OLDIES SUNDAY

I'm feeling nostalgic.

I've been on an oldies kick all day. I shouldn't be surprised though. Growing up, the soundtrack of Sunday was oldies. Music ran the gamut; pop, soul, r&b, rock, funk(my dad's specialty) folk, and easy listening. Different types of music, but consistent in that it was OLD. At least to me. lol. I wanted to hear some of the new hip stuff that my dad unceremoniously labeled "trash". My mom, while not as scathing in her commentary, asserted that she just couldn't bear the insistent repetitive beat @ the moment. And so it was. Cooking, cleaning and LPs. The smell of Sunday dinner was redolent as my mom puttered around the house shining, sweeping, mopping and laundering. Dad would be in their bedroom watching sports or sleeping, while his beloved hi-fi provided aural ambiance.

I can still hear my mom humming along to Barbra Streisand's and Barry Gibb's guilty (a favorite by the way).Sometimes her choice would leave me cold, and it wouldn't be until adulthood that i'd fully appreciate it(simon and garfunkel) and then there were occasions where'd she put on EWF and Stevie and Marvin. That was the best. We'd jam so hard, singing into broomsticks and choreographing impromptu dance routines. Sometimes the sibs and I would get a little too rambunctious and *skip* the record would jump, prompting my dad to come flying out of his bedroom.

"who is jumping? yall better not destroy my records!"

Followed by:

"Matter of fact get up here and clean these rooms. I don't know why i have to keep telling yall!"

His terse words and baleful glance would end our party and we'd spend the rest of the afternoon "cleaning". Cleaning in quotes as our rooms only gave the illusion of being tidy. In reality we had only moved the junk from one area to another. Houdini would have been proud. Of course he caught on when he checked the closet or under the bed, and we'd have dates with the belt. My brothers would usually go first, and i'd be sitting in my room unsuccessfully trying to do some ex post facto cleaning before he got to me. lol. Ahh Memories. Its funny how childhood drama can be looked upon so fondly once all grown up. Give me another 10 years and i'll remember spankings as fun. Three cheers for the patina of time!

Anyway, I like to think that i'm carrying over that tradition from those halycon days. Oldies make me feel so young and cozy and carefree. Its a time when Mommy and Daddy could fix everything, and a pretty dress and clear complexion were enough to vanquish fate.

The Miracles: I'll try Something New



(this song makes me feel all romantic and stuff. Who knew right?)