And Visions of Sugarplums (dog treats) Danced In His Head

Our beloved Gizmo, is happy and joyous all year round but he still gets caught up in the excitement of Christmas. He was thrilled to see the Christmas tree go up Thanksgiving weekend, and more thrilled when we hung up his stocking. He spends hours laying under his stocking and staring at it...or sitting by us on the couch and gazing over at his stocking and wimpering. He also liked to lay near the gifts under the tree, looking but never disturbing them. Amazing that he can remember these things from a year ago!

Brenda and I shop for Christmas gifts year round, so our Christmas shopping was basically completed months ago. We only had a few things left to get. Those were for (you guessed it!) our dog and cat. Yes, we are among the pet owners out there who shop for their animals. So, we braved the Christmas crowds and horrific traffic to travel to two stores to find just the right gifts for our Gizmo and Ollie.

As I gave Gizmo his Christmas bath last night, Brenda stuffed the stockings and added his gift to those under the tree. Finally, THE night had arrived! As Brenda and I exchanged our gifts to one another, Gizmo got to open his gift. He carefully tore off the paper to reveal a giant teddy bear. The teddy bear was larger than he and wow, did he love it! That bear was drug from one end of the house to the other, shook, growled at, cuddled with and eventually slept with!

Gizmo also got to explore the contents of the stocking and choose one gift for the night. He chose a rawhide treat. The other toy and treats will stay in the stocking for to choose over the course of the next few nights.

So, that has been Christmas at the Nobles! Now, we are off to celebrate the rest of the holiday with family.

Merry Christmas to you all! Cary and Brenda

Poem on a dog's Christmas by Shel Silverstein

Tonight's my first night as a watchdog,
And here it is Christmas Eve.
The children are sleepin' all cozy upstairs,
While I'm guardin' the stockin's and tree.

What's THAT now . . . footsteps on the rooftop?
Could it be a c*t or a mouse?
Who's THIS down the chimney?
A thief with a beard - And a big sack for robbin' the house?

I'm barkin'. . . I'm growlin' . . . I'm bitin' his butt.
He howls and jumps back in his sleigh.
I scared his strange horses, they leap in the air.
I've frightened the whole bunch away.

Now the house is all peaceful and quiet again,
The stockin's are safe as can be.
Won't the kiddies be glad when they wake up tomorrow . . .
And see how I've guarded the tree.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Christmas music fills the air. Judy is in Florida singing "I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas". Vic entertains Daytonians with "Walking Round in Women's Underwear". Sandy Bette does an awesome "Santa Baby". Our wine drinkers will be listening to Jan, Jamie, Jenny and Gail this Friday night singing Christmas favorites such as Merry Christmas Darling, All I Want For Christmas Is You, Tennessee Christmas and Hard Candy Christmas. You can have a Blue Christmas if you buy the Reisling in the blue bottle! Join me to celebrate the season at Dayton's #1 rated Wine Bar, A Taste of Wine, this Friday night. Or, if you aren't a wine drinker, join me Saturday night at the West Carrollton VFW.

Happy Holidays! Cary

Christmas Preparations With A Cat

Our free time in the past two weeks has been spent almost entirely on Christmas preparations. Three days to put up decorations, two days to cook for a family dinner, two nights to write Christmas cards, one afternoon of making crafts together (yes, I actually DID crafts with my wife!!), 2 days of shopping and more! Now, we are dealing with the constant battle of keeping Ollie, our darling kitty, out of our Christmas tree and off our counters with lots of pretty dangling, sparkly items sitting on them. We have discovered a great deterrent by shaking pennies in a can.... one big shake and he runs off to hide. However, Brenda still has huge struggles with him as she tries to wrap the presents. The shiny paper, crinkling sound, ribbons, tape, boxes and opening of the closet doors are just too much for him to resist. She is constantly picking him out of boxes, removing him from the closet, pulling him out of the bag of bows and chasing after him to get her ribbons! Read below to see what she is up against!

