After coming home from Nashville there was lots of cleaning up around the Fur Peace Ranch that had to be done. Our good friend Smiles did most of it, of course, but I got my hands a little dirty. I brought a nagging chest cold back from Spokane with me and today is the first day that I’m really starting to feel normal… whatever that is. The girls and I took a killer hike in the hills for a couple of hours and I got some work done on my book. This coming week is the beginning of the 19th full season here at the Ranch and Jack and I will be teaching and doing the concert on Saturday night.

At this point in my life when so many of my friends and colleagues are starting to fall I must share with the universe the gratitude I feel just to be able to get up in the morning unassisted, not to mention all the other things I am still able to do. Life is good, most of the time and I cannot allow myself to take that for granted.

Spring break is over for the kids and Izze is back to school tomorrow with extracurricular activities abounding… Irish Dance, to Photography, to Piano… yep… we’re Izze’s Uber Service.

Jack will be in Wednesday night and even though it’s only been a month since we played together, I’ve missed the hang. Sub freezing temperatures here the last two days, but we barbecued dinner both nights.

Uneventful… but precious!

More will be revealed!


Comments

  1. Comment made on March 20, 2017 by jbarker

    Be well Carlo and please keep us posted. @carlo pagliano

  2. Comment made on March 19, 2017 by johno

    Chuck Berry – one of the pioneers of rock and roll.

  3. Comment made on March 19, 2017 by Brian Doyle

    True but could Les Paul duck walk? lol.

    I know someone who bought a classic amp from Les Paul. He was only a half hour from us in Rockland County, New York.

  4. Comment made on March 19, 2017 by jim hitchcock

    Les Paul, I’d say.

    Chuck basically brought R & R shuffle to the masses, imho.

  5. Comment made on March 19, 2017 by Brian Doyle

    Man, Chuck Berry…The man where rock electric guitar started.

  6. Comment made on March 19, 2017 by Mike Anderson

    R.I.P. Chuck Berry.

  7. Comment made on March 18, 2017 by Michael Anderson

    Jorma,
    I belong to a the U.S. Navy Flight Deck Veteran’s Group and they also hand make guitars, please check out this site, all U.S. Military Veterans;
    https://cherrybend-guitar.myshopify.com
    My email address is the abbreviation for the U.S. Navy fighter squadron 103 (fitron103) and I was our squadron’s Avionics troubleshooter on the flight deck, aboard the USS Saratoga, 1974-1977.
    Please, at least give them a look…

  8. Comment made on March 18, 2017 by Matt

    In a few months it will be nice and warm. Electric Hot Tuna will be at Westhampton Beach PAC June 30th with a long summer ahead to look forward to. And the Staten Island gig is only a few weeks away…Spring is on the way.

  9. Comment made on March 17, 2017 by carlo pagliano

    Rock ready Rock steady.
    20 rocking years rolling through Jorma and Vanessa’s FPR!
    Wagons, fairs, fest and show, light-shows, concerts over concerts, top A1 cuisine, pick putt and Pho, peace luncheons and early matinées with the Captain in person warming up, psylo-rocket on the ramp, peace machines all over, smiles like stars, waving prayers, finest musicians on earth, festal light blue air, lush green crowning, immaculate snow paves the way to a trumpeting Season at the Ranch. A constellation of FPR Goers orbit this Blessed Arcadia for soul regeneration.
    Jorma’s Heavenly Rock stretches out all strings calling us all in.

  10. Comment made on March 17, 2017 by willy

    Jorma, off-topic, but I just saw that poet Derek Walcott left us today…do I recall correctly that you are an admirer of his work? An accomplished and recognized artist.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/books/derek-walcott-dead-nobel-prize-literature.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

  11. Comment made on March 17, 2017 by johno

    What book? Could it be an autobiography? Whatever it is – it’ll be great.
    Are you having corned beef and cabbage today. Happy St Patrick’s Day.

  12. Comment made on March 17, 2017 by HOGAN

    Hey Jorma,

    Hope your feeling better. Sorry to hear about the damage at the ranch but at least everyone came thru the storm OK.it was a nasty one. Have an old friend coming to the ranch this weekend, he’s pretty excited….Good times for sure.
    Looking so forward to reading the book, hope it will be coming out soon.
    Take care and see you guys soon.
    Hogan
    🙂

  13. Comment made on March 16, 2017 by jimhitchcock

    @carlo pagliano
    Feel better, Carlo.

