LLPOF

Waiting to Arrive

2011-06-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Independent

2011-06-24T10:06:00.001-07:00

My shirt reads: IndieAuthor, It's not just for musicians and filmmakers anymore. (The Waterhauler, coming soon.)

Solstice

2011-06-21T06:28:00.001-07:00

I'm going to have such a fun summer!

I'm baaaack....

2011-06-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

I would like to say I've spent the last two years at

the top of a mountain in a hut, deep within my spiritual core. High in the mist finding that wiseness that belongs to ancient grandmothers throughout time.

But alas I only find myself grayer, my jeans roomier, my mind a bit slower. It's true I've finally finished writing a book that will soon be published and am hard at work on another and I've built a casita in the desert and collected rusted metal from abandoned mines in the Cerbat Mountains and made art with my nearest neighbor out there.

But the serenity and wisdom I associate with the ancient women of the world still eludes me. And I still cannot make a souffle or ride my bike with no hands. I have not achieved the picture of the woman in my childhood books, the one who holds the key to happiness, longevity and the bank accounts.

I'll keep striving. Surely it's all just around the corner.

Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is where my sleuthness comes from.

Hiatus

2009-09-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

I've thought long and hard about where I'm putting my energies these days. I've just finished a book that needs to be published. I've started writing another one. I've bought property out of state and Irene and I are fulfilling our dream of making a second home in the desert. My blog is now officially on hold. I appreciate all of my friends and family and random readers who have turned to this page for the last two plus years. I will send an email out just as soon as I am able to begin again. In the mean time, do what fulfills you in this short short life we've been given.

Fixer

2009-09-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm in need of a make-over.

The restless time

2009-09-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

I often have several books going at one time. Different times of the day require different books. There's morning reading, night reading and the kind of reading where you pass by the book on your way to another room and read a paragraph or two. Yesterday, perusing my bookshelves, I culled two books, The Road to Mexico and Steinbeck's Travels With Charley. It's that time of year for me, the time when my energy is highest and only a book with motion will do.

Summer Blues

2009-09-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

I feel them coming on.

It's gotta be the nuts

2009-09-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I lost considerable weight. I've spent months trying to gain some of it back. This morning, on the scales, I noticed with alarm that I'm fatter than I've ever been. Must be my new walnut diet. Guess I'll have to switch to carrot-nibbles.

Poop-See Scoop

2009-09-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Our friend, Sharon Grennan (Annie Bones' sitter), invented this scoop. It is available on-line and at select pet stores. We got ours through the 'Solutions' catalog. It is quite amazing. I urge all of my cat-loving readers to order one today.

The idle poor

2009-09-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

When you retire you can idle away your time like this too.

Two old women, two old rackets..

2009-09-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the dazzle, charm and talent of Roger Federer, we've bought two flea market rackets and we're hitting the courts at 30th and Brommer.

CC with her ax

2009-09-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

CC's grandfather played alto saxophone some 50 years ago.

Station fire

2009-09-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Sun setting in smoke, Mojave Desert.

Happy Birthday, Sally

2009-09-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sally and I always celebrated our birthdays together, usually beginning with drumming in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Today I can clearly hear her voice and see her beneath those tall trees, smiling, always.

Rosie the riveter

2009-09-03T12:02:00.001-07:00

A birthday present from Irene: A welder's helmet. What more does a woman need?

Event cleaner

2009-08-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

I was talking to someone the other day and we got on the subject of house cleaning. I lamented that I wasn't very good at it, that I didn't like it and generally only really cleaned when someone was coming to visit.
"Oh!" she said. "You're an event cleaner!"
I smiled. 'Yes! That's it. An event cleaner!" I went away feeling whole and healthy. I love labels.
They're like stickers from places you've been, plastered all over your suitcase. Now I can add this one, like an accounting, just in case I'm stopped in the street.

To see a tree

2009-08-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

I think I was one of the first people to see my grandson see a tree. He was born in the desert and there were no trees except the Joshuas rising stiff and unyielding as buildings to the brand new eye.
He came to visit me when he was a few months old. I took him outside and the two of us lay under our front yard tree. I watched him watch as the breeze moved the leaves. He followed the patterns of shadow and shade with such wonder, I knew he was giving me the gift of first sight.

