One of Ally’s current piano songs is Bill Wither’s Lean on Me. I’ve heard it a lot in the last few weeks. Like, a lot. And I’m still not tired of it. I’ve always loved R&B and soul music but I think that song might be one of the best, if not the best, songs written in the last fifty years.
It is incredible how simple the lyrics appear to be. Just normal everyday language. The older I get and the more books I write, the more I appreciate how hard and how impressive it is to explain something in simple terms.
His voice was incredible of course, but I think the real power is those lyrics. They are quite literally almost unforgettable.
You know you’re humming it right now. That’s magic.
Technically this was very late Friday night, almost nosing into Saturday morning, but it does explain my Cecilia doesn’t make a blog appearance until after lunch.
The eighth grade trip to Washington, D.C. was largely a huge success (other than one bus breakdown on the way home that delayed their arrival).
A rare flat moment in a morning run full of hills.
Not to be left out of the summer stadium concert experience, we ticked off a bucket list item with some Bruce tickets. Not quite as stressful as procuring Taylor tickets.
The girl’s response: “Who?”
Sigh. Their music education continues…
The door remained closed though we did make a few wellness checks.
Meanwhile next door, Ally began her day in the usual way. Making some art at her desk with some disco accent lighting.
Michelle and I spent much of the day putting some sweat equity into doing some landscaping. No Mow May came to a crashing halt.
But first, a visit to the transfer station, of course where we learned that the swap station was happy to accept fifty-year-old shutters.
There was some questions on the drive over as to whether the bee hive activity on the back of the shutters was actually dormant or not…
Here’s a rare look inside the fluorescent lighting shed.
Later Saturday morning is probably not the best time of week to shop for plants but we managed to rescue a few for the porch baskets.
Still lamenting the closing of the local Ann & Hope for affordable plants and shrubs.
Might need to make some commemorative t-shirts.
Our contract with the Tooth Fairy is nearing its end but we’re not there yet. Ally pulled out another one yesterday morning.
It didn’t slow down her production. She spent much of the morning in her basement studio. She has endless ideas.
If you ever need gift ideas for Ally, just go with canvases or paint.
I look forward to the day where someone goes through our basement to curate Ally’s outsider art exhibition at the Whitney.
We are working on a book together. Roby and the Lost Baguette. Ally is doing the illustrations and helping me with story ideas. Here is a sneak peek at the cover. Stay tuned for pre-orders!
Around the time of day where Doritos become an acceptable food, Cecilia did emerge from her room and we actually got a pretty decent recap of her trip.
I like the juxtaposition of the modern AirPods here with the old and janky band saw that I probably found in the garage when we moved in.
It got the job done and then Michelle came over and hauled it away.
The town did some road work on our street this week and the kids weren’t happy. I didn’t realize the growing sinkholes were a hidden cul de sac treasure for puddle jumpers.
Also, they were all annoyed with the rocks and pebbles disrupting the smooth flow for their skates and scooters.
Ally did her best to remedy the situation.
The mangy rescue plants found a forever home. With a little TLC, they should be fine.
Cultivation done, it was time for cocktail hour and a serious discussion about how the local brewery’s fancy ‘Italian pilsner’ measured up to a Peroni.
Jury is still out. Peroni definitely has it on price to value ration however.
While the girls and I finished the day on the couch, Michelle was still pining for more Taylor, watching a livestream of the Jersey show.
Michelle will tell you there’s some magic there, too.
Happy Memorial Day! Thanks for your service, Dad!
