Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine) (A Randy Rainbow Song Parody)

Went to Costco yesterday.  Very anxiety-inducing, as it was my first "store" outing (other than the library, which has 4 people compared to 400) since the beginning of the pandemic.  I had been putting off my membership renewal (expired end of last month) because it is required to go *in* to do it, as well as getting Chico his own card (he was on the account, but needed to have his picture taken to be official).  Done, and Done.  Zippity... 😍

Zoom with Nancy and Judi this morning, now getting some things done around the house.  Continued Gratitude because, as of this morning, all three of our adult children have been fully vaccinated.  Huge sigh of relief, especially for the boys, since they are both in the restaurant business and have daily exposure to goodness knows what.  Right now we are all looking forward to our next gathering, when we will feel comfortable hugging, maskless.  Oh, Happy Day... 💞

This blog post has been in the works for *months*, back when Chico and I had our first shots in mid-January, and the circuitous and lengthy process we encountered (filling out forms, writing on our windshield at various points:  driver's license checks to make sure we were 65+, as well as waiting 15 minutes after the vaccination, to make sure we didn't have a reaction).  Start to finish, a three-hour experience.  Second time around was half the time, as they had fine-tuned the process.  That was at a public park, in our car, and now availability has expanded to Publix, drugstores, etc.  We've come a long way in three months.

The news is full of variants and herd immunity and "following the science", oh my!  We just have to figure out how to get more people vaccinated more quickly, and convince those with hesitancy, if not for themselves, to do it for others.

SONG:  Mr. Biden (Bring My Vaccine) - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

BOOK:  Kelly Gets a Vaccine: How We Beat Coronavirus by Lauren D. Block, Adam E. Block, Debby Rahmalia (Illustrator)

POEM:  the delicate arrangement of unavoidable sorrow by Maya Stein

At the clinic, the path to the nurse with the syringe in her hand was festooned with signs.

It took no time to get through the answers - “No,” “No,” “No,” “No,” “No” - before

the clipboard came down and I was pointed toward table number 6. It was, dare I say,

almost cheerful, the processions of new arrivals, the summer-hued short-sleeve shirts

rolled to the tip of bare shoulders, volunteers on circuitous rounds in the waiting area,

spray bottles clipped to their waists. It was only later, midnight, waking to the cry

of my body as it wrestled with the angel serum inside it, that I peered at the edge of what

and who had been sacrificed, and what remainders the disease would scavenge.

In the morning, I drifted between rooms, sipping from my water glass, nested in a limbo

of relief and sadness, my eyes scanning a horizon that kept slipping in and out of view.

Relic by Russell Brakefield

years from now I dislodge a mask

kneeling in a gas station parking lot

to suck crumbs from the consoles

half in and half out the passenger seat

I dislodge a mask from the floormat

flattened and streaked, folded on itself

like a wounded bird but still

retaining its feather-blue tint

ear straps flung aside like broken wings

its sunken breast smudged

where I once pressed my mouth

the downy screen through which

I filtered my life, where my words were

wrung out and carried off as on a soft wind

a dirty plume that held prayers

and songs and desperate transactions

where I said even I love you

in a muffled tone, where I said even

I’m home! standing in the doorway

forgetting, for a brief moment, which

were the safer parts of the world

[Russell Brakefield: “As we encounter positive news about vaccines and look forward to a new administration’s response to the pandemic, I’ve been turning my mind to a post-Covid world, thinking about how we will live and interact with this time in history in the years to come.”]

QUOTE:  "Imagine the action of a vaccine not just in terms of how it affects a single body, but also in terms of how it affects the collective body of a community." ~ Eula Biss

(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with a Plan (Laura Benanti and Randy Rainbow)

What a great day!  Wept through much of it, smiled through most of it, laughed at a few parts, drank mimosas as Joe was reciting the Oath.  Such a beautiful, gracious, kind transfer of power.  Lady Gaga!  Amanda Gorman! (22-year-old Youth Poet Laureate, who I blogged about back in June 2020; her use of assonance and alliteration was remarkably powerful, in counterpoint to her youthful appearance and sweet speech impediment), Jill Biden's coat!

Both Biden's and Harris' families are absolutely beautiful.  Everyone in the crowd was wearing masks, just the first of 100-days-urged.  Even *I* sang along to Amazing Grace, as Garth Brooks invited.  So many executive orders signed.  And I am actually watching the news again! First press briefing of the new administration (after a year of *none*!): informational, coherent, personable, non-defensive. Monday through Friday. Imagine that! 

