By Merle Lee Ann Pratt – Merle Lee Ann’s Kitchen, author of “A Baker’s Dozen”

Senior's Scene

Memories Never Leave, Like People Do

Jan 31, 2022 | 1:28 PM

I had a topic all figured out for my next blog and then I heard this song by John Prine on my way home from work, and I’m like, I need to write about this song and these memories.

The song resonated about the times we are in. We have all lost loved ones, the pandemic has made it especially harder if you had your loved one(s) living in a senior citizens home or similar style residency where you could not visit, you could not be there to hug and hold them as before the pandemic.

Having someone in a home or hospital during this pandemic has made having contact with them difficult to say the least. I had experienced someone close to me being in the hospital pre-covid times. I would bring coffee in the morning, make sure he had warm blankets, toes were tucked in, fingernails clipped, small things to me, but so important to someone who can’t do these types of tasks for themselves. These are just a few of the things we do when we have a loved one in a hospital or a nursing home.

Now, onto what I wanted to blog about today. John Prine – what a great songwriter, singer and storyteller. He has some of the best lyrics. Have you heard of him / listened to him? How did I hear about him? Listening to CBC radio about 30 years ago. Before Shazam and other apps that could tell you, who was singing without waiting to hear if the DJ would tell you who the artist was. Luckily, that day the DJ revealed the name of the artist I was listening to. The first CD purchased by him was Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings. What a great CD this is. Our family ended up having so much enjoyment listening to this album and of course more albums and songs by him as time went on, which is where this blog is going.

As I drove home that evening, I heard the song “Memories by Swamp Dogg and John Prine”. So today you are getting a song first and then the story. (If you have ever watched Seinfeld, it’s an opposite George Costanza day – very funny episode. Here is the line:

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“Memories don’t leave like people do

and that’s why in my mind I’m always gonna be with you.”

Wow, what a great line, because that is totally life. We can’t have people with us forever, whether it be death or circumstances of life. We meet people who are so important to us in the early stages of life, and then we hit teenage years, the wonderful 20’s and on it goes. We take a holiday and meet people from other parts of the world that we enjoy being with. We all try to stay in touch and then life takes over. Back to the real world of work and our own family. Memories; this is what you have to hold on to.

When I hear a particular song, it will recall a memory. And John Prine brings back some of the best for me and my family. When we started listening to John Prine we were driving an old 1987 Grand Marquis station wagon, what a beaut it was! We paid $900 for it, and a year later we put a $1000 stereo into it. Subwoofers, front and rear speakers; and we would rock the streets of Birch Hills to the Lion King and various other songs and artists. You could hear us coming down the street whoof, whoof, whoof. How I love music and a great sounding stereo everywhere and anywhere. I seldom leave home without one of my Bose Bluetooth speakers.

Music has always been a huge part of my life.

I have loved so many varieties and genres of music.

When I was younger, someone would ask me a question and I would answer with the lyrics from a song. This would make my eldest daughter kind of frustrated. One day she asked me as we were driving home from the lake why I always had to sing a song to answer a question. I really didn’t know why; it would just come out of my mouth as a song instead of words. Shortly after that we came upon some roadkill – a dead skunk in the middle of the road – and guess what I started singing? “Dead skunk, in the middle of the road, dead skunk in the middle of the road” possibly by Loudon Wainwright III (there’s a lot of dead skunk songs on Spotify). And she’s like mom really? Do you really have to sing a song? And I’m like, no and broke into the song, “I’m sorry, so sorry” by Brenda Lee at which she could do nothing but laugh at me. True story. The rest of the road trip was nothing but songs and laughter.

Back to the song Memories … what a great line: “anytime, anywhere I can be with you.”

Remember that line. As we remember the people around us, people who have left our lives for one reason or another; take a look into your memory book. Remember the good times, the fun times, what you enjoyed about that person. Close your eyes and just relax, open the memory book. Let it bring a smile to your face. So many memories. Your children, your childhood, your siblings, your parents, your friends. Those memories are all there for you; just reach into that memory bank and enjoy them.

One of the first artists we lost during COVID was John Prine. I still remember the night we heard the news that he had passed away. I was off work at that time because of COVID shutdowns. It was a full moon night, our son was with us, and we all toasted drinks to John Prine. We listened to all our of our favorite tunes that evening and mourned the loss of another great artist. We didn’t know him personally, but he sure had brought a lot of laughter and love with his music to our home. He had brought us memories.

What are your memories?

Bring back the ones that make you laugh. I have a very deep love for my pets and the ones that I have lost. The ones that have left me sadden my heart. It has taken me a long time to get over their loss. And yet, as I re-told a story of my dog, I lost over 14 years ago; I broke into tears as I told it. She was one of my best friends. I had forgotten how much her leaving had meant to me until I re-told her story. Another memory. But, as my daughter says, “remember the good times mom, don’t dwell on the loss of her life”. And that is what I do, I remember, the joy she brought me.

Three years ago, we lost our next golden retriever – Cash. It took me an extremely long time to get over his death. These pets that are our best friends leave us feeling empty when they are gone. For Cash, we were fortunate enough to have a vet come to our home to end his final moments of life. Our children were all with us, his best friends Maci (another dog), and Sable our cat. We gathered to say goodbye to our best friend. And being the music people we all are we created a playlist for Cash’s passing weekend. And yes, we remember the good times, especially with Cash. Our children’s friends all loved Cash – he was a very special friend to all. And those are the stories we tell about him, the joy he brought to us and others around him.

For me songs bring up so many good memories. Music just takes me back. I can remember where I was and what I was doing, who I was with when a certain song comes on. Grease Soundtrack, Bruce Springsteen – Hungry Heart, ABBA – many songs and albums, Phantom of the Paradise, Midnight in Montgomery, Meatloaf – Paradise by the Dashboard Lights, Blake Shelton – Some Beach; the list just goes on and on. I hope you have a musical memory. And let them bring good memories to you that we should all cherish, as the line said – memories don’t leave us the way people do. I will end with that song of course. Make sure you take a listen and if you enjoy music take time to listen to the album – Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, our introduction to John Prine, and I hope you enjoy it as much as our family has.

Memories – Swamp Dogg and John Prine, Single Release in January, 2020

Merle Lee Ann Pratt – merleleeannskitchen.com – Email: merleleeann@gmail.com

This column is sponsored by MacKenzie Funeral Chapel and Crematorium – We will be there when you need us – Bev and Brian Stobbs

130 9th St. E, Prince Albert, SK

Phone: (306) 763-8488

https://mackenziechapel.ca/