Show #228

Hello Friends of the Garden

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No little white donuts this time!

This weekend finds me at my tiny refuge in Cambria. It feels so good to be at the coast! It seems like forever since we left at the end of August. It's an absolutely beautiful morning and an extreme difference between waking up at my home in Fresno!

Cambria in the morning

Don't get me wrong! Fresno has it's own beauty, it does! In spite of what I hear from many that live in Fresno, I see a lot of beautiful things in Fresno. I am happy to be a transplant to Fresno and I believe that affords me a viewpoint not jaded by familiarity. The complaints that I hear about Fresno sound so similar to the complaints I've heard in others places I've lived in my life.

My backyard in Fresno

Cool potted plants on the patio

Growing up in Texas, I recall many car trips to South Texas, to my Grandmothers house in El Campo! It was always an agonizing six or seven hour ride. At that point I didn't have the awareness to notice the subtle nuances that distinguished the countryside. I had no appreciation for what I saw from the fingerprint smudged backseat car window. I just knew that it took forever to get there and it all looked pretty much the same for hour after hour.

When my wife first brought me to Fresno thirty-plus years ago we weren't married at the time. The very first thing I saw was mountains, wow! She took me to Yosemite, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and the Big Sur drive down Hwy 1! Every one of those places and many more were so close, by Texas standards, and so amazing to see. I discovered Shaver Lake, Huntington and Edison lakes, and Mono Hot Springs, all right in our backyards!

This summer in Yosemite

Alright, fine, if it's so good in Fresno then why have a place at the coast? Here's the best answer I can muster, it's different and it's separate from my "regular day to day life"! In the first place, I don't work here, at least in terms of making a living. My thoughts aren't dominated by the demands that being at home present. I'm away! Those things will just have to wait until I'm close enough to do anything about them.

Shear distance alone forces me to clear the buffer in my mind and reset to a simpler, less stressful mind set. The mountains would have been as good of an alternative. I guess the vastness of the ocean and growing up "landlocked" made the seaside a more interesting choice for me. 

With only a relatively few exceptions, isn't it odd that where we choose to "get away" to almost always is less convenient than where we "live" at? We prepare to make accommodations for anticipated inconveniences when we travel. We use the word essentials when we pare back the litany of things that make our lives simpler. It almost seems like an innate need to let go of those things that tax our minds. Deep inside, each of us know simpler is better and easier and a lot more relaxing!

Reflection of the sun behind the obelisk in front
the Louvre with the Arc de Triumph in the
lower left. Lucky shot huh?

The other day I was in a conversation with two close friends that are both into photography, one professionally the other academically. A rhetorical question was raised about what is required to take a good photo. Being the outsider in this discussion and being simple-minded, I offered that the difference between a good photo and a bad one depends greatly on where you stand (I think I heard something like that before). While being a foregone conclusion, it was undeniable. I was standing in the right place when I took this picture in Paris (France).

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Well, from where I stand here on my deck, things seem pretty simple and pretty relaxed! Time to wrap this up and hunt sea glass. I haven't done that in a month! You can call it whatever you like, for me it's therapy, simple and easy!

View from my roof that needs repair
in Cambria!

On to Show #228! This week I saw a band called The Haunted Windchimes (another weird named band huh?). I just had a notion of the bands that would fit their sound so I sandwiched them right between two obvious (to me) bands. Fun first set that sets the tone for the first hour, pretty easy and relaxed! There are lots of things here for everyone! The second hour starts with another crack at some Zeppelin because my buddy Rob missed last week. The second hour picks up a little compared to the first and ends in Garden Party style, introspective and upbeat! You'll breathe a deep breath of relaxation and have just enough energy to tap your toe!

Thanks as always Robin and Jerry! Keep on, keeping' on! Right?

Thanks to all of you listeners! Please feel free to get in touch with me any way you can! I love hearing from you!

Peace and love!

Mike

Show #227

Hello Friends of the Garden,

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I can eat a whole bag of these
if I'm left unsupervised!

