I pulled out my dusty old guitar last night. I can't remember the last time I played it. It was so badly out of tune, I was in need of assistance. I called on my beautiful bride Linda. She pulled out her accordion and played a few notes for me to hear. After the guitar was in tune, we did a little jamming. Linda wanted to play some polkas. We got down. We rock and rolled out a barrel of fun. Actually, my rudimentary guitar playing combined with Linda's beginning accordion playing didn't produce much music but we did have a few laughs.
Linda wanted me to hear some of her favorite childhood polkas so she dialed them up on You Tube. Who would have thought, but there is an ample supply of polka videos to choose from. One better than the next and most featuring an accordion. I especially enjoyed a young eastern European named Tony. He was smoking. White hot.
You cannot go on You Tube looking for polka videos with out running into the champagne music of Lawrence Welk. I shed a nostalgic tear when I saw him. I grew up watching his show every Saturday night. It was my parents favorite television show. Ted Mack did the Geritol commercials. Geritol was a liquid dietary supplement. Snake oil. There are Ted Mack Geritol commercials on You Tube if you are curious.
I "Googled" Lawrence Welk. There were a number of surprises. One: He was born and raised in America. Who would have thought with that accent. He grew up in a German speaking community in North Dakota. Two: His family homestead is a tourist attraction. I can't imagine working fifty weeks a year and when I get my well deserved two week vacation, spending it visiting the Lawrence Welk family homestead in Strasburg, North Dakota. I really don't get it.
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