The GINORMOUS watermelon...

This is my first ever home grown watermelon. It's so amazing to watch it grow, literally centimeters  every day.

This photo is rather deceptive in that my watermelon is only about an inch and a half long (I know I am confusing those of you who believe in learning one form of measurement or the other...trying to keep it fresh people).

I know I rattle on about my garden all the time and people around me are likely getting sick of it.....in the same way people get sick of hearing about new children, or new puppies...I suspect. But in the same spirit shared by new parents and new puppy owners....I DON'T CARE!!!!

I love it. I love watching it grow. It teaches me about patience and real honest reward for real honest work. I sometimes feel like I work in a 'world' that has a skewed idea of reward....so this is a real balancing work for me. It brings me back to earth, gets my hands dirty and I feel true joy every time I get to pick something that I have watched grow for weeks and

EAT it.

...unlike a new parent...or a new puppy owner.

It's creativity in a whole new form and I feel like this year has been all about that for me. Not limiting my creative energy to just one area. It's been strange, at times scarey, ego challenging and definately has given me pause for thought many times. At the end of the day, I feel like my world is more balanced than ever in the creative...and in all ways actually. I feel calm, I feel inspired, I feel loved, I feel safe, I feel like my input is mostly equal to my output, I feel in awe and I feel energized by this world I get to dream up and live in.

And perhaps soon, I will get to have a watermelon party.

xxM

November 6th

It's official.

November 6th is the date for our live recording in Indianapolis. One night with the indy indie crew...a redux of shows gone by. A room full of amazing souls ready to laugh, sing and become part if my first solo live cd.

Put the date on your calendar now!! Will let you know about tickets soon.

Yay for us....now to dream and rehearse the show into being.

Xxm

Sunflower Envy...

Sunflowers are my most favorite flower in the world. I have them tattooed up my arm, that's how much I love them.

These aren't my sunflowers, they belong to my friend Beth. I have sunflower envy. I planted seeds everywhere around my garden and even though EVERYTHING else is growing out of control...my sunflowers are non existant.

Perhaps next year.

Until then I get to Ohhh and Ahhh at Beth's sunflowers and their 'volunteer' mates and occasionally steal some for home.

Xxm

I Believe She's Amazing.....

I watched this with tears falling down my face. The power of music and dance and beauty and good intention all together in one space. So powerful.

Read more about it and join the movement here: http://www.ibelieveshesamazing.com/

Thanks to my friend Andrea for passing it along...

xxM

The story of the whowho.

My good mate Kathleen, or KC as I have often referred to her on here, is doing a ride across Illinois this week. She is riding at least 513 miles and tell the story of why at her blog www.spokein.com if you have a minute to drop her a note of encouragement, please do, I am certain it will help a lot.

I text her two days ago to ask her if her bum was sore yet because, well you know, these are the hard hitting questions I ask. She text me back to let me know her bum was doing fine but her whowho wasn't doing so well. We got into this whole conversation about chaffing and such and as we were texting about it (kc riding on her bike the whole time), she looked up and took this photo. It was the town she was going through at the time and no doubt the universe was having a huge old laugh at kc's whowhos expense.

Needless to say, I found it pretty damn funny too.

Go check out her adventure and say hello....she has 84 miles to ride today in honor of her nephew who is a cancer survivor and I know you will do her heart, and her whowho, good to hear from you.

Xx

oh my...

It's been almost a week since my last blog post....so "unlike" me. It's good. But, it's weird. Once upon a time I use to post sometimes a few times a day. It's not like I don't have anything to say these days, because believe me, I do.....I am constantly thinking up weird shit in a *pondering* kinda way or in a *wonder if anyone else feels that* kinda way and oftentimes I think about posting it out to the world.

But then, I just get distracted.

It seems life is crazy full of amazing distractions these days and most times I am merrily humming along to myself (in a Winnie The Pooh kinda way) and then just change course for a minute and wonder what I was going to do in the first place. It's extremely nice to be distracted in such a happy and mind blowingly fulfilling kinda way.

Right now....my life is filled with this.

Ripping the crap out of our second bathroom to make it how we see it....

This is it after we ripped out the tiles, the surround, the bath, the vanity and the wainscoting. (I will show a final picture once we are done). If you look back you will see our kitchen finale picture...that was pretty impressive, if I must say so myself.

Then of course, there is this.....

Playing tennis. Keeps me very distracted.

We have started the Midwest Tennis, Sushi and Sake event that happens once a week....sometimes more. Our mate Jamie plays with an ever revolving bevy of partners that either can't keep up with us or seem to just not come back. I think because Jamie keeps losing (ha ha, had to get that in there) she secretly disposes of them.

This is Jamie with Megan, a very very...most incredibly...famous sand retardist. She is really quite an amazing sand retardist I have heard....and come to think of it, I haven't seen her since this day.

Hmmm....

Ohhhhhh...and sometimes, there are things like this that distract me..:

Isn't she/he amazing? We ran into the beauty at the Irvington Farmer's market on the weekend, which is our local farmers market. They had all these awesome animals to show....even a skunk, which I was rather distracted by in a 'where does it's smell go' kinda way.

And a ferret...which I have never understood in my whole life. Why would you have a ferret for a pet?

So......many things take my mind away into many directions and I LOVE it. Life is crazy happy and full of music and art and creativity and hanging with friends and building community and working hard and aching bodies and days where it's nice to just sit and BE.

I feel so blessed by this life that I get to live. That I get to choose everyday. It's the life of my dream and I know that there will be days when I am sore from playing music and jumping around a stage, which I adore, and then there will be days when I am sore from playing tennis or renovating the darn bathroom.....and then there will be days where I just get to breath and pick up my guitar and play a sweet tune for no one else but myself.

I am in love with this life. Whoever I need to send a thank you note to, please let me know...I will make a really pretty one.

xxM

To drum...or not to drum

I am sitting in the middle of a rehearsal for the indy drumming group Ashre. They have so kindly let us, and particularly me and my non drumming ability, into their rehearsal night to learn and laugh and to continue being a part of the amazing community of them.

We have not so secretly dubbed ourselves the 'cult of divine bliss'.

I have never been very good at drumming. Usually, when the drumming kicks in at festivals etc, I excuse myself. Mostly out of fear of embarrassing myself. But there's no embarrassing here. It's an accepting group of fine musicians who patiently teach me, or let me just be. It's nice to have that kind of musical community. There's nothing attached to this other than the joy of smacking a drum and making a loud amazing noise together.

It's very liberating.

And humbling....

And occasionally 'alternatively rhythmic'....or perhaps that's just me.

Xxm

...home

 So, I know this is a blurry photo and I am a little annoyed at myself that it's the only one I actually took but it just goes to show I was 'into' my night more than I was into documenting it.

We celebrated our home over the weekend with a group of fine people who came to warm it and bring love, light and music into it. We sang, we drummed, we drank, we ate, we (well, Rachel) did lap dances. We caught up with old friends and bathed in the joy of our new friends and took a moment to stop and be proud of what we have created here. The beauty that we have surrounded ourselves with, both in our home and the amazing souls we are fortunate enough to call friends, is a blessing I can't put words to.

I feel truly honored that we have found our tribe here in Indianapolis. That we have found it and they have found us and as I sat with my old friends and my new friends, I felt blessed and lucky and honored....and home.

Tis a good feeling.

Thank you beautius ones....

xxM