Sometimes you just get a hankering to pick up the old guitar and pick out a few tunes for the crowd.
Archive for November, 2013
28 Nov
Over the River and Through … Thanksgiving Songs
So tonight, trying to be the nice guy that I am, and driving comfortably down the holiday road with my friend Robert and his daughter Sarah, the topic of conversation turned to holiday music. (I know I just used the word “holiday” a few words back, but for the life of me I can’t think of a different one that works–can you?) Sarah complained that “there just aren’t any Thanksgiving songs!”
Professor that I am, I quickly answered, “Yes, there are!” And began to sing “We gather together to ask the Lord’s Blessing” and “So much to be thankful for” and “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.” That was a bit problematic since whenever I sing any song, it ends up sounding just like ABBA’s “Mama Mia.”
Somewhat patronizingly (and in my opinion somewhat like the Kardashians in one of their arguments), Robert admonished, “Neal, I hate to inform you, but THAT’S a Christmas song.” I would have gotten all haughty and angry, maybe even laughed in a manner which suggested that he didn’t know what he was talking about, but all of a sudden I didn’t 100% know if I knew WHAT I was talking about.
But since this is 2013, and I wasn’t behind the wheel, I pulled out my iPhone, Googled (you do capitalize that, right?), “famous Thanksgiving songs,” and my first hit jumped out at me triumphantly: “Top 10 Thanksgiving Songs, No Really.” And guess what #4 was?
4. “Over The River and Through the Woods”: This is a Thanksgiving song by Lydia Maria Child. It was written in 1844, originally as a poem with the title “A Boy’s Thanksgiving Day.” There have been many versions of the song over the years that add in Christmas lyrics, but the original was just about Thanksgiving. My favorite version is by Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters.
(I didn’t read that line about Christmas lyrics to Robert and Sarah, because I thought it stole a little of my thunder, so if you know them, DO NOT say anything.)
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See the entire Top Ten below:
Sing On, Thanksgiving!
28 Nov
Blessed Thanksgiving 2013!
May your day be filled with all things you consider good!
Bountiful, Plentiful Blessings!
27 Nov
Thanksgiving Image Prep — Part Two
** WARNING: This post is grandchildren-heavy.**
I love Thanksgiving! Here are some pictures which make me feel all Thanksgiving-y.
My serenely perfect little grandsons Gabriel and Daniel, quietly counting their many blessings as the holiday approaches. Okay, okay, they’re desperately trying to breathe under those heavy pumpkins.
Grandtwin Matthew and his turkey headdress:
(My grandchildren surely do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time in grocery store carts. Should I worry about that?)
I wish I went to school and made cool Thanksgiving crafts like these:
(All made by Daniel and Gabriel.)
Bountiful harvests to you all!
27 Nov
Barbeque Sauce? Say What?
As you know (if you have read much of my blog), I believe that our words are SO VERY IMPORTANT. I love Affirmations–and feel they hold immense power and authority in our lives. I even have a category in my blog devoted to them. One of yesterday’s posts featured an affirmation about our neighbors. In a way, every word coming out of our mouths IS an affirmation. But as a teacher I have heard “affirmations” such as, “I’m dumb” or “I’ve never been any good at English.” Perhaps you’ve expressed (as I have) such sentiments as, “I could never do that!” or “They have it so much easier in life than I do.”
Have you run across the wonderful short videos of Kid President on the SoulPancake website? No? You haven’t heard of either? Well, you are in for a treat! Here’s the nine-year-old and his “Twenty Things We Should Say More Often.” Please, please, please take a moment to watch it. You’ll fall in love with the kid.
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SO …
… TODAY.
26 Nov
Image Prep
To help you–and me–get ready for a Meaningfully Joyful Thanksgiving 2013, here are some images to prime the pump. (These are not original with me. I will provide my own images in a post tomorrow.)
25 Nov
Hat Nod to the Pilgrims
Grandson Gabriel and his self-made Thanksgiving Pilgrim outfit. (And a rather strange look on his face.)
Grandfather Neal (who doesn’t seem to be able to resist putting little hats on his big head):