  14. Comment made on March 16, 2017 by Rob Weber

    @eaglesteve
    Saw or heard that as well. As my wife sat quietly with tears in her eyes over that show I blurted out “Thats Jorma!”. She smiled as she listened and cried through the show.

  15. Comment made on March 16, 2017 by carlo pagliano

    Whilst Rockst
    To keep it ok is the payroll.
    Always Thank You for the opportunity Jorma!

  16. Comment made on March 16, 2017 by Robert Burke

    I miss Jack also.

    @Dead Head

  17. Comment made on March 15, 2017 by Dead Head

    @carlo pagliano
    Carlo, it was very inspiring to hear from you. You post very infrequently and keep it brief. Glad to hear that all is OK, that you have endured a tragedy. I was particularly smitten with your use of the Old English conjunction “whilst”. Must be common-place within southern Europe? Anyway, never seen you get past one line so keep us informed. You never know, do you?

  18. Comment made on March 15, 2017 by jbarker

    “Memories they can”t be boughten.
    “They can”t be won at carnivals for free.”
    John Prine:

  19. Comment made on March 15, 2017 by JD

    Thank you everyone.

  20. Comment made on March 15, 2017 by Ken Millroy

    On a different subject…. Can you give us more details on the book you speak of?

  21. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by eaglesteve

    Airplane doing Good Shepherd on This is Us. Then as now, priceless.

  22. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by carlo pagliano

    Holy Holy and Holy Words, Jorma!
    As it always is and always will be forever amber.
    Couldn’t be otherwise or other time and other place. Focusing, practically Sunday mor here in Milan whilst comfortably reading The Captain’s up-to-date breaking news on paper, i found myself in a condition for which Jorma is thankful not to be in, id est to be assisted when springing outa bed. I did jump out all right to lay a proper breakfast for a proper Sunday start, but when I bowed to fit my left shoe, there I remained. Total icy panic, crawling on the four, stop coffee, stop everything, reached the arm chair at the desk to reach the world outside, to be ASSISTED. Organize my substitute for Monday mor at work. Call my daughter to go and clean the offices I usually do for little extras, and call my son to come here in the studio and put the mat on the floor ‘cause I couldn’t crawl on the stairs to reach the bed which is up a couple of meters and whilst here, a little help on a painting I’m doing, he is the drawing man, I’m the painting guy. All this quickly done on the phone, the most urgent thing now was to get a good shot of Cortisone, the sooner the better, and a shot of muscle relaxant, called a nurse i knew, quarter of an hour and also this was accomplished, I went back to re-read Jorma’s news. When your All in the Whole states certain things and you find yourself on the other bank, it ain’t that comfy indeed. The Sunday proceeded unexpectedly in a glorious crescendo. With my head in my hands I took a deep, deep breath and moved to click Hot Tuna in circle at StrictlyBlueGrass at first. Hands and feet where moving all right, the rest was as still as Michelangelo’s Moses, stiff as a poker but good enough for playing seated my bongos along, which I reluctantly started to do. It ain’t logic and serious to play and try to joke when such a grievous matter occurs, but as babies do what they don’t know how it will go, so did i. To accompany yourself with that ice thin thread as a guidance to get out of such a hell you need to know mostly what happened and how to cure it in the immediate in order not to be in the nowhere, and fill back the present instant and all the forthcoming instants with what were your passions and your love before it all ended all of a sudden, that was more important than pain, depression, dark clouds and all the old wardrobe and eventual consequences. And it worked, unsolicited. My soccer team played and won a great game, I was rocking them on by tapping and Tuna, tv audio off, StrictlyBG Hot Tuna fully on. By four in the afternoon I could walk to the fridge to smack my lips with some chilly salmon and an ole cupa tea, burning HOT. And back again on me legs able to little paint and little crazy dances to prove meself I’m still standing, with my blood returned to its usual strong color. I confess I had no ability in my disability, faith ain’t something you can grab or define, practical faith is to just carry on when you are blocked, totally, totally in the wrong, with a dodgy past but not so ruinous to take you to death, when you are lost hopeless in the dark, there is nothing to do than to let you be moved towards the next instant, if you are still there, there you are! The prize came deep at night with a couple of snapshots by Vanessa that vivified my spirit abandoned in a corner. There is no why but there is a because.
    ‘In The Kingdom’ is rare, but Electric Hot Tuna is always there!

