"Bears don't really hibernate.  They just sorta chill out."

That was my response to Hana yesterday when she pointed out that we've been living very den-like this winter.  For the last two weeks, since Hana and Stevie returned from the hospital, they, Grandma Mary, and I have all been chilling out in this apartment, our little bear cave.

I've had to adjust from my old, get-stuff-done M.O. to one that surrenders to the needs of our milk-mouthed sweetheart.  At first this lifestyle shift felt taxing, but I'm finally getting into the rhythm of it all and enjoying it.  I love holding and taking baths with Stevie.  I look forward to naps with her on my chest.  For exercise I hike up Mount Jumbo or, weather permitting, go cross-country skiing with my buddy Jeff.  For entertainment I scan Facebook, or Hana and I watch The Daily Show on Hulu.

This is my awesome Mom, Mary Herak Sand.

What seems impossible now are projects that demand intense focus or time.  For example, I've been wanting to blog for the last several days and am only now getting to it.  Other neglected tasks include filing taxes, sending out baby gift thank-you cards, doing laundry, working on my music business, and connecting with friends.  Arriving at appointments on time and running errands require strategic planning.

That said, Hana and I have been extremely lucky.  My mother has been staying with us this month and helping out with cooking, cleaning, shopping, and baby care.  Her generosity of time and resources (you, too, Dad!) has been invaluable.  As I write this, Mom is holding my sleeping daughter and reading Gabby.

Sometimes I think my act would do best on the Blue Collar Comedy circuit.

Can't you see it--Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy, and yours truly--all crammed into one bus driven by my dear old dad?

But then again.

5 days old.

Forgive me if all I write about is baby stuff lately.  I can't resist.  There is music news to report, but another day for that.

Back to baby.

Li'l Stevie's personality continues to unfold.  She loves taking baths and sleeping on our chests.  Her eyes are gaining focus.  She nurses often and for long periods and then, suddenly, falls off the bar stool of Hana's bosom and sleeps.  She likes classical music.

Since arriving home, our community has showered us with gifts.  Here's what our friends Janet & Frank Sucha just dropped off:

Farm eggs, apple cider, venison stew, plum jam, and pumpernickel bread.

From others we've been given cards, quiches, silk & fleece blankets, blueberries, water toys, stuffed cabbage rolls, homemade apple pie, sparkling cider, orchids, myrrh, books, floral essences, warm hats, pistachios, almond soap, kimchi, rice cakes, prunes, roses, crystals, acupuncture, lamb stew, bananas, sweetgrass, onesies, oils & lotions, grapes, chiropractic adjustments, carnations, dolls, counseling sessions, apples, tulips, chocolate, dresses, money, and more--not to mention copious amounts of time, energy, and love from my mother, Mary Herak Sand, who has been staying with us for the last two weeks.

Our downstairs neighbor, Evie, has been a fantastic support as well.  She keeps her spare bedroom open to our guests and often takes care of Gilda.  She shares her clothes dryer and TV for football games and political debates.  She also baked a chocolate cake and brought us flowers!

Having a baby is a humbling and delicious experience.

State of the Baby's First Week Address

Grandmas, Grandpas, Auntie Tala, distinguished guests, and fellow World Citizens:

I'm happy to report that my daughter--former Ambassador to Terabithia--Madame Stevie, is thriving!

I'd refrained from mentioning this, but Stevie's first five days outside the womb were spent at Community Medical Center due to Hana's unexpected high blood pressure. On Sunday, however, mother and baby were released with flying colors.

Having Stevie in our apartment has been a delight.  Grandma Mary has been taking the night shift to allow Hana and me to catch up on sleep, so our days have been active and cheery.

Yesterday we decided to give Stevie a second middle name, Angela, which was my great-grandmother Herak's name.  She is now Stevie Angela Kasm Sand.  I like this.

Now, more on the back story . . .

