if you tell me that you love me, i'd feel so proud, if you let me hold you, honey, i'd holler out loud

 johnny horton wrote a few vilely racist songs but also some great ones like the one listed above. i don't know how someone can be of such extremes, but people usually are a mixed bag. some bags, like say jimmy carter's, are filled mostly with goodness. other bags (why mention them here & ruin everything?) contain hardly anything worthy at all. anyways, we started our show last night with that song, just the two of us, james singing so wonderfully. but starting off the show was our friend comedian rio hillman, a tall drink of water with friendly, boyish face belying greying beard. he did a startling number of poop jokes! it was good-natured fun. the whole family came to see the show at sue's, just a mile or two from home...

 james just called from the basement :D ... 

anyways, we had a fun show tho we were shaking the dust off. fun for me was that mom & dad requested some of my old band songs so i sang a bunch of stuff like "green door" & "riot in cell block #9," which i haven't done for years. i had practiced some little richard, but we will do that next time. yeah, we were a bit rough but there were great moments, & my hubby is the best always.

"i didn't know you sang like THAT!" i heard. i told dad this morn that both his daughters have secret weapons. my little sister (pictured in middle with her friend, the very cool cat whitlock) looks like a nerdy little librarian, but she is a kick-ass black belt who can take a grown man to his knees in a chokehold (and recently has). i have a soft voice & have been thought to be maybe musically wimpy due to how i speak & comport myself, but tho i no longer have my pinup looks, i continue to be told i play ferociously & sing like "a snarling cat." i don't intend it that way; it is what comes out when i play; it feels natural & it is what i do. when i get to play what i must, instead of trying to play what others want (as happened in the past at times in other bands), all self-consciousness goes out the window & i feel like ME.

after the show, as we caravanned with rio for late-night fast food, i told james we should name our band the stompers. he said that might be a good one for us... 

after getting burgers, rio came & stayed at our place. "good night," i called, listening to james yacking away about dolemite & moms mabley & george carlin & rio laughing his head off... when i got up this morn, rio'd already split, but i guess they were up into the early hours having a time.

anyways, i am heading to agua dulce in a bit to view another travel trailer, one with a bathroom. i hope it works out, but if not, that is a beautiful area & i look foward to the drive!

on another satisfying note, we've saved thousands of dollars since i took dad's advice & have gutted & now am fixing our bathroom. the thought scared me, doing it on my own, then dad said it might be interesting to look inside the house walls (it was like a horror movie), so i did & am now so glad.

anyways, life is good with my dear man. thank you to all the nice people who came to see us last night, such as lovely becky v, karen & dave, the whitlocks, & our wonderful family. good wishes to you who read this.