Keep on the Sunny Side of Life

I learned this lovely Carter Family classic from Lorre Wyatt in the 1980s. He recorded it on his Folk Legacy LP "Roots and Branches" I seem to recall. Lorre tells a great tale about the author Ida Blenkhorn, which involves a nurse pushing her patients around in a wheelchair. One young woman's only request was that they stick to the sunny side of the path. It apparently led to a great song!

There's a dark & a troubled side of life
There's a bright, there's a sunny side, too
Though we meet with the darkness and strife
The sunny side we also may view

[cho:] Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side,
Keep on the sunny side of life
It will help us everyday, it will brighten all the way
If we'll keep on the sunny side of life

Though a storm in its fury breaks today,
Crushing hopes that we cherish so dear;
Clouds and storms will, in time, pass away
The sun again will shine bright and clear.

Let us greet with the song of hope each day
Tho' the moment be cloudy or fair
As we walk let us clear a sunlit way
And hope other souls will travel there.

(Ida Blenkhorn, lyrics modified by Lorre Wyatt circa 1987)

You are my Sunshine (from Idaira of NI 2)

Many thanks to Idaira from San Mateo (NI 2) for the link to You are my Sunshine!

My kitchen (by Susana from Santa Brigida NI 2)

The kitchen is very special to me. I have lived here for over ten years and it has become a part of me. It’s full of personal possessions: my crockery I have collected over five years, the wooden furniture that I have personally chosen. Here you will find all the kitchen tools needed to prepare delicious and aromatic recipes. Even a part of the wall has been decorated with my own hands with cheerful flowered wallpaper.
It’s about to 6 meters long and 4 meters wide. It’s big enough to have a glass round table at the bottom with 4 leather chairs which is the local point of the room, just at the front of the conservatory. This conservatory is a large floor-ceiling glass window which looks out onto the garden. The other two walls to the sides are plenty of furniture and appliances such as a microwave, the oven and the fridge, everything of steel colour. But you won’t ever find anything on the table or worktop except some flowers or fruit if we aren’t eating or cooking. This is because I can't stand clutter.
There isn’t any door, which means you come straight into through the living room and the dining room. In fact, there is no door anywhere on this floor except at the bath.
Whenever we have a party or a Christmas dinner, people gravitate with their drinks to the kitchen. It always ends up the fullest and noisiest room in the house but I harbour very pleasant memories of it.

Notes on You are my Sunshine

This old family favorite of mine has a lot of history to it. Apparently one of the co-authors actually ran for governor in Louisiana (or was it Mississippi?) and won.

Whatever the case, he helped produce one of the most tuneful folk classics in US singable history. Indeed, this has proved a crowdpleaser for me in three continents.

Please note that I have never, as far as I know, ever sung the song in G (one sharp) as written below. But the melody is more or less right. Enjoy this ditty and keep singing!

Delmar Lemming

Popular Request for Guaci and all!

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away!

1) The other night dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried.

2) I'll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same.
But if you leave me how it will grieve me,
You'll regret it all some day.

3) You told me once, dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between.
But now you've left me to love another;
You have shattered all of my dreams.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING

One of our favorite holiday celebrations, Halloween, is coming soon. We hope to have another session of spooky stories and songs and activities for our classes at the EOI Santa Brigida.

The Cat Came Back!