Land of Guns and Honey

Far be it from me to criticise, whine, complain. Oh, wait- that's what I do. You don't turn your back on a friend, though, especially when they're down. Somehow the good guys are gonna have to get some kind of control of the US government. 

The majority of Americans are fine, decent folks. A vast majority. I grew up with kind, fair people who shared their good fortune. 

Oh, we frequently had it wrong. Indigenous people. Slaves. The environment. I could go on but I don't want my little blog banned in Florida.

Maybe the old girl has just had her day. Empires rise and empires tumble. It surely seems to me, however, that if the majority made the big decisions again for awhile, that there's plenty of life in her.

Meanwhile, the weather is lovely in Dorset. I'll see you in October.

 

Shot Who?

 

We got a new king, you got another massacre. Sick and sorry as I feel, I have to admit to some small degree of validation. My definition of quality of life has never had much to do with GDP or stars, stripes and steeples.

I've had so many friends wish me well with some version of, "I'd go, too, if I had the nerve. I wish I could get out of here."

Well, I've had a hankering to go since Please, Please Me and She Loves You. I never left, probably because I didn't have the nerve. I still wouldn't. I fell in love.

People are people everywhere. If you're reading this, I probably miss you.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

Yeah, But Wait 'til The Sun Shines

 

Well, sir, I'm back in the UK, legally and all and not a minute too soon. Cable news in the States was about to get the better of me. Oh, I could have turned it off. Walked away. Wait- no I couldn't. I would have if I could.

School shootings and indictments. Sinking states and skyrocketing insurance bills. Half the country hates the other half and one of those sides is armed to the teeth. A Supreme Court that is reviled by pretty much everyone.

More than once I've had friends tell me, "I don't blame you. I would leave here, too, if I had the nerve."

I presume they think I'm leaving for a calmer political climate. Of course that's merely a side benefit in my case.

I left for love.

One Chased Gold

Three months apart. Could have been brothers. Deep South, good times, charmed lives, different paths. The first-born kept his nose to the grindstone and Jesus in his heart. He shook more hands and climbed more ladders. The other one found rock'n'roll, or maybe rock'n'roll found him. He thought saints whispered in his ear and took good care of him.

They still do!

Does everybody live happily ever after?

Everything sounds like Song of the South mixed with A Hard Day's Night.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war. That's what Lottie taught both of them.

 

Purple Puzzle Pieces

 

Sometimes I just want to be sure that nobody accuses me of taking the easy way. My brain learned a long time ago not to argue with my heart.

For fools like me, there's only one way. Honestly, I feel sorry for those others.

I'm almost home, Sweetheart. Break out the Champagne and the monkey nuts.

Angel Breath and Radar Guns

 

Well, sir- I've come this far and I never believed in rearview mirrors. All the rolltop, bebop travel guides in the western world ignored Portland, Dorset for too long. Far too long.

We've discovered the centre of the universe. Did you notice how some spell-check doolollie changed the spelling there? I feel like I've blundered onto the set of A Hard Day's Night.

For some time now I've been suspicious that life would present itself. That opening act was alright. Fine, in fact. This, though, is sublime. It's Tecnicolor©. Maybe it's the set of Help!

My trusty pack is waiting for me. Not patiently, I hope. As soon as the Home Office determines that I'm fit for UK soil, I'm off again. I pray, in my way, for kindness to return to these shores.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

Gonna Get Along Without Me Now

 

Heroes fall and I'm humbled to be reminded that the world will get along just fine without us when we're gone. I've been in the UK for about three and a half months now and somehow the good ol' U.S. seems to be holding together, somewhat, in spite of the ravings of that lunatic blonde from Georgia.

In a few days I'll be flying back to Florida to await a visa. It's ludicrous to fret that England might struggle to get by without me for a couple of months. I do.

Give us peace on earth and end this dreadful, dreadful war.

R.I.P. David Lindley.