Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday by Carole King--—Murfin Winter Holidays Music Festival 2023-’24

                                            Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday by Carole King 

Yesterday Kathy and I were supposed to take in a performance of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire.  Alas, as the Scotsman said, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men/Gang aft a-gley.”   We got as far as Cary when our right-rear tire went flat.  We decided to turn around and to try to drive to one of the several tire stores in Crystal Lake.  The tire shredded and we were riding on the rim when we pulled into a parking lot near the edge of town.  Frantic phone calls for help to AAA were difficult trying to maneuver both phone and app menus.  Finally, we were told a service truck was being dispatched and would arrive in 45 or 50 minutes.  We were told to be on the alert for the driver’s phone message from a number we wouldn’t recognize.  We never did hear back.

Meanwhile Kathy was calling tire shops to see if we could get into any before closing on Saturday night.  Most were already closed, few were open for service on Sunday, but none could promise service until next week.  While she was doing that, I got out and tried to get mini-emergency tire out of its hidey-hole in the trunk.  Years ago, I had used the spare and the little factory included jack, so I knew what to do.  The spirit might have been willing but the Old Man’s flesh and bone  were not.  I could not physically lift the dinky spare high enough to get out.  I struggled and cursed to no avail.  Even if I had gotten it out there was no way I could get down on the ground to set the jack and take off the old tire and rim and get back up again.

Luckily, Kathy had also called John Holms at the Murfin Estate and he came over and after a struggle he managed to change the tire.  He even followed us to the nearest gas station and pumped air in the spare.  By that time, it was too late to take the car anywhere and we came home.

This morning Kathy is taking the car into Firestone early but may not be able to service it until next week.  Plan B calls for my auto-mechanic Grandson #2 Joe Gibbson, to pick up a tire that will fit from any store open today and use his Dad’s to press the new tire onto the rim then comeback to our house to change it.  The trouble is that he is also working on his big brother Nick Bailey’s pick-up truck in the morning and doesn’t know when he will be done.

I can get to church this morning with a ride from John  and Kathy can borrow Maureen’s car this afternoon to take me grocery shopping.

Sorry to share this aggravation, but I had to get it off my chest.

We did have to call the Marriott twice to reschedule our shows.  They were gracious and understanding.  At this point we have matinee tickets for mid-December in the middle of a very busy Holiday Season.

King performing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

We are looking forward to it.  Their shows always feature strong casts and in-the-round staging.  We anticipate a great time enjoying samples from the gifted singer/songwriter Carole King’s seemingly limitless catalog as well as music by her contemporaries  in the Brel Building Era.

In honor of the occasion, today we will feature a holiday song written not by King but by William Bell and Booker T. Jones from her 2011 Album A Christmas Carole.  Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday is not as well known as many of King’s songs and seldom shows up in Holiday Radio playlists.  It is also our bluesy first example this season of the secular pop holiday love song.  The lyrics are also plenty cagey about what holiday or holidays are intended making it more universal and probably driving the War on Christmas ranters  more unhinged.