Thursday Morning Prayers

 Good morning, Lord!

Today I want to thank you for all of the relatives, especially my grandparents, aunts and uncles, who influenced me with their words and actions. I ask for blessings for them, though they may be gone from this world. I hope to see them again, when my time on earth is done. 

I ask that you bless my cousins, and my aunt Madeline. Thank you for their continuing friendship.

I ask that you guide the people of this nation in making their selection for President. I pray that we come through this political season of discord and emerge in unity. Heal us, Lord, as we need healing in the worst way. 

Thank you for my wife - through whom all the good things in my life have come - and my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren. Life would be so much emptier without them. 

Thank you also for writers like C.S. Lewis, and his insights into what it means to be a Christian. 

I pray this day is a good one. With Your help, I know it will be. 

In Jesus' name I pray. 

Amen.

Wednesday Morning Prayers

 Good morning, Lord! 

Thank you for keeping us safe and sound last night. Thank you for the food we will eat this day. Thank you for friends and relatives, near and far, especially those from church, from my high school, and all my cousins. 

Today is supposed to have beautiful weather, with a high of 60, and clear skies. A beautiful Fall day. I pray that I enjoy the weather as much as I should, as you have given us, here in Chicagoland, a full four seasons to enjoy. 

I pray for those still recovering from the hurricanes, especially those in North Carolina who were so badly impacted. I pray they get the help they need, both from government and from volunteer organizations. 

Thank you for the time Nancy and I had with our grandchildren in Lockport. They are cute, cuddly, and oft times cantankerous. They are little humans, learning how to be big humans. I pray they will grow up in the knowledge of You.

Heal those who need healing, I ask, and support those who are suffering with the knowledge that You are there to help them. 

I ask that you make me the new creation that You want me to be, guiding me through life, until I may see the gates of Heaven. 

 In Jesus' name I pray.  

Amen.

Sunday Morning Prayers

Good morning, Lord. Thank you for keeping us all safe and sound during the night. I pray that today will be a good day. You have blessed me abundantly, and for that I will be eternally grateful!

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O God.

Watch over my friends and family this day, I pray. Help each of us as we travel through the various seasons of life. Connect our hearts, though we may now be living far from each other. Bless our families - grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, spouses, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren - and our friends, acquaintances and co-workers. Bless our efforts at the jobs we do, and our employers, too. 

Bless us with good weather and bountiful harvests. Please help us deal with the changing climate, and its horrific effects, in the best way possible. 

Watch over those who govern our land and give them the wisdom to make wise decisions for us. 

Heal those who are sick, and comfort the families and friends of those who have passed away. Help them to understand that if their loved ones died in the knowledge that You are God that a reunion is coming. Thank you for the near-death experience stories told by aunt Yolanda and John Brickwood. While we don't need additional proof that Heaven exists - our faith in You is enough - you have allowed them, and many others, to experience the afterlife and return with their stories of peace and love in the place that awaits. 

Thank you for my life, Lord. 

In Jesus' name I pray this day. 

And all God's children said...Amen!

Things For Which I Am Grateful

This year, 2020, has been a difficult year in many respects. Coronavirus has taken the lives of three people from our larger circle of friends and family. Linda, Bryan and Sarah also had the virus, with Linda having to be hospitalized. We can't see our family as much as we'd like, being unable to travel to The Netherlands at all, and being limited in whom else we can see, at various times, due to potential exposure or travel to highly-infected states. We were unable to take our family to Hawaii for the same reason, thereby negating a family vacation that could have been, well, monumental. 

Having said the above, though, there is an awful lot to be thankful for. 

I am grateful for the love of God, who, I believe, has watched over me my entire life. I am amazed by Your presence in my life. Truly, I shall, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise [and] give thanks to him and praise his name."

I am grateful to my birth mother for giving me a chance at life, and for courageously making the decision to put me up for adoption. I am extraordinarily glad to have connected with her after all these years.

I am grateful to the parents who raised me in a wonderful setting in the suburbs, guiding me through my early years, providing a wonderful example of what it meant to be a loving family. I am thankful to have a sister, raised in that same setting with me, and to have four half-siblings (though two may not yet know I exist).

I am grateful for my wife, Nancy, the center of my life, who has stayed with me through good times and bad, through a difficult illness and through whom all the good things in my life have come. I will always be there for you, as you have been for me.

