Show #250

Hello Friends of the Garden,

It was nice to have a
morning fire while I wrote this!

Well, I feel much better than I did at this time last week. I still have the last lingering bits of a cough and my throat is still a little sore from coughing but, I feel significantly better now. It was of little consolation that I was told that "it" was "going around". Right now I wish it had gone right on by me! If I were a NASCAR driver, right now my corporate sponsor would be Mucinex! 

Poor baby, of course it's her husband
Being referred to.

Although I understand that I'm incapable of diagnosing it, I don't believe my cold advanced to the "Man Flu" level. Considering the condition, the only absolute prevention would have nothing to do with health practices. The only certain deterrent would be if you are unaffiliated (i.e. not married or in a relationship). It would be an exercise in futility for a man to exaggerate the severity of his cold to no one!

Well, this sure explains things!

I believe it's a natural human trait for both men and women to exaggerate.  This behavior can be witnessed at a national level, and all the way down to a personal level. While there may be many reasons to "stretch" the truth, I believe it occurs most often to gain sympathy or favor. The persecuted or afflicted resort to publicizing their plight with an emphasis on the extreme. All of us have listened to a friend that always seems to be getting the "short stick" in life! Their maladies always are associated with much greater frequency, severity and circumstance. 

Well, this sure explains things!

While sitting up in bed blowing my red, raw nose and coughing my head off, I had plenty of time to watch a lot of TV. Television is the "Holy Grail" of exaggeration! Truthfully, all forms of media have grown and expanded to the point that it can accommodate any philosophy regardless of it's multitude or extreme orientation. The whole "tabloid" industry exists to quench that strange innate need in some Americans. 

How many times have you heard a statement begin with, "When I was your age we used to......"? Invariably, this statement is typically followed by an extreme exaggeration. Like the "Man Flu", whatever times we are in, we are always the ones with the most extreme conditions. Today's "fake news" will become passé just like the whole "birther" following has with time! 

Upon entry to congress, all politicians
are issued one of these!

In the meantime, as painful as it may seem, there is an entertainment quality to observing the "blame-throwers" at work! Listening closer and speaking less quickly is most likely the only cure for "what's going around".

On to Show #250! Amazing 250! Like always, Sunday presents plenty of competition! This week it's The Sunday Garden Party vs. The Academy Awards! No problem! Rather than fight 'em, I decided to embrace the opportunity so, I put together a bunch of samples from the soundtracks of several of my favorite movies. I had a lot of fun getting little clips of audio from each movie. I think you'll enjoy it too. Show #250 and it's as fun as ever putting it together!

Sorry Robin for giving you my cold! Jerry, I know I'm not at fault for your cold, so I know I'm safe from any "blame-throwing"! We'll all catch up when were 100%!

Thank you listeners and readers of this message! Sorry about last week! Thank goodness I'm on the mend! I'll be at the microphone this weekend so, give me a call!

Peace and love,

Mike

P.S. Hey you local people! Check out our upcoming Rogue Festival show.

Show #248

Hello Friends of the Garden,

Sunset from last time in Cambria

This weekend finds me back at the coast. The rain has finally let up for a while (strange to say it like that considering how little rain we've had in years prior). Out on the deck, it's a cool, crisp morning! The drone of the ocean waves in the background feels like some kind of subliminal soothing soundtrack. 

This hasn't changed and hasn't helped
my knee either!

This morning I didn't get up as early as I have been recently. It was 7:30 when I rolled out of the driveway to get a newspaper. In Cambria there are only a handful of places that are open at this time. Not one place in town had their newspapers yet. I marveled to myself at the relaxed pace of this town! Back in Fresno I'm usually retrieving my newspaper from under my car by 5:30 AM! In Cambria the news will get here when it gets here, no hurry!

One of three place to get a newspaper
in the morning in Cambria.

Maybe that's the draw for me. Things happen much slower here. Cambria isn't the only place where things happen slowly. On my first trip to Hawaii (with several after), I discovered "Island Time". Back in North Texas, in the sleepy little town of Denison, every business seems to work around their own schedule and not that of the customers. How in the world will they ever dominate the world's economy with this ambivalence toward their quest for financial superiority!

Some Liberals prefer to be called
progressive, while conservative
still prefer to be called right!

I don't think that these places are worried about their place in the world. They seem more focussed on their place in their own place. Anytime I've been at any coastal place, any where, I've noticed a different mind set. Ecology, conservation, environment are all things that are more prominent issues in any coastal town I've ever visited. I've always been curious as to how this disaggregation occurred. 

Wouldn't we be better if we were
just one color? I know white
supremacists think so!

The recent election map confirms this notion of mine. The map looks like a giant red spot in the middle with a crust of blue around the edge. Of course the separation is not an absolute. Even here at the coast there are plenty of people leaning to the right and left. I imagine there are progressive people in the middle of our country, you just never hear about them. 

Can't we just return to a time when we all agreed with each other, like colonial America before our independence? Well, even then we didn't agree with each other and persecuted one another for their differences. We've been like this for years. Other than the Civil War, it seems the only time we set aside our differences and unite is during wartime. Can you imagine anyone saying something about a person who died in service to our country being liberal or conservative? As if it was no great loss to our nation if it was someone who had a dissenting stance on whatever you or I believe in!

Some claim that the slow demise of the middle-class is at the root of our stagnation. Of course "middle-class" refers to more to income rather than ideology. I believe we have lost our middle in America ideologically. Maybe the word "compromise" should be added to the list of unacceptable words to be used in public. 

Naturally left aligned

I do not see anyway to truly "Make America Great Again" while one half of the country (give or take 3 million) thinks the other half is stupid, uneducated, singleminded, greedy, isolated and incapable of knowing the truth when they see it! No matter what you say, I can't see us being great while we benevolently take care of one half of our country!

The "right" way of thinking!

 

Sorry everybody but, we are all going to have to start by taking one step towards the middle if we are going to "Make America Great Again"!

Here's Show #248! I guess I'm as susceptible as the next guy to being influenced by news and lately there's been plenty! The first hour reflects a little of what was running through my mind, you'll see! One nice first timer in this first hour is Kieran Kane & Kevin Welch. I don't get my head on straight until the second hour when I realize that it's Valentines Day coming up! So, I dive right in with "Gardenerisms" on Valentines, girls, love, and hearts! I end it with sweet World Party tune. Love it!

Man, I feel like I haven't seen either of you much lately Robin and Jerry. I've been working on that second project, "Flower Tome Companion III" a lot. Cool thing is I know you're there, I feel it! Thanks for your love and support!

Thank you kind listeners and readers of this blog! I greatly appreciate your tolerance for my desire to express myself. Believe me, I'm not trying to persuade anyone! I don't know enough myself to feel confident to say I'm truly right or wrong about anything! This is only an opportunity to get closer to understanding my own self!

Peace and love to you all!

Mike

Show #247

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Morning rises over Lake Griffith. In
Tarpey there's no drainage! Soon they'll
be stocking it with fish!

Once again sleeping has been difficult. I was up extraordinarily early this morning. I think it's because I know I'll be going to another memorial service for a longtime family friend, Tom Howe. I think it's something that affects us all so differently. When I was younger I don't believe I noticed it as much as I do now. I suppose that's natural as you get older. Time is more relative than Einstein determined so many years ago.

Looks like Hwy. 33 between Avenal
and Reef City.

As a child, Summer vacation, my birthday, Christmas and other anticipated benchmark dates seemed so slow to arrive. Whenever we went on car trips with Mom and Dad, it always seemed so much further and took so much longer than it did as an adult. Now it seems that time picks up speed with age. The changes come quicker. The adjustments are more complicated and difficult. The loss of friends and family comes more often and with remarkable regularity.

The inevitable progression of life continues on. We all share the similar stages in life, childhood, adulthood, and old age yet, it is a solitary journey with all kinds of lessons along the way. I think about how different life is for my father-in-law, Larry. He's lost a mother, a father, a daughter, a wife, and several close friends, of which Tom was one. I can't imagine how he deals with the quiet moments, the pictures, the memories, the loneliness, but he does!

A tree in my front yard not struck by lightning,
just a pain to wake up to!

Having lost my Mother and Father and several close friends, I find myself on a path not so dissimilar than my father-in-law. Of course it's not dissimilar! There is no other path. You either carry on or, you are one of the loved ones that leaves an aching in the hearts of those who loved you. Widespread Panic's, "Old Joe"says it perfectly! Some day, somewhere, somethings get hit by lightning, others just don't, hope we live long and lucky.

Thanks David for helping me!
Would have been a lot harder
by myself! Love you Brother!

My radio show has taught me about the relativity of time. I have always said that those two hours pass by in an instant! Last week when my buddy Jerry was hanging with me in the studio, same thing! Even with another person there, time flew by! 

All of this has made me want to grab hold and try to have as many experiences and memories as I can. I am so gratified personally to be involved in another Rogue Show! My buddy John, sent me a link to a video of our final dress rehearsal of our first show. I choked up when I saw my recently departed friend Ty. He was so good! I hope to make my Mom and Ty proud with this years show! I know I'll have a spot in my heart that will feel good thinking about them!

On to Show #247! I've decided that until I have a dog in the fight, I'll do my radio show live over watching the Super Bowl. Call it sour grapes or whatever! I haven't done my show as much as I'd like to so there you are! I've also decided that I'll have a standard opening for Super Bowl weekend. So, my first set has that Monday Night Football theme from way back, Mojo Nixon and the comedy of Andy Griffith. From there I go head long in to an R&B/Funk/Soul thing. I had a suggestion from a friend that rarely listens that loves that music. He'll probably be watching the Super Bowl but oh well! Like Bob Sharp says, "You miss a little, you miss a lot!" The second hour is special! I'm giving a little preview of the music from our upcoming Rogue show. What makes it special is Ty Kanzler's, "Flower District" song. He recorded it at home but it makes me smile regardless of the sound quality. Somehow I work my way back to R&B again by the end. There are four first timers with this show and lots of other great tunes! Enjoy!

Thanks as always Jerry and Robin! Whether we spend a little time or a lot of time together, any time is well spent, every time!

Thanks to all of you listeners! I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to call and give me an update on the game! I'm at at least interested in the score, I'm in a pool!

Peace and love to you all!

Mike