Show #232

Hello Friends of the Garden,

While it seems like any other Saturday morning it feels different for some reason. I know what it is. I'm a bachelor this weekend. My wife and a friend are at the coast to see as many scarecrows as they can! I stayed home because I had obligations to be at my school carnival Friday evening. I was happy my wife and LaLaine were able to go and I wished them fun!

The "off" feeling comes from having to decide how you spend that time on your own. Friday was a typically exhausting day, with a day of teaching and a night of being MC of a school carnival. Don't read me wrong on this. It was a nice time at the carnival it just felt like I had to be "on" while dealing with everyone. I'm sure that this profession, like others, requires what feels like a dual personality, one everyone sees and one only friends and loved ones know! 

So, what did my Friday end up like, well, straight home and straight to bed! So much for partying like a mad man while the wife is away! My mind drifts back to all those old cartoons when a character was forced to make a decision and an angel and devil appears on either shoulder. Each voices choices, each with opposite intentions! 

Unfinished!

 I feel the need to be productive and yet I desire to do nothing or anything other than work! Like that "angel" character whispering to me that there is a list of things that need to be done; there is also that "devil" character that encourages me to be lazy! 

I've been here before! In 38 years of marriage I've been on my own many times. My experience is that I have given in to either shoulder with great parity over time! Each with their own distinct form of regret and satisfaction, weird!

Finished!

Made entirely from scrap!

Like anything else, it's some kind of natural balance that presents natural questions. Why build a cornhole board if you don't stop to play it? What good is building a chair if you can't sit still to enjoy it? What's the point of working your tail off if you don't take time to appreciate the respite you earn? Typical "devil" talk if you don't recognize it.

Another from scrap project

Sorry "angel", the cornhole board has been neglected long enough! That list of stuff will be there any way! Now, I'll see if I can persuade a friend to join me! Next week "angel"!

Here's Show #232! First off, brand new Head and the Heart by suggestion. Then I turned to a bunch of my "three named guys". I am so excited to play Norah Jones from her new album, she covers a really cool Neil Young song! AWESOME! This show has a core of Garden Party standard artists. I just felt like playing them out of comfort like putting on a comfortable shirt!  I hope you enjoy my selections for this week!

Hey Jerry and Robin, isn't it crazy how long we've been at this together? I can't imagine having done it without you two! Thanks!

Thanks to all of you listeners too! Please consider going to kfsr.org and donating to keep this small, little station alive! Honestly any small amount goes a long way and I know I appreciate the opportunity to do what I do with your support!

Peace and love!

Mike

Attachments area

Show #231

Hello Friends of the Garden!

This is so good!

Well, the plan was to go to the coast and check out the crazy Scarecrow Festival in Cambria. The event runs the entire month of October. People and businesses make paper-mâché scarecrows and place them in front of their homes and places of business. The whole thing has really grown over the years and more and more people are participating. Cambria is a very small town of mainly retirees and to see the level of enthusiasm is truly remarkable. 

My favorite Italian food
in Cambria!

Unfortunately, my son isn't feeling well and we decided it would be best to stay home. That's fine with me! I love my house in Fresno! I took the opportunity to go grab a "Happy Hour" beer and conversation with my buddies at the bar. Out of courtesy to my wife, I made certain that she was cool with it. I love my wife and I try to be considerate of her feelings. 

She knew I had a good week and gladly sent me on my way with orders to have fun! Earlier in the week I was "observed" by some people from San Francisco associated with a Bechtel grant. Even at 28 years of teaching these moments always fill me with anxiety and over analyzing! My kids were awesome! My lesson worked to perfection! Planets aligned and world peace seemed possible! Self-asteem confirmed, I finally relaxed! An icy cold mug of beer and a good laugh with friends are a couple of life's small rewards!

Not all of 'em just some!

I've never lived anywhere as long as I have the house I live in now! The first half of my life I lived a fairly nomadic lifestyle. Hard as that was, I'm thankful to have some comparisons to appreciate my present home. What I had not anticipated was finding a "bar" home! A regular watering hole had never even been a notion to me! A friend introduced me to a place in the Tower District and I can't believe that I've been going there over 20 years now!

