No Memo

I am passionate about the music; I am a seasoned veteran, embarking on my third Reggae on the River extravaganza; I rather enjoy the heat, as perverse as that seems; I will have spent four days prior to the festival, helping to set up the kitchen to establish my credentials; and I put up my, er, HeadSodBuster’s tent, in our crew’s campsite, awaiting the rest of my gear today and tomorrow.

I'm working on my dreds.

I am ready for action-I am ready for danger. 

But…

...I struggled a bit on Sunday, somewhere between an ungrounded feeling, and a generous portion of good old- fashioned anxiety. Considering I have been in anticipation mode since the artist line-up came out last spring, after checking the ROTR website daily for a month, waiting to see who will be performing, this comes as a surprise, at least to me.

The ongoing challenge of commuting back and forth through treacherous highway conditions, having been taken on and defeated, there really should be no impediments to my being able to enjoy myself, I keep saying, and yet, a couple of developments took place, which over the course of a week or so, had time to make their presence felt.

In matters of the mind, this presence being felt can take many forms, from the collapse under the blankets with no chance of recovery until the sliver lodged in my brain has been removed, to a mild sense of being ungrounded.

Mild? Maybe my feet are still on the ground, but I am monitoring my progress each step of the way to ensure accuracy. What caused my sense of being slightly off-kilter? I found out maybe ten days ago, that both HeadSodBuster and SmallBoy will have different roles this year at ROTR, than they have the past two years.

Since my involvement, both have taken the time out of their hectic schedules to do the festival properly, including multiple days of prep work prior to the festival. As a result, the farm has taken a serious hit, each of these two seasons, due to water issues that have arisen while we were all cavorting to the sound of reggae music.

The contrast is a tad too glaring to ignore any longer.

There should be no problem, correctomundo? Everybody must do what he feels is best, without posting a status on social media, am I correct? Therefore, when Gluten-Free Mama corrected me gently at one point, when I made a comment about the upcoming event, that naturally included the two aforementioned individuals, I ransacked my musty mind for the memo.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, there would be no memo. And oh yes, I remember that it was hard times for the skeletal crew left behind on-farm last summer, to try and deter disaster. So I have no problem understanding the rationale-it seems quite straightforward.

HeadSodBuster has been pounding the pavement with his policy work, so hard these days, it’s a wonder he took time out to catch a baseball game down at Harwood Park, Tuesday evening. This was after spending the day in Ukiah, during which time he spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting.

Gluten-Free Mama and I caught his eloquent public comment on-line, later Tuesday afternoon, an unqualified success when it comes to a common sense, farm-mentality approach to the current conundrum over cannabis regulation.

HeadSodBuster stood up for the underdog, the mom-and-pop operations, featuring 25 or fewer cannabis plants. He pointed out that there was no point in these folks going through the regulation process, because of what amounts to the simple law of diminishing returns.

A small grow cannot subsist while attempting to meet the expectations of the “commercial” regulatory world. We are talking about absurd steps being required of businesses employing only a few people, steps that are designed for much bigger endeavors. It’s ridiculous, at best, and demoralizing on all levels.

Seeing HeadSodBuster function at the podium and hearing his words was all grand, because I am inordinately proud of his efforts. The best of all, however, was knowing that the Board was listening to him. They are also seeking to find the best course, in uncharted waters. 

Those who are fighting for their economic livelihood, were there to share their views. This is the time to speak out.

So my two compadres at ROTR are pretty busy this year, and will have different roles. Honestly, I only saw SmallBoy twice during the four days last year, because we were just on the same, but different journeys, and did not cross paths much.

Furthermore, HeadSodBuster went on to clarify that he’s not bailing out, but he does want to start out on-farm each morning and make his way up to French’s Camp, when he can break free. My feet are back on the ground this morning. Great success! 

Does this mean it’s time for a bong rip?