Very very blessed

It is an amazingly beautiful day outside. Haven't really been out in it, but, man, it is as perfect as you can get.

So why aren't you out in it, farmboy? Why are you inside?

I'm going to go outside.

Good.

Hey, I was outside yesterday!

Yeah? What did you do?

I went to the beach.

You went to the beach? The farmboy who never goes outside? Mr. Antisocial?

I go outside, c'mon. I live in an fuckin' apartment, it gets tough. And hey, I went out to the coast with my sister-in-law, her mother, and my niece. Day before that I went to see my friend Matt. We hung out on the front porch and talked and played music and played each other our new songs. And tomorrow I'm going to the coffeehouse for their songwriters' night. Day after that I'm taking my niece to see Toy Story 3 at the movies. July 4th I'm going to an actual get-together party type thing. No gruff from you,Mr. know-it-all interviewer guy!

That's all really good. I'm glad for you, I'm proud of you, and what about today?

I'm going to go outside and play guitar or read or something. I'm making soup and I'm putting lots of vegetables in it. I really want to eat better.

What about going for a walk or doing something physical?

I need to do that, too. Man, I really need to start doing that. I should do that.

Soup should be ready pretty soon. It's not hot today, should be a good day for soup.

So, did you have fun at the beach?

Yeah,, it was good. I rode in the back with my niece. She was makin' up songs, let me tell you. She has the gift. I remember what that was like. Actually, it's still like that for me. I don't know if I can't make up songs. Seems to be my way of communicating.

And that's a good thing.

Oh, very good. I'm very very thankful. I'm very very blessed. Some people don't know their passion in life. Me, I have tons of fuckin' problems -- mental illness,money problems, some health things -- but I know my fuckin' passion in life. Man, I lucked out, I got to be a songwriter and musician.

And your niece...

You know, we'll see. My job as Uncle farmboy is to support her in whatever she chooses to make her life, whatever her true passion creatively is. It could be any number of things, and any combination of things. She gets to explore and that's really wonderful. It's my job to provide recordings and books and that kind of thing.

But I'm so pleased and proud that she has the love for music in her. As well as natural talent. No matter what she does, her life will be better because of her natural ability and love for music.

You know, I feel like every child has natural ability in music. That's part of my job as an educator, I guess. Not that I want to talk about my job. But I think it's important.

You would know.

Hey, today's my mother's birthday! I can play songs she likes. "Wildwood Flower" by the Carter Family, Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now."

(laughs) Everything turns into music with you, farmboy.

Yeah. I'm a lucky guy.