Dry Spell

A long hoped-for storm finally broke the prolonged, frightening dry spell this week. Rainfall totals were six inches below normal for the year. Here’s hoping that a wet spring makes up some of that deficit, but chances are that we’ll enter the summer facing drought.

Dry spell. Deficit. Drought. I detect a trend, and it's not just alliteration.

I've been suffering through a creative dry spell myself. The holidays can do that; I spend so much time taking care of my family, friends and house, going to party, shopping and wrapping. There isn't much left over for creative pursuits. But, I feel a change in the weather coming on.

Hamfist finished recording the raw tracks for our self-produced CD. A lovely young sound engineer from OSF recorded us at Jimmy’s studio and another sound engineer will mix it down. We hope to have it ready for release sometime this spring. I have mixed feelings about the recording as it currently stands. I don't think it's my best work, but it is what it is. Here's hoping that the engineer can mix out some of my many errors.

Bathtub Gin Serenaders barely made it through the winter. Our fearless leader Wayne took a job in Southern California, which left us leaderless and a'feard. It was a near thing whether the rest of us could pull everything together to keep the band going. Then, a new drummer entered the picture and breathed new life into the band. He's amazing, another one of these crazy, classically trained, real musicians. He used the term “subito” last Sunday; I had to look it up. It’s Italian for “suddenly.”It’s used alongside other musical terms to indicate that their effects should be immediate. For instance, when you “accellerando subito,” you suddenly speed up the tempo (which we happen to do in a couple of songs.) Playing with these cats is a joy and a real education.

Maybe the dry spell is breaking. It better; I have two gigs this weekend.

Almost time for me to drive home. The subito storm left a foot of Siskiyou Cement on our road. I had to park at the top of the hill last night, but luck was with me. Sequoia was home and he drove to the top of the driveway, dug out a parking space for my car and then drove me to the door. Yup, he's a keeper. That boy never has a dry spell.

Me and my man

Making our stand

Up on Cottonwood Creek.

So many years

Down the road

With my personal lucky streak.

Long haired dog in the back of the truck

Raisin' the babies on nothing but luck.

Me and my man.