Nobody is ushering anybody into the great bye-and-bye but I’ve noticed a trend among artists releasing what sounds like their goodbye album.
John Prine did it a couple of years ago with the “Tree of Forgiveness” and now Willie Nelson is following suit with the “First Rose of Spring.” Prine died (two years later, but that’s in the statute of limitations for goodbye albums) after releasing an album with songs like “God Only Knows,” “Summer’s End” and “When I Get to Heaven.”
Prine seemed to be saying goodbye, making amends and prepping the soil for new friends, some of whom were old friends and family members who had beaten him to the goodbye punch.
The latest Willie Nelson album has that same feel — tying up loose ends, squaring up with the world and saying thank you to his fans — especially in the first two songs, “First Rose of Spring” and “Blue Star,” the lyrics from which are quoted below:
“If I beat you to the end
I'll had a big head start, it's true
And we're just riding on the wind
Still the same old me and you
And when we reach the heavens bright
I'll be the blue star on your right.”
It’s a beautiful song and a terrific record.
Maybe I should do that. Write the goodbye column. Not just the goodbye column but the goodbye, farewell and see you on the other side column. If I do, it might boost sales of my tremendous books: “First Kisses and other Miracles,” “Sitting on my Fat Wallet” and “That was Easy.”
I’m hungry right now so I’m thinking about food and sweets. I’m hearing great things about GhilaDolci Bakery on 19th Street, especially their cannoli cookies.
What’s not to like about cannoli: tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough (there is nothing wrong with fried pastry dough), filled with a sweet, creamy filling (occasionally chocolate, which can blow your cannoli-loving mind), usually ricotta cheese and then sprinkled on top with powdered sugar.
The bakery's cookies pack in all the cannoli flavors in a different form.
It surprises me that more bakeries and restaurants around here don’t offer cannoli for dessert. However, I’m not criticizing bakeries or restaurants. Are there two harder businesses?
Note on the column on seeing and not seeing grandchildren during COVID from Kay Nowatzki. Kay writes so beautifully that I offered to switch jobs with her:
“I don't have any grandkids, but your story made me wish I did. You probably expressed the sentiments of many grandparents thrust into forced isolation due to their fragile nature in the midst of these trying times.
“Thanks for giving us a peek into your private anguish and joyous fulfillment when the fabric of family is torn due to uncontrolled circumstances, then stitched together, if only temporarily.”
Bob Gibson, the former great pitcher with the St. Louis Cardinals, died recently at 84. Gibson, with his 1,000-yard stare, was all business on the mound and was not above crowding or hitting a batter who he thought was trying to show him up. This passage is from Roger Angell’s piece on Gibson written in 1980 for The New Yorker:
“I don’t like batters taking that big cut, with their hats falling off and their buttons popping and every g-dam thing like that. It doesn’t show any respect for the pitcher. That batter’s not doing any thinking up there, so I’m going to make him think. The next time, he won’t look so fancy out there. He’ll be a better-looking hitter.”
That was Gibson’s version of a corrective interview.
Susan Pinza is head of the Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning at BC, which offers classes “primarily to those 55 and over who are interested in continuing to gain knowledge throughout their lives.”
They have some great classes, some of which are starting soon but not yet filled in a number of categories including:
Art: introduction to mosaic art (Oct. 17) and watercolor painting (Oct. 14)
Computers: how to use Instagram (Oct. 21); introduction to Excel, part 2 (Oct. 13); introduction to PowerPoint (Oct. 13); and learn how to Google it! (Oct. 13)
Fitness and health: tai chi — section 2 (Oct. 13) and tai chi — section 3 (Nov. 10)
Other open classes include genealogy: your genetic family tree (Oct. 6) and creative writing: creating characters and their stories (Oct. 6).
October 06, 2020 at 12:53AM
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HERB BENHAM: Bye and bye-bye - The Bakersfield Californian
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Herb
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