October 15 is National Grouch Day

Today just might be my day! According to the National Day Calendar:

National Grouch Day on October 15th sends out notices to all the grouches of the world to be their truest grouch. If you are a grouch, today is your special day. According to Sesame Street Magazine, the day celebrates all grouches and their way of life.

Sometimes grumps give backhanded compliments. “Your house looked horrible until you painted it.” Other times they don’t give them at all. Noise, silence, general activity makes a grouch generally unpleasant.

As per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a grouch is described as:

(1) a person who complains frequently or constantly or (2) a habitually irritable or complaining person

It seems that a grouch may be happy (although they would never admit it) only when others are unhappy and grouchy. It is then that they feel most comfortable with having others share in their grumpy, cantankerous, surly world with them.

I’m sure there are people who feel I am the epitome of a “Grouch.” That may be the case in certain circumstances, however, that isn’t always the case. I started to make a list of Famous Grouches and I don’t think I’m as bad as they are!

Oscar the Grouch is probably the most famous grouch. He’s really kind of disgusting. Living in that trash can surrounded by rotting and smelly stuff would make anyone grouchy. I always loved that he used the term, “Scram!”

The Grinch is an overlooked grouch. Yes, he changed his attitude at the end of the story, but here’s a dude who wants to ruin a major holiday for everyone else just because he hates it. He found joy in making others miserable.

stern looking mature man in victorian costume carrying a cane . Model is wearing a dark suit , top hat, glasses and prosthetic make up , the look created is also similar to a Dickens victorian type character .

Ebenezer Scrooge is much like the Grinch. He has a change of heart and attitude at the end of his story, too. However, he was just a miserable man to be around. His whole disposition was grouchy!

Grumpy the Dwarf from Snow White was just an old Grump. Happy was his opposite. I’m guessing his personality would have been the same whether he was called Grumpy or Grouchy.

Speaking of Grumpy, I suppose you have to include the Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau characters from Grumpy Old Men. It is important to point out that they were happy making each other miserable, so while grumpy, not always grouchy.

Two of my favorite grumpy/grouchy old men could be found each week in the balcony of the Muppet Show. Statler and Waldorf were wonderful hecklers who enjoyed tossing insults at the acts and guest stars and offering up not so pleasant reviews and comments.

This list goes on and on…

Fred Sanford

Archie Bunker

Red Forman

Louie DePalma

I’m sure I and probably missing some obvious grump’s or grouches. Feel free to tell me your favorite.

In the mean time, if you see me in a bad mood today.. it’s totally okay!

“Mama’s Got a Squeezebox…”

It wasn’t until I was working at B-95 that I discovered National Accordion Awareness Month. My buddy Tim and I would get together quite often and think of bits we could write and produce to play during our radio shows. We came up with some really funny stuff.

It was mid-May and we were writing stuff for June. I am pretty sure that it was Tim who told me about it. I don’t recall who came up with the idea, but we produced this little sweeper to play in between songs. It was the silliest thing, but it always made me laugh. It basically went like this:

The song playing on the air ends. Then the announcer says, “B-95 reminds you that June is National Accordion Awareness Month! Here’s an Accordion Awareness Month Update!” Then we’d insert 10-15 seconds of some ridiculous accordion clip which was followed again by the announcer. “Keep it here all month long for more Accordion Awareness Month Updates – on B-95!” Then the next song would play. It was so out of place and so funny to me. I used this bit for years even taking it to other stations.

According to the National Day Calendar Website:

Through a complex construction of bellows and reeds, the accordion (also known as a concertina) produces its mournful timbre when air is forced over the reeds. While the accordion accompanies traditional polka music, the instrument has found its way into many classical and modern works of music.

For generations the accordion complimented many genres in American music. From jazz and zydeco to folk and Gospel and Blues, musicians found the accordion a fit a variety of musical styles.

The instrument changed, too. Manufactured in several different sizes, the smaller squeeze boxes became popular. The accordion fit well into country music, and when Rock and Roll made the scene, the accordion followed. Today, the instrument is no stranger to the recording studio.

Musicians such as Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, and Mumford and Sons all have recorded hit songs with the accordion playing a supporting role.

In honor of the occasion, here are some of my favorite accordion players:

The other accordion playing Yankovic – Frankie

Lawrence Welk – orchestra leader and accordion player

The fantastic Linda Lee, who can be seen at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth, MI!

Happy National Accordion Awareness Month! Squeeze This!!

National Christmas Card Day

Did you know that there even was such a thing as National Christmas Card Day? I didn’t. It’s today – December 9th. Here is the scoop from the National Day Calendar website:

Each year around this time, friends and families begin mailing their holiday cards. Christmas Card Day on December 9th serves as a reminder to get your stamps, envelopes, and cards together so you can share your holiday cheer.

Sending a card during the holidays hasn’t always been a tradition. In Victorian England, sending Penny Post was inexpensive and frequent. It was also considered rude to ignore a written message. One particularly popular Victorian invented the holiday card out of necessity. Sir Henry Cole received frequent letters, and it left him little time for other responsibilities. In 1843, he asked his friend J.C. Horsley to illustrate a design he had in mind. Soon, Cole was off to the printer, and he mailed the first Christmas card in the Penny Post to friends, family, and many acquaintances.

Today, we mail a variety of cards at Christmastime. The tradition of Christmas cards continues in a broader sense. Social and electronic media keep us connected in this modern world more than ever before. However, the Christmas card continues to be a part of our annual tradition, even if it takes on a different style or pattern.