Rachel Maddow says that the vibe in our country today was "a return to radical normalcy".  Well-said... 😍

There is still much to accomplish, as well as regain, but with experienced and compassionate leaders at the helm, we can do this... 💖

SONG:  (Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with a Plan by Laura Benanti and Randy Rainbow

BOOK:  Promises to Keep:  On Life and Politics by Joe Biden

POEM(S):  Remembering Frost at Kennedy’s Inauguration by Linda Pastan

Even the flags seemed frozen

to their poles, and the men

stamping their well-shod feet

resembled an army of overcoats.

But we were young and fueled

by hope, our ardor burned away

the cold. We were the president’s,

and briefly the president would be ours.

The old poet stumbled

over his own indelible words,

his breath a wreath around his face:

a kind of prophecy.

[A Note from the Editor, written 1/20/21:  60 years ago, John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States. Robert Frost became the first poet to read at a US inaugural ceremony, reading his poem "The Gift Outright" from memory, after he was unable to read a poem he wrote for the occasion. Today, the young poet Amanda Gorman will be reading a poem at President Joe Biden's inauguration. In 2014 Gorman was named the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and in 2017 was named the first US National Youth Poet Laureate. She has performed at many prominent venues, including the Obama White House, the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center, and on CBS This Morning.]

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (watch it here!)

When day comes we ask ourselves,

where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry,

a sea we must wade

We've braved the belly of the beast

We've learned that quiet isn't always peace

And the norms and notions

of what just is

Isn’t always just-ice

And yet the dawn is ours

before we knew it

Somehow we do it

Somehow we've weathered and witnessed

a nation that isn’t broken

but simply unfinished

We the successors of a country and a time

Where a skinny Black girl

descended from slaves and raised by a single mother

can dream of becoming president

only to find herself reciting for one

And yes we are far from polished

far from pristine

but that doesn’t mean we are

striving to form a union that is perfect

We are striving to forge a union with purpose

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and

conditions of man

And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us

but what stands before us

We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,

we must first put our differences aside

We lay down our arms

so we can reach out our arms

to one another

We seek harm to none and harmony for all

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:

That even as we grieved, we grew

That even as we hurt, we hoped

That even as we tired, we tried

That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious

Not because we will never again know defeat

but because we will never again sow division

Scripture tells us to envision

that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree

And no one shall make them afraid

If we’re to live up to our own time

Then victory won’t lie in the blade

But in all the bridges we’ve made

That is the promise to glade

The hill we climb

If only we dare

It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,

it’s the past we step into

and how we repair it

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation

rather than share it

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy

And this effort very nearly succeeded

But while democracy can be periodically delayed

it can never be permanently defeated

In this truth

in this faith we trust

For while we have our eyes on the future

history has its eyes on us

This is the era of just redemption

We feared at its inception

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs

of such a terrifying hour

but within it we found the power

to author a new chapter

To offer hope and laughter to ourselves

So while once we asked,

how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?

Now we assert

How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was

but move to what shall be

A country that is bruised but whole,

benevolent but bold,

fierce and free

We will not be turned around

or interrupted by intimidation

because we know our inaction and inertia

will be the inheritance of the next generation

Our blunders become their burdens

But one thing is certain:

If we merge mercy with might,

and might with right,

then love becomes our legacy

and change our children’s birthright

So let us leave behind a country

better than the one we were left with

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,

we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one

We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,

we will rise from the windswept northeast

where our forefathers first realized revolution

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,

we will rise from the sunbaked south

We will rebuild, reconcile and recover

and every known nook of our nation and

every corner called our country,

our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,

battered and beautiful

When day comes we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid

The new dawn blooms as we free it

For there is always light,

if only we’re brave enough to see it

If only we’re brave enough to be it

QUOTE(S):  "Whatever your past has been, you have a spotless future." ~ Melanie Gustafson

“When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” ~ John F. Kennedy

Kamala! (a Randy Rainbow song parody)/Sweet Kamala (Friction Farm)

Kamala Harris crop art turns up in Kansas field (hat tip to CT for both images!)



It has been no secret with my friends and family (or anyone who would listen, actually) that Joe Biden was not my first choice for the Democratic presidential nominee, nor was Bernie Sanders.  As much as I appreciated their experience and their policies, I kept spouting that I was tired of "old white men" running the show.  I wanted Elizabeth Warren, d*mmit, and she appeared to be the front-runner for a while, but then...

