Owen cooked dinner for Ernie and me last night. Grilled smoked paprika chicken with kale and chickpeas. He needed a bit of advice on the kale and chickpeas but handled it masterfully and of course his grilling skills are already without question. He set the table, even got out flint glass tumblers for our water and filled the Etched Dakota water pitcher he gave me with ice water for our refreshment. He waited on us formally. When he wasn't acting as our waiter he would charge in and join us (Leo chose not to join us which was fine...we're in easy spring break mode) in his Mr. Laughs persona. He invented Mr. Laughs when he was very little and we don't see him all that much anymore. Mr. Laughs is basically Owen channeling some old Borscht Belt comedian. He swept in last night saying, "sorry I'm late but I had to walk. What is it with the GAS prices?" and then he went into some joke I'm afraid I don't recall. When he thought we might need a waiter he would depart as Mr. Laughs saying he had to go to the restroom or go lock his car (although we pointed out he'd walked) and disappear into the kitchen only to reappear as his formal waiter. At one point Mr. Laughs said, "have you looked this place up online? One guy named Owen does EVERYTHING."
He asked us if we wanted to retire to the television room for our dessert. We acquiesced and were then served ice cream and brownies. Later he delivered the check to Ernie. It was 25 cents plus tip. I told Ernie to make sure to tip well---the food was fantastic and the service impeccable....
Lest you think our whole night was idyllic rest assured that by the end of the night 3 family members all got pissed at each other...the lucky one was already asleep. That dinner makes up for a plethora of sins however. Looking at Ernie's little smile as he watched Owen work madly.....watching Owen fly around the kitchen only to calmly glide into the diningroom and call me ma'am.....
In other news....GO VOTE! It's the primary....AND David Olney's new mini-album THE STONE is released today. I just ordered mine and I suggest you do the same. It's a measly $10 folks....for David's take on the greatest story ever told....
1. Did you know that if you toast sesame seeds and then pour them immediately into a plastic bag because you're trying to be efficient, that they will melt through the bag and end up all over your floor and counter? Yup.
2. We all know I'm a total David Olney geek. So the question is, should I be embarrassed at HOW delighted I was with the little shout out I got last night in his Fireside Chat? Granted it was a reprimand but it still did my heart good. Good lord but I love him. The two songs he did were great last night too. He did "Basketball" in honor of the lock-out - and the classic "Contender" in memory of Joe Frazier. Listen through to Contender---it will get your energy boosted way up there....
3. I don't as if I've ever seen the Japanese maples at Japan House SO red. They won't be here long....they're in the walled tea garden---open dawn to dusk. In a few weeks the tea garden will be closed for the winter so you should visit now.
4. Don't forget to RSVP for the Rod Picott/Amanda Shires show. You can use the link at the top right of this page to pay up. $20 ahead of time, $25 that night.
I'm sitting here listening to David Olney sing "Red Guitar" and watching the boys carry huge empty boxes down the stairs and out to the alley. Ernie is upstairs putting together their new bunk beds. They came to terms over paint color and they are VERY excited to share a room and have bunk beds. Little freaks. Lord but I love them.
I am enjoying that post music glow that is like...well....little else. David and Sergio were absolutely amazing last night. Honest to God I don't have the words. Incredible musicianship, incredible songs, incredible performance and really.....incrediblely lovely people..... I just sat there on the couch, with them a few feet away, wondering at how fortunate we are to have them sharing this with us in our home.
And our friends---old ones and new ones! They are so generous---bringing wonderful food and drink--and doing things like just emptying the trash when it's full.... I feel like these house concerts have a wonderful spirit and it's really all the sharing that goes on. And of course MANY thanks to Jon Pines of Private Studios who so graciously loans his equipment. We are so fortunate!!
I only recorded one song because I hate sitting there doing it. I could have kicked myself however for not recording the last one, Red Guitar, because it was freaking amazing. Whew. Last time we saw them I thought it was a stand out as well. Here's a version of it from a couple of years ago. If anyone has any videos/pictures please share!!!
O.k. people....this is IT! It is HERE! THIS Friday evening.....David Olney and Sergio Webb in the ramshackle glory of our home.
I think I have finally settled on a menu with curried chicken legs over rice and some sweet/garlicky pork chops with some sesame pasta and vegetables. And who knows what else as I keep changing my mind. I had this Indian lamb dish in mind but when Ernie called and asked what the lamb would cost...well....my menu quickly changed. "Chicken legs are on sale!," he said...... So anything and everything is welcome. We'll have some cheap wine and beer, some lemonade and some iced tea. We'll start the potluck at 6:00 and music to follow...maybe 7:30ish if that sounds o.k. to David and Sergio.
$20 for adults (kids free). If you can get it to us ahead of time it would be MUCH appreciated----it really makes it easier for us. Someone said they were having problems with the PayPal link but it's working o.k. for others so who knows..... Give the link at the top right of this page a try though.
Please feel free to encourage friends that you think might enjoy it to come....we can use every little $20 bill we can get!! School starts on Monday.....this is the perfect send off of summer!
Why is it that it feels like your vacation just slips away like smoke when you get back home? Oh well, I'd just as soon block the last few days out of my memory anyway. It DOES feel good to be home however.....and the boys were euphoric to see the cats, their friends and their Lego again.
One word of advice...if you spend lots of time planting a vegetable garden in the spring? Don't go away for 2 1/2 weeks in July. Sigh. The zucchini are the size of tree trunks, the beans gone by and my new window box that was so glorious?
And of course, between not feeling good and the heat outside I'm not exactly thrilling to the idea of getting out there... Oh well..... The other window boxes are somewhat o.k. and we got some lovely tomatoes.
I've been away so long there's tons of stuff I missed writing about but now of course my mind is blank. One thing that is vitally important however....is the fact that David Olney and Sergio Webb are just WEEKS AWAY!
Friday, August 19, 2011! $20 per person (kids free) ahead, $25 day of show. PLEASE pay ahead if you can---it's much, much easier on us. As always, there will be a potluck with music following. Bring something to share if you like but it's not necessary. I'm thinking we'll keep it summer simple---just some grilled meats and lots of summer gardeny dishes..... Please rsvp on facebook if you're on there and of course, feel free to invite others.
Oh yeah, and this will be an utterly amazing show. See, I can say that with the utmost confidence....because it's David Olney. Yup.
Here's his Ustream show from last night---doing a favorite song of mine, God Shaped Hole. You have to get through a 30 second ad....sorry.... This is CLASSIC Olney though....ahhhhhhh....it feels so good..... This is SO worth taking the time to watch.....
And of course his recent video by Brian Smith----his cover of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots....
and of course the original because the juxtoposition is kinda fun....
So much to tell.....and too little time. FIRST....since when are Nutter Butter cookies not peanut shaped? Perhaps it's been some time as I don't remember having Nutter Butters since we lived in Chicago and they were one of the only cookies the little gas station near us that was open very late stocked. And if you were out late and had perhaps a few glasses of wine and found yourself ravenous....well now and then we had some Nutter Butters and they were PEANUT shaped just like God intended. Hmph.
Anyway....we headed out of town Tuesday morning feeling a bit like we were skipping school....drove through lots of rain and dramatic skies, particularly in Kentucky, but made it into town just fine.
We got lost as we do whenever I try to follow written directions----I'm much better when I just say, "oh, just get off here and we'll find it." It's kind of the way I cook----when I try to follow a recipe exactly it never turns out as well. But we eventually made our way to the hotel, called and reported in as requested----although we'd already spoken to Owen numerous times already.... The show was at 7:30 so it didn't feel as though we had enough time to eat dinner. So we had a drink at the hotel bar and then made our way over to East Nashville. What wonderful houses in East Nashville----I was thoroughly taken with it---and the general vibe of the area. I wish we'd had the time to explore....
We parked and tumbled out of the car and started walking toward the place. A car pulled up and David Olney got out, looking dapper in a creamy linen suit, and looked over at us. I grinned like an idiot because, well, that's what I do, and I gave him a hug and hoped to God he knew who I was and that he wasn't wondering why the large enthusiastic woman was assaulting him.
The show, well, the show was utterly wonderful. It was the first time we'd seen him with a full band, the venue was charming, the wine plentiful and cheap, the crowd happy and responsive and I was just as happy as a clam at high tide. Low tide has got to make clams nervous but high tide must feel like Tuesday night.... I didn't record anything because I didn't want to take away from being in the moment of the songs.... Red Guitar was a standout....as well as his commentary on King Lear, man I LOVE Dead Man's shoes, the film noir songs, the video, ALL OF IT, ALL OF IT, ALL OF IT!
Mary Sack was as charming as I'd imagined, met Rodney whom we've done some booking with and he was similarly kind, got to chat to Peter Cooper again and introduced myself to Julie Sola who evidently is as big a fan of our friend Van as we are! And of course we got to see our beloved Kristi Rose as well!
As we said goodbye to Mary she mentioned the Joe Ely show. I asked her if she thought we could get in because when I think Joe Ely at a small club I think sold out but this is Nashville and it's a different thing. So we made our way over to 3rd and Lindsley where I'd gone by myself last time I was in Nashville. I just looked back at my blog to see and it was only a little over three years ago. It seems like eons....I was going to see Judi, she was in the midst of chemo, my father was still alive but in bad shape, my mother worried about him....it seems like so long ago and yet right there..... ANYWAY....we headed over to the club, paid our money, got a drink and climbed up into a little balcony that made me feel like I was at Mabel's, found a seat and enjoy the end of his show. He seemed as loose and happy as we were...
At that point we were getting tired, hungry and on our way to tipsy. We left and immediately got tangled in the traffic letting out from the New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys concert. I kid you not. We sat in traffic and giggled. Decided we'd just grab something near our hotel as there seemed to be a bunch of restaurants around there. We got there and drove around and found out that DAMN restaurants close early in Nashville. I'm sure there are lots of late night places but they weren't appearing in front of our tired eyes so we stopped at the big gas station kind of near downtown and bought junk food and cheap beer. And man was it a sight in there....wish I'd brought my camera in.....
We slept happily in our big old king size bed....no 9 year olds worming their way in and sticking like glue to my side....it was delightful. We got up and headed out leisurely. We made our way out to Cheekwood in Belle Meade. We felt like we traveled thousands of miles through well groomed properties but I suppose it wasn't that far. I think I prefer East Nashville. We'd planned to stop for breakfast but only seemed to find chains and I wasn't in the mood for that so we feasted on our leftover Nutter Butters. We got to Cheekwood right as they opened. I wanted to go there specifically to see the William Edmondsons on display. They were worth every bit of the drive and the Nutter Butter breakfast. If I ever win the lottery I'll be hunting down an Edmondson for myself....
I'd thought maybe we'd wander a bit, take some pictures but we found ourselves wanting to get home to our boys so we took off.
A total of 800+ miles but worth every bit. The boys had a WONDERFUL time staying with Ann and Bob and Sophie and thought the cab ride from our friend Richard was AWESOME. We savored our moments of joy and can't wait more than ever to have Sergio and David back in our living room come August....
Yes, yes, yes....it's that time again. Time for me to chat about an upcoming house concert. Our beloved David Olney and Sergio Webb will be gracing our living room on Friday evening, August 19, 2011. Those of you who have seen them perform know you must be there and those of you that haven't well....now's your chance.
We'll have our potluck around 6:00 and then music to follow. I'm not quite sure what I'm making yet...I'll let you know when I decide....but as always....appetizers, sides, desserts, drinks....anything and all is welcome but not necessary.
We are asking $20 in advance---if it's the day of show it'll be $25. You can pay by dropping it off at our house or sending it----or you can click up in the top right corner of the blog where there's a picture of David and that will take you to PayPal. If you definitely want to come please do make a reservation and pay ahead. I'm sure we'll have plenty of space but if it gets too crowded we will cut things off.
Our friend Mark made a wonderful poster....
Email if you have any questions, need directions, etc. We hope to see lots of old friends and make some new ones!!
3. I saw my doctor yesterday. He told me I was overweight. I said, "I know." We both sighed.
4. We are lacinato kale impaired. I've grown kale in my front yard for several years---usually more than one kind. This year I REALLY wanted to grow lacinato kale. Of course I bought my seeds late at Prairie Gardens...didn't see any so I ordered from some expensive seed company. Ernie planted it along with all the other seeds but it wasn't the best year for germination given the cold spring. Most things came up fine but one packet of zinnia seeds did nothing, my nasturtiums were hit and miss and one packet of chard and my lacinato kale just didn't do much of anything. I think we had about 3, count 'em 3, lacinato kale seedlings. So I went and ordered another packet of seeds and it came the other day. Ernie went to plant it yesterday....and it was NOWHERE to be found. I think he spent half the day going through recycling, looking under chairs and rugs....the lacinato kale seeds are MISSING! Sigh. I don't know if I can bring myself to order seeds again. I could have bought a lot of lacinato kale with the money I've spent on seeds and shipping. Grrr.
5. Thunderstorm in the night so Owen ended up sleeping with us. Yeah. And why do the birds feel it necessary to create a cacophany just because dawn is coming? It comes every day for God's sake. Grrrr.
6. I THINK we're going to see David Olney in Nashville next week but after I got excited, arranged to get time off and booked a room the person who the boys were going to stay with said oh it turns out he has something to do but he can still do it if we want...unless someone else wants to. Grrr. Not sure now.
7. See #1.
8. Have I even brought UP the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow is on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine? RIP Gourmet Magazine.
9. I sound grumpy and whiny. Honestly I'm not. Well, maybe a little....but I am dutifully keeping it in perspective....and it looks like we'll have Health Alliance for another 90 days so that's at least a temporary relief!
10. Something more cheerful: the Duke of Uke and the Madison farmers' market. Sounds like a delightful combination to me....
1. Phil Lee made me smile and laugh so much that my face hurt. But then again I don't know if I've ever heard two of his most heartbreaking songs, 25 Mexicans and Just Some Girl, done so beautifully and those can bring you to tears. But there was lots of laughter----describing himself and Tom Mason as the poor man's David Olney and Sergio Webb, or saying he and Tom are the Small Faces to David and Sergio's Rolling Stones, and after his fancy footwork in Les Debris, Ils Sont Blancs, saying "let's see Olney try to do that!" When David and Sergio come in August we'll have to inform them that a challenge has been laid down....
2. Another treat: watching Phil and Tom march through the crowd as they played, managing to climb up the crowded stairway and then back down again....these guys know how to totally charm and work a crowd. I love watching people do things they are really good at---another pleasure in and apart from what they are creating.
3. I've decided never to do practice runs of the food I made because when I do that they never turn out as well the day of the party. If I haven't tried them out and I'm not pleased with them then I can blame the recipe and not myself. Clever, huh?
4. I forgot to have Tom sign his cds, only had Phil sign one of his and forgot to have Claire Cannon and David Garcia sign the big guitar (again). Oh well....something for next time.
5. Now we're looking forward to having dinner with good friends tonight.....what a lovely weekend.
6. Oh yeah....there's still Leo's science experiment to do. Ernie made the mistake of telling him that it would be fun. That offended Leo so deeply that eventually I yelled, "FINE Leo...it will be HORRIBLE but we're doing it ANYWAY." Owen's response? "Gee, isn't it great that Mom is yelling at someone other than me?"
What you don't see are pictures of almost 300 people packed into Japan House, silently watching a tea dedication for the victims of the Japan disaster. Or a group of my beloved neighbors sitting with us around a roaring fire in our firepit, or the winner of my chicken wing experiments OR my sweet boys shooting baskets with Ricky. A good weekend.
Now please listen to this recent clip of David Olney and Sergio Webb. Owen has become somewhat obsessed with the Legend of Zeldo video games. There's this one thing in there called the claw shot where you aim at something and you get hooked to it and ZOOM you're smack up against it all of a sudden. That's exactly how I felt watching this video. It starts out quietly and then suddenly.... CLAW SHOT! And David and Sergio will be back at our house this August!
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