dn's Lazy Mixed Bean And Corn Salad

A few years ago, I was watching the CBS Early Show (as I often do) and saw a recipe that sounded very tasty. It was for a "Three-Bean and Corn Salad with Cider Vinaigrette". I didn't get all the ingredients or instructions written down fast enough, so went to a local library and had someone there help me find the recipe on line and print it.

I did make it - once - and it was very good but, it turned out to be a more complicated recipe than I had thought as all three of the beans that were used had to be cooked separately first. Each type took 30-45 minutes to cook, so with three pots steaming away on the stove, this really wasn't a great recipe to make for a salad on a warm day.

There had to be a simpler way to do this that would taste just as good. I've tried various versions over the years and there are a couple of recipes that I found to be quite good; "Southwestern Bean Salad" and "Southwest Salad". They just lacked that extra something of the original.

So, I went exploring the canned bean aisle at my local grocery stores. I have discovered a few variations that will work fairly well with the original recipe. Here then are two simplified versions of this recipe with some variations thrown in for good measure.

dn's Lazy Mixed Bean And Corn Salad

1 540ml can No Name Mixed Beans (or brand equivalent)

1/2 cup frozen kernal corn, thawed and drained

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/3 cup chopped green onion

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Dressing

2 Tablespoons oil (corn or canola)

1 Tablespoon Cider vinegar

3 Tablespoons salsa (mild)

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon minced/chopped garlic (bottled type)

salt and pepper to taste

- drain beans, rinse well. Allow excess liquid to drain off thoroughly while preparing the other ingredients

- In a large bowl, combine the corn, red pepper, green onions and celery. Set aside.

- In a small bowl combine the dressing ingredients except salt and pepper.

- Add the drained beans to the other veggies in the larger bowl and stir gently to combine.

- Stir in the dressing and the cilantro. Add salt and pepper IF necessary!

- Cover and marinade in the fridge for several hours or overnight

- Stir before serving

This salad makes about 3 1/2 - 4 cups and will serve 6 - 8 half cup portions.

Can be kept in the fridge for several days.Very tasty!!!

Variations:

- If you can't find a mixed bean version, you can use a marinated bean salad. Just drain all the liquid and rinse the beans several times to remove as much of the marinade as possible, then drain well. Proceed with recipe as above.
- If you are making the original recipe for a crowd of 12-15 people then I would suggest buying a can each of black beans, kidney beans and white kidney beans. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly. Double the remaining ingredients. and make according to the above directions.

~*~*~*~

dn's Lazy Bean and Corn Salad

1 398ml/14oz President's Choice Southwestern Bean Medley (or brand equivalent) - undrained

1/3 cup frozen kernal corn, thawed and drained
1/3 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Dressing
1 Tablespoons oil (corn or canola)
1 1/2 teaspoon Cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon salsa (mild)
pinch cumin
1/2 teaspoon minced/chopped garlic (bottled type)
salt and pepper to taste - may not be needed

Combine all the salad ingredients. Mix all the dressings ingredients together and stir gently with the rest of the ingredients. Chill several hours or overnight. Stir before serving. Serves 4.

Enjoy!

dn

Happy Canada Day!!!

dn

Rosemary Clooney

dn

Summer Songs

Summer officially started a few days ago, and if you haven't done so already, then it is time to do as Nat King Cole said in his 1963 hit; "(Roll Out) Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer"!

For this post, I decided to create a list of some of my favourite summer songs and link them so that you could hear and view videos of all of them. Originally, I thought I'd post about 20 or 30 songs!

To help compile a list of some of the best summer songs, I sent an email to a bunch of my friends earlier this month and asked them what their favourite summer songs were. It didn't have to be a song that was necessarily a summertime hit, but it had to at least talk about summer or evoke summer feelings and memories. I also went through my own music collection and looked through a number of playlists on various sites.Who knew there was so much great music to choose from! By far the most popular group mentioned was The Beach Boys - I mean really how can you possibly think summer music without thinking of at least a couple of their hits?

Whittling down the list of songs and artists was not easy. Well, by the time I was done, I had over 50 songs on the list and had found some pretty good videos to go with all of them! Some are original footage of the artist performing. Some are slideshows/video of the era and some are actual music videos created by the artist. There are also some very talented music fans out there who have posted some very creative videos of their own as tributes to the song/artist/theme.

