Super Classic Country

One thing hubby had in common with my parents was a love for classic country. And I mean super classic like from the '50s and on. So it was pretty amazing to get our classic fix at both the Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Our seats at the Opry were in row J, as in Jim. So close we could see everything and everyone in actual size!

This was our line-up of entertainers. And we were excited.

A nice surprise at the Opry is church pew seating with cushions! So nice.

I was expecting the usual red barn but the Opry has gone digital, so it was a different background for sure!

Hall of famer Rhonda Vincent opened up the show with some amazing bluegrass!

Drew Baldridge not only impressed us with his "Somebody's Daughter" song but a new, unrecorded "Rebel" song.

I was so inspired by Jessica Willis Fisher's story that I've ordered her autobiography.

Opry Hall of Famer Whispering Bill Anderson moved us to tears with his new song relating to Alzheimer's -- the last person I'll forget.

And there's a long story about Gene Watson. Jim and several friends saw him in concert last year and hoped to convince him to come to central Wisconsin. He did perform an hour-plus away and Jim saw him. But the performance at the Opry sort of solidified his "legend" status.

We had an amazing comedic break in the action with Gary Mule Deer. Stupid what I would call Dad Jokes, but he made us laugh none-the-less!

And then there's Dasha. Hubby and I obviously love her recent hit "Austin," but she was super entertaining with two other songs.

When we concluded with a hall of famer Don Schlitz, I realized that there are so many people behind the amazing country songs we hear on the radio. He wrote "The Gambler" and "You Say it Best When You Say Nothing at All" to name a few. Wow.

When Jim and I went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, our admiration increased.

Here's the songwriter I just mentioned.

And here's "whispering" Bill – officially appreciated for more than 2 decades!

There was so much more we saw and listened to and experienced, but I think our glimpses at history (especially remembering what our parents listened to) hit closest to home.

Prime Country Date Night

In 1997, country music artist Collin Raye recorded the song "Little Red Rodeo." At that time, the love of my life was driving around in a red Rodeo. 🥰 Fast forward 27 years and the love of my life and I are sitting in the front row, merely a few feet from Collin Raye, listening to him sing it in person.

Now that's a date night! 

If you listen to the Prime Country channel on SiriusXM radio – with its '80s and '90s country playlist – you'll hear a lot of his hits. Or just go to his concert. Ha. His voice is still phenomenal! We were so glad a group of our friends had 2 tickets available at the last minute, so we could go.

He was entertaining. Made us laugh as he talked on behalf of men everywhere before singing "That's My Story and I'm Sticking to it."

He also made us cry. He sings with such emotion. "Little Rock." "One Boy, One Girl." "Love, Me." "I Think About You." "His Love Remains." So, so good! And a few songs I didn't know, the lyrics still grabbed me. 

That was a treat and a fun trip down music memory lane.

Sure makes me miss that little red Rodeo!

April Showers

April showers bring... soggy messes. But on the bright side, this is all the snow we have left in our yard. For now. It's way too soon to predict what the rest of the month has in store.

Hopefully, at some point, Spring Sports can start. For the ball fields, that means dry weather and all the white stuff melted away. Fingers crossed Tuesday is the day.

Other than weather concerns, it was a typical Sunday. Church choir, some golf (watching not playing), some women's hoops (watching not playing), and the CMT awards (definitely watching only!).

But since the rain was light, Jim grilled brats for supper so it felt like spring anyway. 

And most everything else is status quo from yesterday. Just keep praying for spring to really arrive – and my sister to keep improving.

Have a great week and be careful out there!

Going Mad

Having fun like college kids in Mad Town was only part of the fun this weekend.

First was a Friday victory for our Assumption Royals baseball team! That was fun to watch and capture lots of action shots – and smiles. I love this picture because we've got two base runners really anxious to score. Hope we have more games like that!

Saturday started with book club for me then celebrating the 65th wedding anniversary of Jim's aunt and uncle Joe and Janice. Got to see some cousins and kids over brunch, so that was nice.

Then we headed down to Madison to hook up with our Rudolph contingent of friends for a concert. Downtown Madison has a very fun vibe when it feels like a Saturday in summer! Had a very fun time making our way for the hotel to The Mavericks concert.

This is only half our crew. The Fuller Boys and their crew was down the street. A dozen of us fun-seekers in total. You can see the capital in the background and the Orpheum, where our concert was. 

So admittedly, when Jim bought us these tickets I did not know The Mavericks or their music. I still didn't when we were done. But I liked it! A lot! 

I wouldn't classify them as '90s country. More like rock-abilly mixed with a Mexican mariachi band. Very cool sound and their lead singer had a phenomenal voice! 

And really, where else can you rock out to some great brass – and an accordion? So fun! It was a great concert. Afterwards, we had to fast walk in the rain back to the hotel. We knew the summer weather wouldn't last.

