Show# 259

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Repairing the bathroom falls
into the category of "Have" to!

This morning my mind is in a flurry of thoughts. There are so many things that need attention. Stuff that requires focus and contemplation. All of those things consist of a myriad of important things to the insignificant (to anyone else). I suppose that's the key, to prioritize the important tasks from the insignificant. 

It was important to fix that
break in some wiring under
my house!

The dilemma in the prioritization is identifying the important from the insignificant! I feel safe in saying that the important stuff is generally associated with the things you "have" to do. Conversely, the insignificant is usually a wishful list of things you "want" to do. The important tasks are typically time sensitive! This is where the term ASAP and other descriptors amplify the need for immediate focus. The joy in most of the important tasks is found in the completion of it! Get it done, put this behind me, finish this off, are the little motivating phrases in anticipation of closure. 

The never-ending
construction of the
Sagrada Familia in
Barcelona!

The insignificant tasks are more open ended, not only in regards to time but also in its solution. The "want" to stuff is given much more latitude. Phrases like, "It's a work in progress," connote the notion of an unending, yet relaxed quest for satisfaction. Taking away the time sensitive nature of the "want" to stuff usually leads to more creative and unorthodox solutions. It's an odd thing that we give ourselves more time to contemplate the insignificant than the important.

Trying my hardest to do a good job!

The quality and satisfaction of each type of demand lie in part to its origination. The "have" to's tend to come from external sources, while the "want" to's are more personal. It's easy to forgive yourself for the varying degree of success or failure of the important tasks. There are a multitude of euphemisms ready and waiting to soften the blow. "I tried my hardest,", "I'll do better next time,", and "This has always been a struggle for me," all come up quickly to soothe the sting of not reaching an acceptable result. It's as if we need to establish immediate and reasonable expectations to others to prevent ourselves for feeling bad.

I'd rather hunt sea glass!
Those two big pieces are
"posers" that my buddy
Mark tried to fool me
with! He bought 'em!

The "want" to tasks rarely face the scrutiny of the "have" to's. Consequently, the insignificant tasks rarely require rationalization, euphemisms are not necessary. When we look at the way we approach the insignificant it's much more conducive to success. Better still, the relaxed addressing of the "want" to's allows for the innovation and creativity so often missing in the "have" to tasks. 

Being susceptible to, and driven by the need to feel successful, I see myself frequently falling to the frailty of human nature. I want to be good at everything! In regards to the "have" to tasks I'm motivated by the fear of displeasing others more so than pleasing. The "want" to tasks enjoy being free of those ridiculous and unreasonable restraints! The whole thing seems so obviously backwards.

Unfortunately, our modern world has imposed the tyrant of time! We need an answer and we need it now! Here's an example for you. At it's inception the Affordable Care Act was described as having flaws by its creator with the anticipation of adjustment. Necessity overrode specificity exacerbated by time! The quick and simple counterpart suggested by the "Repeal and Replace" proponents has been neither quick or simple! It's easy to quickly identify the admitted flaws, it apparently is not as easy to attain the specificity as rapidly! Think about it, "We 'have' to repeal the ACA and we 'want' to replace it."

Right again Boss! Amazing!

Please don't take this opportunity to polarize yourself. I'm cynical enough to see the flaw in both sides! I've always found myself somewhere closer to the middle on things. Right where nobody wants to be! There simply is no honor in not being sure on what is definitely right or wrong. It is the ultimate statement of weakness to admit being wrong! Well, there you are, just never be wrong! Just say it to yourself a few times, "I'm never wrong, I'm never wrong......" Each time you say it, it's harder to say with conviction. 

Hmm, all that wing flapping? Surely
that's insignificant! Right?

Maybe if we could see a little more significance in the insignificant we could learn to make the important a little more unimportant. Allowing forgiveness for the constraints of necessity and time we may find better solutions by giving importance to the purported insignificant.