However, Kamala Harris was indeed my first choice for Vice President, and I was delighted when Joe Biden picked her as his running mate.  All this to say, I've been heavily immersed in the Democratic National Convention the previous four nights, and am now convinced of Biden's assets (of course I was always going to vote for him!).  He has proven himself not only to be wise, and on the right (meaning correct!) side of justice, but also genuine.  He has turned his personal grief into political passion, and his record cannot be ignored.  He seems to truly possess a moral compass.

The convention was exactly what I needed to re-calibrate my mindset, and each night I signed off feeling even more hopeful and energized at such smart and caring representation.  The myriad of faces felt like *my* America... a diversity of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual preference.  I cried multiple times during each evening... my litmus test of what feels honest and equitable and kind.

I realize what I'm saying next will sound closed-minded, but I'm saying it anyway:  I will not watch one minute of the Republican National Convention, and subject myself to the venomous spouting of their hatred and division. Nope, not gonna do it.

Since it is indeed Feel Good Friday below are, in my opinion, five highlights of the DNC (although there were so many more to choose from).  As one of the Roll Call delegates said, "It's Joe Time!".

~ ‘It is what it is’: How Michelle Obama’s ‘epic shade’ won the DNC’s opening night:  Halfway through her closing speech at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, Michelle Obama shifted to address what she called the “cold, hard truth.”

~ Democratic National Convention’s Roll Call Showcases Voices from Across America:  Over a span of about 30 minutes, viewers traveled to 57 states and territories and heard from teachers, small business owners, essential workers and elected Democrats.

~ The Democratic National Convention used John Prine's last recording for a COVID-19 memorial video:  In one of the night's more somber moments, the Democrats broadcast an in memoriam video for the 170,500 people who have died from COVID-19 in the U.S.  One of those Amerians who died from complications COVID-19 was the great singer-songwriter John Prine, and his final recording, "I Remember Everything," was the soundtrack to the memorial.

~ Obama issues a dire warning about American democracy in stunning rebuke of Trump:  From the Philadelphia ground where the American experiment was born, one former president -- in a stunning prime-time address to the nation he once led -- warned that his successor was on the cusp of destroying democracy itself.

~ Joe Biden takes on Trump-era traumas in career-defining speech:  If Joe Biden becomes the 46th American President, his speech accepting the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday night will be seen as the moment when the destiny of a man and his nation converged.

Also, "Before Hillary Clinton spoke from her home in Westchester County, the convention featured a video montage of women voting, protesting and testifying before Congress over the years.  It included black-and-white images from 1920 and images from 2017, after President Trump had taken office and women marched in protest wearing vivid pink knitted caps.  In clips stitched into the montage, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke before members of the United States Senate; Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington reclaimed her speaking time from Attorney General William P. Barr at a hearing; Mrs. Clinton herself, eight years before she became the first woman nominated for president by a major party, spoke of failing to shatter “that highest, hardest glass ceiling” but putting “about 18 million cracks in it.”  I was ridiculously impressed with the video, and wanted to include it here, but I cannot seem to find it anywhere!  Anyone who has better luck than I, *please* send me the link in a Reply (which I will then include in my blog post) and I will bake and mail you vegan cookies (or hand-deliver, if you're local... 😄 )

P.S.  As soon as I hit Publish, I am going to donate money to Joe Biden, and will do so again in September and October.  In November, I will put my mouth/VOTE where my money was!

NR:  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai


SONG(S):  Kamala!, a Randy Rainbow song parody (thanks to JudiS for the heads-up!)/Sweet Kamala by Friction Farm

BOOK(S):  The Truths We Hold: by Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes, Laura Freeman  (Illustrator)

