It began on the trip home from the Midwest CMO awards show in LaCrosse, WI, - that scratch in my throat and gunk in my nose that transforms a country singer’s tool of the trade into a vocal train wreck. I was sure I’d have this infection licked after a couple days of prednisone. The medicine carried me through a trip to my hometown and two songwriting classes for girls, but the next morning I knew there was no way I could sing my four-hour sets, two nights in a row, at the

But it was the pitchforks that brought me here. I was providing the background music for the Pitchfork Steak Fondue for six nights during my “Blame It On Where I Grew Up” tour. On this first night, I sang what I thought might be the crowd’s favorite country songs, along with a couple of my originals that, hopefully, will also become their favorites. More than 1,100 people chatted like old friends in line as they inched closer to the steak, skewered on a pitchfork

The Gull Lake Motel owner had texted me earlier, telling me the door was open and the key was inside. And that’s where I found it. The comfy and cute, rustic motel room in this Minnesota lakes area was my home for the second night of my “Blame It On Where I Grew Up” summer tour. A quick outfit change, then I was off to Quarterdeck Resort, where I found the perfect outdoor stage: plenty of room, lights, electrical outlets close by, and I could park and unload right behi