Here's Show #259! First off, last weekend was a blast! I had so much fun with my friends Mark and Jennifer with me in the studio! Thanks you two for being there! I figured this week I'd just cover more of the things I couldn't squeeze in last week. I guess the ones I'm looking forward to are the Dr. john, Paul Thorn, Elvin Bishop and Todd Snider set. In the second hour I'm excited to play the Asleep at the Wheel, Devil Makes Three and Brothers Comatose set. With the latter two coming to Fresno on the 25th! I guess I played the Michael Franti as a "seventh inning stretch" song, really I just wanted to dance in the studio! I've learned to embrace predictability and spice it with the unknown. It's a balance! There's plenty here to keep you entertained!

Well, we are just going to keep at it Jerry and Robin! With your help, no telling where we will go! Thanks for having my back these last five years!

Thanks too, to all you patient and kind listeners! Over these last five years those of you who have given me encouragement have done so most graciously! Every single bit of interest has been significant to me! It means so much!

Peace and love,

Mike

Show #258 (5 Year Anniversary Show)

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Taken in Colorado on the way back
to Denver. This was 6 years before I
started at KFSR!

Well, here we are, Show #258! For two hours, once a week, for the last five years I've had the privilege of having a radio show! While the local signal strength may not be very strong, the streaming aspect has allowed me to connect with friends I've made all over the globe. Even better, my new friends locally, the ones that know me, and know my heart, have been able to witness (and hopefully enjoy too) yet another incredulous accomplishment!

A wallet I bought in Switzerland the
night  I saw Buddy Guy with Billy
Gibbons in Montreaux. He signed it year
later in a roadside cafe in Carson City!
Ask Scooter!

If you're someone I've had the opportunity to become friends with, you've probably heard some ridiculous stories. Strange things have happened to me, many of them have been witnessed by my friends and family. I suppose strange is relative. I mean it's only strange because it seems strange to me. Case in point, I never really thought I would ever have a radio show but, because of those friends that saw the potential, I do. It was strange to me but not to them!

Strange is one thing but, strange and linked to a dream is nothing short of astounding! Strange things happen to everyone (wait a second, if it happens to everyone wouldn't it be normal)! It's strange to me how more people see potential in me than I have ever given myself credit for. How can a person have aspirations while their strongest attribute is self deprecation!

The amazing Dons and shut your mouth!

You know the phrase, "A man must know his limitations!" (I'm not allotted enough space for that kind of thing here). Well, I believe more people than not doubt their own capabilities. The other self assured group are the ones many of us are in awe of! This is where friends have their greatest impact. The friends that know you well enough provide the encouragement and sometimes even the opportunity for you to try! My friends have shown me that I'm capable of many more things than I have limited myself to!

My beautiful wife Robin. Anniversary
on the Eiffel Tower! Love you Robin!

I'm taking this opportunity to acknowledge those friends now! First and foremost, my wife Robin, is the keystone, the lynch pin, the steadfast believer that has been there to pick me up and dust me off! Without her, everything loses its luster! She provides that initial charge and is always there when the batteries run low and are in need of recharge!

Me around the time I met Chris!

My old roommate, Chris, the Texas Connection got me started on this musical journey years ago! He was the initial spark! Thanks man!

The view at Ed' spread in Montana!

I owe so much to Ed Hull! He was the one who suggested to Don Priest that I would be a good candidate for a DJ. I really owe a double debt to Ed because he introduced me to Don Priest!

Don has been one of the best things to happen to me! Don has become an unbelievably important person in my life! He truly feels like the long lost big brother I never had! He has become a close friend that has helped me in so many different ways! Don has led me to much more than my radio show and probably even more if I listen to him! I can't say thanks enough!

The Hound Dog! Ahhh oooh!

Every week I thank Robin and Jerry, Robin for reasons mentioned above. Jerry has been and continues to be a person that has felt like another brother and a silent partner for my radio show. He's so much more than that though! Jerry truly is as excited for me as I am for myself! He gives his own time to promote my show every week! Hell, that's a real friend!

Not me or Jerry, but we took the picture!
Just don't end up like these guys at a
festival! Right Jerry?

This process of thanking people is so similar to putting together my anniversary show! You just can't thank everyone in the way they deserve, just like you can't cover all the songs you've played over the course of five years! There are a multitude of friends out there that deserve my thanks! The best I can offer is this, I appreciate your love and support and promise to try as hard as I can!

