Saturday, August 27, 2016

Show #224

Hello Friends of the Garden!


I woke up this morning at 4:00. I tried to force myself to go back to sleep but I could tell it was going to be a fruitless effort so I gave in and made myself a cup of coffee and waited for the newspaper to hit my driveway.

While I waited in the early, early morning darkness I sat down in my thinking spot in my garage committed to my wakened state fortified by my cup of coffee. I turned on the radio to NPR and set the volume almost imperceptibly low. Sipping my coffee, I waited for my brain to catch up to my body that had involuntarily set my schedule for the day!

As I have gotten older I've come to realize that I've gradually been becoming a morning person. I love the morning, especially the early morning. Everything seems so quiet, slow and calm as world around me awakens from it's slumber. For me it's an easier time to think. My mind feels like it's free from the litany of things that will encumber it as each following minute adds to the clutter that will eventually fill the void. It makes me think of a being on a bus that has no riders other than myself and with each successive stop riders climb aboard. Without realizing it, the bus has become packed in a short time and chaos replaces order.

On my radio show, I always end it the same way, with a plea for harmony in the world! Believe me I'm sincere in my request! I feel certain that the world would be a better place if we all worked towards finding ways to get along with each other. I'm discovering that harmony is a difficult thing to achieve because there are some prerequisites that are integral to even begin the quest for tranquility. Upon some self examination, I realized that patience is an element necessary for harmony to proliferate!
Stuff happens huh?

Patience is the gasoline that fuels harmony! They live together in a symbiotic relation. I looked at myself and I knew that I lacked patience as much or more than anyone. If you think about the phrase, "to exercise patience", you may or may not catch the inference that patience is an exercise akin to physical exercise. Patience has to practiced to become an integrated personality trait. Who has time for that?

Our lack of patience has been insidiously diminished by our modern demanding lifestyles. Instant gratification is the antagonist to patience and it is inculcated, exploited and exacerbated by our weakness. E-mail replaces mail, pay at the pump, express lanes in traffic and grocery stores, self check out, pre-boarding passes, microwaves, frozen food, "go to the head of the line passes" at amusement parks, on-demand television, same day shipping, it's an endless list of ways that we naturally become less and less tolerant of waiting.

Weeds, day 3! Thriving!
I can't help but think of spraying weeds! The very next day I anxiously look out at the weeds I've sprayed and I'm involuntarily disappointed that the weeds haven't disappeared! I realize how unrealistic that is yet, still the feeling is there! I'll switch lines in a store if I feel like I'm not going fast enough. Changing lines is usually followed by someone ahead of me needing a price check and the exasperating sighing and shrugging of my shoulders! When I'm driving (the worst for my wife) and I'm stuck behind a slow driver (usually doing the speed limit, how unthinkable !) I find myself trying to understand their thinking, as if I could telepathically will them to speed up! I'm terrible!
Lines at the Costco in Korea?
Of course!

I think I'll continue to ask for harmony on my show and personally work on my own patience issues! That should keep me busy! I won't have time to be impatient with such a huge task ahead! Great! Instant gratification, ahh!

Loving my "deck time" in Cambria!
Here's Show #224! Since I've been doing this a while, I've discovered that I find myself picking out a friend and playing stuff I know they'll like. This show has little nuggets spread all through for many of you out there! It's a way to reconnect with those songs that hooked you in the first place. Personal highlights for me include first timer Gove Scrivenor (I'm going stumble on pronouncing that one!), the Delbert McClinton tune, the "numbers" Gardenerism and the Beatles covers at the end. There's so much more than that all throughout the whole show! Enjoy!

 Thanks Robin and Jerry for all your support!

KFSR is truthfully a Jazz station. That's our niche! Thankfully the evening and weekend programming allows for a variety of music and community programs. Last week, during my show, a listener called in and immediately told me he was a Jazz listener. He continued and said that he caught the beginning of my show and before he knew it the first hour had passed! He told me to keep it up, so cool!  Thanks to all of you out there that reach out to me! Like a donation to our radio station, a little love goes a long way! You listeners are amazing in your support!

Peace and love!

Mike

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Show #223

Hello Friends of the Garden!


Well a new school year has started and along with it comes the rush of emotions that ensue for all involved. Like most things there's side to teaching that remains hidden to people that aren't a part of the profession. For instance, I only have a basic understanding of what all a lawyer does. I grew up watching Raymond Burr in Perry Mason and it was clear that presenting in court and standing before a judge and jury was the extent of my naive understanding. Later I would discover, after becoming a teacher, that many professions require regular classes of "professional growth'" to maintain their credentials.

I learned that teachers are no different and probably are the poster children for professional development. There was no way that I could have envisioned the way education looks today 27 years ago. What I did learn, and am still learning, is that teachers are born incomplete! Apparently there is no end to the ever-changing process of understanding the education of American society. 

