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Here is an article from John Wolf:

This month the Pen Jabs met at Pauline Hager's house in La Jolla. The theme was songs are just short books. It is my belief that stories, poems, and song are one in the same in spirit. The wonderful words of writers that end up in songs should not be overlooked. Add with the power of music and the delivery of great words is assured. So, while your waiting for the next idea for a new novel to arrive, write a song and find a musician to add the music. You will forever be greatful that you did.

Linda Meckler, Irene DesGeorges, Me, Pauline Hager, and not in the photo, since she was lost on Mt. Solidad during the picture taking was Marj Lacey (sorry we failed to redo the photo after she arrived - honest, we were too dumb to think of it). Randy Hager was there as well.

We were totally distracted by the wonderful food that Irene brought. We had a chile relleno cassasole and Spanish rice with a garden salad on the side. We spend a lot of time eating and talking, but, hey, we had fun. Pauline's house is in a beautiful location, looking out over the coastline and Mission Bay. We caught each other up on our latest writing projects and got to know Marj better, once rescued from the backstreets of La Jolla.

The big surprise, especially for me, was honoring my birthday with cake and ice cream. At this point I felt obligated to sing for desert. I sang three songs. The first, "The Coming on the Roads" by Ian Tyson, is a great story song with powerful emotions of how people and times change when a new road is built. The second and third songs were written by myself, one about the life of a homebrewer that has fallen in love with his Honey Blonde ale; the second song called "Standin' on My Grave" is a hard driving blues songs dedicated to the firefighters that lost their lives on 9/11 and doesn't hold back on the people that caused the tragedy. I had another 200 songs prepared, but it was time to blow out the candles.

We had a wonderful day, and I thank Pauline and Randy for being such nice hosts and thinking of me on my birthday. This suggests a theme. If you want your cake and eat it too, then let us know when your birthday is and we will celebrate it until flour reaches $50 bucks a pound.

If you have suggestions for the group or would like to join us, email John Wolf at johhwolf.lobo@gmail.com.