Sesame Street

A Capitol Fourth Concert

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Holy Moley! What an event! Not that I should be surprised. Every year that this is held, it never fails to amaze. If you didn’t watch it live, you still have a chance to see it anyways. Just log onto pbs.org and watch a feed. Or log onto YouTube. It’s 90 minutes of pure joy and America.

The show opens with the Muppets. How can you go wrong with that? John Stamos mentioned that it was his dream to perform with them. That was always my dream too! You’ll have to watch to see how it turns out. By the way, can you believe that they are 50 years old this year! They don’t look like they’ve aged a bit! Fortunately, there are plenty of times to catch them on your screen.

Photo by MJ Boice. Rehearsal day.

And if you are a reality TV junkie, there are plenty of opportunities to catch the winners and participants from various singing competitions: The Voice, America’s Got Talent, and American Idol.

Early on in the broadcast, John Stamos reminded us all to,

“Love each other as citizens but also as a great, big American family.”

It is great advice in this time in our history. We need to remember our civility as well as our citizenship.

Speaking of civility, the wounded warriors who performed last night were so inspirational. We know that music can heal your soul but watching those men proved that. And having John Stamos behind the drum kit was amazing to see. They sang that country favorite, “Chicken Fried”. You know that gets the crowd going.

But they weren’t the only performers to move my heart. The list of people who came out to share in our nation’s premiere concert is impressive.

  • Lindsey Sterling-electronic violinist extordinaire
  • Laura Osnes-Broadway star
  • Keala Settle-The Greatest Showman performer
  • The O’Jays-celebrated R&B group
  • Gone West with Colbie Caillat
  • Yolanda Adams-gospel singer
  • Lee Brice-country music artist

Carole King and the cast of Beautiful brought me the most joy. She has shared in my young adulthood and the songs in the show bring back so many great memories. I’m happy to see that Vanessa Carlton has taken up the mantle of portraying Carole. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the musical, put it on your list of “to-dos”

But back to the concert at hand. The patriotic music showcased is incredible. After Vanessa Williams sang “America”, she was joined on the stage by a plethora of previous singers to belt out “God Bless America.” It was truly moving. And you should watch it yourself. Just check your local PBS stations for days and times when they are rebroadcasting it.

July 4th PBS photo

And then don’t forget to put it on your calendar for next year. It’ll be the 40th anniversary so it’s sure to be a doozy. You really need to make this show part of your 4th of July family tradition.

1, 2 Buckle My Shoe

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I’m a counter. Not your kitchen counter and not the counter where you order lunch. I’m not even talking about the alternative culture. Not really sure I want to be The Count from Sesame Street but I do count. Pure and simple, I count things. 

I’m not sure when I came to this realization. I’m usually late to the game when it comes to being self-aware. It was probably 10 years ago when I recognized that every morning, I do a step-ball change (a dance step where a person does a quick change of weight from the ball of one foot to the other) after shaving a leg. I know, I’m strange.

That just goes to show you that I am not super knowledgeable about what I do or what goes on around me.

So counting….

Did it start as a child? We learn our counting nursery rhymes. That combines counting and rhythm. I do love music but I don’t count with any musicality; I just count. 

As kids, we choose who goes first by counting “1 Potato, 2 Potato”. We even include counting in our jump-rope songs. Counting seems to pervade all aspects of our childhood.

That has to play a role in my fixation. Do genetics play a part? I recently found out that my mom loves to count things too. And I have a niece who counts. I really should ask my kids if they do this….

And why do I count? That’s another great question. There are multiple reasons. 

For instance, when I’m bored, I count to pass the time.

(How many black tiles are on the floor?)

And I count stairs so I don’t trip when I’m carrying laundry or when it’s dark. 

(There are 8, a landing and then 7 in my house, in case you’re wondering.)

I count to take the measure of how many people are out early in the morning with me. 

(I can usually count 20+ cars entering and exiting my neighborhood. On days with more, I wonder if there is a school activity or is it vacation time? If I feel really adventurous, I may count in Italian.)

For you, the reader, it is just another quirk to add to my many. I think it increases my appeal. maybe you’ll decide to stop reading. Or you may continue to see what else comes out of my mouth! Either way it’s a win-win for me; I can count my readership numbers.