Much of New York and New Jersey is  under water . Yet somehow we managed to drive an hour south to shore to experience water that's enjoyable and still in its' rightful place. We were not allowed to swim, only wade knee deep. The only ones allowed in the water were lifeguards and surfers. These twin girls with matching fedoras were mesmerized by each wave that crashed in front of them. Nothing much changed for the seagulls. They still covered the beach like they own it. And scavenged for left behind food. This one found an entire unopened package of peanut butter crackers. The strong waves must have been ideal for surfing. It was nice to enjoy this water for an afternoon, rather driving a car through it, hoping you'll make it. Or passing a neighborhood of houses under water. Thinking of all those affected by the flooding today, and hoping the recovery is swift.

One day after Hurricane Irene hit our area, I had a scheduled performance at Gizzi's Cafe in NYC. I knew it would be a small crowd braving the aftermath of the storm, but I vowed to play if I could get there.  The crowd was intimate, but good, especially since I had my friend Autumn in the audience. This is a video from the evening, "A Builder," which is a song written about my dad. Enjoy!

We met in 3rd and 4th grade. Autumn was the new kid in school and we became fast friends, lasting throughout elementary, junior high, and high school. She was present at both of my sister's weddings...first my little sister when she (at the age of 3), married my stuffed bear, Taylor. And second, at my older sister's wedding as a lovely (adult) bridesmaid. Autumn is the kind of friend who, despite losing touch for a while, can pick up right where we left off, laughing, joking, and talking. In the last 5 years, we've lived in different parts of the country and  been to  different countries when suddenly, we found a chance to reconnect. Her visit landed smack in the middle of an earthquake and a hurricane. But leave it to Autumn's perpetual optimism to enjoy every minute of the ill-timed catastrophes. "I'm just so happy to be here, to see you and your life after all these years." She said. "I can't help smiling like a school girl." Yes, from he

Last night I watched 2 heavy set ladies dancing in their yard. They provided their own soundtrack as the rain soaked them, singing, "Come On Irene" to the tune of Dexys Midnight Runner's, "Come on Eileen." They swayed and laughed, their very own rain dance. In the middle of the night, Irene did come. We were fortunate to have little damage and injuries. Just water, wind, and some downed branches. Goodbye Irene. Don't come again. 

"Feather in a Hurricane" A turbulent whirlwind came. Atrocious, frightening weather. And it tossed everything in it's path. In it's midst was one lonely feather. Try as it might,  It was powerless to fight. First cast aloft, and then nether. Twas easier when  They were all on the hen And could fight the current together!

~~~ I hardly ever get carded anymore. There is a small laugh line near my mouth that doesn’t go away anymore when I am not smiling. I definitely can’t lose weight as easily as I used to. Traiterous strands of my mousy brown hair are turning gray already—genetics that I blame on my Mexican grandmother—so I dye my hair to a level 6 brunette. Sounds like I turned 30 recently! In my cynical moments, I consider my 20’s a total wash, but the hindsight and lessons learned just might be worth it.  1. ‘No’ is a complete sentence. 2. You don’t OWE anybody anything. Doesn’t matter who they are. 3. I finally understand what God says about being powerless over our own sin. Nuff said. 4. Truth is always, Always, ALWAYS your friend, no matter how painful it might be. 5. Forcing your own truth onto someone else can result in disaster. 6. Giving love to get love is not really love at all. 7. Criticism, judgment and general bad behavior covered in love, isn’t love either. 8. My cousin Renee’ on

Once upon a time, there was a happy little dog named Joy. She discovered a  nearby tree  that provided hours of entertainment. It seemed, when she ran in a circle around the tree, the end of her leash was always within a step or two. If she could just run a  tad  faster, she might catch it. She never did... It became her daily challenge, "Must catch the end of my leash!" Until one day, her tree was buried deep in the snow. Undeterred, she found a nearby telephone pole that made a fine substitute. When the snow melted, she was again reunited with her beloved tree. And then, one day as she sprinted towards her tree, anticipating the fun and excitement she would soon experience chasing her leash around it, she was greeted with...mulch. Crestfallen and dismayed, she sniffed the ground, hoping for her tree to reappear some how, some way. And just when I thought the saga of the tree was over...Joy noticed a street sign sticking up from the ground. Yep. You just can't keep