It's another Saturday morning! Coffee, the newspaper, NPR and "little white donuts" are the things that begin the day as the sun comes up. My busy little corner is still sleepy and quiet. Soon enough, everyone will be about business, whatever that is! As soon as I finish this post I'll be about business myself, getting back to a paving project that hit a slow spot. At this point I'm making Cal-Trans look fast if you assess my progress! 

Down to the tricky corners

The unfinished paving is a glaring item on my checklist of to do's. Every time I walk over the portion of walkway that remains undone my mind begins to grapple with how I'll get it completed. The project got shelved mid-summer when other priorities took precedence, not to mention the fact that I didn't know how to proceed. That's fine, there were plenty of other things on the list to be addressed anyway! Hopefully today!

Old Japanese Clock

For me, it feels like, there's always something that needs doing and I could and should be doing a better job of it! I get overwhelmed easily! I don't make lists for myself. I don't write things down. I'm always running to the next thing that demands my attention! Finding time to work on a clock (more irony) I found at the flea market falls way back in my list of other priorities.

I realize that my self-assessment is relative. On a grander spectrum, I know I'm more capable than others at domestic tasks and maintaining a home. I also have a bunch of friends far more skilled than I am at every thing! Those friends unknowingly set a standard that I use as a benchmark to strive for. However, back in reality, it is a ridiculous notion to think you can be good at any thing you set you hand to! The curse is, stubbornly believing you can!

​My good friends Don and Susan are another benchmark I've discovered to judge myself by. They have balance in their lives that accommodate for their full lives. I've learned from them the importance of attending to the intangible things like relationships and giving of yourself to your close friends. The things that you do for others is as important as the things you do for yourself! This lesson has been more relevant as I have come to understand.

I'm blessed to have many friends like Don and Susan! I have to laugh, as a teacher, I spend more time learning than I do teaching! There's irony for you! Each of you dear friends teach me something any time I interact with you! In my own slow way I'm putting those lessons to work! 

Sally's latest picture.  

Last week, with Sally the sixth grader, I understood how important it is to make those connections! That memory will last far longer than my pavers and walkway! Like an iceberg, most of it being unseen, it's those little things that are huge! Thanks, to all of you that have helped shape me in to the person I am!

​On to Show #227! Man, I still love doing this! I hope you like it too! I start things with a cool Dave Alvin song written in 1925 by a banjo player named Charle Poole and made popular by the Grateful Dead. I'm covering a request from Rob for some Zeppelin. Got a cool Joe Ely tune. There's a great set with Amy Black, Lindi Ortega and Wynonna. There whole last set before the end of the first hour is something I'm looking forward to. I got some Geno Delafose for the "Hound Dog" (He's gonna be at Hardly Strictly this year). Then the rest just cooks along straight to the end! 

Thank you, Robin and Jerry! Each week you guys share something with me that fills me with pride, a pride I can directly attribute to your sharing my passion! Feels good guys!

Thank you to all of you that read and or listen to the show! Kurt, even though it was a brief comment you made to me the other day, I want you to know how good that made me feel! There's a host of you guys out there, all over the freaking globe! Call me, email me, text me (if you have my number), whatever, I love hearing from you! It just fuels the fires people!

Peace and Love,

Mike

Show #226

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Mmm...Donuts!

Hard to beat coffee and donuts in the morning!

​I've never considered myself an organized person. I think that's because I've always looked at the people around me that are getting things done. Those people seem to convey an attitude of confidence and clarity even in the face of chaos! While many of us are busy trying to grasp and understand what is going on around us there are some people that already have a direction and purpose. Being in the presence of doers doing can be unsettling if you dwell on the process of evaluating your own capacity for productivity! I think I envy these salient, clear thinking examples of self-assurance! I said "I think" I envy those people, but I'm not sure if I truly do!

Braided ramp system on State Highway180! Huh?