On January 17th, our midwife Sandhano encouraged us to let go of our home birth plan and have labor induced at the hospital.  We checked in at 2 p.m.  By 2:30 p.m. a quiet snowfall began and continued steadily for four days.  About an hour before midnight, Hana pushed fiercely and firmly, our li'l snow angel's head crowned, and we welcomed our daughter into the world.

Five days later, we bid farewell to the friendly nurses, blinking hospital lights, and painful IV needles. As we drove home through streets piled high with snow, the sun reappeared, making the mountains especially bright and beautiful.  

The front page of the Sunday Missoulian featured a picture of a majestic snowy owl.  Parliaments, aye blizzards, of them, have purportedly been gracing the area of late!  I'd love to think they brought our cherub with them, or, better yet, that she is one.

In my heart she is . . . Stevie the Snowy Owlet. 

Birdgirl of the North.

Yesterday, as you may know, Hana and I finally chose an official name for our four-day old wunderkind, Stevie Kasm Sand.   We'd fancied this name for months, but wanted to see if her personality matched.  It does, we think!

Maestra Stevie Kasm Sand.

If I had to choose one adjective to describe Stevie, it would be "cool."  Cool as in far out.  Or maybe "wild," like wild at heart.  

She loves closeness and kisses.

She has very expressive arms and fingers that she waves about like a wrinkled conductress or wizardly ballerina.

She's beautiful.  She's cool.  She's wild.

She's our sweet little alien child.

Mmmmmmmmm . . .

Stevie.

Guess what!  Our baby is a 7.4 lb, 20", glorious girl!!!!!!

Born tonight - 1/17/2012, 10:52 p.m.

Capricorn (same as me).

Year of the Rabbit (same as Hana).

People I admire who were born on this date include Muhammad Ali, Betty White, Michelle Obama, Benjamin Franklin, Eartha Kitt, and Steve Earle.

Our daughter's name is still undecided.

In sum:
Hana was amazing.  Baby is incredible.  I'm in love.  

More soon!

Our midwife, FYI, thinks we're having a boy.  She predicts this because Hana has a mild rash on her skin, supposedly caused by the baby's testosterone.

Funky.

I just added another unusual item to my "MERCH" page: Marijuana Bracelet (+ Unicorn Lighter & Utopia by Sir Thomas More).

Hana made the above bracelet by stringing 19 sterling silver-&-turquoise cannabis charms along a chain. 

Each leaf is stamped "sterling" on the back and comes from the Neuens' Western Shop in Bismarck, ND. The owners--my relatives-- were unaware of the hippy symbolism and sold them as maple leaf charms at $10 each.

As Hana and I await our new arrival, I've continued to organize boxes and let go of my odd collections of this 'n' that.  Some I throw away, some I give away, and some I sell.  I'm having fun with the latter project.

Yesterday I sold a cat skull (with bird nest) for $30.

Sold within five minutes of listing!

In its place I listed a beaver skull (with bird nest) for the same amount.  

I'll let you know how that goes.

My website's "MERCH" link should actually say "YARD SALE."  Click it to see why!

I've begun to sell quirky "stuff" online in the same manner I do at shows: in bundles.  Today it was all about cassettes tapes. (Update: all three cassette bundles I put up last night sold this morning, so you won't see them.  More coming!)

Last week it was trucker and cowboy collectibles.

My prices are fairly high, but I think worth it.  If nothing else, folks will notice how affordable my CDs are!

What an exhilarating year 2011 was!

I spent the first couple months on the road performing music and also vacationing in Texas and Arizona with Hana.  By the end of March I'd begun a busy year of driving for Goodall Trucking.  By April, Hana and I were living like rustic homesteaders in my grandparents' old cabin on Killdeer Mountain.

In May we conceived a child.  In June, we had a public North Dakota wedding reception to celebrate our private 10/22/10 marriage.

I played several shows and festivals throughout the summer, and the Roll Out, Cowboy documentary screened internationally.