Wrapping Presents with a Cat

Clear large space on table for wrapping present. Go to closet and collect bag in which present is contained, and shut door. Open door and remove cat from closet. Go to cupboard and retrieve rolls of wrapping paper. Go back and remove cat from cupboard. Go to drawer, and collect transparent sticky tape, ribbons, scissors, labels, etc. . . Lay out presents and wrapping materials on table, to enable wrapping strategy to be formed. Go back to drawer to get string, remove cat that has been in the drawer since last visit and collect string. Remove present from bag. Remove cat from bag. Open box to check present, remove cat from box, replace present. Lay out paper to enable cutting to size. Try and smooth out paper, realize cat is underneath and remove cat. Cut the paper to size, keeping the cutting line straight. Throw away first sheet as cat chased the scissors, and tore the paper. Cut second sheet of paper to size - by putting cat in the bag the present came in. Place present on paper. Lift up edges of paper to seal in present. Wonder why edges don't reach. Realize cat is between present and paper. Remove cat. Place object on paper, to hold in place while tearing transparent sticky tape. Spend 20 minutes carefully trying to remove transparent sticky tape from cat with pair of nail scissors. Seal paper with sticky tape, making corners as neat as possible. Look for roll of ribbon. Chase cat down hall in order to retrieve ribbon. Try to wrap present with ribbon in a two-directional turn. Re-roll ribbon and remove paper, which is now torn due to cat's enthusiastic ribbon chase. Repeat steps 13-20 until you reach last sheet of paper. Decide to skip steps 13-17 in order to save time and reduce risk of losing last sheet of paper. Retrieve old cardboard box that is the right size for sheet of paper. Put present in box, and tie down with string. Remove string, open box and remove cat. Put all packing materials in bag with present and head for locked room. Once inside lockable room, lock door and start to relay out paper and materials. Remove cat from box, unlock door, put cat outside door, close and relock. Repeat previous step as often as is necessary (until you can hear cat from outside door) Lay out last sheet of paper. (This will be difficult in the small area of the toilet, but do your best) Discover cat has already torn paper. Unlock door go out and hunt through various cupboards, looking for sheet of last year's paper. Remember that you haven't got any left because cat helped with this last year as well. Return to lockable room, lock door, and sit on toilet and try to make torn sheet of paper look presentable. Seal box, wrap with paper and repair by very carefully sealing with sticky tape. Tie up with ribbon and decorate with bows to hide worst areas. Label. Sit back and admire your handiwork, congratulate yourself on completing a difficult job. Unlock door, and go to kitchen to make drink and feed cat. Spend 15 minutes looking for cat until coming to obvious conclusion. Unwrap present, untie box and remove cat. Go to store and buy a gift bag Hope your pre-holiday activities are going well! Cary

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What are you thankful for? My list includes ( in no particular order): family, friends, loved ones, pets, music, my job, good health, chocolate, airplanes, beaches, living in the USA, books, sunshine, changes of season, great food, coffee, ice cream, tequila, wine, beer, sunrises and sunsets, the many colors of humanity, imagination, cell phones, and high speed internet. And, when I count my many blessings, I include you. Hoping you have a blessed day and enjoy eating lots of turkey.

We are having a nontraditional Thanksgiving this year. Our son is hosting it, with a Mardi Gras theme. Cajun turkey, creole food, feather boas, beads and masks..... I have been "tasting" that turkey all week! Yum!!

Enjoy your day! Cary

In Memory

Many of you will remember Gene McDaniel from the VFW in Kettering. For the past 15 years or so he has also has come by The Peerless, Chimney's and even to Romer's. Gene passed away a week ago Monday evening at home. Services were last weekend. Gene's wife Laura, wanted me to let everyone know how much he appreciated our Karaoke family. Most especially, Johnny K. for his advice and encouragement. Gene was a great guy and will be missed by many. I was honored to be asked by Laura to come and sing at Gene's wake and was able to break away awhile Saturday to do so. As I looked around the room, I thought, "wow" what a diverse gathering.

