Greetings All!

Wow! Way more than a month has flickered by since the previous wordout. I apologize to you and myself - I have a kind of deadline I like to meet. Wonder where that comes from?

When we last left our hero, he was recovering from a storm initiated power outage & involved in semi-dire ichthyologic endeavors. Yowp!

Well, I'm still dedicated to my fish chores and getting reasonably good at them. After a while you can figure out their "moods". They don't much like artificial light (neon) - they eat best in daylight so I try to feed them during the sunny part of the day.


Though Byron & Taylor have made their last trip from Arkansas and moved into their new place right here in Franklin, we have not yet relocated the finny critters.

Rumor has it we're waiting for tile floors in the predestined fish room. OK. Everybody is still settling in.

They (the fish) seem happy. The kids too - Byron & Taylor are feeling good.

They decided to stay here in the cool green mountains. Six years in blazing hot crazy Little Rock Arkansas was enough.

They've already found wonderful jobs up in Highlands at the Old Edwards Inn. They are both big-time serious professional kitchen folk and they are loving the quality & attention to detail up there. It all sounds win/win to me.

I like this new situation a lot.

Suddenly I have ambient family - B&T are back in town and Brother Mike (mike.c.casses@gmail.com) in residence.

It is a daily comfort.

After his visit last month and my extended invite, Mike thought he'd take me up on the offer and moved up here with everything he decided to carry from FL. (1 trip not 3 like B&T from Arkansas)

My brother U-Hauled his motorcycle and tools and drove his Kia SUV up 441 to Franklin in one fell swoop. We returned the U-Haul the next day and here he is

We get along wonderfully after having very sparse contact for about 30 years - he's a very gentle respectful un-crazy non-violent guy (no telling how we'd turn out considering our up-bringing). And, to my great appreciation, he is a compulsive repairman with considerable construction skills across the board. For the first few weeks all I did was buy materials and daily our hacienda improved.

I had some pretty rotten old wooden "rails" on a small concrete (@ 10x6x3) slab at the front door of my doublewide. Also the 3 wood steps up to the top were badly decomposed and turning veggie.

In addition to that, I had a young volunteer Tulip Poplar way too close to the slab tearing up the corner with its roots and way too established for me to pull out with muscle & intent.

I had given that treelet plenty of thought over the years but no actual effort beyond the first attempt at trying to pull it up by hand (gave up) and keeping the leaves clipped back. It didn't die. I'm pretty sure it got tougher.

But Brother Michael is more tougher and has brains, experience, application & a vehicle. He chained the tree trunk to his Kia and slow but steady pulled it out with quite a small pile of root dirt.

Then he laid a little slab of QuickCrete at the base of the old approach, put in new stringers & steps, new posts & rails (with bird seat balls on the corners). Then coated, caulked & painted the whole project.

It's now brand new rebuilt and looks fantastic. It makes the house look newish because it's the first thing to catch your eye. Wish I had taken a "before" photo. I'll find one.

After that chore and a few others, we threw a few inquiries & job applications about. Mike acquired his NC driver's License & vehicle insurance and met most of my friends & cohorts. Absolutely no problems, he gets along fine with everyone I do. (not surprised)

The Carolina Motel across from my road outlet on 441 had a "Help Wanted" sign planted in the front yard. On a whim, Mike checked it out the other day and he's now the official handyman!! The motel owners have several other properties that all need upkeep. This too is win/win. He's doing all kinds of odd jobs and enjoying the varied chores & employers. A good fit. We're in the zone.



I woke up this morning at 5:30. A little early - but not much. Strange though, usually when this happens I have this tiny begrudging voice/energy that is pissed at being interrupted during dreamtime.

This a.m. we skipped the normal fuzzy transition and awoke somehow un-usually clear minded (I think) for the first incursion back into the mechanical world.

Now, this morning, the tiny begrudging part was kind of slack jawed and watching. I didn't hop right outa bed but instead did my morning meditation, (normally in the upright).

When I did get up for the hygiene routine, I gratefully noticed I was breathing clearly through my head! (We usually spend a few minutes bringing our sinuses back to normal atmospheric pressures.)

What else is "going right" this morning? hmmmmmmmm
Things are suspiciously good.
Suspiciously?

