On Being Handy

No Assembly Required: three little words I long to hear. Call me many things, but handy does not come to mind. Artsy, quirky, eclectic (eccentric?), and kind of out there–I have many signature traits. But building a cabinet or tiling the bathroom or fixing a fixture that needs a little this or that has never…

Sometimes I Think I’m Tift Merritt

As seen in No Depression,  the Journal of Roots Music Sometimes I Think I’m Tift Merritt   Resting across this floral couch, a two-seater love seat by the window, I feel the breeze coming through the muggy, sweet-scented night air. I’m taking in the humidity, the thick oxygenated air and the seaside climate of Newport,…

Words, Music and Musings from Mississippi’s Shannon McNally

“I hate the term ‘female singer-songwriter’, or ‘woman musician’. It makes me recoil,” says singer-songwriter, accomplished guitarist and sought-after collaborator Shannon McNally.  I also hate hearing about ‘girls’ night out, or ‘ladies night’ – let’s get one thing straight; if you’re a lady, and you’re at a bar alone, you shouldn’t have to buy your…

No Coffee on Tuesdays

All I want is sleep.  I parked the endlessly rolling tires on Wednesday and it’s taken some adjustment to realize my bed isn’t temporary and that the earth isn’t humming underneath.  I wake up around 5:30, thinking of my new resolution to get up each day at 7:30, then snuggle in a little deeper, saying…

El Colibri

The heat in Nicaragua was a presence, an overbearing guest who laughed too loud, came on too strong and interrupted each and every private conversation. It was so hot that it was impossible not to personify the thick, humid night. I was sporting a new knee brace courtesy of an oddly painful knee twist on…