Ginger Bread Houses

so much exchange
of self-interest
goods in excess
from foreign halls
we want it all
but make not our own bed

give me this for that
and put out your welcome
mat when a neighbor
comes by to say hello
charge him $20 for the stay

It's all commerce
the American way
building family values
with ginger bread houses
we'll eat it all
don't forget the bed
get yours before i do


I'm not sure when I wrote this, but I'm pretty sure it was 2004-ish. Luckily, many of my writings have survived all of my moves. My collections begin in 1996 while in college at Baker University and randomly cover personal thoughts, subtle observations and some social commentary.

music to die from

music to die from

Up on green mountain
I hear the music
of the gasoline instrument
that sputters perfume
to melt my skin

They come like the gusts of misty air
around the bends
through the cloud covered hills
gently caressing my internal
combustion chamber


Originally written 1/10/2004 in Costa Rica.
It is hard to escape diesel fumes on mountain roads.

the waves are blue

Just over there
the waves are blue
birds jump from tree to tree
I'm barely shaded by these giant leaves

What are those words I hear?
sudden laughter then a pause
Where are all of my friends?

Some of the birds don't flap their wings
The wind is hot
someone left the heater on

There are few people playing in the waves

The first of a series of "words and pictures" using imagery and words created by Scott Garrette.
This writing comes from a visit to Costa Rica in 2002.

Suburban Burp

I had a strange and vivid dream a while back...

I was walking in back of my house with Five friends. We were on a journey when we stopped and set our luggage on the ground. Everything important was in the bags. In back of my house is a small storm-water runoff creek, and it started to swell and then the water flowed upstream, swallowing and washing everything away. My friends and I scrambled to save our belongings... and I thought, "...if only I had not let go of my bag and set it down." Upstream, some little people had pulled our goods out of the water and kept it for when we would come by. Then came the thieves and I tried to hide my money but they found it and threatened to shoot. I pulled out a roll of wire fencing... but it was more like a sculpture... with multi-colored pinheads pointing out of the tube/roll of wire. As the thieves shot their weapons the fence roll blocked all of the bullets! I just held it and turned it around in a spinning motion that created a spinning shield of little multi-colored pinheads to bat away the bullets like how a combine spins.

Then I thought, "...if only everyone knew of the potential of "the fence!"

The game of Life continued

continued from an earlier post here

Opportunities abound - each moment has an opportunity...
Sitting in my yard with my kids playing in the sand box... Opportunity to be happy, to organize my thoughts and ideas.
Walking down the sidewalk past a neighbors house. Neighbors outside watering the lawn and carrying on... Opportunity to make new friends and network.
Find out my son has (had) a brain tumor... Opportunity to put my faith in the powers that be and see life as an opportunity to spread the positive vibrations around for all to feel.

The first 20+ years of my life were filled with life's lessons learned through experience. I once read "knowledge comes from things done, wisdom comes from things done wrong." The key to wisdom is to learn from experience, and then act based upon what is learned. My Mom once told me, "...you always have a choice. You decide whether something is good or bad..." Everything is what it is with NO judgment placed upon it. I am the one who places the judgment, I say if something is good or bad... This idea changed my world. It has opened doors at even the darkest times.

Every moment has an opportunity...

Back in the Saddle

This blog has been entirely too neglected. I am finally able to spend some time finishing up some paintings that were made almost three years ago when I lived in Lawrence, KS. I've stumbled upon a new finishing technique for the surface of the paintings that I really enjoy! The final product is exactly what this painting and and the 20+ other paintings on wood have needed. The surface is a buttery smooth satin matte with waxed wood edges. The reverse framing is perfect for the painting, allowing the imagery to exist "in" the viewers space. This frame creates an experience that is less like looking through a window and more like looking at an existence within the present reality. I am very pleased with the outcome.

Obstacles is the title of this piece. Moving around them, working with them and accepting the gifts they may bring.

See you soon!