Yep, another rainy day Monday. This is not the same weather we’ll be getting later when Tropical Storm Nicholas promises to dump significant water on us. We’re watching the property to make sure everything’s draining, so when the heavier rains come, they have a quicker path to the bayou. Instead of the bayou finding a quick path back to us. If that seems likely, we start moving things upward from floor level inside the house.
If you ever saw him or the band perform, if there were no drumsticks in his hands, or his hands weren’t busy on a keyboard, and a mic was in front of him, the hand against the ear is one of the most familiar sights of your memories. The hair length and color might change. The beard might come and go. The clothes changed over the decades. But the hand on the ear: That was forever.
This one is just fun for me. The Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys jamming together at the Fillmore East in 1971. I don’t know who shot the photo (Ed Roach was there, but not sure if this is his photo); it’s SO SO Seventies. Dennis is one of the front men here. He was busier composing and singing for the band in that period, as was Carl, because Brian was less involved, plus injuries to Dennis’s hand/arm kept him off drums for a while.
Dennis with Paul McCartney, shot probably snagged from video of Brian Wilson’s birthday party in 1976, although Linda McCartney was shooting with her camera.
Below is a video of the band performing “Good Vibrations” live at two separate concerts, with Dennis hammering away at drums in both. I relish seeing Dennis and Carl working together this way, and I’m always happy when Brian is on stage, too. Interspersed with the concert footage is tape from Brian’s birthday party showing Dennis with then-wife Karen talking to Paul.
ETA 2022: This video is no longer available on YouTube.
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. September 5 through September 11 is Suicide Prevention Week. World Suicide Prevention Day is today, September 10.
Here are some numbers if you are having thoughts of suicide or you are in crisis or you are concerned about someone who is. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE IN CRISIS TO REACH OUT FOR HELP. If you are experiencing depression, sadness, stress, or anxiety, or you are worried about a friend or family member who is, you can call these numbers and get assistance in finding the right resource for your needs.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line: Text Hello to 741741
YouthLine: Text teen2teen to 839863, or call 1-877-968-8491
Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: call or text 1-800-422-4453
National Domestic Violence Hotline: Text “START” to 88788 or call 1-800-799-7233
National Deaf Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-855-812-1001
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN): 1-800-656-4673
The Trevor Project for LGBTQIA+ kids and teens: 1-866-488-7386 or text START to 678678
Trans Lifeline for transgender and questioning callers: 1-877-565-8860 [available between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m. PST (9 a.m. to 3 a.m. CST or 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. EST), but operators are often available during off-hours, so no matter when you need to call, you should.]
A few other LGBTQIA helplines that offer support, but not necessarily crisis intervention:
LGBT National Hotline: 1-888-843-4564
LGBT National Youth Talkline: 1-800-246-7743
LGBT Senior Hotline: 1-888-234-7243
For any kind of emergency situation related to drug or alcohol use, you should call 911 or your local emergency line.
SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357: If you are struggling with addiction or are concerned about a loved one’s alcohol or drug abuse, you can contact the hotline for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This US government agency offers support and information about treatment and recovery.call 911 or your local emergency line.
Two GOATS–one my muse, the other who looks like Lush from my favorite rescue, Squirrelwood Sanctuary. If you ever have some extra funds for an animal rescue group, they are terrific. Or if you just want to see the fun and challenge of rescuing animals, you can follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Rest in peace to the great Ed Asner, who died today at age 91. Of course I loved him on the “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” but his ability to turn a sitcom character into a one-hour TV drama in “Lou Grant” had me watching every season. And the opening credits, bird to bird, are classic.
You can read what may be the last article about Asner prior to his death at this link.
We had something scheduled at Houndstooth Hall today, and I’d already decided I would use that time to run a few simple errands. Then I read the news that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts had died, and it flattened my mood. Charlie may have lived a great long life, but as I said in an Instagram post, more decades wouldn’t have been enough. Talented, a gentleman, a husband to Shirley since 1964, rescuer of retired greyhounds, and despite a few hiccups along the way, a stabilizing, steady force for his bandmates: Charlie was one of a kind and one of the reasons I have so much affection for drummers. We were lucky as hell to see the Stones in Houston in 1989 and 1994.
