This Ole' House

A couple of months ago I mentioned that I liked listening to a radio station out of Stuart, Iowa because it played so many of the old country western tunes I liked. Well, now I have a new favorite radio station a bit closer to home. The station is KSOI. It broadcasts out of the above Ole' House in Murray, Iowa - a town of about 760 people.
What is different about KSOI is that it is a locally programmed, community based (south central Iowa), non-commercial station. It's mission is to "strengthen localism, education, diversity, entertainment, and public participation." Oh, yeah, and to disseminate emergency information.

This is a map of their coverage area. As you can see, it isn't very broad-ranging. My favorite reason for listening is the diversity of their play lists. Yesterday morning I heard This Ole' House being sung by Willie Nelson. I didn't even know Willie had recorded Stuart Hamblen's tune and Willie is one of my favorite singers! That song was immediately followed by The Beatles', Eleanor Rigby. According to their Facebook page, KSOI 91.9 FM plays every genre of music from Alabama and Taylor Swift to Lady Gaga and Frank Sinatra. I love being surprised by what kind of music plays next.

When I heard This Ole' House, I remembered how much my Grandmother Bessie loved that song. Rosemary Clooney had a hit with it in 1954. Grandma was only 63 then but she related to the words of the song: "Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer, ain't a-gonna to need this house no more. Ain't got time to fix the shingles, ain't got time to fix the floor. Ain't got time to oil the hinges nor to mend the window pane. Ain't a-gonna need this house no longer, I'm a-gettin' ready to meet the saints."
Well, maybe her house did need repair and the acreage was more than she could deal with on her own. She was probably already thinking about selling it when the song was popular because within a couple years she had moved into town. I don't have a picture of the entire house. The above one of me and my big brother was taken in 1945 and shows that lovely porch we used to play on as the adults sat and rocked away.
The new owners added an attached garage and I'm sure did many interior renovations. I always wished I could go through the house to see what it is like now. When Grandma lived there she had a Route # address and the main highway, #34, passed by. After new 34 was built, the old highway became Hull Street. I wonder what she would think about the address of her old home bearing the name (Hull) of her ancestors.

As far as Grandma "meeting the saints" - any woman who had this much fun playing with her grand kids still had plenty of life left in her. She lived to over 96 years of age. Any time Grandma Lynam babysat us, it was a surety that we were going to have fun.

I'll probably be hearing more old tunes on my new favorite radio station which will bring back even more memories. If you're in the area, give them a listen at 91.9 FM.