From: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org (onlyJMDL Digest) To: onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Subject: onlyJMDL Digest V2009 #350 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-onlyjoni-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/onlyjoni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com Unsubscribe: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe onlyJMDL Digest Monday, December 28 2009 Volume 2009 : Number 350 ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Interview unheard for 42 years now available ["Michael" ] Re: Interview unheard for 42 years now available ["Allison Crowe Music" <] Re: Interview unheard for 42 years now available [gerard mclaughlin ] Laurel Canyon [Laura Stanley ] Re: JMDL Digest V2009 #379 [frankh99@aol.com] Re: A-membuh me? ["Donna Binkley" ] Re: A-membuh me? [Michael Paz ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:27:33 +1000 From: "Michael" Subject: Interview unheard for 42 years now available Great interview Thanks Les Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:06:55 -0700 From: "Les Irvin" Subject: Interview unheard for 42 years now available On Friday evening, March 17, 1967, Ed Sciaky went to the 2nd Fret (operated by Manny "Money" Rubin) in downtown Philadelphia (on Sansom Street) and recorded an interview with Joni Mitchell. Recorded between sets, this recording was mastered at 7 and a half IPS on Shamrock recording tape, a cheap brand of audio tape but all that college student Ed Sciaky could afford. It was recorded on an Amex 354 mono tape recorder with an RCA 44 microphone. Ed Sciaky spoke into one side of the mic and Joni into the other. Since Joni spoke softly, her level was lower than Ed. The interview was engineered by Mike Biel, a student executive at the station at that time. The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia (of which Ed is now a member), an organization of 350 area broadcasters, has recently equalized and adjusted the levels of the interview and the complete audio interview is now available on their website. They are proud to make this priceless interview again available to the public. The entire interview has not been heard since it was aired the next evening, Saturday, March 18th on Ed's folk music show called "Broadside," which was broadcast Saturday evenings from 8 pm and 12 midnight over WRTI-FM, the campus radio station of Temple University in Philadelphia. The 1974 airing over WMMR was an excerpt. http://broadcastpioneers.com/bp8/3-17-67.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:08:19 -0500 From: Gerald Notaro Subject: Re: A-membuh me? Walt, How wonderful to have you back. And so glad to hear you are well. Jerry On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 10:37 PM, Walt Breen wrote: > A-membuh me? > > -- Eddie Murphy as Buckwheat, > > (SNL, ca. 1982) > > Hi gang! > > > > > > I ve been pretty much on hiatus since 2006, when Robert died -- not just > w/r/t > you guys, but in general. But a dear friend bought me a laptop for Xmas, & > I ve been practicing getting my typing fingers limber again. (Actually, the > touchpad is giving me the most trouble, as is switching back to Windows > after > more than 10 years on Macs.) > > > > I m losing my hearing, > > I m blind in one eye, > > Could you step a little closer > > As you re telling me good-bye? > > -- Andrea Martin as Connie Franklin > > (Second City TV, ca. 1978) > > > > I ll be brief as to what I was doing for the last 3 = years, except to say > that the best thing to come out of it was the current love of my life, a > shaggy black mini-mutt I named Marineta, a Gasconese name meaning Little > Marie (and perversely pronounced Mah-ree-net-oh). I d had no intention of > getting a dog, but I d taken on a young (32) roommate who d always wanted > one. > My last experience with this phenomenon had been disastrous, as the then > roommate neglected the poor dog, and she became my responsibility; now I > was > sick, sometimes unable to walk, and I was determined not to have the same > thing happen. So I got to choose the dog. > > The little doggy room at the SF SPCA was full of yippy young little things, > with the exception of a quiet 6-year-old Shih-Tzu/Scotty mix with one eye > who > had just come out of months of rehab after having been hit by a car in > downtown SF. I walked up to her, and she wagged but didn t go nuts. This > is > the one, I said to the chagrin of the roomie, but to the pleasure of the > SPCA, who d thought a middle-aged pup with one eye and three functioning > legs > might be a hard sell. > > > > The roommate was indeed a disaster, a drunk