So, here then - more or less in chronological order - is my list of great summer songs!

"In The Good Old Summertime" - John Phillip Sussa 1905 (piano roll version)
"Tuxedo Junction" - Glenn Miller and his Orchestra 1940
"Sentimental Journey" - Les Brown 1945
"Mr. Sandman" - Chordettes 1954
"Rock Around The Clock" - Bill Haley and the Comets 1955
"Summertime" - Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald 1957

"Love Letters In The Sand" - Pat Boone 1957
"Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran 1958
"A Summer Place" - Percy Faith 1960
"Stand By Me" - Ben E. King 1961 (and again in1987)
"A Summer Place" - Andy Williams 1962
"Sealed With A Kiss" - Brian Hyland 1962
"Wipe Out" - The Surfaris 1963
"Heat Wave" - Martha and the Vandellas 1963
"Don't Worry Baby" - The Beach Boys 1964
"A Summer Song" - Chad and Jeremy 1964
"Under the Boardwalk" - The Drifters 1964
"Saturday Night At The Movies" - The Drifters 1964
"Mr. Tambourine Man" - The Byrds 1965
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" - The Rolling Stones 1965
"California Girls" - The Beach Boys 1965
"Wouldn't It Be Nice" - The Beach Boys 1966
''Summer in the City'' - The Lovin' Spoonful 1966
''Can't Take My Eyes Off You'' - Frankie Valli 1967
"So Happy Together" - The Turtles 1967
"Windy" - The Association 1967
"Born To Be Wild" - Steppenwolf 1968
"Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay" - Otis Redding 1968
"Moody Manitoba Morning" - The Bells 1969
"Hot Fun In The Summertime" - Sly and the Family Stone 1969
"In The Summertime" - Mungo Jerry 1970
"Maggie May" - Rod Stewart 1971
"It's Too Late" - Carole King 1971
"Lean On Me" - Bill Withers 1972
"Take It Easy" - The Eagles 1972
"Summer Breeze" - Seals and Crofts 1972
"Saturday In The Park" - Chicago 1972
"Sunshine On My Shoulders" - John Denver 1973
"I Can See Clearly Now" - Johnny Nash 1973
"Peaceful Easy Feeling" - The Eagles 1973
"Sundown" - Gordon Lightfoot - 1974
"Annie's Song" - John Denver - 1974
"My Love" - Paul McCartney - 1974
"Silly Love Songs" - Paul McCartney - 1976
"Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett 1977
"I Love A Rainy Night" - Eddie Rabbitt 1981
"Bette Davis Eyes" - Kim Carnes 1981
"Ebony & Ivory" - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder 1982
"Every Breath You Take" - The Police 1983
"Walking On Sunshine" - Katrina and the waves 1985
"Kokomo" - The Beach Boys 1988
"If You Don't Know Me By Know" - Simply Red 1989

I hope you enjoy these great songs and also hope that all your summer days will be "Sunny Days" (Lighthouse 1972)!

dn

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day and that means that dad's everywhere will be opening gifts of equipment/accessories for sports, gardening, fishing and BBQ'ing. There will also be various electronics, books, music and ties! Maybe even a few heartfelt cards if dad is lucky. That's assuming that the kids remember the day! Poor dad almost always gets shortchanged in compared to what mom gets for Mother's Day. Dad also tends to get hammered in the humour department as well. That really is too bad, as dad's are a vital part of the equation in most families and rarely get the appreciation that they so richly deserve.

Well, I hope that they DO get the thanks from their spouse and kids, 'cause they aren't going to get it in this post!

Here then is my humourous salute to Father's everywhere!