I am grateful for my children, Kerry (and her husband Luke and daughter Elsie Bea), Andy, Amy (and her husband Matt and their children Clara and Henrik), and Timmy (and his wife Kate and their son Sam). I pray that I was able to teach you things you could use to help navigate your way through life, and I'm proud of each of you. I receive much more in return from you than I have ever given. 

I am grateful for our extended family, and to the aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews who have influenced my life, including many who have now passed on to God's Heaven. Though we are sometimes far apart, ranging from The Netherlands back across the world to Singapore, I am happy and thankful that we can continue to communicate using today's modern technology. And though we may have our disagreements, at times, regarding how the world and this United States should be run, I am thankful to have known each and every one of you.

I am grateful for the fur-babies that have shown me unconditional love: our latest, Hazel; the "Mighty Pug Trio", Lucy, Sally and Rocky; my friend Bo. I know that Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you"; I only pray that these friends will be waiting for me when my time comes.

I am grateful for my employers, who gave me opportunities to learn and grow, and without whom I could not have retired this year. Thank you to the A&P, SS Kresge, Penray, Metropolitan Life, Kemper and Hollister. I was given the chance to work for you; I pray I did the job you expected from me, and perhaps more. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to retire this year. These first six months have been interesting, to say the least. I pray that I will find chances to give back to my community, using the skills and abilities I have.

I am grateful for our church and, especially, the Sing A New Song group of which I'm part. I am thankful God gave me musical ability and a love of song. I pray that my efforts to praise God in music are pleasing to Him, and to the congregation.

I am grateful to live in this country, the United States of America, truly the home of the free. I am thankful for those leaders who have brought us through the worst of times - Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan - and pray that God bestows enlightened leadership upon those who follow. I am thankful that I get a voice in the selection of our leaders, that I can express my opinions without fear of government persecution, that I can move about the world freely, and that I can worship God in the manner I choose.

I am grateful for the friendships I have, old and new, ranging from people I knew in grade school, through high school, Nancy's large group of "college girls", neighbors (old and new), people I've met through the kid's schools, folks from church, and the many co-workers with whom I've collaborated over the years. I am thankful to have become friends with my children's in-laws, and to have been welcomed into their extended families as we have welcomed them into ours. 

I am grateful to be in good health, and for the physicians, nurses, technicians and other staff members who helped me recover from cancer three years ago. I am thankful for my wife's continued health, as well, and for the tremendous care she has received over the years.

Finally, I am grateful for the seasons of the year: 

For quiet Winter nights, outside, when the air is crisp and cold, each breath taken in is like inhaling liquid oxygen, the wind lightly brushes your cheek, and the stars are shining down and reflected back by a layer of new-fallen snow, unmarked by boot or dog's paw; 

 

For Spring, when Winter's white melts into the ground, and majestic thunderstorms roll through, lighting up the sky and filling the ears with its power; when the grass turns so green it pains the eyes, the smell of the awakening plant-life fills the air and the promise of new life is everywhere;

For the warmth of the Summer sun, its light lasting long into the evening, for lazy white clouds hanging so low in the sky it's as if you can reach out and touch them, and for the water of sea or lake which cools skin warmed by the all-enveloping sunlight; when the land delivers its bounty in the first sweet corn, green beans and peppers and reminds us of the good Lord's provision;

For Autumn, when leaves are displayed as if a coat of many colors, and the dusty aroma of the burning leaf-pile returns one to days of childhood; when mornings are crisp, afternoons are beautiful and the cooling evening is perfected by a bonfire; when orchards deliver sweet, ripe apples that can be picked and eaten right from the trees;

With much love to you, my fellow travelers-through-life!

Not If You Take Me Along

A new poem by Mark Dopita and Elena Evans.

I'm afraid my DNA will link me to a rich Austrian family

And I am the last true member of their blood line

So they desire for me to rule over their land

Which would be so very conflicting because

I would have to leave my friends and family behind.

You see my dilemma, she asked?

Not if you take me along, no.