While I was running errands, I decided to cheer myself up by checking my favorite part of Walgreen’s, the section with their model autos. They are the best value at $5.99 I can find in that store. =) Which is how I came home with a tiny UPS van.
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When I was showing it to Tom and checking if the doors open, he said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if the back doors opened, too, and it had boxes inside?” Whereupon I answered, “Prepare to smile, Tom.”
Tiny pin, tiny van, but I’m about to work on the saga while listening to a major band that gave us the huge spirit and talent of Charlie Watts.
Back in mid-July, I did some local shopping that I blogged about. Among the things I picked up that day were buttons from Cactus Music (the one of Tom Petty I posted the beginning of this month) and these two of George Harrison.
I knew at that point that the 50th anniversary reissue of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass was due to drop around August 5. As you may recall, the Harvey flood took my original copy of his 1971 debut album, which was a gift to me from my friend Riley when I was just a girl looking at a boy who filled my life with music and poetry every chance he could.
This is like a kick to the gut every time I think about it. I did replace it almost immediately with the CD set, because I need certain music and memories to sustain me, and this is at the top of that list.
That day in July, I also went to Soundwaves and talked to the owner. He said to definitely call him the first week of August, and he’d order and save me whatever I wanted (there are choices–vinyl with the original three albums plus vinyl with the original three plus two with outtakes and alternate versions from the ATMP sessions, and these same options on CD).
That was my plan before I knew that the end of July and throughout August, external things would trigger a wave of mental and emotional fatigue/anxiety/depression that actually feels worse than most of what I went through in the first year of this pandemic. I wasn’t calling anyone or going anywhere for a while.
Yesterday, after I worked in Aaron’s Garden, Tom agreed to go with me not only to buy plants, but to swing by Soundwaves and Cactus Music.
From Soundwaves, I got the three-vinyl set that replaces my original. I didn’t think it was there and I’d have to buy the five-album set, which I didn’t want because I don’t listen to records as often as I listen to music from CDs both at home and in the car. But Tom found it, so GOOD THING he was with me!
Then off we went to Cactus, where they had the CD set with the originals plus additional unreleased material, and I’m listening to the outtakes and extras right now, and not only is every bit of the music balm to my soul, but there are funny moments, too. George Harrison is bringing me so much joy.
The only thing that could make this better would be listening to it all with Riley again. If there’s a rock and roll heaven, he probably jams with George and John (his favorite Beatle), and they, too, now know how cool and talented and funny and good my beautiful friend was.
Dear Riley: Tom took this photo of me wearing my Beatles mask in front of the display at Cactus. I know it would have made you laugh. I love you, and I’ll always be grateful for every one of those years we had. Thank you for all the music, love, and laughter.
Though you sit in another chair
I can feel you here
Looking like I don’t care
But I do, I do
Hiding it all behind anything I see
Should someone be looking at me?
While I occupy my mind
I can feel you here
Love to us is so well-timed
But I do, I do
Wasting away these moments so heavenly
Should someone be looking at me?
Let it down, let it down
Let your hair hang all around me
Let it down, let it down
Let your love flow and astound me
While you look so sweetly and divine
I can feel you here
I see your eyes ar? busy kissing mine
And I do, I do
Wondering what it is they’r? expecting to see
Should someone be looking at me?
Let it down, let it down
Let your hair hang all around me
Let it down, let it down
Let your love flow and astound me
I colored this picture a while back with the idea of posting it here along with a bit of prose I wrote in 2002 for a site called “Purse Stories.” Unfortunately, when I went to copy the prose, I discovered that, while the site still exists, those stories are now merely referenced as part of a project the artist* did; the actual stories are gone. I reached out to her to see if she’d archived the stories and if so, could I have a copy of mine, but I haven’t heard back from her.
I’ve searched decades of my writing to see if I had a copy tucked in some folder or binder. No luck. It’s a little lost story now. I did find a lot of other poems, short stories, songs, and fragments of all those. They’re a reminder of how I’ve been writing all my life. Sometimes they feel like a record of time squandered on toxic relationships. While I can’t reclaim those hours, I acknowledge that their hurts, losses, and disappointments are not only part of me but are likely woven into the characters I create.
