Long Distance Log-In

Take a walk with Ralph.

So you thought you were rid of me for three days?
Bwa ha ha!
It occurred to me I could use the scheduling feature. Why not give it a try?
So here I am. Was. Whatever. I'm not really here. I'm prepping this Sunday night when I should be getting to bed. Tomorrow will be a long day.

The video above was taken by Ralph Goff at his farm somewhere in Saskatchewan. A link to his blog, Mindless Ramblings, is also in my blog list at the bottom of this page.

Sing Amongst Yourselves

Made me sing along – another of my criteria for inclusion, apparently.

 These are the ones I watched all the way through. Many I'm not putting here are perfectly fine as far as the music goes, but the quality of the video is horrid in one way or another. Others just don't hold my interest. While all of these ... have something ... that keeps me. Or several things.  

I like this one of somebody's Aunt Donna and Uncle Harold:

It pays to be persistent! I've now explored 18 YouTube pages and tomorrow I'm buggering off to Regina for three days, so I leave you with these. I am so kind. You don't know how fortunate you are. Imagine if the only Beautiful Star of Bethlehem you heard was the Judds' version. Lovely as it is, we need variety.

I shall be lounging about the city with some friends from high school days. You know -- the good old ones. The ones you couldn't pay me to do over unless I could know then what I know now. Without having to experience pregnancy or childbirth again. Thank god that's over. 

See you back here on Thursday. 

If Only Winter in Saskatchewan Were Always Like This

Bet you thought you were getting away without the Christmas song, didn't ya?

Ha!

This one I've kept for the bass run, which I might play on my bass guitar:

I guess it's obvious by now that I am partial to that old-time style. And the bluegrass. And the piano.
I did find three more Youtube videos for you too -- aren't you the luckiest, ever? But hold your horses, they'll follow in the days to come.

No Words Comfort

The radio wasn't on at my house today, but I heard the news when I drove to town to pick Emil up for the weekend.

It's been a fine day here ... the air's been soft, the snow sparkling, the chickadees, woodpeckers and nuthatch all came to see me close-up when I refilled the feeders, and the cats have been stretching their legs out in the snow.

There is so much beauty in this world in spite of the unbearable ugliness we so often hear of. The news was a ghastly reminder that violent insanity exists and so goddamn often has its sickening way with the innocent.

We arrived home after the sun set but not before a slim curve of shining moon had been pinned to a pink and blue sky.

Little Sweetheart

On your behalf, I have been through another half-dozen YouTube pages of Beautiful Star of Bethlehem performances, and been unable to find one I wanted to listen to until the end. Sometimes it's just poor recording quality. Other times, it's ... well ... what are people thinking? What I mean is, why do they want it filmed? And why do they want to do it in front of others?

I've just slogged through 5 hours of toil in the workaday world and it's nearly 3:30, well past time a girl needs to get some fresh air and Vitamin D. So out I go.

Wadena Librarian

A lovely girl, but she wouldn't sing Beautiful Star of Bethlehem.

That Darn Star Again

For two voices ... Karen! Oh, Karen! Get over here!

You people are so darn lucky to have me picking and choosing all the best Beautiful Star performances for you. Sure, go ahead: thank me. Send flowers. Whatever. I've already slogged through 10 pages of YouTube and show no sign of slowing down. And no I'm not going to put The Judds up; theirs is the first video that comes up if you go looking, so you don't need to see it here.

Actually that sister of mine won't sing with me unless I'll do it on stage, and I won't, but I keep telling her that if we sang together in our living rooms long enough perhaps one day I'd get all diva-fied and be willing to get up there.

Ha!
Can't see it. There is no fun in that, and I'm all about the fun.
Now, in the living room is a different story.

Now Pretend You're in a Bar

While you're listening, if you haven't been here before, take a tour around the shack:

My favourite place on a sunny afternoon

You see we are "blanket rich," as Cathy said when she was here

The spare room, where Emil sleeps when he comes out, because ...

... he can't get onto the office bed; yes I have more putting-away to do, and still haven't set up the new printer.

To clear out a shelving cabinet for Scott's paperwork, I emptied it of all my journals. They start in 1975 and, where I've dipped in, contain teenage ranting, handwritten letters from Mom and others, thankyou notes, photos and more.

Pretend You're in Church

I like their simple CD cover.

Does this guy remind you of Mr Rogers?

I never watched Mr Rogers so maybe I'm imagining things.

SSSomebody SSStop Me

Not out of bed yet, but already reading

You deserve a break from well digging and that Christmas carol that has been in the air around me all week.
You may deserve it, but what else have I got for you?
Quite a lineup of Beautiful Star videos from YouTube. You're welcome.
And a whole roster of photos of trenching between the house and the new well. They've already bored me.
Hm.

Watching the birds at breakfast time

Well I just can't help myself. There's only so many days till Christmas, after all, if you're counting down:

Earworm

This girl's got voice.

Since my "Star of Bethlehem" rampage — which continues — you'll have to put up with it, that's all — I do, much as I begin to wish it would go away. Anyhoo, I'm online listening to all kinds of performances of this song on YouTube, and let's face it, there are quite a few I'm not listening to for long. 

What is it about a performance that catches your attention and holds it all the way through? 

