An Era Passes

On returning home tonight we discovered this wonderful memorial to Michael Jackson in our neighborhood's special place. It may appear to be a traffic circle, but it is where we acknowledge the holidays, come together to ring in the new year, and now mourn an artist who we watched grow up, for some of us, right along with us - he was only ten years older than I am. When my son and I walked down to take pictures we saw that people had written their favorite song titles around the base of the circle. The circle above is a record album and there are candles below. It was a very creative, interactive memorial. Good job traffic circle fairies.

Uwharrie Camping

We made a spontaneous, but long-desired (at least on my part) trip to the Uwharrie National Forest this week. We camped on the shore of Badin Lake, visited Town Creek Indian Mound and the more personal site of my great-grandmother's home, sadly no longer standing there. This was a return to camping after a lengthy hiatus, and possibly the first of several trips to get us in shape for traveling out west. This was also Buddy's first camping trip and we enjoyed seeing him have the experience. We discovered that Badin Lake is oriented towards fishing and boating, with no area designated for swimming. We did swim, but Marley almost got impaled by a fish hook. The Uwharrie is also horse country. Unfortunately, this leads to horse poop. Which Buddy took upon himself to roll in - naturally. A small glitch.This is Town Creek Indian Mound. It was made by the Pee Dee Indians who were living in this region from A.D. 1000-1400. They are culturally distinct from other native peoples in North Carolina, in that they follow the Mississippian tradition, rather than the Piedmont Village tradition.Buddy wore himself out, and so did we. Camping is a lot of work! I say this as the living room full of equipment awaits attention. But we had a nice time, with only minor mishaps, and it was relaxing to camp somewhere where the only wildlife to worry about was squirrels - though they did chew two holes in our cooler! All in all, it was a good trip.

Buddy Love

I'm a dog person. Specifically, I'm a big dog person. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a happy dog. So, when my son Marley showed me Ihasahotdog.com, I was hooked! So far, my efforts to make Buddy famous have not succeeded. But I'm having fun. Here is my latest. My favorite way to show that I'm a dog lover has to be my DOG IS LOVE bumpersticker. They can be ordered from loveyourbuddy.com where they have others as well, like DOG ONLY NOSE. The money raised with the bumperstickers all goes to animal welfare.

Censored!

Yikes! I've been censored. I post comments on Huffington Post all the time but today I had a comment not go through, and I can only assume they didn't like what I said. I was responding to a piece by Norman Lear where he said he was heartbroken about the American auto industry. My comment was yes, it is very disappointing, but much more heartbreaking is this, the hunger-relief organization Feeding America just released a report that says 12 million American children under age 18 are not getting adequate nutrition. To me this is important news that I haven't seen anywhere but Facing South. Maybe Huffington Post doesn't like alt news site links?
Well I do. Here it is.
http://www.southernstudies.org/2009/05/children-going-hungry-in-the-south.html

Stephen Marley with Surprise Guest Julian Marley

We were treated to a really lovely show last night at the Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh. For most of the show Stephen sat at the front edge of the stage. He seemed to really enjoy the intimate setting. We were favored with selections from Mind Control as well as favorites such as No Woman, No Cry from his father's repertoire. Most special to us personally, he performed Three Little Birds, which was the first song (our) Marley ever heard. His dad sang it to him in the hospital the day after he was born. So to hear it live on Marley's 12th birthday was very special - thanks Stephen!
Near the end of the show surprise guest Julian came out for a couple of songs! He has a new album called Awake that just came out. I'm listening to it now, it's good! In an extra long encore Stephen pulled out an old one that is one of my favorites, High Tides, which was a treat, and then finished the night with Redemption Song. It is really good to see Stephen carrying on his dad's message, and also finding his own voice as an artist. I like the way all of Bob's sons are close, making music together, helping each other along. That is a nice tribute to him too.
We were speculating that they enjoy their current level of fame, being able to play in these small venues, not having to deal with the inevitable hassles that happen when things get bigger. I think the world needs them though. They have a good message, they are uplifting.

Smells!

I went out in my backyard this afternoon and smelled lavender, mint and sage. Now this is exciting because usually I can't smell at all. Nothing. Not gasoline. And my sense of smell has been coming back. But first it was bad smells. Like the stinky dog. But then I started smelling my coffee in the morning, and now - all these other things! Smells I remember! It so amazing to have a smell come back where it was gone, because you get used to it being gone, to living without -it's sterile in a way, because there is just nothing. Interestingly, there is also none of the irritation or discomfort that comes from breathing fumes of gas or smoke. But now, I am getting lots of smells back, and though it is a little overwhelming at times, it is mostly good. It's because I'm taking prednisone. I just hope I can keep smelling after I quit. Incentive to be faithful to my Kenalog irrigation. The lavender bush is about to burst into bloom.

Happy Upcoming Boogie