Don't Think Twice It's Alright with S'mores

Stango finished our fire pit.  Great weather, chill vibes, s'mores, family, and Bob Dylan tunes.  Can't get better than that..  Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a baby about three weeks ago.  You'll see him in the video. Just call him Marshmallow for now.

Here's my mother's preference for Dylan's tunes, none other than Peter, Paul, and Mary.

While we're at it, here is the prophet, mystic and poet Mr. Zimmerman himself in 1962.

Friendship found, friendship lost...But how would you Know?

Have you ever had a friendship where it seems like there is more effort from one person to keep the friendship up?  I'm sure you have. We all have.  In general, I enjoy the company of most women I meet and can always find something to chat about.  I always try to find something good in everyone.   But the deeper friendship...there aren't too many people in the world that I have been friends with whom I have felt a really deep connection.  One that you can't really put into words.  All it really takes is one or two really good friends.

There is one person that I have known for close to twenty years, but I guess it had to take me to my 40th birthday to really let it sink in that we're not BFFs, to borrow a teeny bopper term.  Naturally, since we haven't lived in the same town for a while, I knew that we weren't best of friends.  Yet I am the person who always went to seek her out, visited her at her place, made the effort to make plans.  Maybe that's a sign of maturing, getting older, that I am trying to deal with this.  The whole Facebook thing doesn't really help.  We see each other every once in a while, maybe once a year, at events of mutual interest.  Usually we just bump into each other.

It's not fun and it's not easy.  I would rather we be closer friends.  I'd rather her visit or call.  I guess that's just not in the cards.  40 is good like that:  my life is otherwise full and vibrant.  Who needs the sadness of a friendship that was never really what I thought it could be?

And yet, after all these years I continue to think about it.

The 1st verse from Dylan's "He Was a Friend of Mine" makes me think of her.  She is alive and well, so the rest doesn't really apply.  But the 1st verse does.

(s)he was a friend of mine
(s)he was a friend of mine
Every time I think about (her) now
Lord I just can't keep from cryin'
'Cause (s) was a friend of mine



"Light," by Phish, a favorite tune of mine especially performed live, also reminds me of this friend.  Especially the less-often heard verse

Obstacles are stepping stones
That guide us to our goals
Fences are filters
That purify our souls

The song has great hope.  It makes me feel like whatever happens in life, this friend and I continue to be connected.  The obstacles that exist in the friendship are there for a reason and perhaps the reason why our friendship hasn't been more than I'd hoped is purposeful and the right thing for me.  Who knows, one day we may cross paths in a meaningful, lasting way.  Doesn't everything happen for a reason?

First There is a Mountain

"Then there is no mountain, then there is."  -Donovan

Pretty sad that I can't make it to Mountain Jam this year, which I really enjoyed last year and wrote about in my first and only piece on Kveller.

This quotation comes from the song "There Is a Mountain" which my friend Adam, ever the joyful Rainbow tribe family member (and holy hassid) introduced me to via his Happy Tapes.  Here is Donovan performing the tune in its original form.




And, further to my late-bloomingness (but who's really counting anyway), little did I know that the Allman Brothers did a pretty famous jam improvisation on their album "Eat a Peach" that they called "Mountain Jam"."  Hence, the name for the music festival that I am missing at Hunter Mountain.

Better late than never.  People write about this album and this jam like they were life-changing musical experiences.  I don't doubt that.

Reason #127 Why My Favorite Band Should Play in Israel

It has taken his entire career to make it to Israel, but former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart will be playing in Jerusalem this August.  He is performing as part of the Jerusalem Sacred Music Festival.  He is the only Jewish member of the Grateful Dead.

Mickey Hart  photo from Jpost.com

No doubt, Jewish Deadheads worldwide are kvelling.