POEM:  Kamala Harris: U.S. Senator by Alejandro Escudé

My divorce mitigator
had an office across the street
from a Bed Bath & Beyond;
it was a huge store, and I thought of going there
the way one thinks of going
somewhere one happens to pass by
and never does because I needed to park
underneath a twenty story building
to meet my ex wife and this other woman
who we hired to file the divorce paperwork
and to suggest how we might split
amicably—and I remember, quite distinctly,
the way one remembers something
that was part curiosity and part pain,
my ex-wife pointing out the sign on the office
next door to the mitigator: Kamala Harris,
US Senator. It was such a plain
looking door, brown, as the floor was brown,
brown my feeling as my ex-wife noticed this.
I remember thinking how interesting
it was that she pointed it out, both of us
starstruck by a stupid brown door
with a name on it, the name of the woman
who had just faced down Joe Biden,
a woman who rented an office
on the seventh floor of this nondescript building
on Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles
where I was meeting with a mitigator
and the woman I was married to
for seventeen years, who I had
two kids with, and who was now divorcing me
while simultaneously pointing out
the name on a door: Kamala Harris,
and the electric blue Tarantino sky
behind it all, and the bathroom
that was across the same hallway
for which you needed to ask for the key
and how I asked once and went in
and felt a tightness in my chest,
I thought I was having a heart attack
though I wasn’t, it was more an existential thing,
as in where am I and what is happening?
I needed to take a break from negotiating
the way politicians negotiate,
the way they bicker on bright stages
that are just stages and nothing more.

[Alejandro Escudé: “Life is surreal. There are these moments of divine yet absolutely useless premonition. Harris showed up in the tapestry of my life the way the poem describes. I’m cynical, so I think it means nothing. Will she become Vice President? I don’t know. But I do know that this incident occurred, and I remembered it when Biden chose Harris as his running mate.”]

QUOTE(S):  "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Give light and people will find the way." ~ Ella Baker

"History says
Don’t hope on this side of the grave
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up
And hope and history rhyme.’” ~ Seamus Heaney

The Hamilton Polka (Weird Al Yankovic)

It's what everyone's talking about!  Hamilton is streaming on Disney+, as of 3:00 this morning.  Probably a lot of bleary-eyed people walking around in the world right now, and rightfully so.  I have my work cut out for me, attempting to get the app on my TV today, or sometime this evening.  I thought it would be easy but, as with all good things, it's not...  :-)

I have friends who have seen the stage play a double-handful of times (they *do* live in New York, though).  Others have every song/line/word memorized and sing along with wild abandon.  It has become a national and global phenomenon.  I subscribed to the Broward Center for the Performing Arts a few years ago, so that my husband and I would be able to view it in Ft. Lauderdale.  I think the backstory is absolutely fascinating (I mean, who picks up a historical biography in the airport, brings it with them on vacation, and writes a hip-hop play about it?!?), the lyrics/dialogue fast-paced as well as brilliant!

Perfect timing on the eve of our nation's birthday.  Hope you're able to appreciate, wherever you are, and please wish my technoweenie self luck getting in to "the room where it happened"...  :-)

As is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor (all Hamilton-related) to brighten your day/weekend/week.  Enjoy!  



~ Experience the original Broadway Production of Hamilton, streaming exclusively on Disney+ on July 3 (Official Trailer):  Hamilton is the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, Hamilton has taken the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton and created a revolutionary moment in theatre—a musical that has had a profound impact on culture, politics, and education. Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film transports its audience into the world of the Broadway show in a uniquely intimate way.


~ Lin-Manuel Miranda 'Literally Gave Two F--s' About Swearing in 'Hamilton' Before Musical Lands on Disney+:  Before Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda appears as Alexander Hamilton on Broadway fans' screens when the musical debuts on Disney+, he had some choice, uncensored words to say about it.


~ Beach Read to Broadway! How Lin-Manuel Miranda Turned a History Book into Hamilton:  The historical hip-hop musical Hamilton, which played an acclaimed Off-Broadway run earlier this year, has taken a circuitous route to its highly anticipated Broadway bow. Take a look back at the show's road to its own historical opening here. [Hamilton" would win 11 Tony Awards, including best musical.]


~ Lin-Manuel Miranda Performs at the White House Poetry Jam:  Writer and star of the Broadway musical In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda performs "The Hamilton Mixtape" at the White House Evening of Poetry, Music, and the Spoken Word on May 12, 2009. Accompanied by Alex Lacamoire.


~ Sorry, You're Not Hamilton - Randy Rainbow



SONG:  ‘The Hamilton Polka’ - Weird Al Yankovic:  February's #Hamildrop collaboration with Weird Al Yankovic is out!  Listen to ‘The Hamilton Polka’, a remixed medley of ‘Hamilton’ hits, featuring Weird Al’s twist on songs like ‘My Shot,’ ‘Wait For It,’ ‘The Schuyler Sisters,’ and more.

