Sitting At The Kitchen Table

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 05:58 PM

As the sun slowly sinks in the West...

As much as I enjoy this thread, the reality is that there doesn't seem to be a large neough number of people who are interested in posting, and the thread keeps slipping off the bottom of the screen.
I'm willing to try keeping it above water, but not to the point that
it risks being a vanity thread. We all have better things to do than have this be a Jerry Rasmussen thread.

Through time, several friends who post here have shared their e-mail address with me: Joe Offer, Elmer Fudd, Jayto, jimmyt, and others. What I'm suggesting is that if you'd like to receive e-mails from me (and HOPEFULLY, LET ME KNOW HOW YOU ARE DOING) please e-mail me at [e-mail]. Then I can add you to my list of friends. Many of my e-mails are about the things I am writing about, with common references to my faith. If you'd rather not receive those, say "No faith writing, please." (I have several good friends who are atheists who want to read the stuff that I am writing anyway.)

Most of all, I enjoy the friendships that I've made in here, and would like to keep in touch. Mudcat has evolved, as all good things do. I'm all for evolution. It's natural that people have coalesced into groups of shared interests. Unfortunately, many friends of mine have drifted away from Mudcat, not out of dissatisfaction but because when they scan down the list of topics, there's not enough to interest them. Count me among them. I still love Mudcat and will drop in periodically and post when I see a thread that interests me.
I'm ready to send my manuscript off to a publisher, and two of the chapters originally were posted here on Mudcat, so I give credit to this place and many of the friends that I've made here for spurring me on to write.

Before this thread sinks below the horizon for good, I'll keep it alive in hopes that some of you will read the thread and decide that you'd like to keep in touch through e-mails.

Life is good. Mudcat is good. Sunsets are beautiful.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 14 Sep 08 - 03:38 PM

Thanks Jerry, I'll fortify the hen house!

I agree. Getting people together for any group activity seems to be fraught with difficulty these days! I suppose we should be glad that we all have such busy lives!

I think there is merit in always having the event (whatever it is) as a set occasion...e.g. the first Sunday of the month. Then everyone knows that's the occasion. They still forget of course!

Had a lovely walk by the sea and through the woods today. The leaves haven't started to change yet and the sun was shining. That's set us up for the week.

Ready for a coffee though!

...and pass the duster!

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 14 Sep 08 - 03:29 PM

Ruth and I went to visit our friend Joe's wife Corrie after church today. Corrie has Alzheimer's Disease. It had been quite awhile since our last visit, and she'd lost a lot of ground. Most days when Joe goes to visit her (and he's never missed a day,) she doesn't open her eyes and rarely utters a comprehensible sentence. More often than not she doesn't recognize visitors.

When we arrived at the nursing home, they were just bringing Corrie down the corridor. She was slouched back in her wheelchair, seemingly oblivious to everything. We had brought a plant and a card for her, and Joe tried to make her aware that we were there. She had her eyes open and was wearing her glasses, but it was difficult to know what images were registering in her mind. Despite all of Joe's efforts, she didn't respond, other than to occasional utter a low cry, as if she was in pain. Joe kept asking her if she had any pain, but the questions hung there in the warm corridor air, fading away with no answer. Joe asked me to read the card to Corrie so I squatted down in front of her wheelchair and read it to her, telling her how much we love her and that we are keeping her in prayer. With that, she attempted to string together a few words into a sentence, and for the first time, I felt that I was breaking through to her. Whatever remains of Corrie was trying to reach out to me. After talking to her for a couple of minutes, squatting there beside her, I looked her right in the eye and started singing. "How much do I owe him?" I sang. I could see that I had her full attention, so I said to her, "Remember that song, Corrie? That was your favorite song that the Messengers sang. You used to play it on the piano." Corrie can no longer feed herself, so her piano playing days are long over. Joe, or their ten year old grandson Keith, who was there with us today, patiently feed her a spoonful at a time. But Corrie heard the song, and I sang the chorus for her.

How much do I owe him?
How much do I owe him?
How much do I owe him"
He died just for me, just for me

"The next time that we come, Corrie, I'll bring my guitar and we'll do the song together," I told her. "I will if the good Lord is willing," she answered. It was the first time in a long time that she has spoken clearly in response to a question. Neither Joe, Keith or the nurses could get her to answer a single question today. But she understood what I was saying. She used to play that song over and over again on her piano when she was still home with Joe. It's still in there.

As we were leaving, Joe was beaming at us. "I think she knew who you were," he said. "She really lit up when you started singing to her." And suddenly, it was a beautiful day.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 04:25 PM

Thanks for the tip, Pete:

My new-found friend is anxious to start helping me record, which is delightful, and humorous. My wife Ruth and I areheading down to Virginia to our granddaughter's wedding this coming Friday, and will be gone for a week, so it won't be until the beginning of October before we can get started.