This Friday I met up with a friend at the bar that listens to my show and he had a request for a song. He wanted to hear "I'm A Believer" by the Monkee's. I can do that I told him. Then my friend said, "You're not going to play some kind of funky country  cover of it are you?" I laughed and imagined what it would sound like and started using my accent to "countrify" it up! Then it became an ear worm! I couldn't get it out of my head! 

So many of my friends at the bar listen to my show. It's so funny when I walk up and while listening in on a conversation and a buddy will tell someone I haven't met to listen to my show. It's fun to listen to them describe it! It's like my "Home Court" there! I have so many genuine supporters there that have spread my show far better than I have! 

I had never anticipated the consequences of these new friendships from my "bar" friends! So many great things for me have come from going to that place! My radio show is the foremost example of the good things that have happened to me. Being embraced by a circle of truly talented people was/is a turning point in discovering some of my well hidden talents! 

Tiki carving! You never know
until you try!

Blindsided by the cloud of complacency that comes with being satisfied to dream rather than to act, discovering a creative outlet is an enlightening and comforting thing! Believe me that confidence was not fortified by the alcohol at the bar (well, maybe some) but, more by the people there! I have several coaches at the bar, each of them earnestly encouraging me to try! My life has been greatly influenced by these people in a good and healthy way (mostly)!

Go figure!

On to Show # 231! This show was easy to put together. My buddy Miguel asked for some Monkee's and then I went on a little trip down memory lane! The first two albums I ever bought as a kid was The Monkee's Best and Santana's first album. So, I kind of wind my way through things various and sundry from my past just for fun! There's great Curtis Mayfield followed by awesome Los Lobos with Bobby Womack! Filled with gems this show has classics sprinkled all through it! I think you'll enjoy the trip!

Jerry, (a friend from the bar, see above) get home safe partner and enjoy Orlando as much as you can! Hope to see you soon! Thanks to you Robin! You are and have always been the biggest believer in me! Each of you, in your own way are a well-spring of confidence for me, thanks!

Thanks to all of you that read this message and/or listen to the show! So many of you have know idea of the importance of the support and encouragement you give me so generously! I'm blessed by you!

Peace and love!

Mike

Attachments area

Show #230

Hello Friends of the Garden

Another beautiful Saturday at
Golden Gate Park!

First off I 'd like to apologize for last weeks absence. The hustle of getting to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass took more time and energy than I was prepared for. I decided to take a week off for myself so I could just enjoy the event. As it turned out there must have been some kind of programming error and last weeks's show was one hour later than normal. Seems like whenever I'm not in the studio things don't always go as planned.

Guy with a "Shot-Ski"

I feel like my attitude has changed regarding errors in programming. In the past, I would  be concerned when my show didn't air. Now that I have 229 shows under my belt the numbers minimize the feelings of needing to be there all the time. In fact, I think I'll institute a "vacation day" for my HSB weekends from this point forward. A little break is a good thing!

Pouring them up!

Chuggin' 'em down!

This Saturday (Oct. 8th) is my birthday! I'm at my little garage desk like I spend most mornings, sipping coffee, listening to NPR and watching the world wake up. It is a very peaceful, relaxed feeling. The only difference in this particular Saturday morning is that it is my birthday. Outwardly, it seems like any other Saturday, yet my mind won't let it go that easily. Self reflection ruminates in the background of my mind like a slow moving storm cloud on the horizon.

I suppose the connotation of a storm cloud would presume a "half empty glass" mentality. I have never understood why I torture myself over the perceived failures of the past while completely minimizing the successes. Sure, it's easy enough to say that it is simply human nature to feel that way, but why? My guess is that it is because of the feeling that time is running out and the list of things to accomplish has not gotten any shorter. Birthdays have a way of bringing that to the forefront.

