Winning Words 4/19/12
“Never let the demands of tomorrow interfere with the pleasure and excitement of today.” (Meredith Willson) M.W. is probably best known for his play/movie, “The Music Man.” I know most of the dialog. He also wrote: “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You.” Willson lived at a hectic pace. Did you know that he once was a member of Sousa’s band? …and that he and I are both from Iowa? ;-) Jack

FROM RS IN MICHIGAN: Is that “I O Way”? or “I O wah”? This is my all time FAVORITE movie. ////FROM JACK: Is it Dess Moines or Dee Moine? Is it babe Ruth or baby Ruth?////R RESPONSE: Hah! My mom’s name was also Ruth, and when I was little my family called me Candy Bar as in Baby Ruth!.

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: Great Winning Words! I loved the Music Man! All of us kids had to learn to play an instrument. I played the clarinet. I didn't know he was in Sousa's band.....it seems like that would be a wonderfully fun band!////FROM JACK: Every weekday morning at 7:15, Detroit radio station WRCJ plays a Sousa march, calling it the Sousa alarm. When our children were growing up they would march around the house each morning using yardsticks as drum major batons, pretending to lead the Sousa band.

FROM BLAZING OAKS: As the Good Book says, "Sufficient unto the day are the concerns thereof..." We have to train ourselves to LIVE IN THE MOMENT! Many blessings to savor each hour of the day!////FROM JACK: Or, as the saying goes, "Carpe Diem!" Horace is the sorace of these words.

FROM TS IN MICHIGAN: my daughter lexi liked this this morn, she was on her way to an early show of Music Man that she is performing in today and this weekend////FROM JACK: Is she Marian, the librarian?

FROM PLAIN FOLKS CHESTER: Meredith was cool. He wrote one song and changed the words and meter and ended up with two in "The Music Man." "76 Trombones" and "Goodnight my Someone."////FROM JACK: Yes, you can do many things with music. "When the Saints Go Marching In" can be either a fight song for the New Orleans football team, or a funeral march.

FROM KANSAS KONRAD: Didn't know you were from Iowa. What does that explain?////FROM JACK: How about this? Four of us who became Augustana pastors in 1954 were all born in Des Moines within days of each other. God had a plan!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL: I didn't know that you are from Iowa.////FROM JACK: Yep! Born in Des Moines, moved to Oskaloosa, back to D M, and then to Moline, Illinois.

FROM LF IN BONITA SPRINGS: Meridith Willson (note the two ll's) grew up in Mason City and two of my aunts were went through school with him. Mason City is the actual River City in the Music Man. I spent many
summers there on my uncle's farm.////FROM JACK: Now, I seem to remember that 2nd (l) in Willson. I drove through Mason City once and recall seeing signs indicating that it was the home of the Music Man. What did you aunts remember about him?////MORE FROM BS: My aunts did not talk about Meridith Willson very much but I remember at one family reunion they said that they did not like him very much. I think they said he was a sort pain in the neck. But he had a brother who they did think was OK. It was probably just elementary school stuff.





FROM SHARIN' SHARON: My mother-in-law, 92 years old, living in Bayard, Iowa, an hour by car from Des Moines, says--in all her 92 years--she has never seen weather like Bayard had all winter and now has all spring. I told her "Aren't you glad you have lived long enough to see this miraculous weather?!!!!!" She isn't so sure. Says it's not normal. It seems to go with your WW. Not to worry about tomorrow, just enjoy the pleasures of today.////FROM JACK: "Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." Did you know that this quote is from Dudley Warner and not Mark Twain?