I have said it before and I will say it again:  changes a' comin'.  This gives me hope that one day, my favorite band will make it to Israel.  (this isn't the time and place to say how the Grateful Dead leads me to Phish.  For just one convo on that topic, go here)

And despite that my sort of silly sort of not silly calculations that led me to predict that Phish would play there last December didn't come true, it still gives me hope.

Phish is celebrating 30 years this year...the time is now.

If not now, when?  -Hillel

It's Not About the Nail

Going viral as we speak.  Totally awesome short movie about male-female communications.

 

The Rebbe Elimelech

It's an old-world Yiddish tune, and we love it.  Here's Concealed Light on flute playing "Der Rebbe Elimelech," which, incidentally, was written in 1927.  And that year is a permutation of a number we hold so dear to our hearts (yeah yeah, we know the  prediction in that link didn't come true last Chanukah.  Still doesn't matter.  127 totally rocks).




Here are the words (in transliterated Yiddish...Stango will be very unhappy to see "nisht oys"...not a single Hebrew letter...so it goes) if you didn't check out the Wiki link I included above

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn zeyer freylekh,

(Iz gevorn zeyer freylekh, Elimeylekh,)

Hot er oysgeton di tfilin

Un hot ongeton di briln

Un geshikt nokh di fidlers di tsvey.

Un di fidldike fidlers

Hobn fidldik gefidlt.

Hobn fidldik gefildt hobn zey!

(x2)

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn mer nokh freylekh,

Iz gevorn mer nokh freylekh, Elimeylekh,

Hot er opgemakht havdole

Mitn shames Reb Naftole

Un geshikt nokh di payklers di tsvey.

Un di paykeldike payklers

Hobn paykeldik gepaykelt.

Hobn paykeldik gepaykelt hobn zey!

(x2)

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn GOR SHTARK freylekh,

Iz gevorn gor shtark freylekh Elimeylekh,

Hot er oysgeton dos kitl

Un hot ongeton dos hitl

Un geshikt nokh di tsimblers di tsvey.

Un di tsimbeldika tsimblers

Hobn tsimbeldik getsimbelt.

Hobn tsimbeldik getsimbelt hobn zey!

(x2)

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Tonight we held our now-annual Cinco de Mayo fiesta supper celebration.  Exactly the type of stuff the kids are going to be embarrassed about in years to come.  (Or maybe they already are?)

Whatever Happened to Arsenio Hall?

Just as I'm sitting down to watch some classic "Coming to America," I couldn't help but wonder:  Whatever happened to Arsenio Hall?

I must have some vibe or something because just a couple of weeks ago, he posted the following video that shows him doing a focus group for his new syndicated show to appear on 9/9/13.




Doubtful that I'll watch it, but I'm glad to know he's alive and well.

Meantime, I think I need some Soul Glo

Remember Cinco de Mayo this Sunday!

Here's a relic from a couple of years ago.  And the first time here on Whole Phamily you see me, Ms. Rachel Molly Loonin, on video.  As I have expressed many times over, my blog is a combo of a lot of different things.  Here's a glimpse into Stango and Loony's life.  Let me know what you think.

When you post things of your kids they wouldn't appreciate

I like to think of myself as a loving mama.  I love my children and I love so much of what they do.  I respect their privacy but I am also so proud of some of their things.  Naturally, in this day and age I want to share them on the holy grail of the Internet.

For example.  After test-running the following image created by my beloved near-8 year old the Wolfman with our very special kin The Nunever, I made the executive decision to share on Facebook and Twitter.   The Nunever said it must have been one of my proudest mothering moments.  Indeed, I was kvelling.  Did the Wolfman specifically say don't share it?  No.  But if I asked him would he be happy?  Don't think so.

Still, mama's got to take liberties some time...

Nice...it got retweeted by YemBlog!

This is pretty darn good stuff for your typical Phish-loving mama.  Just don't tell the Wolfman about this.  And, if you do, tell him it's the least he can do for his mama who doesn't even celebrate the upcoming Hallmark holiday of Mother's Day.