My John Prine Fix

Ithaca. Its a long tobacco road to get to Ithaca from Sherburne. The winter roads were sticky, slimy and frost heaved every where.  But once your there. Its great! If only for one night.

Bill and I arrived about 2 pm and stayed in the La Tourelle on the mountain past Ithaca college. My friend Mitchel Drosin reserved us a lovely room with a lovely, wintery gray and white view. The whole place was clay tiled with persian rugs that reminded me of a miniature Hotel California. The ice machines were old antique trunks with plastic coolers of ice in them. Nice touch! We unpacked and headed back down the hill to shop the commons. I shopped the Shalimar House and splurged on two funky  jackets made in Nepal! Really cool stuff. We then had dinner at the Mahogany Grill. Getting there before the rush got us a cozy table in the front window. Great dinners and reasonable priced.

It's been 5 years or more since I've seen a John Prine show. No matter how many times I see him perform. It  brings me the simplest of  happiness. John's music is as essential as a kitchen sink, little gems of American Life whether sad or funny, serious or just plain unadulterated happy! I had the pleasure of working for John several years back when he was promoting his Lost Dogs Mixed Blessings album. That was when John was touring big! He had a tour bus and many musicians, props and sound technicians along. It was really exciting! Bill and I also picked John and his band up from the Syracuse airport several times and got him to his show at the Landmark. Bill and I transported John in a blizzard from Syracuse to Buffalo. I was also a food runner and helped with setting up small banquet tables after the shows. Because of Mitchel I've also met Chip Taylor the dude who wrote, Wild Thing and "Angel Of The Morning and B. B. King. I have many, many fond John Prine memories. My fondest is when I took Dad to see him. Dad really enjoyed John's music. I'm just so happy I got to see a John Prine show with my dad. We were on the same page musically. Another great gift my dad left me was playing his country music every Sunday. Sunday mornings and afternoons (I don't remember being much of a church goer) but anyway Dad would play Peter, Paul and Mary, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and many many more country artists. I guess thats where it all started for me. Oh and the subscription to National Georgraphic. Thanks to Uncle Milty. So anyway AGAIN! Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek played with John last night. Her voice and violin complimented John's music perfectly! She one very talented girl! It was an awesome sold out show! Tho the Ithaca bar crowd was obnoxious, loud and rowdy due to the bar being inside the performance area. Not a good idea.  They settled down after a while. Several people were ushered out and it was beginning to remind me of the show at the end of Oh Brother Where Art Thou! John signed autographs till 1:30 in the morning and me with my back stage pass, passed it up and went to bed...Its ok tho...been there, done it many times. It was a delight to just get away. And I've got two gigs myself to get ready for. Anniversary gig at Michaels and Georgetown Inn. What we musician's don't do...

The Swan-tini

My friend and manager, Mr. Duke at Michaels decided we needed a signature cocktail the night I played. So he came up with a martini (made with vodka of course) of Absolute Vanilla and a splash of black raspberry brandy, Shaken and strained in a lovely chilled up glass. It wasn't bad!

That Stupid Cupid

Another Valentines day has come and gone. That stupid cupid has returned to where ever stupid cupids go. Michaels and all us servers made out like bandits since this holiday came on a Sunday. Everyone celebrated all weekend long! I don't know the count yet but I'll bet Michael served over 500 dinners from Friday to Sunday. The place is a gold mine. I'm just so thankful to be part of such a great, loving crew. It's as tho I have a whole new family!
This year's Valentines Day has left me with some good money in my pocket serving up many tasty liquor love potions to keep cupid's targets in their dreamy love ga-ga state.  I worked 12 hours yesterday! Amazinly I feel  pretty darn good this morning! Slept in till nine and got up to a steaming hot pot of Sumatra coffee from the Chenango Coffee Roasters. I'm addicted to this coffee! It has a really mellow, even, low acid taste.
So the day is mine! Busy week ahead. I'm thinking I'll treat myself to a new smaller pocket digital camera to take to the John Prine concert this week. I love my Nikon D60 but it is cumbersome to carry around when you just want to get some quick shots. I'm also looking forward to playing at Michaels 5th anniversary party this Thursday night. Life is good! Winter is getting long tho. Elder Brown's pool and the Banana river dock are callling me. Guess I'll back up to the wood stove with my sumatra instead. And why is it that everything just tastes better in a Edie Walker bowl or cup anyway

