Missin' my Friends

My little friends went on an extended vacation. I say little but they will both be taller than me in no time. Luckily, I was able to spend some quality time with Canon and Mazie before they left. These kids are awesome. Together we enjoyed a day of picnics, tubing, ice cream and exploring. They also got to spend the night! So cool. We played crazy uno, pool and Wii games. Lots of fun. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

The bridge over the Little Tennessee River near Sawmill Creek Rd.

 Two happy adventurers!

Finding cool stuff in the river bed. We brought jars for our treasures.

A quick shot of our hike out. These two make my heart happy.

 

Aj and Mazie sharing the same intense Wii face.

 

We had a blast. Made us feel like kids again.

 

Thanks Jeff and Jodi for raising two kind and loving kids amid a world of craziness. 



night jabber

the night moves

bells from doors opening to muggy night air

out on the road there are bumps

noises coming at me from all sides

sensory overload

and i'm going overboard

can't clear my head

you're talkng at me

i try to listen

it's not anything that interests me

so i'm half there

half here

you're going through a list in your mind

i'm going through the check out line

we don't have to interact

we've put systems in place

to keep us from even having to make eye contact

you missed my big eyes

i missed a possible friend

but society doesn't want that

us sticking together

strength is in numbers

and theirs need to be bigger than ours

 

 

 



diphenhydramine hydrochloride

heart racing

sweat beads form on a clammy forehead

i pace

the night rolls on out of control

elton john plays through my head

it's not even a song that i like

"someone saved my life tonight"

it's always the songs you don't know the words to

aj calls them ear worms

i pace 

"i took too much"

i hear this inside my head

the thought is followed by a wavy gravy laugh

i am not an adult size person

my hands tingle

i can feel every drop of blood

being pumped through my body

my heart 

beats

faster

i wonder if i will ever feel normal again

what a strange word

normal

i ponder sitting

i long of dreaming

rest won't come

i pace

the grooves in the floor are deep

and getting deeper

the sun peaks over the mountain

birds chirp

refreshed for singing a new day

i'm still sweating

and don't notice how beautiful their song is

looks like i won't be needing coffee

Celebrating the Birth of a Hippie

I won't go into too much detail about the event or the location. I enjoy hiding out there and don't want to totally ruin it. Those who have known us awhile may have noticed that we disappear for the day and at least one night every May 15th. There is no regard for the day of week the 15th of May falls on. Work or not, it is time to stop everything, relax and share in celebrating life. The birth of a hippie is celebrated with friends, food, music and laughter, but most of all love and rest for the weary. No need to bring a gift. Just your tent and your beverage of choice.

We  arrive Wednesday around lunch. The first step is to set up camp. That's the easy part, plenty of shady, private spots and the tent is a cinch. Here are a few shots of our campsite.

These shots are looking out from our campsite. The wisteria smelled so sweet!

The second step is the hardest. Step two is relaxing. I know, we're hippies, this shouldn't be hard. Life gets us all wound up and even hippies feel the stress of everyday life. That's one reason this day is important. A day we will be fed, loved on and allowed time to disconnect. This is where caterpillars become butterflies. Brothers and sisters meet siblings they never knew they had. Summer lagers and ales with sweetened west india lime juice fuel conversations and comfortable silences.

There is one task that weaves it's way in and out of our peaceful day without causing worry or stress, that task is cooking. What a pleasure to be fed meat by a man, a birthday boy, that loves cooking meat! We really couldn't have picked a better day to cook out.

 

The night continued on long after the food was gone. Things got quiet when everyone was full. Music rolled down from the porch. Bill on his resonator guitar. Such a sweet sound. The property there is beautiful. A small valley. I took several walks alone while there. Mostly for peace, sometimes for photos.

About 25 folks turned out to share in the fun. Good times were had by all. I'd like to end this post with a picture I took of two signs on the outside of our hippie's house. These two signs really sum him up!

Thanks, Tony! Happy 65th! Let's do it again!

night owl nightmare

hush little baby don't say a word

i ain't gonna buy you a mockingbird

and i know that it may sound rough

but baby that's the world

the big bad wolf is playing in the backyard

and very child's nightmare's right outside the front door

ain't no blanket gonna hide our heads

it's us against the world

moonlight minus melatonin

up again last night

staring up at the ceiling

it used to be a fight

i'll be up around four am

cussing at the sandman

oh sandman, won't you come and tuck me in

dreams that come from lack of sleeping

don't count as dreams

nonsense made from tired brain cells

where nothing's as it seems

i'll keep on staring blankly 

hoping for heavy eyes

oh sandman, i thought you were my friend