I could be your court musician,

Finally spending time studying music,

Playing jazz for the handsome and rich patrons

Who would flock to you for favors,

Writing glorious music

To beautifully savage female admirers

Who'd throw me aside

For athletic, good-looking Formula One drivers,

Or legendary downhill skiers,

Or tennis bums,

So I'd drown my sorrows  

In beautiful, sad, romantic melodies,

And lose my favor with you

So that you'd banish me

To the farthest corners of your kingdom,

Where I'd wear lederhosen and

Commiserate with buxom women wearing dirndls,

Whose blond hair is coiffed into unimaginably thick braids,

All while playing polka music on a dingy accordion

In some Hofbrau Haus, little known to most,

But famous amongst Bohemians and socialists

And former Nazi sympathizers

And poets from the beat generation,

Down to their last dime,

Who write poetry for booze,

But I’d forget how to play Der Lichtensteiner Polka

And they’d pack me off to America

To re-join my wife and kids,

Who don’t believe a word I say about my life in Austria,

Thinking I’ve simply lost my mind,

Putting me in a home for the mentally feeble

Where I spend my last days dribbling root beer down my shirt.

Thanks a lot, sister. Thanks a lot . . .

A List of Euphemisms, Idioms, Expressions, Old Sayings, Old Jokes and Stories

While driving in the car with my mother-in-law yesterday, I heard an expression which I thought I'd repeat in this posting, a list of things I want to remember from various people in my life. The first saying in this list will be, "they didn't have two nickels to rub together", meaning that someone was poor.

You may ask what a euphemism is. I'll save you the time, having already verified its meaning on Merriam-Webster.com: "the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant". In this case, the offensive expression may be that someone is poor.

You may also wonder about the meaning of "idiom". That is, "an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically (such as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as ride herd on for 'supervise')".

Having explained the above, I'll move on to the list, with associated information about where the expression came from and how (and by whom) it was used. I'll ask that you, too, send me any that you've heard, and provide a context for each, and I'll add them to the list. Please do try to keep it mostly clean, though some of the most memorable of them will no doubt have an off-color component (as witnessed by another in my list below).

"The snow was ass-deep to a tall giraffe."

I suppose this needs no explanation. It's something my dad used to say.

"He couldn't hit a bull in the backside with a barrel of beans."

Another of my dad's expressions. Used for bad aim, of course, no matter what the context. Why a barrel of beans? Dunno.

"Coffee and beer and beans and cheese."

A good breakfast, according to my dad.

"They didn't have two nickels to rub together."

This is an expression my mother-in-law used in talking about two friends of the family. She spoke about how they did something that required a little money, but she wasn't sure how, because "they didn't have two nickels to rub together.

 

"Yeah, and if your aunt had balls she'd be your uncle." 

Joe Visek, the plant manager of a place I worked at in the 70's used this saying when you were trying to explain that, while something didn't work our well, if only this or that would have been true the thing would have worked.

 

"Holy mother cat!" 

Another Joe Visek line, used when something went wrong, or surprised him.

"Holy livin' shit!" 

Joe Visek, Ditto.

 

"Are you going to be a Bohunk all your life?" 

This line was used by my dad when I did something stupid.

 

"Next time, use a bigger hammer." 

This line was used by my dad when I tried something and it not only didn't work, but it wrecked what I was trying to do.

 

How did my dad - Lawrence John Dopita - get his nickname, "Pete"? 

It seems that when dad started at the local paper - the Plainville Times - back when he was 13, in 1934, the publisher of the paper decided that Lawrence was too long a name, so said, "we're going to call you Pete", and it stuck. I can't quite remember the publisher's name - Harlan something-or-other, I think. It'll probably come to me some day and I'll update this item. 

But, how, you might ask, do you get from "Lawrence" to "Pete". when "Larry" is the natural nickname to use. Well, as most everyone in the world does, the publisher probably pronounced our last name "Doe-peet-uh". We, of course, pronounce it "Dopp-it-uh". Good guess?

 

Volleyball Gets the Good Guy

Another story. My good friend of over 45 years, Randy Hauslein, was in my gym class senior year in high school. My teacher was a great guy named Ron Ashley. We had a student teacher helping out for part of that year. His name I cannot remember. 

Anyway, we spent a lot of time playing volleyball. And when a shot went awry, there went our student teacher, dutifully jogging over to get the ball, sometimes clear across the field house. Well, some of the guys decided it would be fun if we "accidentally" hit the ball all over, just to see the student teacher run around a lot. Randy, however, was not part of that group. He was a "good guy".

Until one day. 

