered up some Beatles thoughts (no surprise there!). I have featured poetry from a few poets I follow that hit home. I wonder what the best way to handle a “guest” blog would be. Is it an interview? Is it giving a topic? I don’t know.
I did a few “call outs” to Facebook friends who could provide questions that they’d want me to answer on here. Keith’s Q&A. I did that a couple times and it was fun. The last time I asked for questions, I got stuff like “If a train leaves the station at midnight … blah blah blah.” I know they were trying to be funny, but I was hoping to get some serious questions.
The whole thing is churning around in my mind like when I used to try to create a bit to air on my radio show. The idea or topic is there – I just need to find the angle or the punchline to create around it. For now, I will keep thinking. If you have done anything similar, I’d be open to your ideas. If you have an idea for something you’d love to write about, let’s chat about it.
A to Z
Do you do the A to Z April Blog challenge? A couple blogs I follow have mentioned that it is coming up and to begin planning for it. Basically, you write about something every day for the month and each day the topic is a different letter – starting with A and going to Z. Some pages offer themes for the challenge – Favorite Books, TV Shows, Movies, Actors, etc…
Committing to an entire month sounds difficult to me, so I am trying to decide whether or not to participate. I guess I will have to see if I can find theme that I wouldn’t mind visiting 26 days in a row (although I think you take Sundays off). More to come on that ….
Contact
If you would like to write something or offer an idea that you would rather not put in the comments, you can reach me at: nostalgicitalian@yahoo.com
We never really had to baby proof for Ella. I think the only thing we had to do was put plugs over the power outlets. This was more of a precaution than anything. She never seemed to want to do anything dangerous. She never went in cupboards, she never pulled out drawers, and she never really messed with stuff like Andrew.
If I had hair – I would be grey … VERY grey! Andrew is into EVERYTHING!!!! Not too long ago, we bought those things for cupboards. You pull then out, then you have to push down on the plastic thing in order to open them. Yeah, he figured that out. So we literally had to add another lock on the front of the cupboards to keep him out.
Our closet in the bathroom has handles on the door that don’t need to be turned. All you have to do is pull on them and they open. Sam’s curling iron, hair dryer, my shaving stuff, the plunger, and many other things are in there. So, now we have a lock on that, too.
He knows how to open the bedroom doors, so have to lock them or put one of those plastic covers on the door knobs so he can’t get in.
He is really a brilliant kid. All he has to so is see something and he can mimic it. He knows the order of things. He knows where the dishwasher detergent goes – and he knows how to start (and stop) it. Thank goodness we figured out how to lock it when it is in a cycle. He knows how to start and stop the washer/dryer. Our water bill jumped a few bucks because he knows how to flush the toilet. He is so curious!
It really is true what they say. Ella was so well behaved that as parents you think you can tackle anything. Then that second child comes along and proves that you are in for a bumpy ride.
Never a dull moment at our place…..
It is time for another round of Turntable Talk, hosted by Dave at A Sound Day. This is the 12th round that I have participated in and it has quickly become one of my favorite “features” to participate in. There has not been a topic that Dave has presented that has not been interesting for me to explore. This round is no exception. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out his site and read the contributions of other music lovers, too!
For this round, Dave’ says, “This time around I’m calling it “First Time’s The Charm.” Let’s look at an artist whose debut really impressed you. It can be one that just knocked you out first time you heard it when it was brand new, or one you went back & discovered later. As long as it showed a band or singer that hit the ground running.“
In talking with one of the other participants this week, I mentioned that with each topic, one choice always seems to hit me immediately. Then I begin to think about other possibilities, and without fail I always seem to come back to the first choice. This time around, I decided not to consider anything else and go with the first thing that came to mind.
It is 1989. In our living room is the shelving unit that contains my dad’s stereo system. One shelf holds the receiver/amplifier while the cassette deck and Sony Mini-disc players sit on top of each other on the shelf above that. Two speakers sit on top of the unit. A turntable sits on a shelf that slides out on the top left of the unit. Under that, on a shelf all by itself is a Sony CD player.
My dad calls me out to the living room and says, “Keith, you’ve gotta hear this!” My dad has certainly played a major role in sharing great music with me. The above phrase was spoken by him to me more times than I can count. Oh, the music he introduced me to! I would have to say that 9 times out of 10, it has always been something that I have really liked. The CD he popped in the player was the debut album from The Kentucky Headhunters.
The group started back in the late 60’s and called themselves “Itchy Brother.” In 1980, the group was almost signed to a record deal at Swan Song Records, which was a small label founded by the band Led Zeppelin. However, Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died that year and the label folded. Itchy Brother disbanded in 1982. In 1985, there was an attempt to reunite the group. This attempt led to a few new members joining while some original members decided not to be a part of the group. Now missing some of the original members, a new name was chosen for the band – The Headhunters. It didn’t take long to find out that there was another band using that name, so “Kentucky” was added to the name.
