I'm not off the road in recent days, but this is as close as I get.  There's a restlessness present in my day-to-day, between shows, as I work on relaxing and just breathing with where I am.  Lots of shopping, lots of hunting, lots of taking spontaneous alone time.  As if I'm getting ready to hibernate and have to go, go, go before the sun goes down.  Frenetic.  Furtive. 

I have worked my tail off this year, touring and performing, and I find that 'normal' life, by contrast, is hard to get used to.  I can't have conventional vacation time, so when there's a surplus of it, I have to readjust my brain.  Slowly, gently.

I've had a hard time, in spite of all these unscheduled days between shows, fitting in everything I wish for.  Yesterday, with hangout time in beautiful northeast Arkansas for the first time in many years, I didn't manage to meet my goals of getting us out of Fayetteville and up to Eureka Springs to walk around, enjoy the perfect day, perhaps hit a library sale.  We didn't leave Fayetteville until 4pm, so I aborted the plan for lovely Eureka Springs.  I want to give it more time.  Still, there's a little hurtful spot of regret in my chest. 

Sometimes I find it difficult to be at peace with small decisions like this, even though I know that ultimately trying again later to get the happiness I want to get from these adventures will be twice as wonderful.  I worry that I won't remember to make the time to go and watch the leaves change in the mountains, to explore the national parks I've never seen, to go and hunt for beauty.  At least I worry a lot less than I once did.

Life is short, and if I choose to relax for a couple of days in my mother's house instead of seeking stunning sights and adventures as yet untasted, perhaps it's all right.  I have earned a bit of downtime.  I'm having a hard time just being still with that thought, but I'm going to keep working at it.

I have lots of recording to do, which I've been putting off.  I reminded myself at my show this past Friday that I want to have the Pirate Girls album ready by the end of this year.  That, on top of super secret plans for a download-only project, as well as work on Mischief on my own for now and with Ginger in early 2009, makes a hefty list.  I need to get on it. 

Good things:
1.  new, beautiful Morroccan cotton stripey pants
2.  stupid Facebook game I'm addicted to, at least it makes me happy
3.  forgetting to use my new camera because things are gorgeous enough I can remember them on my own
4.  happy travels with my love, no anger, no pain
5.  stunning October days
6.  yoga!  time to do it in!  remembering to do it!
7.  finding peace in spite of government/financial freakouts at every turn

Upcoming things:
1.  FOS this weekend - must buy tables for our booth!
2.  two or three more pirate songs to finish.  Must find quiet time and space.
3.  many, many electronic and ballad songs - need to go download strange train sounds if I can find them, among other things.

I'll be taking a tour in early 2009 with my favorite recording engineer and her movie-star beautiful sweet heart.  Together, the three of us will tour under the name The Traveling Fates.  Two out of the three Fates just had to cancel their tour and go home to be with family--Ginger's father is in the hospital.  In the absence of the revenue they would've enjoyed after the five shows they would have had in Georgia this week, they're offering some sweet deals on their music.  Read on.

Bekah says:
As some of you know, our tour was cut short when Ginger received a phone call that her father was in serious condition in the hospital. We canceled the rest of our tour and drove to Houston where we have been the past week with no end in the immediate future. Answers concerning Ginger's father are few and far between and it is uncertain how long we will have to remain. Ginger's parents are still dealing with damage to their home from Hurricane Ike and Ginger along with her mother are trying to take over the business of repairs which had been handled entirely by her father up to this point.

Many of you are wondering how you can help. Here are 3 ways you can do so right now:

1) You can keep Ginger and her whole family in your most positive thoughts and prayers. Prayers for her father: love, comfort, perfect rest, and regeneration of healthy cells and organ function. For the family: love, peace, strength, and clarity in figuring out all that needs to be sorted through. We are so deeply touched by all the prayers and love offered.... Thank you.

2) You can to to gbmojo.com today and purchase any of the following CD's. Not only will this mean you get some great new music (for you or as gifts to family and friends!), you also help us tremendously as we try to supplement the income lost from canceling the remainder of our tour.

