Lunar Eclipse

Well, another six days, and another February will have fallen behind us. It's been such a hectic, hectic months, that I'm actually at a point where I can reach out and touch my limits...and feel them every moment. The biggest problem is, I just don't know what ball to drop with this juggling act, and it feels like there are just too many in the air. I know there have been a few occasions over the past couple of weeks where it has gotten the best of me, and trying to relax results in a total shut-down...I've gotta figure out how to get better at this.

Good news is, that we now have my Mom's hip replacement behind us, and brother Mike is now here from Maple Ridge for a couple of weeks to share some of the load...so the ability to distribute will be helpful. Dad's still in the manor for a day or two, begrudgingly, so hopefully, he can hang in until we get the next stages of the care giving sorted through.

Living the life of the meat in the sandwich....what can I say.

Last Saturday we were honored to host James Gordon, for our 4th in this years series of Home Routes House Concerts. He put on a great show for all of us, and was a pleasure to have as a guest. Only two more shows for this year, Kat Goldman on March 17th and Yael Wand on April 22. It's really been a lot of fun to have participated in this, and we'll have to see if what next year holds.

Wednesday night I got home from work just about the time the Lunar Eclipse was starting, and we were lucky to be able to witness the entire event, right from our chairs in the living room. I was trying to take a few pictures (some turned out, some didn't), but I thought this one was kind interesting the way the triple pane window reflected the image....just thought I'd share. Apparently we don't get to experience this again until 2010. Boy, what a year full of events that's going to be!

I picked up my brother, Micheal Dickson, from the airport yesterday, and was glad to see him get off the plane with his guitar in tow. Hopefully there'll be a little room to breathe and jam over the next two weeks. I'll just have to find a way to make some, somehow!

We're holding down the fort today watching the semi finals of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts curling (Mom's been staying with us since her surgery, and if there's a TV to be found, she'll find the curling on it!). The menfolk are all off to the Lavenham Poker Derby. What a great day for it to...its just barely freezing, and a beautiful sunny day. The guys have had a lot of fun preparing for it, so I hope they have just as much fun participating in it. It's good to see Cecil allowing himself to relax and go play, with all that the last several months have entailed, there just hasn't been enough of that. Boys and their toys....and man, there are some pretty nice toys out there!

Free Download:

http://www.musicwriter.ca/tunes/02.htm

February's free download has been the song 'Learn' , and as I sit here, finally having taken the time to do something that I keep telling myself to make time to do, I realize how much learning I have to do right now. The words tell me to take time and appreciate, and in the whirlwind that has been our life this past month, that knowledge has slipped terribly from my grasp. I need to regroup, regather, and remind myself of all that is good, and precious, and irreplaceable in my life right here, right now. It's too easy to get trapped on the treadmill that will just go faster as you do.....I've got to put on the brakes and step off for a while. Now the trick is to try and figure out how to do that......

Take care all,

Lynda

www.musicwriter.ca

SuperBowl Sunday

I'll be the first to admit to anyone that cares....I am not a football fan. Never have been, likely never will be, and for the most part the closest I ever did come to actually being interested in football was using it as an excuse to get the keys to the 1964 Valiant to go and cheer on the MacGregor Mustangs football team in the late '70s.
But on this day each year, it doesn't really matter if you're a football fan or not. When the SuperBowl is on...ya just gotta watch! Shane and I even had to place a call to my Dad this afternoon to see who good Lavenhamians might be cheering for...so apparently we like the Patriots, unless it looks like they're losing...then we'll likely back New York!
Today was cool though, as we tuned in just before half-time to watch Tom Petty's show. He's still got it, and even though he's certainly a little older...so are the rest of us! The show took us back! For me the clincher was when he sang "Won't back down."...
with that I was back at the Portage Legion, playing with Keith Haddad and Dwayne Watson, in our little 3 piece band, having the time of my life....funny how 17 years can feel like forever ago!
Right now, our days are really busy trying to meet the needs of both slices of bread, as we live the life of the Sandwich Generation to it's full extent. We've been keeping it all together pretty good in the 18months since my Dad had the stroke that knocked him down so badly, but right now, we're having to throw a hip replacement for my Mom into the mix....a lot of planning on any given day, let me tell you. I'm sure it'll all work out, but by the time you arrange care for Mom, care for Dad, and care for Shane....there's very little energy left for the self-care that is so necessary to keep going. Surgery doesn't happen until Feb. 11th, but I'm already tired just planning for it. Keep us all in your thoughts!
We've just survived another really, really cold snap. Three out of five days this past week there was no school because of the cold, so that means a lot of rearranging on my part... but that's okay. I'd rather be rearranged at home where it's warm, than to be out facing those elements when the windchill is at -52C. Although the weather has broken, and the last couple of days really have been pretty good....it still makes you question why it is you stay here! We actually finally got our passports and had full intentions of running away to somewhere warm, but time wasn't on our side right now. It's very, very frustrating to me, who is always preaching that we must live while we're alive!!! If only life would respect my own philosophies!
Over the past couple of months, I've felt myself starting to drown in obligations and commitments. I realized last night that the only time I've picked up the guitar in the last 6 weeks was to play at Shirley Mark's funeral. That's not right!
Therefore, I've decided to give myself a reminder of what really matters, and what needs to be at the forefront, and for this month's download I've selected
"Learn" www.musicwriter.ca/tunes/02.htm
I wrote 'LEARN' just days before going into the studio in 2005. It came to me when a friend of mine, Barb Pavlek, came to my house for a visit. Barb was barely 35, and was midway through her second battle with cancer, and knew that this time she was not going to be the victor. We were having a coffee out on my deck, by the pool, and talking about someone who was grumbling and complaining about something that seemed to be of such little consequence, when Barb shook her head and said "why can't people just learn how to laugh?". I looked at Barb with her head in her scarf wrap, and her tiny, frail body and thought to myself....my God, you could teach all of us such lessons. We lost Barb about a year and a half ago....but as I sit here trying to balance and centre myself in the chaos that surrounds me, I'm grateful for her lesson, as it all come's back to me now!
So please download "Learn" www.musicwriter.ca/tunes/02.htm if you get the chance, and take a minute to listen to the message.... It's one we could all "learn" from in these days of hustle and bustle....
Take care all,
Lynda
http://www.musicwriter.ca/