with neat-freak OCD (I couldn t > find anything that year -- his system was based on what appealed to him > esthetically, not on practicality or ease of location; some things remained > lost until I moved a couple of months ago, more about which below.) But > when > he fell apart and moved back to Hawaii, I got custody. > > She s very quiet, mild-mannered yet stubborn, funny when I m depressed, and > the only reason I ever went outside during the day during a 2-year period > when > I went slightly, if understandably, nuts. I got constant grief for walking > her > without a leash, which I had to do as a leash would have been a disservice > to > both of us, one of us or the other falling over at each misapprehension. > > > > My favorite memories of our time together in SF involve two habits of hers > that would send me into gales of laughter. One of them is scent-rolling, > something all dogs do (as far as I know) -- for those of you unfamiliar > with > the term, it s that thingy they do when they smell something irresistible > on > the sidewalk or grass, like a dead worm or fishmeal fertilizer (or worse) > and > dive head-first into it, writhing ecstatically on the ground for an > unspecified length of time, sort of the doggy equivalent of applying Brut > or > Charley. Long ago relinquishing any dream of being perceived as anything > but > eccentric, I would usually join in, sitting or standing, bugalooing with > her > until she stopped; I think it only encouraged her. It s times like these > that > one has entered the Middle-Aged Urban Eccentric stage of one s life. Dog > lovers would smile, sometimes stop and chat; most people ignore it away; > and a > few make a wide circle. Chaqu un a son gout. > > > > The other thing she would do, when we disagreed as to what direction to > proceed in when we came ato a corner, would be to look at me with confusion > and regret (with raised ears, at which times she looks like an Ewok) and > proceed to the curb, pointing in the *proper* direction. I would argue with > her, usually losing since compared to her, I m a pansy. It s a good thing I > m > taller than her -- it gives me veto power. Public reactions as above. (In > case > you re concerned, I d trained her never to step off a curb without > permission.) > > > > I m learning it s peaceful > > With a good dog and some trees > > --Joni Mitchell, Electricity , 1972 > > > > Anyhoo, after rough times for both of us over the ensuing three years > (near-death experiences and poverty), we are both relatively well and > living > in Utah, West Bountiful to be exact (about ten miles north of SLC). Hey, > isn t > there another jmdler in this area? It s taking her a while to get used to > severe cold and snow, but she s a trooper. And while it is a bit of a > change > for me, too, we re surrounded by ranches, and I like living among moo-cows > and > horsies and such. I didn t grow up with them, so they re a novelty. We re > living with an old friend of mine who grew up here, also gay and > middle-aged, > and aside from having to walk a mile each way to get to the nearest > convenience store when he s out of town (more than half the time). Weather > permitting, Mari joins me on the walks downtown . I have a belly pouch to > carry her in if she gets cold or tired, or when we have to go into a store. > > > > She s partly Shih Tzu > > And part Scottish Terrier > > I m quite a bit taller > > But her chest is way harier > > --Walt Breen, Partial (?summer of 2007) > > > > I wrote Partial one fine day walking Mari on one of our 2-hour, 2-mile > rambles through South of Market or the Fillmore. You can see the general > tenor > of the piece from the above sample. It s only the second song I ever wrote; > the first was a Bacharachesque ditty I wrote when I was 14 and performed > exactly twice, once for my mom, and the other time for my best friend and > *his* mom. > > I bring it up just to tell you that I never stopped thinking about y all: > the > tag was strictly for us ns: > > > > There s a wolf from Lindsay > > Lives in my dog-eat-dog > > No regrets, coyote > > It s like fallin off a log > > > > It s nice to be back. I d love to hear from anyone who cares to write. > > > > Walt Little Breen > > Just like Jericho > > The walls come tumbling down > > Falling on the ground > > And all the dogs go running free, > > The wild and gentle dogs > > Kenneled in me > > --Joni Mitchell, Jericho , 1974 > > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. > http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:32:29 -0800 From: "Allison Crowe Music" Subject: Re: Interview unheard for 42 years now available What a delightful interview, and