Haven't felt much like writing these last few weeks (or is it longer? - "it" goes apparently so fast). Plenty of nice things, even great things have happened but I can't seem to "catch" them down to paper lately.

I'm self-obliged to write something pretty much monthly or I go even nuttier - so I'll put that on you now, thanx.

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The weather has changed seasons in the last two days. Two chill nights and a clear sky and my body has forgotten warm. That didn't take long. We'll be "bagging" the windows soon. The waves of weather will become progressively cooler. Shortest Summer I can remember.

I heard geese honking last night and this morning. It seems like it was last Fall just yesterday. I'm beginning to think there is no such thing as time.

Unless we get a heatwave, the 5th of September was the last Sultry Summer Saturday of this Season. (sibilantly alliterative sentence - no?)

We played "Pickin on the Square" - the Saturday weekly outdoor music fest sponsored by the Town of Franklin.

Throughout the season the participating bands and musicians are mostly Bluegrass, Gospel or Country but we have the favor of the powers that be and are one of the few R&R bands who get to play.

Always exciting to watch the sky on Pickin day. It rained from 3p on until @ 5p (whew). Plenty of time to setup (the job goes from 7p to 9p) and the cloud cover actually made it more comfortable temperature-wise.

One of our favorite jobs of the year (myself & drummer Connie's 13th Pickin together) - we get to setup & play our best without chipping away at our energies & focus trying to "mix" the show on the fly.

For this job we have super pro "soundmen" running the board and getting our clients a great mix. We are so appreciative - possibly the best sounding show of the year.

The evening went beautifully, folks had a blast. A great dancing crowd and they stayed for the whole show. There was even a Conga line snaking back & forth in front of the stage. I’m glad they had as much fun as we did

They don't hang out much afterwards though. At the end of the performance, I wiped my strings down and unplugged my stuff and looked up to see - nobody. Crickets 10 minutes after!

Ok, its evening and time to go somewhere else but it seemed extraordinarily deserted extraordinarily fast. Oh Well.

Good enough. We tore down as quickly as we set up (maybe even faster), got paid and went off to enjoy our momentarily elevated status at the local pub.

We're playing 4 jobs this month and 3 in October. Staying pretty busy for a glorified garage band. (we're really very good - big fish in a small pond.)

Now there's also a lot of music I really like and would love to play that isn't R&R. More in the softer acoustic line and I get to do some of these in church when asked.

I'm totally against the "entertainment in church" vibe. "Hootenanny" sermons and "Youth Services" turn me off. I think church music should leave the listener in a spiritually open state - not clapping like at the theatre. So it's a little tricky for me to accomplish that. But apparently I manage OK.

We have some really wonderfully talented musicians at Wayfarer's Chapel (I'm the low guy on the totem pole). I like to listen as much as play. Every so often - but not at particularly regular intervals someone will cancel or whatever and I get asked to substitute.

Last week (Sunday 13th) I played 3 duets with Marie Dunkle - a very dear lady, classically trained, who plays Violin, Cello, Mandolin, etc. Marie had sermon duties too. Her theme was Being Green so we did "green" tunes. Little Green Apples, Green Tambourine & It's Not Easy Being Green (Kermit's song - Ray Charles style) It was fun. And they didn't clap - too much.

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I bought my second big bag of Deer Chow - not Purina but some other outfit - I’m just calling it that. They may cater to the hunters' intent but mine is just to feed & watch the critters. The chow is pellet feed that looks all the world like gray/pink Pebbles breakfast cereal - even smells a little fruity.

I also bought them a salt block. Evenings after I get home from work, I'll take about a pound of these bits and spread 'em on the ground by the salt lick.

They caught on really fast - I've seen as many as 4 at one time - doe & kids I presume. Momma is the biggest and the sibs are each a bit smaller than the previous. The youngest - likely this year's baby - is just losing its fawny spots.

I've also seen a young buck with short straight horns but he's always by himself.

Also noticed that my deer feeding routine (been going now for 2 weeks - I intend to keep it up thru the Winter) has changed the local ecosystem a bit.

Crows are apparently fond of deer food and now I have a tribe hanging out in my trees. I also saw a gray fox (my first sighting) gleaning what the deer and corvids had left. It was during the last ebb of daylight and I wasn't sure I saw it until it moved.

We also have a new chipmunk - getting kind of brave around the birds & squirrels. He/she lives out in the yard somewhere but hangs out at the far end of the deck waiting for safe passage to the seed pile.

When things get quiet it'll sneak up to the wooden platter hiding behind one flower pot after another on the way and making the final dash in the relative open.

I noticed Chippy rarely eats but rather stuffs his face overfull to the point of buggy eyes and charges back to the yard (straight run - no intermittent hiding on the return trip) I guess to stash the load. Then back for more.

This morning in the thickest fog, I was loading trash into my trunk for a pre-work stop at the dumpster. I turned around from the back of the car to find myself face to face (at about 15 ft) with momma deer.

Huge eyes & ears sticking straight out to the side. We stared at each other for a few moments. Her look seemed to say "So where’s the food?" I moved, she bolted and I went back inside to get a pan of pellets. 10 minutes later I looked out the kitchen window to see the whole gang feeding in the fog. Way cool.

I wonder how many hour$ a year I "work for" the local critters? Gladly, I am Winter support for them. My wild critters in turn - continue to be. It's a good deal.

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Well, It is not Winter yet so no pre-complaining from the Peanut Gallery.(member Howdy Doody?) September can be the most glorious month of the year. I have body imprinted memories of fantastic, invigorating, cool-air-warm-sun days in the 9th month. This gorgeous windy clear sunny blue weather can be so very invigorating

It has been 16 years but for some reason when 9/9/15 came around this time I thought of my trip to Paris (origin of the happy photo at the bottom).

We landed in DeGaule on 9/9/99 and I sometimes recall every minute of the trip. I won't retell those minutes but I will say the perfect weather lets me remember a perfect time.

OK - Just a little retell - there is a carousel at the river end of the Eiffel Tower. A delightful colorful surprise and the locals seem to enjoy it as much as the tourists.

The horses are brightly tacked and the music is light and Perfectly Parisian. But - there is a drabish mule and an elephant (you know I love them) on the circling platform. Kind of out of place and I can't find any more info on the web on these two odd steeds. I bet there is a good story. hmmmmmmmm

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Got a musically busy Weekend coming up - I like it that way.

Friday night - R&R at Chris & Charlie's (our regular monthly job). Saturday Night R&R for Zonta - a ladies service organization. Their yearly event "Boots & Bling" is a grand dinner/dance affair where they silently auction off stuff to each other and then donate the proceeds to a worthy cause. Lotsa fun and I look forward to the dancers - some are pro and great fun to watch.

And finally Sunday - Founder's Day at Wayfarer's Chapel and the Ubuntu Choir of the Great Smoky Mts. (that's us - I'm a member) will do their annual concert - celebration.

There is absolutely nothing better in my life than noticing how wonderful the feeling is while singing killer harmonies with people I love.

I'm sure they will record the event - hope the recording is good I'll post a copy.

Well, that feels a bit better.
Thanx for indulging me this round.

Big Love to All!!