Puppy love

And they called it puppy love
Oh I guess they'll never know
How a young heart really feels
And why I love her so

And they called it puppy love
Just because we're in our teens
Tell them all oh please tell it isn't fair
To take away my only dream

I cry each night these tears for you
My tears are all in vain
I hope and I'll pray that baby some day
You'll be back in my arms once again

Someone help me, help me please
Is the answer up above
How can I, oh how can I tell them
This is not a puppy love

Someone help me, help me please
Is the answer up above
How can I, oh how can I tell them
This is not a puppy love

This is not a puppy love
This is not a puppy love (not a puppy love)
This is not a puppy love
This is not a puppy love

So my parents took my brother and me to the Iowa State Fair every year since I can remember. It must have been between 1973 and 1975, my mom and dad, detecting the passion I had inside for Donny Osmond, bought tickets to the Grandstand show with The Osmonds as headliners.

Can an 8 to 12 year-old lust after Donny Osmond? Oh, yes she can. And how! My babysitter, Tina and I used to sit in the living room after my brother had been put to bed and we would fantasize about The Osmond Brothers. We would imagine their tour bus breaking down on 6th Street in Chariton, Iowa right in front of my house. All of the brothers would come in and we would fix them popcorn and give them some pop while they waited for a tow truck to come and get their bus. Sometimes the tow truck was really busy. Sometimes the tow truck wouldn't arrive for HOURS. The Osmond Brothers would bring a keyboard and guitars in the house (and/or use my piano) and sing some hits to help pass the time. They would let Tina and me harmonize and sing some solos. They all thought we were great singers and frequently they would invite us to go on tour with them. Then we'd watch Sonny and Cher. Oh, we would have a good time.

(Tina was an awesome babysitter in general. I always had short hair as a kid and one time it had grown to a relatively long mid-neck length. Tina decided she could put my hair in a bun one night and she did! Oh, man I thought she was cool.)

Back to the fair. So the concert was awesome. Donny played a white upright piano with -- get this -- a realistic police light and siren/cherry thingy on TOP of the piano. Can you imagine how awesome it was? Non. Ce n'est pas possible! Suffice it to say it was tres awesome. It was so awesome that I went right home and purchased (by mail order) a replica of the hat Donny wore for the duration of the show.

Behold the hat.

I know. You're all speechless. And you're ready for this story to end, but wait! There's more!

Flash forward to 1994. My best grad school buddy and fellow Donny fanatic, Andrea and I treated ourselves to a day trip to Chicago as a graduation present to ourselves. Show? Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Star? None other than Donny Osmond himself!

Click on Donny's handsome face in this link for a real treat!