Happy Birthday to My Brother

Today is my brother's birthday. It's not a significant number, it's one of those in-betweens. He is turning 54 years old. Yikes.

My brother is an interesting man. He's turned into a good brother as time has passed. He has been there for me during some of my worst "adventures" - including the time my husband put his hand in the hay baler, and he was helpful back in November/December when my husband had his ankle surgery.

It is good to know there is someone in your life you can count on when the times are tough and the chips are down.

He lives six miles or so from me, at the foot of the mountain. He's a little more rural than I am, now, as the area growth has begun to creep out this way. It will be a while before he will be bothered. Heck, he doesn't even have internet service except via satellite or something.

My brother has two children and a stepson, and he takes very good care of all of his family. He likes to hunt and fish and enjoys the outdoors. He is into fantasy and shares with me a love of the Lord of the Rings and Games of Thrones. He likes Wonder Woman, too. He has a very good singing voice - much better than mine - and he likes to dance.

He is the president of a company in SE Roanoke that employees just under 100 people, I think. I'm not quite sure of the number of employees. The company was started by my father and my brother has worked there all of his adult life. He went into the business right out of high school. He is very good at what he does.

So happy birthday to my favorite brother! (Or as he reminded me this morning, my only brother.)

I was going to steal photos off his FB page but he's deactivated his account. He is not much on celebrating things so I guess he didn't want all those "happy birthday" wishes from his many friends. (Maybe he doesn't know you can cut that particular feature off and no one will know when it's your birthday.)

My brother as a baby with big sister.

Just the two of us.

A Christmas photo. Maybe when he was two?

Another holiday memory, a little older now. Six or so?

A school picture.

A birthday long, long ago.

High school senior photo

2016. This seems to be the latest photo I have on my hard drive.

Thursday Thirteen

I'm still collecting pandemic memes. I think they are insightful commentary on the wit of humanity and a good way to show the times we are living in. I collected these before the latest round of protests about the inhumane treatment of a man by a police officer. Previously, people were protesting because they wanted to open the country up and not wear a mask. The first round of protestors carried guns to state capitols, threatened governors, and weren't arrested. The second round of protestors took to the streets, and some looters and others who want to take advantage of the atmosphere showed up to cause havoc. As a result, the second round of protestors have been met with the military police and the jackboots. It might also have something to do with the fact that the first round of protestors were mostly white and the second round of protestors have been black and white. That would be too obvious though, wouldn't it?

Been a lot of protesting going on, anyway. But as a reminder, here are 13 memes that took place earlier during the continuing Covid-45 crisis.

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 658th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Snake Berries

When I was young, my mother would sometimes send my brother and me into the fields to pick wild strawberries.

We were always admonished to watch out for the snake berries.

Snake berries look like strawberries. The biggest difference is that strawberries grow so that the fruit hangs down, while a snake berry grows so that the fruit points up toward the sky.

Mom always said snake berries were poisonous. 

This is actually called Potentilla indica or Duchesnea indica as its scientific name. It is most often called a false strawberry or mock strawberry. I have no idea where my mother learned to call it a snake berry but apparently others do too, as I was able to find this information by typing in that name. It is also sometimes referred to as an Indian strawberry (no clue why).

This berry is not indigenous to the US and apparently was brought into the country from Asia. It's considered an exotic invasive species. It must be hardy since it is all over the place around here.

Apparently it is not poisonous but also not very tasty. Mostly it is considered a weed.

Here are resources:

https://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/natural-world/wildlife/plants/false-strawberry/index.htm

https://www.wildernessarena.com/food-water-shelter/food-food-water-shelter/food-procurement/edible-wild-plants/duchesnea-or-indian-strawberry

My Elusive Dreams

This song is called My Elusive Dreams. It was written by Curly Putman and Billy Sherrill, and released in 1967. It has been covered by several country artists, including Roger Miller and Tammy Wynette and George Jones. My daddy used to sing this song and I think it is actually his version I remember.

 I have always liked this song.

Pandemic Journal - Day 73

Here at home, things are as they have been. My husband is out in the fields making hay, I have been keeping house. I had a scratchy throat that concerned me after a trip out to Walmart, but I'm sure it was allergies. I am feeling better although I spent the weekend feeling not quite myself.

