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Jul 4, 2022Liked by Neko Case

Hello my friend,

I empathize with you and others in our stupid country. I am in Congo and happy to be here and not there. Too many cornerstones of our values and rights are being pulverized by selfish assholes there. Here things are grim as well - still I prefer it. There have been conflicts north of where I am as tensions rise between DR Congo and Rwanda. Uganda changes sides depending ... We are waiting to see if there will be a tipping point and how Europe and the US will respond. But, it is beautiful here in soul, spirit, art and nature. I am immensely rewarded by the people I meet and experiences I am having. I get to help out at a primate sanctuary that my friend manages. I help with the dogs and a monkey rescue called Bakwele that we call Guacamole (of course). I often get to visit a nearby national park and see critically endangered Grauer's gorillas, the biggest ape on the planet and also hug my park ranger friends. From time to time I go to dance class taught by two dread sporting Congolese guys. Super fun. I get to view marvelous Lake Kivu which helps me ponder life, work and relations. I also am working on fishing my PhD and will present some stuff soon-ish. I am happy.

I will return to US in August to see my old parents. Hope to return to Congo in October. I may strategize not being American.. somehow. I love you my friend. My hand is in yours.

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Jul 4, 2022Liked by Neko Case

At our place, the wild black raspberries are ripening and we have an absolute HOG of a turtle eating every berry lower than 8 inches off the ground. There a woodchuck living under the front porch that loves eating lily buds, which is fine by me. The bee balm is blooming and our yard is covered in every type of bee you can imagine - we see red, orange, and green bees daily, besides the bumbles. They are getting absolutely hammered on elderflower pollen, too. Getting ready to harvest sweetgrass from the front yard - it smells like heaven. Oh, and my friend gave me coconut curry taffy and it's amazing. That's all the good news in NE KS.

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I'm the town cryer and everybody knows. I'm a little down with a lifetime to go".- Elvis Costello, from Imperial Bedroom.

Things have been tough around South Central Texas the last couple of months. We're still mourning the beautiful children of Uvalde and Roe as well. (I have found it easy to be an ally since reading Molly Ivins..."If you believe in equal pay for equal work you're a Feminist.") And I missed Ms. Neko's show at Paper Tiger due to work, of all things. I've been reading an interesting translation of Epictetus called "How to be free". He was born into slavery and rose to advise Caesar and others. To him, freedom was a choice that one makes in his/her mind. I've had to lean on that philosophy a lot lately. More on this later, the Wren has begun to sing.

D.A. Perez

San Antonio, Texas

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founding

Getting all nervous out here in California, hoping nothing too serious burns tomorrow night. Fireworks and tinder-dry, drought-stricken wildland definitely don't mix. Not well, anyway. Every year Cal Fire warns people not to, they do anyway. The inability or unwillingness to change behavior when it is warranted is disheartening, to say the least. And that's not even looking towards the even grimmer picture of the state of the world. I'm gripping with whatever shred of optimism I have left or have ever possessed to the thought that there is only a push back when there is actual forward movement. If things had stayed in their favor, they wouldn't be bothering with us. And so we shrug off the setbacks and keep moving. That's the idea, anyway. This, all this, is exhausting and demoralizing. So I try to remember that, in Muir Woods last month, I saw bees absolutely going to town on a shrub of wild Pacific blackberries, which I'd never seen before.

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founding

Well, I sort of guiltily crave the validation of hopelessness but try to blend in with the hopeful. It's more social.

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The dogs look comfortable together. I think if we can calm our animals and calm ourselves in the process, we'll be alright. For a while, of course...there's a Scots philosopher, John Gray who wrote a book a few years ago about freedom, and he thinks that there have to be commitments and a structure of some sort to be free. Otherwise, we're just wandering around in the world of Leviathan, waiting for something to kill us.

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This country; this world; it’s demoralizing. But we moved to a place with neighborhood cats. And neighbors who collectively take care of them. And get together a where they dogs get along and frolic. I am holding on to the small hope community, relations, and the earth bring. Even in the midst of the hottest summer on record here.

I also wanted to say thank you for the tour. Your concert in Houston was so damned lovely. Seeing you with close friends; playing songs I had not heard live ever or in years was a joy. Glad you are back with the stuff that brings you joy.

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Like you, I wasn't feeling very celebratory this weekend ... nor was my 7 year old dog, who has slowly decided fireworks and thunderstorms are very scary. For some reason, his comfort spot is on my pillow, between my head and the headboard. He weighs 43 pounds. Anyway, I came here to say that though it was before the Supreme Court RvW ruling, I saw you play at Red Rocks a few weeks ago and it was like a balm for my soul. It was a perfect show at a perfect venue, and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your gifts with the world.

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Suburban Washington in 2022 is full of snails and slugs both of unusual size. It's also a really fantastic year for nearly every species of moss. We just spent some time with a barred owl, likely wondering whether we'd rustle up something tasty for it while slip sliding around on trail. Or it was stalking the dog. Right now is ok.

