Okie From Muskogee

When I was a kid, on Friday night after the evening news my dad would go up to his bedroom and get out his Gibson guitar. He'd had a hard week in the mill and singing country songs was his way of celebrating the end of a week. He had a good voice. He even taped songs on a reel to reel recorder. I guess he was an Okie from Muskogee. Later in life I found out he had a wild streak before he married my mother. No more wild weekends....just a guitar and his family. Music, like baseball, taught me about life.

Here's a song he knew from the Singing Brakeman Jimmie Rodgers, done by Merle:

Hobo Bill's Last Ride

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My how times change!

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One of my favorites of Merle's... "Ramblin' Fever".

I saw him perform in Reno the year before this was recorded.



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I was listening to The Legend WSM 650AM last night...scratchy and wavering on my old transistor radio. Just how I like it...a throw back to yesteryear. I caught the Grand Ol' Opry from the Ryman Auditorium.

I particularly liked this one as it came knifin' its way up north into the Chicago area from down in Nashville last night. I'd never heard it before. Good lyrics and a good voice.

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My favorite country tune.....I like to share.

Chet Atkins - I Still Write Your Name in the Snow

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Writing your name in the snow is truly a vanishing art. With global warming and the kids no longer being taught cursive writing in school the opportunities and skills to creatively express yourself in a fluffy winter wonderland are wasting away.

When I feel the urge to write and nature presents its snowy tablet I don't hesitate to honor the neighborhood with my handiwork. My front yard tablet requires that I be more discreet with my writing. No flairs or flourishes. My backyard tablet, on account of our several spruce trees and one neighbor's rather high privacy fence, allows for a much more free-spirited style of writing and a little more coarse content.

I've noticed through the years that although my urgency has increased my capacity to write lengthy messages has diminished. I would guess my inkwell just isn't as large as it used to be. And control of my inkwell has waned too. It's darn near impossible to dot my 'i's and cross my 't's. Like TR I may have to resort to all caps to get my point across.

I gotta' go...I have a strong urge to check Accuweather® and belt down a quart or two of aqua pura!




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