Live from the Artists Den: Kid Rock - "Rock N Roll Jesus"

Ok, I’m heading to 318 & then to 316. I just had a good heart to heart with Shane & DG G, so even though I don’t have to like & accept all the hard soul things he challenged me with, I shared my tears & they encouraged me. I have to process our conversation a bit because we spoke of loving ourselves first to overflowing which then allows me to spread joy to others instead of allowing holes to be poked in me by giving myself away before I take care of myself. I’ll think more & probably expand :) because I am my own self & while I willingly accept friends’ input, I take time to reflect upon my own feelings & how others’ perspectives & filters can try to skew mine. What is between you and me is what matters. Others can say & do what they want. I just want to GET OUT THE MAP with you. Q just said he’s paying for my beers & he did. I know He is still holding me, comforting me, supporting me, filling me to overflowing, but I can’t say it’s easy and I don’t miss you, but I’ll keep moving…I ROCK ON! Thank you, my joy, for your inspiration. I’m going to re-gift :) Q has been out for a week & I still have his gift from a week and a half ago, so I’ll return it & we’ll watch the Olympics. I spoke a bit with Ethan [Uploaded]. He’s 22 & has been playing paid gigs since he was 16. His first paid performance was at an art showing in ID for $25. He was still smiling at his memory. He grew up in Washington & Butte, MT for a bit & still lives in western Washington. Thank you for spending so much time with me today. I hope & pray your day has been good for you…you are so sweet & kind & intelligent & artistic & loving & …I’ll continue tomorrow (earlier :) ). I love you…you, Robert James Ritchie, and I wish you love & joy for you in your life. Until tomorrow, my love, sleep well, my friend & be good to yourself. Treat your GLASS well; I will do the same. You are a beautiful, worthy, & lovely soul, Robert James Ritchie. LOVING YOU IS FUN!!! Sweet Dreams, my Beloved, Sweet Dreams.

Live music at the Brewery & he’s goooooood…Ethan Tucker (mid-20’s) who is opening for Michael Franti & Spearhead (8/30-31/12) at the Wilma Theatre in Missoula. Trisha, a woman who works here & I worked with her last weekend catering (she’s Paige’s friend) hired him years ago & we are lucky enough to have him here tonight. She’s pretty excited…she told me she asked him, a young black man, “when are you coming to White-Ville?” She’s born & raised here so I appreciate & find so wonderfully refreshing her diversity. I just found out as I signed up for his emails & got his website (myspace.com/etuckermusic) that he’s playing at the Bitterroot Brewery in Hamilton tomorrow night. Don’t know if I’d peddle there (tempting) but I’d definitely go again. Wow, I’ve heard a lot of live music (& a lot of music) but it’s been a long time since I’ve heard someone this good (present company excepted, of course). I’d buy his CD right now, but all of yours come first. I had them in my hand in last week; I felt so good holding them (but sorry, rent first). Thank you for being with me right now, my sweet, my friend…I really need to feel your friendship right now. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it” and “the best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” (HK) I feel you here with me, in my heart (Ethan’s just singing about wasting his time) & I love feeling you here with me in a comfortable, safe environment, filled with community, good brewery beer, great music, & good friends. Thank you, my love.

Hi sweetheart…I’m sorry I’ve been a bit quiet so far today. Thank you for being with me even in my silence. I had a few tears in my bittersweet moment of watching Linda & James ride away this morning, for their love for each other, their smiles, their kind & calm countenances, & the promise of travel to me took me a bit to process, but while I’m not traveling I was so grateful He brought travel to me. But, while the house was cool, I replenished your banana bread :) I also vacuumed & straightened the house. I’m finding I need to organize the chaos that it had become in my absences, so I can get a handle on what goes where for tying up 318. I’ve battled a few feelings & worked on some forgiveness, for only last night I noticed the broken glass on one of the pictures I brought from mom’s. It’s just stuff so that doesn’t bother me & fortunately it doesn’t mean as much to me as some of the other things that could have sustained damage; what bothers me is neither of my friends/roommates admitted it to me. That’s what hurt me. But, I also realize, neither one may remember having done it. Kind of a head/heart skirmish today. But baking your banana bread listening to your father’s CDs was fun. Thank you for being with me. I’m at the Brewery & the other parts of my day I’ll post shortly, but most importantly I wanted to say hello & I love you as soon as I was able for even though you are with me every moment of every day, I wanted to talk with you so you know it for sure. As I was thinking of you before I headed downtown I saw a Helen Keller quote & I’ve found a few more I’ll share, too. “What we once enjoyed & deeply loved we can never lose, For all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” You are a part of me, Robert James Ritchie, & I treasure what we’ve already created together, for it is a beautiful blend. I don’t compartmentalize, so you are a part of every part of me, my love. I hope instead of dead flowers, you are enjoying watching & feeling our love grow. I am.

