2019 Life Logs, Day 251: Dining-in with Friends
Date: Sunday, September 8, 2019
Weather: Mostly Sunny and Warmer; High 79, Low 55 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was beautiful and the warmth continued on into the early evening. When my dining-in group friends arrived at 5:30, we decided to have appetizers outside. When we have these dinners, everyone brings something and this evening Terry and Olivia White brought the appetizers, shrimp and cheese and crackers. I was serving lobster salad over a bed or tomatoes and lettuce. Bruce and Jane Woodin brought fabulous corn on the cob, and I had to laugh when I saw Jane was wearing her fall apron to boil the corn. Midge Frieswyk brought amazing bread, but she didn’t bring Bill. They are leaving for a vacation in Europe this Thursday and Bill was home nursing a knee that has been giving him trouble in the hopes that it will be better by departure time. Peter and Karen Baranowski brought cream puffs, enough that everyone could have two, and most everyone did. They were delicious.
While we were together, Olivia kept checking her phone to get updates on the Dallas Cowboys football game. Olivia is passionate about many things in life, but nothing is she more passionate about than football. And when she left, she was going home to watch the Patriots game. So, after everyone left, I decided that I should tune in and watch the Patriots game as well. But when I turned on the TV, there was Ken Burns narrating a special on public television promoting his newest documentary of the history of country music. The special tonight was Live at the Ryman in Nashville and before I could switch channels a young country music star was singing ‘Crazy’, written by Willie Nelson and made famous by Patsy Cline. I was hooked. I didn’t switch the channel to watch the Patriots, but instead watched the rest of the special and then continued watching when it was replayed so that I could the beginning of the program. My first memories of country music were when my oldest brother and his friends would sing Hank Williams songs. Then I remember listening to Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys on the radio. My father evidently loved them as all I ever remember hearing on the radio was them playing bluegrass and then listening to the Grand Ole Opry. By the time I was in first grade, I hated bluegrass, hated all country music, and certainly didn’t appreciate Minnie Pearl. I was old enough to realize that being from West Virginia, as well as liking country music, was something that many people from other places made fun of. So, I spent years finding a way to leave West Virginia and leave country music behind. It wasn’t until I first heard Willie Nelson and Leon Russell sing “On the Road Again” and John Denver sing “Almost Heaven, West Virginia” that I started to realize that maybe I had made a mistake. As an adult, I have regained a respect for country music and a love and appreciation of the beauty of West Virginia. Ken Burns’ 16-hour documentary covering the history of country music begins airing on PBS next Sunday. I’ll be watching.
