Thursday, December 20, 2012

Not Another Starbuck's Christmas CD!

They call Terry and me "The Clones" on my side of our family.
My brother Roy calls us "Thing 1 and Thing 2."
He's been pushing my buttons since he exited the womb.
Thing 1 and Thing 2
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess

After thirty years together, I'm thinking:  Not so much!

For example, I am a collector.  He is not.

Now, I admit, T has a closet stuffed with a serious collection of clothes;
but he is not a collector of clothes.
He just suffers from serious separation anxiety - especially if I so much as look at
a ratty old workout shirt of his
while holding a bag for Goodwill, or God forbid, a rag bag.

He also has a serious collection of papers in his study;
but he is not a collector of papers.
He just suffers from a serious case of procrastination.
I don't look at those papers holding any kind of a bag.
I just close the door.

But I am a collector.
I have decades of letters,  hundreds of maps,
thousands of photographs,
numerous Tolkien books, and
at least 80 years of National Geographics
(with the most recent 50 years complete).


Not a pretty sight!
I admit it;
and, now that I'm retired,
I'm working on getting my beloved Geographics organized.

Nothing raises Terry's hackles more than my Geographics!
My collections of Christmas things come close.
With much prodding, he has cut me back to Frosty Friends, all things polar, and birds.
Seriously, could anything be cuter than these?

           

My first Frosty Friends was a Christmas gift from my parents in 1982.
The collection started in 1980.
I once considered paying $500 on eBay for a 1980 Frosty Friends;
but, only briefly.
I, my Frosty Friends, and my Geographics would have been out on the sidewalk in short order!
Terry doesn't get it.
He is not a collector.

"Not another Starbuck's Christmas CD!" says Terry.
He is NOT the Ever-Patient when it comes to my Christmas music collection.
"You have more Christmas music than you could play in a year of Christmases!"
He exaggerates.
I can play it all in the month of December.
"Just stay away from Starbucks!
I'll make you a full pot of coffee before I go!" says he.

Oops!  I already bought this year's.
That cute little Barista guy (there are no baristos!)
kindly went back into the storeroom to dig it out
since it wasn't on display yet!
Santa was going to put this year's Starbuck's Christmas CD Under the Mistletoe
in T's stocking like he has for years,
but maybe he'll put a lump of coal in the toe instead!
Grinch!

So yesterday I put the CD on as the blizzard winds howled and the snow flew horizontally,
and I remembered exactly why the Starbuck's Christmas CDs are irresistible.
Every year, there is some incredible song I have never heard before.
This year was no different.
I discovered "Winter Song"written by Sara Bareilles.
She performed it with Ingrid Michaelson and the U.S. Coast Guard Band
at the 2010 National Christmas Tree Lighting.

Now I am not a musician nor a music critic,
but I know what I like,
and I love this song!
From the moment I heard its heartaches chords and its first words, I was hooked.

"This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon.
It rolls in from the sea.
Ocean Waves and Stormy Skies



"My voice, a beacon in the night,
My words will be your light
To carry you to me."


Barb with Range Lights, Flower Cove, Newfoundland


Maybe "Winter Song" will haunt you too!
This is the cut on Starbuck's Under the Mistletoe:
Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah Bareilles, "Winter Song", White House National Tree Lighting, 2010.




Terry liked the CD too.
Whew!
After all he is the one who said early in our marriage,
"We really need to get some Christmas music to play at Christmas."
"Overboard Louise" as he likes to call me thinks
Mission Accomplished!
Have a good one.

18 comments:

  1. Hey thing 1 or are you thing 2? :o) It's Barb, have a very Merry Christmas - Wish you were in Calgary with the rest of your family this year - but hey Christmas next year is set for the Cove - hope to see you there.

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  2. It's always "Terry and Louise" so I must be Thing 2! I miss my Calgary Christmases with the whole family. Maybe the Cove in 2014. We might be farther afield next year. As Terry likes to say, "We'll see." Never an exclamation mark from him!

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  3. I LOVE Dr. Seuss too, Thing 2! (I read "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" so much to my siblings, I memorized it.)
    Now, also, I LOVED A Charlie Brown Christmas and the music! My youngest sister gave me the CD in memory of all the times we watched the TV show together. I don't see that CD in the batch there, so I just wanted to put my two cents in!
    (Your Terry sounds like my Richard, never an exclamation mark from him either!)

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    1. Hi Kay! Thanks for your comment! I read "The Cat in the Hat" to my siblings so many times that I memorized it! And "Yertle the Turtle." And "Green Eggs and Ham!" And then there's "The Lorax." I seriously love Suess!

      I will have to check out the Charlie Brown Christmas CD - what a sweet gift from your youngest sister. I have quite a few more Christmas music CDs! These are just my Starbucks ones.
      I need a calm, steady, still-waters-run-deep husband to balance me because I am a high and rushing waterfall!

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    2. Oh yes! I love all the Dr. Seuss that you mention here, my son still has his "I Speak For The Trees" t-shirt from his childhood!
      I might have to do a post about the music from Charlie Brown Christmas, it is so beautiful and peaceful, just right to listen to BEFORE Christmas! (Good for Advent, it is not Christmas yet!)
      And like you, I have a good balance in my husband, since I am in constant need of steadying!