This morning, I had practice with my friends Joe and Frankie of the Gospel Messengers. We're working on songs for our 12th Anniversary. Having a group has taught me how difficult it is having a group. Joe and Frankie are fine men, reliable and always willing to do whatever I ask of them. But, none of us live in a vacuum. Life is terribly messy. Both Joe and Frankie had forgotten that we were going to hve practice, and had to rearrange their schedules. Joe was in the hospital last week, and half way trhough practice he became so woozy that he had to sit down, and I cut the practice short. Frankie has a lot of trouble remembering things, including lyrics... more so than the normal forgetfullness, and we had to go through his lead several times to get the words to come out. Joe's wife has Alzheimer's Disease and he goes to be with her at dinnr time every day. She's been in a nursing home for three years now, and he hasn't missed a day. I was talking with someone the other day who was talking about music not meeting his ideals. I threw my ideals in the trash can, years ago. I try to work with what I have, and be thankful that I have it. I can't afford musical ideals. (I have managed to hold onto my moral ideals, though.) Just trying to live them.

I'm going to pack Herbert up in an envelope, Pete and send him off to you soon.

Jerry

Thanks for stopping by. The table was getting a little dusty.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 13 Sep 08 - 02:25 PM

Jerry,

Isn't it strange how things work out!

If you have the free program Audacity , then plug one of those great sounding mics into the computer and record away! You can then burn onto CDs if you wish. There are a couple of threads telling you how its done here on the Mudcat.

At last we saw the sun today! It seems to have been raining non-stop lately.

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 11 Sep 08 - 11:22 AM

The Lord will provide.

Four years ago, I bought some very expensive recording equipment with top-quality studio microphones. I invested close to $2,000 in anticipation of recording the Gospel Messengers for a CD. I was just starting how to use the recorded when our tenor, Derrick, moved to Florida. I ended up putting together a CD of the four of us drawn from home recordings on tape and some live recordings. (One of my better sources were two CDs tha the folks at the Greater Washington Folk Song Society gave me of a concert that the Messengers did there. After four years of seeking a tenor with only disastrous results, I've finally moved the equipment here into my office with the intention of trying to learn how to use the stuff so that I can start recording a long backlog of traditional and original folk music (Using the definition losely) and gospel. I've managed so far to come up with excuses for not starting to TRY to use the equipment because I had no luck the first time. I hate failing. You'd think that I'd have enough experience by now that it wouldn't get to me as much as it does.

So, suddenly...

I've met a couple who run a Christian Book Store in the area, and the husband is looking for a group to sing with. Turned out that he doesn't like the Messengers music because it's too black gospel sounding. At least we got that right. The blessing is that he is an electrical engineer with a fair amount of experience recording groups, and has offered to help me learn to use my equipment.

Now all I have to do is bring in my leaf blower, blow the pile of dust off the equipment and get to work. As I say, I have at least one CD of folk music in me, and one of gospel as a companion to the book that I wrote.

All will be well again. Eventually.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 07:45 AM

Thanks Jerry!

Spookily, I went down to our local shop today and...for the first time...they had mixed beans in a packet to put into soups etc!

We like Beanpot Chowder in our household. Very good for a chilly day. I'm sure there's a story as to why that album never saw the light of day. Where can get a tune for your Rooster Song? It would be great to complete the set...I have a song about a dog, one about a cat and one for a horse....

There are a couple of good singers who bring their dog into our session. Very well behaved and enjoys the music...but I get canine glares when I sing about the dog!

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 07:01 AM

Hey, Pete: I only know three of the Beans by name: Jim, Cindy and their son Nathan. Jim and Cindy are members of the group The Beans, and the group sang harmonies on several tracks of my unreleased gospel album that I did many years ago. As for the soup beans, I'll have to check the bag...

Northern,Pinto, Large Lima, Blackeye, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split Pea, Kidney, Cranberry Bean, Small White Pink Bean, Small Red, Yellow Split Pea, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, Black Bean.

And post 1935. My birth year. I'll have to post a little about 1835, as I missed that post. My home town was settled in 1835, and I wrote a song about it...

Jerry

Anyone born in 1936 or 37? The years will go fast, now.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 10 Sep 08 - 04:44 AM

Ok Jerry....I just have to ask.....sorry......what are the names of all 15 beans?

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 09 Sep 08 - 10:03 PM

Naw, Dean:

I didn't hand pick the 15 different tyupes of beans. I bought them in a bag. The turkey sausage was my idea, as we're watching our cholesterol. Actually, it's gotten so low that it's hard to watch... :-)

The soup was pretty good tonight. Tomorrow night, after it's had a chance to blend all the flavors together, it will be much better. I only have two gallons left...

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: frogprince
Date: 09 Sep 08 - 09:33 PM

Fifteen bean? Did that all come in a mixed bag, or did you pick out 15 kinds of beans? Anyhow, it sounds great; but can you save me a little for later? I just ate 8 little cups of chili at a United Way chili cook off down at the old courthouse.
                                 Dean

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 09 Sep 08 - 05:26 PM

Hey, y'all: I just made a big, big pot of 15 bean soup with turkey sausage. I have some nice toasted garlic bread to go with it.

Grab a seat. What would you like to drink?

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: rumanci
Date: 09 Sep 08 - 09:57 AM

Neat introduction J.
I don't often have the time to sit around this table but I sure can relate to your thoughts today.
Right this minute I'd be pleased if just ONE damned thing would go right - you know ?