One evening a little girl and her parents were sitting around the table eating supper. The little girl said, "Daddy, you're the boss, aren't you?" Her Daddy smiled, pleased, and said yes. The little girl continued "That's because Mummy put you in charge, right?"
~*~*~*~
New and Improved
The little girl was sitting in her grandfather's lap as he read her a story. From time to time, she would take her eye's off the book and reach up to touch his wrinkled cheek. By and by she was alternately stroking her own cheek, then his again.
Finally she spoke, "Granddaddy, did God make you?"
"Yes, sweetheart" he answered, "God made me a long time ago."
"Oh she said," then "Granddaddy, did God make me too?"
"Yes, indeed honey" he assured her. "God made you just a little while ago."
"Oh" she said. Feeling their respective faces again, she observed, "God's getting better at it now isn't he?"
~*~*~*~
Penny Trick
After tucking their three-year-old child Sammy in for bed one night, his parents heard sobbing coming from his room.

Rushing back in, they found him crying hysterically. He managed to tell them that he had swallowed a penny and he was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking was helping.

His father, in an attempt to calm him down, palmed a penny from his pocket and pretended to pull it from Sammy's ear. Sammy was delighted.

In a flash, he snatched it from his father's hand, swallowed, and then cheerfully demanded, "Do it again, Dad!"
~*~*~*~
"Fathers are the geniuses of the house because only a person as intelligent as we could fake such stupidity. Think about your father: He doesn't know where anything is. You ask him to do something, he messes it up and your mother sends you: "Go down and see what your father's doing before he blows up the house." He's a genius at work because he doesn't want to do it, and he knows someone will be coming soon to stop him." -- Bill Cosby
~*~*~*~
Did You Know? There are more collect calls on Father's Day than any other day of the year. An estimated $1 billion is spent each year in the United States for Father's Day gfts, but Dad is still paying the bill when it comes to telephone calls from the kids
~*~*~*~
Dadisms
"Son, don't ever get married. And tell that to your kids."
"We’ll do it the right way. My way."
"Don't ask me, ask your mother."
"Do what I say, not what I do."
"When I was your age.... "
~*~*~*~
I found all of the following cartoons on a site that makes T-Shirts, Mugs and other items with slogans on them.

dn

dn's Pork Chops With Mango And Apple

A couple of months ago, I was in one of those creative cooking moods. I wanted to try something different. I had set out pork chops for supper, but didn't know what I wanted to do with them. I had lots of fresh mango on hand, as I'd gotten them on sale a few days earlier. I searched the net, but didn't find anything that really combined the two in a way that appealed to me, so I decided to invent my own recipe.

I've made this three times now and have kept track of all the changes in ingredients and quantities. As I noted in the recipe, I have even made this with chicken breasts rather than pork chops! Both are delicious! I even had a good friend try making the pork version. She loved it!


"dn's Pork Chops With Mango And Apple"

2 pork chops (boneless/skinless)
2/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1Tbsp minced garlic (bottled type)
1 medium mango peeled, pitted and diced (about 1 1/4 cup)
1 medium apple, cored and diced ( about 1 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup orange juice or 5 Alive Mango
1 Tablespoon Cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 teaspoon low sodium Soya sauce
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Prepare the onions and red pepper then set aside.
- Prepare the mango and apple (toss the chopped apple in a Tablespoon of the orange juice to prevent discoloration), then set aside.
- In a fry pan, brown the pork chops using a little bit of oil and margarine. Remove the pork chops to a 1 1/2 Liter baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam.
- Add the onions and red pepper to the pan that you browned the chops in. Sauté lightly for a minute or two then add the garlic. Sauté another minute.
- Add the apple and mango and stir.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and stir over low heat just until all the pan drippings are lifted from the pan then pour the entire contents on top of the pork chops.
- Cover and bake in a 375F oven for about 40 minutes.

Serve over brown rice with a green veg or salad on the side.

Notes:
- This recipe also works well with boneless/skinless chicken breasts.
- This recipe could easily be doubles and baked in a 9"x13"x2" baking dish covered with foil.
- Start a casserole of brown rice in the oven while the chops are browning. Spray a 2 Liter casserole dish with Pam. Add one cup of brown rice, 3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons margarine or oil. Cover and bake for about 55 minutes in a 375F oven. Leftover rice can be frozen in individual portions for future use.

Enjoy!

dn

Remembering The King Of Swing

dn

Lilac Time

Let me start by saying that I am not a flower person. Yes, I grew up on a farm, but as I have said in previous posts, I have a brown thumb. I can't grow plants to save my life! Nor can I identify most varieties of plants, bushes and trees. Except for some of the most obvious flowers, like a tulip - and a few others - I really couldn't tell you what flowers were in a bouquet or a flower bed.

