Archives for September 2018

Just some thoughts:

Often I go to the Station Inn in downtown Nashville. Today it is the only place where one can hear Bluegrass music and  anything close to traditional country music in Nashville.

You will not impress if you go there with the inside looks. The place will seat about 100 plus  and nothing matches. The chairs, tables, etc look like and probably were gotten at a flea market or a yard sale. And not a recent one at that.  One does not go there thinking about southern refinement.  There are “no reservations” taken, it’s come on in and find yourself a place.

The other night I sat down at a table with seven or eight other folks. Shortly after sitting down one of the people at the table introduced this older man sitting at the table saying, ” My friend here, Calvin just celebrated his 90th birthday this past week. I brought him here tonight for his birthday.”

Congratulations were said to Calvin, a beverage of his choice was ordered for him. Upon arrival of  his beverage a young lady at the table pointed at him  and said. ” I’d like to ask you a question, a man who has lived this many years on this earth, what might be a bit of wisdom or thought you could give to the rest of us?”  The old man (looked  a bit like Ole’ Rivers–Walter Brennan) taking a drink of his beverage then said “Well if your lookin’ for answers you might well remember… age….. will not answer all of life’s questions.”

I took a napkin and wrote down that line. “Age will not answer all of life’s questions.” How true. Some questions in life may be answered by time and experience, but not all. I once heard it said, “There are no secrets at funerals.”  To which I don’t agree. Sometimes funerals can create questions never before thought about, let alone answered.

In April of 2016 I was at my biological mother’s funeral. When I was introduced the one introducing me said “This is her first and oldest  child.”  The look, expression on the person  I was being introduced to, something said to me, this introduction had  created more questions in their mind and answered none.

As a young boy on ocassion I used to attend church with my grandmother at a little country church just a bit south of Sullivan, Indiana. An old hymn they used to sing was “Farther Along.”
The drift of the song was farther along understanding of matters will come. Even understand why. Well, that may be true but I don’t think that means that all our questions will be answered in our lifetime.

“Farther Along”

Tempted and tried we’re oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long
Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
We’ll understand it all by and by

That by and by business…maybe that’s not in the here and now.

I still have some remaining questions. You?

And like Calvin…I  don’t think age has or will answer all my questions.

============================== =========== =====

August 23, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Just some thoughts:

“Of all the characters in society, none, is more despicable,
heartless and truly deserving of the frowns and contempt
of every good man and woman, than is the man who  only
trifles with the heart of a woman.”

Love, Lust, and Longing in the White House–Webb Garrison

Two such men I give for your review, none other than Roger Sterling and Don Draper.

============================== =============

August 17, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted September 16, 2018

Just some thoughts:

I did. Only once, never forgot it.

It would have been 1951 or 1952 and I would have been nine or ten years old.

Of all places see chose to do her one-hundred yard dash was in O’Hare airport in Chicago. The three of us had been walking this long corridor, my dad, mom and me. She was no Wilma Rudolph, but all of a sudden “she took off.”

We were at the airport  in Chicago to meet my brother (he’s the one on the right in the picture)  who was returning from the Korean War  after a year of duty in Korea. I will never forget that year. The trips I made to our mail box for his letters and the calendar we had hanging on a kitchen wall with me marking off the days until his return.

All of a sudden as solider’s were come down the ramp from the returning plane when my mother spotted my brother. She said nothing to either of us, she just took off in a run to greet him. She got to him first, hugged his neck and cried.

Over the years I have often repeated that scene in my mind and thinking how many times over many years a similar scene was repeated in the lives of so many mothers and fathers.

“Her eyes widened when she saw her son, now a grown man, standing in the doorway. “Gene” she screamed, wiping her hands on the apron and running into his outstretched arms.”

Play with the Enemy==Gary W. Moore

“Oh, dear God thank you for bringing my boy home to me.–then she wept”

Words of this mother upon her son’s return.

On that day in 1951-52 sixty plus years ago….we did also…said a prayer and wept.

=============================================

August 1, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted September 15, 2018

Just some thoughts:

The oldest continuous radio show in the country is the country music show, The Grand Ole Opry.

Some of you may be familiar with the show; it has been on the radio out of Nashville since 1925. The show is made up of a collection of performers unlike what you would see if you went to a concert today. It is divided into five or six thirty minute segments with three or four performers generally doing one or two numbers. Each segment has a host and that host will do two or three numbers, and will always close that thirty minute portion of the show.

