Saturday 9: Kentucky Rain (1970)
Next Thursday, the 8th would be Elvis' 80th birthday, so we're celebrating The King. Here is this week's song.
Good song! Hadn't heard this one in a while.
1. In this song, Elvis hitchhikes across Kentucky. Have you ever hitched a ride?
A. Not exactly. Not with the thumb stuck out or anything, accepting rides from strangers. But I've hitched rides with friends.
2. Elvis received his first guitar for his 11th birthday, even though he'd asked his parents for a bicycle. As an adult, how often do you ride a bike?
A. I have an exercise bike. Does that count?
3. When Elvis was a child, his family was very poor, often living in rooming houses or public housing. His classmates teased him for being "trashy," which left him shy. Were you more shy or outgoing as a kid?
A. I have always been introverted and shy.
4. While in high school, Elvis mowed neighbors' lawns with a push mower and a sickle. According to The Home Depot, one of today's most popular mowers is a gas-powered Cub Cadet with a self-mulching feature. Tell us about your lawn mower.
A. It's a blue riding mower. It's a Ford something or another and looks more like a small tractor than a mower. I can't drive it because I am too short. I have to sit far up on the seat to reach the foot pedals, and that makes the automatic shut-off beneath the seat activate and kill the engine.
5. In the 1950s, Frank Sinatra dismissed Elvis as, "deplorable." Yet by the time of Elvis' death, he had revised his opinion and said, "Elvis was the embodiment of the whole American culture." Tell us about something or someone you changed your mind about.
A. I used to think Ronald Reagan was a harmless president. I don't think that any more. I think he did more damage to this country than any other leader.
6. After Elvis was discharged from the Army, his first performance was on a Sinatra TV special, sponsored by Timex. Do you wear a watch?
A. I do, and it is a Timex.
7. Coinciding with Elvis' 80th birthday, there will be an auction of Presley-related memorabilia at his home in Graceland. One item up for bid is a plush toy he gave to an Army buddy's wife in 1958 for the baby she was expecting. Do you know anyone who is looking forward to a baby in 2015?
A. Can't say that I do.
8. None of the items being sold at the Graceland auction actually belonged to Elvis at the time of his death. Everything left to daughter Lisa Marie remains in her possession. Do you have something you cherish that was given to you by a close relative?
A. Yes. A pair of scissors that belonged to my great-great-grandmother.
9. The US Postal service sold more than 500 million of the Elvis commemorative stamp. According to the Census Bureau, that was two stamps each for every man, woman and child in the United States. When is the last time you visited the post office?
A. We actually stopped in on New Year's Eve, but the post office had already closed for the day. We didn't realize it was closing at noon.
I know it's hard to believe, but I am shy and introverted as well. I don't wear a watch (own several), never hitched a ride, I don't own a bike (does a Vespa scooter count?), no babies here, and since we sold our lawn business and we live in the 'city' now, all we have is a push mower because we have a postage size stamped yard.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions and answers. I'll keep my big mouth shut over #5, lolol.
Loved your answer about the mower, since I'm a little bit myself.
ReplyDeleteRe: Reagan -- when my now 22 year old niece was in 5th grade, every student in her class was randomly assigned a President to report on for President's Day. Names were placed in a Lincolnesque stovepipe hat and she drew Reagan.While her classmates wrote glowing paeans, she concentrated her report on his days as a lifeguard in Illinois because she wrote "that's where he'd done the most good" It was his attitude toward AIDS and the environment that disturbed her young conscience. We'd never discussed it. (Why would we? She was a child who wasn't even born when Reagan was in office.) I was terribly proud of her spunk and independent spirit.
I totally agree that an exercise bike counts! ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm with you on #5!
That is too funny about the mower! And of course an exercise bike counts!
ReplyDeleteI seem to waffle between the introvert/shy and someone a bit friendlier. I think I'm getting a bit grumpy these days :)
ReplyDeletethat's funny that your post office closed at noon? i was talking to a post office worker on the 30th and she lamented that she had to work the full day on new year's eve. i wonder if that's just the mail carriers that had to?
ReplyDeleteby the way, love all the rainbow pics in the header! pretty!
I think you are the first person who answered #4 that you mow your lawn. It seems like most of us are like me and have some else do it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on #5
Have never hitch hiked, and do not get my bike out as often as I should.
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your answers. I totally agree about Reagan. Never thought of that one. How tall are you? You were taller in my mind, so now I'll have to revise my impression of you. haha!
ReplyDelete