The Other Rug

Pennies For Us

So, everywhere I go suddenly there are pennies. Dad used to pick up pennies where ever he went. I'm thinking he's leaving me a trail telling me I'm where I'm supposed to be. Now my sister's, Nancy and Lisa have been suddenly aware of pennies found in peculiar places on their travels. Every time I see a penny, I pick it up and say, Thanks Dad. I miss him so.
Anyway. Another wonderful thing has happened. NICK GOT A JOB! At Michaels AND HE LOVES IT!  I went out on a limb once again for Nick when I learned that Michael got stood up by a newly hired cook. Michael has taken Nick under his wing and told him he would teach him everything he knows about cooking. Nick is ONE excited young man and now with some purpose! Its like going to a private culinary school and getting paid for it. I've re-named my car the Sangerfield Express as I'm his private taxi. Its a small price to pay. Nick is happy, working and making money and I couldn't be happier for him. I swear Dad is responsible for many things. He taught me many, many lessons. Most important is to never give up on your kids. Its been a long rough road with Nick. He's coming around now tho thank GOD!

Here a few new rugs from Adrianna's Thoughts In Wool. Nannerbella in her garden with her pets past and present. Maggie and Petey Pie being of the past and her new and I say beloved long haired chihuahua, Tiko along with Charlie the orange cat in the corner. No, Mom didn't run out of orange wool while hooking Charlie. Charlie lost his tail much to his demise in a run in with a car on route 12. The other rug is a Saltbox and Turkeys. Notice the buck in the top corner. Dad!

A Winter Hike Through Brookfield

I suppose this is a January thaw. Yesterday the sun was shining and the sky the most intense deep blue. It was a no brainer pulling on my winter hiking boots and gearing up for a winter hike! The trails were gorgeous! The black tree trunks slapped with snow as if they were in a giant snowball fight with mother nature. It wasn't a matter of how fast I hiked yesterday but a matter of how many times I stopped to just stand there breathing in deep the medicinal, brisk winter air. I am so blessed. Its hard to believe there is so much pain and suffering in other parts of the world while hiking through the beautiful winter painting of Brookfield.
Haiti. Poor, sad, broken Haiti. I met with Mark Shiner and a table full of Colgate people yesterday. We are planning a concert for Haiti to raise money on January 30th in the Colgate Chapel. We all were in agreement that SOMETHING should be done. Something.
They didn't like my snow angel idea. I still think its a good idea. To have the Colgate students pay 20 dollars a person for a snow angel with clothes on and 50 dollars a person to make a snow angel in their bathing suits. Imagine a football field of snow angels!
Oh well.
A concert of course will be great!
Here are a few shots of Brookfield. I did my snow angel beside the trail on the way back down. I like to think my snow angel got up and flew away. Hopefully helping some child down in Haiti.

Happy New Year...Really

Ok. There. I've done everything I was supposed to do whether I wanted to do it or not. I got through. Its January 3rd, 2010 and I have the next two days off. Winter is in full force out my window blowing in horse size, tasmanian devil, swirling clouds of snow. Pretty much life like. Duh! Life it's self! I don't mind. Last year was the three year winter. Well, I'll need at least another one to help me get everything out that I need to surrender. I guess this years CD is out of the question. I have no space with Bill never working and Nick in his 20 year limbo. It is what it is. Right?

I feel like an old fashioned wooden top. The kind that gets wound up with a string. I've been wound for sound and let go, spinning out of control in chaos direction. I happened to have managed it well. I think. I'm here. Fate is the person with the string. And the way I talk you think I survived a holocaust or something. Not! Just my fathers death and these…sorry but… these fucking holidays.