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 09 Sep 08 - 09:49 AM

I finished writing another chapter yesterday, and I thought that I'd post the introduction to it on here. The chapter is titled Try Easier:

        The message on the billboard caught my eye: Nothing Is as Uncommon as Common Sense. Driving at 65 miles per hour, I didn't notice if the statement was attributed to anyone, but I recognized the truth in the saying. So, just what is common sense? Merriam Webster defines it as: "Sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts." Albert Einstein had a more jaded view: "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."

        Back when I was taking a Psychology course in college, I read of an experiment conducted with a group of student volunteers. There've been countless experiments with mice in mazes, trying to better understand problem solving. This time, they used students. Instead of using a maze, they constructed a large round room with many doors. A student was lead into the center of the room, and then the door through which they came in was locked. Only one door in
the room was unlocked. Then, an electrical current was passed through the floor, creating a mild, but uncomfortable shock. The student had to discover which door was unlocked in order to escape the room. The first reaction to the shock was for the subject was to run to the nearest door and try to open it. When they found that it was locked, they'd race to another door. Sometimes, after trying a door only to find it locked, the student would race to the center of the room, then turn around and try the same door again. I think that the mice probably did better.

        Sometimes we try too hard.

I guess that the reason why that experiment resonates so powerfully in my mind is because it's so "me." I can't count the times that I've frantically tried, and tried again to make something work that had no chance of working. There are a lot of reasons for that, but I bet someone else sitting here around the kitchen table can relate to it.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 08 Sep 08 - 10:44 AM

Thanks, Pete:

Actually, I wrote the song moe than 20 years ago. An overly enthusiastic friend who ran a coffee house promoted a concert at the place with a rave compliment about the song I did about a "killer rooster." Herbert was tough, but he wasn't a killer. After that build up, I had to do the song at the concert, and it became a favorite to the point where I got sick of singing it and didn't do it for years. The other song I got sick of doing that was one of my most requested was a children's song, Robert's Rooster. I stopped singing that one for years too. And I stopped writing songs about roosters. :-)

Here's Herberttttttt...

Herbert

He came a' riding in to town in a great big Cadillac
With the windows all rolled down, tied in a gunny sack
But the sack was for potatoes, and not for Herbert's kind
And with his spurs as sharp as razors, he cut the ties that bind

CHORUS:
   
   And Herbert was the terror of the local countryside
   Sometimes he'd flag the neighbor's cat and he'd take him for a ride
   And there never was a man or beast who could make him miss a step
   And you can bet your bottom dollar, he hasn't met one yet

When Herbert strolled the neighborhood, the squirrels stayed in their nests
The dogs all looked the other way, and the cats would genuflect
And the pigeons in my Dad's garage got up and barred the door
For those who messed with Herbert were never seen no more

We took him to my Uncle's farm when I had to move away
The roosters met him at the gate, just to have a little play
But when he rode them 'round the yard, their enthusiasm waned
And I swear he'd jump them through a hoop, he had them so well trained

… My Aunt Gladys told me that when she went out into the yard the first night that Herbert was there, all the roosters were settled down in the yard. Except for Herbert. He claimed the hen house all to himself, and was feeling mighty pleased about it.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 08 Sep 08 - 07:44 AM

That's a great story about the rooster, Jerry. I look forward to the whole song when it's done. Don't forget to let us know the tune as well (:0)

It's not so much the chickens here as the rabbit. Our neighbours let their pet rabbit have free run of the neighbourhood and its favourite spot is our garden! So...if you have any non-lethal wheezes for discouraging a rabbit....

That coffee's good. Is it a new brand?

Best wishes,

Peter

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: maeve
Date: 07 Sep 08 - 11:04 PM

Hi, Jerry. Loved your stories about Herbert the bantam rooster. I wish we could hear you sing the song right here at the kitchen table.

Some of my four hens have been hiding eggs these last three days. The numbers just weren't right. This morning when I let the chickens out for their free range out back, one made a beeline for one of the shade gardens. I tried to keep my eyes on her, but it took me several minutes to find her, snugged in under a jetbead bush and covering a clutch of 8 eggs. Some were hers, others from a couple of the other hens. None of the girls are broody, they just wanted to do what hens do. After a few minutes she headed out to the sun again to hunt for insect protein for breakfast.

I collected the eggs and headed back inside. We have enough trouble from raccoons as it is. We don't need them expecting to get chicken eggs here and these are fresh enough to use.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jayto
Date: 07 Sep 08 - 10:49 PM

