Where There's Smoke.....

I have a ninety something year old friend who I visit quite often in the nursing home where he lives. He has all his wits about him but does get a little mixed every once in a while. This afternoon while I was visiting he said, "Did I show you my horse?" I immediately got a little oh, oh feeling thinking that he was having a mixed up moment.

I said, "What do you mean"?

He said, "Come on downstairs and I'll show you my horse".

I was a bit concerned but decided to play along and off we went on our slow little trip with him using his walker. We took an elevator and went into a big common room and over in the corner was indeed a horse. It was a mechanical pony probably three feet high. It moves it's head, it's mouth, wags it's tail, munches on a carrot and neighs and makes other horse sounds.

The joke was on me. I'm sure he knew what I was thinking and got the last laugh.

I went to a function last night where we had a bit of an adventure. Someone put one of those fake chemical-sawdust logs in the fireplace and the draft or baffle would not open. The whole building filled with smoke. A bunch of guys tried to fix things but the draft could not be moved. Someone got the bright idea to take the log outside with a shovel. As soon as they touched it, the log fell into a million pieces and could not be picked up. They ended up bringing buckets of snow inside and smothering the log that way. The smoke then turned to steam. It was a mess and I had some pretty smelly clothes to deal with this morning.

Music: A link from the past. This was the first song on a cd I put on today while painting. It goes with the last paragraph too. It's Swati with Bruce Springsteen's I'm On Fire. You can find other versions of this song that I've already put up with a simple search at the top left of the page. New today are songs from Van Morrison. I am so looking forward to seeing my daughter and these Van songs, Someone Like You and Contacting My Angel, remind me of her. Someone Like You is such a great song. No one will ever do a better version. Van Morrison owns it through and through.

Day of the Green

Funny how Kenz likes to help me blog most days. I type with my arms around her, pushing and manipulating her body so that I can see and use the keyboard. Every once in a while it annoys me but not very often.

My daughter is downloading movies on her laptop with my wireless connection so it's using up the upload/download juice. Took a long time to get this photo up. I'll probably not attempt any new music today but link some songs instead.

We're going out to supper and to a movie tonight which will be fun though I didn't ask what movie everyone wants to see. I only watch comedies so we may be in different movies which has happened many times before. It's going to be sad to see my girlie go back out west.

One music link for St. Paddy's day is Whatever Gets You True from Paddy Casey. Couldn't think of a name more appropriate for the day. The man from Belfast has to be featured too, of course. Someone Like You, a beautiful, beautiful song from the one and only Van Morrison is my wish for the top of the day to you all.

Normal Is As Normal Does

I'm working on a cd for a friend who turns 50 on Friday. I thought I'd have it finished in plenty of time for mailing today but it's been a hard one. I like to tell a story with the order of the songs but it also has to sound good. I know I have a lot of slow ballady music but I don't want 50 to be anything but a celebration for my friend. I'm still working and will express post it tomorrow.

Today feels like my first day off. Seeing the daughter off this week made me a bit anxious and far from feeling relaxed. Today, seems back to normal. I cleaned like a fiend and have a whole lot more to do. I have three empty bedrooms and will completely gut them and start again. I walked but didn't make it to the beach. Maybe Wednesday.

Music today: Something from the cd I'm working on for both my daughter and my fifty year old friend who has moved in and out of my life so many times in the thirty years we've known each other....You've Got To Move, a live version from a benefit by Greg Brown. Also, from the playlist, Someone Like You by Van Morrison.

The link: My friend and artist Greg Garand called this morning. I told him about my statement yesterday that I was going to link to local PEI artist whose works I have. He's happy for the exposure. I have probably the largest collection of Greg Garand paintings of anyone. I love his work. I have early and recent and he keeps getting better and better. So here's Greg Garand but please note that he wants to update his site and add new paintings. Life is such a rat race. There are never enough hours in a day.