Mixed Emotions 2026

When I Get Home , Baby    Gonna Light Your Fire      All Day I've Been Thinkin' About You , Babe    You're My One Desire      Gonna Wrap My Arms Around You     Hold You Close To Me    Oh , Babe I Wanna Taste Your Lips    I Wanna Be Your Fantasy , Yeah      Don't Know What I'd Do Without You , Babe       Don't Know Where I'd Be    You're Not Just Another Lover    No , You're Everything To Me    Every Time I'm With You , Baby    I Can't Believe It's True     When You're Layin' In My Arms    And You Do  The Things You Do     You Can See It In My Eyes   I Can Feel It In Your Touch    You Don't Have To Say A Thing     Just Let Me Show You How Much      I Love You     I Need Ya , Yeah      I Wanna Kiss You All Over   And Over Again    I Wanna Kiss You All Over    Till The Night Closes In    Stay With Me   Lay With Me    Hold Me    Love Me , Baby    Here With Me    Near With Me    Feeling You Close To Me , Baby 

Exlie

Mixed Emotions 1978 

DOGS:

Scored once again on the cool tribe of pets. And these three are a classic I tell ya. Three completely different personalities with nothing but love in their hearts. Yes Please 

However , this Ol Gal above is aging rapidly and it just chews on my heart strings like a dog's bowl of fresh grinding with added Yum Yum sprinkled on top. It's not just an age thing , it is pure unequivocally reality. Make It Count 

One sleeps on the couch , tucked away behind the comforts and protection of an arm pillow. So funny dogs are. Or at least can be. The other one never leaves my side. Humans know where the food is so must not leave humans side. And then there is this pose of Whatever. Yeah Right 

And then comes the guilt trip glance. This look below is exactly why I do not have a companion of my own. Many other reasons and factors for sure but it is that guilty expression that works me over to my core. No Mas

Good news here is that she ate dinner for me every night. Some breakfast mornings were a hard no thanx. But dinners are where it is at apparently. So That's Cool 

I laughed my caboose off for hours over this cartoon below. And we are so totally familiar with these songs. Cover tunes and parodies make my day. #2 brings a smile to my heart , #3 is a keeper , #5 rocks , #8 goes to the top three for sure , and #10 is a personal fav as I have performed that tune live and it will never be the same with the vision of Squirrels. Thank You Metzger 

DRIVING:

Teaching is still exceptional and these students are more impressive with every drive. Yes , there is the 'must check my phone after a two hour drive' mentality but they have been respectful about it. Easy Peasy 

In order to help these students understand traffic situations , I make it a point to not take away their power. For instance , if they fail to check their mirrors after a turn or the safe completion of navigating through an intersection , I will simply ask them to tell me what street we are on. Then , when it is safe , I bring up the "Do you remember when we were driving on such in such street?" That is when I explain the why we do or what we could do or what the other driver did or why it is so import to check that mirror. So the setup is very important for the delivery to stick in their minds. Safety third with a grin. And yes , the forum these kids are using , apparently I am the sought after coach/instructor. A student , me playing dumb , informed of what has been said recently after they discovered that this is our last drive together. Their next two drives is with "Not The Old Guy" they responded. For me , teachable moments isn't that difficult. But the old guy's style clearly doesn't jive with the younger generation. Yikes 

My next step , I have enrolled in the Motorcycle Safety And Basic Rider Skills Course. Here in about two weeks , wish me luck , I will be tackling a two day class and educating myself from the perspective of a motorcycling operator. Do I want a motorbike?? No. Do I want to commuter on a motorbike?? No. Do I want to start riding a motorbike on the motorway?? Not At All 

BASH:

This years Palisade Bash was totally righteous and I almost missed out. Four separate local watering holes hosted bluegrass bands throughout the four day festival. I happily camped out at Talbot's Hard Cider venue and let me tell you about the highlight for me personally. Airshow is a professionally touring band from Nashville Tennessee and they are so not a bluegrass band. These four guys performed for a solid two hours and melted notes into a transcending psychedelic pot of goodness. Executing original tunes with a little tweak of giggles , like a song about a bullfrog on a lily pad as if Gary Larson was telling the story. When they first took to the stage , minimal attendees and yet Airshow still got after it as if it was packed house. Then , a bus on the circuit loop unloaded heaps of folks and the atmosphere shifted deep into the matrix. I believe , my own opinion here , everyone had their fill of bluegrass by Saturday evening and this performance filled our jonesing gap. Thank You Airshow 