I don't know if that was because I was ill or because the nation is ill, however. Nationally, we seem to be having pandemics upon pandemics. After the release of a video of a man being held down by a police officer who had his knee on his neck in Minneapolis, things went crazy. The video is terrifying to watch, so I won't link to it.

The arrested man, who died, was black. The police officer was white. Racism? It certainly seems that way, but in any event, a police officer appeared to have killed another human being without cause.

Protests and riots broke out. They are still protesting and rioting even as I write this. I think it has been going on for five days now. They are even protesting in Roanoke in front of the police station there. The city had break-ins in the the Valley View area. Apparently there are groups of "rolling" protestors/rioters who are moving from community to community.

Many of the people arrested in the larger cities do not live there. They are outside agitators. The president, who spent at least one night hiding out in the White House bunker as people protested outside the fences in Washington, D.C., calls this Antifa, which is supposedly a left-wing group that is against fascism.

I thought most civilized folks were against fascism and we fought a war over that and fascism lost, but apparently I missed something somewhere. I'm against fascism but I don't belong to any group.

Many on the left think the agitators are white supremacists. I don't know which they are. The president appears to believe not a single one could be a white supremacist, and that rankles a bit. Because of course there are probably groups of both. But he is singling out the one he believes to be the ones on the left.

I guess the others are "the very fine people" who started the riots in Charlottesville two years ago.

At any rate, as the Covid-45 pandemic rages through our elderly population, people are protesting. Some wore masks, some didn't. Most were not practicing any form of social distancing. They were outside which might help, but with a pandemic of protesting amidst a pandemic of a vicious virus, I think we may be in for a very rough time in a few weeks.

Or maybe not. Who the hell knows any more. I don't.

The country is going up in flames. People are dying. 

I guess the folks who voted in 2016 are getting what they wanted.

Meanwhile, I'm simply trying to figure out where to find chicken because that's the meat we eat a lot and the one we're short on. I have beef and pork in the freezer, but no chicken.

These are very strange times.

The May Song Quiz

Joining up with Kwizgiver for the last of the song list.

A song that:

• makes me think about life would be American Pie, by Don McLean.
• has many meanings to me would be Nowhere to Go, by Melissa Etheridge.
• has a person's name in the title would be Aubrey, by Bread.
• moves me forward would be Unwritten, by Natasha Bedingfield.
• I think everybody should listen to is Where Have All the Flowers Gone, by Peter, Paul, and Mary.
• is by a band I wish was still together is Money for Nothing, by Dire Straits
• I like by an artist no longer living is We've Only Just Begun, by the Carpenters.
• makes me want to fall in love is Killing Me Softly With His Song, by Roberta Flack
• breaks my heart is Seasons in the Sun, by Terry Jacks.
• is by an artist whose voice I love is I Will Always Love You, by Whitney Houston.
• I remember from my childhood is Coat of Many Colors, by Dolly Parton.
• reminds me of myself is All By Myself, by Eric Carmen.
• I love to sing loudly is Band on the Run, by Paul McCartney & Wings.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What do you think is the greatest television show of all time?

A. MASH. I honestly think that show covers so much of life and human relations that there is nothing that tops it as a commentary upon humanity.

2. Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Academy Award?

A. I would rather win a Pulitzer. But of the two, a Nobel Prize although I can't imagine what I'd get one for.

3. What one food would you banish from this earth if you could?

A. None of them. There are many I do not even know of, and I suspect all of the natural foods have medicinal properties. That said, I imagine Cheetos and that yellow-orange crap on them is something we could all do without.

4. What’s the scariest story you’ve ever heard?

A. November 9, 2016 - A con man was elected president of the United States.

5. Who is the most famous person you have ever met?

A. I have met many of Virginia's governors during my work as a government reporter, including Tim Kaine and Mark Warner who are now our state senators. 

6. What’s something you’ve done that most people wouldn’t know or guess about you?

A. I don't know. Most things I've written about over the last 14 years of this blog. I've been up in a hot air balloon, I've flown over the county in a small plane. But perhaps people do not know that I have suffered from depression for most of my life. I don't talk about it or wallow in it, I deal with it as best I can. My doctor currently has it diagnosed as dysthymia, which means chronic low-grade depression that doesn't go away. Maybe sometime I will write more about it.