Here's what I can tell you about Show #258. First off, I have an extra hour in honor of my I've year anniversary  (thank you, The Local Show)! I tried to make this a good representation of standard artists and other strange things, you know, typical. There are certain songs I've chosen for certain friends. Jerry really helped me with the whole replay thing because he knows I want to be interesting and new. He told me, "If you get us to like it and you don't ever play it again, then what's the point?" Of course he's right! So, this show is three hours of pretty much what you expect and probably love or at least like by now! After I put things together, I noticed so many other bands that I did not put on the list! I figure, well hell, just do the best you can! I hope you'll agree with my notion of the show! I'm good to go baby!

Happy to be there! Thanks
for listening!

Hey, hey, Robin and Jerry! Ready to go another five? With you guys behind me and all our friends, I say why not? Seriously, thanks so much, really! I know this occasion is really insignificant to most people, but to me, it feels good to feel successful at something you enjoy! You two are instrumental in allowing me that feeling! How do you adequately thank that?

And wow! The broad net that has been cast out through the word of mouth network has resulted in getting to know some genuinely wonderful people! It is because you tell other people at one time or another about this show! And believe it or not it's growing! I had a chance to talk with the station manager, Julie Logan, who is such a kind person! She told me that our ratings have actually improved of late! I like to think I contribute to that growth with your help! Thanks so much!

Peace and Love and let's let this garden party grow!

Mike

Show #257

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Rain = Excessive Weeds
How can such a little place
have so many weeds?
(Green Waste for coastal
residents)

Spring Break and I'm at the coast! I've kept myself occupied doing all of my favorite things. Unfortunately, there is always some maintenance to be done but, there's plenty of time for all of that. I'm at the coast house fairly regularly so, whatever doesn't get done this time will get done next time, life's too short! It's the freedom to stay up late or go to bed early or setting the coffee maker to come on at the butt crack of dawn that makes it so enticing to be here. I definitely like my tiny slice of heaven by the sea!

Another beautiful morning in Cambria!
The sunsets on the ocean are awesome!
I still haven't seen a sunrise on it yet!

Even though Cambria is the "poster child" for a sleepy, little California coastal town, there is change here. In just the short time I've been here we've had Texas-like weather, rain, cold, windy, sunny, warm, and overcast! Restaurants and shops come and go here with frequency of a tweet from POTUS 45! The beach changes every day (or least overnight) to reveal its treasures each morning. Houses are bought and sold here at such an unbelievable rate that every third full time resident is either a painter or a real estate agent!

Every Thursday! Always
interesting!

I have this crazy "love/hate" relationship with one of my routines when I come to the coast and that's reading the free, local, weekly newspaper, New Times. Typically, on the way in to town, we stop and pick up some groceries and I grab a copy of the current New Times on the way out. Once everything is unloaded and put away I head to the deck, turn on the radio, light up an incense, and catch up on what's going on.

There are so many fun parts to read! The editorials and the letters to the editor always exposes a different set of priorities that are enlightening. I love the Tom Tomorrow's, "This Modern World"! The movie reviews can be hilarious. Everything is cool right up to the point that I hit the live entertainment section. Suddenly, I'm filled with confusion and disappointment and questions!

How is possible that an area half the size of town I live in can have so much more live entertainment going on! As I read the names of the bands coming to the central coast area I'm left with a jealous feeling! Why can't a city the size of Fresno have this kind of music scene?

Not even coming close
to Fresno! Fill up
the car!

Ok, you can say there are two different sets of of mindsets between the two places. The coast has a big country following just like Fresno. Paso Robles hosts a vastly superior line up of performers for the Mid State Fair than the Big Fresno Fair ever has! Even the radio stations are more wide and varied than the Fresno area. In almost every way the coast is entertained in a better way than Fresno!

