Looking Inside Outside White

Waking up slowly after 8:30AM no rush to get anywhere and finding more snow falling and the temperature dropping reminds me of an arcticlike January 33 years ago when I was 23, recently graduated, no rush to get anywhere, unemployed other than substitute teaching jobs, the temperature hovering near zero and living in an apt. that had no heat as the landlord didn't get the oil needed to heat the Rock and Roll Allen Blvd. once antique mansion with 6 apts. now in downtown Kalamazoo. Our 2 large dogs, Frodo and Theta, at the time would keep me warm as I would go back to bed, not quite ready for my Morning Thunder Tea that would help some to keep me warm. I could see my breath at times inside that apt. It was f***in cold that winter, much like this one. I wrote a lot back then on old typewrite, some of my first songs were written then and a lot of musings and proses. A new democrat was being inaugurated on a cold Washington day. So the similarities are here today cept we have heat, killer EE coffee, cable, computer apps. to type in blogs, more extreme weather alerts, a pension, a child at home and only one dog. So I still write, am unemployed and look to new challenges. I have more driveway to shovel and plow but have a snowblower to do it with.

• In the past week Melvis and I think we finished the surf song to a point we can record now.
  


• Mary and I went to the local Coopers Glen Music Festival to hear Acoustic Roots Music indoors while outside it was cold and snowy. Highlights: We got to see a marvelous fiddler, Liz Carroll, jam sittng on chairs with John Doyle an Irishman who founded Solas and and Billy who played the accordion. Ending the evening was Chris Hillman and Herb Pederson, longtime California musicians. Chris has played with the Byrds, Steven Stills and many more as Herb and Emmy Lou Harris had recordings together. Sweet harmonies and great picking. Our love of music buddy Jimmy C. made it down to the city show through the snow after a long lunch afternoon.
  
  


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  Saturday was poker night through the 6 inches of snow at Mikey D's with mucho laughs, more good tunes, great wine from Dr. K., and homemade soup provided by pal Peter. Jazzman and the 'good' Mike kept giving us reason to cajole. No one lost too much as the $ seemed to be spread around. I think we left the house in pretty good shape Susan for your return;)

That takes me up to this morning and more snow, cold, and wind. I am keepin the birds fed and they seem happy. Maddie cannot find much space to go out do her bidness and does not like to stay out too long, nor do I to do mine (read that part slowly). I do have a pot of chili I cooked up on the stove so Callie can have some before she heads out to work. She started up school again yesterday and is MOtivated! I have some ideas to pursue for myself to use my time here in the near future. I will report on those as they come about. So there are driveways and cars to clear off. Glad we have a garage now for some of the family fleet. We not only going LOW we be Going BE-LOW, Zero that is, stay warm but be cool.