Photo cards – Many families take an annual holiday photo specifically for mailing to friends and family. These photos may be snapshots or professional photos. Most families save them from social media, so they remain a surprise when they arrive in the mail, too.
Christmas letter – These letters often highlight the events for each family member for the year. Not everyone has social media, so it’s a nice way to catch up with friends and family. The letters usually run a page in length, but some letter writers have a lot more to say.
Postcards – These simple cards generally send the same holiday message a regular Christmas card does, but without a fold or an envelope. With a photo on one side and a simple message on the other, they are quick and easy to send, too.
Business card – Christmas cards also come from businesses who want to remind us they still want our business. As a marketing tool, businesses know their best customers like to be remembered during the holidays, too.
New Year’s cards – The holidays do get busy, and some of us put off sending any holiday cards until New Year. They still want to keep in touch with family and friends, so they send their good wishes in the form of a Happy New Year card. So, don’t mark anyone off your Christmas card list until after the first of the year.

These holiday cards may be the only communication we receive all year long from a friend or family member. Even if we spent an abundance of time with them once, these once-a-year notes touch us with a bit of meaning this time of year. We take the time to connect once again and say, “We’re thinking of you.”

Do you still send/receive Christmas cards?

For me personally, I enjoy receiving Christmas cards. Our first one arrived this week from my friend, Jen. In the past, I used to send cards out every year. Sam and I sent some out a year or so ago, but haven’t done so since. We’re hoping to get a few out this year.

I love when the cards include photos, or the card itself is a photo. Whether the photo is a simple shot of a family, or pictures of the kids in Christmas jammies, or a collage of past events, it always makes me smile to see them.

I may be in the minority here, but I also love to read the “year in review” family letters. To me, I love how personal this is. Sometimes, the family letter is the only way you find out about something. What a wonderful way to get “caught up.”

Our world has kind of lost the importance of real connections. Rarely do we send birthday cards in the mail anymore. Rather, our wishes are limited to “Happy Birthday” via text message or social media. There is something very special about receiving a greeting in the mail. Whoever sent it took the time to pick a card, or write a letter, and chose to send it to YOU. Perhaps, the world would be a better place if we took more time to make someone smile with a card or letter.

If you’re looking for a way to celebrate National Christmas Card Day, buy a few stamps, pick the “right” card, jot a special message inside, and drop it in the mail.

“Shine” On

From the National Day Calendar:

Every June 5th is National Moonshine Day which recognizes a beverage with a notorious record of blurring the lines of history and the law, turning ordinary men (and women) into criminals and common criminals into legends.

Moonshine traditionally is an illegally distilled spirit. Mostly made from a corn mash, moonshine is a distilled whiskey that is typically produced by an individual illegally without a permit. Also known as white lightning, mountain dew, homebrew, hillbilly pop, rotgut, and too many more to list here.

Prohibition

Distilling skills first came to the United States with the Scotch-Irish as they settled in Virginia.

Temperance laws and prohibition legislation were passed in several states before the Civil War, but it wasn’t until the turn of the century that the temperance movement picked up steam. By the time the 18th Amendment was ratified early in 1919, over half the country was dry.

Prohibition lasted 13 years. It created a demand for moonshine, unlike any that may have existed before. Moonshine became big business overnight.

Modern Moonshine

These days, moonshine in the legal sense has a following. Small-batch distilleries are producing legal moonshine giving moonshiners a new name. Bringing moonshine out of the woods and going up against other whiskeys for a place on the shelf. Many are packaging their homebrews in canning jars, embracing their rich history while at the same time experimenting with flavor and branching out with food pairing similar to that of wine and beer.

The Dukes

I first became familiar with moonshine when I started watching the Dukes of Hazzard. Uncle Jesse and Boss Hogg were old moonshining buddies before becoming “enemies.”

From the show I learned that it was alcohol and illegal. Moonshine always seemed to come in a jug marked with X’s. Here’s a little fact I learned while researching this blog:

The X’s on the moonshine jugs represent the number of times a batch was run through the still. If marked XXX, the moonshine is pure alcohol.

My Moonshine Experience

When I worked in Country Radio, I got to go to a lot of concerts. I almost always got to go back stage and meet the artists because we usually had things for them to autograph for charity auctions.

I was backstage at a Montgomery Gentry concert. We had finished the traditional Meet & Greet and I was heading back to my seat. The record rep called to me and asked me to hang backstage. We went and hung out with the guys on their bus. They had a cooler/fridge loaded with beer and alcoholic beverages.

When the guys got up on stage, we were all still hanging on their bus. By now, the opening act (I can’t recall who it was) had joined us on the bus. That’s when the mason jar came out.

They began to pass this jar around. The liquid inside was a brownish color and there was some kind of fruit in the bottom of it. The record guy asked me, “Ever had moonshine?” I assured him I hadn’t and he passed me the jar. I didn’t know what to expect.

It was obviously home made and it burned like nothing I had ever experienced as I swallowed it. It was SO strong and it tasted like turpentine (not that I have ever tasted that before). It was probably the nastiest stuff I have ever tasted. These guys were passing it around and swigging it like it was milk or something. I was lucky enough to only have to take one more sip, before passing it to my right. Every time it circled back to me, I’d just keep passing it and no one noticed.

A couple years ago, we were at a party where a friend had made “Apple Pie” moonshine. This was actually very good and truly tasted like a piece of apple pie!

I guess moonshine is sort of a “novelty” drink now as you can go to the store and find various flavors of it in the aisle with beer and wine. I’m going to guess that these are a whole lot milder than the stuff I had on that bus!