BOOK:  Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeremy McCarter

POEM:  Love Letter to Elizabeth Schuyler by Alexander Hamilton

Immediately after dinner, I stole from a crowd of company to a solitary walk to be at leisure to think of you, and I have just returned to tell you by an express this moment going off that I have been doing so. You are certainly a little sorceress and have bewitched me, for you have made me disrelish every thing that used to please me, and have rendered me as restless and unsatisfied with all about me, as if I was the inhabitant of another world, and had nothing in common with this. I must in spite of myself become an inconstant to detach myself from you, for as it now stands I love you more than I ought—more than is consistent with my peace. A new mistress is supposed to be the best cure for an excessive attachment to an old— if I was convinced of the success of the scheme, I would be tempted to try it— for though it is the pride of my heart to love you it is the torment of it to love you so much, separated as we now are. But I am afraid, I should only go in quest of disquiet, that would make me return to you with redoubled tenderness. You gain by every comparison I make and the more I contrast you with others the more amiable you appear. But why do you not write to me oftener? It is again an age since I have heard from you. I write you at least three letters for your one, though I am immersed in public business and you have nothing to do but to think of me. When I come to Albany, I shall find means to take satisfaction for your neglect. You recollect the mode I threatened to punish you in for all your delinquen[c]ies.

I wrote you a long letter by your father. I suppose you will wait his return before you write. If you do I shall chide you severely and if you do not write me a very long and fond one by him, I shall not forgive you at all. I have written you a short letter since that.
We are now at Dobbes ferry.

I would go on but the General summons me to ride. Adieu My Dear lovely amiable girl. Heaven preserve you and shower its choicest blessings upon you. Love me I conjure you.

QUOTE:  “Those who stand for nothing fall for everything.” ~ Alexander Hamilton

Don't Let the Sunshine Fool Ya (Guy Clark)

[Oh, Lesley Anne Numbers... if I could wallpaper my entire house with your stunning prints, I would... 💚]

So, it is indeed Feel Good Friday.  It is also Juneteenth, a historical milestone which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. in 1965, which I knew about, but not as well as I should have.  As is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor to brighten your day/weekend/week.  Enjoy!  


~ Stonehenge livestream of summer solstice tomorrow (Saturday, June 20)


~ The Supreme Court is rockin' it this week.  6-3, 5-4... both decisions have come out in favor of human rights.  The Notorious RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) will always be my first love ("smells like justice and bubble gum... but mostly bubble gum") but I might have a bit of a crush on Chief Justice John Roberts now as well...  ;-)

Supreme Court Delivers Major Victory To LGBTQ Employees:  In a historic decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from discrimination based on sex. The ruling was 6-3, with Justice Neil Gorsuch, President Trump's first appointee to the court, writing the majority opinion. The opinion was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's four liberal justices.

Supreme Court blocks Trump from ending DACA in big win for Dreamers:  Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote in the 5-4 decision, dealing a big legal defeat to President Trump on the issue of immigration.

~ Celebrating Life's Milestone Moments While Trying To Stay Safe:  Drive-by birthday parties. Passover Seder on Zoom. Even weddings livestreamed on YouTube.


~ Social Distance:  A Randy Rainbow Song Parody

~ 28 Books That Talk About Race:  With heart and unflinching honesty, these titles celebrate the power of diversity, freedom, and truth.



SONG:  Don't Let The Sunshine Fool Ya by Guy Clark 

BOOK:  I'm Still Here:  Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown

POEM:  Emancipation by Priscilla Jane Thompson

‘Tis a time for much rejoicing;
      Let each heart be lured away;
Let each tongue, its thanks be voicing
      For Emancipation Day. 
Day of victory, day of glory,
For thee, many a field was gory! 

Many a time in days now ended, 
      Hath our fathers’ courage failed, 
Patiently their tears they blended; 
      Ne’er they to their, Maker, railed, 
Well we know their groans, He numbered, 
When dominions fell, asundered.

As of old the Red Sea parted, 
      And oppressed passed safely through, 
Back from the North, the bold South, started, 
      And a fissure wide she drew;
Drew a cleft of Liberty, 
Through it, marched our people free. 

And, in memory, ever grateful, 
      Of the day they reached the shore, 
Meet we now, with hearts e’er faithful, 
      Joyous that the storm is o’er. 
Storm of Torture! May grim Past, 
Hurl thee down his torrents fast. 

Bring your harpers, bring your sages,
      Bid each one the story tell;
Waft it on to future ages, 
      Bid descendants learn it well. 
Kept it bright in minds now tender, 
Teach the young their thanks to render. 

Come with hearts all firm united, 
      In the union of a race; 
With your loyalty well plighted, 
      Look your brother in the face, 
Stand by him, forsake him never, 
God is with us now, forever.