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    3. "I am the Lorax. I Speak for the Trees." I did "The Lorax" almost every year with my students. They get it! How sweet that your son still has his t-shirt. It says a lot about what it meant to him. Have a good weekend, Kay!

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  4. One can never have too many bird ornaments - love that chickadee!

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  5. So right! Bird ornaments are a tradition in my family. My dad loved them, and passed that love onto me.
    I'm glad to see you survived our storm yesterday. I came back from Parker over Inspiration Road yesterday, and it was positively trippy to see the snow flowing across the road. Your ranch looks so open, so the snow must have been doing wild things there!

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  6. Hehehe...Thing 1 and Thing 2! You gotta love Dr. Seuss! I have quite a few of his books that I used to read to my kids when they were small.

    Loved the 'Winter Song'. It is very captivating; perfect for a day when the snow is coming down.

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    Replies
    1. Dr. Suess is the best! I'm sure that your kids can recite parts of those books from childhood memories.

      I'm glad that you enjoyed "Winter Song." It's embedded in my brain right now - and I don't mind a bit
      .
      I caught up on all my blogs last night - stayed up very, very late so I wouldn't miss the end of the world! We always used to joke in Newfoundland that the world would end a half an hour later there (because their clocks are 1/2 hour later than the Maritimes.

      One thing that did happen last night was seeing your photo of Allsorts Licorice! I can't get the taste out of my mouth. I'm going to have to order some.

      Your post on the Newtown tragedy was really thought provoking. I want to write about it too, but I'm going to need a calm, quiet day to organize my thoughts. It takes me a long time to write. I an, like Tolkien, a niggler!

      Have a good day, Martha!

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  7. Hello Fundy!
    You're so sweet to have posted so many comments on my blog!
    When you catch you don't go half way!! LOL!
    Wonderful reading about you in this post!
    I am a fan of the Geographic Mag too, and my grand parents used to have also the full collection but since they are gone I don't know what their collection became! :(
    Lovely photo of the stormy sea! I wish I could go to seaside more often!
    Cheers and enjoy your WE!

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  8. Hi Noushka!
    Thank you for your kind comment.
    I wish I could take credit for the stormy sea photo. I found that on Wikicom, one of my favorite websites.
    I so enjoy looking at Ron's and Jim's posts because they often have incredible photos of the ocean. I miss the sea.
    How sad that the Geographics collection your grandparents has disappeared! That would have been something to read through!
    Enjoy your weekend. My husband is very excited because after today he's off until Jan 2nd! We are going to have a fun Christmas.
    I wish the same for you and yours!

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  9. Hi Louise! Love 'Winter Song'...these two women sound very good together.
    Your collections sound interesting and exciting. I am/was a collector too. I have a basement to prove it. It began back in the early 90's and I got hooked on 'depression glass from the 30's and 40's. Then it moved to Carnival Glass....then to Jadite kitchen cups, coffee mugs, plates saucers.....and more. Finally to old Pyrex....anything!! It was all a wonderful distraction for us and got us through a difficult time looking after Ron's mother.
    I love your passion and I can so relate to 'going overboard'!!

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    1. Hi Jim!
      Your words about looking after Ron's mom spoke volumes. Been there. Done that. It is so hard to help loved ones in the end times, and yet it is a very rich and meaningful time. Thank goodness she had you and Ron! Your glass collections sound wonderful! Just helping you through the rough times makes the collection worth it! I'm glad you liked "Winter Song." It continues to reverberate through me. I think it's the beautiful cello; the bow draws on my heart and vibrates through my bones!

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    1. Hello,
      There is nothing wrong in collecting.... OK, that would be me also. My other half, not a single collection but that just leaves more room for me!!! We had all the Dr.Suess books growing up - fond memories. As for the Christmas CD's... I just say it was the one from 3 years back, it just sounds new!!
      Merry Christmas to you both.
      Ivan :)

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  11. Hi Louise...I was just getting ready to comment on your post yesterday and someone said....we have to go or we'll be late....so here I am over 24 hours later...such is the priority of Xmas.
    Loved the video... really enjoyed listening to the girls and look on Pres. Obama's girls faces says it all!
    Is there a thin line between collecting and hoarding? Our basement is full oh so full. That's why I keep saying...I'll try and find my pics. I really thought I had a system going but nope it just wasn't going to happen!
    Love Starbuck's choices of music too. I usually buy a Xmas CD every year but not his year...I wanted instrumentals because it's easier on my psyche when I'm blogging so I play Chris Botti over and over! As soon as there are words...game over for my creative side.
    Now I'm humming Winter Song...you know I think I have that song by another person...I'm going to look it up!

    Ron

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  12. Hi Ron!
    I cannot believe that it is the 29th! I'm sorry that I am just responding to your comment now! I totally get being pulled away by Christmas priorities. From the 23rd on, it was game over. Then I landed in the mountains for a couple of nights without some critical attachments for my computer. :(

    Collecting vs hoarding? I think the answer lies in the perspective of the viewer. My husband definitely thinks I hoard National Geographics, but to me they are a collection! I mean why wouldn't a collector want multiple copies of the moon landing or other momentous events? Hee Hee!

    I was touched by the looks on Malia's and Sasha's faces too. I've been humming "Winter Song" for days and days. I shall have to check out Chris Botti. I find it hard to concentrate when I'm listening to tv or songs with lyrics too. I usually need quiet to write.

    I hope that you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with Jim and Sophie, and I wish you the best of new years!

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.