January 2004
HAPPY, YAPPY NEW YEAR
Wednesday, January 1: The Day On Which Diana awakens in
the wee hours of the New Year to hear her dogs barking the refrain of Auld
Lang Syne — and in the key of G, no less.
JESSAMINE’S 21ST BIRTHDAY
Saturday, January 25: The Day On Which Diana’s daughter
Jessamine proves she’s a good ventriloquist at Jake’s when she makes from
her leftover birthday French toast a face with two lips that talk to the
host with the blue hair, who, with a straight face, answers the plate face’s
question about where one could get a good desk lamp in Northampton, Mass.
CHIEF RE-BOP FLIES BLUES TO FLORIDA
Monday, January 27: The Day On Which Diana takes new Blues
songs on Jet Blue to work with 10-year-old singer Anneli and her co-writing
singing sidekick, Florida’s Fonrin (Thai for "Soft Rain") “Faye” Diaz.
February 2004
PROUD DADDY
Sunday, February 1: The Day On Which Diana visits Anneli’s
musician dad who laughs and cries at the surprise that Bonnie Raitt is on
the “I Wanna Be Bonnie” song he wrote with Anneli!
MEET THE MENAGERIE
Monday, February 2: The Day On Which Diana visits the home
of Anneli and her 10-year-old singer/songwriter friend Faye Diaz and meets
their 10 chickens, 4 cats, 3 dogs, 2 birds, 1 rooster, and fish who swim
too fast to count.
RADIO DISNEY INTERVIEW
Thursday, February 5: The Day On Which Diana, after modelling
for fun an outrageous hot pink ball gown at a hotsy totsy Palm Beach consignment
store, goes with Anneli to be interviewed by Radio Disney’s Kidcaster,
Lori.
KIDS' BLUES CD ARRIVES
VALENTINE'S DAY!
Saturday, February 14: The Day On Which Diana sends Steve
off to Toy Fair with slews of the new "Even Kids Get the Blues" CD where
it gets great reviews.
PURPLE HULA HOOP PORCH PERCH
Friday, February 26: The Day On Which Diana ponders how
to set free from the glassed-in front porch a trapped spring chickadee who
perches on the top of the big purple hula hoop while waiting for Diana to
think of a solution...
April 2004
FIVE-FINGER TAP DANCE IN L.A.
Thursday, April 8: The Day On Which Diana goes to L.A. to
try out a Chapman Stick bass to see if she can play it with one hand, which
she almost can so her dad buys her one from Emmet, the inventor.
BONNIE RAITT BACKSTAGE
AT BOCA RATON
Sunday, April 18: The Day On Which Diana and Anneli are
invited backstage after the Boca Raton concert to finally meet Bonnie Raitt.
5-YEAR-OLD TROLL
SONG WRITER EMILY FLETCHER
Saturday, April 23: The Day On Which Diana and Emily, while
playing music and trolls, write a song for three trolls that goes like
this:
I’ll be the mom troll! I’ll be the dad! I’ll be the best gramma
you ever had!
Our pet giraffe is tied to the fence. Gerry’s his name and he cost 50
cents (at a garage sale).
June 2004
HARDWICK'S SCHOOL IS OUT PARTYMonday, June 8: The Day On Which Diana gets dehydrated performing with the Dave Keller band, the Sucher family, and Anneli on the Hardwick ball field in a blistering hot dust storm, after which Anneli gets asked out and her Mom says nicely "No, ten’s too young!"
MUSICAL SEND-OFF FOR MARSHFIELD VILLAGE STORE OWNERSSaturday, June 19: The Day on Which Diana and her sister Lizzie, with Emily on mandolin, sing a Diana original called “The Village Store” for Jean and John who we will all miss a lot!
July 2004
TWO BLUES GIGS FOR THE 4TH!Saturday July 3: The Day On Which Diana and Anneli join 11-year-old Cora Sagar at Bristol's 4th of July Festival to sing with Sandra Wright, Big Joe Burrell and The Unknown Blues Band, then rush to Burlington Waterfront to sing again just in time for fireworks!
THE SOUND OF YORKSHIRE PUDDING
Thursday July 8: The Day On Which Diana hears the sound of Yorkshire pudding when Anneli whose Welsh Grandma Kay taught her the way to tell when the batter is ready to bake from the sound it makes when the bubble forms as it’s being mixed in the great outdoors at a slight tilt on your lap on the front stoop. Diana beats the batter back and forth with a wooden spoon until a magical talking drum song is born, inciting everyone present to dance and hip-hop about.
JESSAMINE JOY
Friday, July 9: The Day On Which Diana grins to see daughter Jessamine sit for hours cross-legged on the front stone path getting brown in the sun, writing song after song, and singing them out loud for nobody but herself to hear.
MARSHFIELD LIBRARY GAZEBO GIG
Thursday, July 15: The Day On Which Diana does a Re-Bop gazebo gig with the Sucher family, Carol, Michael and Rachel, McCaffrey daddy/daughter duo Colin and Cerri, and last but not least, Anneli.
TREY RECORDS SOMANTIN FOR RE-BOP
Friday, July 16: The Day On Which Diana watches in amazement as Trey, Tony, John, and Ray record the instrumental tracks for Trey and Tom’s song “Hello, My Name is Somantin” at Trey’s mountaintop barn studio.
DEEDAH AND DAUGHTER DUET WITH BOPPA DAY-OH KID BACK-UPS
Saturday, July 17: The Day On Which Diana watches with glee as Trey, daughter Eliza, and mobs of her friends at their happiest, sing “Somantin”, feast, and climb stairway to ceiling to two-person elevator into cupula hosting unbelievable view.
ANTHEM BY BLUME AT BASEBALL GAMETuesday, July 20: The Day On Which Diana and lots of other spectators get chills to hear Anneli sing the Star Spangled Banner at the Vermont Mountaineers baseball game.
August 2004
VERMONT EXPOS ' LAKE MONSTER TURNS SIXFriday, August 6: The Day On Which Diana and the Re-Bops entertain the masses and mascots at the Vermont Expos game for Champ's 6th birthday party.
BLUME'S BIRTHDAYBLUES GIG
Saturday, August 21: The Day On Which Diana bursts with pride to see five Re-Bop kids (Anneli, Nathan, Cora, Luke, and Emily) perform live with Big Joe Burrell and The Unknown Blues Band at the Lake Placid Art and Craft Festival just as Anneli is turning 11.
September 2004
PARLOR PIANO FOND FAREWELL FOR NOWThursday, September 16: The Day On Which Diana waves goodbye to Ms. Chickering, her parlor’s borrowed-for-10-years baby grand piano whose nice owner says, if Ms. Chickering gets too lonesome, she may come "home" to roost at Re-Bop again someday.
NIGHTTIME EIFFEL TOWER BIRTHDAY SPARKLERWednesday, September 29: The Day On Which Diana gets a trip to Paris for her birthday which is almost as good as the double rainbow she got for her birthday last year!
October 2004
GRAND OLE OPRY BELATED BIRTHDAY BACKSTAGESaturday, October 4: The Day On Which Diana gets Nashville backstage for her belated birthday with Grand Ole Opry greats like Little Jimmy Dickens, Porter Wagoner, Riders In The Sky, LeAnn Rimes, The Mavericks, not to mention the four amazing backup singers, including Dennis whose wife is a school librarian.
LOOK MA! ONE HAND!Sunday, October 5: The Day On Which Diana, in an old ice cream factory converted to pottery studio in Cookeville, TN, cheered on by songwriter/potter Pamela, throws her first Diana Pot since becoming one-handed, proving once a potter, always a potter!