Saw one of my best friends today . . .

He's five.

I love this kid like he was my own son.  He's not, but we've spent many days together since just before he turned two.  Thomas the Train, Hot Wheels, dirt, rocks, water, bicycles . . . these are a few of his favorite things . . .

Through no fault of his or mine, our relationship has been changed.  I won't get to see him quite as often . . . but today was a good day. 

We played with puzzles on a Wendy's bag, worked on spelling and math on a chalkboard, wrestled, played 'airplane', hit a golf ball around his grandparents' front lawn . . . all good stuff for a friendship such as ours.

One thing about kids though, is their honesty.  Like it or not, they tell the truth -as they see it anyway.  It wasn't long before he wanted to go play with the neighbor kid . . . can't blame him of course - the neighbor has video games (!) hot dang!  He had no concept of course that this was a prearranged visit for he and I to get to spend a little time together . . . nor would he really care. 

I bargained with the child . . . well, I begged a little maybe . . . I had nothing to bargain with . . . I asked him if he could maybe just visit with me for an hour or two longer . . . "One hour" he said . . .

Twenty minutes later he was asking if it was an hour yet . . . soon after that, I did something that I know was wrong . . . I bought the kid off . . . I offered to take him to buy some goodies!  Now, I know that's not really a good idea . . . but I was desperate!   And it worked . . .

We went and bought some candy and toy cars from Cracker Barrel. (I was able to get some old-fashioned candies that reminded me of my own childhood.  Buying sugar and memories in one fell swoop!)  Now, it may sound a little crass, this mixing of commerce and affection . . . but kids understand (and at least one ex-girlfriend I'm sure . . .).  (Whenever I speak of when they grow up . . . his older brother always says with more than a hint of glee, "You'll be dead . . . and I'll have your truck!")

On the way to Cracker Barrel though, he said something that meant a lot to me . . . the little voice from the back seat said, "Jeff . . ." - what?  "Can I have ten more minutes with you?"  - Now THAT touched my heart . . .

I would give an awful lot for ten more minutes with him, or either of my deceased grandfathers, or my father (who is not doing real well right now) . . . just a little more time!

I love you little buddy!

So . . . I make it an annual event to go to the Smithville Jamboree . . . and today was the day!

It's a great music festival in a small town in Tennessee (at Center Hill Lake, for those of you close enough to know where THAT is . . .).

This year was the 35th Anniversary for the Jamboree, and my personal 7th year (in a way . . . I missed one year, but I've been going since 2000).  I'm such a creature of habit that I always park in the same spot . . . sit in the same spot (with my little folding lounge chair with a footrest) . . . get there around the same time and leave only when it's over (but I don't stick around to watch the final jam and crowd dancing on the stage thing . . .)  - Hey, I know what I like . . . which is why I won't go with anybody else . . . I'm assuming that they may want to leave before I do . . . and that just wouldn't work!

The "Jamboree" is a competitive festival . . . with a number of different categories and prize money for the top three finishers in each category.  [By the way, there are such festivals every weekend in the month of July in Tennessee . . . near Nashville . . . next week will be Uncle Dave Macon Days in Murfreesboro . . . the week after in Lebanon . . . and then in Franklin . . . check 'em out if you enjoy acoustic music!]

The reason that I'm convinced that anybody who might decide to come with me could want to leave 'early' is that it's a LONG day . . . and it is typically VERY HOT - as it was today.  Very hot and humid . . . and I was there for about 14 hours.  And I loved it!  Square dancing and all . . . YES, there is square dancing competition in the mix as well . . . oh, and lots of cool crafts booths and of course all kinds of junk food.  I personally inhaled a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream - yum! - and an extremely oversized 'plate' of 'ribbon cut fries' (you know - those chips that are attached to each other . . . only this was about the size of a loaf of bread!  No kiddin'!).

So, anyway . . . it's a competition . . . and they have as the last contest a 'fiddle off' between the winner of the 'junior' fiddle contest and the 'senior' contest ('senior' starting at 40 years old - ouch!).  Funny thing is, often in this contest, the clear winner doesn't win!  Hmmmm . . . Tonight was an example of that . . . Not to knock the winner at all, because he was a pretty good fiddler to be sure (and in fact he SHOULD have won the banjo competition in my opinion - these people are all incredibly talented, mostly multi-instrumentalists who remind me that I'm not REALLY a guitarist . . . Oh yeah, I'm a SINGER and a SONGWRITER . . . but there are little 12-year-old girls here at Smithville who kick my butt on multiple instruments - Maddie Denton you're awesome!)

