This month I had the privilege of recording an upcoming new book release, So God Made a Grandma. The book is a compilation of over 100 short stories about grandmas, written by dozens of women authors (including the narrator) and read by Leslie. The read took us down paths of lessons taught and learned, examples displayed and taken to heart, intertwined life stories, recipes, memories and much more. The short pallets of text are organized into 10 categories of “grandma characteristics”, with several authors providing input on those topics based on their experiences of a grandma – theirs or another they know or knew well.
As we worked our way through the reads some were funny, others quite amazing, some could seem even tragic – yet hopeful, there were those that provoked memories of our own grandmas with gratitude and appreciation, and some were sad at least at one level as we reflect that life gives us one go around – and people and opportunities move on. With my wife and I at the grandparent stage, the book gave pause to be intentional in cultivating and capturing the moments with each other and our younger generations. There’s limited time for those connections and for passing the baton to the next leg of the race.

From our Midwest origin, the audio files were sent to One Audiobooks in California for editing and processing. It was a privilege to partner with them on this very compelling read.

Leslie’s book can be pre-ordered on her site link, where you can also find her prior book So God Made a Mother. Leslie’s website (herviewfromhome.com) has many articles, resources and purchase opportunities that are well worth checking out.

Thank you to One Audiobooks and Leslie for choosing Tesco Productions for your “next chapter”.

In July I received a call from Tom Mullally in Le Mars, IA inquiring about singing a couple of songs to Country tracks. It turns out I likely was within just feet of Tom and/or his wife in Le Mars more than once when I ate at their Lally’s Eastside Restuarant while attending the National Traditional Country and Old Time Music festival when the late Bob Everhart was hosting it in that city.

One of the songs we recorded was The Family Bible. The track was well done and so it gave us a good palette for laying down his vocal takes. It didn’t take very many and the end result turned out quite well – so well that in September he earned Gold and Platinum Disc Awards from Airplay Express. I just recently heard about it from Tom. The award was given for Worldwide Radio Release through Airplay Express. You can view the promo here on youtube. Tom also released The Family Bible along with Music as an EP on CD. Congratulations Tom for a job well done and for sharing the important message of this song – we need more family Bibles reminding us how to live.

We are now beyond the Missouri Valley event (see prior post). I was able to attend Friday mid-afternoon into the evening. The attendance was low for that window of time, but the enjoyment was high by those performing and listening. I talked with Rayne Magill after the three day event, and she said the attendance was steady and many are looking forward to being there next year Labor Day weekend.

I reconnected with two past clients – one of which I haven’t seen for over 20 years. We pretty much picked up where we left off and it turns out he’ll likely be helping me with another project I’m planning to take on over the winter and next spring. It’s not studio related (although there is a link) and you’ll likely hear more about it later on. It was good to know he was still connected with music and to hear him perform.

The other client came over to me just as I was preparing to leave. He was part of a group that recorded their first CD here in 2010 (This Side of Sunday – “Crazy World”, available on Apple Music and Amazon). He immediately reiterated how much he still enjoys listening to that music, and how accurately we had captured the essence of the group. I told him that after building my new PC with my nephew about two years ago, the first thing I did was to play all the way through that CD. I told him how much I had thoroughly enjoyed hearing it again, and it lent itself to an uplifting and worshipful experience as well. The conversation was a big encouragement to me, and I deeply appreciated him making a special effort to reconnect.

I came away reminded to never underestimate the importance of relationships. Whether it’s family, friends, work, neighborhoods or any other connection, the value far exceeds the direct time spent and creates bridges we can cross down the road when the need and opportunities come our way. We also never know when a relationship may no longer be there – whether through a move, a life change, or even a passing on. Let’s cherish our connections.