Then I started thinking about where that little "suspiciously good" laugh comes from. Why do I expect the normal to be not so good?

Possibly, maybe, probably, something to do with our common historical old-world heritage of being conquered multiple times. Pretty much every town in every country has gone through that ordeal one time or another in the last coupla thousand years.

Add to this that our religions teach us @ 85% to watch out for all the bad stuff & @ 15% celebrate so that kind of weights our default attitude into the negative (self-protection?) side.

And of course, we have the radio, TV and those magazine racks at the grocery checkout all make their living from bad news, extremes, outrages & tales of woe.

The media at large cooperates in attempting to make us frightened & dependent. If you look where the man behind the curtain is pointing, you get the prepared daily dose of Zika, Ebola, Code Yellow, etc. alarms.

So where did my current good stuff come from? I ain't askin.
I'm not looking at the gift horse's laugh.

Maybe just luck. Maybe perseverance. Maybe the change of season.
Maybe family nearby. I hope the attitude sticks.



I made it to work that morning two hours after wakeup. Crossing the sunny single downtown morning street in my Norman Rockwellish Franklin I noticed my dear friend's bright skittle green car in a parking lot - I like to see it.

She says she parks so I can see it from my office. Good to know she’s occasionally proximate. She is a very dear heart that I’m privileged to know.

I yelled a halloo (tigger style) to the Mayor walking on the next block and he yells back my name.

My old Hippie friends would not believe how "establishment" I’ve become.

I hear Satchmo (Louis Armstrong) in my head "I see friends shakin hands sayin how do you do. They really sayin I Love You". (OK, I've turned "sappy" in my dotage - could be worse. It's actually pretty fargin zippity do-dah!) Like I said - I hope it sticks.

We've all known since China first had wise people, that "change" is the only certainty. Certainly sounds sage and we know it's true but it kind of skips the varied details and our ability to react.

We apparently have options and can accept or resist the change as we will, possibly even direct it a bit. I'd like to try to keep that in mind.

I was with some dear friends & Brother Mike at the Rathskellar a few Saturday evenings ago. We saw a wonderful soloist - Philip John Brooks.

A favorite performer for sure. This was the 4th time I've enjoyed his show. Excellent choice of material - very happy stuff, a wonderful guitarist with a unique history.

Do check his Website. He’s Back In Franklin at the Rathskellar Jan 30, 2017.

Right around the 2nd set he did the Elton John song "Change is Gonna Do Me Good." Going to try to hang onto the good stuff. It feels better. I hope change does you good too.



My co-workers and I were just talking about flying dreams. We've all had 'em I used to have them a lot when I was a kid. Not so much anymore. Let’s try to get some more.

I also used to have "jumping" dreams where each jump would carry me higher. I recall going up way past the telephone wires in one episode.

I asked my conversation buddies what technique they used to get off the dream ground. One says she just flapped her wings pretty hard & took off to be with her sitting pals on the wire.

I’ve done that. I recall several arm flapping lift-offs but my usual technique was to bend way forward at the waist and then lift up my feet straight-out behind me - kind of balancing on my navel and then scoot around a few feet off the surface like Gumby.

My boss says he still flies in his dreams but his technique is a bit different.

He has an egg.

He holds the egg in both hands over his head and it lifts him wherever he wants to go. (terribly interesting technique to me.)



I had been thinking (don't hurt yourself, Chris) about the difference between thoughts & perceptions. One seems a bit more "solid" than the other.

Generally, my thoughts are the words streaming across the screen or spoken in my head
(several different voices - are we all crazy or just me?)

Perceptions are things you feel (often plenty of thought involved too but of "different" weight than the screen display / head voices).

"Spider Sense" is perception. Talking about it in your head is thought.

There is a very wise bumper sticker that says "Don't Believe Everything You Think".
I guess it means, don't invest your vast power of belief in random scribbles. (Be a little discerning)

In my book (large print), perceptions are way more legitimate than thoughts and worthy of consideration & possibly development. Though all perceptions may not be of this world, I think they can have way more legitimacy than the soap operas playing in our heads.

Enough of that stuff.
Got my travelin shoes. More later.

Big Love to All