Music Blog

Shine On Harvest Moon

This week at Glyn Wiltonโ€™s Mixed Music Bag,
heโ€™s asking us to write about a song in which
the title or a line mentions the current month. 
Hereโ€™s my featured January artist and his song.

Continue reading “Shine On Harvest Moon”
Short Story

Matinee Idol

This is The Unicorn Challenge
where we are asked to be creative
in 250 words or less using this photo
as inspiration. Here is my story.

ยฉ Ayr/Gray

There was never a time when my father didnโ€™t sport a mustache. A thin, elegant line when he was a young man, a bit more pronounced as he grew older but always neat, always refined.

Dressed in his army uniform, he was every bit the matinee idol and it was obvious why Mom fell for him.

When we visited him in Albany Medical Center the morning of his surgery for multiple aneurisms โ€“ both abdominal and aortic โ€“ his grey hair was neatly combed, mustache trimmed.  He was 82 years old and the doctors gave him a bleak 6% chance of surviving the operation. Yet, survive he did.

My sisterโ€™s daughter โ€“ my fatherโ€™s eldest grandchild โ€“ gave serious thought to postponing her wedding until my father was stronger. He insisted she โ€œdo nothing of the kindโ€. He told us all, in no uncertain terms, that he would never miss his first grandchildโ€™s wedding โ€ฆ. and he didnโ€™t. Dressed to the nines in his tux and bow tie, perfectly groomed silver mustache, we all held our breath as they walked hand in hand onto the dance floor for what would be their last spin together.

When my dad died, we provided the undertaker with a photo for reference. The inexperienced mortician did a lovely job tending Dad but, looking back and forth from the photo to my father at peace his coffin, the undertaker knew something was amiss.

It was the first time any of us had ever seen Dad without his dashing mustache.

NARยฉ2024
250 Words

This is โ€œCelluloid Heroesโ€ by the Kinks

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephantโ€™s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and is not for use by anyone without permission. NARยฉ2017-present.