Remembering Patsy Cline...

Remembering Patsy Cline…

Oh yeah! One of my favorite singers back in the day. What brought her to mind this day was a particular tune of her's and how it described my mood so accurately... well, with one little variation... Of course, a flood of memories also accompanied that recollection, but the theme remained.

‘Crazy’ was one of her biggest hits, and it surely was a hit with this simple, non-singing rider. What made it so appropriate for this day’s application was the substitution of the word ‘Crazy’ with the word ‘Lazy’. Yep, I was scheduled to depart the motel this very morning, but… that melody so completely grabbed my attention!

The sky had cleared revealing a glorious blue backdrop for the brilliant sunshine producing that nearly irresistible urge to swing a leg over ALI’s sumptuous sheep-skin covered saddle and head out to our next adventure. The gentle breeze, while undeniably present and having a wee bite, was not particularly bothersome, the traffic on a Sunday morning was expected to be light and easy to handle, fast food would be plentiful and readily available all along our probable route, and all I had to do was load up and hit the road… but I didn’t.

The excuse I officially settled upon was the brisk temperature. The cold front had passed as expected during the night and with it the rain downpour. While heavy wind had also been part of the mix, that had all subsided for the most part by dawn. The temperature was not seriously cold, but sufficient to require additional layers if riding any distance.

Having no need to be anywhere in particular for a few days, and no hurry to be at any other motel for the evening, well… It was simply too easy to postpone departure for the following morning with a forecasted temperature of ten degrees or so warmer… Still on the cool side but much closer to that ideal zone for this delicate geezer. I smiled all the way as I strolled to the motel office to ‘re-up’ for another night!

A few memories also came with the recollection of that timeless tune. There was a time, for example, way-back-when that I moseyed into a local tavern someplace. Karaoke was a big deal back then, and several wannabes were living-out their fantasy of performing on-stage. As usual, most were not ready for primetime, of course, but one gal in particular did prove to be an exception. Her flute-clear voice was as close to Patsy’s as I’d ever heard!

She asked if there were any requests, and I happily mentioned several songs by Ms. Cline. She responded with excellent versions of those classics, much to my delight. As things worked out, she wound up chatting me up after her performance… Uh-oh, I came to realize…

While I was very much available back then, she… well, she was truly a fabulous singer, but… That was as far as her appeal went. I then recalled a variation of a Groucho Marx quote: “I wouldn’t have any gal who would have me…”

I did feel a sense of pride and self-satisfaction, as I managed a graceful exit to dodge that bullet while not offending the lass… Yes, I had been known to grant a few waivers and temporarily lower my standards now and then, but even then, I still had limits… My fondness for Patsy’s music, however, has never wavered…

DDT (12)