7. You’re strapped in a rocket ship about to go to the moon. Are you thrilled? Or terrified?

A. I would be thrilled. I loved watching the SpaceX ship go up yesterday afternoon! Two men left the earth! Good choice, given the state of things.

8. What is the correct way for toilet paper to sit on the roll?

A. I don't care which way it goes on the roller. I don't even care if it is on a roller, so long as it is available.

9. Talk about a mistake you made, or something you regret.

A. I regret not keeping up with my music more. I let it go because I didn't have an outlet for it, really. I mean, when you're playing your guitar and your husband comes in and ignores you and turns on the television, it doesn't exactly engender a desire to continue to play.

10. What would be the best gift I could give you?

A. Your time.

11. What makes you feel better when you’re sad or stressed?

A. Music or reading.

12. What is the most romantic movie you’ve ever seen?

A. Dirty Dancing or the Titanic. I can't decide between those two.

13. What is the worst date you’ve ever been on?

A. I haven't been on a date in 37 years.

14. What is the glue that keeps couples together?

A. Trust.

15.  What was your first crush?

A. My first crush would have been a "who" not a "what," but in any event, I think it was a boy named Jamie in second grade.

16. When did your parents talk to you about the birds and the bees?

A. I don't know that they ever did, actually. My grandmother did that.

17. What is your greatest achievement?

A. I guess it would be an accumulation of all the words I've written over the years about my community for the local papers.

18. Were you close to your parents growing up?

A. No. My father was busy making money and my mother was miserable and unhappy. Neither had any time to raise children. I should not have been born. I used to consider myself a poster child for why abortion should be legal. It wasn't when I was born.

19. What was the most life-changing event you’ve ever experienced?

A. Probably my gallbladder surgery since the doctor messed that up and created an abdominal issue that I've been fighting for the last seven years.

20. Have you ever had a falling out with a friend? What happened?

A. I have had misunderstandings with friends. Usually I apologize and that's the end of it. I am always the one who apologizes even if I wasn't the one in the wrong. I can't recall a single time someone has hurt me and come to me and said, "I'm sorry."

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Play Me

The song Play Me, by Neil Diamond, performed by me.

Saturday 9: Uncle Albert

Saturday 9: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (1971)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The lyrics tell us Paul believes it's going to rain. How's the weather where you are today?

A. Hot and humid.

2) Paul sings that he is sorry because he hasn't "done a bloody thing all day." What do you hope to accomplish this weekend?

A. My husband will be cutting hay, so I will be taking care of him and the house.

3) He also references butter pie, which is made primarily with potatoes (with onions and, of course, butter). That dish is not popular on this side of the Atlantic. Last time you had potatoes, how were they prepared (baked, mashed, hash browned, french fried ...)?

A. I had French fries at lunch the other day.

4) Linda McCartney is credited as co-writer and performer on this recording. Paul and Linda were partners in real life, too; married 29 years, they raised four children together. They often said they tried never to spend more than a few hours apart. Do you enjoy a lot of togetherness, or do you value your personal time? Has your experience with Covid19 and quarantine changed how you feel about this?

A. I value my personal time. My husband recently retired so we are figuring it out. Fortunately we have a big farm where he can go get lost if I need him to, and I have my office and it has a door. I don't think our experience with Covid 45 has really been a problem, except I can't run off to the grocery store whenever I feel like it.

5) Paul and Linda came from very different backgrounds. His family was lower middle class, lived in Liverpool's public housing and received government aid. She grew up in affluent Scarsdale, the daughter of a wealthy theatrical attorney. Do you think it's more important for a couple to share a common background, or to share common interests?

A. I think it helps to have common interests and a common background. We have both, although we're a little short on the common interests. He works with his hands and I read.

6) Paul is known for his work ethic. At age 78, he's still making music and performing live. What's your favorite Paul McCartney song?

A. Band on the Run.

7) In 1971, when this song was a hit, Bobby Fischer was the world's most famous and highest-rated chess player. Do you play chess?

A. I play but not very well. I haven't played in a long time.

8) England's Princess Anne turned 21 in 1971. The occasion was commemorated by a formal portrait, taken by celebrated fashion photographer Norman Parkinson. Who took the most recent photo of you?

A. I think I took a selfie of my husband and me in our masks for a cousin who asked for one.

9) Random question: Do you find it more satisfying to work with your hands, or your head?