This morning, we grabbed breakfast at I-Hop and hit the road. And it was still raining. We just stayed indoors and watched golf this afternoon. And the weather. What?

Yup, that lower left icon is correct. A winter storm warning just days after back-to-back high temperatures in the 80s. We're fake spring victims here! Oh, Wisconsin. You're so silly.

We're nestled right between Stevens Point and Adams on the map. Pretty close to the edge of the 9-14 inches zone (with locally heavy amounts up to 18 inches). Uff da! So we'll see how it plays out. All the rain in the past 24 hours has certainly greened things up around here. I'd hate for this storm to screw up "real spring" when it shows up.

Maybe in May.

Be careful out there. I'll be sitting here wondering what spring sports will happen this week!

A Weekend to Rave About

A few months ago, hubby was under the influence – of friends – and ordered tickets to a country music concert in Milwaukee. Disclaimer here: Jim is a big fan of classic country and I listened to some country in the '80s and '90s, but not since. When Jim told me about the concert, I asked, "Who the heck is Cody Johnson?" 

Well, now I know.

The influential friends are country (and every kind of) musicians he's come to know though the guitar choir he sings with at church. Turns out quite a few were going so we just sort of hopped along for the ride. All totaled, there was close to 25 of us hitting the big city yesterday afternoon. 

The concert was at The Rave (yes, a play on words in my title today) and that in itself is an experience. Carter's been to a few concerts there, but we hadn't. Pretty cool venue but not one I'd go to again if I wanted to really SEE a singer. 

It's mostly standing room only with some reserved seating on the balcony level – which we'd recommend. 

Here's the crowd last night and ...

And here's where we were! It didn't take long to see why the crowd was generally half our age. It's tough on the ol' knees and backs to stand on concrete for 4 hours!

Anyway, onto Cody Johnson. Very talented singer and he put on a good show. A good LOUD show. Again, we're 100% showing our age! We remembered our masks but not our ear plugs!

For the vertically challenged, it was tough to see him at all times and I could for enough of the time. Just really good music and a few songs I could sing along to, thanks to a crash course in Cody Johnson this week!

Here's a few photos from my view, which was just far enough for me to realize my smart phone camera sucks.

Anyway, I suggest you look him up. Google his song "Til you Can't" and watch/listen. Great message and one I belted out singing along to. And still had in my head when going to sleep after 1 a.m. Oh yes, this was a good time! 

Today, we're all tired, of course. Got back late afternoon. Did a few projects and now I'm ready for bed. Early. But I'm gonna have to catch up on some Olympics first. Apparently those kept right on going while the rest of us were tapping our toes.

The U in GratitUde

Alphabetical gratitude month continues today with the letter U which reminds us to be grateful for our unexpected blessings!

A = Autumn, Austins, Assumption
B = Ballots, Books, Book Club, Bible
C = Casey, Clay, Carter, Church, Creativity, Camera
D = Dad, Daughters, Deck Chair, Dar, Design
E = Eggs, Election, Energy, Empty Nest
F = Family, Friends, Faith, Flu Shot, FastForward
G = Games, Golf, Guilty pleasures
H = Hugs, Hurricanes, Humor
I = Ice cream, Impromptu Invitations
J = Jim, Jokes, Job, Java
K = Kindness, King Cone, Knock on Wood, Karma
L = Laughters, Love
M = Mom, Masters, Musicals
N = Nieces, Nephews, Neighbors, Norse Force
O = Outage
P = Pigging Out, Passport, Phone
Q = Quiet
R = R People
S = Scandi-hoovian-ism, Sisters, Sylvester
T = Thanksgiving, Tree, Teachers, Turkey

Unicorns: What's not to appreciate about unicorns? I, for one, am grateful for them. A couple of us at work call it a "unicorn" when our to-do list is done. Yes, it is as rare as a unicorn. I mean they exist, but they're rare, right? We've had only a handful of unicorns in 2020. Now we call it a "partial unicorn" (isn't that a horse?) if we just get to the point we don't need the computer mouse to actually scroll through the entire task list. I'm grateful for my partial unicorn, horse, reindeer, whatever you want to call it, today so I can take one of those unusual guilt-free Thanksgiving vacations! 

U.S.: I'm also grateful for the United States of America. No political comments, I swear. Since I just watched Hamilton recently, I was reminded again of what it took to actually create these states to begin with, let alone unite them. We live in a pretty incredible country. I'd like to see more uniting than fighting. That would be the ultimate blessing!

University: I'm hoping that by pre-appreciating the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for providing 4 1/2 years of education to our son, that it'll lead to something unbelievably good when he virtually walks across the commencement stage in a couple weeks. Thanks, University!  (Hey, I might as well keep the unicorns coming!)

#gratitudemonth #gratitudealphabet #unicornsRreal

Shakin' My Shamrocks

We didn't have to wait until St. Patrick's Day to start shakin' our shamrocks. Just needed a classic country concert.

