19

We returned to the Saltbox Primitive gift shop today to pick up a candle we liked, and since it was raining, I snapped this festive shot of one of their holiday displays, stirred with a splash of BeCasso. It certainly doesn’t feel much like hot cocoa weather with temps near 50F • Yes, yes, onto the Song Countdown, Louise! • Coming in at #19 is Here Comes Santa Claus, written by Gene Autry, with music by Oakley Halderman, 1947. Autry was inspired after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Parade in LA, listening to spectators chant “Here Comes Santa Claus!” He used real sleigh bells in his first recording • The song has been covered by so many since, to include Bing, of course!, Doris Day, Elvis and Glen Campbell • I continue to practice my repertoire of songs on the uke with “The Banks of The Ohio” the most challenging, and “Jamaican Farewell” with its Calypso Strum a close second. My transition between a few of the chords is slower than I’d like, but hopefully the practice will pay off :) • I’m elated and relieved with the special election runoff in Georgia. Hasta Luego, Herschel Walker!!