It's easy for us to blame the times we live in when asked what keeps us from being confident in our choices in life. Without a doubt, our world is as complicated as it's ever been.......to me. That seems to be the stumbling block! To me, the world has changed dramatically and grown more complex, more convoluted, and more difficult to understand. 

The result seems to be a "knee jerk" reaction to a call for a return to simpler times! We glorify the "Good Old Days" as a benchmark to contrast against the difficulties recognized by the present. Generally, it's a presumed response from "older" people that the "Good Old Days" were better in every regard; everything was cheaper, everything was more durable, people were friendlier, the world was safer, rules were clearer, we ate together at dinner, we weren't distracted by technology, sports were pure, you can fill in the rest and more! Of course all these things are as true as they are untrue, it's all perspective!

Me, sweaty from dancing! Chris, sweaty from Playing!

This Thursday I went to see The Chris Cain Band play at Fulton 55. I had seen Chris Cain before years ago at the Santa Cruz Blues Festival with my dear departed friend Allen. My mind raced to those sunny afternoon's in Aptos surrounded by all my friends, dancing and grooving to the music. Snapping back to the present at Fulton 55, I was greeted by a bunch of old friends I don't see as often as I used to. Another flood of memories washed through my mind! I danced! I laughed! I cried (but not in a way that anyone could see)! I was pulled in to the vortex of "The Good Old Days"!

On Friday, back at school (which was a little slower thanks to Thursday), I started my day like I do by greeting my kids at the door when they come to my classroom. As I waited for the last stragglers to enter I looked for a little 6th grade girl I'll call Sally (no girls are named Sally or Jane anymore). 

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The day before I recognized Sally had been upset about something. Sally had a raw, red nose from a cold or something. She had tears in her eyes. I got all the other kids working independently and sat down by Sally to find out what was going on. Sally told me she was missing her Mom. I told her I miss mine too! I told Sally not to even bother with the work I had given the other kids and to just relax. I found the school counselor and she took Sally to help calm her. 

It made me think, surely these aren't "The Good Old Days" for Sally! Us older people generally say our youth was our "Good Old Days"! I didn't see that for Sally on Thursday and Friday! I hope Sally's "Good Old Days" are ahead of her! 

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Later, when Sally returned to my classroom she gave me a "thumbs up" when I asked how she was doing. I knew it was not all better, but it was some better. Sally proceeded to draw a precious picture of me and gave me a hug and a smile on her way out! I felt good that I could do the right thing at the right time! I'm working on that!

Folks, these are the "Good Old Days"! I'm still having "Good Old Days", they're mixed right in there with the other "Not so good days"! All we have to work with is now! If we look for the "Good Old Days" we'll find them! You do have to look though!

Here's Show #226! I'll admit, this week was really busy! It seemed like it carried over from last weekend when I thought I'd be at the coast but circumstances proved otherwise! I sat down and put together some favorites! I had run into Nate Butler that evening and he made me think of the music of my youth/good old days! He called it ProgRock. So the first set's for you Nate! The end of the 1st hour has a Memphis "Gardenerism", there's another later too! I'm playing a McCartney tune for Scooter. There's another new tune from The Sam Chase. The last half hour is capped with a run of "3" name guys you should all recognize by now! Good time fun everybody!

Thanks Jerry and Robin for working through each of your own technological issues to do your part. You two may see your part as minimal but, I know better! Thanks!

Thanks to all you that read this and or listen to the show! Please don't misconstrue the notion that I think I'm something more than I am! This has been more of an exercise of self-awareness rather than any attempt to sway anyone. I'd like to pull people together as opposed to pushing them away! I appreciate your patience and support!

Peace and love!

Mike

Show #225

Hello Friends of the Garden!

​​I feel lazy this morning, but I know that's just the way things start on most of my Saturday mornings. This routine is one that I truly enjoy. Radio, newspaper, coffee and emails all serve to align my mind. Speed, is the key controlled aspect to this routine, by design it's slow and relaxed. Thank goodness that my Saturdays don't include "hitting the ground running" often! The work week has plenty of that for the whole week, no need to "pile on"!