The group decided to take out a loan to record a demo. That demo included some original songs and some cover songs. They had hoped to press copies of the demo to sell as merchandise at their live shows. It didn’t take long for that demo to get noticed by folks in Nashville. The group was not really interested in signing a record deal, but their manager suggested that they talk with producer Harold Shedd at Mercury Records. They were signed to their deal in 1989 and the demo was released as their debut album “Pickin’ on Nashville.
I hadn’t intended on listening to the whole album that day, but when my dad hit play, I really liked what I heard. While they certainly had a Southern rock sound, it wasn’t really completely Southern rock, if that even makes sense. It is kind of a mixture of country, Southern rock, a bit of blues, classic rock, a little rockabilly, and maybe even a little bit of metal. It was like nothing I had heard in some time. It was a very unique mix of various styles and types of music.
The first cut on the album was a cover of Bill Monroe’s Walk Softly on This Heart of Mine. Bill’s version has a very bluegrass feel to it. The Headhunters had me from the opening guitar lick. Then I was really digging the harmonies of the group. The guitar solo had a rock/B.B. King feel to it, which I just loved. The debut single reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart, the first of 4 Top 40 singles for the band.
The second single from the album is probably their best known song, but not quite their biggest hit. It almost didn’t make the album, though. Dumas Walker is a song that is about a Kentucky hangout. The lyrics tell of hanging out there eating a “slawburger, fries, and a bottle of Ski.” Folks in Kentucky knew that a slawburger was a burger with cole slaw on it, and a bottle of Ski is a soda that is a lot like Mountain Dew. The record company wasn’t too keen on it, though.
Producer Harold Shedd felt that the song was too local. He felt like no one outside of Kentucky would connect with the song. He asked band member Richard Young if they would be willing to leave the song off the record. After much discussion, Young says that he convinced Shedd to keep it on the record. He said that Shedd was missing the point – that every place had their own “Dumas Walker’s and they can relate to that!” He was right. The song was a top 20 hit for the band in 1990.
Another thing that helped get the band recognition was CMT (Country Music Television), which was the country version of MTV. The early headhunter videos are a blast to watch. How could anyone possible turn off a video set in a bar with people playing marbles, the lead singer juggling bowling pins, and the drummer banging on his drum kit with no shirt and a coon skin cap on!? Incidentally, the video was nominated for the CMA video of the year in 1990.
Richard Young says that the group had a “magnetism that people just couldn’t resist” and compared it to watching the old Monkees TV show. He said, “People want to be entertained. If you can’t hold their eyes, they will wander.” Watch a few of their videos and you will certainly be entertained.
The third single from the album was another cover song. This time it was a cover of Don Gibson’s “Oh, Lonesome Me.” Gibson’s version is very typical 1960’s country. The Headhunters version kicks it up a notch with a driving beat and video that really fits the “Monkees” description above. This song peaked at number 8 and would be the band’s only Top 10 hit. The fourth and final single from the album was “Rock and Roll Angel,” which is mostly forgettable.
The band enjoyed great success in 1989/1990 because of their debut album. In 1990, they won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Vocal Duo or Group Award , The Country Music Associations Vocal Group of the Year, and the CMA Album of the Year. They also won a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group that year.
Sadly, their follow up album Electric Barnyard was a major disappointment. It was certified gold, but the singles released to radio didn’t get much airplay. Citing creative differences, Ricky Lee Phelps and Doug Phelps left the group in 1992 to form their own band, Brother Phelps.
The band has continued to tour with a variety of different members and their last album was released in 2021. They never really enjoyed much success after that debut album. That being said, I believe their fresh sound really paved the way for (and had a big influence on) some of the more recent country singers who have a more “rock” sound.
One thing I think is important to mention is that the Kentucky Headhunters hit the scene at a very unique time in country music. In 1989, this new group stood out during a time that also saw country music’s amazing “Class of ’89” hit the scene. They were in the thick of things at the same time that Alan Jackson, Clint Black, Travis Tritt, and a dude by the name of Garth Brooks were getting their debut’s as well. The fact that they made waves amongst those guys is a testament to that first album.
It is hard to say what factored into the decline in popularity. Was it hard to get airplay with all of those other big names taking off? Was the music that followed just not good enough? Did the loss of the Phelps Brothers put the nail in the coffin for the band? Maybe it is a little bit of each of those things. The Kentucky Headhunters recorded 9 studio albums, but you really only need to get their debut, Pickin’ on Nashville. It is as good as it gets.
Ella used to eat pretty much everything we put on her plate. Now that she is three, she tends to be very selective about what she will eat. There are plenty of times when she will ask for a “staple” food and won’t eat it. It is frustrating.
Andrew on the other hand, surprises us daily by eating things we think he won’t eat. Yesterday, he surprised us by eating meatballs in marinara sauce. He loves to eat avocado with egg sandwiches (ok, he eats Sam’s sandwiches). Many times, he will eat his food and then come over and start eating off of our plate.
