A Bit of Dosh


That’s a word I learned from a brit who was my roommate in new orleans back in 1986 - we’d met at the youth hostel and, both fish out of water, decided to share the cost of rent in the french quarter in a little studio apartment upstairs of the parade bar. I think that he came from a comfortable background and was “roughing it” but could have wired home for “a bit of dosh” whenever he wanted, whereas there wasn’t truly that much money back home waiting for me to wire home for. I mean, mom and dad could have flown me home, perhaps... but they might not have been able to bail me out of jail. In any case, I’m reminded of this turn of phrase as a musician - all musicians are in one way or another hustling for a bit of dosh. Few of us are naive and / or stupid enough to be motivated by the idea of a lot of it, but we all need a bit of it, for rent, for food, for guitar strings or what have you. And it is because of this that we are concerned with copyright. Particularly when we get older money becomes more of an issue. 

When you’re 20 you can wing it, fly by the seat of your pants, do without, but when you’re twice that you start needing some comfort, and if you’ve got bairns they require a great deal of it. This is why you see some of the old acts hustling more now than they ever have before - they are realizing that if they don’t cash in now they’re going to have trouble picking up the tab later. And nothing says elder statesman like being able to pick up the tab. You feel as if you’re an adult if you can dial back and help out those 20-somethings who are what you were, more or less. Give them a bed and three squares, loan them a nice jacket. You can’t do this if you are scraping just like you did back then. And as far as stupid jobs are concerned, your tolerance for those decreases as the proximity of your death increases.

It is roundabout this train of thought that I recalled the fact that somebody owes me money, possibly a little, possibly a lot. Possibly a very great deal - hard to say, really. The trouble is, I do not want to talk to them about this matter or anything else. I’d kissed it all off, frankly, in exchange for that pleasurable luxury: not having to talk to them. But then again, isn’t that what nasty sharklike lawyers are for? What to do, what to do. I’m not really that sort, and water has flowed beneath this bridge all right, enough to cover the face of the earth. But as others are now dependent upon me to stock the table, I must revisit this idea of shaking the old tree for what is rightfully mine, that which I have abdicated lo these many years in order to enjoy that trade-off of not having to speak to or look in the faces of people who make me check my pockets whenever I stand within ten feet of them. What to do, what to do. what would you do? Of course if i were like most people i’d have the memory and the nose of an elephant when it comes to money. I suppose that’s a reason, if not the main reason, why I have so very little of it.

A Head's Up


Hello Everyone!  Hope you're all well. I am enjoying Disney World for the first time ever! Had a great time on the beach last Sunday for my 40th, thanks so much for all the wonderful birthday wishes (my feet, however, wish I had remembered to cover them as much as I did everything else as they are still a little sore ,oops apparently the mind is the first thing to go...) so, it turns out there were a few technical difficulties with the contest, so everyone who has commented will be entered and I'll announce the winner in a couple of days. Yay! I'm looking forward to it! Now, I must leave you all for the moment while I check the hours for Epcot tomorrow. Best to you all and I'll 'see' you soon!

Shift Happens


That's right, shift happens. And it's been happening all around us lately. And it's all good! I didn't want to come back on this blog and post the typical, "I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in six months" that most people blurp out. So I'll just be plain honest and authentic. The only way I know how to be. Life has been wonderful for all of us, really wonderful! We spent some time in Alabama after leaving Florida back in Jan/Feb. Alabama is beautiful and we plan on visiting again as we really enjoyed our time there. We left just in time, by chance, to miss the tornado's that ripped through Alabama and the surrounding areas. We actually arrived back in Ontario, Canada at the end of March. For any of you that know Ontario and the month of March are probably wondering WHY we would be back that early in the year. Burr! As soon as we hit Michigan there was SNOW. We knew we were in for a long wait for Spring/Summer to arrive. But we came back to help family and that's just what we have been doing. We were invited to stay at a family members property for a little while. This "little while" turned into four (long) months. Although the property we stayed on was beautiful - country setting and all - it became a little cramped and inconvenient for all of us. We had no hook ups (no water, no electricity) in the RV but were able to use the facilities in the house (that's vacant) on the property. That was kind of neat for a week or two. But then something happened to the well (the house is on well water and septic) and there went our water supply. Driving into town to families places to shower, brush our teeth and do dishes was far from enjoyable.


So we decided to go and grab a campsite at a local conservation area. We will be here until the end of September. We are familiar with this campground as we have stayed here before and it's a really convenient location for us at the moment. We have been here for about three weeks now and are thoroughly enjoying the modern conveniences of running water and 30 Amp electricity (yay for air conditioning!) all within the comfort of our home! Another thing we have been really enjoying while staying at this campground is the fact that our friends, Stephanie, Greg & Noƫlle are staying at the campsite right across from us! We have been in touch with them for over a year now online and they have just, within the last week or so, became full timers! Congratulations you three! We are still beyond excited for you to begin your full time journey! So enjoying a Canadian summer with family, friends, and tons of fun is what we have been up to. As many of you that follow us on Facebook (where I update regularly because it's fast, convenient and interactive) know, we do not have Internet in the RV. We have to drive to the library or some place with WiFi to grab a signal. For me, as a blogger, I love to blog in the moment and can't be bothered with pre-blogging and then posting and adding pictures later. So I blog when I can and when I have something to share. Thank you all for your kind and encouraging emails for me to continue posting here. I hope that you all have been enjoying your summer and creating beautiful memories along the way. It's time for me to get back to my family and enjoy a delicious summer barbecued meal!