The population of the entire county of San Luis Obispo is 282,877. Fresno County weighs in at 979,915, with the city of Fresno making up 520, 052 of the populous. The city of Fresno alone is almost twice the population of all of San Luis Obispo county! So, what is it? What reason is there for the discrepancy? Surely numbers alone would support the kind of vibrant music scene in Fresno that the coast has! The unanswered question is why? The other question is, if Fresno had that kind of entertainment, would I be drawn to the coast like I am?

One thing that enjoys being
in Fresno! This is a cool plant
I bought at the coast and took
a chance on it growing in
Fresno.

I can't get my head around an answer for this! If it's just money, it seems like there would be money to be made in Fresno. If it's a culture thing then numbers should support at least as many enlightened people in Fresno as in San Luis Obispo county. Simply being near the ocean is too preposterous to suggest as a possibility! Being too big doesn't work either! Can you imagine the following, "Yeah we don't go to Fresno because it's too big!" I suppose you can use the tourism aspect but isn't Fresno nestled between three of the most famous parks in all of the world?

I think some how the answer lies somewhere back in that Census data. I still don't get it!

On to Show # 257! Well, just one show away from being on the air for five years! I love doing this! This show catches up on a lot of Garden Party standard bands with new music as well as a couple of first timers too! Almost half of the show are 2017 releases some only out a few days! It's hard to keep up, there's a lot out there! A few that I'm looking forward to are the Bob River's tune, The Beginning of the End (amazing name I never knew), the new Shinyribs. Like me, you'll be doing some catching up too!

Thanks as always Jerry and Robin! Eventually our schedules will coincide Jerry, and Robin, I hope your back gets better soon! You're going to get "bigly" behind on your yard work if you don't!

Thanks to all of you out there! I'd really enjoy hearing from any of you out there and please consider supporting our humble, little radio station!

Peace and love!

Mike

Show #256

Hello Friends of the Garden!

In unincorporated Tarpey
Village there is no drainage!
The formation of "Lake Griffith"
after a rain of 0.05"!

I'm so thankful for the rain we've gotten here in the central valley this year! This cloudy gray morning  is such a nice thing to wake up to. Last night I slept with the bedroom windows open so I could hear the rain as I drifted off to sleep. While the rain limits the activities that you can do, it also redirects your prioritization of what your day will hold for you. For me it was to pull the covers back over and take an extra 30 minutes before I made my mental list of things to achieve for the day!

They really don't handle the heat well
there!

I've enjoyed visiting Portland Oregon several times. I feel fairly certain that the people of Portland have a totally different opinion about rain than those of us living in the central valley. To us rain is the life's blood of the health of the valley, both economically and environmentally. In Portland, since rain is in abundance, it is more of a nuisance than a precious commodity. I suppose that location always drives the way we determine what is important or not.

Battling Uber, Lyft and the Dept. of
Immigration, New York City taxi drivers
face worse things than traffic!

The way issues are influenced by location adds a local bias that creates confusion for outsiders. It's difficult to have sensitivity for things that are a minor problem in the area you reside in. Meanwhile in other places people are appalled by the indifference of the unaffected. Well, what do you expect? It's hard for me to care about the plight of taxi drivers in New York City. I imagine that this is not something the people of Cheyenne, Wyoming are concerned with, they have their own problems.

The dangerous Delta Smelt! Capable
of bringing an entire economy to it's
knees!

All you have to do is say the name, "Delta Smelt" and you have divided our populous in an instant! The reaction is distinct and specific, with each side characterizing the other as "wacko's". Why bother about caring for a fish? I'm sure the people of Cape Cod don't give a flying flip about our Delta Smelt!  I would guess if we show the same indifference toward the diminishing Cod fish in the Northeast, they would be aghast by our lack of knowledge. Truth is most people in the central valley don't know and don't care about the prevalence of Cod fish in the New England states.

That fish sandwich is gonna cost more!
In a "tail" of two fish, more people
will be affected by the Atlantic Cod
than the Delta Smelt!

Years from now can you imagine the conversation between a child and their parent, "Mom, why do they call it Cape Cod?" "I don't know sweetheart. Let's Google it and find out!", would be Mom's reply.

Yeah! When tigers fly!

