Being Sick

Last week didn’t go as I had planned. Sunday I got progressively more symptoms of a cold - blowing my nose quite a bit and realizing that the sore throat I had for the previous few mornings was indeed leading to something. I slept okay Sunday night and walked Beau on Monday morning early, but when we got home from the walk I started to feel a little woozy like I did the last time I had Covid. So I cancelled my gigs and took a Covid test which was negative, and then I spent the day sleeping in hopes that I could head off whatever illness I was having. I’m sure that helped, but each day until Saturday I went through the progression of a cold with added wooziness and cancelling my gigs and morning walks. I was feeling much better on Friday, and Saturday I finally felt up to walking and doing normal things with some lingering congestion. That day was my 65th birthday, so I hated to miss taking a trip to the mountains for some yummy food and a little walk around our family cabins where we’re having some extensive tree thinning done for fire mitigation. So I experienced a week at home similar to the times of isolation during the pandemic except that I was laid up resting and trying to recover. That kind of slow pace is and reflection is not always a bad thing, but it does make you appreciate being healthy and able to do things at will. It also gave me a chance to look around the house and property to realize how much spring cleaning and maintenance I need to do. I have been seriously considering retirement - although for someone who works for himself it is more of a slowing down because I don’t think I could ever fully give up playing music. I’ll tell you that not playing for 6 days did soften my playing callouses on my fingertips though. When I do retire I’ll have to play almost every day to keep up my callouses and my chops. There is so much to do just to keep up the property and life in general. But being sick makes you contemplate a lot of things, and even though it wasn’t fun being down for a week, I’m better for it.

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What have I been up to?

Well, this is easy. Other than last Sunday’s online show I had the entire week off. So I missed 12 senior facilities and my Wednesday online show. There were a lot of faces I didn’t get to see and a lot of songs I didn’t get to do, and I really missed it all. If any of those folks are reading I’m so sorry to have not seen you and played for you. But I was able to play for my Sunday online show, and even though my fingers were sore and my voice was still a little raspy, the show went well with a lot of great songs and so many friends tuning in. It was a blast! We didn’t end up doing the show from Deann and Matt’s house since I was still recovering, so we’ll do a show there sometime soon.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 7 senior facilities this week, and I’ll be glad to be back out and singing. It’s time to start singing songs for moms and Mothers Day, so that’ll be part of the mix. I love these folks!

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be the earth songs I had planned to celebrate Earth Day last week. I hate to miss an opportunity to celebrate our planet and the wonderful lives we can have here. Come on out and celebrate Mother Earth!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and it should be a good one. I have a couple new songs to learn, and there are always great requests. You’re always welcome to join me.

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That’s it for this week. I’m so glad to be recovered and back among the hale and hearty. Never take your health for granted.

Best,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of songs about earth

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Wednesday, April 29, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Sunday, May 3, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

Earth Day

I’m doing songs for Earth Day this Wednesday, and I have thoughts about what this day has been and is today. In 1970 when Earth Day started the US was behind the environmental movement for the most part. President Nixon even signed an executive order to establish the Environmental Protection Agency the same year. The ecology flag was seen often, and in general we had a group understanding that the earth needed care and management to maintain the health of humanity and all the flora and fauna that make it all work together. I can remember when I worked at Philmont Scout Ranch in the late 1970s having what we called the Wilderness Pledge which stressed principles of conservation and respect for the land and water while leaving no trace of our passing. But eventually there was pushback from big money concerns who wanted less regulation and ways of operating more cheaply and with less regard for the environment. So it became less cool to care for the environment. In the late 1980s I helped teach courses on oil spill containment and cleanup where I was often teased for being a “tree hugger” by employees of oil companies who were required to have a certification in oil spill recovery. That was a long time ago now, and things have become very political around environmental concerns in the interim. I still care for the environment and this earth we call home although I’m sure I haven’t done enough to support progress on protecting it. I’m still taken by what Carl Sagan wrote when he saw the picture of earth taken from the Voyager 1 space probe. In the picture the earth is a tiny blue dot in a shaft of light. Carl wrote -

“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

“The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.

“Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

“It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”

— Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994

And we just had a flyby of the moon by 4 astronauts aboard the Artemis 2 spacecraft where astronaut Christina Koch said - 

“The thing that changed for me, looking back at Earth, was that I found myself noticing not only the beauty of Earth, but how much blackness there was around it and how it just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive. We evolved on the same planet, and we have some shared things about how we love and live that are just universal. And the specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized when you notice how much else there is around it.”

— Christina Koch, 2026

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What have I been up to?

Last week I had 11 senior facilities, but one had to cancel due to some technical difficulties. I played a variety of themes for all these places, and I think it went pretty well overall. I really do love playing for these folks.

My Wednesday online show was playing songs from 1966 - 60 years ago. It was loads of fun, and we will be revisiting more songs from 1966 next week. Everyone enjoyed it.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and there were so many great requests from so many good folks who tuned in. We are truly blessed.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 12 senior facilities this week, and I’m sure I’ll be playing some songs for Earth Day if my folks are up for them. I always go with the flow on these shows - making for requests and working with the audience.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be songs for Earth Day as I wrote above. There are a bunch of good songs about the earth, and I know this will be a really nice show. I’d love to have you in the audience if you want to celebrate the day with me.

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be a special show from my good friend Deann and Matt’s house to celebrate birthdays of a couple of our folks. Deann always has some great ideas for the show, and she always does a great job picking favorites and being a marvelous host. Tune in if you can!

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That’s it for this week. I have put up Facebook events for most of my summer shows. If you’re on Facebook you can like the events to be reminded of them or you can always check them on my website calendar - tommunch.com/calendar. Summer is fast approaching! I hope you are healthy and happy.

Best,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of songs about earth

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Wednesday, April 22, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Sunday, April 26, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

1966

My Wednesday online show this week will be music from 1966, and there are so many good songs I know from that year. I was only 5 years old, but with 4 siblings ranging from 10 to 17 and a wide variety on our local radio I heard most of what was popular. I was very fond of the Beatles and the Monkees as well The Mamas and the Papas and Simon and Garfunkel. There were a lot of one-hit wonders out there that we heard, and my brother was listening to a lot of R&B that gave us the opportunity to dance. I absorbed all of this including the Hit Parade music my dad was playing on the piano from his and my mom’s era. There was also so much going on in the country and the world. As in most eras the music really reflected the culture. Here are some of the events that year that you may remember.

First black student killed in civil rights movement

US troops in Vietnam total 250,000

John Lennon comments, "We're more popular than Jesus now.”

NASA programs accomplish astronauts working in earth orbit as well as unmanned spacecraft orbiting and landing on moon

March 26 Vietnam protests across country

“The Sound of Music” and “Doctor Zhivago” win Oscars

Martin Luther King Jr. makes his first public speech on the Vietnam War

Bob Dylan releases “Blonde on Blonde”

Sniper kills 13 people from University of Texas at Austin tower

Beatles play their last concert

An inventor writes a document that lays out the basic principles for creating a TV video game

Star Trek premieres

Ronald Reagan elected governor of California

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” airs for the first time

That’s quite a list, and I took out several more things that really rocked the world that year. When I went through the top 100 songs of the year I actually play over 50 of them. I don’t know how many years I could say that. That’s how much that year influenced my music. How about you? Do you remember the music of 1966 well?

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What have I been up to?

I had 9 senior facilities last week, and I played a variety of spring songs and songs from 1956 that I was doing for my Wednesday online show. I also did some moon songs to celebrate the Artemis 2 moon mission. It was a lot of fun, and the folks really enjoyed it too.

My Wednesday online show was doing the songs of 1956, and it was one of the more fun shows I’ve done. There was such a variety of tunes, and the audience really got into it.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and there were so many requests. I had a good crew with lots of interaction and good vibes. We did a few moon songs for this as well. 

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What am I up to this week?