Band of Brothers

2009-08-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

My son's best friend died yesterday in a motorcycle accident. Tony Elfering, top left was part of the pack that made up this true band of brothers. They all roamed the desert, half feral, mostly sweet kids who lived lives of action and danger and swagger. Today we are stunned and saddened, wondering heavily how much sorrow any of us can absorb.

P*landers

2009-08-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Tony Elfering died yesterday on a motorcycle doing what he and all of the desert boys did all of their lives. Tony and my sons grew up together. They formed, along with a few others, a true Band of Brothers, inseparable, one family indisguisable from the other. My heart is breaking for all of them right now and for Tony's mom and sisters. My heart is breaking for all of us.

And the winner is....

2009-08-24T19:05:00.000-07:00

A panel of critics and comedy fans evaluated thousands of jokes this year at the Edinberg Fringe Festival. Top prize went to Dan Antopolski. His joke?

"Hedgehogs--why can't they just share the hedge?"

We're gonna be in pictures...

2009-08-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

A film crew is coming to Chloride, AZ to make a series of 'shoot-out' flicks. We're gonna be stars. Click on link below for details. Maybe you can be the tourists...

http://kingmandailyminer.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=33163

Crows seem to find me

2009-08-21T14:14:00.000-07:00

Crows have a way of finding me. In emails and front yard powerlines, in the tops of my neighbor's cypress, they watch.
Yesterday via Canada Postes this image by Jacob Escobedo, an artist who grew up in a small desert town north of Las Vegas, cme to me.
Mr. Escobedo began creating animals for his friends and naming the animals after the people. This one definitely has my name.
(an early birthday present from Aaron, Wendy and Amado. Thanks you guys! The first piece of art for our desert casita!)

When I grow up I want to be an old woman...

2009-08-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

Annie enjoys a day at the beach

2009-08-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

Click on link to watch video of Miss Annie Bones at the beach. (Katie or Aaron: Please help me learn how to post youtube videos on my blog!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16twTgYSt6I

Just another day in Santa Cruz

2009-08-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

Woodstock Wanabee

2009-08-14T19:33:00.000-07:00

This could have been me. But I was busy in LA living my own private Woodstock. I had two kids and if I remember correctly we did not have a car! Country Joe, (and the Fish) used to come to our house in ELA, lie on our kitchen floor and stare at the ceiling. When I saw him on TV news performing on the main Woodstock stage I was flabbergasted. I had no idea.

Welcome to Bulgaria

2009-08-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

We have friends who live full time in their trailer, moving from place to place. The other night I had a dream: We were all at an RV park that was inside a WalMart and we spent our days pushing our shopping carts around the racks of clothes. We visited back and forth with our friends. We were all going separately to Bulgaria. At the end of the dream, we said to each other, "Good-bye. See you in Bulgaria."

What happened to the cardigans?

2009-08-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Town Hall Meeting, 2009.

It's time to clean again?

2009-08-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Really, I should have been born rich.

No Exit

2009-08-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, Nevada

2009-08-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Sunrise, east of Mina, NV.

Remodel

2009-08-11T05:26:00.000-07:00

In a rare display of optimism, Ethel sees only the potential.

Phone service

2009-08-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

To get cell phone reception in Chloride, AZ you have to hike to the abandoned playground, climb to the top of the slide and pray for a sympathetic airwave.

West Texas

2009-08-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Man at the flea: I'm from West Texas, where you either learned to play music or you robbed banks.
Me: Which did you do?
Man: Both. I was in a band and everyone in the group went to prison for robbing banks except me.
Me: How'd you luck out?
Man: I was 13.

Something about a Sunday

2009-08-09T06:01:00.000-07:00

Years ago we all sat in our desert bar listening to Johnny Cash sing, Sunday Morning Coming Down, and we'd wail along with him, feeling connected, feeling like we were all in this thing together. Johnny Cash though was moving on, becoming famous, had money while we were right where we started, on those plastic bar stools, moaning about Sunday, just as poor and messed up as we were the Sunday before.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

2009-08-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

My grandkids, Cease and Ty were in town this week. So of course we went to the Boardwalk!

A work day...

2009-08-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

...but the commute isn't too bad.

