it 'twas, it really 'twas...

'twas the night before solstice

and all through the house

not a lesbian was stirring

or even remodeling her house.

flannel stockings were hung

by the wood stove with care,

in hopes that ellen soon would be there.

the rescue dogs were nestled all snug in their beds,

while visions of homemade dog biscuits danced in their heads.

and kathy in her kerchief

and other kathi in her cap

had just settled down

for a long winters nap.

when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter

the kathies sprang from their bed

to see what was the matter.

away to the window they flew like a flash

tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

when what to their wondering eyes did appear?

some ladies in vests

drinking wine and dark beer.

suddenly from the crowd appeared 

an angel aglow

it was ellen degeneres 

wearing mukluks in the snow.

More rapid than eagles the lesbians came,

ellen whistled and shouted and called them by name;

"now kathy and kathi, and deb and colleen

on shirley, dianna, butch, and hakim"

to the top of the porch! to the top of the stair

come in from the cold, it's cozy in there.

The candles they lit

the wine they kept drinking

the food was potluck

gelled mullets atwinkling

they sang a few songs

jumped over the fire

they each knew they shared

a saphhic desire

Ellen stepped forth

and raised up her glass

"Happy Solstice to all!  I am drunk off my ass..."

sweet and low...

there is no sweeter sound to me these days than the sound of d's car pulling in the driveway with my girls after school. the sound i relish is not from the car specifically, it's the sound of all three of them singing loudly with the windows rolled down.

d. and i are both music fiends and we have made sure it is a centerpiece of our family life. often we have the same taste in music, sometimes we diverge. we're all loving augustana's new song "sweet and low". d. keeps the cd in her car and rocks out with the girls every chance she gets. i, too, enjoy rocking out with the girls each day. currently we are feeling the "sex and the city" soundtrack. :-) g. is addicted to fergie's "labels or love", while z. and myself are hooked on india arie singing "heart of the matter". (although car dancing and singing along with fergie is crazyfun!)

music is such an important part of our family life. in the car, in the house, while we sleep, everywhere. all four of us connect deeply to ourselves and each other through music. it makes us laugh, think, feel, cry.

for both d. and i music was our escape from the lunacy that raged in each of our family homes as children. d. recalls her credit woes as a 3rd grader indebted to columbia tapes and records. i was a paul simon enthusiast, and played my 45 of slip slidin' away on my little blue record player so much i wore it out. (yes, i was a dark child).

our kids rarely choose straight up kids music, although they have the full collection. z. is a U2 junkie, has been since she was 4. g's tastes range from annie lennox to usher, much like my own. d. is a musical hound dog, meaning she is always sniffing out who is new and great on the music scene, and her tastes run a wide range.

d. and i were continuous concerts goers as youngins, both as a couple and before we met. our concert going fell off dramatically when the parenthood set in, but we are happily and steadily regaining that part of our life. the only issue has been explaining to our children that they can't come with if it's not an all ages show. last week we saw shawn colvin at the dakota in minneapolis. it was a great show, just shawn and her guitar. we had a table and ordered wine and french fries. (pretty different than hanging off the stage next to the speakers at first ave, sandwiched between a smelly guy and another smelly guy.) it was great! if you haven't seen a show at the dakota, i highly recommend. my favorite quote of the evening was after she sang "sunny came home" she leaned into the mic and sort of whispered, "sometimes you just need to write a good murder ballad". so true.

here is what else i have in my 5 disc changer in the car:

*jason mraz
*joshua radin
*sex and the city soundtrack
*shawn colvin
*lifehouse

what are you listening to?