We're playing volleyball, goofing around, and Mr. Ashley is getting a little hot at us. Randy picked this day to join the group. We get the ball, Randy is going to serve, and we see this gleam in his eye. I'm watching him from the front line, looking back and mouthing, "No! Don't do it. Don't do it." 

Randy looks left, looks right, steps back and punts the ball across the field house. With Mr. Ashley standing right behind him. Right. Behind. Him. Coach Ashley yells, "Hauslein!" The blood drains from Randy's face, and he turns around. "Hauslein, I expect this kind of stuff from everyone else, but not from you. Go sit down!" Randy didn't get in trouble, except for the embarrassment, but I thought he was going to crap his pants when he realized Mr. Ashley had been behind him the whole time!

And, naturally, we never let Randy forget this.

 

A Garrison Keillor Joke or Two

 

A man walks into the barber shop holding a pile of dog crap in his hands and say, "Look what I almost stepped in!"

 

 

The Long-Awaited Update To The Song List???

Hi Gang!

Here is an update to the YouTube song list. Here are a dozen more songs I like, and why. I know, I know: the last update to this list happened the better part of a year ago. I've taken my eyes off the target, and have published no blog entries since then. Why? I guess I'm busy living life.

Be that as it may, here are the next dozen.

Steve Howe with Les Paul in 1994 - Link

This man - the lead guitar player for Yes - is amazing. And now you'll see why I think so! Naturally, Les Paul is, himself, a legend. So you get two incredibly good guitarists in the same video.

Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, The Golden Gate Quarter - Link

If this doesn't start your toes tapping, I don't know what will. Reminds me of watching Jubilee Showcase on WLS-TV on Sunday mornings.

King of the Road, Roger Miller - Link

Love this song! Roger Miller had a great streak of hits back in the 60's and this was one.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Emilie Claire Barlow - Link

This lady has the sweetest voice! Great arrangement of this song. Listen to the next one, too.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin', Emilie Claire Barlow - Link

One of these days . . . Another cool arrangement of a 60's classic. The key changes really move this along.

Walk On By, Trijntje Oosterhuis - Link

A fine Dutch singer who achieved success in Europe with her cover of Burt Bacharach and stevie Wonder songs (in separate albums). In this first of two songs, don't leave before the end, when it takes a really bluesy turn!

Do You Know The Way To San Jose?, Trijntje Oosterhuis - Link

I don't, but, no matter. Great version of this song. Now, should you ask, she sings a couple of very dramatic numbers, too. A very accomplished singer, she.

You're To Blame, Elizabeth McQueen - Link

A god-awful cheesy video (so bad it's funny) with a catchy little song. Another gal with a sweet, sweet voice. She sang with Asleep At The Wheel for a year or more. (Is McQueen the only one hearing the track? Nobody else has any rhythm!)

St. James Infirmary Blues, Cab Calloway - Link
St. James Infirmary Blues, Hugh Laurie - Link

So sweet, so cold, so fair . . . Calloway is a character! I gave you a second version just because it was Hugh Laurie.

I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt - Link

Truly a song sung with an emotional power that is not often equaled.

Life Is A Long Song, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) - Link

I will give you good cheer! Live strings in the studio, too! I've loved this song since I first heard it.

You Can Call Me Al, Paul Simon - Link

An you can call him Cheddar Cheese, Emily!



According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
Africa, Toto - Link
Alabama Jubilee, the Firehouse Five Plus Two - Link

And I Love Her, The Beatles - Link
Angelina, Earl Klugh - Link
Apollo 11 launch - Link
Ashokan Farewell, Jay Ungar - Link
Astronomy, Blue Oyster Cult - Link
At Seventeen, Janis Ian - Link

Atmospheres, Gyorgy Ligeti - Link

Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

The Battle Hymn Of The Republic, The United States Army Field Bank - Link
Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Blue Collar, Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Link
The Blue Skirt Waltz, Frankie Yankovic - Link
Brandy, Looking Glass - Link
Brotherhood of Man, Matthew Broderick and Lillias White - Link
By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Glen Campbell - Link
Chapel of  Love, Bette Midler - Link
Chicago Bears fight song - Link
Chicago Blackhawks song - Link
Cold, Cold Heart,The Quebe Sisters - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Dancing in the Moonlight, King Harvest - Link
Dixie - Link
Do You Know The Way To San Jose?, Trijntje Oosterhuis - Link
A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request - Link, Steve Goodman
Eat It, Weird Al Yankovic - Link
Eclipse, Pink Floyd - Link