a surprise that this surfaces now. As Brian said, it's a real holiday gift! Thanks, Les, for the word. And thanks of course to Ed Sciaky and The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia for this great restoration. best to all! Ad ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:09:25 +0000 From: gerard mclaughlin Subject: Re: Interview unheard for 42 years now available THANKS VERY MUCH, A REAL TREASURE ! On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 5:48 AM, Brian Gross wrote: > omg > OMG > OMFG > > This is a wonderful holiday gift to the jmdl > Thank you! > > ----------------------------------------------------------- > Politicians and diapers both need to be changed often. > And usually for the same reasons. > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > > --- On Sat, 12/26/09, Les Irvin wrote: > > > From: Les Irvin > > Subject: Interview unheard for 42 years now available > > To: joni@smoe.org > > Date: Saturday, December 26, 2009, 10:06 PM > > On Friday evening, March 17, 1967, Ed > > Sciaky went to the 2nd Fret (operated > > by Manny "Money" Rubin) in downtown Philadelphia (on Sansom > > Street) and > > recorded an interview with Joni Mitchell. Recorded between > > sets, this > > recording was mastered at 7 and a half IPS on Shamrock > > recording tape, a > > cheap brand of audio tape but all that college student Ed > > Sciaky could > > afford. It was recorded on an Amex 354 mono tape recorder > > with an RCA 44 > > microphone. Ed Sciaky spoke into one side of the mic and > > Joni into the > > other. Since Joni spoke softly, her level was lower than > > Ed. The interview > > was engineered by Mike Biel, a student executive at the > > station at that > > time. > > > > > > > > The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia (of which Ed is now > > a member), an > > organization of 350 area broadcasters, has recently > > equalized and adjusted > > the levels of the interview and the complete audio > > interview is now > > available on their website. They are proud to make this > > priceless interview > > again available to the public. The entire interview has not > > been heard since > > it was aired the next evening, Saturday, March 18th on Ed's > > folk music show > > called "Broadside," which was broadcast Saturday evenings > > from 8 pm and 12 > > midnight over WRTI-FM, the campus radio station of Temple > > University in > > Philadelphia. The 1974 airing over WMMR was an excerpt. > > > > > > > > http://broadcastpioneers.com/bp8/3-17-67.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 10:29:47 -0500 From: Rose M Joy Subject: Re: A-membuh me? Good to hear from you Walt. I'm so glad you adopted Little Marie and yes Alison lives in SLC, but me thinks she's given birth as we speak. How the life goes on, eh? Rosie Sent from my iPhone On Dec 26, 2009, at 10:37 PM, Walt Breen wrote: > A-membuh me? > > -- Eddie Murphy as Buckwheat, > > (SNL, ca. 1982) > > Hi gang! > > > > > > Ive been pretty much on hiatus since 2006, when Robert died -- not > just w/r/t > you guys, but in general. But a dear friend bought me a laptop for > Xmas, & > Ive been practicing getting my typing fingers limber again. > (Actually, the > touchpad is giving me the most trouble, as is switching back to > Windows after > more than 10 years on Macs.) > > > > Im losing my hearing, > > Im blind in one eye, > > Could you step a little closer > > As youre telling me good-bye? > > -- Andrea Martin as Connie Franklin > > (Second City TV, ca. 1978) > > > > Ill be brief as to what I was doing for the last 3 = years, except > to say > that the best thing to come out of it was the current love of my > life, a > shaggy black mini-mutt I named Marineta, a Gasconese name meaning > Little > Marie (and perversely pronounced Mah-ree-net-oh). Id had no > intention of > getting a dog, but Id taken on a young (32) roommate whod always > wanted one. > My last experience with this phenomenon had been disastrous, as the > then > roommate neglected the poor dog, and she became my responsibility; > now I was > sick, sometimes unable to walk, and I was determined not to have the > same > thing happen. So I got to choose the dog. > > The little doggy room at the SF SPCA was full of yippy young little > things, > with the exception of a quiet 6-year-old Shih-Tzu/Scotty mix with > one eye who > had just come out of months of rehab after having been hit by a car in > downtown SF. I walked up to her, and she wagged but didnt go nuts. > This is > the one, I said to the chagrin of the roomie, but to the pleasure > of the > SPCA, whod thought a middle-aged pup with one eye and three > functioning legs > might be