A Friend's Debut At The Grand Ole Opry

My friend Lyn messaged me and said she had one extra ticket to the Saturday Night Opry and asked if I wanted to go with her to see our friend Bronson Bush's Opry debut. It did not take any hesitation at all on my behalf before I said yes!  When we met up at the Opry Plaza by the entrance, there was a jazz band playing to welcome everyone and it was very spirit lifting.  I was thinking as I walked and listened - yes, at the same time lol - that Nashville really knows how to go the extra mile to make things more than right when it comes to hospitality.  This was a very special Opry: not only was it Bronson's debut, it was also this season's American Idol Tristan McIntosh's Opry debut, whom Bronson played guitar for.  As if that was not special enough, Steve Wariner celebrated his 20th anniversary as an Opry member the same night. Wow, what a night!

Grand Ole Opry program and ticket from May 14th.

Me and Bronson Bush. Thanks Lyn for taking the picture!

Tristan McIntosh performing at her debut at the Opry. Also debuting is Bronson Bush, who is the guitar player standing to the left in the picture.

A Mother's Day Poem

                                              A mystery so deep

                                              The feelings of a mom

                                              They tear and pull a need to keep

                                              Their children safe and warm.

                                              Their every wish a joy filled heart

                                              Of is and yet to come

                                              Near or there, or far apart

                                              Mom's hug is always home.

A Celebration - One Day Early

What can one do on a gorgeously sunny Saturday before Mother's Day? For starters, cut some vines and small shrubs down along a fence. Then dig a hole in the ground - a rectangular one. Hopefully there will be strawberry plants thriving there eventually. After that, a short drive in the car. I wasn't driving, my husband was, and that is the reason we ended up at Fazoli's, one of my favorite pasta restaurants, because he wanted to surprise me with a one day early Mother's Day dinner. I choose whole grain rotini with creamy basil sauce and broccoli. Don't forget about the breadsticks ... they are the best tasting in the whole wide world! I used to eat four or five with my meals there before I got a little bit older and a little bit wiser, so now I am only having two each time. I think.

Coming back home, I felt a desperate need to paint our mailbox-pole white, so I did. In the dark underneath a street light. Urges like that should not be denied.

Merle Haggard - Respectfully

It is safe to say that there is not one person involved in country music that has not been touched by Merle Haggard and his music, myself included.  The first song that really touched me was "Mama's Hungry Eyes". Somehow at that time in my life when I first heard it, I felt that it was a song about me in a way. A song about not having what you really wish you had, but not saying or expressing it, so no one knows although you can see it in someone's eyes if you are observant.  Today I listened to some of his music on Spotify and created a playlist with some of the songs I like the very best.

Thank you for your music Merle Haggard and rest in peace.


Merle Haggard Playlist on Spotify

Bio Day

What can one do on a Sunday? A lot of things naturally ... I have been updating some of my bios out there in the cyber world. One of them is the Last.fm biography.  If you would like to know more of my story, read it on last.fm

Maybe there is something new in there that you didn't already know? One can never have to much knowledge! :-)

Undo

One all time favorite rule to live by is the Golden Rule. You have heard it: "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". It sounds simple - and it is, because all it takes is just to think about what you are doing at all times to keep in mind how something you do will affect others. It's all about consequences ... avoiding choices and decisions leading to something that you don't feel like having to deal with further down the road ... when practiced thoughtfully and mindfully for a period of time it will become not a second nature, but it is becoming your nature and who you are.

I have also extended this with a follow up thought: "Undo to others what has been done to you." That works just as easily: if someone has done something to you that you did not like, undo it by not doing it to someone else.

On Friendship Day