For instance this year I'm challenged to learn how to make my lessons available on-line to students and parents. The biblical flood of "apps" to learn can be overwhelming. PowerSchool, Google Classroom, Edmodo, Khan Academy, ClassDojo, Canvas, Socrative, Google Docs, Illuminate, various web editors, SmartBoards, Kahoot, Presi, Remind Me, and on and on and on it goes with the next big answer for students and the next big challenge for teachers!

What ends up making your head spin is when you discover that the "app" you're learning that will save the world has been developed by someone who was in the classroom for 2 years! Meanwhile, Japan, who has been kicking our butts in Mathematics for years, still uses chalkboards! Imagine if they had everything we have here in America to "save" education! Surely they would become the master race of the planet with all that extra help from technology! 

Stupid sprinklers!
My best guess is that we have this hidden desire to fix things! Even things that aren't broken! The whole infomercial industry is a perfect example of the deep-rooted desire within us to seek ways to fix problems! If you don't click another link on this page make sure you check this out (Thanks Hound Dog). FiberFix will cure all our ills until the next great innovation comes along and we can collectively watch FiberFix become irrelevant!

There has been one constant I have observed in education! It always changes! The kids change, the target always moves and the way you're supposed to hit it changes too! Get your Google on folks, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Here's Show #223! Gear up and get ready this road goes on forever and the party never ends! Robert Earl Keen sets the tone for a great show! I've been revisiting some songs I love to play and some I haven't but should! There's an awesome set of Neil Young tunes! You all know I'm a "Spreadhead" and there's an obscure Neil Young tune "Don't Be Denied" that I saw Panic do at Red Rocks that was a wonderful moment for me! Then "Powderfinger", wow! The Marshall Tucker Band, Raul Malo (see Mavericks) and Beatles flow together in a cool way to me! The second hour begins with an allegory to my hopes and thoughts! The first three songs should be subliminally pumped throughout the world! Lots of you will love the Jason Isbell, Darrell Scott and Jackie Greene set! I'm sending out the Jerry Jeff walker to my wife and ending with John Hiatt for my friend Allen, that I can't seem to stop being reminded of! Miss you buddy! This show is classic Garden Party!

Busy or not, this Garden Party knows no season thanks to Jerry and Robin, we just keep on! Thanks you two, sincerely!

Thanks to all of you listeners and readers of this message! Share it with a friend if you think they might like my show and we can grow this show together!

Peace and love!

Mike

Friday, August 12, 2016

Show #222

Hello Friends of the Garden!

When it comes time to writing this bit each week I really don't know what it will be about until I sit down to it! I guess it's just whatever's breezin' through my little brain at the time. Last week I felt compelled to write about the Olympic opening but other things were tumbling around in that mind of mine.
Life imitates art!

The black light makes it cooler
​It was fun watching the ceremony on several levels. First off, lately I've been in to string art for some odd reason. Some of my close buddies that knew this were texting me about what they saw during the ceremony. Really, the fun part is the crazy ideas they come up with. 

It looked like some M.C. Escher kind of thing! Seriously, throwing lampshades of the side of scaffolding is pretty far out there and coming up with outfits with arrows? What the heck?
I just love imagining someone trying to sell this idea as they describe it to the person deciding on what to do! Just try it yourself. If you saw it, describe to yourself as if you were trying to convince someone that this was the way to go! Fun!

As much as I want to talk about the Olympics and all that, I really have my mind on something else. People are blessed in so many ways, I know, I've seen it! I have many friends that are talented in so many ways I'm often jealous! I have other friends that are so very confident in what they do that I envy their self-assurance! I also know that I too am blessed, very much so! I have been so fortunate to of had a lifetime of good friends!

​One of the things I always thought about when moving to California, so many years ago, that I would never have friends like I had there back in Texas! I was so wrong! I now understand much better about my good fortune! I may not be a musician or an artist or something flashy and cool like that, but I do know I have the love and support of more than I deserve!



​Because of my friends I have done things at my age I would only of dreamed of! I love this quote, “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”– Mark Twain. That's what all my friends have done, starting with my wife, Robin! She's always the first to tell me she believes in me! Same thing with so many others too! 