a hard sell. > > > > The roommate was indeed a disaster, a drunk with neat-freak OCD (I > couldnt > find anything that year -- his system was based on what appealed to > him > esthetically, not on practicality or ease of location; some things > remained > lost until I moved a couple of months ago, more about which below.) > But when > he fell apart and moved back to Hawaii, I got custody. > > Shes very quiet, mild-mannered yet stubborn, funny when Im > depressed, and > the only reason I ever went outside during the day during a 2-year > period when > I went slightly, if understandably, nuts. I got constant grief for > walking her > without a leash, which I had to do as a leash would have been a > disservice to > both of us, one of us or the other falling over at each > misapprehension. > > > > My favorite memories of our time together in SF involve two habits > of hers > that would send me into gales of laughter. One of them is scent- > rolling, > something all dogs do (as far as I know) -- for those of you > unfamiliar with > the term, its that thingy they do when they smell something > irresistible on > the sidewalk or grass, like a dead worm or fishmeal fertilizer (or > worse) and > dive head-first into it, writhing ecstatically on the ground for an > unspecified length of time, sort of the doggy equivalent of applying > Brut or > Charley. Long ago relinquishing any dream of being perceived as > anything but > eccentric, I would usually join in, sitting or standing, bugalooing > with her > until she stopped; I think it only encouraged her. Its times like > these that > one has entered the Middle-Aged Urban Eccentric stage of ones life. > Dog > lovers would smile, sometimes stop and chat; most people ignore it > away; and a > few make a wide circle. Chaquun a son gout. > > > > The other thing she would do, when we disagreed as to what direction > to > proceed in when we came ato a corner, would be to look at me with > confusion > and regret (with raised ears, at which times she looks like an Ewok) > and > proceed to the curb, pointing in the *proper* direction. I would > argue with > her, usually losing since compared to her, Im a pansy. Its a good > thing Im > taller than her -- it gives me veto power. Public reactions as > above. (In case > youre concerned, Id trained her never to step off a curb without > permission.) > > > > Im learning its peaceful > > With a good dog and some trees > > --Joni Mitchell, Electricity, 1972 > > > > Anyhoo, after rough times for both of us over the ensuing three years > (near-death experiences and poverty), we are both relatively well > and living > in Utah, West Bountiful to be exact (about ten miles north of SLC). > Hey, isnt > there another jmdler in this area? Its taking her a while to get > used to > severe cold and snow, but shes a trooper. And while it is a bit of > a change > for me, too, were surrounded by ranches, and I like living among > moo-cows and > horsies and such. I didnt grow up with them, so theyre a novelty. > Were > living with an old friend of mine who grew up here, also gay and > middle-aged, > and aside from having to walk a mile each way to get to the nearest > convenience store when hes out of town (more than half the time). > Weather > permitting, Mari joins me on the walks downtown. I have a belly > pouch to > carry her in if she gets cold or tired, or when we have to go into a > store. > > > > Shes partly Shih Tzu > > And part Scottish Terrier > > Im quite a bit taller > > But her chest is way harier > > --Walt Breen, Partial (?summer of 2007) > > > > I wrote Partial one fine day walking Mari on one of our 2-hour, 2- > mile > rambles through South of Market or the Fillmore. You can see the > general tenor > of the piece from the above sample. Its only the second song I ever > wrote; > the first was a Bacharachesque ditty I wrote when I was 14 and > performed > exactly twice, once for my mom, and the other time for my best > friend and > *his* mom. > > I bring it up just to tell you that I never stopped thinking about > yall: the > tag was strictly for usns: > > > > Theres a wolf from Lindsay > > Lives in my dog-eat-dog > > No regrets, coyote > > Its like fallin off a log > > > > Its nice to be back. Id love to hear from anyone who cares to write. > > > > Walt Little Breen > > Just like Jericho > > The walls come tumbling down > > Falling on the ground > > And all the dogs go running free, > > The wild and gentle dogs > > Kenneled in me > > --Joni Mitchell, Jericho, 1974 > > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. > http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 08:32:44 -0800 (PST) From: Laura Stanley Subject: Laurel Canyon We should have a jonifest in the canyon sometime... ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 11:34:37 EST From: frankh99@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V2009 #379 The Philadelphia interview. I was struck at Joni's apt description of the childhood basement gathering when the mother charged for admission. At the end of the interview she sees the light flashing and realizes she is just about to go on stage in Philadelphia, a tough audience, so you see she performs without preparing with quiet meditation. She talks about music crossovers, and her desire not to be categorized and the difficulty with not being in a group, an individual. She describes Both Sides Now as a rock tune. Talks music tech. Frank http://broadcastpioneers.com/bp8/3-17-67.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:43:03 -0600 From: "Donna Binkley" Subject: Re: A-membuh me? Walt, you've been missed. Hope you are well, please take care. donna >>> Walt Breen 12/26/2009 9:37 PM >>> A-membuh me? - -- Eddie Murphy as Buckwheat, (SNL, ca. 1982) Hi gang! Ive been pretty much on hiatus since 2006, when Robert died -- not just w/r/t you guys, but in general. But a dear friend bought me a laptop for Xmas, & Ive been practicing getting my typing fingers limber again. (Actually, the touchpad is giving me the most trouble, as is switching back to Windows after more than 10 years on Macs.) Im losing my hearing, Im blind in one eye, Could you step a little closer As youre telling me good-bye? - -- Andrea Martin as Connie Franklin (Second City TV, ca. 1978) Ill be brief as to what I was doing for the last 3 = years, except to say that the best thing to come out of it was the current love of my life, a shaggy black mini-mutt I named Marineta, a Gasconese name meaning Little Marie (and perversely pronounced Mah-ree-net-oh). Id had no intention of getting a dog, but Id taken on a young (32) roommate whod always wanted one. My last experience with this phenomenon had been disastrous, as the then roommate neglected the poor dog, and she became my responsibility; now I was sick, sometimes unable to walk, and I was determined not to have the same thing happen. So I got to choose the dog. The little doggy room at the SF SPCA was full of yippy young little things, with the exception of a quiet 6-year-old Shih-Tzu/Scotty mix with one eye who had just come out of months of rehab after having been hit by a car in downtown SF. I walked up to her, and she wagged but didnt go nuts. This is the one, I said to the chagrin of the roomie, but to the pleasure of the SPCA, whod thought a middle-aged pup with one eye and three functioning legs might be a hard sell. The roommate was indeed a disaster, a drunk with neat-freak OCD (I couldnt find anything that year -- his system was based on what appealed to him esthetically, not on practicality or ease of location; some things remained lost until I moved a couple of months ago, more about which below.) But when he fell apart and moved back to Hawaii, I got custody. Shes very quiet, mild-mannered yet stubborn, funny when Im depressed, and the only reason I ever went outside during the day during a 2-year period when I went slightly, if understandably, nuts. I got constant grief for walking her without a leash, which I had to do as a leash would have been a disservice to both of us, one of us or the other falling over at each misapprehension. My favorite memories of our time together in SF involve two habits of hers that would send me into gales of laughter. One of them is scent-rolling, something all dogs do (as far as I know) -- for those of you unfamiliar with the term, its that thingy they do when they smell something irresistible on the sidewalk or grass, like a dead worm or fishmeal fertilizer (or worse) and dive head-first into it, writhing ecstatically on the ground for an unspecified length of time, sort of the doggy equivalent of applying Brut or Charley. Long ago relinquishing any dream of being perceived as anything but eccentric, I would usually join in, sitting or standing, bugalooing with her until she stopped; I think it only encouraged her. Its times like these that one has entered the Middle-Aged Urban Eccentric stage of ones life. Dog lovers would smile, sometimes stop and chat; most people ignore it away; and a few make a wide circle. Chaquun a son gout. The other thing she would do, when we disagreed as to what direction to proceed in when we came ato a corner, would be to look at me with confusion and regret (with raised ears, at which times she looks like an Ewok) and proceed to the curb, pointing in the *proper* direction. I would argue with