Our Book World It’s been a busy, people-filled week. We’ve got 44 pages of Tiny Homes on the Move completed (1st pass), and another 30 or so designed, so we’ve got a third of the book scoped out. Two great things right now:
1. High-quality material coming in practically daily.
2. The design process, with me, Lew, David and Rick, is flowing now. The pages are looking good. Took a while to get going, but now stylin.
Solo Fridays With all this activity, I love the chance to be alone out here in this used-lumber studio, with sun now streaming in, some happy and melodic bird calls out in the garden, the little tin windmill showing a slight onshore breeze, music playing. Seems like rain is coming, we need it. I don’t agree that these bright sunny sharp days are “beautiful.” Give me clouds and a changing sky and pelting rain.
Around Here Photos of a day’s egg production by our Golden Seabright bantams, and my first wooden spoon (crude, but I’m learning fast). Going to start making spoons out of apple wood, all the other pieces of wood I’ve been collecting for years.
Justified This only for fans: Great performances the last episode, when Arlo dies. Raylan, Arlo, especially Boyd. Some terse, highly-polished script writing. In one particular scene (during opening credits) when Raylan is talking to a guy in prison and the dialogue is great, the credit, “Elmore Leonard,” rolls across the screen (series based on his stories).
Music Earlier listening to Dan Bern (“Hooker”). Right now listening to “Sinatra: Best of the Best.” This is a perceptive collection, put together in 2011; they really chose the best stuff. What a rich voice!
I grew up with Sinatra (from the ’40s-on), never paid much attention to him, and then in the 60s, upon discovering Dylan, the Stones and Beatles, I put him in the “square” category. Oh, puhleeze, not Sinatra!
I overlooked (and misjudged) a bunch of things back then in pursuit of all things hip. In the excitement of the very real cultural revolution, there was the “hipper-than-thou” syndrome, resulting in a less-than-wide outlook on life and culture. So it is with delight that I go back in time and discover such excellence. I must confess, when I heard this version of “MyWay,” I got a chill.
Birds The red-shouldered hawk cruises in and terrifies the chickens once in a while, but they are fenced securely. Yesterday two very perky blue California Scrub Jays in garden. Resourceful, strong, smart (therefore wary) birds. Doves and quail on ground this morning, bunches of small birds. Lots of huge Canadian Geese in yonder flatlands.
Rick set it up and walked me through it, and last night I gingerly went into Amazon Prime and found: “Ike & Tina Turner – On The Road: 1971-72.”
