The Yarn Store Lady

Today, we have another tribute to our late Aunt, Celia Malmberg.

For our local, weekly newspaper - The Cambridge Chronicle - we penned "The Yarn Store Lady", offering a remembrance to the Aunt we were caretaker to, highlighting her buoyant spirit, as opposed to submitting a boilerplate obituary.

Generously, 'The Chronicle' (the oldest, continuously published weekly newspaper in the country) accepted it.

Check out;

Guest commentary: Remembering the Central Square 'Yarn Store Lady’

Barry Crimmins: A Tribute Before a Eulogy

Our Eulogy

If Only Healthcare Reform Allows Us To Bill Doctors For Waiting Time

Good Evening Garlic Fans

Our apologies for leaving you empty yesterday (Wednesday), as we did have a few posts in the pipeline, that we had intended to get up last evening.

It was the last throes of the oppressive heat and humidity wave, and we were anxiously awaiting the roaring thunderstorms predicted, that was going to rush in cooler, dryer air.

Here in the city, no such storms arrived, however, the cooler, dryer air did, as evening settled in.

Okay, so far, right?

Wrong.

Early evening brought on some trouble on the homefront, and the need to get the Aunt we care for out on, yet another, hospital run, in what turned out to be quite familiar, a reoccurring, and easily treatable problem.

What ended up more cumbersome, was the 5+ hours in the ER, with nearly all but about 10-minutes of that, just sitting around, waiting, waiting, and more waiting.

Maybe we need to get them to add some sort of "Patients Rights" into the Healthcare bills, something that allows said patient, to bill back the Doc's, who, at times, seem oblivious to the fact, that you are there, waiting on them, looking to get answers, and or, action.

Give us that, and I won't mind camping out in the ER, knowing that I, too, would be making some money on the deal.

So, today, we got one, and will be, likely, more of a "catch-up", the next day, or two..

As always, we are most appreciative of your visits to, and reading of, The Garlic.

Friday Night In San Francisco

Good Evening Garlic Fans

Our apologies, for the lack of posting the past few days - and not owning up to it with a clarifying Editor's Note.

As regular readers know, it's been an extremely hectic period on the homefront the past two-weeks, with a little extra added on the recent days, with some heavy-duty allergies riding in, with the summer-like weather we have had in the Northeast.

It has been tough, carving out reading, and writing time, this week, having to juggle doctors, visiting nurses, Elderly Services, and today, a follow-up doc visit.

So, we are taking the night off, and maybe tomorrow, as well.

And, as we like to do, we don't leave you empty-handed.

Another gem to groove on, from the tremendous (over 6-million copies sold world-wide!), album, ''Friday Night In San Francisco', with Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia, John McLaughlin.

So, dig into "Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho", while we throw up our heels, and chill out some.

"Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho" - Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia

Mediterranean Sundance - Paco de Lucía

Take Five

Good Evening Garlic Fans

Well, we tried to kick-start it last evening, however, we falter tonight.

After a blip early Sunday morning (another hospital run, quick fix and turn-around, no admittance needed), the Aunt is doing very well, and we've been getting back into routine.

While it was tough to carve out some writing time today, we figured we could get to this evening, and yet, another roadblock;

Allergies!

It was too much to work through, so, as Mr. Dave Brubeck will deliver below, we decided to Take Five.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1961)

Viva Tirado

Well, we're still pulling some heavy duty today, getting Aunt settled in.

Little time (and too tired) to get back in to the creative posting mood today (though, we have a few things lined up, sort'a like practice swings, limbering up, as it were, for tomorrow - hopefully).

With it being Saturday night, we figured we have to kick up the music offering, and we've got just the gem for that ...

Viva Tirado, from the Fania All Stars.

It's tune written by (more-or-less, a signature of) the legendary Gerald Wilson, one of the giants of Bebop, still fronting his own band, a monster composer/arranger.

So, put your groove on, and kick it up! ... This one definitely has some extra sauce on it ...

Viva Tirado - Fania All-Stars



(You can go HERE, to check out the Gerald Wilson Orchestra's rendition of it)

Home

Well, the Aunt is home!

We busted her out of the hospital last evening, however, we were too exhausted to post it

The check-out went fairly smoothly, the battle prepared for didn't materialize, and it all went very well.

She was happy, and laughing as she retired to bed.

Today was consumed with dealing with her, getting her settled in, start routines again (as best we could) and, for most part, it went better than expected.

She ebbed a bit, as the day wore on, but, otherwise, was in reasonably good spirits.

I can't predict just how the weekend will play out, however, we will endeavor to get some regular posting done

In the meantime, having had the pleasure to see the original cast, in NYC, we turn to Stephanie Mills for this evenings' musical offer, and her monster tune from ''The Wiz', to herald the occasion.

Enjoy!

Stephanie Mills - Home

Home - Stephanie Mills

Are You Going With Me?

Yes, another long, tough day at the hospital, Garlic Fans.

The Aunt, she's doing very well, and made it through her big test today.

She's resting comfortably, vital signs are good, and, if all stays well, will return home tomorrow.

