July Fourth 2008

Happy birthday to the greatest nation on the face of the earth!

And Godbless all of the incredible men, and women in uniform that keep it safe, and free.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (part-1)

There is no doubt in my mind that this album has been a larger part of my "musical" life than any other music in my collection. I have been listening to it regularly since the day my Sister bought it in Monterey, Tennessee in the summer of nineteen sixty-seven. We lived in the Monterey housing project, and I wore that album out! Anna liked it, and to this day loves several songs from it, but she was more into the mop top, fab four Beatles. I loved them too, but this was a completely different animal.
Rich, complex, textured, and a totally new approach..A concept. A feel, and a theme throughout. The songs belong together. Compliment each other.They flow into each other like the chapters of a book. So may I introduce to you.. the act you've known for all these years..Sgt Pepper's Loney Hearts Club band...

SGT PEPPER'S LONEY HEART CLUB BAND-Recorded in studio two at Abbyroad studios begining Febuary 1st 1967. Written, and sung by Paul. A lush, melodic, up-tempo rock-n-roll song, with teeth. George Harrison does some very tasty guitar riffs in this song. Proof positive that the Beatles could rock with the best of their comtemoraries, in my book. And french horns! Definitely the first french horns I ever "rocked" to. The first album I can remember with a full symphony orchastra. It blew my mind. Fifth Beatle, George Martin at the helm, The song lopes out of the gate,bouncing and growling,and never lets up, sweeping the listener up, and carring them away. I dare anyone, not catatonic, to sit perfectly still during this song. A masterfull blend of changes, and genres, the song builds to a cresendo, and fades into..

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS-written by John, and Paul. Sung by Ringo. Begun in studio two, March 29,1967. Ringo does a great job both vocally, and on drums in this song.Some of his fills, and riffs on this song give me goose bumps, as a fellow drummer.He still does this song regularly when he tours. But for my money Paul steals the show with some of the best bass licks I've ever heard.

lucy in the sky with diamonds-Written,and sung by John. Recording began March 1st 1967, also in studio two, at Abby Road.
Now I'm not going to dispute what John said, about his son's Drawing, and his describing it..."What's that Julian?" asks John. "It's Lucy in the sky daddy." he answers. "With diamonds."
With tongue firmly in cheek,ok. That happened. But I still say the lyrics are about LSD. This song has very surreal imagery in it..Newspaper taxis appear on the shore..waiting to take you away..climb in the back with your head in the clouds, and your gone..bam bam bam bam-Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds!!!Considering the times, and the fact that they were all doing it. And John hob nobbing with Timothy Leary?L- lucy in the S-sky with D -diamonds? You make the call.
I love the air of mysterey this song has, and the psyco-delic dreammlike vocals. A masterpiece.
A gallery of masterpieces. And I will take up with "Getting Better" in the next installment of this post..Sgt Pepper pt2. Be there or be square....

Order Up!

The satisfaction of a job well done. Not a bad birthdayday present. I hit the ground running yesterday, and seldom stopped. I turned off the grill, and fryer at ten after four, and was still getting orders at ten after five. my first order of the day was a chef salad (no tomatoes), for the club manager, and golf pro, Matt. Need to get that one right.

I saved my tickets with the idea of listing them here. A written portrait of the bulk of my day. Minus the day to day chores that punctuate, and write fini- Clock out. Miller time. If you find them boring.."Make that to go please!!"


As I was congratulating myself on the speed I'd gotten Matt's salad done John (my boss & executive chef)said. "Matt would be pissed if he knew you weren't wearing gloves when you fixed his salad." Geese Louise. I hate those #@*#*% plastic gloves!! It's like trying to scratch with a baseball glove on. No tactile sense at all. They only give an illusion of sanitation, and I think they promote accidents. Think about it. If I was going to scratch my nose, would wearing that glove stop me? And if I were barehanded I would wash my hands more. How sanitary do you think those gloves are that guy is wearing after half an hour or so? But I digress.

The monkey see monkey do factor at work..A cpuple of the crew saw Matt eatting his salad so..CLUB SALAD-HONEY MUSTARD...CLUB SALAD-BLIEU CHEESE (that one was for Wess, in his "Jethro bowl" sheese!) Then the "Dogfighters" started making the turn at nine, and I got busy. CHEESEBURGER PLAIN&CHIPS-TO GO..SPEC. CHICKEN SANDWICH-PLAIN-CHIPS -TOGO..HOTDOG-TOGO..BURGER-ONION&KET.-CHIPS-TO GO..SPEC. CHEESEBURGER-LET. ONION,KET-MAYO-CHIPS-TO GO..CLUB SAN &FF-TO GO..BURGER-TOM-MAYO-MUST-CHIPS..TACO SALAD..HOTDOG&CRISPY FRIES (That's Larry in the pro shop)..COLD HAM &CHEESE-MUST-PICK-CHIPS-TO GO..SPEC. BURG. EVERYTHING-CHIPS..CLUB-FF & 2 HOTDOGS...