QUOTE:  “This world is white no longer, and it will never be white again.” ~ James Baldwin

Eachother (Grace Potter)

[Through a series of interesting circumstances yesterday, I was led to the amazing artwork of Lesley Anne Numbers (the above is just one example). Wow!]

Last Saturday night, after a heads-up from my daughter Sarah, I tuned into Banding Together:  A Concert for the Colorado Music Relief Fund.  From their website:  

Live music is central to Colorado’s culture.

Our musicians, their crews, and our venues are iconic and beloved across the world. Music is a force in the experience economy; attracting tourists, new residents, and business leaders to the culture of Colorado in good times. In times of hardship music is our salve.  

In this pandemic, everyone is hurting. 

The economic and fiscal impacts on Colorado’s rich music industry resulting from COVID-19 are already significant. Music employs over 16,000 Coloradans and generates 1.5 billion dollars annually and the vast majority of that revenue relies on public gatherings. These activities are unlikely to return to ‘normal’ for the foreseeable future. 

The music industry will not be back to work for perhaps a year or longer. 
Whether it is navigating unemployment, small business loans, or other quickly disappearing relief funds, the music industry is not getting the lifeline it so desperately needs. 

We need to raise funds and awareness in Colorado for this beleaguered industry and its workers that mean so much to our economy and our own health and well-being. 

We’re going to use the power of music to do this. 

Three hours of joy, beauty (Red Rocks!), and inspiration as so many artists (Dave Matthews, Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, Michael Franti, to name just a few!) donated their time and energy to raise money for this worthwhile cause.  We contributed a bit, and it lifted my spirits to do so.  Click here to see/hear in its entirety for yourself...  💖

So, it is indeed Feel Good Friday.  From the depths of despair at the beginning of the week, I am feeling a bit more hope:  the other three officers were charged in the George Floyd situation, and Chauvin's charge was upgraded to second degree murder; there is an increase/emphasis on youth protest; demonstrations are more peaceful now, as many law enforcement officials changed their tactics to allow people to demonstrate while still maintaining peace.

As is tradition, five items below of beauty, interest, and humor to brighten your day/weekend/week.  Enjoy!  


~ First Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman: First ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, Amanda Gorman, performs her original poem, In This Place: An American Lyric, at the Library of Congress (thanks, ElyseB!)


~ Fewer Boats Means a Safer Spring for Miami's Marine Creatures:  Over the past few weeks, amateur photographers have been capturing images and video of manatees, turtles, and sawfish in South Florida waterways and posting them on social media.  Stay-at-home orders have meant fewer boats out on the water. And that's meant a safer spring vacation for Miami's aquatic creatures, many of which are coming back to shore. 


~ Sesame Street Joins CNN to Host a Town Hall Saturday Addressing Racism
By Good News Network:  Back in April, Sesame Street partnered with CNN to explain the ABC’s of coronavirus in a televised ‘town hall’ for parents and kids. Now, it’s time to help young families educate their children about racism.  This Saturday, June 6, at 10 a.m. ET, CNN and Sesame Street are hosting a 60-minute special Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism. A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Kids and Families.

~ Bank of America pledges $1 billion to fight racial inequality:  Bank of America is donating $1 billion over the next four years to community programs and small businesses to help address economic and racial inequality that has been exacerbated by Covid-19.

~ ANDY! - A Randy Rainbow Song Parody (thanks, Nance!)

SONG:  Eachother by Grace Potter

BOOK:  Music is Power: Popular Songs, Social Justice, and the Will to Change by Brad Schreiber

POEM:  Pledge by Jehanne Dubrow

Now we are here at home, in the little nation
of our marriage, swearing allegiance to the table
we set for lunch or the windchime on the porch,

its easy dissonance. Even in our shared country,
the afternoon allots its golden lines
so that we’re seated, both in shadow, on opposite

ends of a couch and two gray dogs between us.
There are acres of opinions in this house.
I make two cups of tea, two bowls of soup,

divide an apple equally. If I were a patriot,
I would call the blanket we spread across our bed
the only flag—some nights we’ve burned it

with our anger at each other. Some nights
we’ve welcomed the weight, a woolen scratch
on both our skins. My love, I am pledging

to this republic, for however long we stand,
I’ll watch with you the rain’s arrival in our yard.
We’ll lift our faces, together, toward the glistening.

QUOTE:  “Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognize them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own powers, our own criterion of truth and beauty. Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. there is no mystery about the origin of things. We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, only to discover what is already there.” ~ Henry Miller