It is no wonder there are so many songs about trains. There is nothing quite like the sense of peace, promise and pondering that is evoked by looking out the window of a moving train. This is one of those things that makes me want to give it all up and just ride the rails. I am such a "Love the one you're with" kind of gal - whether it's musical trios, cities, or adventures - I'm lovin' it and want to keep doing it.
I'm en route to Ottawa from Montreal, having rendezvoused with Julia after 4 months and helping her move out of her McGill residence and into a classic students' ghetto apartment. Mostly I cleaned 9 months of sticky dust and dirt from - well, everything - and tried not to squeel "ewwwww" at every turn. But I was encouraged that Julia's portion was not as bad as the rest - and that she really didn't need, or necessarily want my help. I spent most of my visit riding a bike around the city and enjoying Spring in Montreal.
Life continues to unfold with lots of challenges and surprises. I can't help but think that much of what I'm experiencing these days is reminiscent of that chapter of our lives when we first broke away from home, our parents, our childhood and embarked on 'life out in the big world'. There is a long hungered for, intoxicating sense of independence and freedom. But moreover, it is a fertile ground for a type of pondering and observation of the world around me that is the life I missed as a writer when my focus shifted to motherhood - that primal, choice-less diversion fueled by such compelling love that we are powerless to even remember what our former focus was. I'm sure it's to ensure the survival of the species. Both Julia and I are getting a kick out of knowing the other is working hard and enjoying our new lives so much. Montreal and McGill definitely suits her.
Read MoreWell then - quite the drama thanks to the earth's jaunty little angle in its spin around the sun! The up side is I've had more exercise in the past three weeks shoveling snow than I have in my entire life. Okay, maybe the thrill was gone as of today as I was cleaning storm drains, but it sure made for a memorable Christmas. Julia and I did LOTS of sledding, including all the way down to the cove on Christmas eve to pick up the turkey. For a California girl like me, the novelty of the white stuff never really wears off. Even after a load off the - surprisingly slippery new metal roof - crushed my Adirondack chairs, I was still enchanted.
Read MoreThis piece was included in the recently published book 'Voices, a collection of inspirational stories from British Columbians. I thought I'd post it here...
Now back to recording!
Apparently I’m “blog” challenged - unable to clearly define what my irregular communication is. Blog? Not topical enough. Journal? Not confessional enough.
Arrogant assumption you might be interested in my randomly expressed distillation of my life and times and opinions? That’s probably the most accurate.
Okay then – here we go!
Wow. Life is crammed. This is the most I've worked / played and all that it entails - in my life! The Pumkin tour has been a fantastic adventure. Everywhere we go there are so many stories about how the Pumkin's music has woven its way through the lives of people - and their families - 3 generations of them. That's the up side of having a 34 year history with a band (that, and loving those boys to death!). The down side? I rarely recall whatever show they earnestly describe as the first time the saw us. Nada. Zippo. I often say, I've had a fantastic life - if ONLY I could remember it! Of course, touring BC in the summer is as good as it gets. But there's something else going on, and I can't quite put my finger on it - the music is feeling phenomenally GOOD! There's a list below of all the shows remaining in the tour, so I hope to see you at one of them.
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