Pot and Kettle.

I've long wondered about that.

I spent the afternoon and evening hanging out with my friend Dan. We had a great time talking, and not talking, which is a true sign of friendship. He also has had a couple of stents, and so, is a stentor to me. A good day.

Vote In Every Race,Especially The Midterms, In OVERWHELMING Democratic Numbers, So That Chump And RepubliKKKans Can't Cheat........ 💙

Leaf blowers are the suburban version of the Twilight Bark. I can hear them up and down the neighborhood calling to one another.

My soft drink days are long ago, but I loved seeing these greats singing about Dr. Pepper. You'll see Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Eubie Blake, BB King, Laura Anderson, Bobby Short, the Mills Brothers, Bo Diddley, Grandpa Jones, Mother Maybelle Carter and more! www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfQs...

Rainy day today, so it was a walk at the mall. Get inside. It is good for your outsides.

America is more and more like Andy Taylor after Barney Fife left Mayberry... Short-tempered, out of balance, and not much fun. Cue the Darlins. That always helps.

I swung by the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia, today to pick up my boots, which had been on loan there for an exhibition by my friend and bootmaker Lisa Sorrell. I am glad to have them back!

My singular friend Ellen Ciompi died this week at home in Durham, N.C., after a long battle with recurrent breast cancer. She cast a beautiful light, and I will miss her so much. Oscar Wilde put it well. "There are times when sorrow seems to me to be the only truth." Rest in perfect peace, Ellen.

I come by my love of vests honestly. This is my Grandfather, Sterling P. Newberry. He was around my age when this photo was taken.

I don't know what Stephen Colbert's next act will be, but I know he will be at the top of his game at whatever he attempts. Good luck to him.

Coffee Diem. Branson, Missouri.

There is such a thing as TMI...

Having a great time at Silver Dollar City, and they even brought along the Entertainment Cart to haul my gear.

How you let folks know that you are in Missouri without ever having to say, "I'm in Missouri."

They should have named Instagram Instants "Instantly Annoying." I turned them off as soon as they showed up on my phone.

Coffee Diem. Effingham, Illinois.

Pet peeve... Just pulled off the road because of a bad rain storm in Indianapolis. Drivers putting on their flashers in the rain can make the situation more hazardous. AAA recommends instead to turn on your headlights, and slow down, or like I did, pull off for a while.

A good show in Skokie Illinois, last night. Heading now to Oberlin, Ohio.

We are at Riverdog Retreat Center, 13818 Gore Orphanage Rd, Wakeman, Ohio, (near Oberlin), on Sunday, May 17. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Fun starts at 7:30:01. If you are already planning to come, bring two friends! If you are not planning to come, change your plans! Info, [email protected]

Coffee Diem. Davenport, Iowa.

Cheshire Hotel, St. Louis.

Another shot from last night in Kansas City, courtesy of Nancy Bounds.

A fun night at John Boyd's in Kansas City. On to St. Louis tomorrow, and the Focal Point. Photo by Jenny Wheat.

MFA Fountain. Columbia, Mo. Spent a lot of time hanging out there in high school. It looks just the same after all this time. It feels great to see that time doesn't change everything.

Hotel Still Life. Lexington, Kentucky.

Next tour starts today. Wake in one town, sleep in another. This is the life that I have made. And, I would have no other.

I have always loved Art-O-Mats, repurposed cigarette machines that dispense art. Created by N.C. artist Clark Whittington in 1997, this one is at the N.C. Museum of Art. There are now 200 nationwide, with more than 500 artists.

A reminder that Mr. Compton and I head to the Midwest this week for a number of shows. Friends in Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio, please share!

My latest Substack. Please subscribe, if you take the notion.

Reflections on a creek.

Get outside. It is good for your insides.

A Mother's Day story... My beloved Aunt Joyce, who was married to my Dad's brother John, had five of her own, and also helped mother a wild pack of nieces and nephews. 1/3

Raleigh Greenway on a beautiful, sunny morning. Get outside. It is good for your insides!

I am playing a special show at Lorraine's in Garner tomorrow (Friday, May 8) at 7 p.m. with my good pals Larry Nixon and Rex Williams. Lorraine's is located at 101 Timber Pointe Lane, in Garner, N.C. I don't get the chance to play around home much, so please come join us! Lorrainescoffeehouse.com

Good report from the cardiologist. He was pleased with my weight loss and my cardio fitness reports from rehab. His non-medical, but much appreciated quote... "You look great, sir." Getting a followup echocardiogram in a month or so, but he doesn't want to see me again until next February.

so much winning

Connections should draw the line at the kinds of clues they had today.

Connections should draw the line at these kinds of clues.

A friend of mine in D.C. just posted this, and it wins the internet for me today.

Coffee Diem.

Some words take us back immediately. Dallas. Columbine. Sandy Hook. And, Kent State, which happened 56 years ago today. We remember "Four dead in Ohio," but let us also remember their names... Allison B. Krause, 19. William Knox Schroeder, 19. Sandra Lee Scheuer, 20. Jeffrey Glenn Miller, age 20.

On my walk today. Get outside. It is good for your insides.

Aqua Diem.

Four stages of an artist's career 1. Who is Joe Newberry? 2. Get me Joe Newberry. 3. Get me a young Joe Newberry. 4. Who is Joe Newberry? For the most part, I alternate between numbers 1 and 4...

Coffee Diem on a rainy day.

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