It's not that I can't appreciate the beauty of flowers, it's just that I really am not that interested in them. My parents were both avid gardeners and loved to try new varieties and colours in the various flower beds. They planted over a thousand plants every spring, as well as countless bulbs. They also had dozens of perennials such as peonies that would bloom every summer.

Dad often picked bouquets of fresh flowers for mom to display in the house alongside her dozens of house plants. She always said that "her boyfriend" brought the flowers to her! I would occasionally pick some flowers, but watching them gradually wilt and die in a vase really didn't appeal to me. I also wasn't too crazy about some of the littlle bugs that used to tag along on the flowers when you brought them indoors.

I don't hate flowers. There are some that I do like such as; tulips, lilies, brown eyed susan's and gladiolas. I just prefer them in their natural settings rather than in a vase.

I am also not a fan of floral scents - in fact most of them, I find rather overpowering. Allergies make most scents a problem for me, so I tend to stay out of flower gardens and away from flower displays. I can handle a few roses or something that isn't too strong, but for the most part I'd rather leave flowers in their natural environment.

So given that, it may seem a bit odd for me to say this, but I love lilacs! Especially the ones that are actually a lilac shade or even the darker shades of purple. Lilacs come in a wide variety of colours from a creamy white, to yellow to shades of pinks and the traditional purples. I'll take the purples any day!

I even love the smell of the lilacs - not in a perfume or anything like that - I'm talking just the natural smell that comes right from the flower. It isn't too strong but it takes me back to my childhood. I'd sit on the steps or a blanket on the grass and read a book or listen to a portable radio. I'd contemplate life and wonder what the future would hold.

When I was a kid, we had a lot of lilac trees on the farm. We actually had a hedge of them, as a wind row, near the house that bloomed in various shades of purple every spring. It was a sea of purples on a leafy green backdrop. I loved sitting outside and admiring their beauty and breathing in the soft scent. Most of them were cut down when my parents remodeled and expanded the house in the late 60's. There were still several lilacs on the property, but it just wasn't the same.

Living here in the city, I don't get to see and smell the lilacs like I used to. There are lilacs here too, you just don't tend to find whole rows or hedges of them!

When I do see lilacs - or I guess it would be more accurate to say when I smell lilacs now - it takes me right back to the peace and solitude of living on the farm. To a time of innocence and dreams of what lay ahead. I didn't always see the first leaves on the trees or the first tulips of spring, but the scent of lilacs were my link to spring. New beginnings!

We have had such a long cold winter and this spring has been slow in coming. The lilacs are late this year too. The lilacs are coming now and that makes me happy. I just wish they stayed longer. Their season is short, but I love them while they are here.

So if you see me standing at my window or outside and I seem lost in a dream or deep in thought - don't worry - I'm probably smelling lilacs!

I wonder if anyone would notice a blind woman picking a few lilac stems.....

dn

Email Account Closed - Access Denied! Part 2

In my last post, I explained that in late April, one of my Hotmail accounts was closed supposedly due to "violations of therms of use" and my frustrating labyrinth like journey to find the proper support form to fill out and submit. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever get into the account again. Then, on Sunday, May 17 I finally found a post that might be the path to the mysterious support form that people in my situation are supposed to fill out. Here is the information that I found:

Hello;
To anyone that reads this, I think I have found a solution for those who have Hotmail accounts that have been suddenly closed due to violation of terms and conditions. Please follow instructions below.
1. Go to the log in page where it shows the statement that you have violated terms and conditions.
2. Go towards the bottom and look on the right hand side where it states help central, click on this.
3. You will see that it will change to "Welcome to Windows Live ID and Account Management Help"
4. Look on the left hand side and scroll down FAQ section to question "why can't I log in" (12th question down). Press on this link.
5. This has now changed the box on the right hand. Look at the bottom of the box where it states "get more help", press this link
6. It will now change to say "Additional help options for Windows Live ID" press on the link that states "Get Support" this will then take you to a form that you need to fill in . Fill in all information with a red asterisk next to it and send. Explain that you have tried tech support and abuse team and have had no reply.
7. You should receive a reply within 24 hours

Well, I did try this and received a response less than 6 hours later, stating that my request for assistance would be passed on to "Windows Live Hotmail Abuse Support Group". My initial thought was; "Oh great! Here we go again!", but this time I also had a ticket/tracking number to reference for any future response. I hadn't gotten that before. I was still skeptical, but also hopeful.

