32 Comments
founding

it certainly can't be a whole hell of lot worse than October. There's even some chance that it'll be better. I'll keep trying to practice that Woebegone optimism. <;-)

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Taylor seems like a nice girl, and she’s respectful of elders. I recently saw a youtube video of her performing with Mick Jagger.

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I never thought I would see "Mick Jagger" and "elders" juxtaposed. But now I have.

It was unnerving when I first read it. But sufficient time has passed and it seems okay now. Sometimes 30 seconds is a long time.

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We love you, Garrison (In a brotherly sort of way, that is... .)

I would never call you (or anyone) "bro." I've always believed that's a term used by people too mentally addled to remember names of friends and acquaintances which is (Hillary Clinton notwithstanding) "deplorable."

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founding

Dear Garrison. Other than the fog of TV coverage did I have any idea who Taylor Swift was and did not care. Now I do care. If she and you are friends and she ran for president of these un-united states, I'd vote for her and hope you lived at least another six years or so. Guess there might be hope after all.

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Taylor Swift for President. That’s a sobering thought.

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When we were kids, being a president was top tier.

Didn’t everyone aspire to that position?

Now, not so much.

Nowadays it’s more, I wish to be happy, unencumbered, free to move around with little to no attachments (or security detail)

I’m pretty sure I’m penning Taylor’s very sentiments here 😊

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Wait. Wasn’t the force driving this column the November tendency to re-enter “reality”?

Perhaps “Uncle G” has hit on something here?

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Good morning Garrison

Ah, yes, “It’s G-L-O-R-Y To Know That I’m S-A-V-E-D”.

Thanks for the memories Summer Bible School.

Did you guys also sing “Paise Ye The Lord”?

[Basically, you divide everybody up into two groups --e.g. boys vs girls; older kids vs younger kids; kids in the odd-numbered row vs the even-numbered rows; etc.-- Call the groups “A” and “B”.

Then, starting with everyone seated, you take turns standing to sing the following lines as LOUDLY as possible. (Basically it was a contest to see which group could sing louder.)]

(A) PRAISE YE THE LORD!!

(B) HALLELUJAH!!

(A) PRAISE YE THE LORD!!

(B) HALLELUJAH!!

(A) PRAISE YE THE LORD!!

(B) HALLELUJAH!!

(Everybody): PRAISE YE THE LORD!!!!

N

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Never heard it. I come from a very selective group. This sounds too rousing for us.

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You should have been raised Lutheran, you had a deprived childhood and teenage.

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Sang it as a young one during my years at a Baptist Church in Queens, NYC

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A favorite at the American Lutheran Bible Camp in Onamia MN, on Lake Shakopee, 1952-5. being Lutheran, we were always singing, with our counselors singing descant on this one.

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Taylor will always have a special place in my heart. I was privileged to be her elementary school music teacher in grades 1-4. Her passion and determination to develop her talents were evident even in the first grade. She always worked hard to stay focused on her dream and never lost her honesty or integrity along the way.

One of my fondest memories of her was when she sang her first solo on stage. The 2nd grade musical was called "The Runaway Snowman" - the only solo was for a male - no problem for Taylor - she played and sang the role of "Freddy Fasttalk" and brought down the house!

With retirement, moving and caring for my 102 year old mother I have lost contact with her and her wonderful family. I'd love to reconnect with them again.

TS for Pres - YES!

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I've never heard her sing, but I have a niece-in-law named Taylor (who is even cuter than TS), so I have generally positive feelings about her.

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WHAT A PLEASURE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!

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More likely, those boxes would be under a table at the St. Paul Lutheran annual bazaar priced at $1 for five pounds...

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Which St. Paul Lutheran? St. Paul Lutheran, Quincy and Lowry, "Nordeast" Mpls., was my home church.

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Garrison - -

Re. your October 16th column.

Rather than cleaning out your closet to recycling, consider donating your papers to the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming. They have a fabulous collection of American material including The Archives of the Union Pacific Railroad, Stan Lee, and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel (the Admiral in charge of the Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941.

Your materials would be a wonderful addition to the collections.

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THANKS BUT I DON'T THINK SO. Wyoming is so far away. (Is Stan Lee from there?)

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For those of us of a certain age, who might find ourselves somewhat taken aback by the massive appeal of Taylor Swift (and here I don’t mean simply to the younglings, but by our own fandom) I would recommend the following ad that appeared on SNL:

https://youtu.be/PAhAz7JU0dg?si=H2oy0dtqP39l37so

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Your funniest column in months! If not the Nobel prize, then maybe the Heisman trophy! I guess I need to try to get to know Taylor Swift. So sorry about the Twins, but go Rangers!

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Go Rangers, boo Houston.

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Okay, Uncle G, you’re a novelist, and novelists take liberties with reality. Do you really play scrabble with Taylor every Friday morning? Sometimes, I can’t tell when you’re joshing. Take that as a compliment!

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He's joshing. I don't find it hard to tell.

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It was fiction. I confess.

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And a highly believable one! You got me. Way to go, Uncle G!😁

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It would appear there are more yay than there are nay in this 'mature' group. I count myself in the yay's. I personally had negative connotations, initially, but listening to her talk at commencement for the 2022 NYU graduating class drastically changed my opinion. I couldn't name a song she has done so I wonder what the attraction is, especially after hearing from a good friend that she had paid $600 for a ticket for grand-daughter to attend a Swift concert and then $600 for a second ticket so the kid didn't have to go by herself(?). Granny did say she loved the show but for the throng of screaming juveniles.

I have since read several clips about Taylor Swift and I must say I am all the more impressed.

I should add that in her opinion I'm a much better scrabble player than GK but she fears he may not have that much "time left" but then we could pick up where we left off. I hope she's wrong about longevity....

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I work with a librarian who is a millennial of sorts. She adores Taylor Swift. I've been impressed with certain albums of her width and scope. Ryan Adams produced a covers record of her songs. Pop music can be perplexing and challenging. I do feel like the flavors of the weak such as Katy Perry imitate Taylor. She doesn't have to work another day in her young life. Billions of dollars can be donated for goodness not avarice. So yes Taylor Swift is legitimate but her appeal now is with an athlete named Kelce. I do look forward to November myself for various reasons.

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