Excitable turkeys visit Susan’s cherry tree

Golden bough bending in

A singular autumn wind

Just that branch

Turkey bird gobbling

Outside my window

October morning light falling

So far

to light just that one bunch of yellow

About to continue the fall

To the littered forest floor

- Susan Osborn

It’s time to give thanks to all of you who have been reading and listening and riding the big wave home this year. If you have taken it in, had a warm thought about Susan, taken a moment to feel how far you have come while surfing your own big wave then it is all worth it.

I appreciate your comments and ’likes’. (If you like what you read feel free to push on the like heart button. I don’t believe there is any downside like more emails just an endorphin rush for me and it seems to mean something to substack). Also feel free to share these posts with whoever you think would be interested.

As you know this is a free substack (or whatever the proper word is) nevertheless some of you have chosen to contribute when you subscribed, bless your hearts. You should know that you have paid to keep Susan’s website up this year which, remember, has all of her recordings available for free download or to just click and listen when you need a Susan hit.

HOME | Susan Osborn

(https://www.susanosbornsings.com/)

Also we have made a donation to Music Cares which I’d like you to know about. It is a project of the Recording Academy - the Grammy people. They provide money for musicians who are in need of medical assistance or rehab etc. Most musicians, recording engineers, roadies, do not make the big bucks. Thank you Neil Diamond. They helped us when Susan was first diagnosed with cancer. Here’s a link to find out more about them: https://musicares.org/

Our friends Nancy Rumble and Christine Albert were on the board that’s how we found out about it. Christine was also the president of the Recording Academy. She lost her husband Chris this year. Chris Gage was a friend of Susan’s from South Dakota he went on to Nashville and toured with Roy Clark and was the young piano player on Hee-haw (along with our friend Kenny Putnam on fiddle). Then they moved to Austin, had a recording studio, impresario at Donn’s Depot, Austin City Limits, Jerry Jeff Walker, recording productions, a musician‘s musician.

Christine, also a wonderful musician and singer, has a nonprofit ‘Swan Song’ which provides musicians to play a personal concert for those in the process of dying. The music they loved. And they pay the musicians!

Swan Songs Musical Last Wishes (https://www.swansongs.org/)

We also sent a donation that way.

I thought you’d like to know of these off the chart efforts. There are so many unheralded angels out there. Good people doing good things. Sometimes we can forget.

Thanks for your generosity. Even those who aren’t paid subscribers get the credit because you are part of the community. (Take the thanks where you can get it).

Here’s a facebook link to a video put together by South Dakota Public Broadcasting. Featuring Chris Gage through the years (along with Kenny Putnam, fiddle and the talented Mr. Hank Harris on guitar) singing “Magic Bird” a song by another of Susan’s friends Tom Peterson who also died this year. Tom shows up with Chris towards the end.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1881280355934601&surface_type=vod&referral_source=vod_deeplink_unit

Chris, Christine, Me and Susan at the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Turkey dominance dance (why that neck is so tough).

Thanks, and have a good Thanksgiving,

- dD

Note: For those in the Orcas area. The Victorian Valley Chapel has been bought by Eli West an “American roots musician”. He is doing a concert on Dec. 12 honoring the tradition of Susan Osborn’s Christmas Concerts. He is with John Rieshman a true virtuoso of the mandolin. Information and tickets can be found here: https://www.victorianvalleychapel.com/concert-series