Friday morning, May 22, I was greeted with an email from the Microsoft Customer Support Team. My account had been closed as a precaution against spam activity. They didn't give specifics, but I still believe that it was due to my problems seeing the HIP tests. The good news was that the account had been reopened! I finally had access to all of my emails and stored files again.

Of course, before I could completely log in to my account, I had to do another HIP! I couldn't read the first one and got the second one wrong but the third one I got right. I was IN!

Over the next few days, I spent several hours going through the various folders - copying, forwarding saved emails to another account and deleting items. I don't know exactly how many emails I had saved over the previous year but I think it must have been about 1500 or so. There is less than 400 on that account now and all are either backed up or replicable. I'll gradually remove most of them.

I'll still use the account for a few things, but my friends that I email on a regular basis have been given a new address to contact me.

Finding the correct form and submitting it, was like finding a needle in a haystack.Who knows how long I would have had to wait without it - or if I ever would have regained access to my account without this form. I have no idea why this information seems to be so difficult to obtain and why we are forced to jump through hoops and search for clues to find the correct information. Maybe it is to prove we REALLY are human, but it also proves that technology and all of it's advances can be VERY frustrating.

I hope you never encounter this type of problem, but you never know when something like this can happen to you ...

.... so PLEASE

BACK UP ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION, ADDRESSES, AND ANY EMAIL CONTENT THAT YOU HAVE SAVED IN HOTMAIL AND ANY OTHER ONLINE ACCOUNTS!!!

Better safe than sorry.

dn

Email Account Closed - Access Denied! Part 1

Thursday morning, April 23, I tried to log into my Hotmail accounts and discovered that one of my accounts was closed sometime after the last time I had checked the account - about 9:30PM on April 22.



For some reason, my account had been closed due to violations of terms of use! For the life of me I have no idea what I could possibly have done, as the account is used for updates from a half dozen web sites and emails between a dozen or so on-line friends. I delete old addresses before forwarding, use BCC for multiple forwards, and only send to a few friends who actually want me to send them stuff.

The only real problem I have had with this account is that I have trouble reading the HIP tests. "What's a HIP test?", you ask. Human Interface Proof - HIP - are those really annoying, distorted letter/number combos that are used to supposedly distinguish a human from an auto generated account.

I suspected HIP, because I have so much trouble doing those damned tests. The distorted text is impossible on some, so it can take me 5 or 6 tries to find one that I think I can read AND do it correctly! It may be possible that the system had mistaken my numerous attempts as an automated account and labeled it as spam. In retrospect, I had actually been getting several of those tests over the previous few weeks.

Granted, there is an audio version available on most sites as an alternative for those of us with low vision - BUT, have you ever tried listening to any of those? They are insane if they think that it can be understood! The best way I can describe it is to think back to the old days when you would call certain phone numbers and you'd hear a busy signal but also hear several conversations in the background. Every few seconds, you'd hear someone trying to scream their personal phone number into the mix. Well, those were easier to understand as the audio HIP is even more garbled!

The error message that I get when I try to sign in says that I have to submit an email support form. I tried countless times to find the correct way to submit an email support form, but I COULD NOT find it!! I was so frustrated that I could not find the form or get the help to get this corrected. Every time I hit the "HELP" button at the bottom of the "account closed" page, it took me back to msn.com rather than to an email support form!

I made three requests to correct and reopen the incorrect closure of my account during the first five days. Two were sent to mhtml:%7B800FCD44-2A56-4965-93F0-6E8FA148951D%7Dmid://00000090/!x-usc:mailto:abuse@hotmail.com and one through feedback on an FAQ page that I found on MSN. The only response I got was from the abuse section and that was yet another of those charming auto generated responses that says it will be looked into. ARGH!!