her, usually losing since compared to her, Im a pansy. Its a good thing Im taller than her -- it gives me veto power. Public reactions as above. (In case youre concerned, Id trained her never to step off a curb without permission.) Im learning its peaceful With a good dog and some trees - --Joni Mitchell, Electricity, 1972 Anyhoo, after rough times for both of us over the ensuing three years (near-death experiences and poverty), we are both relatively well and living in Utah, West Bountiful to be exact (about ten miles north of SLC). Hey, isnt there another jmdler in this area? Its taking her a while to get used to severe cold and snow, but shes a trooper. And while it is a bit of a change for me, too, were surrounded by ranches, and I like living among moo-cows and horsies and such. I didnt grow up with them, so theyre a novelty. Were living with an old friend of mine who grew up here, also gay and middle-aged, and aside from having to walk a mile each way to get to the nearest convenience store when hes out of town (more than half the time). Weather permitting, Mari joins me on the walks downtown. I have a belly pouch to carry her in if she gets cold or tired, or when we have to go into a store. Shes partly Shih Tzu And part Scottish Terrier Im quite a bit taller But her chest is way harier - --Walt Breen, Partial (?summer of 2007) I wrote Partial one fine day walking Mari on one of our 2-hour, 2-mile rambles through South of Market or the Fillmore. You can see the general tenor of the piece from the above sample. Its only the second song I ever wrote; the first was a Bacharachesque ditty I wrote when I was 14 and performed exactly twice, once for my mom, and the other time for my best friend and *his* mom. I bring it up just to tell you that I never stopped thinking about yall: the tag was strictly for usns: Theres a wolf from Lindsay Lives in my dog-eat-dog No regrets, coyote Its like fallin off a log Its nice to be back. Id love to hear from anyone who cares to write. Walt Little Breen Just like Jericho The walls come tumbling down Falling on the ground And all the dogs go running free, The wild and gentle dogs Kenneled in me - --Joni Mitchell, Jericho, 1974 _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ This E-mail (including attachments) is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 USC Sections 2510-2521, is confidential and may be legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any retention, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. This electronic transmission (and any enclosures or attachments thereto) is for the protected by the attorney / client privilege. Any further distribution or copying of this message is strictly prohibited by law. If you received this transmission in error, please notify the author and destroy the message (and all attachments and enclosures thereto) immediately. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:05:03 -0800 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: A-membuh me? Welcome home! Good to have you back! Best Paz Michael Paz michael@thepazgroup.com Tour Manager Preservation Hall Jazz Band http://www.preservationhall.com On Dec 26, 2009, at 7:37 PM, Walt Breen wrote: A-membuh me? - -- Eddie Murphy as Buckwheat, (SNL, ca. 1982) Hi gang! Ive been pretty much on hiatus since 2006, when Robert died -- not just w/r/t you guys, but in general. But a dear friend bought me a laptop for Xmas, & Ive been practicing getting my typing fingers limber again. (Actually, the touchpad is giving me the most trouble, as is switching back to Windows after more than 10 years on Macs.) Im losing my hearing, Im blind in one eye, Could you step a little closer As youre telling me good-bye? - -- Andrea Martin as Connie Franklin (Second City TV, ca. 1978) Ill be brief as to what I was doing for the last 3 = years, except to say that the best thing to come out of it was the current love of my life, a shaggy black mini-mutt I named Marineta, a Gasconese name meaning Little Marie (and perversely pronounced Mah-ree-net-oh). Id had no intention of getting a dog, but Id taken on a young (32) roommate whod always wanted one. My last experience with this phenomenon had been disastrous, as the then roommate neglected the poor dog, and she became my responsibility; now I was sick, sometimes unable to walk, and I was determined not to have the same thing happen. So I got to choose the dog. The little doggy room at the SF SPCA was full of yippy young little things, with the exception of a quiet 6-year-old Shih-Tzu/Scotty mix with one eye who had just come out of months of rehab after having been hit by a car in downtown SF. I walked up to her, and