White Nights

[H2O Man]

Last night, I went for a long walk with one of my dogs, Kelly. It was pleasant: there was almost complete silence as we ventured through the woods, and across a large field. At one point, we could hear some people riding snowmobiles in the distance. (I don't mind if people walk on my property, but have asked the local club not to ride their snowmobiles on my property. Most of them respect that.)

Kelly is a great friend. He's mostly boxer, but looks very different from his parents and siblings. His body looks like a Lab; his head is square; and he is white, with light blue spots. His tail wags faster than the speed of light.

Kelly is medium-sized (extra-medium, perhaps), and so the snow in the field came up over his shoulders. When he ran into the many snow drifts, his head would disappear from sight, then pop out on the other side.

We came across several spots where deer have nested under the apple trees in our old orchard. I think it's been a harsh winter for the deer: most mornings, I see where they have come close to my house, to eat any left-over cat or dog food. They also have been trimming my rose bushes for me.

The blowing snow has covered most of the other animal tracks that we usually see in the field this time of year. Kelly still dug his head into the snow a hundred times, probably sniffing where a mouse had been hours earlier.

My pond, fire pit, and sweat lodge were all covered by deep snow. If I didn't know they were there, I wouldn't have even noticed anything different from the rest of the field/edge of the woods. Kelly did, though -- he plunged down where one of the springs runs into the pond.

Every so often, Kelly would stop whatever he was doing, and come over in front of me, and put his front paws on my legs. I'd kneel down, and pet him, until he was ready for us to be on our way.

Like everyone around these parts, I've had my fill of winter. Can't wait for spring. But, since that is still a way's off, I try to enjoy what is real, now.

Peace,
H2O Man

[The Straight Story]

1. Nights:

[H2O Man]

5. Great song!

I'd start listening to it right now, but ..... there's little chance of my ever reaching the end ...... at least not right now: I'm got to bring my youngest daughter to her basketball game. Her team made it to the finals in their league. States start tonight!

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. You stole my post. nt

[1000words]

2. No offense to Kelly ...

but a three dog white night is better.

[H2O Man]

6. If I take more

than one or two of my dogs out walking, I end up wandering hairy as a dog, looking for a good bite's sleep.

[BeyondGeography]

3. Winter, love it

[H2O Man]

12. One thing about winter

that concerns me is that every year, my driveway gets longer. Then, it shrinks in the summer.

Twenty years ago, I loved shoveling the snow .......

[BeyondGeography]

13. I farm that one out

40 bucks a plow. The guy chews up my gravel driveway sometimes but I will never complain. He has so many ways to get even.

Steep bill this year; hoping we're done with the storms, but, somehow, I doubt it.

[tkmorris]

4. Oh geez, thanks H2O Man

I really needed a breath of sanity. The juvenile bickering has really been bringing me down.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. I agree with everything except the "juvenile" part.

To me, it seems like GD is full of people muttering angry garble as they throw their creamed corn and dentures at the rec room walls.

Jesus, remember Miley Cyrus? It was like a mass explosion of get-off-my-lawnitude.

I'm old, too old in fact, to hang around people who seem so damn old.

[H2O Man]

14. The mere fact that

some character known as H2O Maniac brought even a glimpse of sanity to DU:GD speaks loudly!

[Warren DeMontague]

7. You knew this was comin'.

[H2O Man]

15. Hear My Train A'Coming

Jimi on acoustic is one of my favorites.

There are times when I can hear a train going through two valleys away. Sound carries for eight-plus miles.

[Beringia]

10. White African

Since people are recommending songs. My Soul is in Louisiana by Otis Taylor. I learned about him when I was learning to play banjo. (He plays a lot of banjo on his songs). He is a Chicago musician, not very well known. The track has great train sounds too. From his album White African.

[H2O Man]

16. My nephew plays banjo.

I'll send this along to him.

One of my best friends recently bought a banjo. He makes guitars.

[Beringia]

18. The banjo is from Africa

which I didn't know till I bought one myself. They can be very expensive. I had a old, old very cheap one. Otis Taylor said in an interview he didn't know it was from Africa either. His music is trance-like.

[H2O Man]

19. I had no idea

that it was from Africa. Thanks for that information; now I can feign being smart when talking to my nephew! (grin)

I know that although my buddy got a good deal, he still paid a good deal for his. (Like myself, he's old and retired. I've connected him with a group of young rockers -- 20s and 30s -- who find the guitars he makes are top shelf. He also repairs the ones they beat up playing in bars, etc.)

All my life, I've wished that I had even meager musical talent. But, alas, I do not. I enjoy listening to a wide range of music, and appreciate your introducing me to Otis Taylor!

[Beringia]

20. I took lessons of banjo

at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, a long-time institution, and all the teachers mention it being from Africa. I guess some old-time black musicians played it, but then it became associated with Appalachia.

This may be too much information, but anyway.

“Understand one thing about the banjo: Until the ’60s, the banjo was still linked with ignorant white country people—Appalachian hillbillies,” Taylor says emphatically. “There was still a heavy bad stereotype for the banjo. It was like, The Beverly Hillbillies.” (At this point, Taylor starts mimicking the plunking banjo of the show’s theme song.)

Taylor’s revelation about the black roots of the instrument inspired a passion project that took years to come to fruition. Using his growing influence as a musician, Taylor brought together blues luminaries such as Guy Davis, Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Keb’ Mo’ for the 2008 album, Recapturing the Banjo.

“I was just wanted to show that black people don’t play the banjo like white people,“ explains Taylor. “We really have a distinct style. I wanted it to be modern and old.”

http://www.popmatters.com/feature/108569-recapturing-the-black-banjo-an-interview-with-otis-taylor/

[H2O Man]

21. It's the instrument

that John Lennon learned on. If I remember correctly, both his parents played the banjo a bit.

That raises a question -- at least for those with as limited of insight as me -- if that influenced the way he played guitar? I've always thought that his guitar work was under-rated. Of course, George had superior skills there. But John could play some pretty intense music.

[Beringia]

23. I guess

you would need a good ear, to tell if his playing has banjo roots, differentiate the sound.

[Tanuki]

26. You would probably like the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops,

who are champions of the African American string band tradition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Chocolate_Drops

They may be coming to a city near you:
http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/tour

[Beringia]

27. thanks

I will check them out.

[panader0]

11. Thank you

Reading some of the posts in GD lately has almost made me give up on this place.
Now to get to work on my own sweat lodge.

[H2O Man]

17. You are always

welcome here. We have a small group that sweats every so often. Too much snow now, for me to find good stones (the winter supply is gone).

When I pick up my older daughter from college, up in Mohawk territory, there's a spot where I get quartz cobbles. They really hold the heat well. So, if you can be here in mid-March, we'll be ready.

I've got some dead trees ready for my cousin to cut up .....oak, locus, and butternut. Lots of pine, too.

[Octafish]

22. Thanks for sharing...

...you have a unique way of making the real extraordinary. BTW: Do you cross-country ski, H2O Man?



It's fun, safe, good exercise and it makes the winters seem too short.

[H2O Man]

25. Thanks!

My father gave me four sets of skis that his father gave him. They are, of course, really old. But they remain in perfect shape.

I do need to get a good pair of snowshoes!

[snooper2]

24. Really? You have a sweat lodge?

you have a guest house as well I can send my MIL to live in?