I need to mention one part of the routine that has become a source of irritation. I must have the meanest newspaper delivery person in all of Fresno! As a matter of convenience (to my delivery person and not me) my delivery person throws the paper to my driveway and not the front porch. 

​With amazing accuracy and consistency my delivery person throws my paper under my little

car nearly every morning! About 90% of the time I have to get on my hands and knees and sometimes I even need to get a broom or rake from the garage to extricate my morning news! I can only imagine him or her giggling as the newspaper slides perfectly under my car like a baseball player sliding in to home!

Until this moment, I had no idea that this would be another way that I bring joy into the life of others! I had not anticipated this avenue for bringing happiness at my own personal cost. Hopefully, I'm a small part of their satisfaction! Oh well, I guess I need to stretch these old bones and I always know where my brooms and rakes are! That's about as "half full" as I can muster on that one! I'll keep working on my patience.

Speaking of patience, a listener (a local musician) wrote me an email and stated that when he prayed for patience he was presented with lots of things that required it (apparently not the answer he expected) . He went on to say that the stopped praying for patience and switched to praying for wisdom instead. Everybody needs something, and even when you get it you're not sure that was truly what you needed in the first place!

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The listener went on to tell me about his place in Louisiana and the devastation from the flooding there. Thankfully his home there did not sustain much damage, however many others have not been as lucky. He wanted to pick my mind on ideas for some sort of fundraiser/benefit for the people of Louisiana. I love the generous and loving spirit of my listeners!

Of course I want to help! As if it was a conditioned response, my first instinct is to do something! But what? How? Then the thinking comes, "Is this the most important need I can address?" What about issues that are more central to my needs? When I think that I shouldn't be so self-centered my mind bounces in the other direction and looks outwardly. The call for help becomes a cacophony of voices upon a deeper look. 

When I think about how many people are in need in one way or another all over the globe, I realize that my classroom is a parallel on a smaller scale. When my students begin their work independently there are always a host of hands all needing assistance in some form. I've found myself overwhelmed at times. Everybody has such specific needs that trying a "one size fits all" approach just wastes time. More effective and lasting is a one on one, personal approach. Unfortunately, that requires a prioritizing of expedience and efficiency in who and how I help. 

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The world however, is not like my classroom. With great effort I can reach almost all the academic needs of those that ask. Shear numbers alone tell me that doing the same with the needs of the world is a ridiculous notion! The best I've come up with is, find something you can plant your flag on and do the best you can! When you feel strong enough add another if possible. Apply patience and sensitivity to all including yourself. Hard problems aren't fixed in a day!

Here's show #225! This show is recorded in anticipation of my going to the coast, my own tiny fortress of solitude! Unfortunately circumstances prevented that reprieve. I'm torn between finding a friend to hang out with and listen together or going in, stopping the machine and doing it live! We'll see! Anyway, I start out with some work songs for the Labor Day Weekend (listening to Don Fischer will make you think ahead because that's the effect he has on me). There's a cool remastered edition of Psycho Killer. I've got a fun "Booty" "Gardenerism" (I hope I don't embarrass myself with it) right after. The whole "old-timey" set includes Blue Indian (the song that hooked me on WSP and I've only played once in four years?!?). I start the second hour with my new segment of "Fresno's 10 things" and follow it with a Tea Leaf Green request I forgot to fill for Shawn, who gives me the list of activities. Sending the Little Feat out to the Texas Connection. I close things up with dead guys I wish were still around! No disrespect meant here, I just miss 'em. Try to stay for the end with the special Gene Wilder song!

Thank you Robin and Jerry for being there each week with me as this show grows and grows! You two are the nurture in my nature!

Thanks to all you out there that correspond in any way you do, from emails, to calls, to conversations, to texts, I appreciate your effort to check in! Thanks for listening when you can!

Peace and love!

Mike