  23. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by Ham n Eggs

    I agree with Carey.
    Spring is coming. Hang in there
    Peace
    Love All Ways
    @JD

  24. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by Rick dickerson

    Should have called me I would have loved to work with smiles and cleared debris

  25. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by carey georgas

    Dang, JD, I don’t see no need to apologize. What are comrades-in-arms for if not to help carry that weight from time to time? I got no problem with you shedding some of it in here.

  26. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by JD

    Sorry about that post. Feeling the weight today.

  27. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by JD

    Two days from today my Mom passed. A couple of years ago now. But I still feel it, especially when this time of year rolls around. My Dad passed about a year ago. Loss can be so hard.

  28. Comment made on March 14, 2017 by Gary Spears

    Spent last evening listening to a recording of Drifting a JA song I’ve never heard.

    Was remarkable in itself. Made more remarkable by the fact that I’m in the mountains west of Munnar, Kerala, India.

  29. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by gregg

    geez this is all starting to sound like a epilogue

  30. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by Nick L. Eakins

    Heavens, the time has passed so fast. It seems like just yesterday when Vanessa and you were making plans to adopt. My word, she has grown so fast. She is coming up to be one fine young lady. I’m so grateful you’re still around to see her shed most of her down and grow her adult plumage. I am several years your junior but I too have seen many of my friends go down, some very prematurely. May you be around long enough to see her on her own and living well.

  31. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by eaglesteve

    AOSIII left us on 3/12/2011 at age 76. Gone, but never, never forgotten. RIP brother.

  32. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by carey georgas

    One more, and I’m long gone. Yesterday I drove home from Austin and came through the Brazos bottom into Navasota. I can remember seeing African Americans picking cotton in those fields when I was a young whelp. This is Lightnin’ Hopkins’ and Blind Lemon Jefferson’s heartland. Whenever I hear Lightnin’ sing about the Brazos, or his working a chain gang, I think of that stretch between the Brazos and Navasota rivers.

  33. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by carey georgas

    Long gone, like a turkey in the corn?@Sweetbac Jr.

  34. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by Dan

    Everyday spent walking on the top side of the grass is a great day. Glad you are feeling better (and dont go playing in the snow without your booties and gloves on)

  35. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by carey georgas

    That’s what I’m talking about! It’s never too cold to barbecue. Glad your illness is on the wane. I had the same thing put me down for 3 days last week. Us of a certain age must beware the respiratory ailments. Can’t shake ’em like we once could, and they can get ugly in a hurry. Best wishes for a wonderful 19th year.

  36. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by jbarker

    ” Memories , they can”t be boughten. They can’t be won at carnivals for free.”

  37. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by johno

    Try a big bowl of chicken soup. When I have any type of cold. I eat chicken soup along with aspirin, hot tea, cold medicine and rest. Hope you’re feeling better.
    Waiting for the big snow tmw. Predicting 12-24 inches of snow – a blizzard watch for Long Island. I’m ready for Spring.

  38. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by Jim Bacon

    Hey Jorma – we’re all gettin’ ready for the big snow and sharpening our shovels – Keep Smiles at it, don’t overdue it – everything in moderation

  39. Comment made on March 13, 2017 by Mark K

    Guess that makes you the Barbecue King

  40. Comment made on March 12, 2017 by Sweetbac Jr.

    Papa John was LONG gone by ’76…I have a old relix magazine with an interview with him in 1977….he said towards the end of his tenure with Tuna, they was SOO loud in concert, he thought they” might as well be hittin’ washtubs with base ball bats”!…Papa not a dumb man.
    Any thoughts/reflections on his involvement with Hot Tuna, Jorma?

  41. Comment made on March 12, 2017 by jim hitchcock

    I guess the first time I saw Tuna was at the Santa Monica Civic in ’76. Papa John was playing and grinning and an utter delight to behold.

    Just to think that this many years later your still sharing your daily travels with us.

    You’re pretty much the Doogie Howser of pickers, and boy are we lucky.

  42. Comment made on March 12, 2017 by JD

    Glad to hear you are feeling better. Thank you for all you do.

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