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Dear Neko, This post started dark, but lightened as you settle into being home.

I was feeling my own stress when I started reading, but your reflections on being home, and with your nature, and the dogs and birds brought me to a calm place. I wish you a good time at home. peace, Karen

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Good Morning Neko, I can speak for my privileged white butt and sitting on land never ceded reading your words always stirs my once dormant soul, Why? well you are an artist that for whatever reason I feel connected to . I am Australian and we just get vomited on daily by US media using the royal "WE" like there is no other country in the world. So I veer around distracting myself with art and music (ironically mostly from the USA) , I write shitty songs no one hears , but every day I choose to try and be happy and grateful, anxiety owned me for years and his co-conspirator depression was never too far. I took a break last November and reflected looking at the southern ocean for days , gave up booze and self pity. Hell on helped me through some bad days and that is how we can get to grips with bein; human. I have gone on again but today the frosty morning here was clear and cold and a flock of rosellas garrulous and garish in red and green perched in my backyard (Kaurna land tbh). That felt good. Thank you and feel free to be thee with me

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I loved your post! The Supreme Court is overrun by idiots! I totally understand about your pups. My good buddy hated fireworks week. She didn't want to go outside. She tried to find a safe space in the house. We just cuddled. Thank you for ending your post on a positive note as it made me smile (like most of your posts).

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We have a Coco here, too. He's a shaggy little rescue mutt who was named as such because he was, at first sight, brownish. After several baths, turns out he's a blondie. He comes with lots of heart and big lungs.

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I too was apoplectic over the Supreme Court decisions over abortion and also guns (a close family member helped write the 1994 ban on semi automatic weapons that sunset in 2004). I’m in Brooklyn, NY. I have a husband, our 11 1/2 year old son and some freelance photography for a local paper to keep my mind busy.

Over the next week I’ll be packing my son’s bags for sleep away camp in Thetford, VT. He heads up there on the 21st. I have plans to meet a friend from middle school at her beach house in DE, visit my Uncle and cousins in MD. And then, I’m REALLY looking forward to being in Seattle for KEXP’s 50th anniversary weekend. Then mid-August my hubby and I head up to VT to attend family camp with the kiddo. We are hoping to meet my cousins at Wagner Falls near Hanover, NH while we’re up there.

I love reading The Lung because you describe the lushness, the alive-ness of VT in a way that this City Mouse can’t express. My family is making new traditions in VT and I couldn’t be happier. We started going to VT in 2020, the family camp was a way for us to introduce our son, who is ASD1 (Autistic and gifted, aka Asperger’s), to the camp experience. It was important to me growing up (music camp in MA saved my life really but that’s another story) and I wanted him to have that too, especially being Autistic. I still have friends from camp to this day.

This camp gave us a way to get out of NYC during Covid lock down and the oppressive dog days. After our week there, we weren’t even out of the driveway when kiddo said “you know I’m going as a camper next year, right?” Hubs and I looked at each other like, “mission accomplished!”

So 2021 was his first time as a regular camper. 3.5 weeks away from home. Hubby and I made a weekend out of dropping him off because a) was a long drive and b) thought it would be helpful to stay close. Turns out kid was FINE, he THRIVED and hubby and I had a ball pretending to know what we were doing in nature. We hiked and saw FRESH bear scat and nearly peed ourselves. Thankfully the tracks were heading downhill as we were going up. We went kayaking and I fell in the river muck and laughed my butt off because what else can you do, right? Then we went back for family camp 2021.

So thank you for The Lung, thank you for the music, thank you for your feminism, fierce independence and wicked sense of humor. “I Wish I Were the Moon” got me through my divorce by expressing what I could not and being the catalyst for cathartic ugly cries but in the best possible way if that makes sense.

As our friend John Richards says on air, “You are not alone.” Would love to meet you and give a supportive hug, but of course absolutely know that would be weird. ;) So, when we’re at Family Camp 2022, I will channel your love of VT as I gaze at the stars and marvel at the bands of the Milky Way. I have never seen so many stars as I have than when I’m in VT. Takes my breath away every time. Much love to you, Neko.

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I just bought the "Queer Animals Coloring Zine" so I can learn about how gay nature is, and color before bed. The best.

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In SE Ohio, my tomatoes are still green but heavy on the vine; my cucumbers are one-half inch long, and my jalapenos are ready for harvest. Bumble bees cover my Bee balm, Hyssop, Lavender, and Basil, and I have to be sure I don't bother them too much going up and own the old garden stairs.

The air conditioning is out, so 95 degrees outside is greater than 100 degrees inside and I'm doing Naked Starfish at night in my bed beneath the ceiling fan. The fireworks had my fur boy, Crosby, crawling as close to me as he could last night. Incompatible with Naked Starfish, unfortunately.

Five months of unemployment ends next week. Yay, but a little sad about it. I haven't had a summer off like this since I was in college.

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