Movin' On

Country music said goodbye to a legend today. Merle Haggard died on his 79th birthday.

Hubby and I are glad we got to see him in concert this past fall. It seemed like after that, there were a lot of cancellations and Willie Nelson was doing the show himself. I just said to Jim last week that we were lucky because it didn't look like Merle would get well enough to go back on tour.

Sadly, that was correct.

It wasn't surprising. But still a bummer.

What was your favorite Merle song? Jim often has the latest Greatest Hits CD playing in his vehicle. Gotta love Silver Wings, Mama Tried and Okie from Muskogee. But my favorite? Movin' On.

Call me a gearhead, but I love that truckin' song! In addition to serving as the main theme song to the Movin' On TV show, the song was among many in country music to pay homage to the American over-the-road truck driver – which my dad was at the time of this mid-1970s release.

It was among the many trucker songs my twin sister and I liked. We may have worn out that K-tel trucking album, but we did not forget the movin' songs of that era.

Naturally, this made me think of Dad today. Ironically, it was exactly 3 years ago today that I gave Dad his dying wish and became a Packer fan. JUST FOR THE DAY, mind you!

Although he lived another 7 weeks after that, that day I said "goodbye" for the first of many times. I thought that day was going to be it. Like with Merle, we knew we should expect it to happen soon. But that doesn't make it any easier, as anyone who lost a loved one that way will tell you.

I remember telling him, "I'm sad, Dad." He said he couldn't blame me, and added, "But I'm on my last legs and my legs aren't doing anything any more."

All I can do is fondly remember when he could use his legs, and we enjoyed many a waltz and polka to country outlaws like Merle.

Say hello to my dad up there, Hag. And play something he can dance to!

10-4? Over and out.