Mornings with the blondes….Part 1

Ahhh those little rituals that make up the funny parts of our day here in the little house…..

 

It constantly surprises people that Liz and I can live together as perfectly as we do with how different we are. Different? Who US?! No I say! And yet….well…maybe….

 

You see, a normal morning in the crazy blonde sister’s house goes like this….

 

 

First, Liz’s horrible obnoxious and mind-ringing alarm goes off two hours before she actually intends to get out of bed because this is the time that my dog starts freaking out. He flings his little black furry body against my door as hard as he can, while making a noise that seems to be a cross between the war cry of a Masi warrior and a baby goat and trying to keep his leg’s crossed while at the same time wake me up to let him out.

Mornings are not my friend! *Picture copyright Adrian Brannan*

 

 

The only problem with this strategy is that I could practically sleep through the Cuban missal crisis if need-be and I never hear him. At this point it is usually 20 minutes past and since I don’t pick up my cell-phone (as I’ve already thrown it across the room) Liz resorts to yelling at me until I scream something back and slide some part of my body out from under my covers to try and do something to get my little dog to shut up.

He never does and I’ll finally crawl out of my back room and growl rude things at him while we trudge to the back door and stub our toes (well, my toes) and knock things over in the early morning darkness.

 

Just as I am falling back asleep, Liz decides to pop out of her stupidly comfortable double bed that she never allows me to get into because apparently I bring “AS MUCH SAND AS A D*MN BEACH!” with me when I snuggle. Weird. I never noticed.

Must....brush....hair... *Pictures copyright Adrian Brannan*

 

Liz’s mornings consist of being as annoyingly happy as is humanly possible while playing loud rap and rock music that offends my overly-sensitive-morning ears to the highest degree possible. The covers are tucked in and around my head when she will come bounding into my room, fling herself on top of my miserable form and then call her creepy rat dog in to pounce on me and look weirdly at me until I have to get up just to get away from their sheer joy. It’s SICK.

 

I drag myself to the coffee laden/flower baring/rawhide cutting counter and try to fill a cup without having it spilled by Liz who is by now doing pirouettes around the kitchen while singing something that sounds like “Under the Sea” and trying to scrub off the ink mustache I drew on her yesterday while she napped. Hehe Throw in a top hat and some jamming hip-hop moves and you have Liz’s happy dance.

 

Now, this is something very distinctly different about us two sisters.

Liz has a HAPPY dance for the MORNING.

I have a MONRING dance to become HAPPY.

 

Liz has a dance resembling a ballerina-gone-bad, sometimes with sweats tucked into cowboy boots and flinging pots and pans around as if her life depended on it. Or the next day it could be a move similar to the one done during a home-town rendition of “Cotton eyed Joe”, executed by the splits and then screaming for help until someone (AKA me) comes to assist her with that force which is necessary to remove her prostrate form from the kitchen floor.

Your welcome Liz.

Typical morning at the Brannan sister house... *Pictures copyright Adrian Brannan*

 

 

Breakfast isn’t really that hard, I mean…sure Liz believes in eating it and I don’t. Simple right? I eat breakfast at the RIGHT time of the day….usually at midnight in a casino after a show, or at 3 when I wake up with a craving then go back to sleep and Liz screams incoherently from her bedroom because I’m playing the drums like Winston Watson (in my head of course) on all of the pots and pans in my pj’s. Normal breakfasts like that you know. : )

 

My words of advice for the kitchen in the morning are these. Just DON’T. Order out, take out, snap into a slim-jim or sail out of the house to the nearest dingy diner for some greasy perfection.

 

Li’z’s words of advice?

 

Don’t cook bacon naked. :)

 

Until the afternoon post an part two loves!

 

Xoxo

~Adrian

 

*ALL IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHTED BY ADRIAN BRANNAN. PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR DUPLICATE WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Paper VS Keys….

I have always loved notebooks….they follow me everywhere.

Sometimes songs end up in notebooks…sometimes napkins, placemats, candle wrappers, the big sister’s homework….sophisticated things like that you know. I think most writers will agree that when a lyrics or phrase comes upon you though, most anything will do. I wrote a tune off the Highway 80 album called Winter Blues all up and down my hand and arm while horseback in Canada….It’s all about what you have at that exact moment and time. (its also always handy when your ink doesn’t freeze at a very important moment!)

 

At Christmas time, birthdays and graduation-I am always sure to find more than one small little blue book, leather engraved lined paper filled tally-book, or a simple wire-bound space to jot-down thoughts and ideas from a family that understands how weird I am about paper.