End of the Line, Traveling Wilburys - Link

Evergreen, Barbra Streisand - Link

The Fool on the Hill, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Link

Galveston, Glen Campbell - Link

Gentle On My Mind, Glen Campbell - Link
Get Back, The Beatles - Link
Glen Campbell-hosted country music special - Link
Go, Cubs, Go, Steve Goodman - Link
Going For The One, Yes - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
Heart Of The Heartland, Peter Ostroushko - Link
Hello in There, Bette Midler - Link
I'm Alright, Kenny Loggins - Link
I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt - Link
I Love A Rainy Night, Eddie Rabbit - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
In Good Hands, Carolyn Arends - Link.
Invercargill, United States Air Force Concert Band - Link
Jailhouse Rock, The Blues Brothers - Link
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, The Golden Gate Quarter - Link
Josie, Larry Carlton - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link

Karn Evil 9, First Impression, Part 2, An International Collaboration - Link
King of the Road, Roger Miller - Link

Lay Down Sally, Vince Gill and a cast of All Stars - Link

Lazy River, Dave McKenna - Link
Let It Ride, BTO - Link
Life Is A Long Song, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) - Link

Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Living in the Past, Jethro Tull - Link
Little Ones, Phil Keaggy - Link
The Logical Song, Supertramp - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link
My Baby Loves Lovin', White Plains - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
My New Philosophy, Kristin Chenoweth and Stanley Wayne Mathis - Link
Neighborhood, David Hidalgo - Link
No Time, The Guess Who - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
One Is The Loneliest Number, Three Dog Night - Link
One More Last Chance, Vince Gill - Link
The Pennsylvania Polka, Frankie Yankovic - Link
Popular, Kristin Chenoweth - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Rain, Uriah Heep - Link
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Emilie Claire Barlow - Link
Reaching, Carolyn Arends - Link
Redwing, Tiny Little, on the Ed Sullivan Show - Link
Rollin' Down The Highway, BTO - Link
Roly Poly, Don Kelley with Johnny Hiland - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
Runnin' Down A Dream, Tom Petty - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sister Golden Hair, America - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
Slang of Ages, Steely Day - Link
Slow Poke, Pee Wee King - Link
Smile, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

Smooth Operator, Sade - Link

Solisbury Hill, Peter Gabriel - Link

Sometimes in Winter, Blood, Sweat and Tears - Link

Speedball Tucker, Jim Croce - Link
St. James Infirmary Blues, Cab Calloway - Link
St. James Infirmary Blues, Hugh Laurie - Link

St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Stars and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Steve Howe with Les Paul in 1994 - Link
Stuck In The Middle With You, Stealers Wheel - Link
Subdivisions, Rush - Link
Sunday's Child, Phil Keaggy - Link
Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
Sweet Lorraine, Uriah Heep - Link
Take Me Out To The Ballgame, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Link

Take the Long Way Home, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) - Link

That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link
These Boots Are Made For Walkin', Emilie Claire Barlow - Link

These Dreams, Heart - Link

Time, Pink Floyd - Link

Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link

Top of the World, The Carpenters - Link

The Too Fat Polka, Frankie Yankovic - Link
Truck Drivin' Man, Buck Owens - Link
Truck Drivin' Man, the Don Kelley Band - Link
Truck Drivin' Man, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen - Link
University of Michigan Fight Song, UM Marching Band - Link.
US National Anthem, US Marine Band - Link
Village of the Sun and Echidna's Arf (Of You), Frank Zappa - Link
Walk Away, James Gang - Link
Walk On By, Trijntje Oosterhuis - Link
War, Edwin Starr - Link
A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harem - Link
Vonetta, Earl Klugh - Link
Yankee Doodle, The Marine Band - Link
You Are My Sunshine, JoAnn Castle and the Lawrence Welk Orchestra - Link
You're To Blame, Elizabeth McQueen - Link
You Can Call Me Al, Paul Simon - Link 
You Can't Do That, Beatles - Link
Your Love Is My Saving Grace, Kristin Chenoweth - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link

Music List Is Updated!

Hi Gang!