Thelma and Louise

2009-08-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

We met this trucker in Leming, Nevada at a rest stop. She'd stopped to let her little dog, Moxi out to pee.
You traveling alone in this rig? I asked her.
Yep.
Where are you headed?
Kingman, she said.
Us too! You're driving there today? (I didn't want to tell her we were going to stop twice for the night before actually getting to Kingman.)
Yep.
Wow! I said, obviously impressed. Last night, I went on, We watched an old DVD of Thelma and Louise for the fourth time. Have you ever seen it?
She gave me a thumbs-up. My all time favorite, she said.
Ours too! I exclaimed.
Have a good one, she said, picking up Moxie and climbing into her rig.
You too, I said.
And I thought as she hit the road: Everyone better watch out. We've all seen Thelma and Lousie and we all loved it.

Pure joy is...

2009-08-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

....knowing your recently purchased desert land has passed its perc test and is septic tank worthy!

One thing for sure

2009-08-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

I'm standing on the deck this morning in the dark, watching the full moon with Venus hanging an arm's length away. In the quiet I hear the ocean rolling in near East Cliff Drive and it occurs to me: This waxing and waning will continue uninterrupted, whether we are here to witness it or not. A gentle reminder that it is NOT all about us.

Brindle

2009-08-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

Musician, friend, neighbor, lived her life with incredible grace and spirit. Passed away 8-4-09.

Wagontire, Oregon

2009-07-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

On our way to Likely, CA in the morning we'll stop at Wagontire, OR. We've been there once before. There are two people in town, husband and wife.
At their cafe they serve coffee and 'pop'. I'll have the pop, Irene will have the coffee. These people are looking for buyers for their town.
They want to move on but they stay because they are, afterall, responsible for the whole town, which includes a Bagdad Cafe-style motel and an 'international' airport across 395 where a plane from France once made an emergency landing.
(btw: their 'RV Park' with full hook-ups means a spot in the parking lot and a long extension cord running through the rusted screen near their front door.)

A likely story

2009-07-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we're headed here, Likely, CA. It's a long drive through triple digit temps. For the next several days we'll have no internet, no TV, no cell phones. We'll be on the edge.

Remains of the day

2009-07-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Today in the Malheur National Forest we found a deer skeleton. Some of the vertebrae were still connected. While we looked around for the skull, Irene found a man's shirt. Now she's convinced the bones stored in the bin of our rig are that of a hapless human. We're both excited though about the sculpture that might come of this.

The middle of no place in the land of nowhere

2009-07-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

We'll be in touch.

Who do they think they're kidding?

2009-07-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

I think the Witness Protection Program has given up on these two. They surfaced a few days ago on the Skagit River in Washington calling themselves, Chicago and Sunny Days. But we'd recognize them anywhere. They better keep moving if they know what's good for them.

And that's the way it is....

2009-07-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

Life on the road

2009-07-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am feeling less and less connection to any one particular place. Life on the road means where ever you are quickly becomes home. Last night on the Skagit River with friends. Today, it's a little hideaway in the Cascades in central Washington. We're headed east into triple digit temps. Will see friends tomorrow night, then heading south toward Carson City, NV. This rare internet connection is a treat!

Unpredictable

2009-07-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

There is no sure thing when you're on the road. Mostly I've been "unplugged". I've grabbed a quick opportunity here in Freeland on Whidbey Island in my friend's study overlooking Puget Sound to plug back in. There is a serenity and even predictability about this waterway. A schedule of activity that lulls me into some kind of island inertia. Maybe today we'll go into the forest to let Annie Bones run the trails, maybe we'll check out a book store, maybe though we'll just watch the cargo ships and the cruise lines taking passengers to Alaska or watch the sea planes circling with the birds. Then, maybe we'll all just watch the bunnies of Bush Point as they spread out across the open meadows doing what bunnies do....will be back in touch when the connection is possible.

Book tour

2009-07-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago I had the pleasure of reading from the anthology, Sisters Singing, in Portland, Oregon. Annie Bloom's is a fantastic independent book store and the place was packed. On to Seattle!

Irene's adventure

2009-07-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

Irene had to rush through Columbia River Gorge. Not the best way to see one of the most beautiful spots on the planet but Irene knows how to sqeeze every moment out of every day.

Happy Birthday, Annie Bones

2009-07-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Annie Bones turned four. Now we're going to stop counting. The years are going by too fast.