Take a look around you some evening. These are people who share a part of their lives, a part of their souls with you on a regular basis. I thank each and every one of you for being a part of my life. And I thank all the powers that be that have allowed me the privilege of sharing a piece of my life with such an extraordinary group.

We also lost another very dear friend who passed last Sunday at Hospice. Curtis Fair was like a father to us and he will be greatly missed. We always visit Curtis and his wife, Betty each Sunday. Some of you will remember Curtis, as he danced the first dance with Brenda at our wedding reception.

Sing with Joy, Sing with Love, Sing in Sorrow, Sing in Pain, Sing Alone, Sing in Pairs, Sing in Groups Sing, Sing, Sing, Sing Sing for Life. The music within you is the greatest gift you can possibly share

Musically,

Cary

HALLOWEEN EVERYDAY

Take Karaoke singers and friends, a big cauldron type bar and stir...whatcha got? Halloween everyday! Although Halloween is officially over, we can still pretend to be whoever we want! Elvis? Pull your collar up, strike a sexy pose and wiggle those hips. Madonna? Wear your lowest and tightest corset! The next American Idol? Sing out!! Join us for karaoke evenings where you can leave your troubles behind and be the STAR of the evening.

Here are some photos from last week. We had a boo-tiful time!

Little Piece of Heaven

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta. We have always loved Mexico; the country, culture and people. Puerto Vallarta is definitely one of the most beautiful places in Mexico and we were thrilled to return. We stayed at the Riu Palace, a 5 star all inclusive resort. I highly recommend it! It couldn't have been better! Beautiful accommodations, unspoiled beach, wonderful food and good shows (we saw Mama Mia and Grease).

One of the highlights of our trip was Zip Lining through the Sierra Madre mountains and jungle. Wow!! What a thrilling experience. As you can probably guess, I DID sing "George of the Jungle" as I was flying through the trees!

Another day, we took a water taxi to Puerto Vallarta. What a beautiful way to approach the town....skimming along the water, viewing the gorgeous mountains and picturesque town. Puerto Vallarta is a wonderful town to explore and always a fun experience.

Back to reality now, and back to work. I'll be at the Senior Center on the 19th and Romer's on the 20th. I will also be providing entertainment at the Halloween Party at the West Carrollton VFW on October 30th. Mark your calendars! I hope to see you soon.

Musically, Cary

Sing For A Good Cause

I will be helping to host a Cancer Benefit Saturday night, October 2, from 5-10 at the West Carrollton VFW (River Rats). Travis Johnson is fighting an enormous battle with Stage 4 cancer of the colon and liver and he has incurred tremendous medical costs. Come sing Karaoke and participate in the Karaoke challenge. We have some wonderful merchandise and gift certificates to be put in the raffles and silent auction. We will also be serving a pulled pork dinner and sandwiches from Panera. Hope you can join us!

Family Fun and Festivals

The past few weekends have brought fun times with family. First, a visit to Evansville and Ellis Track for horse racing. Brenda was one of the big winners in our group.

With mom at the Track

Brenda and I have been going to our annual local festivals...Greek Festival, Italian Festival, Taste of Miami Valley and the Oktoberfest! We love this time of year.

We also had a fun weekend with my sister. Karaoke at a Taste of Wine and River Rats, food and fun on the river, and a nice outdoor lunch in Covington, Kentucky. It's been a fun few weeks.

This Saturday, I will be helping to host a Cancer Benefit at River Rats VFW. Mark your calendars and watch this blog for more information.

Hope to see you soon!

"Unforgettable"

This week, we lost a wonderful friend. Revonda Bryan passed away suddenly. We already miss her laughter, voice, quiet courage, friendship and kindness. Revonda was our "karaoke ambassador", making friends everywhere she went and bridging the gap between karaoke singers and the local patrons. We saw Revonda every week...sometimes twice a week. She will be greatly missed. Revonda had a beautiful voice and a wide repertoire of songs. Most special to me, were our weekly duets of "Endless Love", "Unforgettable" and "When I Fall In Love". I am "retiring" these songs now, in memory of Revonda. I will never sing them with anyone else again.

