Well those delightful burros who just got Pet of the Week honors have broken out of their corral twice today. The Award must have given them a more elevated taste for freedom. The last time they almost made it up here into the garden…they did get a few cornstalks out of the lower veggie garden. Lolita and Barbarella are the main culprits. I have Dilly Jo tied to a tree now and I may have to do that for the rest when Richard ARRIVES….which is momentarily. A new stable gate is in order first thing Monday morning…dullness is not part of the scenario here on our lil' corner of the Universe…This is Life!!! This all reminds me of when I was 14 or 15 when I used to sneak the car out late at night from the garage….there was such mysterious freedom…something so new and absolutely seductive…almost like sex. These burros still long for that magic. There is a lesson in this……..and it's for me.
Archives for August 2008
A Democratic Decision…
Well due to interruptions in Denver while Barak Obama was accepting the Democratic Nomination for the Presidency of the United States, the results for Pet of the Week here at Casa las Ranas and the Chapel of Jimmy Ray were late in being posted. This weeks winners (yes, winners) are: Dilly Jo, Cleopatra, Barbarella, and Lolita. These Burros withstood a week of rainy nights to out distance Cielo the Cat and Patzky Groove for this weeks honors. These girls deserve the award. All four are rescue burros from the campo who now have a docile life free of burden. I want to congratulate Cielo for keeping me company all this time while Richard was up in the US and for Patzky who is back from a high fever and is as of this writing grooving down in the studio. Love to all from the Chapel of Jimmy Ray Groove Brood! Oh, before I forget, as Willie Nelson would say, "I've loved you all over the World"…this goes out to my special partner, Richard Groove.
The Morning Glories Have Bloomed
This is my favorite time of year. The Heavenly Blue Morning Glories have bloomed from seed droppings from last year. I always take it as a good sign that the planet continues to give us a show. However, the recent rains are of concern to me….Way Way Way too much rain. The fields below our property are under water. When I went into town today, I had to cruise through a small pond at the bottom of the hill. The road leading to the bridge to Cruz de Palmar is washed out. Earth in Upheaval as the license plates used to declare in Sonoma County. Global Warming is as a matter of fact as the New York Yankees…always with us. I will be posting the Pet of the Week tomorrow here at Casa las Ranas and the Chapel of Jimmy Ray. I know all of you are sitting on white knuckles as the ballots come in…you just may be surprised…..
Sudheer Stole the Show
For the gathering at our house for Tom Robbins last week, Sudheer rose to the occasion. He dressed up as Switters the main charactar in Robbins' "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates", who travels around in a wheel chair. He is forced into this position because a curse given to him by a Shaman in the Amazon with a pyramid shaped head. It is safe to say that our Beloved Sudheer had never heard of Tom Robbins until this past Spring. He may have heard of "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues", but only because it was a movie. Sudheer's interests are different and unique. This Switters, who is a CIA agent with a twist, loves Broadway show tunes. Right up Sudheer's alley. Sudheer arrived in the midst of the gathering last Thursday in a wheel chair dressed as Switters and serenaded Tom and the crowd with some show tunes. It was over the top. He closed his medley with a little tune called "Hello Tommy", sung to that infamous tune we all know. Well, Dear Friends, Sudheer stole the show. We all howled…at least those of us who have read the book. As they say in some circles, "You had to have been there", luckily we were. By the way, that is Susan Page dressed as the nun, Domino Thiry…one of the characters in "Fierce Invalids…".
Waiting for Cher to Call
Way back in the 90's, after a most amazing trip to Peru, I hustled my way into a brief career as a copywriter. I met this fellow Bjorn, a swashbuckling hedonist who had a thing for Asian women. I am telling you about his particular sexual appetite because I felt he wanted me to know how cool he thought he was. And you know…he was pretty cool…if I may say so. For a living he produced upscale catalogs and led a fast post 80's yuppie life. We became friends after a particularly intense male bonding experience on the Inca Bridge. I told him about my writing days in New York and he encouraged me to send him some samples of my work and he said that maybe he had a place for me as a copywriter. This seemed like a better way to bring home the bacon than my stint as a Leaf Blower Technician in gardens of the rich and famous. He liked my work and I got the gig. Almost immediately I was up for the job as the copywriter for Cher's new home furnishings catalog. That I could dig…being the star struck type. One day Bjorn told me that Cher was going to call and do a personal interview with me over the telephone. He told me to stay home and wait for her phone call. The next morning I mentioned in my journal that I had to wait around all day for Cher to call. I remarked that I was probably one of few people writing in their journal that day that they were waiting for Cher to call. Anyhow, I waited all morning and late into the afternoon… Cher never called. About a week later I finally met Cher with the two other finalists for the job. I think I scared her off with my long hair and beard…too much like one of those Allman Brothers that she had once been hitched to….I didn't get the job…however, it quickly became water under the bridge. Recently I have been approached by a newspaper reporter from up north. She wants to write an article about our place. I find myself in that waiting star struck place again…that is the source of the writing of this blog entry…So, Dear Anado, keep it loose…not to worry. The work here is of the real importance…so I wait. Waiting without anticipation is the lesson here…this precious moment is the important thing. I believe waiting for the heavenly blue morning glories to bloom is in order. The end results are so beatific. And besides, I got me, babe.
Coffee at the Roadside Attraction
Today we hosted a coffee out here for Tom Robbins. It was a lovely event. This man is very cool and unassuming. He was with his wife Alexa who is beautiful and it turns out that we had some friends and acquaintances in common. There must have been 70 people here and it was very colorful and festive. I wish that Richard could have been here to enjoy it…Lolita and Patrice too. I took the folks down to the Chapel site and showed them Casa Kali…here are a couple of photos. One with Tom and myself and the other of some photographer guests photographing us…Love to all!