I would not really call myself a country music enthusiast, but I’ve experimented.  I’ve tried it.  One might say I’ve dabbled.   I do appreciate country music; in particular, the way that most country songs can make me cry at the drop of a (cowboy) hat.

I pulled out a bunch of old country CD’s the other day and uploaded them to iTunes, intending to give some tired playlists a shot in the arm.  Now I’m thinking that maybe certain songs should have a weepy mix all their own. (Seriously, email me and I will send you a playlist that is guaranteed to make you cry.)

I did cry a bit at these old tunes, but what I also found is that I smiled when, unexpectedly, my thoughts turned to my Grandma.

As kids, my sisters and I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house.  My grandma has endured as one of the biggest influences on my life, and a true icon of unconditional love.  Of course my grandparents’ house had the requisite 70’s enormous console TV……broadcasting shows like The Brady Bunch, The Lawrence Welk Show and Hee Haw.  I seem to recall that my grandpa didn’t like Lawrence Welk, but Hee Haw was fair game.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of going to the county fair with my grandparents.  We’d see the exhibits and ride a few rides, then we’d see the music show.  I wish now that I had paid attention to who we saw.  It was always country music, but the only one I can really recall is Buck Owens.  Or maybe it was Roy.  At any rate, it was one of the Hee Haw guys.

Later, after Grandpa was gone, my sisters and I would go to the fair with Grandma and, in usual teenage fashion, be embarrassed to be be seen at the very ‘square’ country music show.   My mom assured me that cooler acts were coming to the fair soon.  In fact, she was right.  Rick Springfield just played my hometown fair this summer.  Apparently by “soon”, Mom meant “in 25 years”.

It breaks my heart that my grandma didn’t live long enough to meet my kids.  I talk about her a lot, and tell them funny little stories about her.   I’ve got to remember to tell them these tidbits:

1.  When I first started dating my husband, Grandma thought he looked like Randy Travis.  He doesn’t, but maybe that’s one reason she loved him right away.

2.  In the midst of the 80’s, she decided that she liked Billy Idol.  I think that my older cousin bought her a Billy Idol tee shirt, but in all fairness, I could be confusing it with her “Fonz” shirt.  (Either way, how cool of a grandma is that?)

3.  She saw Hank Williams Jr. in concert and hated it.  She said that he was too dirty, and he was drunk, and he was a disgrace to his father.   Harsh words, but Gram had opinions.

4.  The song “Proud to be an American” always made her cry. Now it makes me cry, because it reminds me of her.  Good tears though; I feel lucky to have had her in my life for as long as I did.  And maybe, for my Grandma, it’s time for me to give country music another try.