The Soundtrack of my Fifth year...

I remember vividly being five years old...

We'd just moved to the United States from Germany after my dad was accepted to OCS at Ft. Sill, in Oklahoma. Instead of taking us with him, my dad bought us a cute little house with a swing set in the back yard in a small town in Kansas where my mom's oldest sister and her family could keep us company while my dad studied half-a-day's car ride away. I was enrolled into Kindergarten there, and as soon as my father graduated from OCS, he was ordered to Vietnam for a year. 

Suddenly my safe little world was turned up-side-down. My dad was missed every single day. And, while he was gone, everything was scary! Kansas was quite different from Germany... Grasshoppers, crickets and thunderstorms that shook the walls so that I feared they would collapse on top of us as my mother, brother and I huddled together in the basement, were just a few of the new things I quickly decided I could live my whole life without. And... I missed my beloved Oma as much as I knew my mom did.

We never watched television in Germany, and I don't remember hearing music outside of Sunday-morning Mass before we moved to Kansas. However, after we moved to the States there was a blast of television and radio over-load! I quickly connected the tune my mother hummed as she drove the car or washed the dishes to her favorite story, (soap opera) Love is a Many Splendored Thing. And, television commercials practically wrote my Christmas list that year, which was headlined by the Easy Bake Oven and Mrs. Beasley doll! 

I was fascinated by The Price is Right and entertained by Mr. Green Jeans, Herman the Munster and Bert and Ernie. Oh! And, I couldn't sleep without a night-light until I was seventeen after a cousin let me and my little brother watch our first Dracula movie. 

Aside from all the prayers we said for his safe return, what I remember the most about the year my dad was in Vietnam was the music my mom played. I listened to her sing along to the most beautiful songs... Songs like, I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane, and 500 Miles, and (The answer my friend is) Blowin' in the Wind. My mom also taught me and my brother the words to, Puff the Magic Dragon. Other songs, like Bye-bye Miss. American Pie are memorable from that year too, but the music of Peter, Paul and Mary certainly stood out.

After our prayers were answered, and my father returned from Vietnam we immediately moved back to Germany, and Herman the Munster, Mr. Green Jeans and the music of that year was forgotten. By the time my dad retired and we moved back to the States again, I'd moved on to the music of favorites like, Cheap Trick, The Knack, REO Speedwagon, Prince and Journey... Then Peter Yarrow brought Puff the Magic Dragon back to life in a children's book and I remembered again... 

Tonight we joined Mr. Yarrow at UNC Greensboro for a book signing

and performance of some of his songs. The considerable preaching on the

           subject of his personal politics aside... Mr. Yarrow delighted us with his music!         

He also read from another of his children's books

based upon the lyrics to the song, Day is Done 

His love of little children, and his belief that Peace and

understanding of all people begins with them was obvious...

And, quite endearing!

This is Anna. She is only three but she knew every

word of the first verse of, Puff the Magic Dragon!

Following his performance, Mr. Yarrow signed our

copies of his books. And, since he brought it up...

 I asked him to put it in writing!