The Warmest Spot

By Anita Garner.

This week it’s the kitchen, the place where everybody gathers, and it’s not just because of the stove. The coffee pot’s in there too.

In the kitchen, several old things are new again. In the 70’s we went to each other’s houses for dinner, which was often potluck, and our Crock Pots ® stayed on the counter because we used them so often.

Then the Crock Pot was relegated to a shelf in the garage and last time I went to a potluck supper, many of the dishes were store-bought. Not a single tuna and noodle and peas casserole in sight.

Crock Pots returned in sleek versions we call slow cookers and we’re all exchanging recipes. Here’s mine: put one onion in a crock pot and the house smells like home all day.

Casseroles are now known as one-dish meals with many more than the three or four ingredients we relied on.

We’ll need to buy some new casserole dishes.  I gave away the last one a long time ago and I don’t know where we stored the Pyrex. ?

“Tea For Two”  performed by Australian guitarist, Gilbertt Kat.

Here’s his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/gilbkat

Artwork above generously loaned by Susan Branch, whose blog and books I read faithfully. www.susanbranch.com

Kinky Boots

Listen to this blog here.

I love to tell this story. It’s about generous performers, actors and singers, and four degrees of separation.  Greg (North) Zerkle directed a reading of my musical, The Glory Road in Los Angeles.

At the last minute, one of our actors had to drop out to take another role.  


Brent Schindele  said, “An actor I know is in town right now appearing in The Lion King at the Pantages.  Let’s see if he can do it.”

Brent Schindele

Brent contacted Eugene Ware-Hill, who came over from The Lion King and without rehearsal, performed at our reading.  He was magnificent.

                                                             Eugene Ware-Hill

Fast forward. Eugene is in Kinky Boots on Broadway. The Grand has a crush on a rock star, Brendon Urie  who sang a lead role in the show this summer. Her girlfriend was traveling to New York and would get to see the show.  The Grand couldn’t go. Heartbreak.

I asked Eugene if he could please get her an autograph. He did even more. He sent a Kinky Boots playbill with a personal note from Brendon addressed to the Grand. This treasure occupies the place of honor in her room.

              Playbill from Kinky Boots

I think about how these four degrees of gorgeous proved what our grammas used to say, “Pretty is as pretty does.”

And wait  – one more.

The musician playing this ukulele version of Lullaby of Broadway is Colin Tribe. Colin lives in England where he teaches, arranges and performs.

                                           Edward and his grandpa, Colin Tribe

Colin’s YouTube channel is linked below.

Or reach him here:

colinrtribe@btinternet.com