Horse Manure Park

John Campbell was born in Tyrone County, Northern Ireland on 1 August 1821. He immigrated to the United States when he was seven years old. On 13 August 1844, in Montreal, Canada, he married Mary White (also known as LaBlanc in some records). Mary was born on 19 April 1829 in Saint-Martin, Quebec, Canada. Presumably, she spoke fluent French. On 18 October 1868, John and Mary had their ninth (and last) child, a son they named William Barnabus Campbell. On 14 September 1874, Margaret McGowan was born to David and Sarah McGowan. Margaret's great-grandfather was John McGowan, who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1784 and immigrated to the U.S. on 10 July 1804. On the day after Christmas in 1891, William Campbell and Margaret McGowan were married in Mantorville, Minnesota. William and Margaret Campbell Seventeen years later, they had a daughter on this day, 31 March 1908. They named her Wilma Jerusha Campbell. Wilma is my grandmother and the matriarch of my Walker ...

By nature, I'm not a very spontaneous person. While I'm certainly not a "Type A" personality, I do like things to be organized and I like to have a "plan." There is a method to the madness: it prevents me from being indecisive and it keeps me from running in circles. But now and then I do things off-the-cuff and those moments often result in great memories. A perfect example: In early 1995 I had the opportunity to perform in Las Vegas in the orchestra of a local theater troupe. Long story short, the drummer of the orchestra had quit just a couple weeks before the scheduled performance in Vegas (at the Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV) and I was asked if I'd be willing to assume the percussion duties on such short notice -- if so, my flight and accommodations would be taken care of. I was single at the time and had no reason to stay in one place, so I threw caution to the wind and hopped on the plane. Besides, I already knew the music! But that's jus...

I hate it when I have to go to Walmart. Well, I guess I shouldn't say I have to go, I choose to go.  The same way I choose to drink a twelve pack of beer and a pint of brandy, even though I know it will result in a horrible headache the next day. I guess it is part of an unconscious inner self-loathing I am afflicted with and I suppose I need serious professional help. I always tell myself Walmart is closer to home and they usually have better prices, so to Walmart I go. The one good thing about it is I always find a pretty good story or at least something interesting to share. Today was no different. So this morning, I spirited through the store getting what I needed. Surprisingly, it was fairly uneventful except when I passed the electronics section. Two people were trying to buy TracFones and the overweight, perspiring, balding Associate was clearly overwhelmed. When a third customer with a shopping cart full of Ol' Roy, Red Bull and Tampax wandered up to the desk, Pe...

It is a day of celebration. A day when family and friends brave the wintry cold and gather together to eat, drink and be merry. No, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving. I am talking, of course, about Super Bowl Sunday. Tomorrow is the unofficial national holiday of the United States. It is the most analyzed, debated, commercialized, consumerized and overly-hyped spectacle our country has to offer. It is uniquely American. A few numbers to ponder: $5.6 billion: the amount money Americans will spend on Super Bowl related items 1.33 billion: the number of chicken wings to be consumed 325 million: gallons of beer to be drank 4.4 million: pizzas to be ordered from Pizza Hut, Papa John's and Dominoes $6,250: average ticket price to the Super Bowl $5 million: the cost of a 30 second ad during the game $132 million: the amount of money wagered on the Super Bow in Las Vegas In fact, you can bet on anything , from the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coac...

"I fought my whole life . . . because I wanted to hear and know the whole story, my story, our story, and understand as much of it as I could. This, I presented as my long and noisy prayer, my magic trick. Hoping it would rock your very soul and then pass on, to be read, heard, sung and altered by you and your blood, that it might strengthen and help make sense of your story. Go tell it." These are the concluding sentences of Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run , his new, unapologetic and beautifully written memoir. After reading the last few words, I am inspired to write, so here I am. Whenever I hear a great new album or read an inspiring book, I always feel like I need to share the good news; there is hope out there ! People are still writing and creating good stuff! I realize most folks couldn't care less, but that's okay. I am who I am. I was given Born to Run as a Christmas gift and I was anxious to read it, not because I am a big Springsteen fan, bec...

It is the last day of 2016. Thank you for "tuning in" to read my posts; it is a rare event when something new pops up here (and I really must change that). If I was a true believer in resolutions, I would resolve to write more. But my cynical side tells me I am setting myself up for failure. The excuses will fly left and right why I don't post more often. Instead, I will write today -- mark time as the year ends -- and see what tomorrow brings. The past year was very memorable, but for mostly the wrong reasons. So many famous people in the entertainment industry died this year and I've taken a few minutes to compile a list (certainly not exhaustive): David Bowie Alan Rickman Dan Haggerty  Glenn Frey Abe Vigoda Maurice White  Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird ) Sir George Martin  Frank Sinatra, Jr. Garry Shandling  Patty Duke Merle Haggard Prince Morley Safer Elie Wiesel (author of Night ) Garry Mashall Gene Wilder Bobby Vee Kay Sta...

As this incredible election fades away in the rearview mirror, I feel I should mark time here. I know most people will stop reading right here because I mentioned "election," but there is something I feel I should say based on what I'm witnessing around me. Social media has become a poisonous place, especially post-election. I am troubled that friendships are being destroyed and families have become divided over this election. Think about what we are doing to one another. I know this is a Simple Simon idea, but there is one solitary truth that everyone should understand... No one cares about you except your family and your friends.  Believe it or not, Hillary Clinton really didn't give a damn about you. She wanted your vote. She had her own agenda. Donald Trump doesn't give a damn about you. He wanted your vote. And he has his own agenda. Yet, with limited time on planet earth, we are slashing each other's throats over two vile human beings who ...