Sunday, March 14, 2010

And the Winner Is...

It's time to post the winner of the Truth or Lies contest. First, I want to thank Marcia for tossing this my way. It was quite fun!

Confession time...

1. When I was 15, I found 47 four-leaf clovers in one summer. I still have them. They're pressed in wax paper and stored in a Dr. Suess "Go, Dog Go" book.

This one is a lie. I did find 17 four leaf clovers one summer. They were all in one spot next to a corn field behind my Dad's shop. I stuck them between the pages of a novel I was reading then forgot about them. I found them again several years ago - then promptly lost them.

2. I once fed 35 Texans chili so hot it'd burn a hole in your cheek and make your tongue drop out, but they still added their own habanero peppers that they carried in their pockets; ran into Kris Kristofferson's belt buckle (he's really tall); chatted up with Johnny Cash (he was a true gentleman), and talked to Johnny Paycheck on the phone - all in one day.

True! I spent a couple of summers cooking for the roadies and band members that performed at Timberwolf Theater at Kings Island theme park near Cincinnati. I got to meet some memorable characters. Some of my favorites were - Mick Fleetwood, who showed up in the green room wearing leggings and fringed boots up to his knees. He was traveling with Pat Benetar, who kept her washer in a road case. She wheeled it into the bathroom, hooked it up to the sink, and proceeded to do her laundry all afternoon. Meanwhile, there were lots of ladies with crossed legs... Mark Chestnutt was the warmup band for Clay Walker. Mark kept to himself that day, but Clay was out and about - riding rollercoasters and greeting people all over the park. The Highway Men were my very favorite. The roadies called me 'mam and darlin' all day. I cooked everything they wanted. ;) I really did make the chile hot. My own crew smothered theirs with LOTs of sour cream and cheese. I had to laugh when the road crew asked if I'd be offended if they doctored their chile with their own peppers. They pulled them right out of their pockets! When I answered the production phone for Johnny Paycheck, he wanted to know, "Is Willie there? I'm across the highway with my eight kids and wife, and need to get into the park." I had to tell him Mr. Nelson hadn't arrived yet, but I'd get a manager to see if they could help him. Funny, most of Willie Nelson's road crew looked just like him. All in the family? The best thing about cooking for 10 hours? Getting to watch the concert for free in the wings.

3. I rode the Tilt-A-Whirl 42 times in a row at Coney Island in Cincinnati, because I love my daughter.

Heck no! I did watch my daughter and one of her friends accomplish the feat. The ride's line was empty. They would get off and run right around to get back on. Made me ill watching them.

4. My husband and I were arrested on our first date.

Nope, but my Mom and Dad were. Dad was in the Air Force and stationed at Wright Patt. He and Mom were on a blind date, and Dad ran a stop sign. At that time, the town of Fairborn expected the military to pay their fine on the spot. That way an offender couldn't get transfered out without paying their fine. Dad didn't have the $5 for the ticket, and Mom had to call her sister to come bail him out of jail. She must have forgiven him. Dad proposed two weeks later, and they were married six months after that.

5. I sang a singing saw part in Aram Khachaturian's "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra" with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. The guy who was supposed to play the saw got sick, and there was no back-up saw player. I was the only one who could sing that high.

Yes. I really did. I got a call from the conductor who said I'd been recommended by the University, and could I please come right away for a quick rehearsal. It was insane. The highest note was the G above high C (two octaves above middle C). The lowest note wasn't low. At all. When I listened to the recording later, it sounded almost like a synthesizer. It was a pretty cool experience.

6. I competed at the Grape Stomp Competition at the Hollister Grape and Fall Festival in Branson, Missouri. It was over a week before my toes were no longer blue.

I've never been to Missouri, but if I go, I'd like to try this.

There you have it! And now for the winner... (drumroll.......) Nikki! She guessed both truths and became a follower. (The drawing was done by my husband. I had nothing to do with it other than getting the right number of votes in for everyone) Congratulations Nikki, and thanks to everyone who played!

Nikki, please contact me at nora.macfarlane@yahoo.com so I can get your gift card to you.

10 comments:

Kelly Polark said...

Very interesting truths!!

Rena Jones said...

Wow! That chili day sounded like one to remember!

Anonymous said...

haha wow thank you, Nora. :o) This is very exciting!

Bish Denham said...

How exciting to have "rubbed" elbows with all those people!

Marcia said...

Congrats, Niki!

Anonymous said...

Congrats to your winner:)

Mary Witzl said...

Wish I'd had some of that chili. And how lucky you were to meet all those interesting singers in one day!

Mrs. Random said...

I want to hear the singing saw recording!

Nora MacFarlane said...

I wish I had it! It belonged to Wright State.

Christina Farley said...

What a bunch of amazing, fun stories.