GaryOsberg.com

I celebrated my seventh birthday in Vienna, Austria. I was an army brat. Dad served in the navy during the war and later he joined the army. In 1950 he was a Sergeant in the 5th Army stationed in Vienna. As “dependents” we were housed in an apartment building that was quite nice. There were two marble faced fireplaces and a baby grand piano along with a crystal chandelier in the dining room. I ran with a group of other army brats and I was the oldest in the group.

One day in February we were hanging out in front of the large estate on the corner next to our apartment. One of the kids stuck his hand in the fence opening and a dog took his mitten. I bravely offered to go through the gate and recover the mitten. I still remember starting my walk across the large yard toward the two “Boxers”. They greeted me by jumping up and knocking me to the ground. They proceeded to chew on my arms and legs until an Austrian man who we referred to as the “fireman”, (he took care of the furnace in our apartment building) came in and pulled the dogs off of me. I walked home nearly naked and my mother fainted when she opened the door. I spent about 6 weeks in the army hospital. It took me a while to get over my fear of dogs. The occupant of the estate was a Colonel in the U.S. Army and they gave me a new winter coat.

This week the APHC show is live from the famed Fitzgerald Theater, in sunny Saint Paul, Minnesota. Prepare to be blown away by the new host Chris Thile and guests The Avett Brothers, Jesca Hoop, and comedian Jen Kirkman. Plus: there will be the Song of the Week from Chris and the band (singers Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O’Donovan, pianist and music director Richard Dworsky, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, bassist Alan Hampton, guitarist Julian Lage, and Ted Poor on drums). The Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Serena Brook, Tim Russell, and Fred Newman will entertain with a variety of skits. Do send in your suggestions for the Powdermilk Biscuit Instant Song Request. It’s two hours of public radio you won’t want to miss — tune in on your local station or watch live (Saturday, 5pm-7pm CST) at prairiehome.org!

“You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about – the more you have left when anything negative happens.” Ethel Barrymore