Internet woes

2009-07-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm just plodding through the stages. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll have better luck or I will have reached the 'acceptance' plateau.

Baby salon?

2009-07-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sign on shop said, 'Infinity Spa and Salon'. I read, 'Infant Spa and Salon'.

A little light

2009-07-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Quiet in camp today, cloudy. I'm practicing for tomorrow's book reading at Annie Blooms. Feeling a little homesick, though we've been gone less than two weeks.

Stating the obvious

2009-07-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

The name on this building, "Unrepentant Purple."

Ambiance

2009-07-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Must be on the inside.

Twilight Zone

2009-07-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to see beneath the sun and the glittering manicured lawns. There is something wrong in this Stepford-like RV park: I was joshing with a man about his washing his big RV, then we met while walking our dogs. The sun was shinning. The sky blue. He was a friendly man, the kind you meet along the way, a fellow traveler. "Cute dog," he said looking at Annie B. "Thanks, yours too," I said. "These bastards in Washington," he said suddenly. "The Pelosis, the Obamas, the bastards."

I was sitting outside reading a book, kicked back, Annie B lying in the shade of the picnic table when an RV pulled up next to us, parked and an exuberant couple got out. "Howdy!" the man said. They came over, plunked themselves down, made themselves at home. "Where you from?" and all that. The very moment they heard my traveling companion was a woman, they asked to be moved several 'streets' away.

I was taking a walk, came upon a man and woman and their two dogs. They are work-campers, travel the country working at RV parks in exchange for free rent. Nice people, interesting, 'dog-people'. Want to build for Habitat for Humanity. Their little dog, wearing a bandanna nipped at Annie, the way dogs do to arrange their pecking order. Suddenly the nice man took off his hat and began beating the dog. Beating and beating.

I'm telling you, it must be the air, or the water. I'm scared. (we're also out of here, right after tomorrow night's book reading in Portland.)

July 4th

2009-07-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

When we first got to this RV park we were happy to note no fireworks were allowed. Annie Bones is terrified of them and we thought a quiet 4th would be perfect.

I find myself remembering the wild parties my parents hosted in the 50s where the grown-ups all got drunk and the kids stayed up deep into the night and suffered burns from errant rockets and black eyes from sparklers gone array. Dangerous debacles where we finally did go to bed covered in watermelon juice and blistered feet from walking on the 'snakes' that littered the backstep.

This evening I'm listening for an explosion, laughter, crying injured kids. But here the grown ups sit in dignified circles on lawn chairs and speak in whispers like this celebrating is grim business. Next to us a man is working on his sewer system and across the way a woman is reading a paperback. There are no kids.

Around the bend

2009-07-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Chinook Bend RV Park on the Chinook River in Oregon I watched a man remove the wheel from his red rusty truck. I watched him pour a Tupperwear container of oil onto the grass next to his beat up trailer.
"Big job, huh?" I asked.
"Yep," he said. "Almost too big." Then still covered in grease, he picked up one of his many fishing poles and headed for the river.
This morning, walking Annie B. in the fog shrouded meadow I watched a mortuary van ease down the dirt road. I rounded the bend and they were parked in front of the man's trailer.
"Did someone die?" I asked quietly.
"Yep," replied the driver who was drinking coffee and wearing a white shirt and tie.
"The man in the trailer?" I asked.
"Yep. You fish?" he asked me.
"Nope," I replied.
"You cook?" he asked.
"Nope."
"You eat the salmon?"
"If someone cooks it," I replied. Then I said, "What are you waiting for?"
"The deputy, got to have a deputy," the driver said. I took a last look at the beat up trailer, the pile of fishing poles and the rusty red truck. I looked at the oil stain in the grass.
"Well, have a good one," I said.
"You too," the driver said.

A mighty wind

2009-06-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

These Oregon coast winds can flatten a cockapoo.

Common ground

2009-06-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

I met a geophysicist in the forest yesterday who was on his way to a Kate Wolf festival. While I didn't quite understand what he did for a living, I completely understood his taste in music.

Up and away

2009-06-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

I'm climbing the ladder, going through the window, seeing what's on the other side. I'll be back in about 6 weeks, perhaps newly energized and inspired. It depends of course on what I find, inside and out.

Blogless

2009-06-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Staring at the floor hasn't helped, nor wringing my hands. Facts are facts. My blog-sense has gone the way of all passing things. I don't know if this is temporary and neither does that woman in the blue dress.

