Leftover Thanksgiving

Leftovers are one of the best things about Thanksgiving.

There's nothing like the smell of turkey roasting for hours. It is so much fun to see family that I don't get to see too often. Real mashed potatoes. Real gravy. Homemade bread. There's just so much variety.

But the next day...solid gold leftovers. And you can have as big a portion as you want. At Thanksgiving, you take a normal portion and make sure there is enough for all the nieces, brothers-in-law, etc. And you also take a bit of everyone's special dish, even if it is only "special" in their mind: green beens with little tiny onions (where do they get those?), Waldorf Plus Salad, Jello Surprise, you know what I mean. You take enough to taste and compliment. (Of course, all of MY family's side dishes are TERRIFIC.)

So this year plans didn't work out for our clan to get together at my dad's place for the Big Thanksgiving Dinner Gathering. Both my wife and I have been under the weather. So I thought...what about Thanksgiving Leftovers?

I did make some homemade bread and pop it in the freezer. Then I got some provolone cheese, a boneless rotisserie turkey breast, celery, frozen macaroni and cheese, a bottle of bubbly (OK, sparking cider), and a mini pecan pie. And wahla, Thanksgiving Leftovers. We started off with celery filled with peanut butter. (Now at most Thanksgivings everyone nibbles on plain celery while they wait for everyone to arrive, but what they are thinking is, "Boy, some peanut butter would be great on this.") We had the best turkey sandwiches. All the macaroni and cheese we could ever want. And then cold-from-the-fridge pie. (Pie always sits out at Thanksgiving, but that last piece from the fridge that is ice cold seems the best ever.)

Best of all, no cooking, no cleaning the house, no clearing off the table, no washing a zillion dishes, no overeating (well maybe just a bit), and no jello surprise. Just good plain food.

Leftovers are one of the best things about Thanksgiving.

From David

www.StreetCornerChoir.com

To Drum or Not To Drum

Unity on the Plaza, KC, MO October 2009

To Drum Or Not To Drum

We performed at a benefit concert on the “coffeehouse” stage. I thought it would be a tough crowd. People were lining up for food and sitting to eat and catch up with friends they hadn’t seen for a while. There was also a bake sale going on in the same space.

The first act was an Celtic band called Dogtree with fiddle, flute, guitar and Irish drum. As they started, people were asking for the music to be turned down. Things were not looking good.

Then their drummer, Rachelle, began drumming on the “box” she was sitting on. This box conga, called a cajon, had a transforming effect on the crowd. Then all four members starting clapping in syncopation with the cajon beats. All conversation stopped. They had the crowd’s attention for the rest of their set.

I want one.

First Try

First Try

Oh yeah. Get those contact lenses in, both eyes, on the first try. Nothin' to it. I finally found the right angle for seeing the hash mark to get them in right side up, too. Playing guitar and performing are much better now. (The folks in the back row are bit fuzzy, but some of us look better a little fuzzy.)

In fact, washing my face was a shock. I mean I could SEE how much damage that old enemy Time has inflicted. The shower needs cleaning, too. A real eye-opener, you might say.

From David

www.StreetCornerChoir.com

Backwards. Then backwards.

OK so I'm in day four with my new contact lenses. When they are in, I really love them. Except sometimes. I come home yesterday to hurry and put them in and go to a meeting. I get halfway there and start realizing that I can't read the street signs....or see individual leaves on the trees. So remember the cartoon devil and angel that would argue over what to do? I guess I'm dating myself. (Not that way, John.) So it goes:

Devil: Well it's not THAT blurry. Not as bad as say, a hard rain on the windshield.

Angel: You know that the distance lens is in BACKWARDS. Turn around now and fix it.

Devil: But it will take so long to take it out and then put it back in. I haven't hit anything.

Angel: It's not good for your eyes or the contact. You'll probably run over a cat.

So the Angel wins. I turn around. Sure enough, it's in backwards. I guess when I drop it (over and over) as I'm trying to put it in, it lands and flips inside out and fools me.

At least it is quicker now. I have the whole ritual down with just how wet it has to be, how to hold my eye open, how to be gentle. So today is the big trial to wear them at work all day.

Wow, I'm getting GOOD. Both lenses get put in my eyes in under ten minutes. And my eyes aren't feeling like I just walked by someone sandblasting a building. I walk out to get my car.....and the leaves are fuzzy......I can't read the house numbers. Yup. Backwards.

From David

www.StreetCornerChoir.com

Bloodshot

I decided to try something new.

Well, I'd been thinking of doing this for quite some time, but it was impossible. Really. Then that Vance Gilbert made me take my glasses off and said, "Definitely, you should perform without glasses. Just get some contacts."

But I have trifocals. My eyes are so weak that the last time I tried to play on stage without them....well it wasn't pretty.

So now I have an excuse to check it out. And you'll never guess. (Well, maybe you will.) They can now do one lens for distance and one lens for close up. Your brain learns to use the right one after a while. I say, "Let's go for it."

There is only one little tiny problem. I am a World Class Contact Clutz. It takes me an hour to put them in and an hour to take them out. I am so heavy handed that I look like the guy people mention when they say, "You should've seen the other guy."

I had no idea I could inflict so much pain on myself. I mean, once you've got those little tiny flimsy disks of plastic in your eyes you are kind of committed to getting them out.

But when they are in. It's amazing! My eyes are fixed. I never felt like that with glasses. It was always, well I can see clearly with these glasses. But I still felt a bit disabled. I always knew that if I broke my glasses I couldn't see well enough to work. Or play guitar.

So now I'm down to half an hour to put them in. It's all Brain over Brain. (I tried Brawn over Brain.) Pray for me.

From David

www.StreetCornerChoir.com

Be Prepared For Anything

National Songwriters Showcase - Boulder, Colorado 2009

Be prepared for anything.

We got to the Boulder Farmer's Market late. Our host, Rob Roper, lost his performance slot to another songwriter. Lezlie and I were on at 11:00 AM. Since we were both songwriters, we had one, 30 minute slot. We started planning our "set list" and decided to put one of Rob's songs first. We had just heard his new song last night. We both loved it and put harmonies on the chorus.

Now Rob was OK with letting others have the limelight (actually it was beautiful mountain morning light) at this annual event with nationally touring artists, 50 people sitting under the canopy listening and hundreds walking by and pausing with their vegetables (organic, of course) to listen. But he was thrilled to have the first song in our set.

Be prepared for anything.

So we get into the first chorus, Rob is nailing his new song, we are finding the three-part harmony, the crowd is loving it...the power goes out. We turn around and one of the players from earlier in the morning has UNPLUGGED the sound system to pack up his guitar amp.

He looks at us and says, "Oh, was that you?"

We just shook our heads. We were speechless. He then finishes wrapping his cord carefully around his amp and THEN plugs us back in. Rob turns around and launches into the second verse as if he had just sneezed. The crowd loved it.

From David

www.StreetCornerChoir.com