 

I’ve always been picky about things to write on…. it’s funny because mostly my handwriting is so terrible that sometimes even I can’t read it. Rivaling the blasé devil-may-care attitude of a 5^th grade boy, I neglected my penmanship when younger and still haven’t quite seemed to find the time to work out all the kinks….funny enough this sometimes can come in handy. While sitting next to overly nosy classmates  (When I know I should be studying but I’m writing instead!) the impossibility of deciphering my scrawl affords me the ability to not have to hide my paper from said nosey fellow student. On airplanes the guy who forgot to bring a book and decided to read your writing instead will soon become frustrated and realize sleep is the best option. And although it will never win me any points for “best calligrapher of the year” it’s almost comforting to me when I write.  The familiarity of touching favorite pen or pencil to paper can bring about more words for me than any computer screen could.

 

I know and respect so many amazing writers who all have beautifully distinct methods of writing, and I always love hearing about them.

One of the most interesting reoccurring things I hear talked about is the preference for a technologically advanced and fast way of getting the words down quick and sweet…..or an older, more thought provoking and methodical way of putting them down on paper…for me, it will always be paper and pen I think….besides, when you’re horseback-a tally book is easier to carry than a Mac! :)

 

Xoxo

 

~Adrian

 

Morning thoughts…

Goooooooddd morning loves!

 

(that is my excited morning voice if you couldn’t tell)

 

I am sitting here drinking coffee and going through all of my favorite morning blog-reads (which include of course Mindy Hoggan and her Gypsy Tales and rodeo trails and Buckaroo Barbie’s awesome girly posts)

Sitting on the back porch of the roost and thinking about all of the awesome things that are coming up in life right now…

In case you didn’t know, there is a LOT going on right now…and I mean a LOT. As my dad say’s “I’m busier than a one armed coat hanger!” and that’s the truth!

 

The other day I was writing my “Thanks” for the new CD Buckaroogirl , and was struck by what I was saying as I wrote. And sitting here this morning thinking over what I was saying about how much those people meant to me it really struck home how many amazing folks I have been blessed to have in my life.

 

I have a new project with a very dear friend that will be coming up this next year, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it….at the moment, it’s top-secret-but I promise you will be some of the first to know…. J

 

For some reason the other day, at about midnight I sat up in bed wide awake. Something woke me up, and for a moment it took me a second to get my barings… did I hear a bump in the night? Was I thirsty? Nope. None of the above. I woke up, grabbed a pencil and some computer paper and started sketching away.

Now, a LOT of paint and canvases (which I’ll show you one day!) and a ton of sketches later I’m still enjoying it. It seems some other folks like it to, so I can now add charchoel smuges to my ink splatters when I write….

 

 

I also woke up this morning with a huge need to start playing the Mandoline, Wurlizter and banjo….not all at once as that might be slightly difficult….but all of them none the less. Hmmm I feel a hunt for new strings coming on!

 

 

I hope everyone is loving their fall, I can finally say that I think Buckaroogirl  will be out sooner than I expected, DEFINETLY in time for Christmas presents (as I know some of you have been worried about!) and of course, I can’t wait to hear what all of you amazing listeners think.

 

 

I love you al, and thanks for readingl!

Xoxo

~Adrian

Falling into happy…

 

Hello loves!

 

I’m currently curled up on the little couch with a hot pot of coffee, three great books and Ian’s “I outgrew the wagon” album which is doing it’s best to drown out all of the thunder and lightning…I’m certainly glad I’m not stuck outside on a night like tonight!

 

Fall has finally come to visit here in Chico, and I’m happier than you can imagine now that the nights are finally cold. When the sister and I are drinking our morning coffee there is frost on the lawn, and it adds a perfect touch to our morning blog-reading tradition.

 

(Speaking of which, if you are looking for some AMAZING and very sweet new blogs make sure you go check out Mindy Hoggan at http://rodeotalesgypsytrails.blogspot.com/ and Trevor and Emily Fuhriman http://fuhrimanranch.blogspot.com/ …they are my favorites right now! )

 

I’m weird about weather (I know I know I’m weird full stop…that goes without saying though) I always join in with the chorus’s of excitement when summer is around the corner, but I get a BIG thrill when it finally draws to a close and colors start changing and leaves falling. I would rather work all day long in cold weather than I would drink ice tea in hot weather!

The perfect start to summer was playing an outdoor market here in town that I’ve been doing for a few years now. It’s so much fun to just sit, watch all the different people walk by and talk to all the locals when I’m not singing and banging away on that gibson! At the end of the three and a half hours of playing, and the market closing down…the vendors and booths with fresh flowers and veggies came and gave me loads and loads of healthy freshly-picked and grown foods, jars of raw honey and big bunches of bright flowers. It was so sweet of all of them (especially after sitting there listening to me for three hours none-stop!) and has been such a nice little reminder or all the kind thoughtful people out there every time the sister and I make something yummy from their gifts.

 

Here are a few of my favorite “fall” things….what are yours dear readers?

 

 

 

Love you all!

xoxo

~Adrian