AT YOUR SERVICE

 You'd be amazed at how little of a plan i have as I plod through life. A friend just turned 30. I asked him if he was where he'd thought he'd be at his age? "More money and maybe a relationship....." he answered, but then confessed that he had to admit he wasn't doing too bad. I had to try hard to remember my 30th. After some doing I recollected that I was visiting from Cali, with a 19 year old beauty on my arm and a plan to take the NY art world by storm. I'm still friends with the 19 (now ? year old).  NYC did not treat me as well, refusing to bow before my genius. So much for plans.
   Now twice that age, I have no plan at all. But as circumstances roll over me, I'm realizing just how little I have to say in the matter. Plans be damned. Here's an example illustrating what I mean. I'm searching Craig's List for a decent used car for Shewho when I, completely by accident, see a photo of an old hay wagon for sale. Before the day ends I've purchased the wagon and my then 29 year old friend has towed it to my front yard. Within hours I've decided to build a lion cage. *NOTE: At no time did I say I was going to put a lion in it. Thus begins the process of building a cage that will safely and comfortably contain a lion. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.
   As I tore the sides off the hay wagon and constructed the cage I began to research the lion in religious  imagery. Up comes the Rastafarians and Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian and Jerusalem flags, the Christian use of lion iconography, as well as all that Narnia crap. It's loaded, of course without me knowing it. Just like the "Green Man", I didn't know shit until I was already neck deep in church services. Only then did I realize all the significance in what I was dealing with. You may think I know what I'm doing.... but I don't have a clue most of the time. I've told the story many times of finding an old certificate with my name on it in the church, the first day I spotted the place, only to never find it again. You see where that got me almost 20 years later. Not to be too mystical, but ..........

Today I finished LION OF JUDAH, with the addition of a DO NOT FEED sign on the bottom. But it was not without one more tiny piece of other worldly synchronicity coming my way. What with all the heavy rains I've been concerned about the Glen Wild Shul leaking. The roof isn't too good and I wanted to make sure it wasn't flooding. So yesterday i drove down there and went in the open side door. It didn't look any worse for the wear. Plaster was still falling in and the musty rugs still stunk, but all looked pretty........then as I turned around, inspecting the place, I spotted what I had never seem before- Two beautifully crafted lions facing a crown- the exact composition as the cage signage. I had to sit down and catch my breath. I swear I never saw them before. It's just the way things go. As the title says- I'm at your service. No plan required.