Tuesday Moanin

Fueled by some Equal Exchange Love Buzz coffee I am here with a Name Dropping edition of the Blog:

In the last couple of weeks since the The Hag concert I have been attempting to keep busy-the time on my hands and money concern has started to create a bit of angst at times-especially with feeling I am gettin to know Regis and Kelly and Hoda and Kathy Lee and the Today show bunch a little better than I care to, I realize I need to find something more constructive to do since the outdoor activities are waning.

>So after going to see 4 wheel drive with buddy Jimmy C. at the Stagecoach here in Richland and meeting some new wild characters (another story, another time) there that night I headed north last Tuesday for a autumnal 3 hr. tour with some fresh CD's from KK to hang out with my condo-conference colleague/buddies at Shanty Creek ( Ralph and J.C.'s treat). It also gave me the opportunity to visit my sister Sue and my niece, Lilly, in the backwoods of Mancelona on the Cedar River and play golf at The Chief, (see photos) where I again teamed up with my retired pal and xcellent cart driver, Lynn and Joelman and KRippit to win some more $ and prizes and have a frosty fall golf experience, 2 longest drive prizes in a month. After surviving living the Vendor life at the conference I drove home through the rain to a call from Ashley, rain leaking in a window, a message for an interview, and call from Jimmy C. to come up to the Pub as he was meeting Melvis there. Did I mention I was a bit worn from the condo hanging? Anyway, reunited with CAllie as she got home from work, waiting on Mary but she had went shopping after work so I headed to see the guys at the Pub, where Mary joined us a bit later. The night turned out really nicely as Melvis invited us to dinner at the Players Club in Augusta with his wife and grandson. All you can eat fish and friends on Friday-indeed.

Weekend was not over yet-Mary said we were meeting Cuz Sharon and buddy hubby Jeffro Saturday night down at the new blues club 411 to see Blues Time BAnd, guitarist, a friend of Jeff's. Blues were hot and place was given a thumbs up- food which we didn't partake in looked good but many good beers available even one from Shorts Brewery in Bellaire. Oh yes the Shanty Creek Brown from the Brewery in Cedarville was quite good at the Shanty Creek Lakeview BAr.

>Are you still with me? NOte in here that part of the celebration Saturday was SPARTY beating UM at their HOuse (GO GREEN) and Sunday rooting for the Li-Downs to get beat again, which of course they did in their own miserable way.

So that pretty much takes us to Tuesday moanin-a brief mention that I had my first 55 minute telephone interview yesterday for a little job I won't talk about yet- wait and see what hoppens.

Did not really like the impersonal telly talent question and response system but sign of the times.

On a last name dropping note some books I have read of late and would recommend: In order of most recent: The Great Gatsby-Fitzgerald, Grab on to me Tightly As If I Knew the Way- local author Bryan Charles, A Fish of Size-local author Keith Konvalinka, The Overcoat-Gogol, The Road-Cormac McCarthy (author of No Country for Old Men), Who's Your Caddy-Rick Reilly, Just started reading, Society's Child-Janis Ian, a book Big Shooter lent me.

I think that is enough Name Dropping for one morning except for a blessing for my old and dear friend Martha who is not doing well. My prayers to her and family.

Look for Election Posts coming here soon, no endorsements just reactions!

Please make comments so I know if anyone is reading!! Thanks Ya'll!

Fifty -Six X 4 Seasons

I could give fifty-six reasons to start why my life is blessed but if you spend anytime looking at this blog you could see that. Birthday came and went-started rainy and ended sunny with a full moon rise over the backyard. Got the New License to a Lunch with Shooter, Dinner with Mary and Callie at the new restaurant in Richland, phone calls with parents, phone call from Boston and Ashley-all ending with expressions of love, more wishes from brothers, sisters and nieces and nephews-even makin me look like a dancin fool as you can see on the blog, and last night in between raindrops Mary and I and NBF's again, Eric and Kristin (and their friend E) and Jimmy C. came by for pre-show Haggard festivities.
Merle was a feisty, smiling, mellow still playin as he put it with his, " beer bar band", after 40 years still playing leads. He reminded me of Dylan when he played the State-a troubadour, still, " writing the songs, and singing them", getting his licks in. Inspirations for the creative force-doing their thing their way and the crowd eating it up and Merle and the band reciprocating playing the classics, Mama Tried, Big City, Rainbow Stew, Silver Wings, Guess I'll Just sit here and drink," and on and on til he got tired and had to get back to the bus as we had to run and splash through the rain to the parking lots, content to have seen a legend before he takes his last bus ride.
This morning though as sunshine perseveres and breaks through I think of what to do. I have a chance to be creative as Melvis sent a copy of the song we are working on-sounds good and helps to motivate me to keep on doin it....some how some way.......

birthday wish from jfam

stayin alive baby!!

Monday Moanins....