A. With my head. I like a little hand jive every now and then, though. I couldn't play my guitar without my hands.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Thursday Thirteen

1. I went out this morning. I saw many people without face masks.

2. I also saw many people with face masks. Virginia tomorrow will make wearing a mask mandatory.

3. It is hard to tell who someone is when they have a face mask on. I mistook a person for someone else because from the profile she looked like a friend.

4. Trying to stay six feet away from people in a store is next to impossible, and the store workers make it the most difficult because they are always stocking. How are you supposed to go down the aisle when they aren't moving?

5. When we checked out, I thought the bill was a bit high but prices on things have increased and I also thought maybe my husband had sneaked something into the cart (he's been known to do that). But when I came home and looked at the receipt, I realized I'd been double charged for three different items, amounting to about $30. One of us will have to go back to the store tomorrow and talk to someone in customer service.

6. Also while we were out, we saw a weird looking plane. It looked like a huge drone. We weren't sure what type of plane it was.

7. My internet connection and landline telephone has been going in and out during the rain. I feel sure there is water getting in the line somewhere, but that will be a difficult thing for the telephone company to fix. I expect I will be calling them a lot during rain showers until this is resolved.

8. The store had empty shelves. Not just in toilet paper, but in cleaning goods, in crafts, and in many other items. Apparently we don't need new clothes during a pandemic - there were plenty of clothes in that area, except for the socks I wanted, of course. 

9. This tells me that something's not right. All is not well in the world when the store shelves are empty. 

10. In fact, the world feels sick when I leave my home. A feeling of weariness overcomes me and I am ready to curl into a ball or hide under the bed.

11. During the course of our visit to another store, I inadvertently stepped in front of a man, coming too close. He immediately moved away and my husband chided me for not paying attention. Rightfully so. I needed the reminder.

12. At this other store, the men were wearing masks and the women weren't. It was the other away around at the first store. Weird.

13. I have physically felt better this spring than I have in a long time. I think wearing a mask will become part of my routine when I am out. But I also think maybe the best place for me is here, at my home, where I've mostly stayed since the middle of March.


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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 657th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Peaceful Scene

I can't often get all the critters in one shot like this. Deer and turkey in the front field.

Pandemic Journal - Day 66

Today I cut my husband's hair.

He is bald on top and I have never cut his hair before. I think it is easier to cut someone else's hair than your own.

Stories of people who have gone to the hair stylist's whilst having Covid-45 has made me wary of going back anytime soon. It has also made my husband wary. He was going to let it grow out but he has curly hair. It was sticking out under his hat and he looked like Bozo the Clown.

So I gave him a haircut. He said it feels better.

In other news, Virginia has begun Phase 1 of its "reopening." I have no idea how successful this has been. I expect if it wasn't successful, there will be surge of sickness in June. A lot of people are acting like they've been in jail for six weeks instead of at home. I am afraid America is home of the idiot.

Interesting word, idiot. It comes from the Greek idiōtēs, and meant a private person, individual, who was common or a person lacking a professional skill. In Latin, idiota meant uneducated, ignorant, common, and later came to mean crude, illiterate, ignorant. Around the 13th century, the addition of stupid was added to the meaning of the word. By the 14th century, English had adopted the word and it meant mentally deficient.

Some historians have interpreted the word "idiot" as reflecting the Ancient Greeks' attitudes to civic participation and private life, combining the ancient meaning of 'private citizen' with the modern meaning 'fool' to conclude that the Greeks used the word to say that it is selfish and foolish not to participate in public life. Those who are disdainful of the many in favor of the few are idiots.

That means the people who say let Grandma die so I can go buy beer are idiots.

So that makes the "me me me" attitude of the the majority of Americans, well, idiotic. We have an American Taliban comprised of American idiots. This is not an original idea. This is, I'm afraid, how most of the world sees us today.

That has been my summation of what I've watched as the country has opened, especially this weekend as I've seen pictures of big crowds and few masks. We are one big beast of selfishness, because we're so consumed with our "free-dumbs" that we can't see how slavish and selfish we really are. I include myself in this. I wonder if there is a single American capable of original thought anymore, we're all so brainwashed by the peculiarities of what we read and see.

At this point, I can only heave big sighs.

I am staying home, still. I am not going out even though I'd like to. I have not made an appointment to have my hair styled. Lord knows it needs it.