The OTHER fiddler was simply better and it was apparent to the crowd (at least to the crowd around me . . .).  One gentleman left a little early saying, "It's no competitioin really, is it?" - It wasn't.  In fact, they did an impromptu version of "Orange Blossom Special" with both fiddlers just for fun and the eventual 'winner' actually physically bowed to the 'second place' fiddler . . . So I was in shock when I heard them announce the winner . . . until I remembered that there were other times when this category (and others) had simply not been won by the obvious winner . . .

So what does all of this mean?  Besides the obvious, that judges are human and swayed by a number of factors that other humans may not be aware of . . . Well, maybe it's just another illustration of how life is unpredictable, and not always fair . . .

Thank goodness, once in a while it can be a little fun though . . .

[PS I love this blogging thing . . . I can just spout off and if anybody wants to read it they can, and if nobody wants to read it . . . I don't really care.  My friend Elizabeth laughs at me and says that I could carry on a conversation with a brick wall . . . hmmmm . . . well, I guess that's pretty much what blogging is . . . carrying on a conversation with a 'brick wall' in the form of a computer screen.  It probably says something about me that I may even prefer this to an actual conversation - no worries about being interrupted by the other persons 2 cents worth ------ But if you ARE out there and still reading this . . . thanks!  You are an incredibly insightful person!]

Well, I'm counting a chicken before it's hatched . . . but I'm prone to doing that anyway . . .(I must be able to see through shells!)

I MIGHT get to write a theme song for a gal who's doing a new 'radio' show out of Seattle . . . It will be on ContactTalkRadio.com on Thursday evenings at 6 pm (probably Pacific Time) . . . her website is NaturesTranslator.com and she TALKS WITH ANIMALS!

She even communicates with creatures over the phone, and plans to take calls during her shows.  I must admit, I'm a lot more receptive to her thoughts on this after reading up on it all on her website.

And I'm excited to have a little bit of my music being shared with her audience.

She plans on using my music piece as an underlying sound bed behind her introduction . . . and I suppose intros and outros (as we like to call them in 'the biz' . . .)

Now all I have to do is write the music and record it . . . hmmm . . . details.

Sounds like a job for the Firefly Creek String Band to me!

. . . well . . . maybe I should say that baseballs are dangerous . . .

I'm a 'serious' Nashville Sounds fan . . . I go to most of the games, and I have season tickets right down behind the visiting dugout, between home and first base . . . the best view, in my never-to-be-humble opinion.

Well, I was reminded - rather rudely - that I should ALWAYS pay attention while sitting in this dangerous spot!  I was actually hit - in the upper chest, by my clavicle (?)- by a line-drive foul ball!  Ouch!  It's about five hours later now, and it still hurts!

Okay, the ball actually glanced off of a seat first, so it could have been worse . . . but it was a 'rocket' . . . it's true, it's true . . . everybody around said the same thing . . . I never saw it coming, because a vendor had just walked in front of us and I turned to talk to my friend . . . then, WHAM!

Apparently - I'm told - the ball then hit another seat and bounced back onto the field . . . !

The thing that really gets me is, what if it hit me just an inch or two higher?  On my throat!  Dang . . .

I think I'll be paying closer attention whenever there's a batter up!

Well, I just spent a lot of time once again on MySpace trying to make over . . . well . . . "My" Space . . .

I added Johnny Lang's music to the space . . . I met him years ago (not all that many years ago really . . .)  I was working at a hotel at the time and he - if you remember - was just a kid.  A very talented kid of course . . . but a kid . . . It was funny . . . a Prince look-a-like walked by and Johnny got all excited, and said, "Did you see that??!" . . . I don't think that he believed that the guy was really Prince . . . I think he was just excited that there was a look-a-like.  Meanwhile I was talking to a really talented rising star - him!

I always loved this song "Lie to Me" . . .

Gee . . . you don't suppose that I'm encouraging anything here on the internet, do you?

There was an annual Blues Festival here in Nashville today . . . that was cool . . . (well, it was HOT actually . . . and humid!)  Stacy Mitchart and the Blues U Can Use band were probably the highlight.  They play as the house band at a great local blues club called Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar.  (The bar actually often wins "Blues Club of the Year" awards nationwide, so it really is a great club.)  Don't know if they're on MySpace somewhere . . . they should be, but I haven't looked.

Ah well . . . Blogging could be dangerous for a long-winded fellow such as myself!

Say hey sometime!

Well . . . a friend of mine invited me to join this "MySpace" thing years ago, and I just never got around to it . . .

Now my brother joined and suggested I try it . . . so here I am . . .

It's late and I'm tired and ready to head home.  I'm at the office right now, after having watched a Nashville Sounds ballgame earlier (5-0 thank you!).

If you're looking at this, I would be curious to know who you are . . . so say hey . . .

Thanks . . .