ps037 Complete Show MASTER

Planting Seeds ps037

"An Elastic Band at the Absolute Limit"

I have decided that for the foreseeable future the background color of these notes will remain yellow as a reminder to one and all that here in the USA we are in a state of (at minimum) CAUTION. I feel it every time I am forced to enter any public space and it has been increasing at a perceptible pace since the start of Summer. Regardless where I roam, post office, grocery store, drug store, dispensary, nobody is eager to connect. There has been a notable decrease (to me at least) in making any sort of eye contact. Quite the opposite actually, most people seem to go out of their way to avoid interaction completely. Furtive looks away, a side glance, mannerisms akin to what we used to call “stage business” when doing a play. Initially I chalked it up to turning 70, firmly a senior citizen, albeit one that wears music related T-shirts, jeans and sneakers.96% of the time. I’ve read and heard that once we enter this demographic invisibility starts to increase. I didn’t quite believe it, but am forced to agree simply from personal experience. For the record, I’m not a fan. Understandably this occurs in much greater proportion at the grocery store.  Since retiring I have done more grocery shopping than the previous 40 or so years combined, another factor in the equation. Last week, we turned the cart into an aisle and I noticed an elderly woman in one of those motorized carts staring at the top shelf of items and quietly asked if I could help her reach something. I always do that, it’s a natural reaction. This time she sort of gruffly turned and hissed “And not use the two good arms the Lord gave me?” I grinned and said, “Well, ok then.” My wife glared at me. I laughed. Once safely in the car, my wife said, “Why do you do that? Don’t you know by now that you can’t be nice to people anymore?” My reply was, “I can do whatever I want. I have done the very same thing dozens of times in that same store when I observe that situation, with men and women, in a cart or wheelchair and that was the first time there was a negative reaction. No skin off my nose, I would do the same thing tomorrow”. I’m doing whatever I can to slow the breakdown of civility and social manners. Tiny steps. Try it, hold a door, offer a smile or nod of recognition, make eye contact. It’s free.

Listen for new releases from Le Shiv, EELS, Nina Simone; Mochakk, My Morning Jacket, Richard Thompson, Sergio Torales; Der Assistent, Bootsy Collins, Modest Mouse, Anton Barbeau, Bruce Cockburn, Jim James, Frank Sinatra; Count Basie Band, Fontaines D.C., Placebo, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Interpol and Frank Zappa throughout this episode.  They are joined by the hand selected sounds of Firewater, The Clash, The Supremes, Sam Phillips, Airbag, Ween, Pixies, Dramarama, The Move, Tim Rose, Charlie Parker, Crazy Horse, Lionel Hampton, Elvis Presley, ZZ Top, Tommy Keene and a whole bunch more. As always, thanks for listening, stay safe and human and have an absolutely beautiful rest of your life.