I hope you are as blessed as I am in regards to friends! If you are, show 'em some way that they're special in your own way. You'll understand how good it feels! Really, I know it sounds cheesy but, do it anyway, it's fun! Anyway, I just was thinking about how lucky I feel!
Ok, here's Show #222! I simply threw out a bunch of old favorites to play! I was thinking' of all my friends out there and I picked off a few of you! Besides, there's a lot of tunes that need replaying if nothing else than for my friends to hear (and me)! What was funny was, normally I painstakingly (total opposite of my buddy the Hound Dog) work out the time so it ends right! As I threw out the tunes it turned out the times ended up perfect without thinking about it! I can hear the Hound Dog now, "See you should be spontaneous, like me!" He's usually right about this stuff and I suppose it worked out (spoken with reluctance!).  Oh, there is one new tune from the warm up act at Jackie Greene, David Lunning (thanks to my brother) and it goes perfect with my friendship ending! I close out with a request for some Led Zeppelin from my friend Alan! Nice!

Ok, now it's gonna sound even cheesier, but thanks to my good friends Jerry and Robin who are the great people Mark Twain talked about! It's true!

Thanks as always to my listeners and friends! Look over the playlist you may find your song in there! And hey, give me a call at the station, say hello, I won't make you talk to me long! 

Peace and love (throw in understanding)!

Mike

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Show #221

Hello Friends of the Garden!


Well, I don't really know how to start! This whole blog thing is actually still very new to me and I'm learning to become more comfortable with expressing my thoughts. I hope those of you that read this message understand that my intentions have never been to divide people in to neat little groups that believe one way or another. I have really made an effort to not polarize my audience with my opinions and thoughts (although, I'm certain that it happens any way with some people). 
Ok, I definitely am pushing a, "Peace, love and understanding" message but I can't imagine someone coming out in opposition and saying, "You know, I don't really want peace, love and understanding in my life!" It's hard to imagine that there are people that would be against having more peace, love and understanding in our world.......openly! Sure, I guess we definitely disagree on how that should come to fruition! As far as I can tell, there are still far too many people (all over the globe including us) that believe in order to achieve peace, love and understanding that certain entire groups of people need to killed! 

I've discovered through conversations with all kinds of people that rational people will listen, process and contemplate and irrational people will react with dogma and an extreme need to vocally express their personal views. Those irrational people usually feel the need to do some sort of overt act to get attention for their cause or belief. The rational people find a way to express themselves without causing harm, the irrational seem to feel the desperate need to consider extreme acts to push their agendas to the forefront. 

I'm not expecting that there are many irrational people in my listening audience so, I'm not misguided to the point that I think I'm going to change them! I also understand that simply being a listener of The Sunday Garden Party we already share a love of music and that gives us one point of commonality. I think the poem by Maya Angelou speaks more to the truth than what we perceive to be true. We are more alike than we are different. 

True, some of those differences can make us uncomfortable but consider the way we deal with our wives, husbands, family, friends and children. I know my wife and son don't always think the way I do. Killing them because they don't agree with me isn't even a fleeting notion (the news may suggest otherwise as to the prevalence of restraint in this regard).

I believe each of us have our own rational and irrational attitudes to degrees. Like me, I have an irrational need to see the morning weather while I'm at the coast. Much to the amusement of my wife I have an irrational attraction to the "weather-person" here at the coast. My wife even calls me when there is a weather update so I can give her a chance to laugh at my ridiculousness! Of course my irrationality has limits. I'm certainly not going to become a stalker to further satisfy my obsession. 

 
Believe me when I say I know I don't have the answers. I'm busy doing my own personal search for understanding myself as much as I'm trying to understand the world around me. I certainly don't want to sound like I'm "preaching". Honestly I'm searching, just like for sea-glass, and there's a lot to sort through to find the answers! It's a big beach out there!

Ok, here's Show #221! Well first off this show is recorded because I'm off to see Jackie Greene with my buddies Sunday evening. No way am I going to miss that if I can help it! I've missed the last four Super Bowls in lieu of doing my show live. That should give you an idea of how much I like being in the studio (of course it helps when my team has entered an era ineptitude). Here's the other crazy thing! I think I had more fun recording this show than I have any other. While I was recording this show I was disappointed that I wouldn't be there for all of it. So, yes, I like this show! First time to the SGP this week are Keith Greeninger & Dayan Kai, The Isley Bros. (nice editing too), The Damn Quails, and Carrie Rodriguez. There's new music from Eilen Jewell and Michael Franti. Another set of funkiness for my buddy Mike with Tower of Power. There's great classics from War and Junior Brown. I should have put the Jackie Greene tune earlier in the show but I'm sending it out to my buddy John anyway! The rest goes together better than the best pastry The Great British Baking Show could conceive of! Oh yeah, I think I've ended with John Mayall before but I'm sending it out to my good friend and Texas Connection, Chris! Love ya buddy!

Thanks Jerry and Robin! We've trudged our way through another summer together with more to come! It's a lot easier with you two behind me!

Thanks to you listeners too and please if you don't appreciate my letter, don't let that stop you from enjoying the music! Either way, I still like hearing from any of you!

Peace, love and understanding to you all!

Mike