Rest peacefully, Revonda. Know that you truly are "Unforgettable, In Every Way".

Revonda and Jerry. Photo taken 2 weeks ago.

Can I Build It? Yes, I Can!!

This was my weekend to play Bob (Cary) the Builder!! I built a 7 x 7 foot shed in our backyard. It was like constructing a giant jigsaw puzzle. It took 2 full days and 269 screws! What a sense of accomplishment when it was done.

Starting out and already lying down on the job!

Whew! It was a hot, hot weekend.

Putting in the Skylight.

The finished product. Hmm-m-m. Guest house?

Dog house? Man cave? Recording studio?

Can I build it? Yes, I can!

Did I build it? Yes, I did!

I'll be back on track at Romer's this Wednesday. I am also at the Kettering VFW, Post 9927 this Friday night. Hope to see you soon!

Cary

Awesome Visit

One of our Awesome A's, Autumn, flew across the country to stay with us for 8 wonderful days! We had a fun week filled with a trip to Kings Island, a canoe trip, miniature golf, a trip for her with Brenda and Brenden to Put In Bay, and of course, Karaoke!! Autumn and Bella were our youngest singers of the night and they did a fantastic job. Bella is the granddaughter of Sandy Betty and Bob. The girls quickly became friends and had a great evening. Karaoke Diva's in the making!

A big thanks to everyone who joined me at the Taste of Wine Friday night and River Rats Saturday night. It is always great to see you! Enjoy your week! Cary

Summer Means...

Summer means vacations, later dinners, summer drinks, fun outdoors, special projects, and hanging out. Sometimes we even try to squeeze all that into one weekend! Last weekend, we spent Friday evening at the Celtic Festival. This is always one of our favorite festivals. We love sitting outside on a hot summer evening and listening to one of our favorite Celtic bands, Gaelic Storm. We love the food, import beer and specialty shopping. Last year, we had just returned from Scotland one week before the festival. A year later, we are still reminiscing about that trip! Last weekend, we also completed special projects. We spent hours rejuvenating our hardwood floors (they look great!) and also cleaning out the garage (amazing how much "stuff" you can accumulate in a year!). Brenda has a new major project for us to start on soon. We are building and painting adirondack chairs, similar to the ones you can find at Margaritaville. We will post pictures when they are finished. We finished our weekend with time at home, drinking icy cold pina colada's made with ice cream. Yum. No Karaoke last weekend, and none this weekend either. This weekend we are picking up our 12 year old niece, who will be visiting us for a week from Las Vegas. We have lots of fun activities planned with her. How are you spending these hot summer days? Hope you are enjoying them. Winter will be here all too soon. Here is a little known tip for staying cool. Eat spicy food for an endorphin rush. It increases perspiration, which cools the body as it evaporates!
Have a good weekend! Cary

Hope you are all having a good summer. My parents came to visit last weekend.  It was a weekend filled with music.  We had a great night at the wine bar. As always, it was a wonderful crowd with talented featured singers (Thanks, Jamie, Gail, Jim and DAD!!) with people dancing on the patio under the stars.  Brenda took my parents to an outdoor Christian Concert (Avalon) at Island Park Saturday night. It was a beautiful night to sit outdoors, have a picnic and listen to some wonderful music.  They joined me at the VFW afterwards, and dad sang another song. For those of you who wondered where I developed my love for music, I obviously grew with up with it.  My dad is also quite a singer. 

Thanks to everyone who joined me this past Friday night at the Kettering VFW. It was nice to see some of our old friends again (Arabella, John, Dee).  We also got to see some good friends again Saturday night when we stopped by Alex's (Smith's and Mayberry's).  Yes, Alex's has reopened. They have a full service menu (steaks, seafood, appetizers, pastas, sandwiches, pizza and desserts).  They are open 7 days a week, including breakfast on the weekend. 

