More Stones-Stuff

You thought I was finished? 😎

Nope, I have some more to add, and it’s not like this is an afterthought post…not at all…if fact, just the opposite. These thoughts are important to me and need their own post.

First, I probably wouldn’t have gone to the Stones concert if Mike wasn’t here to take care of Blue Sky while I was away.

Mike, his dog Army, and Blue.

Due to not being able to drive home after the concert, I needed to spend the night in Palo Alto, so Blue needed a place to stay. I’m not likely to leave him in a kennel, just not an option, and Mike didn’t hesitate to take him for the night. Also he has been beyond helpful with Blue since the beginning, but even more so since the KNEE.

And then, about Stones friends.

When most people think of the Stones, they think of ‘drugs, sex, and rock n roll’, right? Wrong. I’m not that much of a party girl, but I’ve managed to make friends with some really wonderful people, from the first ones, high school friends, Marie and Diane in Michigan, to people in places like New York, Sweden, Canada, Brazil, Texas, and California, among others. Laura and Joel are pretty much like family. I met them 20 years ago, at a Stones related function in San Francisco.

The very early days. Bill, who left the band in about 90, Brian, who passed away in 69, Mick, and there is Charlie back there on the drums. Keith was there, just not in this picture.

How would one meet Stones friends from around the world? It has to do with an email ‘mailing list’, a way of connecting on the internet long before FB and Twitter.

When I first brought home a computer in about 96, I asked my son Brian to help me find ‘stuff about the Rolling Stones’. He found me a group called ‘Undercover’. ( There is a Stones album by the same name). Within the group, when you write an email, everyone on the list receives it. The list was started by a couple of pleasantly nerdy Stones fans, Steve in California and Tony in New York. It was a worldwide list (being on the ‘world wide web’), and still is to this day, though other modes of social media seem more convenient these days.

Anyway, the list put me in touch with Stones people worldwide. When the Stones toured, many of us traveled, and people on the list, say in London, or here in California, might arrange some get togethers, including meet up places, transportation to concerts, dinners, hotels we all could stay at, and just regular touristy activities. So we got to know each other and some people became friends. There is another group too, and often people and activities on the groups overlap, but the 2 groups have very different, oh I guess you would say, personalities.

Some of the friendships have become lifetime friendships, some people got married! But it’s all been rather life changing, I guess you would say! I don’t know that I would have ever traveled to London or Sweden or even New York City, had I not been an Out Of Control Stones fan.

Music. Wow.

Funny how things work out.

Advertisements

Rolling Stones 8/18/19 Santa Clara, CA

This is hard to write because there is so much I want to say. A major case of ‘too much information’ may be coming your way here.

I bonded with the Stones the first time I heard ‘Not Fade Away’, one night back in about 1964, on my little transistor radio I was listening to, under my pillow. Love at first listen…I had never even heard of the Rolling Stones before that night.

The first time they came to the states my parents wouldn’t allow me to see them, but by their second visit I was 16, and I was allowed to go with my two girlfriends, Marie and Diane. This was in Detroit at Cobo Arena on November 26, 1965. I vividly remember what I wore and that our seats were in the 5th row and they cost us $3.50.

Michael Philip Jagger looked a lot like this back then, and he was 22 years old.

I never considered that night, that someday I’d be 70, and have a broken knee cap and I’d be seeing Mick from a seat way up in the sky in California for 50 times that price….not to mention the many times I would see the Stones between age 16 and 70 from London to the west coast of the USA.

Whenever I see them it’s like an accumulation of all the times…all those emotions swirling and it creates a magical thing in my brain and in my heart. It’s like time going backwards and standing still and rushing forward, and it’s like I’m in London and Detroit and New York and San Diego, etc, and under that night sky I can feel the rotation of the earth, spinning, spinning….and Mick….it’s still the same Mick, exuding that same magic charisma he did the first time I saw him, and I’m breathing the same air as he is (furgitabout those other 50,000 people).

He looks shockingly small, especially when I have a seat in the sky, to have such a huge force flowing through and out of him, and infusing us.

There’s enough energy pumping through that new heart valve to light up 50,000 people.

At Santa Clara, picture courtesy of my friend Laura from her spot right in front of the stage.

The spectacle of a Stones show at a stadium is overwhelming these days….big and color and lights and loud and 50,000 people. Many of us ‘older’ folks were in attendance…Stones fans from the 60’s…and judging from the retirees I talked with who were sitting around me, we’ve grown into a pretty decent bunch of people. I wasn’t the only one who had trouble climbing Mt Everest…er…I mean the stands to our seats in the sky. I saw lots of people there with walkers and canes and lots of folks laboring with bad knees or hips, to watch Mick ( who’s knees and hips are just fine:-) from their perch in the sky.