My son, Jeff, when he was much younger, used to persistently ask, "Dad if a Grizzly Bear and Blue Whale got in a fight, who would win?" His preoccupation with ferocious animals was always a source of exasperation in regards to their hierarchy of danger. One time we were watching a show about tigers in India. At a point in the show the narrator mentioned that there were less than 500 Bengal Tigers living in the wild. My son said something that shocked me, "Dad, I can't imagine a world without tigers in it! Somebody should do something!" My heart was warmed by the fact that he even cared to think about it at that level!

Classic "Us vs Them"! I lay odds
on the house (the 1%)! 

It's easy to get filled with righteous indignation when the issue is proximal. Likewise, when the issue isn't as crucial to your day to day life it is dismissed just as simply! So, why should I care about taxi drivers in New York City or the LGBT community in Wyoming or Cod Fish in New England or Bengal Tigers in India? None of those things affect me! Their problem, not mine, it's their fault in the first place so let them figure it out! Better still, since they are so inept, I'll provide an all encompassing answer for them regardless of the fact that I'm completely uninformed on every topic, ridiculous but typical!

Well, I guess I shouldn't expect any help or sympathy for my dead lawn or money for programs to xeriscape my yard, it's my problem! I feel like we've gone from an "Us vs. Them" mentality to a "Me vs. Everybody" one. If it's not good for me, then it's not good for everybody! With this kind of thinking it's easy to identify the stagnant, stalemate that has gripped our government.

Pronoia is a term that has morphed from its initial religious origin to a more modern interpretation. Basically Pronoia is described as the opposite of Paranoia. So, in effect, Pronoia is the notion that everyone is in a conspiracy to benefit you! Imagine if the same pharmaceutical companies that make medicines for Paranoia could make a drug to induce Pronoia! Imagine an entire town medicated to believe everyone was out to do something good to you or for you! Imagine a Congress that was more Pronoid than Paranoid, hmm?

Here's Show #256! Right away and first off, Vintage Trouble, the only new band to the show gets us started. Bands/Performers that are coming to town, The Monophonics (another HSB band) and Neil Diamond went through my mind, so they're in there! The rest of the show is my attempt to make things flow naturally, at least naturally to me! I particularly like the start of the second hour with Neil Young, Tea Leaf Green and The Subdudes, a nice live set! All in all fun stuff!

Robin, have fun in San Francisco! See you soon! Jerry, hopefully you're done with your taxing taxes! I need to get you to come by to throw some cornhole if you're in town! Thanks you two!

Nothing would make me more proud than to know that some people that read this have donated to the station! I definitely feel the passion for this and look forward to getting better and better! It would be so cool if you can see it in your heart to give even a token amount as a gesture of the generosity in all of us! I feel Pronoia coming on!

Peace and love!

Mike

Show #255

Hello Friends of the Garden!

Don Priest, a lot smarter than he
looks and one of the kindest souls
on the planet!

Well, it's a busy weekend for me! I'm excited to be doing a five hour radio marathon with my good friend Don Priest and an idol from years back and all the way to the present, Don Fischer! It truly is a like a dream, a dream Don Priest has made possible for me, I'll always be thankful! I have the privilege again to sit in the studio with "Fresno radio royalty", Don Fischer! If you go back to the days of KKDJ then you know what I mean! That morning show of Dean and Don's was amazing! I couldn't believe a town of the size of Fresno could have such good radio programming!

Yeah right! It's gonna take more than
two hands to shut that mouth of mine!

We have kind of started our own tradition of combining our shows in to a pledge drive extravaganza! Yes, it's that time again, fund raising time! When I started doing my show the very first one was during a pledge drive! Now I'm three shows away from being on the air five years now! Talk about dreams!

Amazing, but true!

As amazing as it is to work with DJ Dogfish (AKA Don Fischer), it is the gracious generosity of the Hound Dog (AKA Don Priest) that has provided this opportunity! The Hound Dog's benevolence didn't stop there! The Hound Dog has been like the older brother I never had! We have done a lot together in the relatively short time we have known each other. I'm continually surprised at the friendships and bonds that are formed in this stage of life! I mentioned this to another amazing and influential friend, John Alden! I said, "We haven't known each other for a lifetime but we have certainly created some lifetime memories in the time we have had together!"

