Jud's Nov/Dec News

There's great arches of birch out in our woods. Eleanor and I stumbled through them last week, just tromping around. Makes me think of Robert Frost out there swinging on them. It's a funny picture, because I can't imagine him young. There he is, white combover blowing like a thunderhead as he pole-vaults them back and forth, back and forth. The trees grow down toward the ground now, all played out. I asked El if we should call it the Birch Cathedral and she, delighted, agreed, suggesting I could be Quasimodo. I hope the arches last at least a few more years. Birches around here don't seem to. There's a huge one close to the house that died last year. Good for the birds: we see a lot of Pileated Woodpeckers. They look like pterodactyls, bigger than you'd think, with that pointy, origami head.

But that big birch is just too dangerous to keep. It's started to shed widowmakers -- great big branches we find, usually after some wind, shattered on the grass below. Warning shots. So, in spite of the woodpeckers, it's been time to cut it for a while now. I got a chainsaw last week, managed to light it on fire while I was breaking it in. Yes, on fire. Just following instructions. All under warranty, so I guess I wasn't doing anything wrong. It's fixed, but would you feel comfortable pulling that cord again? I wasn't in any rush. Couldn't leave that birch another winter, though. Too easy to imagine great chunks of it coming down in an ice storm. It leans hard and heavy toward the corner of the house, close enough to hit. It's supposed to be harder to cut down trees that lean like that. They can surprise you. They know where they want to go and it's hard to convince them otherwise. This one wanted to go to Gemma's bedroom.

It fell with less terror than it could have, pruning a lilac I would've rather kept. But it missed the rose and, more importantly, the apple and, more importantly still the house and the shed. It felt a little bit like landing the Space Shuttle. But it's down. I went back and cut the stump good and flat a couple feet off the ground as a chair for the girls. They love it. I don't think they're going to let me split the logs I've cut, though -- they're arranged in a faerie ring already, and you know how bitchy faeries get when you mess with their crib.

I heard someone talking about the economy, saying people are turning their attention toward home and hearth now. I guess that's what this is. I look forward to splitting some wood and keeping the fire burning through the night on these cold ones. I look forward to curling up
with a guitar and a pen and letting some new songs come. And I look forward to seeing you, too. I've got some great shows coming up to end 2008, from my home town to Caffe Lena and back. I'll be playing a Holiday/Winter show in Damariscotta, ME, in December, which is a first
for me. And so it goes! As always, I love to hear from you -- feel free to drop me a line and let me know what's new. And please see if you can come out and support some of these venues -- you won't be sorry.

See you soon!

-Jud