Time Slips Away

The Solstice has passed and winter is coming.

Atheists Ain't Got No Songs

Johnny Law

Do the best you can,
to be a good man.

But don't you trust Johnny Law.

Suddenly I See

The weekend arrives.
Be excellent to one another,
party on dudes,

and remember who you want to be next week.

Mistakes Are Only Horses

Last night that spark of human genius who went by the name of "Guy Clark" passed into cold darkness. Today his ember rests, but we will be singing his songs until our own sparks go dark.

Now, a ramblin' Jack Elliot said, "I got these lines in my face
Tryin' to straighten out the wrinkles in my life
When I think of all the fools I've been
It's a wonder that I've sailed this many miles" 

To which Larry Mahan replied, he said, "The sweet bird of youth
Was sittin' on my shoulder yesterday
But she's always changin' partners
And I always knew she'd up and fly away" 

Let's stayin' up all night in the Driskill Hotel
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan was cowboyed all to hell
And the room smelled like bulls, the words sound like songs
Now, there's a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong 

So, ol' ramblin' Jack said, he said, "I recall a time
I set my soul on fire just for show
All it ever taught me was
The more I learn the less I seem to know" 

Ol' Mahan crawled out from behind a couch and said, "Jack"
He said, "As far as I can see, mistakes are only horses in disguise
Ain't no need to ride 'em over
'Cause we could not ride them different if we tried" 

And let's stayin' up all night in the Driskill Hotel
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan was cowboyed all to hell
And the room smelled like bulls, the words sound like songs
Now, there's a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong, ooh 

Stayin' up all night in the Driskill Hotel, ooh
Ramblin' Jack and Mahan was cowboyed all to hell
And the room smelled like bulls, the words sound like songs
Now, there's a pair to draw to boys, I would not steer you wrong 

Yes, certainly my fair [Incomprehensible], ooh

Dance the Night Away

I've got two tickets to see them in August.

In a Good Place Now

The wild crab apple and the wild blueberries went into bloom this week.  I counted five different species of native pollinators.

  It feels good.  I think I'll sit on the deck and watch the sunset in these Wisconsin hills.

Feral Crab Apple and a Swallowtail butterfly.

In a few months these plants will give me one mouthful of blueberries, if I beat the birds to them.

It Ain't Me

Ain't Talkin', Just Walkin'

The Sound of Silence

Powerful.

Pretty. Damn. Powerful.

In My Own Mind

The Man in Black

Johnny Cash was born 85 years ago today.

The Silent Generation, born before the conclusion of the Second War but too young to participate, lived in the shadow of their older cousins and siblings for the first half of their lives.

Then the Baby Boom started to mature, Vietnam intensified, racial segregation was unveiled as racial injustice.

Here's the deal: the Baby Boom provided the ground troops to those struggles but who gave it inspiration?  Who provided cover when the "Greatest Generation" called them cowards and agitators?  Who was it that had been laying the ground work for the justice movements of the mid and late 1960's since the early 1950's?

It was members of the Silent Generation.

The Presidency was never held by a member of the Silent Generation but they provided many leaders who made our nation a better place.  Even if you disagree with every argument or position laid out by someone on this list, we benefit from their service as a "loyal opposition."

"As iron sharpens iron, so one many sharpens another."

Lenny Bruce (1925-1966) Comedian, Social Critic 

William F. Buckley, Jr. (1925-    ) Columnist, Author 

Johnny Carson (1925-2005) TV Talk Show Host 

Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968) Senator, US Attorney General, Presidential Candidate 

Paul Newman (1925-    ) Actor 

Gore Vidal (1925-    ) Author 

Malcolm X (1925-1965) Black Muslim Leader 

Alan Ginsberg (1926-1997) Poet 

Alan Greenspan (1926-    ) Federal Reserve Chair 

Hugh Hefner (1926-    ) Publisher 

Timothy Lahaye (1926-    ) Minister, Bestselling Author 

Jerry Lewis (1926-    ) Comedian 

Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) Actress 

Harry Belafonte (1927-    ) Singer 

Caesar Chavez (1927-1993) Labor Organizer, United Farm Workers 

Bob Fosse (1927-1987) Jazz Dancer, Choreographer, Director 

Sidney Poitier (1927-    ) Actor 

Andy Warhol (1927-1987) Artist 

Michael Harrington (1928-1989) Author, Social Critic 

Jack Kevorkian (1928-    ) Physician, Assisted Suicide Advocate 

Shirley Temple Black (1928-    ) Actress, Ambassador  

Grace Kelly (1929-1982) Actress 

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) Minister, Civil Rights Leader 

Neil Armstrong (1930-    ) Astronaut, First man on the moon 

Warren Buffet (1930-    ) Investor 

Mario Cuomo (1930-    ) Gov. of New York, Democrat Leader 

Clint Eastwood (1930-    ) Actor 

Sandra Day O’Conner (1930-    ) First Woman Supreme Court Justice 

Ross Perot (1930-    ) Entrepreneur, Presidential Candidate 

Pat Robertson (1930-    ) Religious Broadcasting Executive, Presidential Candidate 

