Wisteria Mysteria Whisperia

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Wisteria. It's a big gnarly vine that strangles other plants and bears too heavy for rooftops but for a fleeting moment at the height of spring, its color and essence are the most redemptive thing. Wisteriate should be a verb.

Wisteriate (v) - To cause much burden by heft and upkeep but to offer just enough of a glimmer of brilliance that all else is redeemed.

I imagine the original Edenic wisteria, fluttering incessantly, the fragrance of paradise was the only global warming.

I think about a clever Creator that knew how wisteria would wisteriate in the gardens that would know darkness and frost.

How patient He is with us all, in our wisteriatings through every season.

  Wisteria

Wisteria

Wisteria

The kids' maiden Uber voyage

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The other day, the kids rode in their first Uber. Baby Girl had a scrape on her foot and James, the Uber driver, had OH MY STARS MOM A FIRST AID KIT WAITING JUST FOR ME!!! Little Man whispered to me, "Mom, he voted," as James the Driver had stuck an "I Voted" sticker on his dash. I told James that my son saluted his civic practice, and Little Man asked for whom he voted and then I was all, Don't ask that, Son, because secret ballot, and James said, "I can tell you who I voted for...Bernie Sanders." James drove an Outback Subaru with a moon roof that was cranked all the way open on a perfect day with a perfect breeze. I can see the future, taking the kids to Banff and drinking glacier water, scaling Kilmonjaro, maybe even getting Little Man to eat a vegetable and I know what it all amounts to.

"That was cool, Mom. But it will never be better than our first Uber ride. Never."

You, too, can take $15 off your first Uber ride. Download the Uber app use this code: kendras589ue

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Happy Ubering

A newish musician you need to know: Ben Mixon

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I tried hard to make a joke about how Ben Mixon's last name predestined him to a career mixing songs, but nothing quite flowed. Which could not be said of his new album "Waters." Aptly named, the whole album flows. Mixon is young in his years but his commitment to his craft is commendable. His second self-produced his album, following up on 2015's "From Greenery with Love" EP, mixes his own vocal tracks with ambient electronics. Each song elides from one track to the next in an atmospheric haze of longing. The ache in Mixon's voice is strong but doesn't overpower the score and evokes the feeling of exploring a cave, being acutely aware of the sensorial world within. A major theme of the album is one of longing for a love departed, as with the tracks "I was sleeping when you left me" and the introductory track, "She keeps me warm" which does well to set this mood, seeking for what came before and what one is now seeking. An especially interesting track is "Beneath" with shades of Bjork in the latter half.

The album as one organic composition shows Mixon's mastery of conjuring atmosphere and plays well with a pot of tea and latenight studies. I look forward to seeing where Mixon takes his production work, whether remaining a solo recording artist or collaborating with the likes of other ambient mixologists.

mixon

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Special thanks to Ben Mixon for entrusting a musically illiterate professor with the tracks for listening. Follow Ben on Twitter @benmixon, Instagram, Spotify or on Soundcloud. Stay tuned for more tracks to be release on iTunes/iMusic, as well.

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