Hey Jerry how are you man? I have been very busy and haven't heard from you in a few days so I thought I'd drop in at the table and say hi. I had a few gigs this week. Thursday night was the best gig I have had in a long time. I backed up a guy named Craig Russell from Gilbertsville Kentucky. Craig is making a MAJOR splash in the music scene around here and has been for about a year now. He is spreading like wildfire people are using his songs as ringtones for their phones and kids are making videos to his songs for school projects etc... He is a SUPER nice guy and he and I hit it off very good right from the start. He is a big fan of one of the bands I had several years ago. So when we met it was kinda funny. I contacted him after hearing a song of his that I just loved. When I did he was like wait a minute aren't you one of the guys that was in that band man I have 4 CDs and wear them out.So it was really funny I didn't realize he knew who I was but right off the bat we had a mutual respect. The crowd was insane they were yelling and dancing like you wouldn't believe. They kept running up onstage asking all kinds of questions like "What kind of guitar are you playing?" "Where are ya'll playing next?" "Are you cutting out after the gig or can you stay and hang out with us?" It was cool of them to be that interested but it made it hard to play the songs. I played acoustic lead, Craig played acoustic and was singing, my brother Joey played mandolin, washboard, I think harmonica on a song or two, spoons, and bozouki. Craigs Dad Steve played harmonica most of the night. The place was packed out and they were WILD. They were eating it up security had to get involved at one point because some guy tried to climb on a table. He knocked it over and then he and some girl started dancing where the table was. Security came and escorted the guy and a friend of his out. It was great we got 2 standing ovations and 3 encores but we only played 2 encores. They were so loud that by the time we ended the 2nd encore Craig's voice was shot. We told them to come to the next gig to hear more lol. That was our 2nd time playing together and we had a blast. I took the weekend off and just hung out with my kids and with Jamie. Besides that everything has been going good around here. The weather has been beautiful so I have been eating it up. Fall is my favorite time of year. Summer is always so hot and humid it is such a gift to have Fall come colling everything off and making all the trees so beautiful. Well I am going to jump off of here but I just wanted to touch base with you man. I have been jamming to Clarence Ashley. I had never heard him before you turned me on to him. I love his music BIG TIME. I appreciate it man. Well I will talk to you later,
cya
JT

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Sep 08 - 09:56 PM

Hey, maeve:

I had a dear friend named Herbert who was a banty rooster. In recent years, I've written a book of family memories, and Herbert being family, he's in there. This is what I wrote about how I got him. I'll do a separate post with the rest of the lyrics to the song I wrote about him.

Jerry
How Earl Got Herbert

I got Herbert as a throw-in when I bought my friend Earl's Harley Davidson 125 for $90. Herbert was a Banty rooster. How Earl came about getting Herbert is an interesting story. Actually, it's two interesting stories, each of them kinda true.

Back in 1953, when Earl and I graduated from High School, Earl headed out to go to college at the University of Oregon, and because they frowned on Banty roosters in their dormitories, Earl reluctantly gave Herbert to me as a going away present. This is the way I remember Earl telling me how he came to have Herbert in the first place. Over the last fifty-some years, the story has become much more ornate.

According to what I remember, Earl was out in his front yard one Summer's day, when a car drove by and a Banty rooster came flying out of the rear window. The rooster immediately made a bee-line toward Earl's house and the man jumped out of the car and hit the road, running. The rooster, later to be named Herbert, was running, Hell Bent for Leather when he spotted an unsuspecting squirrel running across the yard. Even though Herbert was running for dear life, he couldn't ignore the challenge of the squirrel, and took off after it. As Herbert came skidding around the corner in hot pursuit of the squirrel, he almost ran into Earl and Earl, being quick of mind and sure-handed reached down and caught the rooster. When the man came around the corner puffing like a steam engine and saw Earl, he hit the brakes and asked Earl for his rooster. Now Earl, being a real slick talker, managed to convince the man that what he really wanted to do was give the rooster to Earl. So, Earl kept the rooster and named him Herbert and when he went away to college in the Fall, he gave Herbert to me. As I said. And that's the way I remember Earl telling it.

Here is what actually happened, according to Earl in 2006. The rooster did indeed escape from a passing car, but it was someone else who lived across the street who caught it. When he couldn't keep it, he gave it to Earl. Earl has no idea how the rooster came to be called Herbert. There was no hot pursuit of a squirrel, or any slick-talking done by Earl.

As I tell Earl, he remembers what happened. I remember how it should have happened. I like my story a lot better. I even had Herbert riding in a Cadillac when I wrote a song about him. Nothing was too good for Herbert.


   "He came a' riding in to town in a great big Cadillac
    With the windows all rolled down, tied in a gunny sack
    But the sack was for potatoes, and not for Herbert's kind
    And with his spurs as sharp as razors, he cut the ties that bind"

So, how did the squirrel get in the story? When I owned Herbert, he was one of the first "Free-range" chickens in the country. Earl kept him tied to a pole with a stout string around one leg. I let Herbert have the run of the yard, and because it wasn't fenced in, he had the run of the whole neighborhood.

   "When Herbert strolled the neighborhood, the squirrels stayed in their nests
    The dogs all looked the other way, and the cats would genuflect"

Herbert found squirrels to be a personal affront, and he made life Hell for the neighbor's cat and the pigeons I raised in our garage. Early on, the cat made the mistake of stalking Herbert, and when he pounced for the attack, Herbert had mysteriously disappeared. He reappeared just as mysteriously on the cat's back with his spurs dug in as firmly as a rodeo cowboy. Herbert took the cat for a little ride, and it was the last time the cat came within one hundred yards of him.