These thoughts and feelings aren't something that I discuss with anyone. I know I have friends that are older and consider me a youngster (now that's funny)! I also know younger people that I stand in awe of because of the amazing accomplishments they have already made in their relatively short lives. I must have this giant hole that can't be filled with enough sympathy and affirmation. Clearly, this is a weakness I have that time has been slow to address due to the stubbornness of my hard head!

I spend way too much time dwelling on my perceptions, so much so that it can almost feel paralyzing. I know I have a voice and I have a place in life that compels me to seek ways to make that evident. In the same moment I get overwhelmed with the notion that I appear to be a self-promoting attention junkie! 

I blame my dearly departed parents! They both had such great belief in me! I always felt that they were never surprised by the things I accomplished. They made me feel as though I had this potential to do anything I set my sights on. My mother, Margie, would especially push me towards being some kind of actor/entertainer. She would constantly, yet gently suggest that I find ways to explore that and always affirm that I had the ability to be successful if I did.

That deep seated seed, planted by my mother and father was only amplified by my wife! My parents and my wife had/have this unshakable belief in me. How in the world could my wife have learned this mantra so similar to my parents and never known them growing up? My close friends have echoed this same sentiment. And now, a few of you listeners have made the effort to show your appreciation for me with emails. There is no lack of support of and faith in my life other than my own failure to see it!

Somehow, pride seems to be at the root of this. Oddly, it's not pride in myself that I feel the weight of. It feels more like a need to fulfill that belief of my potential to everyone past and present. I feel as though I need to show that that support is not wasted and has been a worthy investment. 

Mardi Gras in the Tower with Ron!

Ron Smith, an old and departed friend, used to tease me all the time. He used to call me "Super Star". Ron, as some of you know, was a brash, tactless, sometimes arrogant character. There was much more to Ron than what he acted like. As time passed, Ron revealed the soft side of himself that he rarely showed to most people. I found myself proud to call him my friend when many others dismissed him as unworthy. 

I recall an evening at Ron's house (he rarely allowed people to come over) when we had a quiet conversation. A few months later Ron would pass on from complications from a stroke. Over the course of our friendship, whenever it was just us two because in company Ron had a persona he had to maintain, Ron would relax and show this kind and loving, sensitive and compassionate side. 

During that conversation Ron told me how proud he was of me and how jealous he was of how my life was turning out. His sincerity was undeniable. I knew that the bond we had built transcended the need to "put on" any kind of "front"! His genuine tone made me acknowledge my impact on Ron's life and I was proud of our relationship.

These little jabs that come along as frequently as they do become less and less subtle. They make you confront the reality of the consistency. I believe I'm learning where my drive is coming from. I feel the need to fulfill the expectations of my loved ones, for them, not me. I want to make good on the investment of love and kindness and faith I've been so generously given! I need to be that "Super Star", not at any grand level, but more at whatever level I can challenge myself to rise to.  

I know now that self promotion is not even close! I've been being promoted by lots of people for years! I'm just slow! If I believed in reincarnation I would believe I was George Bailey from "It's Wonderful Life" (as far fetched as reincarnation is, being reincarnated as a fictitious character from a movie shouldn't be such a stretch). I'm pretty sure I have a gift of some sort. I just need a little more courage to unwrap it and find out what it is! Birthdays have a way of making you think like this! At least it's only once a year! 

Here's the deal on Show #230! Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is such a great influence for me! This show is a mish-mash of HSB highlights and different things! Hot Tuna was at the top of my favorites and so it kicks off the show in a chicken themed set (I don't understand my chicken attraction). Other HSB artists include (in order) The Mother Hips, KT Tunstall, Colvin & Earle, The California Honeydrops, Nick Waterhouse, Cake (yes Cake), Jamey Johnson, and Hayes Carll. Lots of wonderful other stuff are sprinkled all through the aforementioned. This is an awesome show, start to finish! You'll love it!

Thanks Robin and Jerry for all you do and believe me it's a lot!

Thanks to all you listeners for your support! My sole intention is to entertain you in one way or another! Your kindness and generosity are so appreciated!

Peace and love,

Mike

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).

.

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,

​

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). 

​

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! 

​

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