I contacted my service provider to help me set up another email account through their system and also explained the Hotmail problem to the tech. He offered to try and find the support form for me, so I gave him the necessary info. He couldn't find it either, so suggested I write directly to Microsoft. I made two requests to Microsoft, but just get directed to post my problem through http://windowslivehelp.com/

I set up an account and posted a request for help including a very detailed list of what I had already done. The response from the support team was to send a note to the abuse team! Are you kidding me? They obviously hadn't bothered reading my full request and I politely said as much in my reply. Again, an apology for inconvenience, but only the abuse team had the power to reopen accounts. They were backlogged but would eventually get to everyone. Yeah right!

I also read several other posts regarding the incorrect closure of accounts and found that all are directed through the abuse section BUT some people were still waiting for responses two, three five or more weeks later!! This is first come first serve so even if you have a business account, you still have to wait till they get to you!

I felt like the hamster on it's wheel and I had no way of getting off!!

I just wanted to get the personal messages and other info from my account that could not be replaced. Luckily, I had other accounts through other systems and I had some email addresses from the closed account saved, but not all.

Another part of the problem for me, was that when I set up the Hotmail account in early 2008, I was running low on space on my old PC. Therefore, I didn't always save everything to my PC. The Hotmail account provided 5gig of FREE space so I took full advantage of it. When I did get a new PC last November, I did transfer a few things, but never got around to sorting and transferring everything. I was too busy doing Christmas baking and getting used to using Vista. I pretty much forgot how much was stored there until I couldn't get to it. That was when I really realized how much was on there.

Was I ever going to get access to that account again? I checked the comments on various threads in the Solution Center several times over the next couple of weeks. I certainly wasn't alone with my problem and frustration but I still wanted to find the stupid support form that the error message says to fill out.

It took awhile, but finally on Sunday, May 17. I found a post that gave me a glimmer of hope. My next post (June 6, 2009) will explain what I found and how I got my account back.

dn

The King Of Swing

Benjamin (Benny) David Goodman was the ninth of twelve children born to poor Jewish immigrants from Russia. At the age of 10, he and two of his older brothers were enrolled in music lessons through an area Synagogue. In the following years, he also played with a boys band and studied with a classical clarinetist. He was greatly influenced by the New Orleans style jazz musicians who played at some of the local Chicago clubs. He learned quickly and by his mid teens, was already playing with some of the top bands in the city. He made his first recordings under his own name in 1928 on Vocalion Records. Goodman also worked as a sessions musician, recording under an array of group names and recording numerous pieces.

Benny Goodman moved to New York City in 1929 and continued to build his reputation as a solid musician who was reliable and prepared. He did recordings for Columbia, Melotone and many other labels before signing with Victor in 1935. Some of the Columbia sides featured Jack Teagarden, Joe Sullivan, Dick McDonough, Arthur Schutt, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, Coleman Hawkins and the first vocal recordings of a very young Billie Holliday.

Goodman was also doing regular appearances on radio shows. Since he needed new arrangements every week, his manager John Hammond, suggested that he purchase jazz charts from a very popular African American musician named Fletcher Henderson. Goodman purchased all of Henderson's charts during the 1929 stock market crash and also hired Henderson and members of his band to teach his musicians how to play the music.

In 1934 and 1935, Goodman was one of the featured bands on NBC's "Let's Dance". The east coast broadcast was fairly late so he didn't have much of a following outside of Harlem, but unbeknownst to him, he was developing a large fan base on the west coast who were hearing the broadcast much earlier. The show was cancelled due to a strike in spring 1935 so Goodman took his show on the road to tour America. His reception was less than favorable in many locations as audiences weren't impressed with his "hot" jazz. They wanted a smoother jazz to dance to.

"King Porter Stomp" and "Sometimes I'm Happy" were released to rave reviews in July 1935, but the band was on the road and unaware of the success of this recording. The last stop on their tour was a three week engagement starting August 21 at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. The band was discouraged and nearly broke. The ballroom could hold 4,000 couples but the response was tepid to the opening set of traditional smooth jazz. With a little urging from his drummer, Gene Krupa, Goodman decided to go for broke. If they were going down, then they were going down playing the music they loved - the arrangements of Henderson and other swing arrangers that were writing for the band. With the opening notes of "King Porter Stomp", the audience went wild! This was the music they had been hearing on "Let's Dance" and what they had come to hear!

