after Bryan left there was a walk to discuss Libre fire mitigation, which will require resources

in excess of the immediate to even facilitate access for emergency vehicles, let alone…Escape.

Sobering thoughts which led to much agreement and hopefully ways forward.

For a couple of days we returned to our hill climbing with elk-evidence on the knoll,

dogs intent on after-dinners’ meagre leavings

and then Wednesday went to town; the dump, building supply, Safeway, an inspection

of Charles’ trimming around the Habib, propane exchange and

home for more wanderings.

The next evening we went up the valley to Malachite to John and Eva’s sweet

Outpost of Civilization for dinner, an annual event now for many years, with special guests Patsy and Jon…prosecco, talk of Taos and Assisi, Santa Fe, Denver, the AAA, Libre, dogs, art, apple cobbler and more.  Beneath a newish moon P&J took off in the direction of Red Wing and we trailed a cowboy pickup from Pando’s to 620 in the dark of night.

The next mid-afternoon, after Leon finished his cement work for the day, with a little help from my friend I set the valves on the saddle and our tank filled nicely in three hours.

Meanwhile, in troubling times like these, a little levity [if not levitation] might be called for…such as; “Whaddya run on, Rockette Morton? [say ‘beans’].” “I run on beans……I run on laser beans.”

But maybe all we really need in this age of alternate truths [how ’bout that Kari Lake, anyway?*] is an hour of atonality and a nice Vietnam era anti-war song…all the more appropriate as we tip ever closer towards that WWlll with each passing day.**

*And she’s not even the tip of a foul foul iceberg of lying self-aggrandizing shits, either; how about that Mark Finchem, also from Arizona, who’s running on the premise that he “won’t concede” if the results, for Secretary of State, no less, aren’t to his liking…our New Politics.

**It has recently come to my attention how much the Magic Band owes to Charles Mingus; compare, for instance, “Trout Mask Replica” [1969] with “Mingus at Antibes” [1960] if you have the patience.