I'm not that into country but I do remember a lot of the stars of the '70s and '80s when I didn't have a choice. Ha. That includes Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. When our friends asked if we wanted to go to the concert with them in two other couples, we said sure. It was close by – in Rapids – and I do recall the songs Broken Lady (Grammy winner) and All the Gold in California.

Was thinking I wouldn't know anything else but I did recognize several and these brothers put on a very entertaining show. Much more interactive that some previous acts we've seen here. So that was a bonus! Plus they had some interesting stories of friends who inspired them – from Elvis to Patrick Swayze. Yep, you read that right!

We weren't supposed to take pictures so I waited until the concert was over and got Larry and Rudy, but brother Steve was off stage already.

Of course, there's that encore... Gotta tell you, Larry's voice was amazing. Very clear and pleasant vocal range. You wouldn't know they've been performing for 60 years.

Final salute to our sold-out crowd.

You'd think today's entertainment would pale in comparison. But it's St. Patrick's Day so there's gotta be some shenanigans going on...

Is that not a fitting name for me? For the record, I did not have a Shamrock Shake today – though College Boy texted me he was getting one... and I was tempted. Instead I donned some green and enjoyed the morning my girlfriends at book club. Then did some freelance work. Then went for a run (walk/run) and pretended I was having my own Shamrock Shakin' 5K.

It was beautiful out! I mean almost 50. So yes, by Midwestern standards... a McPerfect St. Patty's Day.

Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, too. So I will probably crack open some windows and actually get some cleaning done. Unless the leprechauns sneak into tonight and do it.

That would definitely be me lucky day!

Not Old, Just Classic

If you ever wondered if Generation Gaps still exist, we've got your answer right here.

Tonight, while Carter was enjoying a rap concert with Schoolboy Q and Johnny Badass in Madison, hubby and I saw classic country artist Marty Stuart in Wisconsin Rapids.

Generation Gap defined.

Admittedly, I only knew Marty Stuart by sight. I remembered his Bedazzled outfits, heels and teased up hair from the '70s and '80s. But for the life of me, I couldn't remember a single one of his songs. Still, when our friends Mark and Lisa asked us to go to the concert with them, we couldn't turn them down. It's always great to hang out friends. Plus, with a band name like The Fabulous Superlatives, you've got to give it a chance.

We met at The Ridges at 6 p.m. to have supper before the 7:30 p.m. show.

We sat in the 10th row right in the middle so we had good seats. And while I only recognized a handful of songs, I was tapping my foot and/or clapping along to most the show. 

All the band members were incredibly talented and sang a variety from honky tonk and rockabilly to gospel. Very entertaining. Great show!

It was nice date night, too. That goes without saying!

I am sure Carter will say his concert rocked his socks, too. But there's something to be said about lyrics you can understand and music that appeals to an audience of three generations.

Kind of didn't mind being part of the younger generation for one night.

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.

Country Legends

Our fall geriatric tour was supposed to include The Who on Oct. 10 and Merle & Willie on Oct. 25, but we only got to enjoy half of it since the rock 'n' roll old guys had to postpone and only the elderly country legends had staying power.

A few months back I heard about the concert and knew hubby – a huge Merle Haggard fan – would want to go. I got a super secret code that let us buy tickets the day before the public and scored us some seats in the 6th row! I knew it would be a bit of a time crunch rushing back from sister weekend. But I made it back with a half hour to spare to unpack and country up.

None of the pictures are crystal clear -- and it's not because of a Willie weed haze, just a camera phone that can only zoom so far.

Waiting for the start! Not too far from stage, which was good because these simple country guys. No megatron for the audience of 18,000 to see them on a screen. We could see their whitish-gray hair and wrinkles. A whole lotta people probably just say some guys in cowboys hats!

The show actually opened with 3 songs by Merle's oldest from his "first litter" and his youngest (on guitar) from his "last litter." Yes, the 78-year-old is on his 5th marriage. And Willie, 82, has been married 4 or 5 times. Good thing music lasts longer than marriage!

Merle takes the stage!

Sounded and looked as cool as ever.

I can't remember what he all sang, but I do know he did "Mama Tried," "Sing Me Back Home," "Workin' Man's Blues" and "Okie from Muskogee" of course!

Willie came on stage they sang a few tunes together, including "Pancho and Lefty." Their latest duets album, “Django and Jimmie,” came out in June so they sang their entertaining “It’s All Going to Pot” song.

With a Texas flag backdrop, Willie Nelson opened with "Whiskey River." Also sang "Crazy," "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" and "Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys."

We just call him "the red-headed stranger" in our house. But not many red hairs anymore.

He must have thrown 3 bandannas out to the crowd. Apparently we didn't have enough screaming women by us to garner attention.

They closed performing a few songs together, with Merle mainly playing guitar.

After that, we were "On the Road Again." We got home after midnight and I was so tired on Monday, but it was worth it. A legendary date night!