Thanksgiving
If you know me at all (which would be your only reason for reading this) you know that I am bad at being jaded. I try to cultivate a healthy skepticism to resist our cultures drive towards complacency and delusion. But...I love thanksgiving. I love the food, the football on tv, the begining of the Christmas season, and the long string of left overs. But, really I love my famliy. I love the many years of different famliy and friends who have been to our house for Thanksgiving, the many boardgames shared, and funny stories accumulated. Maybe I should be experiencing some sort of aloof disdain for the kitschier aspects of America's only semi-Christian holiday or sadness at our betrayal of the Native Americans who sustained the pilgrims. But, there is a time for that. Today nearing the end of two days off from work, with only a short day tomorrow and more time off before a regular work week, drinking a very nice IPA, watching That '70s show with my parents, feeling physically comfortable, rested, and very much at home. I am thankfull.

Flesh and Blood

Beside a Singin' Mountain Stream
Where the Willow grew
Where the Silver Leaf of MapleSparkled in the Mornin' Dew
I braided Twigs of Willows
Made a String of Buckeye Beads;

But Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood
And you're the one I needFlesh
And Blood need Flesh And Blood
And you're the one I need.

I leaned against a Bark of Birch
And I breathed the Honey Dew
I saw a North-bound Flock of Geese
Against a Sky of Baby Blue
Beside the Lily PadsI carved a Whistle from a Reed;
Mother Nature's quite a Lady
But you're the one I need
Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood
And you're the one I need.

A Cardinal sang just for me
And I thanked him for the Song
Then the Sun went slowly down the West
And I had to move along
These were some of the things
On which my Mind and Spirit feed;
But Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood
And you're the one I need

Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood
And you're the one I need.

[Spoken:]So when this Day was ended
I was still not satisfied
For I knew ev'rything I touchedWould wither and would die
And Love is all that will remainAnd grow from all these Seed;
[Sung:]Mother Nature's quite a LadyBut you're the one I need
Flesh And Blood need Flesh And Blood
And you're the one I need.

I didn't have internet access yesterday so today I present a twofer. One is a cover about pain and anguish on is some of his best writing about his beloved June.

Hurt

Hurt
I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end

And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feeling disappears
You are someone else
I am still right here

What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end

And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

Man in Black
Today's song is the most overt expression of what is usually a subtle yet deliberate social conscence in Cash's work.


Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.
Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.
And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.
Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

I want to get new shoes for walking around all day. Something simply constructed that can put up with cold and wet.
Any suggestions?

In preperation for the end of the week premiere of "Walk the Line" I have decidedto every day this week post the lyrics o a great Johnny Cash song.

today...

Ring of
is a burnin' thing,And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire --I fell into a ring of fire.
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire --I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher,And it burns, burn, burns,The ring of fir, the ring of fire.
The taste of love is sweet When hearts like ours meet.
I fell for you like a child --Oh, but the fire ran wild.
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire --I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher,And it burns, burn, burns,The ring of fir, the ring of fire.
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire --I went down, down, down,
And the flames went higher,And it burns, burn, burns,The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

forgive the poor job of delineating stanzas

Dr. Welch's vinegar solution to life happiness.
So saturday I cleaned our coffeemaker with vinegar. It's amazing how much a little thing like that brings me so much happiness.

sorry for the hiatus (if anyone reads this) but the last two weeks I have been adjusting to ACORN. It has been hard and stretching. As of this morning I had three members (five being the goal in the first two weeks in order to stay employed). I walked out of the office at 1 assuming that today would be my last day of work. At the end of the day I had six. Ben told me that a three member day in the first two weeks is unheard of. Maybe this might work out after all