The hot summer days are taking a toll on our garden and plenty of watering is needed. I'm learning to do a "rain dance".  

Keep cool!

Musically, 

Cary

BOTTLE OF WINE, FRUIT OF THE VINE....

Calling all wine lovers...It's time for another evening of music and wine on the patio at Taste of Wine in Miamisburg.  Join us this  Friday evening (July 16) from 8-10:30.  My parents will be joining us too, as they are visiting from out of town. Last month was packed! Lots of dancing going on! We hope this Friday night is another beautiful summer evening.  

Correction

I am not at the Middletown Senior Citizen's Center until July 20th.  The 3rd weekend of the month is not the same week as the 3rd Tuesday of the month! Sorry for the confusion!

Cary

Summer Sensations

Brenda and I just returned from Las Vegas where we celebrated our anniversary and also visited with our Awesome A's (nieces and nephew). Great trip! Brenda and I have been married 4 years but have been together 18 years! Lots of years to celebrate! For our anniversary, we went to see the musical Jersey Boys. It is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. They wrote their own songs, developed a "new sound" and sold 175 million records world wide before they were 30! The show was spectacular and I highly recommend it. Of course, this prompted me to sing some Frankie Valli songs last night at Romer's. I sang "Can't Take My Eyes of You" and "My Eyes Adored You". Still on a high from the show. Mama Mia was always my favorite musical, but this one is a definite tie breaker!

We had a great time with our Awesome's.

We took them to see Rick Thomas, a magician appearing at the Sahara.

Another great show, complete with white tigers. We all really
enjoyed the show and we stayed afterwards to learn more about the tigers. We also spent a great 4th of July with the family. We took crafts to do with the children and later enjoyed a BBQ and dancing in the street with sparklers. We have finally convinced our oldest Awesome to fly alone to Ohio to visit us in August! Can't wait to have her here with us. Taking bets on if we can get her to sing at Romer's!





We rented a car and ventured out to Hoover Dam. What a magnificent creation! We were very overwhelmed by it. We parked on the Arizona side and hiked down (yes, folks, in 107 degree temperatures). Interestingly, we had to go through the border patrol at Arizona. He passed us on through when he saw that we were clearly Caucasian. Interesting times that we live in!

Happy Birthday Ringo Starr! 70 years old and still performing.

I hope you are enjoying your summer! Next week I will be at the Senior Center in Middletown on 7/13, Romer's on 7/ 14, the Taste of Wine on 7/16 and VFW River Rats West Carrollton on 7/17 (and YES, I do have a real day job too!). Come out and join me if you can! You can even meet my parents over the weekend.

Musically,
Cary

SUMMERTIME...AND THE LIVIN IS EASY!

Hi everyone! The blogmasters, Brenda and I, have been super busy this spring and have neglected keeping this blog updated! Between my new job and Brenda finishing up the school year, the weeks have passed us by. But summer has arrived and more hours of daylight tend to lead to more time to get things done.  We will try to do a better job of posting here. 

KARAOKE NEWS: 

Scor, in Bellbrook has changed it's name to Romer's after the new owner, Greg Romer.  

They have hired a chef from Bosco's and expanded the menu. The food is excellent. They grind their own beef for burgers, shave meat for cheesesteaks and make their own salad dressings and soups.   We are there every Wednesday night for Karaoke, from 8:30 - 11:30. Pizza's are discounted on Karaoke night. Join us for singing and dinner and mingle with old friends and new. This is a friendly place with a great crowd.  

Love is in the air! I've been providing DJ services for several weddings and anniversary parties in the past few months.  I am booking for fall. Help spread the word. 

Speaking of romance, two of my loyal patrons are now a "couple".  Congrats to Diannah and George. These two first met over 2 years ago

at Peerless Mill and they finally started dating. We are all thrilled to see the two of you so happy! And, George is even singing now!