Pant..pant.. I finally got a chance to pee, and get a cup of coffee. With my clean as you go work ethic instilled by my mentor, Jim Smoody, I got to work on the debris left by that group, and restocked for the pool orders, and stray golfers the rest of the day held. Mostly Chicken Tenders & fries (kids). I also got some prep done so John would have a stocked line to start with in the morning..Sliced tomatoes, onions, and deli meats. Clean slicer. Stock kraut, pickles, and am. cheese slices. etc.

"I'm turning the grill, and fryer off!" I told Robin at ten after four. It was time to get my close down routine in gear. Clean the grill. Clean all countertops, and prep tables. Get the trash out. Sweep, and mop...."Order up!!" says Robin...CHICKEN TENDERS &FRIES-CHICKEN TENDERS &FRIES- SPEC. CHEESEBURGER,KET-CHIPS-CLUB,NO MAYO-FF...HOTDOG,ONION-HOTDOG, ONION-CLUB SAN-FF-HOTDOG- HOTDOG..CLUB &FF..CLUB &FF...CLUB &FF...CLUB &FF..Did I mention That I was turning off the grill? Burger, plain-chips-hotdog-chips-burger,plain-chips....I was still getting orders at ten after five. But Everybody was happy. Nobody had to wait for an order..Yeah. It was a good day.

Another Trip Around The Sun

Fifty-six years ago today in Cook County Hospital in Chicago I came into this world. I'm not happy, I'm not sad, I'm going to work.
Joe Mudd

Grandfather Tree

This blog was inspired by, and is dedicated to two of my 360 buddies..Jon, and Martha. Your wonderfull entries about trees made me remember this. Martha I believe I already told you this story a short time after we were introduced. We all three share a mutual love of trees, and nature in general.

The tale begins several years ago. I was living with Lori, and the girls in a small trailer court, out in the country. It was beautiful there, with a small woods behind the trailer. Rolling fields, and a huge pond. You could sit out at my fire pit in the summer, and listen to the bullfrogs at night, with a huge yellow moon riding the sky. It was paradise.

I had a love affair going with the small forrest behind the trailers. I used to climb the fence, and go into the cool of the trees, and sit on my days off. Drink beer, and read. I read "The Fellowship Of The Ring" The first book of the J.R.R. Tolkien triology in those woods. I had named several of the standout trees. There was Dancing tree, Sick tree, Hairy tree, The Twins (two mirror image identical trees), and there was Grandfather tree. He was a giant. He had to be close to 200 feet tall. Huge! Over five, and a half feet around at the base. I used to talk to him. I have actually stood, and talked to this tree. I've hugged him. Ok. Call me crazey,I don't care. I loved this giant tulip poplar. I watched him turn gold, and fill a football field sized yard full of leaves, three seasons. Watched him bud out, and turn green, three more.

I noticed when the girls ( Lori Kacy, and mackenzi) came to pick me up one day that Kacy seemed kind of quiet. The closer we got to the trailer on Fisk road the more I noticed these looks between her, and Mackenzi. As we made the turn into the trailer court I saw several gaps in the treeline behind the trailers. My heart sank. He was gone. Grandfather Tree lay in pieces on the ground. I ran from the van weeping, Kacy right behind me.."Daddy!" she wailed."Daddy it's ok..." She held her daddy , knowing it was not ok. I stood by the huge flat stump, weeping in racking sobs. They were logging paradise. The twins were next. They buldozed a flat place, and put up a cell tower where they stood. It was the begining of the end.

A few months later,Lori had decided I was cramping her style(translate: she couldn't smoke dope 24/7) so she kicked me out. I was only spending weekends with my babies, and doing my best to keep the riff-raff at bay. I was standing by the fence looking into the dim coolness of the forrest one saturday morning. I glanced wistfully down at Grandfather Tree's stump, and there he was. Emerging from the side. A sappling with those tiny, but distintive tulip poplar leaves! I was estatic! Grandfather tree would live again. I had a plan. I waited till sunday evening after we came home from church, and I carefully dug the tiny sappling up. He looked about like the little xmas tree Charlie Brown brought home. Maybe a foot, and a half tall. Three or four leaves it looked like he didn't know what to do with. But he came from Grandfather tree's dna. I knew that, and bygod he was going to live!

So I brought him here. Where I live with my sister, and bro in law. Two confirmed tree huggers too. I planted him in the center of the back yard. And he is there right now. He is over twenty feet tall, and he is beautifull!! I talk to him. I haven't hugged him yet. I can still put my hands around his girth. But not for long. And even though he is still a baby by tree standards, I still call him Grandfather tree.

joe is a tree hugger from way back.(and may be half hobbit)