For our first New Year's Eve in Calgary, we opted to just stay safely and quietly at home for the night. We had some bubbly for the big moment, and a wishbone left over from the Christmas turkey, to snap at the stroke of midnight. Like the boy scouts, we were prepared...

We tuned in to watch Garrison Keillor's New Year's Eve Special, filmed live on American public television, from The Ryman Theater in Nashville. Keillor is the famed humorist whose Prairie Home Companion was turned into a major motion picture last year.

I had planned on saying that his Prairie Home Companion "spawned" the movie, but the visual of Mr. Keillor swimming upstream was a bit much for this time of day...

What a delightful way to usher in the new year!! Garrison Keillor is not only an accomplished humorist, but we also discovered that he can sing a song nicely as well. He had a lot of help though, with some superstars of the bluegrass world. Did I say bluegrass?? Does that style of music include banjos?? Baby, there were banjos everywhere last night! Yee-haw!!!

Ahem..

He had assembled some incredible talent. A group of terrific younger folks, called The Old Crow Medicine Show reminded me alot of early Nitty Gritty Dirt Band stuff. Cowboy Jack Clement performed one of the hits he wrote for Johnny Cash. Cowboy Jack also happened to be the engineer at Sun Studios, sitting in on early sessions by Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Love that music history!!

Best part of the whole show was getting a preview of Emmy Lou Harris, who we get to see live here next month. The woman doesn't age...and what a voice!!

After that special wound down, we flipped over to the more traditional Dick Clark New Year's Rockin' Eve, but Alberta didn't get the benefit of a staggered telecast, so we had to toast by the time on the VCR. Hey,whatever works, eh??

When we made a wish, and snapped the wishbone, the bloody thing (we're not lying here) split RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE!! Either we're doomed to bad cuticles and dandruff for the next six months, or we both get what we wished for.

Time will tell...

Chow for now!!