* Bekah Kelso's EP: A Prelude to Mud - $10
* Ginger Doss's EP: More to Me - $10
* Bekah and Ginger's Xmas CD: Holy Silent Bell in a Frosty Manger! - $10

The latter is a holiday CD we had a blast recording last December and features GBMOJO (Ginger and Bekah) versions of:

1. Silent Night
2. Jingle Bell Rock
3. Frosty the Snowman
4. Away in A Manger
5. O' Holy Night.

***SPECIAL OFFER!!!*** -- We want to say thank you for your support! Right now, for EVERY 2 CD's you buy (Bekah's, Ginger's, or XMAS - any 2 in any combination), we will send you one Christmas CD FREE! Yay! Buy 2, we send you 1 Christmas CD. Buy 4, we send you 2 Christmas CD's! And on... and on... and on! :) Every 2 purchased yields one holiday CD for free! These make great stocking stuffers for your friends and family!

3) If you choose not to buy CD's but would still like to help, you can go to either Bekah or Ginger's Myspace pages and click on the "Tip Kitty" to make a donation to our online tip jar. ANY amount (no really.... any :) is gratefully accepted. A few dollars spread out among many contributors can really make a huge impact, right?

(Any way you can help is so appreciated but when you buy CD's, we get to give something back to you and we'd really like to do that!)

Buy your CD's at: www.gbmojo.com

Donate to the online tip jar by clicking on the "Tip Kitty" at:

http://www.myspace.com/gingerdoss or http://www.myspace.com/bekahkelso

Thank you a taking a moment to read this. We are taking it day by day and appreciate each and every one of you. We feel very blessed by all the love in our lives...

We look forward to sending you some great music and thank you deeply for your support. May it return to you many times over.

Peace and Blessings!

Bekah & Ginger

Yesterday I received this in an email from my Ginger, who wrote as she barricaded the door to her father's hospital room--he had finally gotten to sleep after days of missed rest, and she wasn't about to let any of the scheduled interruptions pass:

Sisters, this medical industry is savage and ignorant.
The hospital environment is not conducive to healing.
How bizarre is that? I long for a witch to tend to my father!  
The tender spiritual care of the holy wise women of the
sacred ways -- it is their due calling to heal. How I miss their
energy now...these past days have forced me to live in a world
that I always hated and now I understand to my core the deeper
reason why. My old soul cannot abide this hollow place where a
sacred space has not been made... where those in charge are
 just "making rounds."  Prayer should be constant -- music should
be playing - sacred space should be held by the priests,
affirmative healing art should color the halls, fragrant oils should
scent the air, open meditation rooms should be available to bring
healing energy to the space for all who are within -
You know what I mean...
Can you picture what I'm talking about?  
Coming to the hospital should be like
"Wow ... you're going to the hospital... man I wish I could go....
I always feel soooo AMAZING when I come out."
In any case things are as they are.
As it is, my dad would run from a place like I describe.
It would need to be a part of his world long before he would accept
that kind of care. Maybe he just thinks I'm falling asleep with my
hand on his.;) Little does he know how much he is receiving,
from me, from you, from so many. Thank you all for bringing alive
the sacred feminine in my life and being the holy wise witches
of my world...


As says my friend Storm Constantine:
The Infirmary of Immanion was renowned throughout the
Wraeththu world. It did not look like a hospital, nor did it feel
like one. Its entire structure was designed to promote healing
on all levels of being. Its ambience was calm and restful and the
staff moved with serene purpose. Voices were soft in that place
and the lighting subtle.


I don't know a single person, save my uncle the EMT, who doesn't
dread the thought of going to the hospital. Let's manifest a change
in this. All you healers, sing it out with me, as my friend Celia says.
I'm not advocating a hostile holistic takeover of all medical facilities,
here. I'm initiating positive change. We can blend the two sides
successfully, I believe. It's already begun, as many herbalists, nutritionists,
and therapists will tell you. We can do better. Perhaps if the one side,
desensitized people from pre-med on up, could take the other, Reiki
practitioners and reflexologists,for example, a bit more seriously, and
the rest of us healers and humans take the western medical side a bit
less seriously, we'll get further down the right track soon.

We can always dream. Dreams come true.