The Bandage

Life has become hard for most people on planet Earth. It feels like everything we do to make things better is merely a bandage, not a cure.

Are you a fan of the TV show “The Good Place?” The other night Michael argued that no one can get into the good place anymore because life is too full of unintended consequences for even the smallest action like buying a tomato in the supermarket.

Life is complicated and the bandages holding it together are becoming frayed and worn.

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Holiday Songs

The most fun I’ve had with a holiday song in a long time happened in my workout class. The instructor changed the words to 12 Days of Christmas to be 12 exercises. One stretch, two leg lifts, 3 bicep curls, and so on. Five was a squat done very slowly. We made it to 12 and we had fun. New life for an old tune.

Happy holidays to you. Thanks for writing with me all year.

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Hope

Reading Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming” I remember hope. I remember feeling like things could get better. That the US might do something about climate change. That various social justice causes could advance. That wages might raise and little people might be better off. Lately it’s been a struggle to hold on to that remembered hope, but we must. We must.

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Autumn

Autumn is good for the spirit. Not too hot. Full of brilliant colors writ large on the trees that refresh your quest for beauty. Perfect for that day in the mountains looking at the aspen groves or that walk along the river bank enjoying the rustling leaves of the cottonwood trees. It’s a tie up whether autumn or spring is the best thing to keep you sane. It’s a tie up.

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The Best Trees

Around these parts, the best trees in fall are cottonwood and ash. They’ll give you a nice show of color in the fall. You can find aspens if you go up higher. In certain canyons where there’s water there are stands of maples that can really blow your mind. But if getting out of town to see the fall colors isn’t on your agenda, the cottonwoods and the ashes will do the trick. Happy leaf watching!

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Fiesta, Fiesta!

I live in a place that has a huge party every October. It’s fiesta time along the Rio Grande when the sky fills up with colorful balloons. If the weather cooperates the celebration is complete.

There are plenty of great things to say about my town, but the big balloons once a year top the list.

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7 Minutes

She gave us the structure, she told us the form, we listened to Bessie Smith as examples, we played a few 12 bar run-throughs in different keys. Then she gave us 7 minutes to write our own blues song. And we did it. Mine was kind of stupid, but it was worthy of 7 minutes of work. First song I ever wrote. Yea, me!

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I Forgot

I forgot the soothing sound of your voice. I forgot the soft curls in your hair. I forgot the smooth silk of your forearms. I forgot the little mole under your right earlobe. I forgot the exact color of your eyes when the sky is blue behind you. I forgot the bright crescent of your smile in the dark oval of your face. It’s easy to go on because I forgot everything about you.

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Favorite Places

Tent Rocks National Monument – ever hear of it? It’s an out of the way spot between Albuquerque and Santa Fe full of beautiful and unusual rock formations. I’ve been there before and I’m planning to go again. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a favorite place for me full of happy memories. Don’t you love getting out of town?

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Perky

The close captions that describe music make me laugh. They will say “perky music” or “epic music” or some other descriptive about the music. What I wonder is this: does the screenwriter put a note in the script that says merely “perky music” or some such?

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