There are many that just don't do it. They are earnest enough and people can carry a tune, but ... I can live without 'em. Then there are these others that I can't click away from.

Like this one. Here is Theda Shirley in Clinton, Mississippi; she rocks it old-time style:

I have listened to this song dozens of times now and still couldn’t sing all the words.

When Eli Barsi and her band played it on Sunday afternoon, I thought "Oh Christ with the Christmas carols. Already!"

And now I can't stop singing this one. Oh, not the whole thing! Pfft. Just bits and parts from here and there. 

O Beautiful Star

The melody of this song wouldn't get out of my head this morning, but I had to phone Karen and sing a bit of it to find out what it was. We heard it at the Eli Barsi concert on Sunday afternoon.

I went looking for it on Youtube to hear the bass line, and after listening to The Judds sing it, I carried on. And have been stuck here at the computer. I can't stop!

This guy reminds me so much of Uncle Bob, seen seated in the photo above. Minus the philosophizing, of course; it's the voice. (Click on the link, Reta!)

Uncle Bob usually played his guitar after our family meals, and Mom (in the red sweater there) always sang and taught songs to the kids. Here she seems to have my cousins Gerald and Karla dancing.

Of course, I couldn't stop there. I found some other pretty good stuff.

The Greenes did a beautiful job of it at the Christian Heritage Church in Graniteville, SC, back in 2008:

BustedBenz shares his piano version:

And now, I really have to get my ass out of this chair and get dressed. But it's hard to drag myself away!

Here's a sweet little girl singing it:

Julia at Bluegrass Jam

Here's What You Missed Yesterday, Dad

I would've liked your company at the beginning of my walk.

After listening to the well-drilling behind my office window for hours, I needed the break.

My walk is the best part of the day.

Even though I have to force myself out, sometimes.

The title:

Dad has driven from his home in Kelowna, BC, down to Phoenix, Ariz., where he has been basking in 80F weather and golfing every day. He doesn't like cold weather at all; I'm teasing him. He soldiered through enough Saskatchewan winters that you'd never convince him he's missing a thing.

Emil phones his grandpa fairly regularly and usually I hear him say "I wish you lived here so I could see you more often." Alas, he is bound to be disappointed.

So I tease Dad.
"When you are old and crotchety, you can come and live with me."

Dad:
"That'll be the god damn day!"

We laugh, but we're both serious.

Well Well Well

Coffee was set on my bedside table at 7 a.m. with an announcement: "They'll be here at 8 to drill the new well." There was time to lie there in the quiet dark for an hour, texting back and forth with Shelly, Miss Early Riser If Ever There Was One.

Sure enough, by 8 o'clock this thing was parked outside the bedroom window:

Where it sat, running, for at least an hour before a guy brought out a torch and started thawing a spot to drill:

After a while, a couple more guys appeared and suddenly the question of what to make for lunch became a bigger challenge:

I only had 1 package of ground beef thawed, and we have no microwave, so what was it going to be? I decided on Cabbage Roll Casserole. It's in the oven now and won't be ready till half-past 12, and this is where they are at:

Fortunately my nephew Marc's lovely new wife sent Emil and me home from her restaurant last night with a plate of home baking, so at least I don't have to worry about coming up with dessert:

Thanks Michelle!

Eli Barsi

Going with Karen to see this lady in concert tomorrow afternoon.
Yee ha! I love yodelling.

If Ever I Would Leave You, in Camelot

By cracky, I think I have to listen to this a third time.

Coffee and Croissant

Emil's ears still feel "plugged," though his actual hearing is unaffected.
They have felt this way since October 2011.
They have been cleaned by doctors. He has visited an ear/nose/throat specialist. He's seen a dentist. He's seen a medical intuitive. He's had therapeutic massage (not enough yet). And today we were going to head off to Yorkton to see an acupuncturist.
But I decided that first, he should visit a relatively new clinic in town that offers shiatsu. That's acupuncture without the needles, isn't it?
This morning I phoned to cancel today's appointment in Yorkton, and that was lucky because it was for tomorrow anyway. I believed neither Emil nor Scott completely, mind you, when they both insisted I'd told them the appointment was today instead of tomorrow. On the calendar, I had it written into the square for Wednesday the 21st— last week. Go figure.

Emil was looking forward to spending the day together so I picked him up after lunch, even though his appointment for shiatsu isn't till Thursday afternoon. We stopped in at the clinic to do a quick "reconnaissance" and then picked our way over the icy sidewalk to the bakery a couple doors down.

I was going to have some dainty little delicacy with my coffee, but when Emil chose the cream-filled croissant, I thought What the Hell.  You only live once that I'm sure of.

Mover and Shaker

Go, Pat!

It's good to see you receiving some recognition for your efforts.
Why, I bet if asked, you could pull out a long list of awards for past work as an organizer in a variety of areas. A mover and shaker; that's what you are.

Pete's Tipi

Pete's tipi near Whitehorse, Yukon — back in the day

Now I peruse Pete's tipi (among other collected papers) while brushing my teeth in the hallway outside the bathroom 

There is lots to look at.

Canadian Encyclopedia New Video

Busy working at my desk ... this is all you get from me for now.
Do you like it?

Use the encyclopedia. It's full of good things.
CLICK HERE.