During that engagement a new dance craze known as "The Jitterbug" came into being and newspapers across the country were praising the new phenomenon which was called "The Swing Era'. This era quickly led to the explosion of the "Big Band Era".

In 1937, Goodman's publicist, Wynn Nathanson, suggested that Goodman should do a concert at Carnegie Hall. Goodman was skeptical as this was a venue that catered to more refined and elitist music, but eventually went along with it. He had already gained some mainstream success with his recordings and appearences on the silver screen in movies like "Hollywood Hotel" (1937).

The Hall was sold out weeks in advance. Top prices were US$2.75 - a lot of money for the time. The audience was reserved in their response in the beginning, but by the end of the night it was a smashing success. The recordings of the concert that were eventually released have never been out of print. Goodman had brought Swing to the masses and been accepted.

Goodman, focused much of his career on the swing music and the big band arrangements. He worked in various size groups such as trios, quartets, sextets and full orchestras. He had forays into classical and bebop, but the most success was with what he knew best - swing.

Benny worked with many, now legendary artists, including Coleman Hawkins, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Christian, Louis Armstrong and many others. Through the years he featured many great soloist such as Anita O'Day, Helen Forrest, Helen Ward and Rosemary Clooney. He wasn't the easiest man to get along with. He was seen by many as a taskmaster and a domineering perfectionist who could freeze you out with a cold stare if you didn't tow the line the way he expected. At the same time, he apparently was a generous private contributor for several young people to attend college with scholarships. He acknowledged that the music that he played - in particular that of Fletcher Henderson - had been a part of the black community for years, but it was Goodman who brought the swing music to the masses and made it a hit in the white community as well. He was also instrumental in helping to integrate the black musicians into the usual white only groups. He opend doors for other professions to also cross that racial line.

John Hammond was one of Goodman's closest friends and advisors. Goodman dated his sister, Alice Frances Hammond (1913 - 1978) and married her on March 14, 1942. They raised two daughters, Benjie and Rachel. John and Benny didn't always see eye to eye and the relationship was strained for many years, but they did reconcile the friendship in their later years after Alice had died.

Mr. Goodman continued to play the clarinet and occasionally perform, despite increasing health problems, right up to his death of a heart attack at age 77 on June 13, 1986 in New York City.

Today, May 30, 2009 marks the 100th birthday of this incredibly talented musical genius. Over the years, he has been honored with countless tributes and awards to celebrate his contributions to the musical world. His biggest hits such as "Sing, Sing, Sing", "Stompin' At The Savoy", and many others are still being played and recorded today.

Happy 100th Birthday to The King Of Swing!

dn

The Dam Beavers

I got this e-mail back in January and saved it to post today. Today my dad would have turned 94. He died in 2003. My dad would have loved this story! He lived all but the last few months of his life on the family farm. He loved the land and he loved the peaceful surroundings of the countryside. However, there was one element of this tranquility that gave him no end of grief and frustration. There is a small creek, that twists and turns through our family farm yard and dad did battle with the beavers for years! He'd dig out the dam in the day and they'd build it back up at night! He had a guy come in to trap the beavers and move them to a different location on more than one occasion. Either they came back or new beavers moved in. He also had the dams blown up a couple of times. The beavers rebuilt every time. This went on for years!!!

So, today's post is for you dad!

-dn

The Dam

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania . This guy's response is hilarious, but read The State's letter before you get to the response letter.

State Of Pennsylvania 's letter to Mr. DeVries:

SUBJECT: DEQFile No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. DeVries:

It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:

Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.

A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.

The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2007.

Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.

We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

David L. Price

District Representative and Water Management Division.

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ FileNo. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County

Dear Mr. Price,

Your certified letter dated 12/17/06 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane, Trout Run, Pennsylvania.

A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'

I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.

My first dam question to you is:

(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or

(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued.

(Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, Annotated.)

I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation - so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.

The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.

If you want the dammed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.

In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).

So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2007? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.

In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!

Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.

THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES
& THE DAM BEAVERS