"Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night. "
-Rainer Maria Rilke

Okay. I can't stand it. I'm here to tell you about my friend Michael Peters and the songs he has just posted on his myspace. He is releasing his album soon, but these are little peeks. They are so achingly beautiful I can't stand it, and the chick singing in the background aint' so bad either (er, in case I'm not being clear enough, it's me.)

I can't decide which is my favorite, DARK STAR, or LAST WORD

Check it out here

When I was a kid, my brother would always say "Kiiiiiiimmmmm.... You're soooooo gullible." Well apparantly, he was right.

I was so pumped about a free photo contest I found on-line a few weeks ago. I have been trying to find a way to buy myself a new Canon Digital Rebel camera for the longest time, and the cash prizes on this contest looked significant. I entered a picture of wild daisies I took a few summers ago when my daughter and I were strolling through the park.

Yesterday, I got an email that said I had won! Imagine the joy. It went on to say that I could attend the big event in Arizona where my photo would be prominently displayed for professionals to view. (This is where it began to sound a little sketchy....) Then it said that I had won an enormous trophy (valued at $300!) and some sort of membership fee and other such useless things. THEN it said that they would be happy to send it all to me if I would cover the basic cost of processing of $169!

Are there actually people in the world who send them the money? That's what I want to know.

***
Life these days has been busy with good things. I was scheduled to perform at a venue out in the boonies last week and got hopelessly lost. I stopped to ask a farmer for directions and he drew me the saddest looking map I have ever seen. His directions were right up there with, "Turn left where the old water shed used to be... Then right at the old Jones' farm"....

I finally made it in one piece. I have been writing songs about the II World War, imaginary letters between a couple separated over a long period of time. I sang one of these songs, and the next day and wonderful lady named Myrtle called to get my address. She said she had a book full of diary entries written by a woman during the war. It is full of wonderfully ordinary details like:

"A warm and pleasant day- that is if one had nothing to do. This morning Jack had an incinerator fire and burnt up all the rubbish, and I turned over the orchard bed ready to plant out wallflowers this evening. We had tea in the corner and were much worried with one or two wasps till Jack went in and came back again armed doughtily with the fly swat looming like a knight of old."

After that show was a trip out to Cochrane, to play at the best folk club in all of Canada, the Cochrane Valley Folk Club, opening for a few older, but apparantly sort of famous folk singers. One was the lead singer from the old band Chilliwack, which I remember hearing on the radio of my dad's blue Chevy. After the show, I hung out in Calgary for a few days, sipped Chai Lattes at the Oolong Tea House and took the train while the sun was setting all across the prairie sky.

Things are finally blooming here. The Magnolia trees are starting to open and there are little frail daffodills in the front flower beds. They look cold and uncertain, but they are opening anyway.