Last night driving home, there was a buck having just crossed the road with his head heavy under his rack and lowered pushing through the wind and snow. He looked a lot like dad in his last year. I wasn't surprised at this sign as I'm pretty in tune. Mom said Dad knew his time was coming. As ill as he was he got through some "jobs around the house" that needed to be done. That was my dad. Other than his health, he was up to snuff in every way. He left my mom sitting pretty. Like little miss muffet crying on a paid for tuffet, weeping into a white laced handkerchief. Dad left Mom with everything up to snuff. My mom, the stay at home rug hooking house wife is a pretty tough dutch woman after all. I'm proud of her the way she has handled everything.  Well I've always know she was tough. You don't want to tangle with Mom on issues she claims she knows everything about. So, after all these holidays that I'd rather call selfish social lynchings. Dad's death is hitting home. It's the finality of it all. Its real. It hit me for real in the last hour of 2009 in the front porch room of the Mountain Top after I finished my gig. I sobbed out of control while the Sherburne locals laughed, danced and drank shots of Yager welcoming in the new year. The hour from 11:00 till midnight was the longest year of my life. Bad year for the D's. Dead dog, dead dad, done deal. Not coming back. I still hear his voice. Bill didn't know his first name after vodka on the rocks followed by several shots of that licorice shit. But I got him home that night with 2009 sadly not far behind. Its weird. 2009 was a hard year but I didn't want it to end and go away cause that means Dad and Ed dog will go away. Further and Further. Like letting go of a balloon. I hope the day never comes when I can't see they're color floating away in the sky.

So I'm getting on! What else is there to do! I got a job! Honestly its a blessing. Back in the food and beverage industry saddle again! The one I should never have left. I'm loving it! Making money hand over fist. I imagine it will slow down now that the selfish social lynching is over. I'm working at a place called Michaels in Waterville. I'm not gonna go into this story as its another I plan on blogging about with some video footage. In short, Great place. Excellent food and most importantly. I have a new family and the selfish social lynching is paid for and not on a credit card.

So today is mine. I need to visit Nanny and her new dog Tiko, a long haired chihuahua puppy I'm absolutely smitten with. I need to visit my old pal Maggie and talk interior design over a glass of red boxed wine. I need to drop my car off at Moore's tire to get the brakes worked on tomorrow. I need to probably track down my son Nick and see what his needs are. I need to ask the egg lady if I can get one or two extra dozen of organic eggs for my new friend/manager Duke. I need to talk to Nancy about how cool it is I'm surrounded by sweet gay men all of a sudden. I need to get my camera out and take some winter shots. I need to get a cup of coffee with cream and honey from Johnston's Bee farm in Eaton. This honey is from Central New Yorks summer wildflowers and is the most beautiful tone of light golden yellow I ever saw. Like a childhood summer itself all yellow, warm and gooey in a safe square jar. My friend Meredith came to visit one Saturday after the Poolville's Farmer's Market with her arms full of coffee and this honey. Coffee to keep me going, she said, and honey for my immune. Love that girl.  Not many people come to visit, I live so out of the way, but the ones that do come, are cherished! I need to NOT get involved with David Bartletts death. Just to sad. I need to get over feeling guilty about not dealing with David Bartlett's death. He was a friend from farther circle. I'm so sorry for his family and will bake cookies and drop them off. I guess the real reason I need NOT to deal with David's death is because it involves many people whom I love dearly but the only way they can deal with this tragedy is to climb inside a bottle. Ironic. This was pretty much David's own demise. He fell down a flight of stairs New Years morning. Great way to start the year! I need to NOT go there! I guess needing to do, is purpose to live. And while I'm needing to do all these things. I need to get my Beef Bourguignon simmering in my new Martha Stewart dutch oven. But first I need to get dressed, step away from the laptop and help shovel out the driveway so I can get to Price Chopper. HMMM! If I can get to Price Chopper! Its nasty out there. I was just told that we are in the middle of getting 5 to 10 inches of snow. I guess much of the things I need to do today will have to wait till tomorrow...Next plan.