Bancroft, Anne (1931-2005) Actress 

James Dean (1931-1955) Actor 

James Earl Jones (1931-    ) Actor 

Bernard F. Law (1931-    ) Former Roman Catholic Archbishop 

Mickey Mantle (1931-1995) Baseball Player 

Willie Mays (1931-    ) Baseball Player 

Dan Rather (1931-    ) TV Journalist 

Barbara Walters (1931-    ) TV Journalist 

Edward M. Kennedy (1932-    ) Senator 

Elvis Presley (1932-1977) Singer 

Donald Rumsfeld (1932-    ) Defense Secretary 

John Updike (1932-    ) Author 

Jerry Falwell (1933-    ) Minister, Evangelist, Founder of Moral Majority 

Dianne Fienstein (1933-    ) Senator 

Susan Sontag (1933-2004) Critic, Essayist, Novelist 

Henry Aaron (1934-    ) Baseball Player 

Pat Boone (1934-    ) Singer 

Shirley MacLaine (1934-    ) Actress 

Ralph Nadar (1934-    ) Consumer Advocate, Presidential Candidate 

Bill Russell (1934-    ) Basketball Player, First Black Pro Basketball Coach 

Norman Shwarzkopf (1934-    ) Gulf War General 

Bart Starr (1934    ) NFL Quaterback 

Gloria Steinem (1934-    ) Author, Feminist 

John Sweeny (1934-    ) AFL-CIO President 

Woody Allen (1935-    ) Actor, Director 

Eldridge Cleaver (1935-1998) Black Panthers Leader, Social Critic 

Jack Kemp (1935-    ) VP Candidate, HUD Secretary, NFL Quarterback 

Wilt Chamberlain (1936-1999) Professional Basketball Player 

James Dobson (1936-    ) Focus on the Family, Founder 

Elizabeth Hanford Dole (1936-    ) Senator, Red Cross head, Cabinet Member 

Abbie Hoffman (1936-1989) Political Activist 

Buddy Holly (1936-1959) Musician 

Michael Landon (1936-1991) Actor 

John McCain (1936-    ) Senator 

Bill Cosby (1937-    ) Comedian 

Jane Fonda (1937-    ) Actress, Activist 

Dustin Hoffman (1937-    ) Actor 

Colin Powell (1937-    ) Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman

Robert Redford (1937-    ) Actor 

Janet Reno (1937-    ) First Woman US Attorney General 

Ted Turner (1938-    ) TV Executive, Philanthropist 

Natalie Wood (1938-1981) Actress 

Russell Means (1939-    ) Indian Rights 

Lee Harvey Oswald (1939-1963) Assassinated John Kennedy 

Harry Reid (1939-    ) Senate Minority Leader 

Tom Brokaw (1940-    ) TV Journalist 

Nancy Pelosi (1940-    ) House Minority Leader 

Joan Baez (1941-    ) Singer 

Stockley Carmichael (1941- 1998) Black Power Activist 

Dick Cheney (1941-    ) Vice President 

Bob Dylan (1941-    ) Musician, Songwriter 

Jesse Jackson (1941-    ) Minister, Civil Rights Leader 

Martha Stewart (1941-    ) Homemaking Advisor, Entrepreneur, TV Personality 

Muhammad Ali (1942-    ) Boxer 

Michael Eisner (1942-    ) Disney CEO 

Harrison Ford (1942-    ) Actor 

Bill Frist (1942-    ) Senate Majority Leader 

Dennis Hastert (1942-    ) Speaker of the House 

Garrison Keillor (1942-    ) Author, Broadcaster 

Calvin Klein (1942-    ) Fashion Designer 

Kate Michelman (1942-    ) Abortion Rights Activist 

Barbara Streisand (1942-    ) Singer Actress

And let us not forget the Man in Black (1932-2003) Singer:  

We all miss him, Willie, Merle, Bobby, and the rest of us

and we try not to resent those who love him now, but ignored him when he was alive.

Maybe he'd think I'm taking the whole thing too seriously and I should talk more about dogs.

Why Only One?

I'm not sure where they're at, but I want to go there.
I'm not sure who the couple is listening out front, but they're fortunate.

I wasn't aware of this albulm, but I am now.

When You Come Around

A song for all you lovers out there.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Fruit of Intolerance

We should not praise intolerance but it does lead to some great blues.  ;)

Down on the Farm

That stuff you hear on Country Radio today, their just talking about the back rounds they've never been down.

Seasick Steve, I don't want to pretend like I know more about him than I do, but he makes me believe that he gets it.

Last Stand in Open Country

Willie Nelson has a real knack for matching the right song to the right duet.

I started out with nothin'

and I still got most of it left.

Rocky Top

Once I had a girl from Rocky Top,
half bear the other half cat.
Wild as a mink,
 but sweet as soda pop,
I still dream about that.

"Pearl, Pearl, Pearl, don't give your love to Earl..."

Doghouse Boogie

I was looking for the one recorded by Seasick Steve when my search brought up results for Hawkshaw Hawkins.

"Hawkshaw" that is a pretty awesome name when I think about it.  If I ever hit the rails, and you come looking for me, ask for "Hawkshaw Cur."  Anyway, it is a nice little tune accompanied by a nice little pin up.

Sixty-some odd years later, enter Seasick Steve, his Mississippi drum machine, and a three-string guitar.  Two different songs, sharing the same title.

Maybe if I ever run into Steve I'll ask if the two songs are related in anyway.

Maybe if I ever hit the rails I'll go by "Seasick Hawkins?"