Saturday 9

 Saturday 9: Valentine (1997) 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

1) In this song, Martina McBride asks what would happen if the sun refused to shine. How are the skies today where you are? Cloudy, but no rain or snow.

2) She sings of a dream she's had 1,000 times before. Have you ever had a recurring dream? I jump into the Chicago River by the Wells Street Bridge. I'm trying to save a black and white dog. The water is dirtier and colder than I expected. I grab the dog and hold him in one arm and wrap my arm around something metal and wait for the firefighters to rescue us both. I'm never scared, really. Just frantic. So much to do! I don't know if this dream is about saving or being saved.

3) Martina has published two cookbooks and appears on The Food Network. Two favorite recipes are for peanut butter desserts: peanut butter/chocolate cookies and peanut butter/butterscotch squares. Is there peanut butter in your kitchen right now? Nope.

4) Before she was famous, Martina sold t-shirts at Garth Brooks' concerts. Her husband worked on Garth's sound crew and she pitched in. Do you have any concert t-shirts? Yes. I have one from Sir Paul's 2002 tour that I wear often. I got it on eBay, where it was being sold cheap because of a typo on the back (Los Angles). Either no one notices, or everyone is too polite to mention it.

5) Martina headlined a gala at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. As our nation's capitol, Washington has many buildings of historic significance. If we were to visit your hometown, what landmarks would you direct us to? Wrigley Field! It's earned national historic landmark status, and is one of only two ball parks left standing where Babe Ruth played. There is simply no better place to spend a summer day.

The scoreboard is still kept by hand. A man is in there, changing the numbers.

Since this is the Saturday 9 before Valentine's Day, we've got some questions inspired by the holiday.

6) Hearts are the symbol of Valentine's Day, so here's a little heart trivia: whales have largest heart of any animal. When we say a person is "big hearted," it means we think of them as generous. Think about the people in your life. Who would you describe as big hearted? My friend Mindy believes she is big hearted, so I'll go with her. She intends to be thoughtful, often she falls short because she gets busy, but I think intent counts for a lot.

7) It's estimated that 9 million people buy Valentine's Day presents for their dogs and cats. Have you ever purchased a holiday gift for a pet? Yes, but not my own. I include my niece's three cats and my nephew's cat and tortoise on my Christmas gift list. (FYI, Georgie the tortoise always gets a kiwi from me.)

8) Valentines to teachers are also big sellers. Did you ever have a crush on one of your instructors? Oh, yes! My English teacher, freshman year of high school! First of all, he was Jewish, and in the small town I grew up in that was exotic. Secondly, he had long hair, and when he'd scratch his head it seemed his hand would disappear into the mass of curls, which I found devastatingly sexy. Third, he was a good teacher, encouraging us to find parallels between pop culture and the classics. He left us after one year to go back to school and earn his MFA. I googled him and found that he's teaching drama at a college out east, married to a remarkably average looking woman, and (gasp!) BALD!

9) With the popularity of e-cards, fewer Valentine messages are sent via the USPS. What's the most recent thing you dropped into a mailbox? A check to The Tree House Humane Society.