I don’t recall what it was this week that I gave Ella to eat, but she just wouldn’t even try it. I said to her, “Try it. You’ll like it!” As those words left my mouth, I remembered that as a kid I had a T-shirt that had those exact words on it.
My shirt was not bright yellow. It was grey and the lettering wasn’t so big. I wore that shirt so often. I remember being sad when it didn’t fit anymore.
I digress. As I told Ella to “try it” and I remembered that shirt, I remembered that those words didn’t sway me to try new stuff at all! So I was probably just offering her words that meant nothing! I suppose I am not very good at practicing what I preach.
Yes, I still am a picky eater. I have things that I just cannot eat. Sigh. I gave this to my daughter. Please don’t tell my wife.
It was one of those things you want to record and play over and over again! There were moments where I felt tears in my eyes. Memories of this night will be forever etched in my mind.
I got home a few minutes ago from my first Daddy Daughter Dance. I picked up Andrew from my in-laws, and by the time we hit the expressway, both kids were snoozing. I brought them in and put each of them to bed. Ella went back to sleep immediately, while Andrew is still dozing off and on. He wakes up every so often to be sure I’m still in the room. I figured while he did this, I would write about my special night with my daughter.
When Ella woke up today, she said, “It’s a Daddy-Ella Dance Day! She was very excited. At naptime, I laid Andrew down and gave Ella a bath. The hardest part for her was waiting.
Sam woke up earlier to help so Ella’s hair. Normally, she wants braids and such, but today, she just wanted a bow in it. Nice and easy. Sam put her dress on as I was getting dressed. As I caught site of her in the dress, I got emotional. She looked so beautiful. Today was a day I’ve been waiting for all my life.
I put my shirt and tie on and Ella said, “You look amazing, Daddy!” Talk about feeling loved! Wow, I didn’t expect that from her. It really made feel special.
After we were dressed, Sam wanted to get some pictures. First, both of us standing
Next, one of me holding her.
Can you tell we were both excited?
I had stopped at a florist shop and got her the corsage on her wrist. Too bad the band was so big! The nice thing is that it is silk. It will never fade. I hope she keeps this in a special keep sake box or somewhere to always remember our first “date.”
We dropped Andrew off at Nana and Papa’s house, and we headed to the dance. Once we got there, we checked in and got to play, “How well do you know your daddy?” We sat back to back and they had questions with answer cards. Her question was “What is your dad’s favorite sport?” I know she has seen me watch baseball and football, so I guessed she said baseball. She did! She won a golden egg with a toy in it.
Since we were early, I decided to go upstairs and get the professional photos taken. They had me sit in a chair and had Ella stand in front of me. They snapped a couple and will send them to the house when they are finished.
We walked back downstairs where they made a little necklace with sand and glitter in it, the also had her pick a small key, which they glued to heart that says, “You hold the key to my heart!” The next craft was a head band with flowers in it. All very cool.
We then walked to the gym. Not many people were there yet, but the music was playing. Whatever the song that was playing when we walked in faded and the DJ played “Let It Go” from Frozen. This was our first “official’ dance. Appropriate song choice really – she loves Frozen.
Anyone who has ever taken a 3 year old to a dance or party knows that there is no stopping them. After our first dance, all she did was run around the dancefloor. She would occasionally join a group of girls who were holing hands and dancing in a circle. She was sliding on the floor, jumping, laying on the floor, and bumping into people countless times. This went on until I asked if she was hungry.
Standing in line for the buffet, Ella kept saying, “But I want food NOW daddy!” Patience is not something she has mastered yet. We grabbed chicken strips, meatballs, chips, cookies, and cheese cubes. Half way through dinner, we called Sam to let her know how much fun we were having. As she sipped on pink lemonade, she quipped, “You know, Watermelon juice is my favorite!” which had us both laughing out loud.
At dinner, Miss Davison and one of her court members came over. “Daddy! Real life princesses! They were so sweet and nice to her. When they were leaving the room, she yelled, “Bye Princesses!:
Back to the gym where the music is and the running around continued. It was fun to see her interacting with other kids. “Hi! I’m Ella! Want to dance?” I chased her around while “What Does the Fox Say,” “Cupid Shuffle,” and “Baby” from Justin Beiber played.
For the last song of the night, the DJ played “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” from Billy Ray Cyrus. I picked her up and told her it was the last song. She put her head on my shoulders ad we just swayed. It was the perfect final dance and the perfect final dance partner. The emotions were overflowing at this point, and I enjoyed every second!
When the dance was over, we walked back to the car and buckled up. As we left the parking lot, she simply asked, “Daddy? Can we do another dance tomorrow or really soon?”
Absolutely, my sweet princess! Absolutely!
Thank you for making daddy feel so special! Thank you for an amazing memory I will never forget!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 