They have an uncanny ability though, to balance multiple beers without spilling, on their trek upwards. Pretty amazing.

The scene from above.

Oh yeah, the Music. The Magic’s in the Music….

I become one with it, as it vibrates through the upper sections of Levi Stadium, and my seat, and my body. Charlie’s drums literally seem to become my heart beat. He’s so steady and pure , I swear he has the power to regulate an arrhythmia.

Yes, Mick at age 76 skims, bounds, and dances across the huge stage from one end to the other and all the way out to the 50 yard line with ease, but don’t underestimate the power of Charlie to beat those drums through 19 songs flawlessly at age 78, that takes a lot of strength too.

Mick with the harmonica, from Laura.

If Mick is the energy and the force,

Then Charlie is the strength and the beat,

Keith is the heart and soul,

And Ronnie is the glue and the glee.

Somebody’s picture from FB (Laura?)….Mick, Ronnie, Keith and Charlie.

Which songs they play at a concert has never been as important to me as THEY ARE PLAYING AND I AM THERE. I’ve always said if they do Row Row Row Your Boat, that’s ok with me. However some of the ones I especially loved Sunday night were both of Keith’s songs “You’ve Got The Silver” and “Before They Make Me Run”, and also “Sweet Virginia”, “Midnight Rambler” combined with “You’ve Got To Move”, “Paint It Black”, and “Out Of Control”.

The setlist

I have to tell you that the Accessibility/Mobility people at Levi Stadium are awesome! (I wrote a 5 star review in Yelp).

I needed a wheelchair due to my broken kneecap.

My friend Ulf from Sweden, and I were wheeled literally from the car in the handicapped/accessible parking area to the steps near our seats, and when I mentioned wishing I had a glass of wine they wheeled us right up to the counter, no waiting in line. When it was time to leave they wheeled us out from the steps near our seats, right to the car door. I had done due diligence ahead of time to find out how the system works, and we had the help of friends and a security guard in the parking lot while we tailgated to get things um…Rolling…but I was very anxious about it and just couldn’t believe it would really work, but it did!

Thank you Laura.

Happy me.

This is true. The Rolling Stones have reached perfection in their music. Every note…every sound, is tight and right, and perfectly placed. And they are still having fun!

After I broke my kneecap I really didn’t want to go to this concert. I didn’t want to face the massive crowds when I could hardly walk. Laura encouraged me to hang in there, and not make a decision right away, and she helped me find a seat I could sit in with my leg hanging out in the isle, since there was no way I could cram it into a row. My son and his wife drove us to Palo Alto, Laura and Joel drove us to the show, and home the next day. All in all after getting through the anxiety, it was a happy, healing experience. The Stones ( Mick/Peter Pan) make me feel young, and there is that saying…you are as young as you feel. Working towards going has probably helped my knee heal, in a mental kind of way.

Hey and I lived to tell about it! Yay!

Two Weeks And Counting

Two weeks of Wounded Knee.

(NOT making light of Native American history, and I have huge empathy and despair about the treatment of The People, past and present. My wounded knee joke is on me, not them.)

Anyway, it’s been two weeks since I’ve been outside except to hobble directly to a car or a doctor, and I miss it sooo much. Even nature in my back yard is healing, so this morning, that’s where I headed. Very carefully mind you.

I was able to harvest some lettuce and herbs, green beans, pick some flowers, and just fuss around in the leaves and blooms a bit.

I’m doing better on the steps now…at first my three steps out the back door seemed like Mt Everest, and now they are a minor obstacle. Key issues I think, are to take it slow and careful and don’t overdo.

Mostly I sit on the couch and watch tv, read, or sleep. So grateful to have a big Blue Sky for company. It will be one year tomorrow, August 4, that he arrived ‘out of a blue clear sky’ ( from the song by George Strait), (lyrics below), as Mike and his daughter Julee flew home with Blue and his sister Katie from Phoenix, AZ.

Baby Blue, fresh from the airport.

And…

Now.

He still loves lying on the back of the couch and wrapping around my neck. Only now his head is about the size of his whole body a year ago.

He also spends a lot of time lying on the couch beside me with his head on my lap. Two couch potatoes.

Tomorrow he gets to go to dog school again, thanks to the kindness of Mike, driving him, Diane, the trainer, and Tara, an SPCA volunteer/future trainer who will work with him. He really needs to get out and have fun so I appreciate these people pitching in, to the max.