A sneak preview!

In mid-August, Hana moved to Montana to start a nest for our future toddler.  I hung behind and kept working with Goodall.  Around Thanksgiving I moved to Missoula to be with Hana.

Since then, both Hana's and my maternal grandmothers passed away as did Hana's Uncle Mark.  We miss them dearly.

On a hopeful note, our baby is healthy and growing bigger every day.  S/he is expected to hatch in four weeks!

Happy New Year, everyone!!  I have a feeling 2012 is gonna be weird and good.

Yours truly,
Chris Sand

Farewell, old boy.

For my 41st birthday breakfast Hana made banana pancakes (pictured above).  And one egg.

Our kitchen faces Mount Jumbo, and on the hillside we saw a herd of elk.  

Good omens.

Fresh Christmas . . . Yes y'all!!

A friendly game of Cut Throat Pinochle with my downstairs friend, Evie, and her son, Randy.  Randy won.

Hana's sister Tala arrived three days ago for a visit / med-school vacation.  She brought along her Chorkie puppy, Bailey, so that Gilda could have a playmate this week.

Hello from Olympia, WA, where Hana and I have been visiting a multitude of friends.  I spent three days in the studio with Bob Schwenkler finishing up Horse Graveyard.  It has been fun adding pedal steel, vocal harmonies, and a touch of cello to the songs.  It's going to be a great record!

In a couple hours we drive back to Missoula.

"Don't You Cut Off Your Dreadlocks"

I've loved this song since I first heard it in 1976.

It's been a fun few days in Sand Land.  Hana's father, Walid, and one of her favorite cousins, Hussam, visited us.  Hussam is from Saudi Arabia, and between him, Walid, and Hana, there has been much Arabic spoken this week.  I'm starting to pick up some words.  The picture below captures the moment I learned how to say "cheese" in Arabic: جبنة (jibdnay).

We drove to Hot Springs, MT, Friday night and stayed in the Symes Hot Springs Hotel for two nights. Last night, while still in Hot Springs, we were invited to a potluck / benefit show at the Rainbow Zen Organic Cafe.  The benefit was for Jillian Recchi who recently came out of a coma after being hit by a car in New York City.  The performers were Jillian's children, Sanjaya and Shyamali Malakar, both former American Idol contestants.  It's worth watching this link of their A.I. audition if you have the time--they're both sweet people with excellent voices.  

As the party wound down, some of the Hot Springs locals requested some songs from me, and I submitted.  Don't think I've ever "shared a stage" with someone as famous as Sanjaya . . . until now.  

Kelly Clarkson--you're next.

Download individual Chris Sand / Sandman the Rappin' Cowboy songs here.

Last thoughts on Grandma Vi.

She worked hard at her job and on the farm--her pinkies were gnarled from the milking she did.  She raised nine children with her loving husband Nick.  She was named Lake County Woman of the Year in 1965.  She met and was acquainted with Presidents and Popes.  She was a caring grandmother of many.  She annually rocked Vegas bingo parlors.  She was the first woman to head up a state ASCS, the program that oversaw and implemented federal farm programs in each state.  She gardened, canned, cooked, and served.  She was always on the go, and yet still somehow the center of my Montana universe.  Her heart was HUGE.

Grandma Vi didn't settle for being one thing or another.  She gave it her all.

This, I think, must be her biggest legacy.  

Grandma Vi Herak's obituary.  Her funeral was yesterday.  Hana's grandmother Joyce's funeral was Friday, and here's her obituary.  We miss them already.  May they both rest in peace, and may Hana and my baby inherit all of their loveliest qualities.  

Here's an article about my good friend Jeff Morrow and his saddle-making business that just came out in The Missoulian:  Niarada Man Creates Art that Cowboys, Horses Wear.

Here's one about Dunn Center, ND, where I recently lived and still own a house in (as featured prominently in the doc Roll Out, Cowboy): Dunn Center Growing.