Once again, I have developed a sore throat, for the third time since the pandemic, but I am fairly certain it is a food allergy (chicken alfredo pizza, although I am not sure what exactly is in it that I am reacting to, but this is also the third time I've had that pizza, followed a few days later by a sore throat).

It would be inconsiderate and foolish of me to go anywhere while I have a sore throat, and it would be incredibly foolish and idiotic of me to do that without a mask. If I must go out, a mask, at least, will protect someone else if I do have more than an allergy.

The young women who clean my house are supposed to come Thursday, but since I have a sore throat, I will be calling them tomorrow to move the date back again. I don't want to risk making anyone ill.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

A. Since that was my husband, I certainly hope so.

2. What’s the closest thing to you that’s red?

A. A Webster's Dictionary (yes, I have real dictionaries on my desk)

3. Did you meet someone new today?

A. I'm still doing the physical separation thing, so not in person. I did meet a distant cousin while trying to straighten out some misinformation on a Find A Grave site, though.

4. What are you craving right now?

A. Peace of mind.

5. What comes to mind when I say, “cabbage”?

A. Green.

6. What does your last text say?

A. "Now that I have your number, here is my cell phone. Call or text any time."

7. Do you bite into your ice cream, or just lick it?

A. I don't eat ice cream.

8. Do you like your hair?

A. At the moment, I am still sporting a Covid Cut. It is not bad but I am ready for a real haircut. I don't see that happening any time soon, though.

9. Do you like yourself?

A. Nope.

10. Do you like cottage cheese?

A. Nope.

11. What are you listening to right now?

A. The Sound of Silence. Real silence, not the song. The kind of silence where the only thing you hear is the click of the keyboard as you type.

12. Is there anything sparkly in the room where you are?

A. The keys on my guitars are shiny. That's about as sparkly as it gets in here. I'm not a sparkly kind of girl.

13. How many countries have you visited?

A. Four. The United States, England (layover on a plane, doesn't really count), Spain, and France.

14. Are you sarcastic?

A. Who me? Never.

15. Have you ever crawled through a window?

A. When I was about 9 years old, I became trapped in the bathroom at my grandparents' house. The door jammed shut. The only way to get me out was for my grandfather to climb up on a ladder and pull me through the window. I was hysterical by the time he got me out of there.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Battle Hymn

Saturday 9: Battle Hymn of the Republic (1963)

Unfamiliar with Judy Garland's rendition of this week's tune? Hear it here.

Memorial Day is the federal holiday designated to honor American service people who died in battle. 

1) On May 30, 1868, President Grant presided over the Memorial Day observance at Arlington National Cemetery. Have you ever visited Arlington Cemetery?

A. No.

2) On Memorial Day, it is customary to fly the flag at half-staff until noon and then raise it to the top of the staff until sunset. Will you be flying the flag at your home this weekend?

A. No. I don't have a flag pole.

3) Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, because flowers and ribbons were left on graves of soldiers.  Do you find solace in visiting cemeteries?

A. I like to visit cemeteries to look at the different tombstones and such. I find quiet there. I'm not sure that is the same thing as solace, though.

4) The lyrics to this week's song were written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861. Her inspiration was a White House visit with Abraham Lincoln. In 2020, under normal circumstances, public tours of the White House are available but you must request your ticket in advance from your Member of Congress (House or Senate). When you travel, do you plan your trip weeks before you go? Or do you decide how your days will unfold once you reach your destination?

A. We plan in advance where we're going and then work out the details once we get to our destination.

5) Judy Garland performed this week's song before a live audience as a tribute to President Kennedy, who had been assassinated just weeks before. She knew Kennedy personally and considered this a farewell to a friend. While the performance was difficult for her -- at one point she flubs the lyrics -- she believed it was important, and could perhaps help the country heal. Tell us about a song that reminds you of someone you loved who is no longer with us.

A. Goodbye Norma Jean, by Elton John, reminds me of Marilyn Monroe, and then he rewrote it for the death of Princess Diana.

6) John F. Kennedy served in WWII and was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps medal and a Purple Heart. His brother Joe also served and was awarded the Navy Cross, but he received his citation posthumously, having died during a flying mission over East Suffolk, England. Here at Saturday 9, we consider everyone who serves a hero and want to hear about the veterans and active military members in your life.