Meanwhile, thanks to good ole Amazon, I got this:

Yippee.

Sure is a necessity though.

But this is much nicer to look at.

Blue Clear Sky. George Strait. (Part of the lyrics)

“You swear you’ve had enough, your ready to give up,

On that little thing they call love, then out of a blue clear sky,

Fallin’ right into your hands, like the rain on the desert sand,

It’s the last thing you had planned out of a blue clear sky.

Here (s)he comes a walkin’ talkin’ true love,

Sayin’ I been lookin’ for you love,

Surprise your new love has arrived,

Out of a blue clear sky….”

…..

PS. I’m sure the writers didn’t have a puppy in mind, but hey, it works for me!

😂😂😂

Big Oops and Ouch!!

Well, things were going along ok.

Happy Blue Sky at the beach!

And then I turned 70. 😳

That number was scaring me….but decided to make the best of it, and I celebrated!

Had my first Mai Tai ever at Billy Quon’s Sur Restaurant at The Barnyard in Carmel, with Mary. Dogs are welcome and they even have a dog menu.

The Barnyard is a shopping area, with beautiful flowers all through it. Nice place to hang out on your birthday.

Later my friend Marian and I went to the Farmers Market in Monterey and had dinner at a restaurant along the route.

Didn’t stop there though. When my son and daughter in law (Jason and Mandy) had a day off we headed down to Big Sur ( of course), to Napenthe where we traditionally celebrate our birthdays.

It was a perfect day.

I don’t know if views get better than this.

But then….

The big OOPS.

It was about a week and a half ago and Blue and I were at dog school, and I won’t try to explain how it happened but I fell, and later that afternoon at the hospital, found out that I broke my patella (kneecap).

And now I get to wear this for 6 to 8 weeks. And use a walker.

Blue sitting within the confines of my walker.

The doctor didn’t recommend surgery, but I need to get more x-rays tomorrow to see if that still holds true.

So I can’t drive, and I need rides everywhere, even in the grocery store. Gosh those motorized carts…you need to get used to them. It’s easy to get reckless around corners.

Not being able to drive my car is…..ugh. Also, not being able to work in my yard.

But it blooms on…

With help from a friend.

First green beans have come in.

Not being able to walk Blue though….that really hurts.

Blue is Mikes lap dog.

Such a good boy.

Friends have been walking him for me when they can. Hey…free exercise available for you, if you’d like to walk a beautiful white Blue Sky dog!

So, in August, my friend from Sweden is coming to visit and we are going to see The Rolling Stones.

Great timing for me to get myself broken, right?

So I’ve gotten different seats for the concert. My leg needs to remain relatively straight, so I needed to have a seat at the right end of an isle so it can hang out. With Laura’s help we were able to find that requirement on Stub Hub…pretty amazing I thought, at less than 3 weeks before the concert. ( before you wonder, the wheel chair seats are all sold out and too expensive anyway).

I’ve also been in contact with the mobility/accessibility department at Levi Stadium, and have learned they will get me up to my seat withe the help of golf carts, shuttles, and wheel chairs. >sigh<. Hopefully no need of a crane!

Oh and I’ve gotten this….

Dang.

Ok I will write more often! I will!

Birthday Boy!

I just accidentally wrote this post on my old blog, so I’ll try to recreate it here!

June 12, Blue Sky and of course his sister Katie May, are one year old!

I think they are saying to each other “you look weird”.

There were cupcakes.

And a dog cake, and a big chocolate cake because we were celebrating my friends Laura’s birthday, too.

Lots of food.

Ok, this is getting embarrassing. Enough with the food.

Mike, Katie’s dad, helps Blue get dressed, while his Sunny looks on.

Another of Mikes dogs, Army, calmly models a birthday hat.

Blue, at Ventana Inn for brunch, where we celebrated Laura’s birthday.

The views from there are sublime, and the day was perfect.

Blue, Army, and Katie eating dog birthday cake.

And Sunny too!

My very own Blue Sky at one year. ❤️

Happy Birthday sweet boy, and MANY MANY more!

It’s Been A Year

…..Since Shiloh became my Spirit Dog.  He continues to teach me things, even though he left his earthly life a year ago.  He’s teaching me how much I can miss someone, and how much I can love.  He reminds me that love is no respecter of species.

i posted this poem in my previous blog at http://www.onewanderingspirit.wordpress.com  ,writing it little by little in the weeks after his death.  Here it is again, to honor him…my heart dog.  My Shiloh. (Joy was still with me at the time, which is why there are references to her in the present tense).

