8 Perfect Bluegrass Valentine's Day Songs

If Californians aren't confused enough by the tremendous amounts of water falling from the sky, they were all but mortified a few weeks ago when little balls of ice took the water drops' place. Since I am now convinced the World is ending, I feel like there's no need for a Valentine's Day themed post...


...but you know me better than that! I have just enough time to squeeze it in while I build an Ark.


All you bluegrass lovers out there are definitely stressing out right now about finding a nice bluegrass song to sing to your significant other that doesn't include cheating behind anyone's back, poisoning a little glass of wine, loving and losing, stabbing anyone through the heart or shooting people to watch them die. A daunting task indeed, but not impossible, you'll find! Allow me to present 8 of the All-Time-Greatest bluegrass Valentines Day songs. Now let me just state that this list will only be good for people who actually have a Valentine. All of us single people can go listen to "Ain't Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone". We don't need a list.

Oh! I have a fun idea: I'll present my picks in countdown fashion! What fun.

8.  If My Nose Was Running Money - Mike Snider

Seriously, though. Did you think I would make a list like this without including this ol bluegrass classic? It made the list because the lyrics paint a picture of devotion and sacrifice which can only be described as...vivid. While wishing to have all sorts of wealth dripping from your face to give your loved one is definitely "one booger of a problem", it is more importantly a cheerful thought to know that one sneeze could mean buying a John Deere tractor and a new Mercedes. That is if their nose was running money...but it's snot. Definitely not a song for the germophobe.

7. John and Mary - IIIrd Tyme Out

I've said it before, so I'll say it again: I've said this before. Also, Russell Moore could sing an Ikea instruction manual and win a Grammy for it. That's why this song made the list: Russell's flawless and sincere delivery makes the lyrics seem so much more heartfelt and so much more, well, sincere. You gotta admit, this song explains marriage a thousand times better than "that blessed arrangement, that dream within a dream, and love, true love, will follow you forever..." (and if you've never seen that movie, my entire joke went over your head and I'm sorry). Thus, the story of John and Mary made the list hands down. Also, killer mandola intro. Just saying.

6. Pretty Little Miss In the Garden - Stanley Brothers

Need we look any farther for a more adorable love story? Carter and Ralph deliver a timeless tale of a girl who loves her beau so much, that she hopes he's happy even "if he's drownded" (and I've never seen a happily drownded man before). She even goes so far as to say that if he finds someone else, she'll love the girl that marries him. That's almost grounds for a restraining order, to be honest. Of course, by the end of the song (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) she realizes this nosy guy asking all the questions is actually her beloved and then he gives her precisely three kisses. How she didn't realize this before, I don't guess I'll ever know, but as the young kids these days say at the end of their fairy-tales, they lived happily ever after. If the story don't get ya, George Shuffler's cross picking will.

5. Til the End of the World Rolls Round - Flatt and Scruggs

Obviously, a song that sets a time limit on love is usually overlooked for lists such as these, but since the sun will keep coming up and down and the big blue sky ain't coming down to the ground anytime soon, I decided this one could be the exception to the rule.

4. Storms are On The Ocean - The Three Pickers feat. Alison Krauss

This is one of those songs I've been hearing for such a long time. By the Carter Family first, and then by almost everybody else. The Three Pickers are my favorite version. This song goes hand-in-hand with the previous one on my list, because it too lists the world losing its motion as the time when the love will fail. That and if she drops it first. But regardless of that, it still represents an undying devotion that will sure make you feel all sappy and sugary on the inside. The heavens may cease to be if I should omit this song from my list.

3. Walk Through This World with Me - The Seldom Scene

Just the title alone could suffice to have its own spot on this list. But when the inimitable John Duffey sings it with the tight harmony of Seldom Scene, the whole song comes to life. So why did this song make the list? Go listen to it. Seriously. I'll wait.

2. My Heart Is Yours - Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver

It's no wonder that this song was chosen as the title track of his 1990 release. When you got a lineup like Russell Moore, Jim Mills, Ray Deaton, and Mike Hartgrove, how can anything you record go wrong? With words like "and til the end of time, my heart is yours", you couldn't expect anything more perfect to include on this list. If you're gonna choose a Valentines day bluegrass song, it'd better use phrases like "you're all I need" or "I thank the Lord up above that you're loving me, such a lucky break!" If you Google search the word "romantic", this song will automatically open in a new tab. Try it! Also, if you Google search "gullible" your picture will show up....

1. My Only Love - Dailey & Vincent

This one topped my list. A Statler Brothers original, Dailey & Vincent and the boys gave it a bluegrass spin so that it could be included in this list.  How thoughtful of them. At the opening line "You and I were meant for one another", you know this is going to be as lovey-dovey as it gets. The harmony, lyrics, and over all delivery makes this my top pick for the #1 bluegrass Valentines Day song.


