With the High Holidays coming to a close, for me I tend to look back and try to see if I have made a positive impact on the world and the people around me. I’d be lying if I tried to say I have never fallen short. We all pray in our own way, we all repent in our own way, and we all try to leave our mark in our own way. That being said, my daughter Izze is involved in a middle school fundraiser and I have involved myself to help as best I can. In the past when she was involved in scouting she sold over one thousand boxes of cookies and several cases went to Afghanistan (thanks to David Crosby and so many of my friends who answered her call) to a soldier that we knew who shared them with his brothers.

At the beginning of the school year she sold some “bake your own” cookies for her volleyball team fundraiser and she asked people to consider donating their purchases so that the local homeless shelter could benefit. When she was five, she had her first real birthday party with a ton of friends out to the family farm, a lasso throwing cowboy (thanks Rob McNurlin) and more. On her invitation she asked her friends that if they were going to bring a gift, she had made a decision to donate any toys to Nationwide Children’s Hospital for the kids that were there long term…and she did just that. It was the most beautiful thing to witness. OK, to get to the point of this blog… there’s another fundraiser. Just last week her school had an assembly and talked about the annual 8th grade trip to DC and that they needed everyone’s help. So here we are. Several sheets came home with options to buy candy and “bake your own” pizza and bread. The average price of the candy is $16 a box and the pizza and bread are about 29 bucks. She has decided once again ask folks to consider making a purchase to donate. Her plan is to send as many of the candy boxes and pizza and pretzel kits to Kittery Estates Assisted & Independent Living Facility in southern Maine and shelters throughout Florida. Small acts of kindness will hopefully brighten someone’s day!

There are a lot of products but we’re just going to pick a couple to make it easy.

Cheese Pizza’s $25 (makes 3 – 13”x18” pizzas)
Pepperoni Pizza $29 (makes 3 – 13”x18” pizzas)
Soft Pretzels w/salt $18.50 (makes 10 pretzels)
Peanut Brittle $12 (8oz in a gift tin)
Mint Meltaways $13.50 (12 pieces, 5oz )

If this is something you want to help with this, let me know. You can email me at liffetimepicker@gmail.com. Checks can be made out AMS (Athens Middle School) and mail it to Izze K, c/o Fur Peace Ranch, 39495 St Clair Rd. Pomeroy, Ohio 45769. This is a quick fundraiser. Izze has to turn the order forms and the money in to the school on October 9th. If you want to order some items for yourself, include your address and phone number and many thanks for letting me use my blog to help Izze help her fellow students.

PS We realize that with all the disasters plaguing our hemisphere right now that this fundraiser is low on the totem pole but if it matters we have donated to all of the areas affected by the recent storms and earthquakes. Just sayin’

Thanks!

Fall is upon us and as my world here in Southeast Ohio begins to think thoughts of seasonal sleep I cannot help but indulge in thoughts of death and rebirth. Tragedy comes to all our lives at some point, but still if we’re lucky life goes on. A couple of weeks ago we had our Pick And Putt (motorcycles, not golf) weekend and here are some fotos.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

It’s been a while since I rode this route, but it never gets old.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

A shade tree by a river bank… It reminds me of being a kid and hiking the towpath by the Potomac River with my Mom when I was a kid!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

The lock keeper was a big man. You have to be to move these gears. His name was actually Jeremiah Johnson. You can’t make this stuff up.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

This is sort of an out of time experience you can share in season down here where we live. America is a beautiful country and there are a lot of beautiful places… but this is as good as any!

Last weekend was the Pomeroy Sternwheel Riverfest and I got on my bike and rode down to see what the shouting was all about.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

There was no town budget for this event this year so the Fraternal Order or Eagles sponsored it and yes… they had a Hula Hoop contest. Later that night we had the amazing A.J.Croce play a concert at the Fur Peace Station and it was more than amazing.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

It was another sold out show and no one left disappointed!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

A.J. is one of the finest pianists I have ever heard, and I’ve heard lots, but it’s more than than. His spirit and sensibilities are pure and powerful!

One of the things I truly enjoy about being home after family, is walking with our dog, Maverick and being wrapped in the seasonal change first thing in the morning.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

It’s been warm so these last few mornings have been gentle rather than crisp. That will come!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

I know this land well, but there is always something new to see in each glance.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

When we first moved here 26 years ago, this barn was more than dilapidated but it was still standing. Now it approaches the ages.

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

You just can’t beat morning country air!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Indeed, life is more than existence… and life prevails. More shall be revealed!

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Tuesday I drove 580 miles from the Fur Peace Ranch to Hampton, South Carolina where Zach’s mom, Stephanie was to b interred. Zach has grown into quite the young man… he is carrying the weight well!

Foto by jorma Kaukonen

She will sleep in peace here…

Foto by Jorma Kaukonen

Fair wind and following seas sister…

In the last week we had two fine shows. Last Saturday night was Denny Laine with Joe Orlando on bass, Belle Liao on keys, Jeff Otis Brown on guitar an Owen Goldman on drums. Thanks so much Denny for great classes and a fine show. This weekend we had Matt Schofield and his trio with another awesome show. The weather for our Pick And Putt ride was awesome and all the positive energy here at the Fur Peace Ranch helped lift our spirits a little from the news the Stephanie, my son Zach’s mom, passed a two PM on Friday.

She had fought a hard battle against the cancer, but in the end, the day was not hers to win. She was a fearless advocate for Zach all his life and the qualities of manhood he shows today are certainly at least in a great part, the result of her stewardship. Her pain is over and that at least has to be a blessing. I will be leaving for the funeral in South Carolina tomorrow.

Prayers and thoughts are always appreciated.

September 11 crept up on me this year. In some ways 9/11/01 seems like a lifetime ago and in others it was only yesterday. At eleven years old those moments a decade and a half ago are more unimaginable to my daughter than WWII is to me. She has inherited this world along with the rest of us, but she was not yet born when it was.

This morning was the closing of another session at the Fur Peace Ranch and even though I wasn’t teaching this weekend I played a little coffee break concert at the Beatrice Love Kitchen. They had just started reading the names of the fallen as I picked up my guitar and headed on over to the porch. In memory of those who perished that day and those who continue to perish as a result of that day, I played Washington Phillip’s ‘What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?’ I could think of nothing more fitting.

I will remember 9/11 as long as I have breath… where I was, what I was doing, who I was talking to, what I was thinking about… I do not know if that is a good or a bad thing, but that is how it is.

I remember it all… and I mourn in my own way.

Done shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Life is always lived against the fall of night. Born into light we start our journey chasing the end of day. If we’re lucky, we will enjoy many years between that first and last light. I have been lucky… very lucky. I find myself saying, ‘At my age,’ thus and so might or might not be in the cards and I have earned the right to wax philosophic in the way of old men.

But always though. I am surrounded by youth with a 20 year old son and an 11 year old daughter. They have plenty of time before they need to either hear this nonsense or spout it themselves and that’s more than alright. Both my kids made it through their first week of school and though it’s early in the game, they’re both looking good. We caught the detritus of Hurricane Harvey in the form of two days of rain and there wasn’t even much of that. Again, lucky. I did get a chance to do a lot of drone flying though.

Drone selfie by Jorma Kaukonen. Goggles by DJI.

There were some fabulous sunsets and I got a chance to experiment with the drone camera.

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Drone shot by Jorma Kaukonen

Yesterday I worked around the Ranch but today after I let Izze practice volleyball by firing serves at me I took a hundred mile ride on the bike. This has been a fine Labor Day Weekend indeed! Indeed, another step on the journey, but the end is not yet in sight!

Good times…