One of the "fun things" I got to do while in treatment for cancer, and then again in recovery, was to put together a list of YouTube music I found enjoyable. Well, I'd like to add to this list from time-to-time, and tonight is the first in that series. Here are the first dozen of the new songs I like, and why:

Africa, Toto - Link

I like this because it's concert footage, and I've gained an appreciation for this band over the past few months. 

At Seventeen, Janis Ian - Link

What a wonderful, meaningful song, both in the past (when I was young) as well as today. Janice Ian is older in this video, but still sings with feeling, and explains what the song has meant to her, in connecting with so many people.

End of the Line, Traveling Wilburys - Link

This song came up into the mix just after Tom Petty passed away. This was a great group - Petty, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. Say no more!

The Fool on the Hill, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Link

From 1968 . . . Yes, this is dated. Yes, the girls are wearing, well, whatever you call those dresses. Yes, it is lip-synched. But what a nice arrangement!

Karn Evil 9, First Impression, Part 2, An International Collaboration - Link

This is the second part of a piece I previously listed, notable, once again, for the presence of Rachel Flowers. 

Smooth Operator, Sade - Link

Just cool . . . with a capital "K".

Solisbury Hill, Peter Gabriel - Link

This retrospective of a song from Peter Gabriel's first album, with concert footage throughout the years, struck a chord in me. Look at the fun they're having! And catch Peter's "crazy eyes" at about 1:28-1:29 into the song ("my friends would think I was a nut"). 

Speedball Tucker, Jim Croce - Link

C'mon. Jim Croce. JIM CROCE!

Take the Long Way Home, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) - Link

Love this group and this song, and really, really wish I could hit the high notes like Hodgson does.

These Dreams, Heart - Link

A beautiful song which I did not realize was sung by Ann and not Nancy. From a concert a few years ago. Time has been kind to Ann - she's still lovely. 

Top of the World, The Carpenters - Link

Speaking of lovely, and a girl whose voice is pure sugar . . . I tear up every time I think how soon Karen Carpenter was taken from us. 

A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harem - Link

Loved this song years ago. Love the orchestral accompaniment. Wish I could have been there!



According to Plan, Carolyn Arends - Link
Africa, Toto - Link
Alabama Jubilee, the Firehouse Five Plus Two - Link

And I Love Her, The Beatles - Link
Angelina, Earl Klugh - Link
Apollo 11 launch - Link
Ashokan Farewell, Jay Ungar - Link
Astronomy, Blue Oyster Cult - Link
At Seventeen, Janis Ian - Link

Atmospheres, Gyorgy Ligeti - Link

Back In You Own Back Yard, Al Jolson - Link

The Battle Hymn Of The Republic, The United States Army Field Bank - Link
Because We've Ended As Lovers, Larry Carlton & Steve Lukather - Link
Blessings, Laura Story - Link
Blue Collar, Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Link
The Blue Skirt Waltz, Frankie Yankovic - Link
Brandy, Looking Glass - Link
Brotherhood of Man, Matthew Broderick and Lillias White - Link
By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Glen Campbell - Link
Chapel of  Love, Bette Midler - Link
Chicago Bears fight song - Link
Chicago Blackhawks song - Link
Cold, Cold Heart,The Quebe Sisters - Link
Comfortably Numb, Pink Floyd - Link
Cross Road Blues, Robert Johnson Link
Crossroads, Eric Clapton and Cream Link
Cry Me A River, Joe Cocker - Link
Cry Me A River, Diana Krall - Link
Dancing in the Moonlight, King Harvest - Link
Dixie - Link
A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request - Link, Steve Goodman
Eat It, Weird Al Yankovic - Link
Eclipse, Pink Floyd - Link

End of the Line, Traveling Wilburys - Link

Evergreen, Barbra Streisand - Link

The Fool on the Hill, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Link

Galveston, Glen Campbell - Link

Gentle On My Mind, Glen Campbell - Link
Get Back, The Beatles - Link
Glen Campbell-hosted country music special - Link
Go, Cubs, Go, Steve Goodman - Link
Going For The One, Yes - Link
Groucho Movie Clips - Link
Heart Of The Heartland, Peter Ostroushko - Link
Hello in There, Bette Midler - Link
I'm Alright, Kenny Loggins - Link
I Love A Rainy Night, Eddie Rabbit - Link
I Love Being Here With You, Diana Krall - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman - Link
In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening, Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman, from the movie Here Comes the Groom  - Link
In Good Hands, Carolyn Arends - Link.
Invercargill, United States Air Force Concert Band - Link
Jailhouse Rock, The Blues Brothers - Link
Josie, Larry Carlton - Link
Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 1, An International Collaboration - Link