A. My father served in Korea but it was after the actual war. My uncle served in Vietnam and my other uncle joined up afterwards but as far as I know he was not in a war. My grandfather served in WWII. I have traced my lineage back to Revolutionary War soldiers.

7) Memorial Day is considered the beginning of the summer season. Will you be enjoying warm weather this weekend?

A. We just had 10 inches of rain in two days. I really hope it is not raining.

8) Berries are especially popular in summer. Which is your favorite: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries?

A. Blueberries. Actually, my favorite is a wineberry, which is a type of wild raspberry that grows around here. I don't know if they grow anywhere else. They have a different flavor than a raspberry. They can be hard to find.

9) If you could attend a Memorial Day picnic with any fictional character, which would you choose?

A. Jo March from Little Women.

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I encourage you to visit other participants in Saturday 9 posts and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, a list of female singers who have influenced me in some way. They're not in any order of preference.


1. Pat Benatar - I first heard her songs when I was in high school. She was among the first women to "rock out" and gave me hope for doing so myself (although I went in another direction). Patricia Mae Giraldo, known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and four-time Grammy Award winner. She has two multi-platinum albums, five platinum albums, three gold albums, and 15 Billboard Top 40 singles, including the Top 10 hits "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", "Love Is a Battlefield", "We Belong", and "Invincible". She was nominated for a 2020 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.



2. Joan Jett - I had just finished high school when I first heard Joan Jett singing "I love rock and roll" and doing it with joy and a growl. Joan Marie Jett is an American rock singer, songwriter, composer, musician, record producer and occasional actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and performing with the Runaways, which recorded and released the hit song "Cherry Bomb". The Blackhearts' version of the song "I Love Rock 'n Roll" was number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in 1982. Jett's other notable hit songs include "Bad Reputation", "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Wanna Touch Me", "Light of Day", "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Dirty Deeds".




3. Dolly Parton - The queen of country music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I watched her on the Porter Wagoner show. My parents listened mostly to country music when I was younger, so I know most of her early hits. (Once I could change the dial, unless a song of hers, such as "9 to 5" went to the Adult Top 40 charts as well as country, I rarely heard her.) I have a lot of admiration for Dolly Parton now, aside from the plastic surgery and botox stuff which I do not like. Still, she's got a good heart and has been quite the influence on younger musicians. Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album debut in 1967 with Hello, I'm Dolly. With steady success during the remainder of the 1960s, her sales and chart peak came during the 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Parton's albums in the 1990s did not sell as well, but she achieved commercial success again in the new millennium and has released albums on various independent labels since 2000, including her own label, Dolly Records.




4. Chrissy Hynde - I am not sure when I first heard The Pretenders, Hynde's band, but I noticed her more in the 1990s than when I was younger. She can rock a guitar. Christine Ellen "Chrissie" Hynde is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She is a founding member and the guitarist, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, as well as its only constant member.




5. Sheryl Crow - I first became aware of Crow with her hit, "All I Wanna Do" and then followed her career for a while in the 1990s. I have several of her albums but as she turned more toward country, I stopped listening to her new work. I listen to her first four albums all the time, though. Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of pop, rock, country, jazz, and blues. She has released ten studio albums, four compilations, two live albums, and has contributed to a number of film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do", "Strong Enough", "If It Makes You Happy", "Everyday Is a Winding Road", "Tomorrow Never Dies", "My Favorite Mistake", "Picture" and "Soak Up the Sun". She has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Crow has garnered nine Grammy Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.




6. Melissa Etheridge - I became aware of Etheridge about the same time as I did Sheryl Crow. Etheridge is more rock, although some of her ballads and slow songs are incredibly beautiful. She's also quite a musician and guitar player. Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and activist. Her self-titled debut album Melissa Etheridge was released in 1988 and became an underground success. The album peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200, and its lead single, "Bring Me Some Water", garnered Etheridge her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female. In 1993, Etheridge won her first Grammy award for her single "Ain't It Heavy" from her third album, Never Enough. Later that year, she released what would become her mainstream breakthrough album, Yes I Am. Its tracks "I'm the Only One" and "Come to My Window" both reached the top 30 in the United States, and the latter earned Etheridge her second Grammy award. Yes I Am peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200, and spent 138 weeks on the chart, earning a RIAA certification of 6× Platinum, her largest to date.




