It was a totally gorgeous clear morning today. Clear and cool. I was up at @5:30 and took a peek outside. A dry sky, the stars were bright against a very blackness - no hint in the east yet. Orion was setting in the west with Sirius blazing & blinking blue above. Mighty pretty. I get way more sky with the leaves down this time of year, so it’s a decent trade-off.

Information comes to me out of the blue and from varied sources. I’ve been reading recently about ambient oscillating waves, frequencies & antennae and it came to me that trees may actually be very active in the winter - receiving specie (or even individual) specific information from the ethers by way of their exposed branches.

Each kind of tree splits/bifurcates their twig growth in different patterns & angles therefore receiving most strongly certain vibrations and excluding others.

The "reception" could only occur in winter when the antennae are not masked with leaves. Whaddya think?






Swam my laps. As I leave the building, I have a full vista. I get to see what the sunrise is doing in the west. I saw gray mountains in the west being lit up red from the top down - rose colored by the new sun with the purple earth’s shadow being pushed away west as a backdrop.

Then I heard Louis Armstrong playing "La Vie En Rose" in my head. Way good. Click the title, take a moment.

November was wonderful and it went like a flash! Whichever Muse, who likes to publish monthly, is being satisfied now. A totally bonus month with unseasonably comfortable weather. We did eventually have the final leaf down events - a big blow or two and the sky is now seen through sticks.

There’s an interesting occasional phenom when you drive past a woods in the early morning or late evening now when the sun is to the side - the shadows of the trunks at @ 30mph make a stop motion stroboscope kind of effect. Kind of 60s ish(Oh wow man). Worry not, I won’t get distracted or hypnotized while waving my hand back & forth in front of my face.

Thanksgiving week was the best ever! Mike & I had dinner with my sweetie, her kids & a friend - She is a WORLD CLASS chef! We had a delicious delightful time at the table in a very cozy setting. Lotsa heart all the way around. The weather held great - just cool enough to feel seasonal & not really cold.

While on the subject - here is a great short Pumpkin Pie("pah") video that was sent in by our favorite video scout. It’s only a few minutes. If you have time pursue the thread - there’s lots of funny, well-produced web stuff here.



Music is going well. The Tuners (so far myself, Katharine & Marie) did a fine job Saturday the 25th at a delayed wedding reception. The couple was married about 6 weeks ago but just now had time for a party since they were traveling. There was a video display of their travel photos going during the party.

When you can hear yourself play there is kind of a gut connection with the individual songs - an "ownership". When you can’t - it is still good but you’re kind of slightly removed from the performance.

Our music was good and well received (they even fed us - excellent vegetarian provender!) but we were in a bit of an audio fog with all the conversation in a small high ceiling room. Not really a complaint since all was good but an observation.

We did have fun and were aware of it during the event. I think that’s even better than realizing you had fun afterwards.

I probably gave it too much worry beforehand. We were booked about a month ahead of time and we diligently rehearsed as much as possible. There was some concern we might not have enough material ready for the party duration. Not so.

When the job was finished and all the smiles, thanks & handshakes were done, I realized a degree of personal relaxation that had not been with me for a while. Considering after-the-fact how well it went and we didn’t use all the tunes we had ready, I need to be a bit less self-pressured in the future.

They were all lovely people - a pretty even mix of the bride & groom’s friends and the parent’s entourage. Mostly the bride’s family - I heard "Davis" (the groom) being welcomed into the fold. All-in-all a very satisfying job - our second one as The Tuners.




Mike’s Motel (he doesn’t own it but it looks good and works right because of him) - the Carolina Motel on 441 in Franklin - will close for the season and he’s heading for warmer climes - down to FL where he has history and connections.

Probably gone a couple months unless he finds a great job. Meanwhile, I get Angela, his cat. She’s getting way used to me - not as skittish as last year.

And it’s like she knows he’s leaving - she’s jumped into my lap a few times this week.

We’ll definitely be pals when I’m Mr. Tuna. She still eats my yardbirds for fun. Sometimes when I put out bird seed I’m thinking "Is this energy going to end up in the cat?". No matter, I love ‘em all and they are what they are.

Preparatory to his flight south, Mike has been completing projects. One, on making his motorcycle quieter and two household projects. He painted the deck with combined leftover paints. It looks sharp - a nice bright gray.

Glance it at night and it looks like snow has fallen. Great in the moonlight! He also clad our north wall (my bedroom - the coldest in the house) with 3/4 inch foam exterior insulation board. The thick green tiny bubble type foam. Easy to work - just score a straight line in it and it breaks true.

Fastened to the outside with exterior screws n washers and with the printing facing inside, it is kind of a swimming pool green showing. The job is exposed and not covered with anything (we might paint) and so it’s a bit like wearing your undies outside your jeans but it is noticeably warmer inside - yeah! Thanx Mike the stuff works well !!



I had a terrific surprise visit from Ben & Ashley. To be honest a few weeks ago I knew they were planning to stop by but I had forgotten so it became a surprise. Ashley had been visiting her mom in NC. Ben flew out to fetch her & the dogs back to CA via a brand new 2017 rented van. An easy cross-country trip for fun & distance.

Way cool that I’ve seen Ben twice in 2 months (4 yrs. before that). Ashely is totally beautiful as always. We had a nice late lunch, a few big hugs and off they went towards the sunset and California. I think they are planning to not rush and enjoy the journey. Generally, a good intention.



OK, it’s the end of the month, the beginning of another and the holiday fuse is lit. I like it.

The Christmas heartbeat picks up almost imperceptibly. There is both sides to everything in this universe made of compatible pairs of opposites but luckily we critters can only be in 1 headspace at a time (by design?).

Anyhow, I admit the truth of all the negative stuff about Christmas - the gritty sales hoorah leading up to the morning dive of greed for the pile of presents and all the other things that mask the "true meaning....". It’s an outmoded puritanical prohibition but still available if you choose.

Actually, Scrooging can be fun momentarily (If you’re holiday tired sometime try a loud "Bah! Humbug!") but I can’t invest my heart in it.

I do choose however, to focus on the sweet glowy warm homey fed nurtured spirit happy snowflake yoo-hoo lights & bells aspect. It feels way better.

Give me please, the music - traditional & classic & pop - the bells & lights (I lived to see cheap LEDs!), the colors, smells & food. The dear friends and the easiness to be happy. Let’s go! It is a precious time of year. Be aware of the magic as it happens.




Big Love