again and again

R.I.P. Rod Kennedy,
director of the Kerrville Folk Festival

you will always
have the best music
you will always
hear the finest songs
you will drink
the age-old brandy
and eat catfish
all day long
you will know
the prettiest ladies
you will have
the very best of friends
and we will have
all our stories about you 
and we will tell them
again and again
amen!
we will tell them
again and again

Fast on your feet

How did the performance go, farmboy?

Went well, got a real good response. The writers-in-the-round was challenging, in a good way. I love doing these in-the-round gigs, you know. They are so fuckin' cool.

So I ended up sitting by a friend of mine who is a dynamic blues singer and guitarist and songwriter, so that meant that I had to do some thinking 'cause I was following her. And that's challenging and that's good for me. You gotta think fast on your feet, and I like that, I like that improv element of it.

And then me and her -- Anne, that's my friend's name -- we played off each other. It's funny, you know; I met her at the Kerrville Folk Festival in the hill country in Texas in 19 fuckin' 87. Then I move here in 2006 and discovered she lived here and was singing and teaching and all kinds of stuff. She's fuckin' amazing.

Sounds like a good night.

Man, it was so good to see my music friends and play and be appreciated. I need to do a lot more of that kind of stuff.

You'll get your chance in just a couple of weeks, farmboy.

Yeah. I'm looking forward to it. I hope I'll have a better handle on the money and job situation by then. Fuck, I hate to go back to...I guess it's more than poverty. It's how everything is so fuckin' uncertain. And feeling helpless and feeling that there's nothing I can do. I hate not having insurance. You know, I have type 2 diabetes, right?

I didn't know that. No wonder health insurance is important to you.

This fuckin' country, man, this fuckin' health care we have here. Or lack of health care. But that's a whole other topic and it's late.

Talk with me this weekend, farmboy?

You betcha, man.

To wear a cowboy hat

Whatcha up to, farmboy?

That's pretty informal of you, man.

What's informal?

"Whatcha."

It's colloquial.

Whatever.

You went to play tonight. Was it fun?

It was good. I played an in-the-round put together by an old friend of mine from the Kerrville Folk Festival. Didn't sell anything, but I got to have a cheeseburger and coffee on the house. I was the only performer who wasn't wearing a hat, so the bartender came over and put his cowboy hat on me. Which I loved, because, you know, I don't let myself do things like wear cowboy hats. And it felt good to wear a cowboy hat. It's really fun, like being a kid, 'cept it was a whole different kind of kid than what I was.

But let's not get into that. So, yeah, I had fun.

What did you do?

I just hung around, played on the computer.

Was it fun?

Yes, actually, it was.

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving. Going to your brother's?

Yeah. I'm making pumpkin pudding with my niece. I'm also making a cranberry-walnut desert. I like Thanksgiving. We should have a day for being thankful. Plus we haven't spoiled it with presents and cards and all that fuckin' commercial shit, you know? Plus it's good food. I like turkey and stuffing and gravy and stuff like that.

Green bean casserole?

No, never been too much for green bean casserole. You?

It's all right, I guess. Not one of my favorites.

I'll check in with you tomorrow, man. Happy Thanksgiving!

Same to you, farmboy.

See ya.