she wagged but didnt go nuts. This is the one, I said to the chagrin of the roomie, but to the pleasure of the SPCA, whod thought a middle-aged pup with one eye and three functioning legs might be a hard sell. The roommate was indeed a disaster, a drunk with neat-freak OCD (I couldnt find anything that year -- his system was based on what appealed to him esthetically, not on practicality or ease of location; some things remained lost until I moved a couple of months ago, more about which below.) But when he fell apart and moved back to Hawaii, I got custody. Shes very quiet, mild-mannered yet stubborn, funny when Im depressed, and the only reason I ever went outside during the day during a 2-year period when I went slightly, if understandably, nuts. I got constant grief for walking her without a leash, which I had to do as a leash would have been a disservice to both of us, one of us or the other falling over at each misapprehension. My favorite memories of our time together in SF involve two habits of hers that would send me into gales of laughter. One of them is scent-rolling, something all dogs do (as far as I know) -- for those of you unfamiliar with the term, its that thingy they do when they smell something irresistible on the sidewalk or grass, like a dead worm or fishmeal fertilizer (or worse) and dive head-first into it, writhing ecstatically on the ground for an unspecified length of time, sort of the doggy equivalent of applying Brut or Charley. Long ago relinquishing any dream of being perceived as anything but eccentric, I would usually join in, sitting or standing, bugalooing with her until she stopped; I think it only encouraged her. Its times like these that one has entered the Middle-Aged Urban Eccentric stage of ones life. Dog lovers would smile, sometimes stop and chat; most people ignore it away; and a few make a wide circle. Chaquun a son gout. The other thing she would do, when we disagreed as to what direction to proceed in when we came ato a corner, would be to look at me with confusion and regret (with raised ears, at which times she looks like an Ewok) and proceed to the curb, pointing in the *proper* direction. I would argue with her, usually losing since compared to her, Im a pansy. Its a good thing Im taller than her -- it gives me veto power. Public reactions as above. (In case youre concerned, Id trained her never to step off a curb without permission.) Im learning its peaceful With a good dog and some trees - --Joni Mitchell, Electricity, 1972 Anyhoo, after rough times for both of us over the ensuing three years (near-death experiences and poverty), we are both relatively well and living in Utah, West Bountiful to be exact (about ten miles north of SLC). Hey, isnt there another jmdler in this area? Its taking her a while to get used to severe cold and snow, but shes a trooper. And while it is a bit of a change for me, too, were surrounded by ranches, and I like living among moo- cows and horsies and such. I didnt grow up with them, so theyre a novelty. Were living with an old friend of mine who grew up here, also gay and middle-aged, and aside from having to walk a mile each way to get to the nearest convenience store when hes out of town (more than half the time). Weather permitting, Mari joins me on the walks downtown. I have a belly pouch to carry her in if she gets cold or tired, or when we have to go into a store. Shes partly Shih Tzu And part Scottish Terrier Im quite a bit taller But her chest is way harier - --Walt Breen, Partial (?summer of 2007) I wrote Partial one fine day walking Mari on one of our 2-hour, 2-mile rambles through South of Market or the Fillmore. You can see the general tenor of the piece from the above sample. Its only the second song I ever wrote; the first was a Bacharachesque ditty I wrote when I was 14 and performed exactly twice, once for my mom, and the other time for my best friend and *his* mom. I bring it up just to tell you that I never stopped thinking about yall: the tag was strictly for usns: Theres a wolf from Lindsay Lives in my dog-eat-dog No regrets, coyote Its like fallin off a log Its nice to be back. Id love to hear from anyone who cares to write. Walt Little Breen Just like Jericho The walls come tumbling down Falling on the ground And all the dogs go running free, The wild and gentle dogs Kenneled in me - --Joni Mitchell, Jericho, 1974 _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/177141665/direct/01/ ------------------------------ End of onlyJMDL Digest V2009 #350 ********************************* ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:onlyjoni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe