May 18, 2013

• Sad Songs and Baseball

  We had music in the house all the time while I was growing up.

  My mom was a song writer and was always strumming out a new song or singing a favorite country song. 

  I think I got that gene of playing a favorite song over and over and over again from her. Do you do that? (I did not get the guitar playing or song writing gene)

  Listening to the strum of a guitar is really soothing to me.

  My mom use to play guitar and sing sad sad songs to my brothers and I.

  I remember sitting on her bed when she would sing these songs and me crying my eyes out. 

  

  We had this record!

  Songs like Old Shep, Red Headed Stranger and El Paso. Somebody always died in these songs. I will still cry if I hear them. 

  Both my kids are musicians and I love when they would play and work on music at my house. 

  My son still comes over and mixes stuff he has already recorded. I love listening to all of it.

  I don’t think my kids sing or write about people dying but they do write some interesting lyrics about growing up in our weird dysfunctional and sometimes abusive family. (I had a very physically, verbally and emotionally abusive husband for a time when the kids were growing up)

   

  

  Her sister Liz did well in Nashville

  My mom and two of her sisters were song writers and all very good singers.

   

   

  Stingers were the favorite at that time

   

  I remember my mom and her sister, Donna, sitting up late working on songs and drinking. Funny how the harmonies got worse and worse as the night wore on. I think about that and it really is cute memory. I use to try to sit up late to listen to them sing and gossip…I found a way to be useful by learning to mix their favorite drinks But eventually mom would shoo me to bed.

  Something else I find soothing is the sound of a baseball game.

  

  As important as music was to my mom, my dad always had a game going on his radio at his radiator shop or on the tv at home. He was a San Francisco Giants fan. My dad died when I was twelve, we never went to a baseball game together. He grew up in San Francisco. I do not know if he ever went to game at Candle Stick.

  I never get bored with the sound of a baseball game in progress.

  I was fortunate enough to live in San Francisco in my early twenties. I went to games at Candle Stick and have been to games at the new park (ATT Park, I think they call it) – that new park is a really nice park.

  

  Candle Stick Park

  I was all grumpy when they planned on replacing Candle Stick. I went to many night games there, back when beers were as big as your head and they still served after the seventh inning! Nothing better then garbage being tossed up by 45mph winds gusts twirling over the outfield during the game. Why I thought this was the BEST BALL PARK IN ALL THE LAND is beyond me. But I did. The memories are still the best!

  All those old memories set my heart at ease.  (that is from a Nina Simone song) 

  Thanks for letting me share, xanga pals. 

  • 9:03 pm
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