It is Staurday morning, seven hours from kickoff. It will be a brisk night at Kinnick Stadium where, once again, the Iowa Hawkees will try to stifle the enigma that is the Ohio State Buckeyes. It's the battle of the 'eyes'. My hopes go with Drew and the boys. Let's get them this time. Good luck Drew Tate; our fate rests with you.

I have finished my book. It is gone, and finally out of my head. That thing has been languishing inside me since 1983. I actually, was only able to subdue it when I became ill, and had the time to sit and write. That was 2001. The drain of the birth is lifted and I feel empty. It changed, in plot, when oil production began to peak and it seems to me that water may become the 'oil' of the future. Since it takes place in the not-too-distant- future, I thought that would be the best course for it to take.
I'm happy it's gone, and yet, it's like a child leaving home.

But we here do have the Hawkeyes.
What a great day this is. Happy day, everybody!
Joe

Sometimes, life is so painful.
My son and his wife, Patty, moved, with their two little girls, to Pella Iowa. Pella is the most beautiful little town. They have an "economy within". That means they produce, sell, and buy, within themselves. It is home to Pella Windows, probably the world finest. It is home to two Dutch bakeries that deliver their sumptuous cooking around the world. It is home to Vermeer Industries; they make every imaginable heavy equipment from Trenchers, and Graders, to butt wipers! They supply the world. It is a perfect American community. Each year they have the Tulip festival, which is so glorified that it is against the law to defame a Tulip (who would want to?)
Community, what a beautiful word that is. They take care of each other, a rarity these days.
Jeoff and Patty were the right team for each other. It seemed such a sure thing.
Well, it didn't work out that way, and they were divorced yesterday. We went up to give them support through this.
Life, sometimes, is very painful.
The little girls, 7 and 11, were very hurt by this. My wife was looking for Ashley, and found her in a closet crying. She's having difficulty with this sudden turn in her life. Kayleigh seems okay, but might be hiding it in her own little closet.
The hurt they feel hurts us more than any personal pain. We cried together when we got home. It is so hard to try and be the strong ones when you are really crushed. We are 121 miles from our baby girls and can't be with them when they go through these things. They do have cell phones, and both called when we got home. I hate phones, but those cell phones are very important now! It is a way for them to keep us close.
We love Patty and hold no animosity towards her. It's hard because Jeoff is so angry. He knows how we feel so he tries to put the best face on it for us. I cannot tell you how much it hurts to see the little ones so sad.
On the way home the Garth Brooks song, "The Dance" came on the radio. Diane immediately burst into tears. And I am not a big county music fan, but that song was so close to what has happened.
Isn't it an awesome song? I don't know how to put songs on this blog; but the words were so very pure. It is a true metaphor for life's pain.

"Looking back on the memory of
the dance we shared 'neath the stars above
for a moment all the world was right
how could I have known that you ever say good bye

and now, I'm glad I didn't know
the way it all would end, the way it all would go
our lives are better left in chance
I could have missed the pain
but I'd have had to miss the dance

Holding you, I held everything
for a moment wasn't I a king
if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say? you know I might have changed it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
the way it all would end the way it all would go
our lives are better left in chance
I could have missed the pain
but I'd have missed the dance.

Yes my life is better left in chance
I could have missed the pain
but I'd have had to miss the dance."

I will always picture these two beautiful people dancing at their wedding. There was this big globe that turned shedding sparkling light on them. They were so happy. We were so proud.
We will always love them both.
They could have missed that pain, but they'd both have missed the dance.

Joe

I love the Blogstream. I have to ease up a bit,
now that I have received the first proofs of my novel
from editors. I have to [peruse it and give my
okay to the set-up.
God, I'm excited. This thing has been going on in my mind
since 1983. Well, it was a lot different story then, and
I didn't have time to write until my health went to hell.
But it has driven me since 1998. I will be so glad to get
this damn thing out of my brain!
Anyway, I'll keep an eye out and visit. But probably won't
be commenting much.
Target date is end of the September, whatever that means.
I love you guys, see you later, next week.
Joe