ODE TO SHILOH

Memories of you dance through my mind and heart.

Each one feels like a poison arrow or dart.

And yet, they are such sweet thought, I can’t resist,

Watching you again, through the mental mist.

The little things you would always do.

The smile in your eyes that said “I love you too”.

Being ‘Sheriff Shiloh’, or silly, or calm, or aloof,

Being my protector with an ‘arf’ and a ‘woof’.

Playing with toys wasn’t your thing,

But you were highly entertained by listening to me sing.

~~~~~~~~

Once ensconced on the bed, no way would you budge,

Not with a push or a pull or a nudge.

Offered a treat you would just look away.

Wherever you snuggled in, that’s where you’d stay.

So Joy and I would have to find a spot,

And sleep that way, comfy or not.

I didn’t really mind, because part of me knew,

Some dreadful day, there wouldn’t be you.

~~~~~~~

You loved For the brush to stroke your fur,

And to be told how beautiful you were.

You had such eyelashes, as I’ve never seen,

Certainly the envy of every princess and queen.

You were always there for a scratch or a pat,

And how many times, on my foot, you sat.

I have memories of you rolling in cow-pies, or chasing a deer,

And running through fences to catch you a steer…

And there was the time the coyote lured you…’come near’.

Rabbits and squirrels and kitties would run,

But you’d never hurt them, it was just in a days fun.

~~~~~~~

We three traveled together nearly the breadth of this land.

Four years you wandered woods, fields, and sands.

You explored untold lakes and rivers and streams,

And at night you’d relive it all in your wonderful dreams.

”Let’s go for a walk” we’re the words you lived for, and then,

When we got back your eyes would ask “can we go again”?

~~~~~~~

As I’d drive you’d stare out the window, miles on end.

What were you thinking of my solemn, sweet friend?

And often as I turned to look at you,

You were staring at me, because that’s what you’d do.

~~~~~~~

You loved CLR where you could run free,

And pee on the cactus with impunity.

And folks kept on stopping by with a treat,

As if you didn’t have enough to eat.

~~~~~~~

But the misty beach on the Monterey Bay,

Was the place you loved best…the place Joy and I will stay.

You’ve been my sunshine for so many years,

You helped me through life, and so many tears and fears.

You were my comforter when I was sad.

When I looked in your eyes, nothing seemed bad.

You were noble and stoic, you would never complain.

It was hard for me to tell when you had any pain.

_______

For you to suffer wasn’t part of the deal,

So I let you move on, no matter how I would feel.

I held on tight as I let you go,

And I’m holding you tight in my heart, I guess you know.

My innocent boy, so full of peace.

Now you’re free of cancer, with loving release.

I miss you each minute, my beautiful boy,

Though your sweet, sweet spirit is now part of me and Joy.

i have to believe that. because there is no possible way,

I could get by without you for one single day.

”Mommy love Shiloh” forever and then,

”Mommy love Shiloh” forever again.

Into eternity, beyond space and time,

I will be yours and you will be mine.

Gifts From The Sea

TR

Blue Sky by my side.

Sound of the surf.

Waves washing…

Bring brain waves into sync…

Ebb and flow, ebb and flow.

Come and go, come and go.

Inhale. Exhale.

Breathe it in…

Scent of salt and seaweed.

Cool freshness.

Every shade of blue and green and gray,

Like crystal when the sun shines.

Pensive and deep when the fog rolls.

Salt spray on the rocks.

Roaring! Sweeping. crashing!

Clearing the rest of the world from my mind.

Swells break and become

Rainbows of mist.

Breaking and healing,

All in a moments time,

Over and over and over…

Cry of the gulls soaring.

Sea lions bark from their

Rock beds.

Dolphins dance.

Whales breach and dive.

Sea glass rolls in on the beach.

It gathers together in low places,

Or a piece alone nestles in the sand.

I pick up some of

These tangible gifts.

They come home in my pocket,

Representatives of precious moments.

I find I’m so drawn to these

Broken pieces.

Once sharp and shiny shards,

Now warn and rounded.

Opaque whites and aquas,

Greens and browns.

The occasional blue.

The rare red.

They have endured time…

Being tossed about

By life in the sea.

Losing their shininess and sharpness.

Somehow, I relate.

Life has changed pace in the hours on the beach

Or perched among the rocks, gazing.

We walk back to the Other Life…

My furry friend and I.

 

He has romped, rolled, run,

chaseD sticks and tasted the salty sea.

We both smile and are satisfied

As I brush the sand off both of us.