There you have it!  Obviously, this list comes with the disclaimer that it is by no means exhaustive. But I think it'll get you through this holiday with flying colors. Which songs did I leave out? Comment below and let me know!

2017 is my year: Inspiration from...Costco??

Y'all, I've never seen anything like it.

My brother has a Costco membership, and this week, he took us in the giant warehouse so that we could sight-see like the tourists we are.

I saw fresh shrimp large enough to swallow crawdads, I saw barrels of BBQ sauce, I saw enough Melatonin to let someone hibernate all winter, I saw complete patio displays, I saw complete gym displays, I saw crates and crates of diapers, and boxes of Red Lobster Cheddar Rolls. Let me put it this way: when the zombie apocalypse dawns on this planet, I'm heading for Costco, and locking the door behind me.  I'll be good for at least a thousand years.

Then, there were these people in uniform who stood in the aisles and fed us as we walked by. One lady was handing out some item resembling Styrofoam crackers, while calling out "Gluten free, GMO free, fat free, and cholesterol free!" "How neat," said I as I bit into one, "I usually have to pay for my own cholesterol."
Imagine that, y'all. A place that gives cholesterol and GMOs away for free!!

 People have been asking me for the past week what my look on 2017 is going to be and I have been trying to gather all my thoughts. I tried hard to think up something creative and inspiring to no avail. I was beginning to think there wouldn't be a New Years blog post. But then, Costco.

Anything I ever hoped for was here, for sale, and in bulk. All I had to do was reach for it. (The shelves were pretty tall.)

Thus, my resolution for 2017 is as follows:

If you don't dream big, you'll never accomplish big things. If you wish for shrimp, wish for the giant shrimp. Don't let anyone tell you they don't exist. You've just never looked for them. If you wish for BBQ sauce, wish for a barrel of it. That way, you'll have some for later. If you wish for a night's sleep, wish for a REALLY good night's sleep. If you want material possessions in bulk, get a Costco membership.

Ok, so maybe my resolution is a smidgen bulky. Must be that Costco mindset kicking in. Let me try and sum it all up in the fewest words possible...


Work so that when this year ends, you can look back and be proud you accomplished something!
Also, become a millionaire.

It's Christmas Time in the City...

...and in the country for that matter! Either way you look at it, the time has come to make the necessary arrangements for another memorable Christmas week! But obviously, even on the happiest of occasions, things go wrong. Tis the season to be non-committal, thoughtful, hospitable, and the host of a bunch of people who sometimes don't get along well. Fa la la la la, la la la la.

1. Shopping
Why is it that some people are so hard to buy for? It gets old after the third year in a row that your rich Uncle Larry opens your gift and says "Ohhh hey. Now I have two of them." Didn't you spend enough blood, sweat, and tears battling large and brainless crowds at the mall to get him one of those?

Solution: If Uncle Larry complains of getting another one of "those" again, cheerfully tell him that you like him to always be up-to-date, never be without a spare, and then tell him that his other one was worn out anyway. (Caution! This does not work if you got him a subscription to this blog. He can only have one of those.)

2. Difference in family opinions
There is a reason your cousin Lester and your nephew Bert never visit each other. They oppose the other on every count. They sit at opposite ends of the dinner table on purpose. One asks for you to pass the mashed taters, and the other mumbles about how he's always asking for handouts. One asks what you thought of Star Wars' Rouge One, and the other mumbles something harsh in Vulcan.

Solution: Don't give them anything to talk about. When asked your opinion of the election, chuckle and say "It was one for the books,"  then brag about how well your job is going (assuming you have one, but they don't need to know if you actually do). When asked if you prefer Lucasfilm productions or Tolkien's works, choke on your sweet tea and take the attention off the impending fight.

3. Incompatible Food Allergies
Since the Tofurky flopped last Thanksgiving, as it jolly well should have, you've been wracking your poor brain on what you could possibly cook that would satisfy your gluten-intolerant, vegan, non-GMO, and breatharian loved ones. You come up with nothing. Why is it that no two family members eat the same foods?

Solution: Tell everyone you've found the perfect meal for all. Leave them in intense suspense. Keep them eagerly anticipating the meal of their dreams. Right before dinnertime, set your kitchen on fire and moan that dinner is completely ruined. Let them fend for themselves and show them to your refrigerator. 

It is important to never lose sight of what you're celebrating. That in itself will make the celebration more meaningful. Hopefully, your holiday gatherings are not all as bad as I make them out to be. Not all families argue over each insignificant detail, I get it.  I was blessed with a very like-minded family: we all hated the Tofurky. Blech.