   "And Herbert was the terror of the local countryside
    Sometimes he'd flag the neighbor's cat and he'd take him for a ride
    And the pigeons in my Dad's garage got up to bar the door
   For those who messed with Herbert, were never seen no more"

So you see, my memory of how Earl got Herbert was about 90% wrong, but it was 100% Herbert. If Earl HAD been the one to catch Herbert, he WOULD have smooth-talked the guy out of his rooster. For something that never happened, I got the story just about right.

The next year, when I went away to college, I took Herbert out to my Uncle Jim's farm. But the song tells the rest of the story.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: maeve
Date: 07 Sep 08 - 06:10 PM

My weekend was the same as my week, so I'm tired, Jerry. I enjoyed the rains innundating our parched gardens, and the clean green of the refreshed corn, and the brilliant blue of the sky after the system moved on to gnu in New Brunswick. We send most of our weather to gnu, 'cause he appreciates it.

Mostly though, I'm tired of having no income and years of making do.
We're in survival mode here, and working hard. Laundry is my enemy, and we produce lots of laundry!

I'm grateful for the garden bounty, and friends, and that moment when I can crawl into bed. I'm glad I can sit here and write to folks at the 'Cat when I take a sit-down break, and that the computer is still managing to stumble along a while longer. Friends make me laugh, and the bantams in the garden are wonderful entertainment.

I've got the too much work to do
Never buying something new
Scrub another load or two
Both feet hurt; can't wear my shoes
Send the storm along to gnu
Weekend Blues!

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 07 Sep 08 - 05:27 PM

Help! I've fallen off the edge of the world!!!!!!!!

So, how was your weekend? It being mostly over, and all...

Mine was real guuuud.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 06 Sep 08 - 04:13 PM

Who says that Saturday night is the loneliest night of the week? I'm doing laundry and we just bought a new toaster. Some people don't realize it when they've got it good.   :-)

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Ron Davies
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 11:50 PM

I'm with you, Amos. Get thee behind me, politics.

Stop me before I sink below the line again.

It's got to improve after November.






It's not as if there's not enough good music around. Jan and I got a "Nigel" in Sidmouth--which I gather is better than Very Very Silly--for Cicada Serenade--which we can't claim as ours--it was written about 1986 by The Pheremones.   But Jan did make up the cicada hats (backwards baseball caps with "big orange eyes",) and the gestures.

Gloom and Doom was pretty good too--the winner of that was somebody who sang excerpts from "The Leonard Cohen Book of Christmas Carols". Only thing I can remember is "Hit the bottle if you want comfort and joy".



And it was great singing sea songs in a PA pond while swimming last weekend. Great acoustics-- and great exercise too--leading the workshop from the middle of the pond. The trick seems to be to pick songs everybody else knows the chorus to, so you can breathe while they're singing it. I tried singing Sammy's Bar while floating on my back--and it did work--we stayed together since I could hear them singing through the water.


We also had a Beatles workshop-- please don't tell Bill D-- means sitting around with a few good guitarists and trying to remember how the harmonies went. (Admittedly a few of the guitarists had books).

Then we stayed up til about 4 (after the rooster sounded off at 3:30) singing a whole bunch of other things--mostly from the 60's. No books at that session--again just remembering stuff. Crosby Stills and Nash--it sounded to me like our harmonies must have been somewhat similar. I had fun rasping out Eve of Destruction--Barry McGuire sure sounded mad doing that.

Singing and playing together is always more than the sum of its parts, no matter what kind of music you do. It must be one of the ultimate highs.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 05 Sep 08 - 07:10 AM

Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life has a single sentence on the first page. It's worth the whole book:

         "It's not about you."

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: maeve
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 10:55 PM

A poem in L'Engle's "Ring of Endless Light" refers to that need to turn your concentration from bellybutton to absorbing task in order to be your true best self.
When you are "replete with very me" you are not focused on the task that will allow the centering to take place.

I'm tired, so I don't know how clearly I've worded this.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Amos
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 10:40 PM

Bingo, Jerry!


A

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 09:54 PM

I think that the times when I am most being who I think I am to be are times when I'm not thinking about who I am to be. Self-consciousness and "Self-realization" are not goals for me. Too often they get in the way. There are simple acts like you, Amos, and maeve refer to that flow so naturally out of who I am that without consciously thinking about it, I am most "being me." It's a good feeling. It's not something I can strive for. Or even try to create. It's a side effect of living right.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: maeve
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 09:20 PM

Yes, Amos!

When I paint with my watercolors I find myself in another place, far from everyday life. I am complete.

When I am persuading a new poem to emerge from the clutter and noise of the day I am enthralled by the voice that can only be heard when I listen, and so often speaks late at night.

When I plant the seeds that hold our winter's food, or when I pick the tomatoes and peas that grow, I am content to savor that time of peace..

When I dig for potatoes in the soft ground and my hands are sure and quick, closing around big and small tubers, I am rich.

When I'm singing and voice, tune, and words are braided together so well a new song emerges, I am filled with joy.

maeve

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Amos
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 01:07 PM

There are certain moments in day-to-day life which dispel all the FUD (fog, uncertainty, doubt) born of the multi-valent relationship between the soul and the world. They ar emoments of clarity, or peace, or calm, or just simple quiet certainty.