7. Celine Dion - Everyone likes to make fun of Dion, and I have never understood why. I seem to lack the "make fun of" gene. I like her music, especially her work in the 1990s. She has a beautiful voice. I thought the theme from the Titanic movie that she did was lovely. Céline Marie Claudette Dion CC OQ is a Canadian singer. She is renowned for her powerful, technically skilled vocals, and remains the best-selling Canadian artist and one of the best-selling artists of all time with record sales of 200 million copies worldwide. Born into a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, she emerged as a teen star in her homeland with a series of French-language albums during the 1980s. She first gained international recognition by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, where she represented Switzerland. After learning to speak English, she signed on to Epic Records in the United States. In 1990, Dion released her debut English-language album, Unison, establishing herself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world.




8. Stevie Nicks - What can I say about the wonderful, witchy Stevie Nicks? She rocked it as the lead singer in Fleetwood Mac and she is still rocking it. I was aware of Fleetwood Mac when I was in middle school, I think. I remember hearing a song with Christie McVie singing instead of Stevie and not believing it was Fleetwood Mac. The last CD I bought was a Stevie Nicks solo album. Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer and songwriter. Nicks is best known for her work as a songwriter and vocalist with Fleetwood Mac, and her chart-topping solo career. She is known for her distinctive voice, mystical stage persona and poetic, symbolic lyrics. Her work both as a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist has produced over forty top 50 hits and sold over 140 million records, making her one of the best-selling music acts of all time with Fleetwood Mac.




9. Linda Ronstadt - I saw Ronstadt in person when she toured in the late 1980s. It was a great concert. She certainly had a set of pipes on her and I was sad when I learned she has Parkinson's and can't sing anymore. Linda Maria Ronstadt is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, and Latin. She has earned 10 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award, and many of her albums have been certified gold, platinum or multiplatinum in the United States and internationally. She has also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award. She was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Latin Recording Academy in 2011 and also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by The Recording Academy in 2016. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. On July 28, 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. In 2019, she received a star jointly with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work as the group Trio. Linda Ronstadt was among the five Honorees who received the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements, at the annual event on December 8, 2019, in Washington, D.C., at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.




10. Anne Murray - I know, you're wondering why she's stuck in here, aren't you? Because she has a beautiful voice and I love her sound quality. Morna Anne Murray CC ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country, and adult contemporary music whose albums have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her 40-year career. Murray was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts, and also the first to earn a Gold record for one of her signature songs, "Snowbird". She is often cited as one of the female Canadian artists who paved the way for other international Canadian success stories such as k.d. lang, Céline Dion, and Shania Twain. She is also the first woman and the first Canadian to win "Album of the Year" at the 1984 Country Music Association Awards for her Gold-plus 1983 album A Little Good News.




11. Aretha Franklin - I don't know that any list of female singers and musicians could leave out the Queen of Soul. I was in my 20s before I realized how important and influential she was. Aretha Louise Franklin was an American singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and civil rights activist. Franklin began her career as a child singing gospel at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan, where her father C. L. Franklin was a minister. At the age of 18, she embarked on a secular-music career as a recording artist for Columbia Records. While Franklin's career did not immediately flourish, she found acclaim and commercial success after signing with Atlantic Records in 1966. Hit songs such as "I Never Loved a Man", "Respect", A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think", and "I Say a Little Prayer" propelled her past her musical peers. By the end of the 1960s, Aretha Franklin had come to be known as the "Queen of Soul".




12. Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart) - It took me a while to appreciate Heart, but after some study I have come to the conclusion that Nancy Wilson is one of the best female guitar players in the world and Ann is probably one of the best singers. Of course they are aging so that may not be true as the younger women move onto the stage, but they can rock out. Heart is an American rock band formed in 1970 in Seattle, Washington by Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer, and Jeff Johnson. It evolved from an existing band, White Heart. Since 1973 the vocalists for Heart have been sisters Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson.




13. Cyndi Lauper - Lauper is another singer who has grown on me as I have aged, mostly for her activism and common sense. Her songs in the 1980s did not stick with me then, but as I have learned more about her, I find I admire her for constantly moving forward. Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album She's So Unusual was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies and her second record True Colors. This album included the number one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three.





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