From Tuesday:

Dogs are asleep on the wood floor--windows closed, a/c coming on--already heating up out there. Huge limb(s) fell off the old pecan tree in the backyard while I was gone. it’s a big damn mess, and I’ve been working on it with loppers and my pathetic little battery-powered chainsaw as the temps and mosquitoes permit. A lot of good wood there though, for the smoker, and the fireplace.

The tomato plants are all crazy with vine, but not so much fruit. i don’t think they’ve been tended to much while i’ve been gone. Not sure even where to start to cut them back--just started pulling off a few suckers this morning.

2nd day back and i still haven’t made it to the grocery. Boo left a few things in the freezer, (including some amazing ice cream from the Pied Piper), but i’ll have to hit the store today. I want nothing artificial or processed! Had too much of that over the last month. Though I have been guilty of devouring the box of “strawberry milkshake” pop-tarts in the a.m.--something my daughter Charlotte must have picked out. And the sack of “sweet chili” doritos when it gets on about lunchtime. (Yes, I know, I can scarcely fathom the half-life of all the chemicals in these two products.) Update: I did make it to the Kroger yesterday and bought fruit and vegetables; I feel all better now. The pop-tarts are almost gone. But they go so well with strong coffee that they are hard to resist.

Yesterday I plugged a guitar into the amp I bought in Salt Lake City; I like it. A Guyatone, Japanese, from the 60s, I think. 1 12” speaker, maybe 20 watts. Tremolo and reverb. May be the best $150 I’ve spent in a while. It needs a little work, but nothing extensive (I think).  Some curious modifications added by a previous owner including what I think are 2 1/4” jacks for external speakers, both mounted in one of the horizontal braces across the back. Weird. But loud, warm, and small--yes!

Started cleaning out the van--yeesh. Still have a ways to go. Had to get some of the crap cleared out just so I could fit the dogs in there when I picked them up from the kennel Monday. The van was stalling out yesterday after starting it up--like it doesn’t know how to act when making 5-mile trips instead of 500-.  Ron and Rich were really forgiving--they’d fly in for the weekend gigs and would barely have room to fit.

Been thinking a lot--about change, about habits--including my own self-destructive habit of spending way too much time on the small stuff, and not enough on more ambitious, goal-oriented things. Feels like denial, like laziness, even though I can keep myself so busy with inconsequential crap that it becomes its own justification. (can’t possibly plan another trip to L.A., not when I’ve got 4 checking accounts to balance and floors to clean, etc.). Really trying to see thru my own b.s.; it will take a lot of effort to change some negative patterns. But it’s a good time for it, having been away for so long. Many things are now seen with fresh eyes.

So much to talk about, to say--it’s gonna take some time. And there are photos from the trip, as well as plenty of potentially useless video I shot, until the camera started acting up (again). In my room in Hood River, Oregon, when I should have been sleeping, I kept messing with it, thinking I could fix it. As a result, it is now completely inoperable. 

I’m going to be reading back thru my journal, and will be posting things chronologically as I find and edit them. I was hoping to have done more blogging while on the road, but didn’t seem to be able to find the time or head-space to make it happen.

Hope you’re all having a good summer, and I look forward to seeing/catching up with you soon.