For me, some of these moments occur when I am adrift on the deep water off the California coast, discussing important issues with harbor seals or cormorants. I have described several of these expeditions in the MOAB thread. Others occur, for examploe, when I listen to Bruce Murdoch's heartfelt CD, when I help another personm ore than they expected, or when I am reading an especially lucid passage in Einstein's humble explanation of his Special Theory, which I am wrestling for about the twelfth time in my life to understand. He revered lucidity, and I have to say he walks the walk thereof. When I listen to my daughter play an impossible series of 16th notes on a trumpet solo, or catch an especially good couplet from the Muse and get it down in a song, or write something I believe, as I am doing now.

When these moments occur, I feel I am doing what I "ought to be" doing. This is not a feeling I get when I am performing normal duties such as holding down a job, picking up prescriptions at the corner drugstore, or arguing poltiics. These are moments of integration, when the shards re-unite into a peaceful and centered whole.

A

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 12:46 PM

At last, the computer is working, I had to find a whizz kid in the end who took it off to the computer hospital and cured it. So for seven days we have had to resort to a diary and pen in the salon, the good side... had nothing to do so I even read the local paper and had lunch hours. Could become a habit! More key lime pie in the fridge Jerry I found time to do some cooking too!
Wendy

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 10:35 AM

Hey, maeve:

You can't afford apples down here. They've gone from $1.49 a pound to as high as $2.99 a pound in just a few weeks. I've eaten an apple a day for most of my life. You know the saying: An apple a day hurts the AMA. I've tried switching to pears, but it's too nerve wracking trying to catch them at the moment when they are ripe. It lasts less than a minute. They go from cannonball hard to shriveled in a couple of minutes. "I'm sorry officer, I know that I was sppeding, but I have to get home before my peaches start to shrivel." Hmmm... sounds faintly dirty.

This thread is moving into birth year territory soon. I'm claiming post number 1935. 1915 isn't spoken for yet.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: maeve
Date: 04 Sep 08 - 08:14 AM

Hey there, Jerry. I'm too sleepy to talk much. Think I'll just curl up in the chair in the corner and take a nap.

Oh- I brought some apple pie to share. I wonder if there's any good cheddar cheese here? The Apple Guys made their first stop of the autumn this morning, so we bought apples and corn (with both outside in the gardens and orchards) because we always buy whatever they offer us. Excuse me for a little while. I'll look for a conversation with y'all after a nap.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 02:04 PM

Hey, Pete:

I'm glad that you're enjoying Susan's music. She really is a delight. I've finished writing the chapter, but won't post it on here because it involves my faith, and I don't want to impose that on people who don't share it, or might find it offensive. If anyone wants to read the rest of it, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'd be happy to share it with you.

The sunshine was especially appreciated this morning.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Waddon Pete
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 01:38 PM

That's some dream, Jerry. Could it be too much coffee? Or not enough? Let's put the kettle on!

Now we have to figure out what was going on. Who were those people? IRS?

By the way, I followed up your lead on Susan Trump. What a discovery! Hear her if you get the chance everyone!

Best wishes,

Peter.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Amos
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 12:23 PM

I guess you' have to know what it was, before you could figure out how to prevent them from getting it. I'd be sweating cold bullets after a dream like that. I guess you learned an important lesson: plug in your cellphone at night!


A

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 11:50 AM

I wrote this piece this morning as part of a longer chapter which will be titled Safe Keeping. It scared the Hell out of me, writing it. Maybe that's what it was supposed to do.

It made more sense to me once I fugured out what "it" was.

        I stood there, staring out the window into the darkness, when a face suddenly materialized before me. The house was silent, and yet I heard no sound of the man who had mysteriously appeared. He turned away from the window and I could see him walking around the house toward the front door. Anxiety rose up in my throat. Where was I? The room was unfamiliar, and I had no idea why I was there. I heard the front door open, and waited with dread until the man came walking through the doorway into the room. He wasn't physically imposing, and he had a slight smile on his face, but there was something threatening about him. "Where is it?" he asked. "Where is what?" I answered. Once again he asked, "Where is it?" "I have no idea what you're talking about, I said. "There's no sense in pretending like you don't know, I want it." I still had no idea what "it" was, but even if I did, I decided that I wouldn't want to give it him. As he started moving toward me, the smile turned more menacing. I noticed a baseball bat propped up in the corner, and reached over to grab it. "There's no sense resisting," he said. "Give it to me." "I'll give it to you, all right, but it may not be what you want," I said, raising the baseball bat over my shoulder. As he stepped forward, I took a swing for the seats, and hit him squarely on the side of his head. The force of the impact sent shockwaves up my arms and across my back, yet he stood there completely unaffected, with that same sweet, sick smile on his face. He took a few more shorts steps toward me with his hand outstretched, and I let him have it again, this time with all the strength that I could muster. Despite the force of the blow, he showed no signs of discomfort. I was the one who was hurting now. One more step and another swing, and I realized that I had no way of stopping him. And then he stopped, and as suddenly as he had appeared, he turned and left the room. I could hear him as he closed the front door and for a moment, the house was plunged back into silent darkness. Only the faint light through the picture window illuminated the room.

