RIP Kenny Rogers

I woke up this morning and discovered that one of my musical heroes has passed away. Kenny Rogers has been one of my favorite country singers for decades. Delores and I got to attend his concert in Cherokee, NC, over Labor Day weekend in 2012. It was quite a spectacle, though the harsh lights made it difficult to photograph from the crowd. A highlight of that show was his wife and twin sons appearing on stage with him. Of course he sang all of his top hits.


Years ago I enjoyed creating parodies of famous songs. I enjoy the one about a driver's lug nuts coming off a tire during a lengthy road trip. The lyrics are something like you took a long time to leave me loose wheel. I remember writing one about The Gambler. Those lyrics made me think humorously of today's circumstances with the hoarding of special paper, home schooling, and the distance spacing quarantine. [Disclaimer: I'm not meaning to make light or poke fun at any unpleasant or even dire situation in which people may be finding themselves during this pandemic.] My intent is simply to share a little light, entertaining humor. Feel free to sing along.

[tune: The Gambler]

On a long March day, quarantined with my wife.

Staving off the boredom, she'd sew while I watched TV.

We take turns by sharing all the cutesy stuff on Facebook

And every now and then we'd cease that fun to eat or sleep.

We've been life-long educators good at reading people's faces,

And knowing how their lives went by the way they frowned or smiled.

But with today's pandemic, we can't tell just by looking;

The adults all have their masks on and we seldom see a child.

Then my wife made us both masks, so we could go to Kroger

And see if toilet paper was restocked on their shelves.

But our searching proved quite fruitless 'cause soon as any truck came

All its cargo was claimed by a group of hoarding elves.

[sing along]

You've got to know when to snag 'em, know when to bag 'em,

Know when to walk the aisles, know when to run.

Don't waste time counting money when the last roll's been unloaded

There'll be time enough for counting when the grabbin's done.

That concludes my tribute to Kenny Rogers except for this special message to the love of my life because She Believes in Me: Lady, Through the Years I may have acted a little Crazy evading the Long Arm of the Law Everytime [we] Two Fools Collide; just realize how often You Decorated My Life. While we are quarantined as seeking Buried Treasure on some Islands in the Stream, remember We've [still] Got Tonight and I Will Always Love You!