truthy fun.

Or is it funny truth? A lot of things are humorous simply because they are all too true.

Such as this Onion article. By way of preview:

"In the coming weeks and months, people will have to make some really important decisions about some really important issues," Columbia University historian Douglas R. Collins said during a press conference, speaking very slowly and clearly so the nation could follow his words. "And one thing we can do, before making a choice that has permanent consequences for our entire civilization, is check real quick first to see if human beings have ever done anything like it previously, and see if turned out to be a good idea or not."

"It's actually pretty simple: We just have to ask ourselves if people doing the same thing in the past caused something bad to happen," Collins continued. "Did the thing we're thinking of doing make people upset? Did it start a war? If it did, then we might want to think about not doing it."

A song in the key of free.

I love music. I love good deals.

iTunes has a good deal every week: a few free songs to legally download. What!? They can often be duds, but sometimes they are magical and lovely and introduce me to new artists I wouldn't have met otherwise. iTunes has gifted me music from The Civil Wars, Owl City, Robert Earl Keen, Bon Iver and Patty Griffin. Awesome.

Might I recommend this week's Indie Spotlight: Atlas Hands by Benjamin Francis Leftwich. I have never heard of this band before, but I think I like them now. Deep lyrics, interesting sound, I like it. And for free, why not give it a go? If you are interested, here is how one would obtain said song.

1) Open iTunes

2) Scroll all the way to the bottom. Look for "Free on iTunes"

3) Click the Indie Spotlight song

4) Voila. Hit the free button and you now own a shiny new song all for the low, low price of free. Rock on.

fall is folk.

Grab your scarf, a mug of hot coffee, your flannel, an engulfing book and settle in - fall is almost here. I'm pretty sure I heard warm, deep sighs all across Minneapolis as I drove to work this morning. In Minnesota, we take our summers seriously. But the fun has been had and fall is upon us. Deep breath, time to relax.

There are many things I love about fall. A few of which are noted above. One of the charms of fall: it is the perfect time of year for folk music. The warmth, nostalgia, and depth of folk music are best appreciated in a warm sweater, probably while watching the leaves change colors, maybe while journaling deep, wistful thoughts or reading some soul stirring novel. Did I warn you that I can be dramatic? I'm a closet romantic - and fall brings her out.

Here are three pandora stations to get you started, one old, one new, & one commercial. And a few great artists, (some only dabble): The Wailing Jennys, Allison Kraus, Bob Dylan, Eva Cassidy, Patty Griffin, Tallest Man on Earth, Damien Rice, Brandy Carlisle, Avett Brothers, Ray Lamontagne, Amos Lee, Gillian Welch, & Mumford and Sons.

Cheers!

living with less rules.

"Oh my soul and body!" CoraLouise exclaimed as she looked out the window onto a bush that spilled over with hydrangeas. When she said it, I knew she meant it - she loved those flowers. CoraLouise has what we call Chutzpah. She is who she is, through and through and doesn't let anyone tell her otherwise. She is not afraid of who she is and throughly enjoys her life in all that she does.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying her company and fiery personality at the lake. At one point she was wearing the baseball cap of her granddaughter's husband, all of course while laughing and telling us the story of the 80 year old springs that she has under her mattress. If you knew Cora you wouldn't need any evidence of the ferocity with which she lives life, it is written all over her at every minute of the day. But, by way of example: Cora has squirrel paraphernalia all over her cabin and apartment. Why? Because a few years back Cora single handedly killed a squirrel, with a double edged axe. Chutzpah.

When I was spending time with Cora this weekend I couldn't help but think of a line from a poem that the Red Hat Society has used as a battle cry of sorts:

"When I am an old woman I shall wear purple. With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me."

The poem goes on to talk about all these things she will do in her old age, because she can't do them now. Now she must be responsible, adult like. She has rules to live by. But it ends with the thought that maybe she should do them now. Miss CoraLouise inspired me to do that just by the way she lived her life.

What if I didn't wait for old age to free me from the bounds of expectation and rule?

I want to live like Cora does, with passion and vigor and life. Not to go Paula Cole on you, but I don't want to wait for my life to be over, to live it the way I've always wanted to. I think CoraLouise would agree with me in this: let's live life today without the silly rules and pretense that so often holds us down.

Gather up your courage and go live the life you actually mean to live, today.

beauty in the blue.

“And then out of the blue, there it was - the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen”

Often we go along in life and are suddenly struck by beauty. Beauty makes us stop and wonder, stand in awe, have hope. Beauty adds to our lives in countless ways, but how often do we miss it? That is the purpose of this blog: to find beauty wherever I go, in whatever life brings me. If beauty is coming out of the blue, why not go in & find it for myself? I believe, if we all just look for it, we will find beauty everywhere, because it was placed there for us.

This is my second foray into blogging. It might take, it might flop. I hope I don’t add to the clutter of information and voices already out there. What I hope for most: discovering reasons to be thankful everyday & that in seeing beauty it would cause me – and you – to climb out of the rubble of despair and sadness that the world often thrusts upon us to see that we have real reasons to have hope and joy.