Coming in 3rd

2009-06-22T06:07:00.000-07:00

Annie Bones came in 3rd out of 10 winners in the local Woof to Woof Dog Parade! She won a bag of buffulo livers.

Don't call

2009-06-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

Someone in Santa Cruz won 39 million in the lottery this weekend. To all my friends and relatives: It wasn't me.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

To my sons, Aaron and Sol. Both unique and incredible fathers to my 3 grandkids.

Yesterdays

2009-06-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

The man who owns this bar/restaurant was so despondent when his Doberman died he had him stuffed. To get inside to order lunch, you have to pass right by the hapless creature in a glass case. (Yesterdays specialty: The Tower of Spam.)

Our new neighbors

2009-06-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

We met a man named Bert who is going to teach us how to weld.

Fence leading into Chloride, AZ

Our new property, 1st and Tennessee, 3 lots with water and electric and a Nubian goat living next door.

Chloride, AZ

2009-06-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been searching for a tiny desert town just like the one I fled 30 years ago. Maybe today is the day.

The Book

2009-06-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

I feel lighter already.

Hiding out

2009-05-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

I've gone into hiding. I just got my 'finished' book back and discovered a whole new meaning for 'not done'. I'll be in the sticks, writing my heart out and will return when I've got a book in the bag.

Looking up

2009-05-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Things are looking up. If I hadn't bothered to pay attention, this cactus flower in my kitchen window would have lived its entire life without me knowing.

As the crow flies

2009-05-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

In the Mojave Desert I lived near Edward's Air Force Base. If a space shuttle was unable to land in Florida, it was detoured to Edward's.
I was lying on my rickety chaise lounge one afternoon behind my house on our 5 acres when one of these shuttles flew right over my house as it was being transported back to Florida.
I remember thinking it was the most ordinary of things to see in the desert sky.

Rite of passage

2009-05-24T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'm hearing a lot about "The Prom" lately. A rite of passage, an integral ingredient in a young girl's development. I didn't go to 'my prom'.
I hung out with a small group of what would now be called hippies, in a little shack on a friend's property that skirted the railroad tracks in a rural southern California town, listening to the oud on our Crosley Stack-o-Matic.
The rite of passage obviously isn't the same for all young girls.

Out to lunch

2009-05-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today the State Supreme Court has made a ruling. They're going to tell us what that is on Tuesday. What, they have a barbeque to go to? They're waiting for a microphone? What?

Treasures

2009-05-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today at the flea, I bought someones partial plate complete with about 10 teeth, 2 books, 4 pansies and one very rusted and heavy seed planter from yesteryear.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!!!

2009-05-21T06:20:00.000-07:00

My grandson turns 15 today. He is one fantastic kid, great student, football star, world traveler. He's the one who willingly gives up his space when we visit so we'll be comfortable. He saves me from killer dogs and when we travel together he makes sure there are no tarantulas, sea crabs or other creatures lurking in my room! Have a great one, Ty!

Annie Bones and her pink bandage

2009-05-20T17:39:00.000-07:00

Annie Bones has her very first injury. We thought she might have a tick because of our recent trip to the Sierra's. The vet thought she had a little tumor...but many dollars and pain and suffering later, a thorn was discovered! Poor little Annie...(nice bandage though)

The cupboard is bare

2009-05-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

This morning after a dog walk, I came home famished. I scrounged around and found an old hamburger bun that I toasted. Guess I'll have to put down my pen and run to the store for essentials. The muse can only feed you for so long.

Stacked chairs

2009-05-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

Doris Salcedo (b. 1958) Columbian born sculptor. (looks a little like my bedroom closet.)

Grave situation

2009-05-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been having gravity issues. I'm dealing with them one toe at a time. Baring wind shear I should be back to normal soon.

Zasu Pitts and her lucky jade

2009-05-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

We walked by Zasu Pitts' childhood home yesterday in Santa Cruz. It is currently nestled between the Nick, (indie theatre) and Jack's Hamburgers. Out front was a small hand printed sign: 'Cuttings from Zasu's lucky jade. Help yourself.' So we did. Today I'll find a sunny spot for planting and hope the jade brings us fame and fortune the way it did for Zasu.