Other news: Ravonda is recovering from heart surgery. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her soon.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VIC....JUNE 30TH.

ON THE HOMEFRONT:

My Grandpa has joined the elite group of centenarians in our country. He just celebrated his 100th birthday. Brenda and I helped to organize and throw him a fantastic birthday party for over 150 friends and family members. Highlights included a a proclamation from the Mayor, 

 cards from President Obama and the Governor of Indiana, gift package from the Colts,  a front page full feature article in the paper, a feature on the Today show, firemen coming to put out the candles on his cake, and a special brew of Fall City beer from the owner (not yet released to the public.  Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Our "little guy", Gizmo was recently diagnosed with full blown diabetes and now requires insulin shots twice a day!  No easy feat for Brenda, who has a severe needle phobia. 

He is doing well now, due to the injections and a special diet. We cook for

him every evening. His menus include: salmon, whole wheat pasta, and peas; roast beef, barley and carrots; chicken, whole wheat pasta and broccoli.  If you are ever reincarnated, come live at our house as our

dog!

We hope you are doing well and enjoying your summer!  

Come by to visit or to sing! We would love to see you. 

Musically, 

Cary

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG, THE GRASS HAS RIZ...I WONDER WHERE CARY IS??

Happy Spring!  This Friday, I'm at the Taste Of Wine from 8:00-10:30. With luck, the patio will be open.  Saturday night I will be at River Rats, VFW in West Carrollton from 8:00 to midnight. But the BIG NEWS about where I am, is that I am BACK to work full time in the telecommunications field again!!  I am absolutely thrilled!

Last month, I helped to host Angels for Ashlynne, a benefit for a 5 year old little girl who had been injured in an accident. We raised over $5500 that day.  Thanks to Vic and Ron for joining the huge crowd of supporters who were there for Ashlynne. 

Angels for Ashlynne

I am participating in a fundraiser for Ashlynne Fink, a 5 year old from Beavercreek who has had a serious injury and is undergoing another extensive surgery.  The fundraiser is March 13 at Scor (soon to be called Romer's) in Bellbrook.  There will be food, raffles, games and a silent auction.  I will be hosting Karaoke from 6:00 - 8:45 PM.  You are invited to join us and participate in this worthwhile event.  Here is your chance to be an "Angel on Earth" and help to make a difference in the life of a child and family. 

Cary

WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN

Brenda and I just returned from a 4 day trip to New Orleans (NOLA) for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. This was the opening weekend for Mardi Gras and the town was decorated for the carnival. Mardi Gras is always a major event in NOLA and with the Saints playing in the Super Bowl, the city was in a frenzy of energy and excitement.   Yes, I was one of the men to wear a collection of beads all weekend. Somehow, this seems perfectly normal when in New Orleans!

I did not sing Karaoke this weekend, although there were certainly karaoke bars on Bourbon Street. Instead, we spent a wonderful evening at the Hotel Monteleone at the piano bar. We met some very friendly locals there, who were so proud of their city and very welcoming to us.

 We have always found people in NOLA to be exceptionally happy and inviting. We sang for hours. The highlight of my evening was playing my harmonica and singing Piano Man on the mic. 

The excitement of the upcoming Super Bowl continued to build throughout the weekend. "Who Dat!" became the new "hello" as people greeted one another on the street. Chants of "who dat" and the music of "When The Saints Come Marching In" were heard everywhere.  People poured into the city and everyone was dressed in gold and black. Even dogs were dressed for the big game!!  

Brenda and  I were dressed for the big game too!   

We were staying at the Ritz Carlton and we watched the game at their Super Bowl party. The rest is history!  The Saints DID march in and they won their first Super Bowl.  The town was euphoric. We joined thousands of others on Bourbon Street to celebrate.  

What a night! What a trip! What a town!! Congratulations Saints and Congratulations NOLA. We can't wait to return. 

Hope to see you soon! I'll be at Scor this Wednesday, if the weather cooperates. 

Cary