With nods to Ray Davies and Melvis....After the Meltdown....doing the fall...

numbness to the eco-nomie news

start to write a new song with oceans sounds and inner wounds

friday sunshine a martini and finally the growler filled again jack 0' lantern spirits

young at heart gets me to cry for the old and not so lonely

baseball boston the adopted red sox rocks against the upstart southerners

saturday we wine loft with old friends and friends anew with early birthday wishes

ragbirds rock and we sway with the moon rising above the outdoor bells

lights on once lights off into dreamland

sunday more autumn sunshine and a backroads drive to the big lake changes on the way

extraordinary beach time sands stand still along the softest blue

drive back home and read The Great Gatsby till tired to sleep

Rainy Day Blog #1

a day after a fine golfing day at yarrow, a rainy day morning it is.
economic news fills the airways like the the rain sitting in the puddles in the driveway so....

it leads me to believe the that the terrorism in grrrreeeed that is within us is among the worst kind of terror that we possess, another way to dominate by fear that western civilization has cultivated along with our other cash crops. do we all buy and sell and who gets the credit?
who gets the blame? who gets the spoils?
It is a part of all of us, the need to be the boss with the power, have the bigger house, not knowing when to say when or push away from the table, or want to make all the money we can but for what?where is the love? the beatles sang it, " money can't buy you love"
but maybe the leader of a country?

ok, enough of that for now, it is supposed to be sunny tomorrow.

Monday Moanin'....

Bob Talbert, who wrote for the Detroit Free Press when I was growing up in Detroit, had a column on Monday Mornings which he titled MondayMoanin, and just wrote down musings from the weekend which usually were interesting and sometimes insightful, I can only strive for that here. Bob has since passed away.
Here are my moanins on this Monday;
-the election, last day to register today-good to hear that Bruce Springsteen is playing in Ypsi today to promote and get out the vote.
-the talk on newshows is "Saturday Night Live", good to see so many folks watching these parodies of the candidates debate.
-I have a hard time watching the debates as the moderators seem to find it hard to keep the debaters on point with questions so they let them pontificate instead.
-world markets plunge and you wonder who really does know what is going on with it all?
what is that line from my song, Temptation, " where did all the money go?....."
-Our weekend-Art Hop happening Friday in Kalamazoo-so many talented friends and folks on display-as we search for the free wine and cheese-ended up groovin to the bluesin of Crossroads Band on the Mall with the Fall chill coming down
-Saturday, makin sure my new grass is still a growin, Mary and I dressing up for a spendid heartfelt wedding with the reception at the Kal. C.C., on an awesome sunny fall day, overlooking the lake there, sharing cocktails and hordourves with the family and friends-Ashley calls from Boston and talked a bit more bout her trip-cocoa leaves and the altitude there and as we speak a hawk flies over the lake, adding a little extra kick to the accumulating euphoria of the afternoon. The dinner and dancing were a blast-the Dopp's do know how to throw a party, and as Marty and I come in from an trip outside the new moon is rising and inside the 96 year old patriarch of the family is surrounded by women trying to get a dance with him-ahh what we all can hope for.....as usual the "bag of tricks-is a percussive hit".
-and Sunday, papers to read, grass to cut, root against the Lions and I win again as they of course lose another, make dinner and count the blessings as Mary, Callie and I sit down to some BBQ.

to write: the when and how and why

I can see already that being motivated to write here will be difficult even with the new time on my hands. Who will take the time to read it and Why, always these question pop up.

I was "encouraged" by friends from my golf league, Mike and Ed, to start a blog in my retirement as to how it was going and the things I was doing. The first few months, which were summer, I was doing quite a bit; traveling with my wife to visit family and friends, playing golf, playing some music festivals with my friend Susan, jamming with Melvis, Johnny, and Jazz amongst others. Now the golf has slowed-partly due to now being fixed incomer and I have always been more of a summer golfer, although certain fall days are a joy to be out there. Knowing my golf preferences has not stopped my pal and league partner, Peter, from calling to urge me to golf as he has the golf jones bad.

Last week though, I chose to play up at Hawk Hollow in Bath, MI near E. Lansing, with a recently retired colleague who invited me to play for "comped" in my former state adule and comomunity ed associatin outing. I drove up there as the weather was perfect and the course is very nice, and with a free lunch how could it turn out poorly. Well, not only did we win the scamble thing, 3 skins, longest drive (guess who), closest to the pin, but my friend who asked me, Lynn Man, got a hole in one! so we won $70 some dollars, had a blast doing it. My having to drive home after a bit of celebrating was the only drawback but pulled it off. Lynn and I always have some thing interesting happening to us when we get involved wiht golf together; like the time I got my hole in one up at a contest on top of Crystal Mt. to beat Lynn, or the time on a gorgeous fall Drambouied day at the Threetops par 3 Lynn almost killed us getting air on our golf cart speeding down the ttreacherous hills there and getting busted by the ranger, those are other stories longer than to tell here.

Soooo... as the first real entry goes I can say my retirement is starting out swell- I am now making adjustments to the time home alone stuff-cleaning, doing home projects ( I am proud to say I got new grass to grow (lawn variety), applying for occassional suitable employment, reading, cooking for Mary and daughter Callie, and taking calls from my great friends that I have out there with possibilites for things to do (Davie G., Jimmy C. to name a few) or just yak, right Madigan?

Stay tuned, excuse my free form spelling and grammar at times, I hope it 's an interesting slice.

I can say I do not miss getting up and going to work, especially on Monday mornings.