So we all stumbled on the hill into downtown Palisade for the last two remaining bands on this Saturday night and wow was I ever in for a treat. Between the distillery and the brewery , all attendees poured out into the street between the two host establishments. The promoters were a little dubious that the cops were going to shut the whole thing down but everyone danced with their best foot forward. No Issues , No Tissues , And Loads of good ol down to earth dancing in the streets. Thank You Palisade 

REPAIRS:

Still working everyday but Sundays and I am definitely flirting with a big burnout stretch. It is my own doing so I should just buck up and carry on. But still , the candle is indistinguishably burning from both ends. After replacing a section of PVC Pipe in the pool room , I was treated to some happy on the knees tile work. Oh Joy 

Just because I know how to set tile , doesn't mean I really want to. Thankfully it was only repairing these four larger sized tiles and then grouting a few days later. Not a big job at all and I still took my time to finish it correctly. The birds chirping over my shoulder would have preferred I did it like this or you know what you should do comments floated into my earhole. Old Timers 

 

As a way of beautifying Crossroads , planted these barrels on Earth Day. Little did I know , this would be my viral CrackBook moment in time. A lovely woman casually asked for my photo and I didn't think anything of it. I dumped my Crackbook page when the Boy Dog passed , left a puppy photo of him while informing my "friends" and thanking everyone whom enjoyed our company , photos , and videos. Miss That Dog 

So I arrived the other day to water these plants , two separate members made me aware of this posting. The photo is silly and the LIKES are off the charts. Makes me shake my head as I upload Time Lapse video for 3 to 7 views but a goofy photo of my with plants is what viewers crave. Classic 

That swim kick board is a lifesaver for my knees I tell ya. What really giggles my happy belly was how many of the Silver Sneakers commented on how early I was planting and how a freeze will kill these plants. It blows me way as I would never drop a censorious comment over someones shoulders as a walk by party foul. But opinionated old people love projecting without even realizing what message they just sent. Fox News 

Having said that , there were numerous folks that lit up like a holidaze tree when they saw me planting away. For those few knuckleheads , many more thanked me with genuine gratitude and unselfish appreciation. Go Team Human 

My offering below to Mother Earth on Earth Day. Snapped off this photo and sent it out to my friends with the caption Happy Earth Day. Simply Sending Vibes  

At least there are a few of us still caring for Mother Earth. She Is Sick 

I Am So Ready For A Vacation ,

Cheers 

My Own Horn

Give Me Time To Realize My Crime   Let Me Love And Steal    I Have Danced Inside Your Eyes   How Can I Be Real    Do You Really Want To Hurt Me    Do You Really Want To Make Me Cry   Precious Kisses   Words That Burn Me   Lovers Never Ask You Why    In My Heart   The Fire Is Burning     Choose My Colour   Find A Star    Precious People Always Tell Me    That Is A Step Too Far    Do You Really Want To Hurt Me    Do You Really Want To Make Me Cry 

Culture Club

Sept 6th 1982 Do You Really Want To Hurt Me 

BRACKETOLOGY:

This years Madness was an embarrassment but just worthy enough of a victory. My bracket was beyond pathetic but there was one lonely difference that allowed me to claim the pot. Everyone predicted Duke or AZ or Florida to win the title in our league play. Me , I was the only one to take The Wolverines over Iowa St. Actually, Michigan necessitated that win for me vs Tennessee and that one victory on my bracket sheet was enough to land me in the circle of bragging rights once again. Ear To Ear 

KALINDERRRRRRRRZ:

My oldest niece hit the Big 31. Is 31 big? Does 31 sound big? Anyway , another trip around the sun and another reason for a gathering. And another opportunity for an evening at The Mesa Theater. As you know , haven't been a big fan of the Mesa but there has been a shift in the matrix. Earlier start times , cool. Staff have eased up on the Nazi factor , cool. And I thought that I heard wrong when the ticket booth said $21 tonight. Had to be $41 , not $21. Nope. The show was only twenty one dollars. Unreal 

Fabricated another tray and this one contains handles. Yahoooo000000 Pretty dang stoked with the outcome of this one. The cube effect , Thanx Brother Reed , genuinely pops and those handles added a slight touch of class. When another comes together as a gift , passing on the black trim. Any Thoughts  

And of course all the wood comes from recycling construction lumber. Like I previously mentioned , rip strips into 3/4 of an inch , paint , glue , and cut at 30 degrees on the Mitter Saw. Zip Zip 