The cumbersome part of this has been dealing with hospital administrators, their Social Services, who are attempting to railroad the Aunt into a "short-term rehab center" (that would be anything but), when the best for her is coming home.

They've been running various people at me with this dribble, and we have been beating them back (and, we fully expect another barrage from them tomorrow).

So, we needed something to chill out with this evening, and we turned to Pat Metheny for that ...

Likely, it won't be until the weekend, before resuming normal (or something like that) posting (not that we are empty on some ideas - there's some prime, head-slapping stuff happening, that is just begging for some riffs).

Groove on the music, and talk among yourselves ...


PAT METHENY GROUP: "Are You Going With Me?" (Live)

Cry Me A River

Sorry Garlic Fans, another long, rough day, and still, very much in hospital mode.

Tomorrow, already, is set-up to be another long day, so not sure what we will be able to do with getting any posting done.

So, in the meantime ...

Try visiting The Reaction, where we are a Contributing Editor, and, you will, always, always find some tremendous writing.

Or visit Open Salon, where we cross-post frequently, and, you will find a wide-range of topics, with a good, and entertaining, group of writers.

For the Bonus Treat to put up as our evenings' placemaker, we give you the smokey Julie London

Julie London - Cry me a river (HQ Audio)

Just A Little Lovin'

Well, another long day at the hospital today. leaving your Garlic writer pretty drained, tired, and not up to being terribly creative this evening (we do have a few things in the pipeline, that need to be tweaked, and put in shape to post) ...

Rather than forcing it, we give way to one of our favorite tunes ...

So get your groove on, and dig on Sassy, in what many opine as the best rendition of this classic tune.

Sarah Vaughan Just A Little Lovin'

Just A Little Lovin - Sarah Vaughan

Where Do We Go

Good Morning Garlic Fans;

No, we are not referencing the PartyofNoicans with the post title

Rather, we are offering a "Lo Siento", for disappearing the past two days, with nary a note, or feeble attempt at a lame excuse.

Friday, while starting out der rigeur, soon dissolved into emergency mode, with trouble on the homefront, and having to get the Aunt we care for, to the hospital.

And, as you know from previous posts regarding this, it becomes all-time-consuming, with shuffling back-and-forth, to-and-fro, from the hospital, doctor consultations, et all.

It may be another day, or two, before we resume regular posting, however, we will endeavor to get things moving again, at the earliest.

In the meantime, you can check out this;

Over the past week, or so, watching television, we have been bombarded with commercials for the movie 'Last Chance Harvey' (it's either for the DVD release, or Comcast's On-Demand). What is appealing about it, is not the movie, but the music clip for it, which, after a bit of Googling, discovered that the beguiling voice belongs to Australian singer, Sandrine.


Where do we go - Sandrine

For The Want of A Catscan ...

Good Afternoon Garlic Fans ...

So sorry about the lack-of-posting the past three-days, as we ran into another emergency situation on the homefront early Friday morning, lining up, and setting the tone, for a cumbersome, time-consuming weekend.

The Aunt we care for took a little tumble (again), just after breakfast on Friday, and, while, seemingly uninjured, we felt the prudent course was to get her to the hospital, just the same, to be sure there was nothing wrong.

So off we went, and, in just under two-hours in the Emergency Room, we were informed that the Aunt's regular Doctor has ordered for her to be admitted, for overnight observation (more specifically, to monitor her bloodwork for enzymes, which would have indicated heart trouble).

All the tests (X-Ray, Echocardiogram, bloodwork, EKG and Catscan -which we will come back to) - were normal, no trouble indicated.

Of course, we had to contend with the Aunt not wanting to stay in the hospital.

Saturday AM, upon arriving at the hospital, all tests were still good and that the Aunt would be discharged.

However, would we mind doing another Catscan?

Seems they didn't do one the day before, due to the Aunt not being cooperative, so between that, and waiting nearly a half-hour for a wheelchair, to get her downstairs, we were a bit delayed in getting out of there.

It took her a bit of time to readjust back at home, and a bit more excitement Sunday morning (but all was okay), we had extra monitoring duty on her, leaving time, and energy, to write, by the wayside.

So, we will get back into the groove today, and tomorrow, both riffing on what's going on now, and a few posts that would have been put up over the weekend.

Once again, many thanks for continuing to visit and support The Garlic.

Sweet And Dandy

Well, if you want to go by the title of this post, it does not describe the day we had here at The Garlic.

It was a day of trouble on the homefront, the Aunt we care for taking a tumble early this morning, though, seemingly okay from it, nonetheless, meant a excursion to the hospital.

Surprisingly, by the ER standards we have experienced on prior runs, we were in-and-out in the snap of the fingers - only a little over 2-hours! ... And she comes out of it with a bruised toe, and a, for lack of its' proper name, a medical shoe (hard sole and velcro straps), that will keep her toes/foot from bending, the theory being it will heal faster or better.

So, that become the bulk of my day, wiping out the carnival of creativity I awoke with, and planned to get posted today.

Therefore, we give you an old gem, one that has a good, jammin' Saturday night feel to it.

Sweet And Dandy - Toots And The Maytals