Over the years a friend of mine has  made some guest appearances on the Opry. He has been a very successful performer and is in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. He shared a story that impressed him and, in turn, impressed me also. On this particular evening, the current evening host, or star of the segment was scheduled to do at least two songs and close the show. My friend told me he observed the star doing something that almost is never done. “I saw ___ go to the stage program manager and say something to him, and I heard the program manager say, “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” The featured performer for that segment had said to the stage manager, “Give him my second number, and give him my time.”

My friend said, “In this business you just don’t see someone giving up their time to another performer, and certainly not letting someone else close the show.” That stage and airtime, however short it may be, is money and exposure to a performer.

The person appearing in the star’s segment of the show was an old veteran in the business, one whom some would say that his time has passed. The current-day star remembered when this man was on top, and he had since fallen on hard times. He was thinking of someone else other than himself.

So seldom today will we see another giving up “what’s theirs” to another.

“Give him my time and my second number, and we will also let him close the show.”

May 10, 2011

Keep on,

Larry Adamson

P.S. Oh, the one giving up his “star time” –giving up his second number and his spot to close the show……that was Vince Gill.

 

===============================================Posted September 14, 2018

Just some thoughts:

Recently as I pulled from my drive the sun was coming up about the time the night was leaving. Which by the way is a pretty site in itself.  The meeting of night and day. A song came on my car cd player that brought a memory and some thoughts. The song was made popular by Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie Harris, Beverly Lee, “The Shirelles.”

As the song played, a line came on, a line that asked a question. The question was preceded with the line: “When the night meets the morning sun.”  The song asked that when the night meets the morning sun, “Will you still love me?”

A rather direct question I think one would agree. Interesting as evidently the question was now asking how valid is what was said earlier in the evening. Back during the dark of night and now with the light of day what are the feelings? Was one going to forget or no longer feel the same as  they had said in the dark of night?

Often one forgets or for other reasons chooses to no longer feel in the light of day as they did during the dark of night.

Carole King wrote a classic song  that can ask a very important question in one’s life:

“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

Sadly a lot of things can change from the… dark of night to the light of day.

Ever had any experiences with such? What was said in the dark of night…. no longer so…… when the night meets the day.

==============================================

June 22, 2017
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted September 13, 2018

Just some thoughts:

This morning a bit before 7 A.M. as I sat in a booth by myself at my coffee place I watched as two men stood up to leave. They shook hands and as they separated to leave I heard one of the men say to the other:

“You’re always a pleasure to see  and even more so to be with.”

As I sat and watched the two go out the door, separate and walk to their cars I thought what a nice thing to have said of you.

“A pleasure to see—even more to be with.”

Hopefully that could be said of each of us.

============================== ====== ======
April 7, 2014
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Just some thoughts:

On one of our trips south we had the good fortune to visit the WW II museum in New Orleans.

I went not knowing what to expect. But I came away thinking that I had received more than what I had expected.

The museum opened on June 6th, 2000 and originally was known as the National D-Day museum. Shortly there after the name was changed to WW II Museum. It is located in the central business district of the city of New Orleans. It gives emphasis to the American efforts in WW II. I recommend it to all.

One of my favorite authors Stephen Ambrose ( Band of Brothers) was instrumental in the museum coming about.

I like something I read there speaking of a country and its history:

“We all our the custodians of our country’s history.”

I guess the question is: “What do we choose to do with it?”

You know we also our custodians of our families history. Likewise the question: “What do we choose to do with it?”

It is said a person dies two deaths. One, when they die and two, when those that knew them allow their memory to be forgotten. Same can be said for a country and what people allow to happen to its history.

==================================== =====

August 4, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted September 11, 2018

Just some thoughts:

Have you ever wished you could have lived in another era? While I don’t wish to have lived during another time, there are happenings I wish I could have experienced from the past.

A few years back my wife and I and another couple were spending some time in the hill country of west Texas; a very pretty area. One day found us in Gruene, Texas. The oldest continuous dance hall is in Gruene, and we got to experience a bit of that history. It is said that dances began at this hall dating back to the 1890s’ and are still going on today.

I wish just once I could have been at that hall on some Saturday night in the 1940s’when the great popularity of the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills, and his band would have been playing. It would be special to hear his music and see those real cowboys dance their girl around the floor.