Preparing for disaster

2009-05-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

My best friend, Susan and I used to spend our days preparing for disaster. We'd strap one arm to our bodies and go through the day using only one hand, just in case we ever lost our arm. We blindfolded ourselves, spending hours in darkness for the day we went blind. We were Girl Scouts. We'd been taught to always be prepared. And we were.

Honoring the mother in us

2009-05-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

In honor of Mother's Day, I've finally cleaned my writing room, a place I abandoned months ago. A place where the expectations were just too high. A room that asked too much of me. (I've been writing on a chair in the house). Now I'm going back. I'll see if the room lives up.

Almost famous

2009-05-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

I've always loved those photos of the 'first drafts' of things by famous people, their scribblings on cocktail napkins or the sides of menus and paper bags. So, here's mine. Please take note.

Wildlife

2009-05-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

When we first saw this animal from our RV window we thought it might be a deer or a cow, possibly an elephant, (note 'trunk' on right side of animal), or maybe something prehistoric. I hiked across the field and found out it was a wild turkey, (a huge wild turkey!).

Much too large for this little cat to tackle, so the two of us just watched together.

Amado draws Toronto

2009-05-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

My son posted this photo of his son, Amado drawing several days ago. The more I look at the picture, the more I love it. I just had to use it as my own.

May Sarton's Well

2009-05-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday would have been May Sarton's 97th birthday. I can't count how many nights I've immersed myself in her journals, poetry and fiction. I've always felt connected to her. My friend, Sandra Martz was the publisher responsible for 'May Sarton's Well'. See Sandra's tribute to May on her blog: http://www.skmartz.blogspot.com/

Excuse me, do you have a Kleenex?

2009-05-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today, a United Airlines flight from Munich was diverted to Chicago or somewhere because a 53 year old passenger complained of a runny nose. What I don't get is why a 53 year old person would complain to anyone about a runny nose. There is so much mystery out there.

Banjos in the bar

2009-05-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

When I lived in the desert, my friend and I took up the banjo. We practiced a lot and decided it was time for our 1st gig. We went to the Yucca Inn on Hwy 138 on Super Bowl Sunday, set up and began vigorously playing 'Shucking the Corn'. The people in the bar, trying to be nice, smiled a lot, but kept turning up the sound on the TV so eventually all you could hear was the roar of the football crowd. We learned we should probably check the calendar before our next musical engagement. That and maybe practice a little more.

Vacationland

2009-05-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Before I retired I didn't understand why and how retired people went on "vacation". (I mean 'vacation' from what?) Now, I get it. We're leaving early tomorrow morning for the Sierras. Back next week. (I'm going to take my guitar and on Sunday, I'm going to play the 3 chords I know and sing, "This land is my land...!" Robustly..see post below.)

Happy Birthday, Pete Seeger (May 3rd)

2009-05-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

Pete Seeger is an incredible human being and one of my heros. He and dozens of performers will celebrate his 90th birthday at Madison Square Gardens in NYC (Katie) this Sunday. Boy, what wouldn't I give to be there. I'd even give my hammer, (if I had one).

In the words of Anne Lamott

2009-04-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling lately, working on a huge desert writing project. At times it's been overwhelming.
I say to Irene: I just can't do it. It's too much...
Irene, paraphrasing the writer Annie Lamott says: Thorn by thorn my dear, take it thorn by thorn.

Garden talk

2009-04-30T12:18:00.000-07:00

We get started on our major gardening project early. The sun has just seeped through the cypress blind across the street, the birds are chattering in our neighbor's apple tree, a yellow butterfly lingers on a pink bloom. I'm standing on a ladder, pulling weeds from a planter tower in our wall.
Me: If I fell from this ladder, suffered a hematoma on the saltillo tile and died, would you move?
Irene: Move? No way!
Me: Why, because you'd be too bereft?
Irene: No, because this place would be just perfect for one person.

Our shy neighbor

2009-04-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor's VW thinks we can't see it. Like if it stays real still it'll go undetected. It's a shy car.

Early today...

2009-04-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

This butterfly paused long enough for this picture. Actually it was quite accommodating. Like a real photo shoot. Like I was an agent and the butterfly had grand plans.

Lost in the 1970s Mojave Desert

2009-04-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but it's not easy out here. Hopefully I'll find my way back soon.