I remember folding my hands into my face when I heard the news. I guess when we were kids, and ‘the bomb’ could drop any day, we kind of felt our lives drifting away to some other place.
We knew that others, in other places, felt the same, but, what could we do? We were kids and, the heavens were opening! When our life’s mentor-messengers were falling into die, we were
disturbed by the hole left in our effigies. We felt the angels must be angry at us for our frustrations to seek peace.
The fingers laced up into my brows and thought they felt the tear. Why wouldn’t we cry? It was our generation that was coming apart! Our stars were falling out of the night sky...someone help us! Please, let this dying end!
My head rose as the finger tips touched the sides of my face. At first, there was no solace from the elders who didn’t understand what freedom these Kings had brought, and given to us.
Oh no! The music didn’t end that night. But we had been changed by the tragedy of this. Suddenly, there was a suffering in us, that gave us, us. We were defined by this moment, destined to remember the roots.
A silent tear rolls to my hand. I had to get up and face the day. How could they die on us like that? Why did they have to do that? I had to be with my kind to suffer this loss. We will be silent for just this moment; then, get wild again, in their names! Because, we are ‘rockers’! This was our cause!
The elders were afraid of Jerry Lee and, thought Buddy Holly was a Christmas decoration. Bless, you, Mother!
Three saviors would come to lend our souls some ease for, we suffered so. One arrived in sleeves of work. Yes, he came here to slow this lonely ‘hotrod’ down. Our wild generation had finally become tired!
Then, there was this crude ambler, who came upon the stage of our lives. Out of the Blues and rustic, lowdown, belch of the underworld. The Farmer; the Working man; That old guy down on the corner, who just wants someone to recognize that he is alive.
The third was the real ‘King’. We knew he was finally up there where he belonged. He had survived the crush, and crash, of hate, suspicion, and fear that would take us the rest of the way.
He brought with him, a reckoning, of who we really were. Brothers, cut from of the same cloth, and, he brought that smile, and, ‘duck-walked’ through our own Armageddon with us.
The Boss, The Poet, and, The Father. We were not alone, after all! They were rhythm and words that lie, etched, in our stones.
We woke up one day and, became our Fathers and, our Mothers. They were Tommy Dorsey, and we were Chuck Berry.
But now, we knew that the mantle had been passed and, we can see their smiling faces. And, we all knew this was life!
When they saw our children and realized we really were human beings; that was the day they knew everything was all right and, they could go ahead and let us go! We’d had our fling with freedom’s dance; now it was our turn to say good bye to all of those who had fallen before us. We made it! We did okay, didn’t we? Look at us, Mom! How we doing, Dad?
We will be silent, then go wild again in their names. Because we are still ‘rockers’ and this will always be our cause!

Joe

I went down to Texas to find myself a girl; I ended up with an oily cup, and some big ole girl named Earl.
I decided it was time to leave so I was looking for the door; then I stopped, looked at my watch, and said “what’s all this fussin’ for?”
Oh, the state of Texas is messed up on their sexes; hell, they’re just like us for sure! (Wahoo!)

I met another Texas girl with a really messed up mind; she said “I know I’m sexy, but I just don’t know what kind”!
So I wined her, danced, dined her, then I looked at her and said: “If you don’t mind, I’d like to find, what kind you are in bed!”
Oh, the state of Texas is messed up on their sexes, hell, they’re just like us, in their head! (Yahoo!)

you see, there ain’t nothin’ special ‘bout Texas, they’re all just blowin’ wind; but I’d like to decide what horse to ride, I’ll pick the sin I’m in!
I thought ‘bout goin’ lower, to where they see the light; this Texas group don’t seem to stoop enough for a right, tight, night!
Oh, them people in Texas don’t know where their necks is, and their dogs don’t have much bite!

This cute little girl said “give me a whirl” so I gave her all I could; she whirled me good, I laid my wood, she did me where I stood!
Now I ain’t no Don Juan creature, but that girl made me sing; I never got done on the dance floor for fun, she’s a diamond with a sting!
Oh, that girl in Texas gave me erect’s, an angel, if there’s such a thing

then I met this shy girl who didn’t know the way, to please, and seize, and squeeze a man, in a loving lay
“I don’t know if I should go with a man I hardly know. I’m just a small town girl, who loves the world, and the "Jerry Springer show.”
But that little girl in Texas sure knows what the hell sex is; she lent me one damn good blow!

That’s what she said to me that day, and it change everything I know. This beautiful dream had a brain it seems; I’ll be damned, she ain’t no ‘ho’!
She beamed me up, I was a horny pup; now I’m ready for the show!
Oh, the state of Texas might be okay after all. If dirt is dust, then corrosion is rust, in a world called the status quo?

I dreamed I’s back in Austin, scrappin’ for a fight; I punched ‘em out, and tossed ‘em, into the mean street night.
I’s five feet nine, he’s eight foot four, but I made him cry and scream; it’s all nonsense, don’t take offense, HEY! it was only a dream!
I dreamed the state a’ Texas was nothing but a fake; they’re good folks, they just make jokes, at everybody else’s sake

I met this girl in Texas, who said she’d change my life; she found a lord in a ‘55 Ford, love is what she had for light
I ain’t never been so pleased to be wrong about that state; I’m gonna go back and hit the sack with every girl I date
Oh the state of Texas, got girls on every street; livin’ is lovin’, just me above ‘em; with a place to heat my meat.

So, I met this guy in Texas who said he had a plan, to save the world from themselves; he was going to burn the land.
“I’m going to take this country to the Christian right, real hard; but first I gotta squirm out this here Texas National Guard.
Oh, the state of Texas, got a lot chicken peck’ses, a man outa do his duty, and work hard!

He squirmed and wormed his way again, and got his Daddy’s pat; a spoiled little rich kid, God help us all from that!
He had his hand on the trigger, all the power of the devil’s worth; he thought it was his calling, a rendering of the Earth.
He said” I’m above all the people, I can’t held to blame; I’ll kill, and torture, and make ‘em cry; and I’ll do it in my people’s name!
Oh the state of Texas, done got us all in wreck’s; and brother, we ain’t never gonna be the same.

Joe