Wednesday, December 21, 2011

back in piqua for solo christmas

but not han. just working on the shop/house all day, cutting firewood, listening to my stories on the tv, and, of course, playing and singing all my favorite christmas songs on the guitar. e.g., "when i left my home and my family / i was no more than a boy / in the company of strangers / in the quiet of the railway station running scared." and the classic: "toss me a cigarette / i think there's one in my raincoat. / we smoked the last one an hour ago. / so i looked out at the scenery; / she read her magazine. / and the moon rose over an open field." all sober. weird. strong. tough. peaceful (other than "new girl"). 7 months this friday. i think. al misses me, i just know it. and i miss him. and casey dog, of course. or that may be that moonpie misses casey. too close to call. bob evans, christmas eve. even though my well pump exploded and i have not running water, my new stove is threatening to chase me out of the shop it's so hot. not bad for a good for nothing drunk.

17 comments:

rundeep said...

Good to see you still kicking. Life is a difficult business, isn't it. I know I've told you a million times my absolute favorite Christmas album is Kathleen Battle and Christopher Parkening. Just those two sublime instruments. It's my go-to when I'm in the kitchen, making cookies, with the lights and the dogs and the (new) woodstove ablaze. The very merriest to you.

David Marlow said...

"i seem to recognize your face / haunting, familiar, i can't seem to place it / can i find the candle of thought / to light your face / a lifetime is catching up with me." (was i close?)

Cindy said...

Who'll be my role model / now that my role model is gone?

bright said...

I know some folks at St. John's Lutheran in Celina - great people, great church (7:30pm and 11pm with special music starting 30 minutes before each service). I also know of a pretty kick ass 5 pm Lessons and Carols service about 2 hours north of you...

David Marlow said...

"... laying low, / seeking out the poorer quarters / where the ragged people go, / [looking for] the places only they would know."

really hard song to play well on the guitar without a pick. i know that lutheran church.

rundeep said...

I've reason to believe we both will be received in Graceland. Get a pick for Christmas. But make sure you ask for the right kind because it's a bitch to play an instrument with garden tools. Just back from the tropics preChristmas. Both great (Jesus, the light! That's where they keep it during the winter!), and charming (all the nativity scenes show everyone smiling broadly) and sad -- because Christmas is here. With the fire, and the oven, and the carols, and the poorly hung lights and the tree with the mishmash of ornaments and the goldens with their jaunty new Christmas scarves fresh from the groomers. Eternal is his sway, babe. Eternal is his sway. Love.

Cindy said...

Boxing Day. Box it up, and give it away.

One day at a time my husband has found his way into 11 years today.

Sending you a hug.

topazz said...

Love you, love you, (love you all)

DragonTat2 said...

My home group gave me my four year coin on Christmas Day; we have a 'birthday meeting' the last Sunday of the month.

Sometimes it feels like honest humility with a healthy dose of joy, coated in gratitude. Sometimes... not so much.

12.8.2k7. Always amazing.


I so appreciate reading you, switters.
Thank you for you. Be well~ odaat.

Cindy said...

Told my story last night at a combined end-of-year gathering in Cairo, GA. Always something different, yet the message is the same.

Hope. Love. Gratitude.

Happy New Year.

bright said...

Happy New Year. God bless us, every one.

Keifus said...

The Boxer is one of several tunes that my dad and his buddy would play when they got together when I was growing up. (As mentioned now and then, we Higgies have a passable Garfunkular quality to our voices. It works. In my book, Dad and Bob also have the canonical versions of City of New Orleans and Don't Think Twice It's All Right.) It's got a special place.

Wouldn't mind hanging out and bullshitting sometime, switters. I'm pretty inept as a musician, but I do like playing rhythm. It wouldn't hurt to distract me from the booze, either.

David Marlow said...

hey, guys. heard a bon iver song friday on "world cafe" right before my boys from south park were on terry gross (sp?) talking about "book of mormon". anyways, the song was just voice and piano, and i think it was also about death, too. i was moved, shaken, had a moment. quite a nice moment, very cold by a warm fire all by myself (sorry, moonpie). can you have moments of clarity whilst sober? oh, and guys, don't leave. yet. happy new year.

Isonomist said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihzo2jqVqAQ

Carnival barker for kingdom dot come....

rundeep said...

Bon Iver, World Cafe, Terry Gross. Come on dude, just go full Philly on us! Happy Russian Orthodox Christmas.

Cindy said...

I spent the weekend at Alligator Point, Florida. Pretty amazing little bit of beach, We had clear nights and foggy mornings and pretty much zero mile an hour life.

I thought the Terry Gross interview on Book of Mormon was great. :)

Michael said...

Don't mind me. Just doing a drive-by to make sure the lights are still burning. Happy new year everybody.