Boys clubs. I've been in them all my life, but never as an accepted member. And I always felt in the pit of my stomach, that there was something wrong with that, though I could never articulate exactly what. I remember as a little girl, sitting in a pew of our Baptist church, seething....I mean  seething  whenever the pastor preached his annual Ephesians 5:22 sermon (he always started in verse 22, not 21), "Wives submit." And he always made the same jokes, "Uh oh. I'm gonna get in trouble with this one, but ladies, this is what Scripture says." And so I could never argue. I've since learned that what the Bible  says  and what the Bible  reads  can be 2 different things,  "It is the struggle to understand context and language and culture  and custom that helps us to understand the meaning or what [the Bible] is saying." -Rev Dr Laurence C Keene. I wondered, why on earth can women teach Sunday School to the kindergartners, but not ov...

I was born and raised in Lincoln, NE...as were both my parents...as were my grandparents. For the record, I love my hometown, but there are times when a Lincolnite wonders, "Will I ever get out of here?" My dad is one of those Lincolnites. My dad kind of reminds me of George Bailey in the movie  It's a Wonderful Life , whose ambition is too big for his city, but whose circumstances won't let him leave. A while ago, I read a post at  Gary's Third Pottery Blog  about some novelty mugs he created for a city in New York called Groton with the words "Rotten Groton" on them. I thought it was hilarious because my dad for as long as I can remember has referred to Lincoln as "Stinkin Lincoln." Gary was kind enough to create a special mug just for my dad. And to top it all off....Gary is originally from Lincoln, NE! It was a mug meant to be!  My dad called me today to say he was enjoying a cup of coffee out of his new mug. He's been working non sto...

I've been posting a lot of videos lately because things have been so hectic with the recent  storm . I thought I'd post another song from the  other night  at Gizzi's Cafe. It's a cover that seems to go with the theme of the week.... water . Originally recorded by Ray Charles, this is one of my favorites, "Drown in My Own Tears." (What a great lyric, eh? Makes me wish I would have thought of it first!) Speaking of drowning, that's just what I felt like, singing and playing my guts out that night for about 5 people in the audience! Ray Charles is a big musical influence of mine, in fact, I named my keyboard after him! ( Me and Ray ) I'll get back in the swing of writing soon. In the meantime, enjoy the video!

Much of New York and New Jersey is  under water . Yet somehow we managed to drive an hour south to shore to experience water that's enjoyable and still in its' rightful place. We were not allowed to swim, only wade knee deep. The only ones allowed in the water were lifeguards and surfers. These twin girls with matching fedoras were mesmerized by each wave that crashed in front of them. Nothing much changed for the seagulls. They still covered the beach like they own it. And scavenged for left behind food. This one found an entire unopened package of peanut butter crackers. The strong waves must have been ideal for surfing. It was nice to enjoy this water for an afternoon, rather driving a car through it, hoping you'll make it. Or passing a neighborhood of houses under water. Thinking of all those affected by the flooding today, and hoping the recovery is swift.

One day after Hurricane Irene hit our area, I had a scheduled performance at Gizzi's Cafe in NYC. I knew it would be a small crowd braving the aftermath of the storm, but I vowed to play if I could get there.  The crowd was intimate, but good, especially since I had my friend Autumn in the audience. This is a video from the evening, "A Builder," which is a song written about my dad. Enjoy!

We met in 3rd and 4th grade. Autumn was the new kid in school and we became fast friends, lasting throughout elementary, junior high, and high school. She was present at both of my sister's weddings...first my little sister when she (at the age of 3), married my stuffed bear, Taylor. And second, at my older sister's wedding as a lovely (adult) bridesmaid. Autumn is the kind of friend who, despite losing touch for a while, can pick up right where we left off, laughing, joking, and talking. In the last 5 years, we've lived in different parts of the country and  been to  different countries when suddenly, we found a chance to reconnect. Her visit landed smack in the middle of an earthquake and a hurricane. But leave it to Autumn's perpetual optimism to enjoy every minute of the ill-timed catastrophes. "I'm just so happy to be here, to see you and your life after all these years." She said. "I can't help smiling like a school girl." Yes, from he...

Last night I watched 2 heavy set ladies dancing in their yard. They provided their own soundtrack as the rain soaked them, singing, "Come On Irene" to the tune of Dexys Midnight Runner's, "Come on Eileen." They swayed and laughed, their very own rain dance. In the middle of the night, Irene did come. We were fortunate to have little damage and injuries. Just water, wind, and some downed branches. Goodbye Irene. Don't come again.