Prairie Home Companion

It has come to my attention that some of you may have been missing out on one of life's joys.

So, of course, I am here to bring it to light and remedy that for you. {wink wink}

Prairie Home Companion, folks. If you've never listened, you might want to start.

Most every Sunday, my little family hurries home from church and I or my husband start cooking something for lunch. Right about 1pm, I reach up and tune in my little Crosley radio to our local NPR station, and the magic begins. We are immediately transformed into a little family from days gone by, gathering together and listening to a good old-fashioned variety show on the radio while we enjoy our lunch. It's really become one of our favorite times of the week, and even the little guy really gets into it. Today's show is an especially good one since it's featuring one of my favorite modern (yet vintage) crooners -- Nellie McKay (Garrison calls her a "Doris Day gumdrop", don'tcha love that?!) -- and a sibling set of fiddlers that are fantastic. According to the website, Sara Watkins will be on next week, another favorite of mine. Many of you might recognize her name since she used to be in the group "Nickel Creek". And last week, my girl Kristin Chenoweth dropped by the show.




Garrison Keillor is a master storyteller, and it's always comforting to hear his soothing voice telling yet another tale from Lake Wobegon, his fictional setting for the weekly stories. There's sometimes "Guy Noir, Private Eye" -- a funny detective always on the hunt for clues to solve the mystery. My favorites are the "commercial" jingles for Rhubarb Pie and Powder Milk Biscuits or even the Ketchup Advisory Board commercials, haha. The guy that does the sound effects is nothing short of amazing, and the Guy's All-Star Shoe Band is so talented and will have you tapping your toes under the table in no time. There is always good ol' Minne-SOH-ta humor, which we can appreciate after having lived there for a short while.

My husband and I enjoyed the experience a few years back when we took his aunt and uncle to a live taping while we were in St. Paul, Minnesota for a visit. It's in the historic Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul, and what a fun time. There are signs for the audience of when to clap, etc., just like in the good ol' days. The stage is set with a front porch of a farmhouse and moon as the backdrop, and some audience members even get to sit up there through the taping. They use those old fashioned big silver microphones which are really cool. The live tapings are on Saturday nights (I believe), and then our local NPR station replays it on Sunday afternoons (which I believe most radio stations across the country do as well). But if you miss out on the radio air times, you can always go online and listen to the podcasts.

So there you have it. Check it out, and enjoy some of the simpler things in life. Turn off the TV, and turn on the radio. You won't regret it!

*image found here