After the birthday party dinner , we strolled on down to the Mesa Theater for my $21 entry fee. Still can't believe admission was only $21 dollars. The opener was a local group that runs by the name Moonbeam. Not bad but not tremendous. Following that band was an electrifying Twisted Pine. I heard of these guys and they were fantastic on this night. Very danceable group with engaging words between songs. Instead of the old fall back ," How are you feeling?" statements between songs. Nice 

The headliner was the local Zolopht and the most impressive aspect from them was that they all wore new matching hoodies. You know me , bothers me a lot when bands wear whatever happened to be next to the bed when they take the stage. So to be wearing matching hoodies , well done boys. To actually give outfits a consideration , excellent touch there boys. To give some effort into the upcoming performance , good on ya boys. And then , 16 musicians came out for the encore and they shouted out three covers. A Doobie Brothers Rockin Down The Highway , Steve Miller Fly Like An Eagle , and The Commodores All Night Long. Super Cool 

EMMY:

Back with this little girl and what a terrific gal. She is beyond polite. Meaning , when I set her food bowl down , she gives me an over the shoulder look as if to ask ," Really ?? Is This For Me ?? You Are So Thoughtful." And then she eats with pure enthusiasm. Dog Days 

She is a gem with the whole supervising role. Always near me , always keeping one eye on me while snoozing , and always hiding whenever a loud saw fires up with life. Happy Paws 

But she most certainly does NOT appreciate thunder storms !! Rain and hail was no big fat deal breaker but the THUNDER really upset her tiny puppy world. Boooooo 

Emmy Lou absolutely loved accompanying me with the food pick ups. She remembered the routine , she sniffed over everything , and she loves that big empty front seat!! All the vendors enjoy giving her rubs and one lady in particular remembered her. Or at least she made Emmy & I feel good about pretending to remember. Our Hearts Smiled  

Emmy Lou loves car rides and she loves walking under a blanket of stars. Well , I love walking at night. Emmy just loves walking along. In fact , she is pretty content with just about anything that I am up to. Until I mount my bike , then she is a sad dog. Very Sad Dog 

BAND:

Well , if you wanna call it a band. Let's go with project. So the project has gained some ground and there were some discussions while I was in Vegas. After returning from Vegas , I passed on the following practice because honestly I was completely unmotivated to play with this project. Why is it that I am plagued by musicians that just fail to follow through? Why do these musicians talk from both sides of their mouth? I crossed paths with our singer and explained myself. Why did they ask me to join if there is no direction? Why do we randomly pick songs and half A$$ the Sh*t out of them? Why are they choosing to blow off Cinco De Mayo after they made a huge deal about playing it this year? Slackers 

So the two Hispanics ( and yes , I asked them when we first started playing together if I should refer to them as Mexicans , Spaniards , or Hispanics ) asked our female singer ,"Where is your friend Travis?" She says ," Wait , you all posted the ad on Craigslist. I only met him here with you two." So that opened the door for her , she is fluent in Spanish , to explain that our practices are very disjointed. Meaning , we will learn La Bamba and then never play/practice it again. Basically , I am keeping my options open and I unquestionably know what I will eschew from. We have this list of 24 Spanish Songs but we might practice two of them so that they can pull another song from out of their A$$ to practice? She also used my words to say," If we are going to practice a song badly , then we will play it bad." The three of them apparently worked through some thoughts , decided that we should play on Main Street during Cinco De Mayo , and that we should pick a name for the band. So the singer informs me of all of this , tells me what I wanted to hear , and even goes as far as telling me that they want to name the band at our next practice. Guess what? When I arrived to last practice , it was more of the same. Zero future talk. Band name was never mentioned. We "learned' a Salina song and Laura Brannigan's Self Control from 1984. Say What 

There is so much potential with this project. To be completely opine here , lame practice sessions , the guitar player is an utter flake , and this project really doesn't track towards any one direction. So at this point , I am just showing up to practice my own thing , work my own fingerboard , and lock into the pocket with the drummer. Just not investing , pushing anyone , would never lambasts them , or insist on complaining about this or that. If they wanna half A$$ practice , no sweat off my hide. It's nothing more than a righteous exercise for my hands and allows me to work with different patterns throughout the songs without anyone telling me differently. Jam On  

Lastly here , still riding the bike when time allows. Still messing around with cheap pine. Still playing music for fun. Still working everyday but Sundays. Still taking care of dogs. Still working on yards. Still catching live music. Still paying a butt load in Taxes. Still whipping together meatless dishes. Still shooting Time Lapse videos. Still bewilder by the fact that April is half over. Still rocked by the concept double nickels is looming on the horizon. Still dreaming of a better tomorrow. 

Party On ,

Cheers