Day: May 13, 2007

Because it is Mother’s Day and I am therefore entitled, I took off for a solo walk through my neighborhood. Not once during the walk did I have to stop to cajole anyone into motion. Nor did I have to holler to anyone to slow down. It was really nice. As I walked I looked at houses and yards. I like to look at other people’s yards. It gives me ideas about what to do with my own. I also entertain myself playing the “If that house were mine” game. That is where in the space of time it takes me to walk past the house I look at it and make a few mental plans for how I would change it. Many of the houses in my neighborhood are architecturally uninteresting. Lots of them are just brick boxes. A very few houses actually have the deep porches and dormier windows that I just love. Not a single house in our neighborhood has a turret or bay window which I also love.

After my legs got tired, I turned my feet back home. My house doesn’t have a deep porch or dormier windows. It is one step above brick box because it has aluminum siding as well. But it is at the end of a cul de sac and today the yard looks pretty good. I finally got weeds pulled and the lawn mowed. Hopefully this next week I’ll get to do some more. I love arriving back home to a place that I have made beautiful.

Howard and I were invited by our friend Kevin Wasden to come to his house for a concert. He knows a couple of talented musicians and they performed for an hour. I didn’t go for the music. I went because it was a chance for Howard and I to go on a date. I hoped to have the chance to visit with Kevin, but I didn’t expect to be impressed by the concert itself.

Contrary to my expectation, I did enjoy the music. More than that, I was impressed by these two women. Stephanie Smith and Debra Fotheringham are both local, but they travel all over the country to perform at small concerts. They are both young musicians who are just beginning to spread their wings and fly. After the concert was over I got to talk with both of them. I got to hear about how they’ve arrived where they are and where they hope to go from here. They were delightful to talk to and I would love to visit with them more.

I walked away from the experience happy. I had never been to a house concert before. I love the idea that people can get together in a small social setting just to enjoy music and being together. I want to host events like that some day. I’m beginning to sense that there is this whole local network of creative motivated people. The more people in this network I meet, the more I am amazed. Without exception they have been fascinating and intelligent. Everyone is trying to help the others succeed. I know that not all creative communities function that way, but I love it.

I want to do more to build the local creative community. I want to be able to connect with creative people more often than twice per year at the local conventions. This is even more motivation to get my house into shape. I want to be able to entertain here. I want to do what I can to bring creative people together so that we can all help each other grow.

In that vein, you should all go check out Stephanie and Debra’s websites. They both have CDs available for sale. They each performed 7 songs and all were enjoyable, but four songs in particular really spoke to me. Stephanie’s “Self Portrait” and “Fragile Sometimes” both express things I’ve felt. Debra’s “Build me a Road” and “Waiting” had fascinating interactions between wordplay and music. They resonated for me by painting vivid pictures and moods.