With so much that has happened in the past and all the wonderful and horrible times that encompassed that time, you feel like the "glory days" are all done! So much of peoples past are littered with memories of the "good times". I'm beginning to understand that I don't recognize the "good times" while they are occurring! It's not until much later that some of us reflect on the moments of the past and paint them in a personal way that omits the ugly and accentuates the positive.

No furrows this year! It's a
homemade drip system this
time!

I'm so guilty of being oblivious! While working in the vegetable garden I stopped to take a breath and consider my next task. It was then my mind travelled back years and years. While standing in the same geographical spot I was transported to an emotional spot! My parents never gardened. None of my friends gardened. As far as I was concerned "yard work" were two of the most egregious curse words known to man! Gardening, at that point in life, seemed incomprehensible! Hating yard work as I have all my life, I considered gardening as another kind of yard work for people that didn't know any better!  It was Grady that taught me that I didn't know any better!

Grady gardening in my yard years ago!
He must of had twenty or more
tomato plants!

Grady was my wife's Grandfather. He was kindly referred to as "Poppy"or "Pop". Grady and Dortha, his wife, were amongst the original "D.B.O's", ditch bank okie's, to land in Fresno. As I recall the old stories, it was told to me that during some hard times they lived in a boxcar for a time. Grady went on to own a trucking company that hauled fish from the coast to Fresno. After he retired and sold the business, he and Dortha moved to a mobile home park for retirees. Having no space for gardening, Grady started a garden in my backyard.

Without even realizing it, I went from ambivalence to intimate involvement! As Grady grew older and less strong I couldn't stand by and watch him dig furrows and lift bags of cow manure and not feel guilty! Over time that turned in to long moments of working and learning about gardening and life! The time we eventually spent with each other turned in to something to be treasured!

"It's a shame they're dead!"

One of my favorite stories with Pop was a time we were going in the pick up truck to get some steer manure. I had my "Discman" and cassette adaptor and played a song for Pop as we rode along. I knew Pop liked bluegrass music so, I threw him a curve ball. I played "Ripple" by the Grateful Dead for him. There's some nice mandolin and guitar picking in that song. Wordlessly we listened as we wove our way to the nursery. About two thirds of the way through the song Pop spoke up. He said, "That was some fine picking." I replied to Pop, "Pop, that's the Grateful Dead!" His somber and compassionate reply was, "Well, it's a shame they're dead!"

Got flowers already!

After Pop passed away I looked out at the garden. A sadness gripped me that still does from time to time. Pop was the "Jedi", I was his "Padawan". I couldn't garden without him, it didn't make sense! Day after day went by and I'd look out as the garden grew into a mess from disregard. I couldn't bring myself to face the fact that I would have to garden on my own.

Finally, I understood, just as I couldn't let Grady dig those furrows, I couldn't let the legacy of "Pop's Garden" to slip into faint memories! I knew what to do! I'd slowly taken over more of the work as Grady grew more frail. I relied on my memory of how he did it, the way he did it, his hidden lesson he buried in my subconscious!

Yesterday I stood just where Grady stood so many times, so many years ago. I was assessing what I had gotten done and what was yet to do. My mind drifted to those days before I became a gardener. I thought of a time when I looked out from inside the air conditioned house and saw Pop sitting, smoking a Pall Mall, watching the furrows fill with water. There he sat alone with his thoughts! Now I find myself in much the same spot, as a tear formed in my eye! I thank Grady for his kindness and grace and influence in my life! I am the "Gardener"! (goo, goo g'joob)

Thanks Jerry and Robin! You just never know how important a person can be! You two are way important!

Thanks too, to all you listeners! If can find it in your hearts to help us out at the station during our pledge drive it would be so nice! Even the smallest amount will be of help to us! You can be part of something wonderful and good! With no commitment, you can keep free form radio alive by giving just a little! How cool would that feel to know you did something that makes the world more interesting and fun!

Peace and love to you all!

Mike