Catsongs: Music And Cats, Memories And Love

by Kevin Burton    Had I had the mind to write this while she was still alive, my late sister Pat would have loved this series.     It has been more than five months since she died, and reading that “late sister Pat” line above is still jarring and surreal. This is visceral.    Nothing …

Be Thankful To God, Stop Complaining

by Kevin Burton    I caught myself in a lie last week. Christmas music, in a manner of speaking, revealed it to me.    Stay with me here.    I have heard people talk about when it was OK to begin playing Christmas music each year, after Thanksgiving, end of November, whatever. But I haven’t …

Blind Cincinnati Woman’s Love Of Music

by John Johnston United Way of Greater Cincinnati (The Cincinnati Enquirer and United Way of Greater Cincinnati have joined forces for the 38th year to help families in need with the Wish List program. After wishes are granted, remaining funds assist people with similar needs throughout the year.)    Barbara Liszniewski, who is 79, harbors a …

The Origins Of Six Classic Christmas Songs

by Tim Ott interestingfacts.com    The ubiquity of holiday songs on television, radio, and social media from Thanksgiving through Christmas ensures that we’ll be able to sing these anthems in our sleep.    But lesser known are the backstories behind these famous tunes, which share common themes but draw from vastly different sources. From centuries-old …

Blind Lawyer Pioneer Fought For The Disabled

by Kevin Burton     Here’s the story of a woman I had never heard of before, who could and should be put on a US postage stamp.    As a woman and a disabled person, she was way ahead of her time in effectively fighting the good fight for marginalized people. May God bless any …

“Bachelor For A Day” Changes Cat Litter!

by Kevin Burton    So, what happens at the Burton household when Jeannette is away visiting relatives? Well it’s not fodder for a screenplay, I can tell you that.    You can call it bachelor for a day if you want, but this truly is not that.  We have long since commenced functioning as a …

Old Tech: Not Forgotten And Not Even Gone

by Kevin Burton    The Dictionary Scoop website illustrated its list of old technologies with a picture of a cassette tape, but then didn’t see fit to include cassettes in its discussion.    There’s an oldie but a goodie, right?    Well I just bought some cassettes! I have a lot of music on cassette …

Dave Barry Saves Sanity of Kansas Man

by Kevin Burton    When there is a Dave Barry book on your front porch, you’re having a good day.    Every writerly thing in me, now wants to write, “nothing else matters.”  But we both know that isn’t entirely true. Nothing else?    Tell you what though Sugarbear, nothing else matters for the next …

Power Slanguage Of A Groovy Generation

by Dictionary Scoop    The 60s were truly a magical time, weren’t they?    If there’s one word that truly defined this decade, it would be the word “freedom”: After all, the 60s were defined by their revolutionary new takes on music, art, and society in general.     In fact, this era was so groundbreaking that …

Happy Birthday To The Great Art Garfunkel

by Kevin Burton    OK, so this is what I get for digging into my favorite songs.    First, Happy birthday to singer-songwriter Art Garfunkel, born on this day in 1941. I do not have a present for him today, but I have been pondering within his great gift to us.    It was the …