Rhymes With Foreclosure...

So we've been clearing clutter in the house for the sake of comfort & peace of mind, not to mention (oops, I mentioned it) in case we need to sell or have to bug out at short notice or get foreclosed.  I packed  a couple of boxes with books I'd read and didn't care much for and hauled them to the local Half-Price Books.  Love that store.  I browsed the cheap vinyl while the buyer was looking the books over to make an offer.  Marcy waited in a chair nearby.  I picked up Elton John's Honky Chateau for 48 cents because I remembered my Aunt Karen used to have that one in her collection.  That was before Elton John became famous then became a parody of himself.  I always liked "Rocket Man" on that album.  Then I picked up The Best of the Statler Brothers, also for 48 cents.  They're one of my Dad's faves and I'm sure it will stir plenty of sentimental memories but I especially wanted it for the song "Flowers On The Wall."  If you think the Statler Bros. are cornball, think again:  they opened for Johnny Cash for 8 years, "Flowers On The Wall" was used in the film "Pulp Fiction," and author Kurt Vonnegut called them "America's Poets."  How cool is that?  But they had me at "Dad's favorites."

I stood up - the cheap vinyl is at floor level - and looked over to check on Marcy.  She gets bored in stores like this while I could spend a good hour just on the records then move on to the book clearance in back and really settle in for browsing.  In this case she was just glad to get out of the house for a bit.  Marcy was chatting with a guy who had his back to me.  He turned around and I saw it was our pal Kenny Ozz, who had performed at our cafe with his band Drugstore Valentine, had put together another band show or two for us, and had even set us up with a a movie premiere from a local producer/director.  Our bar presented entertainment a bit outside the norm.  Too bad norm keeps most businesses running.  Anyway, Kenny hooked our sons Dylan & Derek and their band Sucker Punch Sally up with a show at The Inner Circle, formerly Annie's.  Their first show is coming up soon, March 6 at Play By Play Cafe.  We're pretty excited about the boys playing together.

Kenny shook my hand and we chatted for a few and he went on his way.  In the upper bin were the more expensive records.  I flipped through with the casual skill of long experience - man, how many record bins have I flipped through - and pulled out Carol King's Tapestry for $2.98.  The book buyer called my name then and I went back to accept an offer of 8 bucks and a 10% off coupon.  I also learned that they can't buy library discards so I took those with me.  I didn't want Marcy to get bored so I skipped the book clearance and paid up.  Three records for 4 bucks plus 4 bucks in my pocket, plus a handful of library discard books I might be able to yard-sale.  Life is pretty good.

So I listened to Carol King as I typed the first part of this posting.  I'm not a skilled typist and I stop often to check the record liner notes, stunned to find she wrote "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" in 1960, when she must have been about 18.  She and husband Gerry Goffin wrote a ton of hits in the Sixties before she went singer/songwriter in the Seventies.

You know, I've written and performed a song or two in my day, and I guess my day ain't over.  I've been in contact with the old gang and we're getting it back on track.  They say the best way to write is to write about what you know, and I've been working on a song I've titled "Foreclosure Party."  I got a few good rhymes & lines in it but I felt stuck until a recent news story on local TV.  Check this guy out, he's my anti-hero of the day: 

Frustrated Owner Bulldozes Home Ahead Of Foreclosure - Man Says Actions Intended To Send Message To Banks
MOSCOW, Ohio --

"I'll tear it down before I let you take it," Hoskins told them.

Go ahead and read the copyrighted article on the link, video & slideshow there too.  But for those who don't, here's the gist.  He's in big financial trouble:  his former business partner brother sued him, the IRS has liens on his business, his house is collateral.  The bank wouldn't accept a short sale on his $350,000 house and started foreclosure so he got on a bulldozer and reduced it to rubble.  FLATTENED IT!!  He says he'll do the same to his business.  No bloodshed, mighty big satisfaction.  A reader survey in the article got 78% saying "good for him." 9% said "bad idea" and 13% said "prosecute him."  I say a working class hero is something to be!

I got a really cool package in the mail from my friend Lili over at FEARLESS NESTING.  She sent me a box, decorated on the outside with a sea-worn crockery shard, and containing several bits of sea-worn beer bottle.  One was a piece of a bottle's bottom and you can still make out the raised letters "JUAN."  Do you think it was a Puertan Rican bottle that floated up to Maine?  Fascinating!  She also threw in something she made:  a raku pottery pendant with her "trademark" moose imprint.  It's a keeper, thanks so much, Lili!