A Recipe for Twice-Told Tales

Lady Margaret thinks great bedtime stories all have the same elements.

There should be at least one cat. Color and size does not matter.

There should be a Wicked Witch ...

There should be a Damsel in Distress (who should be pretty and appealing) ...

and a Nefarious Villain (or IS he? That's part of the story's charm).

A Hero who sweeps in at the last minute to rescue her.

He can have a sidekick, if he likes...

... perhaps a comic relief choice.

All together, they form a bedtime story to be told again and again.

At least until one falls asleep.

'Tis the Season

No, not Christmas already -- the 4th of July. A season celebrated best perhaps in the world of Primitives,
where Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty, and all our Americana friends feel at home 365 days of the year.

A few of our all-time favorite pieces hail from Independence Day:

Uncle Sam ...

... Teddy Crowsevelt ...

... and, of course, the little Lady Liberties.

Break out the firecrackers, the Roman candles and pinwheels. It's countdown time to the big red, white, and blue birthday.

A Few of Our Favorite Things: Playlists

Cheesy, we know, but we can't seem to get enough of these babies. Compiling a list of songs beneath a mood-appropriate title like "Thoughts on Blowing Bubble Gum", only to toss them out a week later for a whole-new lineup.

Not that there was anything wrong with the first one, understand; there are just so many more titles to choose from, it's impossible not to create more...and more... and more lists. Oldies, rock, bluegrass, Celtic, pop, gospel -- it's all available. Including soundtrack favorites from "Napoleon Dynamite" if you should feel so inclined.

Our Favorites include:

Playlist.com. You'll see this one scrolling at the bottom of the blog now and then. Mood-appropriate music is practically the purpose of this site, since silly playlist titles abound and the selection is virtually limitless. This is where I build my best Christmas playlists and silliest song combos.

Pandora. The "build a radio station" theory is really appealing if you're seeking new artists instead of favorite songs. Feed them a name -- say, Audra McDonald -- and see how quickly it links you to similar artists whose music you may want to add to your electronic shopping list.

Live365. Similar to Pandora, this site streams using a thematic format, not a song-specific playlist. The variety, however, is mind-boggling; featuring radio stations and playlists from around the world for almost any genre. Find stations devoted to "White Christmas" renditions or oldies from the Drifters or Del Vikings.

Try a few of these when in the mood for music -- if you can settle on just one, that is. Good luck and happy listening!