The usual meaning for the term “keyboard warriors” is those angry trolls who make sure social media is always stirred up with arguments and untruths. For our purposes, though – and during Teach Music Week – we’ll look at the keyboards that tie our family together. Piano keyboards. Dad remembers taking piano lessons when his family lived in Lowell in the early 1940s. He was ten or 11 and would walk just a few blocks to get to Mrs. Salmonson’s…
Are you getting choked up about poor Princess Beatrice of England, who may need to postpone her wedding yet again? Me neither. We’re all figuring out this new Coronavirus lifestyle. And a good many of us are doing what we can to make the best of it. Take John & Aubrie, for example. They’ve been planning their April 18 wedding for nearly a year. Very traditional, very sweet. No one could have guessed COVID-19 had other plans in mind. After…
All my life, Dad has talked about what a scamp he was as a kid. Yet, there were no stories to back up his claim. Was this silence on his part due to not wanting to set a bad examples for his four children? Perhaps. It’s only now that the confessions are spilling forth. As his confessor, I am impressed, but not yet mortified. Here’s a story: Times have changed over the generations, thank heavens. Back in the 1930s, Catholics…
“Well, I tried. But I struck out.” Poor Gary. He’d just made a trip to the local Christmas store in search of a very specific ornament, but came home empty-handed. We’d already found a squirrel ornament for Dad. And a bear for cousin Beth. But the ornament for Beth’s dad, Uncle Bill, wasn’t as easy. Bill loves, loves, loves baseball. And the New York Yankees. Especially his Yankees. When you live in New York or New England, you’ve got choices…
For 27 years, I worked at an attraction in Santa Claus, Indiana, where Christmas music played from May through October. It was fun to watch unsuspecting visitors suddenly realize “Let It Snow!” was playing on the speakers in the middle of July, with outdoor temperatures approaching triple digits. Most smiled, a few rolled their eyes, several brave souls sang along. My first experience Christmas caroling was when I was three years old. Mom, who loved Christmas, announced to my brothers…
You know what, Mom? You’ve got grit. The silence over the phone led me to quickly guess that no one had ever said this to her before. All her life she’d been the sweet, kind poet. Generous, quick with a smile and a hug. Gentle voiced. All her life, she’d also battled depression, anxiety, and an unhealthy dose of Irish-Catholic guilt. Yet somehow she prevailed. You never give up, Mom. No matter what the situation, you dig down within yourself…
Another month comes to a close, with four more books to cross off my “must read” list. Week 1: Gunn’s Golden Rules by Tim Gunn Tim Gunn was my favorite “character” on the original Project Runway. There is something about his proper, yet warm, personality that is incredibly appealing. And his memoir reflects this throughout. Gunn artfully tells stories about his challenging childhood through successful adulthood by crafting them into themed chapters, each with sensible advice. (Long ago, I’d suggested…
Such wonderful news – John is engaged! Aubrie is delightful. She’s brimming over with kindness, brains, and a sense of humor. Plus … she tells great stories. “How was your day?” I asked her last Friday when we got together to celebrate Gary’s birthday and the engaged couple’s happy news. “Well, no one threw poop at me today, so it was a good day.” Aubrie is an Occupational Therapist. She helps people, even those who don’t want to be helped….
Happy birthday, Gary! When you’re born on the 13th of any month, you (presumably) get used to the occasional Friday the 13th birthday. Gary’s 13th birthday was on Friday the 13th back in 1968, which just happened to be the date The Beatles were on the cover of Life Magazine. Earlier in the year, their groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album was still number one, featuring the sweet and simple love song “When I’m 64.” As neatly as…
As you may have noticed from my monthly list of just-read books, I’m a sincere fan of memoirs. This interest extends to radio interviews and podcasts, as well. I think I get this love from Mom. Back in the ’70s when she had a houseful of kids, Mom would drag a portable radio with her from room to room as she dusted, changed the sheets, and vacuumed. She would catch fascinating radio interviews with musicians, actors, writers, and history makers….