C h a r l e s O l i v e r

When one door closes another opens.

♠

When a door slams behind you and the one in front of you is slammed in your face,
there is always another to find that is open. If they are all locked bust them down
and break on through.

♥

When I was a young lad and as often happened when I found myself standing
between my seated father and the television he would say unto me:
“You would be far better a door than a window.”

♦

I learned at very young age that if you are standing still and not moving forward, you
are blocking progress and in the way. A stagnant living entity may as well be dead.

♣

Even the trees and grasses are animate. When the winds howl the trees
move their great limbs to rattle and shake their leaves.
The grasses bend and sway with wispy breezes.

ψ

I have thought for quite sometime now about doing this blog.

I have a couple of other blogs. A couple of websites and domains. A slew of sites hosted by online galleries. Three Facebook pages. Two online art apparel, gifts and gear stores. An internet traditional country and Americana music radio station hosted by myself and our dog Floppy. Two YouTube channels. One that deals mainly with rural (hillbilly – redneck if you prefer) culture in mainly a tongue in cheek way. The other with contemporary and traditional fine art I have produced over many years. Some of the videos contain background music I have produced and mixed myself.

All along I have felt a need to make this blog. I wasn’t sure whether to make this a journal, autobiography, about current events, philosophical or psychological musings, political theory, spirituality, prose and poetry or maybe a conglomeration of all the above. Should there be a theme or particular subject?

The majority of all the creative ilks I delve into involve the visual arts and music. This blog has floated around inside my head for years but, I am no closer now to figuring out what this road will be paved with and where the journey’s destination lies.  More likely than not this will be a road to nowhere that is never finished and never ends. A ‘lost highway‘ if you will. A song performed by Hank Williams Sr. and written by Leon Payne may sum up this trek into unknown trails…

Hank Williams “Lost Highway” Lyrics

Songwriter: PAYNE, LEON

Im a rollin stone all alone and lost
For a life of sin I have paid the cost
When I pass by all the people say
Just another guy on the lost highway
Just a deck of cards and a jug of wine
And a womans lies makes a life like mine
O the day we met, I went astray
I started rolling down that lost highway

I was just a lad, nearly 22
Neither good nor bad, just a kid like you
And now Im lost, too late to pray
Lord I take a cost, o the lost highway

Now boys don’t start to ramblin round
On this road of sin are you sorrow bound
Take my advice or you’ll curse the day
You started rollin down that lost highway

Lost Highway lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Which reminds me that I also have a MySpace (does anyone go there anymore?) page that is a tribute to Hank Williams. The late great Leon Payne’s daughter and I had a few conversations through the page. She reminded me that her father wrote that song and like many talented folks he received little acclaim for his efforts.

Leon was not only a very gifted songwriter but also quite the guitarist and vocalist in his own right.

So here we are in the dark without a flashlight. Drifting a sea with not a compass nor a lighthouse to show our way.

The most important accomplishment to date has been achieved. The seeds have spilled from my brain out of my eyes and ears and onto uncharted ground. With my rusty pick and shovel I break this earth and sow the seeds that will line this thoroughfare wherever it may lead. With each sprout a new understanding of what has been wrought will be revealed.  The reaper will know when to pluck the fruits and where the road ends.

~~>O<~~

“It’s a show about nothing.”

You might say this is a blog about nothing. That may well wind up being the case. This reminds me of an old Jerry Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George embark on an adventure trying to sell the idea for a TV show to NBC “about nothing”. Needless to say The Jerry Seinfeld Show was actually about nothing in particular. Basically the show was filled with everyday simple occurrences. One thing led to the other.

Now that the initial steps have been taken on this hike through the wilderness of life we are on our way. Where? Who knows? I sure as hell don’t. I do know this- with each step we progress further on down the road. One thing always leads to another. Many forks in the road, highways and byways and occasional road stops. Hopefully we won’t encounter too many dead ends. Especially those that end at a cliff.

Related articles

• Willie Nelson, ‘Lost Highway’ (stillisstillmoving.com)
• Win Tickets to See Hank Williams: Lost Highway at Circa ’21 (wqad.com)
• Take Thunder Rd to The Killing Fields (travelbetweenthepages.com)
• Willie Nelson Still “Wanted” (stillisstillmoving.com)
• Watch Jimmy Fallon, Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal revisit “Who’s on First?” (hardballtalk.nbcsports.com)
• Jerry Seinfeld 2012 Tour Set to Run Through the Summer (vividseats.com)
• Rockslide closes Highway 1 north of Ragged Point (sanluisobispo.com)

Step Onto The Road and Into This Blog —>

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