Wagon Wheel

This is a great tune.  It's been around for years, but I just recently bought the mp3 and learned to play it.

I first heard the song, I think, at the Junos in Halifax (also could have been the ECMAs), way back in ought-six.  The singer was Matt Anderson.  Listen to him sing.  It will change your life.  His url may be "stubbyfingers" but those stubby fingers fly like the wind.  The song certainly made that night.  It was a duet between Matt and Charlie A'Court, a Maritime country singer.  We were at the Palace.  Yes, the Palace.  Probably the only time I was there after I turned nineteen.  Suffice it to say, Matt and Charlie toned the place down a bit and a rockin' good time was had by all.  There are several versions of Matt playing the song on YouTube - this is a good one.

So later on, I learned a bit more about the song - that the nidus for the song was from an old Bob Dylan bootleg tape.  Bobby D (my close personal friend) had started to write this song for the soundtrack to a Western film but it somehow was never completed.  Wikipedia has all the details of that little saga here.

From the fragment of the Dylan bootleg, the Old Crow Medicine Show went on to fill in the blanks, writing what is now a modern classic folk tune.  You can see their video here, although I recommend listening just to the song itself first, to have your own video playing in your head.  Don't get me wrong, though, their video is creative and worth a watch!

Finally, here are the lovely lyrics:

Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
Pray to God I see headlights

I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight

So rock me, mama, like a wagon wheel
Rock me, mama, any way you feel
Hey, mama rock me
Rock me, mama, like the wind and the rain
Rock me, mama, like a south-bound train
Hey, mama rock me

Runnin' from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time string band
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now

Oh, the North country winters keep a-gettin' me now
Lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain't a-turnin' back
To livin' that old life no more

So rock me, mama, like a wagon wheel
Rock me, mama, any way you feel
Hey, mama rock me
Rock me, mama, like the wind and the rain
Rock me, mama, like a south-bound train
Hey, mama rock me

Walkin' due south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly
Had a nice long toke
But he's a-headed west from the Cumberland Gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee

And I got to get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name
And I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh
At least I will die free

So rock me, mama, like a wagon wheel
Rock me, mama, any way you feel
Hey, mama rock me
Rock me, mama, like the wind and the rain
Rock me, mama, like a south-bound train
Hey, mama rock me

Gear for the yarn-addicted

Although I've been neglecting my knitting this year (with the exception of two sad and lonely projects, here and here), some friends have been diving into needlecraft with a passion (you know who you are).

In their honour, here are a few cool knitting accessories I've stumbled across lately.

Yarn catcher on Supermarket:

[found here]

Stitch markers on Etsy:

[found here]

Needle holder on Etsy:

 [found here]

Earrings on Etsy!  (Placed here for irony - I would never actually wear them.)

[found here]

Knitter's t-shirt on Cafe Press.  (Get it?  A knit stitch is the mirror image of a purl stitch!)

[found here]

Okay, not gonna lie, I might own the t-shirt.  My inner geek made me do it.  Don't worry,  I only wear it around the house...  (...with pride!)

It's that time of year again!

Spring is in the air.  The sun is starting to give off some heat again.  So, maybe it snowed yesterday, but it's melted already.  And the surest sign of spring: 

They just couldn't wait to bloom!

Hope Spring is finding you well!

Brunchtime

We decided to have a delicious little brunch treat today, to celebrate my one day off in nineteen (now you know why I've been slow with posts!).

French toast is so simple and not that bad for you, and yet we never seem to make it often enough.  Five slices of whole grain bread, two eggs, a half cup of milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Top with fruit and pancake syrup.  Mmmm.

The extra little sprinkle of nutmeg on top tipped this brunch over the edge into fabulous.

Healthy and delicious?

I am so excited to make this post.  This is one of my new favorite recipes; it's perfect for supper, and lunch leftovers.

The trouble with the recipe is that I don't know what to call it.  I've been calling it brown-rice-with-bok-choy-carrot-and-tofu-with-sesame-dressing but that's a little too much of a handle for me.  So if anyone can think of a name, go at it!

So - how do I love thee, brown-rice-with-bok-choy-carrot-and-tofu-with-sesame-dressing?  Let me count the ways:

• You are quite healthy.  Whole grain rice (and not the parboiled kind).  No animal meat/fats (cuts waaay down on the saturated fat).  Fresh veggies steamed in the cooking pot, so the nutrients can't get away.  Did you know that bok choy has over twice the calcium of broccoli (by weight)?
• You are pretty easy to put together.  Boil rice for 35 min.  Shred carrot and bok choy.  Put on top of cooked rice in pot for 5 min.  Meanwhile, pan-fry tofu.  Mix together.  Add dressing.
• You can be eaten hot or cold for leftovers.  You are really more like a salad (but one with enough carb and protein to get you through the afternoon). 
• You are delish.

So the recipe is modified from one that came from The Garden of Vegan cookbook - they called it the Dragon Bowl.  Hmmm, slightly more catchy than my title.  Don't let the term vegan scare you.  We can all afford to eat a few meals without meat during the week (it's good for your blood vessels, your weight, your account balances, and the environment).  This particular concoction has enough fibre and protein to fill you up - it doesn't feel like you're missing something (in my opinion anyway).

A word on the dressing.  The Garden of Vegan has a great recipe for sesame dressing.  You can also find an "Asian sesame" dressing at the grocery store - possibly a few kinds.  I have tried both and they each work nicely.  Of course, with the homemade version you can really adjust it to your taste.

I think I've covered the instructions already.  Here is a list of the ingredients:

• 1 pkg firm tofu, rinsed, drained, and cubed
• 1 head bok choy, shredded into bite size pieces
• 2 cups carrots, shredded
• 1 cup brown or brown/wild rice mix
• sesame vinaigrette, to taste
• roasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Let me know if you try it, or if you have any suggestions to improve it.