I have tried to acquaint our six grand kids to a lot of different types of music. This past week our sixteen year granddaughter (Sloan) made my day when I was driving her to music camp here in Nashville. She said, “Pop Pop play some music by that guy from Texas, the guy that talks while his band is playing and often you hear him go “Ah Ha.” Immediately I knew who she meant, Bob Wills.

Well the honky-tonks in Texas were my natural second home
Where you tip your hats to the ladies and the rose of San Antone
I grew up on music that we called Western Swing
It don’t matter who’s in Austin, Bob Wills is still the king

Lord I can still remember, the way things were back then
In spite of all the hard times, I’d live them all again
To hear the Texas Playboys and Tommy Duncan sing
Makes me proud to be from Texas where Bob Wills is still the king

You can hear the Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville Tennessee
It’s the home of country music, on that we all agree
But when you cross that ol’ Red River hoss that just don’t mean a thing

‘Cause once you down in Texas, Bob Wills is still the king

Well if you ain’t never been there then I guess you ain’t been told
That you just can’t live in Texas unless you got a lot of soul
It’s the home of Willie Nelson, the home of Western Swing
He’ll be the first to tell you, Bob Wills is still the king

“Once you cross that old Red River, Bob Willis is still the King.”

In Gruene Hall they certainly have not forgotten Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys..

==============================================

May 13, 2014
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

 

Posted September 10, 2018

Just some thoughts:

Remember as a kid hearing folks give you that business about the bird in the hand versus two in the bush? I do. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Meaning you might be better off with what you got, than what you think you need.

I learned that costly lesson when I was about eighteen or nineteen years old. It was the winter of my freshman year in college. For some reason I got the bright idea that I needed a different set of wheels. At that time I was driving (my first car) a 1949 pea green four door (un cool) Chevy. I had bought it from Crossin Chevy in Farmersburg, Indiana. It had been on their used car lot and I bought it for the grand price of $225 dollars. Looking back It probably was  the best mechanical car I have ever owned. But it just no longer fit what I felt was a college boys imagine. It did have a great radio with rear seat speakers. Had a knob on the dash you could flip and the tunes would go to the back of the car. It sure did make Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed or Slim Harpo  sound awfully good on a Saturday night date. I especially remember Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date” playing one night.

Fast forward. I found an ad in the paper for a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria. The description went something like this: 1956 Ford Crown Victoria, all black with white over lay,  stick shift, dual glass packs, spinner hub caps, roll pleated seats, twin rear seat speakers. You gettin’ the picture. Last line of the ad: Priced right. I could already see myself behind the wheel.

I remember I took my dad with me to look at the car. He was not impressed with things like spinner hub caps and twin rear seat speakers. He was more interested in crawling under the car and looking or raising the hood and listening. Bottom line his advice: “Larry I don’t think I’d buy this car.” Eighteen and nineteen year old boys often don’t listen to advice coming from “older people.” I bought the car.

Cut to the chase. Less than two months later the engine blew up on my new find. I ended up selling the car at a loss. Its replacement was a 1953 robin egg blue four door Chevy. No rear seat speakers. I drove that car for the next four years until I graduated college. For the next four years I struggled with that car as no heater, two windows would not go up or down, had a small hole in the passengers side floor board (you could see the ground), broken radio antenna, often would not go in reverse gear, had one tail light out. I could go on and on. By the time I graduated in 1964 she was one sick puppy.

Today as I was driving to my coffee shop I saw a 1956 Ford Crown Victoria sitting in the drive way of a house. I wanted….well I won’t say what I wanted to do…or what I thought. But those old bird words came back to me.

“A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush.”

“Sometimes you are better off with what you got than what you think you need.”

That is still true today.

===============================================

August 18, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

Posted September 9, 2018

Just some thoughts:

“She all of sudden called me up on the phone and said she would quit bein’ mad if I would. I told her I was  plain spoken and say just what I felt and people would just have to take me as I am or…. leave me alone.”

Jessie Mae–“Trip to Bountiful”

Hum…It has been my experience in meeting such people as Jessie Mae, it might be best to take them at their word, they are giving sound advice…

                                                 “Leave them alone.”

=============================================

July 8, 2018
Keep on,
Larry Adamson

 

Posted September 8,2018