Karn Evil 9, First Impression, Part 2, An International Collaboration - Link

Lay Down Sally, Vince Gill and a cast of All Stars - Link

Lazy River, Dave McKenna - Link
Let It Ride, BTO - Link
Limbo Jazz, Coleman Hawkins and Duke Ellington - Link
Living in the Past, Jethro Tull - Link
Little Ones, Phil Keaggy - Link
The Logical Song, Supertramp - Link
Lookin' At The World Through A Windshield, Bill Kirchen - Link
Montana/We Are Not Alone, Univ. of Montana Percussion Ensemble - Link
My Baby Loves Lovin', White Plains - Link

My Funny Valentine, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

My Funny Valentine, Miles Davis - Link
My New Philosophy, Kristin Chenoweth and Stanley Wayne Mathis - Link
Neighborhood, David Hidalgo - Link
No Time, The Guess Who - Link
On The Street Where You Live, Dean Martin - Link
One Is The Loneliest Number, Three Dog Night - Link
One More Last Chance, Vince Gill - Link
The Pennsylvania Polka, Frankie Yankovic - Link
Popular, Kristin Chenoweth - Link
Powdermilk Biscuit Break, Garrison Keillor, et al - Link
Questions 67 and 68, Chicago - Link
Rain, Uriah Heep - Link
Reaching, Carolyn Arends - Link
Redwing, Tiny Little, on the Ed Sullivan Show - Link
Rollin' Down The Highway, BTO - Link
Roly Poly, Don Kelley with Johnny Hiland - Link
Route 66, Asleep at The Wheel - Link
Runnin' Down A Dream, Tom Petty - Link
She Used To Be Mine, Sara Bareilles - Link
Shim, Sham, Shimmy (dance) to Tain't What You Do, Jimmy Lunceford - Link
Sister Golden Hair, America - Link
Sisters, Bette Midler and Linda Ronstadt - Link
Sisters, from White Christmas - Link
Sixteen Tons, Tennessee Ernie Ford - Link
Slang of Ages, Steely Day - Link
Slow Poke, Pee Wee King - Link
Smile, Kristin Chenoweth - Link

Smooth Operator, Sade - Link

Solisbury Hill, Peter Gabriel - Link

Sometimes in Winter, Blood, Sweat and Tears - Link

Speedball Tucker, Jim Croce - Link

St Louis Blues, Stephanie Trick & Paolo Alderighi - Link
Standing at the Crossroads, Elmore James - Link
Stars and Stripes Forever, United States Marine Band - Link
Stuck In The Middle With You, Stealers Wheel - Link
Subdivisions, Rush - Link
Sunday's Child, Phil Keaggy - Link
Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot - Link
Sweet Georgia Brown, Wynton Marsalis/Mark O'Connor - Link
Sweet Lorraine, Uriah Heep - Link
Take Me Out To The Ballgame, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Link

Take the Long Way Home, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) - Link

That's Jazz, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & The All Stars - Link

These Dreams, Heart - Link

Time, Pink Floyd - Link

Time to Blow, From That Thing You Do - Link

Top of the World, The Carpenters - Link

The Too Fat Polka, Frankie Yankovic - Link
Truck Drivin' Man, Buck Owens - Link
Truck Drivin' Man, the Don Kelley Band - Link
Truck Drivin' Man, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen - Link
University of Michigan Fight Song, UM Marching Band - Link.
US National Anthem, US Marine Band - Link
Village of the Sun and Echidna's Arf (Of You), Frank Zappa - Link
Walk Away, James Gang - Link
War, Edwin Starr - Link
A Whiter Shade of Pale, Procol Harem - Link
Vonetta, Earl Klugh - Link
Yankee Doodle, The Marine Band - Link
You Are My Sunshine, JoAnn Castle and the Lawrence Welk Orchestra - Link
You Can't Do That, Beatles - Link
Your Love Is My Saving Grace, Kristin Chenoweth - Link
Zappa Medly, George Duke - Link