I have 10 senior facilities this week, and I’m sure I’ll do some of the 1966 songs I’m doing for my Wednesday online show. I also always try to ask what the folks want to hear, and I go with the flow and make it an interesting and engaging show as much as I can for each place. I love these folks.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be the songs of 1966 as I wrote before. I have 83 songs in total from this year, so I know we’ll be doing at least 2 nights and probably 3  for this 1966 year. Come on out and see how many songs you remember well!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and I know it’ll be a great night with good folks. It always is. I’m blessed to have such kind and supportive people who come out on these evenings to listen and comment. Join us if you can!

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That’s it for this week. The weather is so nice and it’s giving us lots of opportunity to work on the property and be outside. I love it!

Best always,

Tom

——

Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of songs from 1966

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Wednesday, April 15, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Sunday, April 19, 7-8:45 pm mountain time 

1956

In keeping with my decade shows it’s time to do songs from 50, 60, and 70 years ago, starting with 1956. 1956 was a great year for music. Rock and Roll was in full swing with great hits like “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins, and “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino. There were some more mellow songs too like “The Wayward Wind” by Gogi Grant, "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" by Doris Day, and "Memories Are Made of This" by Dean Martin. I know easily 30 songs from this year that I’ve played for years. It was also an interesting year for historical events. Here are a few from Wikipedia.

Southern congressmen reject desegregation

Videotape comes out

Grace Kelly becomes Princess of Monaco

Women become Methodist preachers

The Montgomery bus boycott happens

First snooze alarm clock invented

Marilyn Monroe marries Arthur Miller a week after he appears before the House Un-American Activities Committee

President Eisenhower starts interstate highways

A U-2 spy plane flies over Soviet Union

SS Andrea Doria sinks

“In God We Trust” becomes national motto

Hard disk is invented

Transatlantic cable opens

Cecil B. DeMille’s “Ten Commandments” comes out

The Soviet Union invades Hungary

‘Wizard of Oz’ is broadcast on TV for the first time

Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash) get together at Sun Studio for the first and last time in history

That’s quite a list of events that are still echoing throughout our world. It makes me feel like we’re not in quite as dramatic a time as we think in 2026. I love to dive into history to get a feel for what was going on when so many great tunes were being recorded and released. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and knowing what was going on in the minds of the songwriters and musicians of that year really connects me better to their songs. I’m trying to make an appropriate backdrop for the show and put myself in the right frame of mind to deliver these songs. It should be fun!

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What have I been up to?

I had 10 senior facilities last week, and I played a mix of Easter, Spring, and fool songs for most of my folks. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it. I always say I love playing for this audience, and I really do.

My Wednesday online show was playing fool songs for April Fools’ Day, and it was a lot of fun picking out and singing songs that fit the theme. As I said last week, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being willing to be a fool for love or anything else that’s worthwhile.

My Sunday online show was favorites and requests, and there were some really meaningful and great requests. I love playing these Sunday night shows.

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What am I up to this week?

I have 9 senior facilities this week, and I’ll be playing spring, April, and 1956 songs for most of them. It’s such a joy to bring music to people that is uplifting and enjoyable.

My Wednesday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be songs from 1956 as I wrote above. I expect this to be a night to remember with lots of great songs of the era. Come on out and celebrate the year with me!

My Sunday online show 7-8:45 mountain time will be favorites and requests as always, and I have a couple new songs to learn as well. It’s always a joy to play and interact with such a great group of folks. I do a Zoom gathering a half hour before the show at 6:30 mountain time if you’d ever like to chat some. Here’s the meeting link - 

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7759127796?pwd=MZ55WfXnEkOSi3bztfvmMlbe2oCpoN.1

Come on out!

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That’s it for this week. Spring is really hitting our area now with things starting to bloom and the prairie greening up. I even saw baby great-horned owl known as an owlet yesterday. I hope you are healthy and happy.

Best always,

Tom

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Details this week:

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of songs from 1956

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Wednesday, April 8, 7-8:45 pm mountain time

Who:  Tom Munch 

What:  playing and singing an online concert of favorites and requests

Where:  facebook.com/tom.munch and tommunch.com/online-concerts  

When:  Sunday, April 12, 7-8:45 pm mountain time