        As I stood there, trying to understand what had happened, I heard the front door opening once again, and my heart was filled with dread. As she came around the corner and entered the room, I leaned the baseball bat back against the corner cabinet. I couldn't imagine hitting a woman with a bat, no matter how evil she might be. I could see that I was on my own. She was a tall women, dressed in what used to be called Toreador pants and a short jacket. She was thin and angular, and her body moved in sections, as if she wasn't used to inhabiting it. Rather than threatening me, she spoke in a sweet, reasonable, comforting tone. "I'm sorry about how that man acted," she said with a slight smile. "There was no need to threaten you." I'm sure that I can offer you a generous compensation if you will sell it to me." I still had no idea what "it" was, but I was no more inclined to sell "it" than I was to let someone take it away from me. She said, "I'll give you much more than it is actually worth." When I told her that I had no intention of parting with it, her voice took on a hard, cruel tone. "You'd be wise to take my offer, because if you don't accept it, I will just have to take it away from you." By then, I was getting angry. I realized from my experience with the first man that there was no way that I fight the woman. I had no idea who she and man were, but there were certainly not of this earth. "Before I'd give it to you, I'd destroy it," I answered, and I could see that she was getting very angry. "Or maybe I'll just give it to someone else," who you don't know, and it will be someone that I know would never give it to you, even if you found them." "Oh, I'd have no trouble finding," answered. "No one is strong enough to resist me." "Well, I am!" I spoke, my voice rising to it's highest as I stared directly into her eyes. She shrugged her shoulder and said, "I'll give you time to think it over, but I'll be back to collect it." As she angled her way across the room, my strength drained from me. I had spoken out of anger and fear, but I knew that deep in my heart, no one could resist her for long. Certainly not me.

        I stood there alone in the darkened room, my mind racing. Who could I give it to who would protect it, who was invulnerable to temptation or threats of violence. Not a soul came to mind. And then the warning bell of my cell phone went off, notifying me that the battery was low, and I woke up.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: freda underhill
Date: 03 Sep 08 - 03:22 AM

thanks Jerry, this kitchen is a good place to be.

The Big Wheel are a particularly good blues band in Sydney. They are full of energy, have a New Orleans style piano player (Don Hopkines), and include gospel, country and more Louisiana blues .

Jim Conway has played harmonica with Brownie McGhee, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, Circus Oz, Shane Howard (Goanna Band), Colin Hay (Men at Work), Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Bob Brozman, Slim Dusty, Jan Preston, Dutch Tilders, and many others. He has put together a great band and the quality of their music is just fantastic. I saw them at the Harp Hotel, a good place to go for folk & blues in sydney.

I'll drop into mudchat when I get my computer back (at present it's making a high pitched squeal - this is a quickie on a borrowed space) and look forward to a good natter.

best wishes, freda

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 01 Sep 08 - 07:41 AM

Hey, Freda:

Glad you stopped by.

Mudcat is like a folk festival. Folks break up into enclaves. It's ironic how folkies wonder why folk music isn't more widely appreciated, and yet they split up into small splinter groups with very little interest in each other. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Is more an idealizationf of the folk community that doesn't match up with reality.

The first eleven posts, as I type this this morning are about music in England or Ireland. That's very commonplace in here. For a web site dedicated to folk music and blues, there is very little blues ever discussed, because most folkies don't have a particular interest or appreciation for blues. Traditional Folk Music is much more appreciated in England, so our English friends dominate the music threads. Not because they are overbearing, but because there is a much smaller, more widely dispersed traditional music community in the U.S.A. For most of us, the "community" is a six hour drive from where we live.

Down below the line there is the disgruntled with politics community, and a smaller subse5t of disgruntled with organized religion community. Then, there's the Mother of all Threads community which thrives very well, thank you. Step into Mudchat, and you'll have a chance to talk with people who you may not run into on whatever threads you read.   That's why I enjoy Mudchat. It's the one place where you're likely to have a chance to talk with people from all of the enclaves, except maybe the politics and Mother of enclaves. I rarely see Leadfingers or Foolestroups on the threads that I read, so it's nice to have a chance to get to know them on Mudchat. There are many others who drop by regularly.

And then there's this thread: The Koffee Klatch. We've come to know each other around the kitchen table, and that's a whole 'nuther enclave. I really enjoy this place, and appreciate it when you stop by. Drop in Mudchat once in awhile, will ya?

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: freda underhill
Date: 01 Sep 08 - 04:18 AM

It's Monday evening here, Jerry, but youry Sunday sounds great. Yesterday morning I spent time in the garden (weeeeding) then later catching up with friends in a local cafe, talking all through the afternoon.

the evening was slow and mellow, listening to

Jim Conway's Big Wheel

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 31 Aug 08 - 11:41 AM

Now that Saturday night is over, and everyone has either performed to large, adoring audiences, or spent a wild night of partying, it's time for a Sunday stonrg cup of coffee.

