Now that I have that Beach Boys song stuck in your head, let me just say that I’ve had the loveliest week visiting my parents! As many of you know, I come from a boating family, so when my folks called and invited me to come to the Florida Keys for a week, I jumped. (Flew. But you know.)

It’s incredible how physically getting outta Dodge can heal you and give you perspective. My acupuncturist who wears a turban says it has to do with exiting your current magnetic field. But I think it’s just as much the ACT of being gone…Lets you breathe and see the forest, etc. and so forth. Plus the tropics are awesome.

The upshot of my lovely break and new perspective is this: I’m a-ready to record agin! (I don’t know why that came out in cowboy talk, that’s not indicative of how the new album will be.) I’ve been writing and re-visiting, and I’m going to make something stark and super vocally and simple and hopefully awesome. So yay!

And I’m tan!!  :) Pics follow.

Key West sunset...

Champagne water!

This is me happy on a boat.

The Marquesas Keys are only about 60 miles from Cuba.

Hemingway--my favorite author--House...

This is my parents' boat, Wind Horse...

Shhh...They're sleeping...

Well, it’s Earth Day Eve…So you know what that means. Here in Los Angeles it means all the Toyota dealerships are brimming full with pseudo-conscientious wealthy wanna-be idealists, just craning their necks for a chance at trading in their gas-guzzler turbo BMWs for Priuses that have batteries five times the size of a normal car which will inevitably fill up our landfills and sit for thousands of years…

Ahh to help the planet.

I’m sorry, hang on–that was my sarcastic alter-ego. My sarcastic alter-ego is probably just jealous. Of what, I’m not sure. :)

Earth Day always makes me think of college and tie dye…And of the summer I worked at a non-profit called TreePeople, where we would get celebrities to plant trees. And other stuff.  I forget what. Really, every day should be–and is–Earth Day. Because this is the only planet on which we live. So–with that in mind…I’m going to take out the recycling, and say a little prayer:

Dear Earth,

May you continue to breathe in all our carbon monoxide and spit out fresh oxygen for us to breathe. May you forgive all our trespasses against you, all our tire tracks and digging and cutting, our bomb dropping and acid dripping, de-forestation and coral-ravaging…May you continue to grow and re-grow, sigh and turn and turn and secretly climb into our dreams, where we will fly through untold visions of exquisite lime-green rain forests of perfect wetness, dive down through beigey-turquoise waters, swirl our toes through perfect millions of crystal grains of desert sand and wake renewed; re-born, ready to tread lightly, smile at each other and hug a tree. Amen.

I'm psyched for Earth Day!

Yawwwwn, stretch–wait? What time is it? OH HOLY MOLY I SLEPT IN AND IT’S ALMOST APRIL!

Wouldn’t it be funny if that were totally true and I’d been asleep since mid-December? Actually no it would be totally weird. Plus my muscles would be all atrophied. So I guess that’s not my story. I guess my story is that I’ve been living and just not blogging. Much milder story. But true.

So what have I been doing? Oh, not much. What have you been doing? (Seriously. Comment or send me an email. I’d love to know.)

I’ve been writing music! I’ve been playing music! I’ve been playing the music I’ve been writing! Just not in public. I went to the Grammys and wore a hat and had a blast!

That's my open-toed shoe on the red carpet at the Grammys...

Oh-and I’ve been taking classical piano lessons. Hours of scales and exercises, and I’m almost 2 pages through “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Bach. Rockin’, I know. (Seriously. It IS.)

This is where I sit for a couple hours everyday...

I’ve been baking.

Mmm, cupcakes!

I HAVEN’T been working out enough. But that’s about to change. I’m pretty sure I gave up working out for Lent, which means just another few weeks and I can start up again! Or I might cave, who knows.

Basically, it’s been a beautiful, rainy, cool, green and blue and gray, travelly, practicey, bakey, sweet, sing-songy 2011 so far. I’m looking forward to more! Talk soon…

Yes I know, it’s not New Year’s yet, but last night I watched “Trading Places” and I LOVE that movie. Boy Eddie Murphy was brilliant back then. Almost makes you want to forgive “Norbit”…

So the holidays are here. I’ve just about finished digesting all the pie I ate on Thanksgiving, and I’m about move on to caramel popcorn. And cookies. Luckily I’m playing lots of shows so I’m working off the sweets in good fashion…Last week I started a little 3 week residency at this super cool lounge/restaurant called Nirvana. In Beverly Hills. I know. Sounds counter-intuitive, right? But it’s so relaxing, and I get to play in front of a fireplace, and all these awesome nice people come and smile and even sing along. Going back tonight. Going to add “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” to the set list in honor of John Lennon.

At Nirvana, loving the fire...

Can you believe he died 30 years ago today? I wonder what would have happened if he’d lived? Would he be dying his hair like Paul? Would he be the next judge on American Idol? One hopes not…One hopes he would be still irascible, mildly approachable, not forcing any writing if it wouldn’t come…More like Bob Dylan I think. Who is aging beautifully. Just my opinion.

But where was I? Right–the holidays. Got my tree, got my puppy who LOVES “his” tree (I think he thinks it’s his big brother come to protect him. My dog is so smart), got my myriad of recipes for caramel popcorn which I am going to experiement with, got my guitar freshly strung…It’s been a good year. Merry New Year and beef jerky to all!

My dog Luca loving his tree...

The tree again, moodlit...

And BOY do I need lotion!

It’s been a lovely week in the wild foothills of Tucson, Arizona, where I spent time playing guitar and eating rice crust pizzas. Seriously. Rice crust pizzas are awesome. I’ve come home to Los Angeles rested, refreshed and rejuvenated. Raring to go. Some people need to be around other people to get fortified; I definitely need to be alone…I was never a fan of Virginia Woolf’s writing, but she sure was right when she wrote about needing ” a room of one’s own” for creation. My parents’ empty house is definitely my room of my own. Few pics follow:

A room of one's own...

November in the desert...

These two seemed not to mind the guitar playing...

With all this loveliness, I have returned with something like a John Prine-y kind of spoken/sung song thing. Not too sure about it, but happy to have written nonetheless. Now it’s time to turn my mind to Thanksgiving pies! Also have some cool holiday shows coming up. Stay tuned for more on that.

love and kisses…