Any of you monkeys want a banana?

Time flies when you're having fun, don't it? It's been since Dec of last year that I made an entry, so lots to catch up on. Let's see now... New grandkids (Sam and Isabelle), knee surgery, the Hummingbird, the (apparent) demise of the Bait Shop Boys, festivals, festivals, festivals, 3 more grandchildren coming, an historic election, another year almost gone, a new kickass computer for my video stuff, and lots of little things.
I was listening to All Things Considered a couple days after the election, and was amused and somewhat astounded by the answers to the question "What do you think will happen now that Obama has been elected?" "A quick end to the war", "My tuition will go down", "Racial tensions will be less", and my personal favorite "I expect him to work some magic". Huh? So now he's Harry Potter, and since he defeated Voldemort (Bush by proxy) he'll make the world a better place. Of course, to some, he can already walk on water and fly faster than a speeding bullet.
No, that does not mean I'm a racist or a bigot (no matter what you think G. B.). It means that he's made so many promises that he won't possibly be able to deliver on a lot of them. People need to understand that he's a great speaker, and knows and says what people want to hear. I've heard him compared to Ronald Reagan in that regard, and I can't disagree. I always thought of Reagan's time in office as the best acting gig he ever had. I know a lot of people think of him as a great president, and maybe he was. I just don't happen to think so. I hope that Obama can pull off even a fraction of what he's promised. God knows the Republicans have screwed things up royally, so now the Democrats get their chance. I'm afraid of what the next 4 years will bring, but he was elected in what appears to be a fair and well-conducted election, and as such deserves his chance.
Early this year, I found a 1976 Gibson Hummingbird in a store near Detroit (I was going to buy strings for my other guitar). It called to me, and I had to buy it. It's a bit more ornamental than I like, but what a guitar! It sounds great, and plays as well as any acoustic I've ever had a chance to try. It's inspired me to practice and learn some new material, which has been an on-going effort.
I made it to three festivals this year, Blissfest (my first one), Wheatland (been there a few times), and my personal favorite, the Sugar Island festival. At Blissfest I learned about the three-second rule (if you don't have a song ready in three seconds, I'm playing one). This has been a great source of amusement for my friends, and a pretty workable solution to the question "How long is it polite to wait before I do another song?" So get on with it or expect to listen...a lot...
There's more, but I don't have the time right now. I gotta go get a pack of smokes and pick up Rose's tokens.