Victoria Vox ! Victoria Vox !

I'm not a tweeter, or a tweetee. So I don't know much about it. I think I might like it though, because my blog is a kind of diary. And I thank any readers who have looked in to see if I've posted anything. Of course I havn't! I can only write when I'm in a good mood. When I'm in a good mood well, then I'm too busy living and playing my part in the theater of life. Fortunately, when I'm not in a good mood, I'm not that bad. Maybe a bit apathetic. Non energetic. If I'm bi- polar, I've got plenty of company. Some people just have to get around other people to recharge themselves socially. At a place where everybody knows their name. I, however, need to be alone.

I'd like to throw a party here at my house maybe three times a year. This August will be my eighth annual "fly-in". But I'd like to have a music party. A "Jam Session" maybe once or twice a year. I'll call it a "Coffee House" and have an "Open Mike". In the last few years I've been to a few "house concerts". This is where you have a single, professional, musical act at your party and you pay them. I'd like to do one of those, but I'm pretty far out of town. Normally those are thrown in the suburbs. I know of several Jam Sessions in the suburbs where the event takes place as a music meeting once a week. These can be private, or in the case of a Folklore Society, or something, it could be open to the public and you just show up with your fiddle, banjo, boyfriend, etc. Every week. My hat goes off to the folks who throw these parties once a week. It says a lot about their personality as far as patience, good nature, dependability.

I had the privilege of working as a volunteer at a very successful house concert last week. Myself and my pickup truck were put to good use for a day and a half. At twilight the concert began. And I stopped working and became a "guest" and turned into an immediate, automatic, huge, fan of the featured entertainer. She was enchanting. Both as an entertainer and as a musician. She could do so much. I'm not going to try to describe how incredibly talented she is. I will say this. There was total silence while she was on stage. Most acts get smothered in crowd mumble noise. Especially outside, as this was. Okay, I'll say two more things. She plays ukulele and she makes you smile. The rest you'll have to find out on your own.

Our host was gracious. His home was beautiful. The weather cooperated for a time window during the concert, and went back to rain. I got the autograph I was promised. And I was oh so tired. That really good tired. . . . . :::::+::::: LLITTY

A Song For Japan

I have a new part time hobby. My father in law has a "time share" that he is stuck with. "Time shares" are a nasty, toxic, unfortunate "investment". There are literally tens of thousands of them for sale for $1. One Dollar. The owner is stuck with fees for the rest of his life, and he can't get out of it. So they say. I've only been learning about time shares for three days, and I'm blown away by what I've learned. I was really mad and frustrated about it on the first day. But now I've just settled in to doing my homework on it. Hey, I'm retired.

Today I tried to start my backhoe. It's an old MF..........Massey Furguson, what did you think I meant? I put in the big battery which was charged. I added power steering fluid. Added oil. Pumped up a tire. Cleaned battery cables and terminals.Then hooked up jumpers from my truck. But I could not get it going. I can not afford a mechanic, so I may have to wait and hope for a friend to come help me.

Tonight I forgot all about the GD backhoe. Wife and I went to the Avalon, as we often do. My wife is always on top of the schedule at the Avalon. We usually get good seats. Tonight was no exception. There are four opera boxes in the 400 seat theater. We were in one of them. I knew so little about Rosanne Cash. I was running late getting ready after wrenching and getting greasy. So I googled up Rosanne's bio. Hit the print button. And jumped in the shower. On the way to Easton I read the bio aloud and we learned a bit about Johnny Cash's daughter. It was a beautiful evening outside. Sunset. Cobblestone streets. Quaint Town. The town still remembers what it was like before The Bridge went in in 1953 and connected Delmarva to the world. You can't not love Easton. And it was finally Spring. Rosanne was accompanied by her husband on stage. John Leventhal. This guy was outrageously awesome. I'm not going to try to describe how great he was. She was singing ballads. He was filling in with licks that sounded like an orchestra. He played the piano very well too. The Avalon's grand. She sang fourteen songs and a two song encore. I just smiled the whole time. We weren't listening to a band. We were watching this husband and wife duo with their acoustic guitars. She sang the Dylan song "Girl from the North Country". She explained that when her father appeared on Dylan's surreal album "Nashville Skyline" in 1969, she was officially the coolest fourteen year old girl in the world. To arrange her own version of the song "North Country" she had to go back to Dylan's 1963 recording and find her own way. There is this Jesse Winchester song, "Blow on Chilly Wind" that I love. I somehow relate it to Rosanne, I believe it was on an album she had. I was waiting for the song, but no go. But there is a song of hers that she had on the charts, that she wrote, that we all know. "Seven Year Ache" Such a fine song. Such a big applause. Such a wonderful night for wife and I. The last two songs were filmed for "Artists for Japan". A movie which will donate all it's income to relief efforts for Japan. Thank you Rosanne and John. Thank you Avalon theater. Thank you Easton. :::::+::::: LLITTY