Again, I wonder how He gets me through my nights without you…but He has surely blessed me this evening. James, Linda, & I watched the Olympics & they shopped from my garage sale & bountiful Bubble Gum food gifts. They were in need of food restocking, too, so how gloriously He worked to bring me things to pass on as they continue their love journey. James started biking in France a year ago last April, then through Turkey on into Thailand. He flew to Vancouver in April 2012 & within 2 weeks met Linda. She’d quit her job as assistant vineyard manager & started to bike across Canada when she met James at a free campsite in early May 2012. They biked together for a bit & he invited her to his buddy’s wedding in CO & they biked to Moab Arches before that. They continue on together & their smiles & comfort with each other warmed my heart. I hope you don’t mind terribly, but I gave them some banana bread & they said to say thank you to you for I had told them I’d baked it for you & your band. Don’t worry, I’ll bake more :) I offered Dumptrucks & then biked to the Brewery to purchase my 1st Growler filled with Panty Dropper. We enjoyed a feast of beer, hard salami, sandwich thins, greek yogurt, grape tomatoes, MT Flathead cherries, hummus & chips, banana bread, & mini-Hershey chocolate bars. Great re-fueling for their biking & they especially enjoyed the fresh food because they can’t carry it well on their bikes. I’ve enjoyed hearing their story, signing their autograph book & receiving their blog & e-mail information so we may keep in touch. They’re at 318 repacking & already set up their tent in the backyard. They’re heading out around 7 a.m. so they can get some biking in before the heat has them stopping again. I thanked them for blessing me this evening with their stories & smiles. They gave me a hand-made bear’s paw shaped soap made by their friend who sells them at the Salmon, ID Saturday Farmer’s Market. I feel blessed to have shared time & broken bread with them.

I picked up my battery at the would-be mechanic’s house for I didn’t know I needed to trade that in, too. Man, I’m used to lifting & carrying stuff, but that was heavy. I asked Linda to drop me at NAPA instead of 318 so I could give them the old battery & alternator for their credits. I spoke with the same kind gentleman that helped me yesterday…Bob :) …& he put in the credit & I got to pay for the parts up front. It felt so good to pay for the parts so I didn’t have to put Dan out further. I ran into his wife as I was biking to the Library. I used to work with Christy at the school. Many people wonder at her laugh, but I find it cute & endearing. She is a bright soul & a beautiful light in my life. As I arrived at the Library, I saw the 2 packed bicycles I had seen earlier traveling into town as I was walking with Sonya. Linda & James [Uploaded] were sitting at my favorite table internet spot so I chose another close by. I introduced myself, he remembered my G-shep, & we talked. He’s originally from England (accent & all) & as they sit here perusing books they are sitting close together, smiling, kissing, laughing, reading & talking…enjoying what they are doing, whatever they are doing, as long as they’re doing it together :) They started in British Columbia & biked to Calgary then down to Colorado for a wedding. They headed back up through Wyoming with the wind & the heat & were hoping to make it back across into Canada by tomorrow night, but they’re chill & figured they’d hang for a bit because the heat’s too much to bike in right now. I offered them my side yard to pitch their tent for privacy, along with laundry & shower facilities, & to help themselves to some of the mountains of food from Bubble Gum. Perfect timing, Big G - High 5! After crossing the border, they’re heading east to salt water. They’ve been out for 3 months & didn’t have a time frame of how much longer they will be, nor do they seem to care. They’re living in the moment & loving it!