A writer’s characters are a rare subset called “friends who are always there when needed.”
These dolls, who represent a couple of my characters, have been posed on the dresser in the writing sanctuary for a while. Every day, I check to see if they’re still holding hands, because I’m always going in and out of the dresser drawers or stacking folders of writing notes, sets of pencils or gel pens, and other stuff all around them and could easily jiggle them apart.
They are still holding hands. It makes me smile every single time I see that.
*Strange-but-true story. The artist, who I met through a mutual friend, has the same three names, with the same spellings, as one of my characters. While that character has been around since the early ’70s, I gave her that name in the 1980s. I didn’t meet the artist with that name until sometime after this millennium began.
When someone posted this vintage doll commercial to Instagram, Tom showed it to me and Tim tagged me on it. They know the way to my heart.
While I watched it and felt nostalgic about the dolls of yesteryear, and mused about which outfits I had and how my old Barbies still bring me the pleasure of dressing them and making stories in my head for them, even using them to represent my Neverending Saga characters, I thought about the detail and craftsmanship that went into those early fashions. Those zippers and buttons and snaps. The stitching. The matching of plaids and stripes. Even Mattel’s current-day adult collector dolls don’t have that kind of attention to detail or the high-quality fabrics of the originals.
It’s a fact of life, and I figured commenters on the post would make note of the same but also share some of their good memories. So I did that thing I freely acknowledge I should not do, as noted in my comment to a post from one of my favorite Instagrammers, effinbirds.
Yes, other commenters did recount their happy memories of their own dolls, and of their moms and grandmoms pulling out their dolls to share with their kids and grandkids, and of the fashions and how well made they used to be.
As usual, today’s less-entertaining version of Maleficent showed up to the party: I used to collect Barbies until political correctness completely screwed them up.
Since I don’t reply to negative commenters, and my blog was having issues, to vent, I texted Tim, “What does that even mean? Obviously not because they were denounced for giving girls unrealistic expectations of beauty, because apparently she was on board with that. So I guess because perfect (pick-your-hair-color) Barbie now has tons of friends who don’t all look just like her? I mean, you’re not mandated to collect ANY doll, just pick the ones that fit in your doll world, Karen, and move on. So sad a little kid with a friend or family member in a wheelchair can see them represented in the toy box.”
As he pointed out about the commenter, “Really…dolls? That’s the battle hill you’re going to die on?” He suggested this is a person constantly looking for a reason to be negative.
I think he’s right. After Tom generously used his time to fix my poor blog, I decided to share the new girl I bought to make friends with my baseball-playing Barbie, who I adore (and who I got last year because she is my doll stand-in for a character). One commenter said in today’s dollars, a $3.00 Barbie would run about $30, and I got this one deeply discounted at Ross, way less than her original retail price, which was already not as high as $30.
In a world of plagues, forest fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes, Mattel can still bring this tired old woman happiness, and I know every one of the dolls I see on the shelves is making some other kid (and kid on the inside) happy, too. Why spread misery to others? Let people be.
Now I can share this painting because it has been received by the person whose gift it is.
“Muse Garden No. 1: Need You Tonight” is mixed media on an 8×10 canvas. The painting’s inspiration came from the lyrics of “Need You Tonight” by INXS. Lines and words from the song are printed on the stems and leaves of the flowers. After I painted the canvas, each flower was individually hand-colored by me and applied.
The recipient has great affection for the late Michael Hutchence, Australian musician, singer-songwriter, actor, and co-founder of INXS. The center of the sun is a bottle cap from manufacturer Carlton & United/Carlton’s Crown Lager and says, “Australia’s Finest,” an apt description of Hutchence.
I was inspired by art I found on the Internet that used Spirograph drawings. I found them when doing research for this excerpt from the Neverending Saga.
She browsed the shelves and tables until a notebook caught her eye. The colorful flowers on its cover reminded her of ones she and her best friend used to draw. They’d start with her Spirograph, color the shapes and patterns with markers and pencils, then cut them out and glue them on things like the covers they made for their school books, her 45 records boxes, and notes they wrote to each other. They gave the shapes stems and leaves so they became flowers.
To create both a painting and fiction inspired by someone’s art and someone else’s music is extremely gratifying to me.
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