I love Sunday afternoons. This is a time to float alittle. To do what we want to do, including "nothing" as one of our favorite options. Around here, I'll spend some time doing a final edit on my book (I see that I've used semi-colons like Kleenex.) I'll listen to music, and maybe pull out my acoustic guitar. I'm going to be sharing an evening of music with my friend Susan Trump, in Springfield, Mass, and it's time I dusted off the old songs. Susan has recorded more of my songs than anyone I know, and it will be great to see her and her new-since-the-last-time-I-saw-her husband. I've been requested to do my old-fangled songs, thank you. I find it amusing that I am now being asked to do Oldies concerts. My oldies.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 30 Aug 08 - 08:24 AM

Hey, Elmer!

How great to see you. And here I thought jimmyt was going to sneak in here and beat you to it. Come to think of it, maybe Farmer Jimmy is dealing with his own wascally wabbits these days. Or maybe he's singing the Cow Cow Boogie.

It's a rainy morning here, and man do I love it. The last five days, we've been up with the sun going on our 3 and 1/2 mile walk, but there's morning thunder rumbling in the distance, and there's nothing to do but work on the final editing on my book, and roll around the shack, 'till the mail train comes back. The "declines" are pouring in, but I am not discouraged. I'm actually feeling good, because I think that my way forward is being illuminated, just like those little strips of light along the aisle of the airplane show you the way to exit if things go wrong. The way I look at it, every exit is also an entrance.

Jeremiah

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Elmer Fudd
Date: 29 Aug 08 - 11:45 PM

You wascally wabbit! I missed it again! Wait until 2000! I'll get you! I'll get you!

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 29 Aug 08 - 06:22 PM

OH, what the heck... it will be post 2,000 that will be the big one. Yeah, Knight, I find upgrades frightening. It seems like every time I start to feel comfortable with software, they want to upgrade it. More often than not, it doesn't work as well as the version I've become accustomed to. It's all part of the planned obscelesence of things. I mean, what if you bought a computer and the software you needed, and it last twenty years? Think of the economy. You want to take food out of hungry children's mouths?

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: GUEST,Singer's Knight
Date: 29 Aug 08 - 03:46 PM

A nice cup of coffee after a busy day helping our daughter....Mmmm lovely!

I don't often get to post. I'm more of a lurker! But I thought, "Isn't it always the way that the dreaded upgrade makes thinks worse rather than better?"

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 11:22 PM

All right Jimmy... only two more posts until the odometer rolls over at 1,900. I'll be sitting the back seat, watching...

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 09:27 PM

Hey, Jeanie:

How great to see you. I think it's the tile what does it. Glad to hear that women make music in the Ladies Room, too. If you ever make it over here, our "Great Room" has a tile floor and windows on three sides. Not toilet seat, unfortunately, but it's more comfortable sitting on the cough. It's a great place to sing, and it's where I recorded the Gospel Messengers CD. There's something a little off-putting about doing a CD titled The Gospel Messengers Sing in the Toilet.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jeanie
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 05:20 PM

Halloo ! Sorry to hear about your computer, Wendy - hope you will soon be able to get it sorted out. My webmail system was down all day yesterday. They did, at least, put a little notice up on the screen saying that the system was being upgraded....but now that the so-called upgrade has happened, complete with "smileys" and all sorts of other stuff, it is working so slowly that I've started using an alternative address.

That was a lovely song from you Nick and your wife and friend. I'd never come across "esnips" before - that looks like a nice little site - Is it easy to load things onto it ? I'm going to look into these Zoom recorders, too....Ohh, the things you can learn from sitting at the kitchen table !

Talking of places to record that have good acoustics, Jerry & Co., when my father died some years ago, my daughter and I tried various places to record her playing the flute and my reading something to be played at his funeral. (We didn't know whether we could trust our emotions to be OK doing it on the day). The very best place of all (which we used) was sitting on the toilet seat in the bathroom, which, my father having the humour that he did, we felt totally happy doing without any fear of it being "irreverent" !

- jeanie

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 02:19 PM

Put your feet up on the table, Wendy. You're among friends.

Computers are great when they work. When they get ornery, they are the spawn of the Devil. I have no idea how they really work. Have you tried burning candles in front of your screen? It didn't work for me, either.

Rats, somebody took the last piece of key lime pie!

Jerry

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: billybob
Date: 28 Aug 08 - 11:34 AM

I need a coffee so badly.I hate my computer, I have a trojen( whatever that is) so my son tells me.Yesterday he tried to talk me through removing it, he was in Lowestoft 70 miles away so for 7( honest..7!) hours we were on the telephone with me on the computer being instructed. We thought we had solved it but this morning I arrived in the salon and hay ho, disaster once more.Unfortunatly the clients records, appointments, staff details, wages, on line banking ,in fact the life of the salon is all inside this box of tricks.By 7.30 last night I was on the gin and tonic!Driven to drink!
One of my clients has offered to come in tomorrow and sort it out, I am going to barter her time in exchange for an aromatherapy.... mind you I could do with the aromatherapy myself!
So if you do not mind I will slip into this armchair and enjoy some conversation, wake me up if I nod off.
Wendy
Help yourselves to Key lime Pie, made it myself.

Subject: RE: Sitting At The Kitchen Table
From: Nick
Date: 27 Aug 08 - 03:07 PM

Sweet - I'll be back and share a story about the men's room in the pub we used to sing in

Off for an evenings music - keep the seats warm

:)