Alright y'all...
Another mushy, silly, sticky-sweet (and whining?) love song out of my system... that feels better. This one was a real turkey, I tell ya... not my best work, but certainly an effective relief. I'm thinking about getting a myspace so i can share my songs (I mean I've written all of 5 1/2)... but that seems to be a slippery slope (myspace=millions of hours lost online and that weird "friends" thing).
Overall, I really can't complain. Lots of good happenin' these days. (aside from me and my crazy fella antics). I've had the pleasure of spending this taking care of Jen, Ava, and Ricky. It feels great to have work that is meaningful (not that the 'brary is bad, but it isn't as cool as huggin' Ricky and laughin' with Ava). I'll be headin' back to the ol' Ber town for a final farewell tour. It's likely that I will also haul a lot of my stuff down to give away/have a 50 cent garage sale. I certainly don't need to take a lot to Seattle. Ma has offered to get me a delightful mandolin. It almost feels like cheating on my banjo to be honest, but another bluegrass sweety to add to the mix is certainly temptin'. I took a six mile bike-ride last night (no laughs please!) and it was a joy! It feels good to get back out there. Nice. The foot doc said all is comin' along pretty well and to just keep on truckin'. Last week grams took us all to Chuck E's for my 22 birthday (never too old, right?). Then Missy, Ma, and Reuben took me to El Toro in Vandalia... which was fantastic... excellent food and after the meal the waiting staff came out and sang to me and then smeared whip cream in my face--a nice touch! I also got to take a nap in a bookdrop on my birthday, now that was relaxing.
Just finished up reading The Celestine Prophecies, not bad... At times it reminded me of Eckhart Tolle, but other times it was just a novel... and you know how I generally feel about those. But seriously, there were good points made about being addicted to other people, following instincts, power dynamics, and taking responsibility for your own spiritual growth.

The grateful list:
-mail. if I don't have your current address, please pass it along, as I do love to postcard folks.
-water! Oh yeah...
-rain!
-Lucky, my banjo
-chickory flowers
-the sleep I will get tonight
-honesty... even when it is tough (especially when it is tough)
-summer squash
-sunflowers
-ma's bike (oh yeah, nice ride!)
-talkin' to friends on the phone
-writing songs
-swings
-sellin' old stuff on ebay
-Ava and Ricky
-Jennie and Jeff pretending they liked the pizza I messed up (I know I like honesty, but I was feelin' sleepy and sensitive about my cookin')
-Missy Boo
-being able to walk
-music in the morning


More pics:

Ricky Lawrence. My little angel... look at this sweet child! He really is a darling. Ava and Jen colorin' the little fella's casts as he sleeps. Ava says Ricky is her best friend.
That's right... the "Ken-Chuck-E Derby"... another nice addition.