My sweet Grandma Vi passed away peacefully this morning in Ronan, MT.  She was a mother-of-nine, farm gal who raised cattle and wheat with my Grandpa Herak (who died in 1987). She was a tough Irish-Catholic Democrat who got to meet John and Jackie Kennedy in '62.  She was kind, generous, and fun to be around.  Gratefully, I saw her four days ago when I was in Montana with Hana.  I lifted her hand up to touch Hana's pregnant belly and, being ever modest, Grandma giggled at the intimacy of it all.  I'll miss her so.

Julia Viola Sullivan Herak, 1920-2011. Rest in peace, sweet Grandma.

One last trip to North Dakota for a final fish haul and then I'll be a Missoula, MT, resident.  This happens every twenty-or-so years, Missoula is my city of fresh transitions.  I lived here from 1971-1973 as a toddler and again from 1989-1992 during my first years of college.

Here's a list of things I love about Hana's and my apartment.

1. Clawfoot bathtub.  Perfect for warming up one's bones on winter days.
2. Spaciousness--our biggest home yet.  Hana especially likes the kitchen and multiple closets.
3. Funky features:  plaster walls, 1940s linoleum floors, arched bedroom windows.
4. Proximity to things we like: Mount Jumbo trailhead (2 blocks), Greenough Park (2.5 blocks), Albertsons Market (3 blocks), U of M campus (4 blocks), USPS for Hana's daily shipping of Etsy items (5 blocks), City Library (6 blocks), downtown Missoula (7 blocks)!
5. Easy directions.  For instance, if you're leaving Boston just hop on the I-90, drive west 2,600 miles to Missoula, Exit 105, right onto Van Buren Street, first right (Poplar Street), 5th house on left, walk up stairs.  It's just as easy from Seattle.
6. Our mailing address has the musical words "Pop" and "Soul" secretly encoded within it: 930 Poplar / Missoula, MT 59802.
7. Big deck off back with beautiful view of surrounding mountains.
8. I love the sound of a freight train.  Tracks are a block away.
9. Evie, our 80-year-old downstairs neighbor, is rad.  She keeps the yard tidy.  She lets me watch football games on her big screen TV.  And she takes care of our pup Gilda.  In fact, Gilda begs to visit Evie and her dachshund Jazzy at least once a day.
10. Deb, our lovely landlord and friend. Her rent fee is cut-rate, PLUS she keeps us stocked with bread, apples, and eggs from her free-range chickens.  She's Evie's daughter.

Just got the week off with Goodall, so I boogied straight to Missoula to be with Hana for a few days. Her/our pregnancy is coming along swimmingly. She just entered her third trimester. Baby's kickin' a-way.

She told me that her inny will soon be an outy. Tomorrow, by the way, is Hana's baby shower, which my cousin Rebekah will host at her house.

Missoula has been opening its doors to me since I arrived two days ago. The weather has been great; Hana and I saw a spirited Day of the Dead parade yesterday; we've been to two lectures at U of M on Middle Eastern issues; I'm about to attend a First Friday; and tomorrow I might drive to Jerry Johnson's Hot Springs in Idaho for a soak.

My already busy trucking schedule has become even more busy of late. I've been home only two full days this month, and I may get only three more full days here between now and Thanksgiving. That's when I'll be moving to Missoula to join my pumpkin pie bride and butterball bambino.

Today is Hana and my first wedding anniversary! I so wish we were together on this beautiful autumn evening. Godspeed ye, dark days of late November.

'Westron wynde, when wilt thou blow,

The small raine down can raine.

Cryst, if my love were in my armes

And I in my bedde again!'

-Anonymous 16th Cent. (?)

Congrats to all the cherubs being born of late: Milo, Boppy, Josiah, Zaia Mae, Maggie Rose, Lyric, Wolfie, and my newest cousin--Carley!!!

Left to right: Bailey, Dustin, Mandi with baby Carley, and Sydney Elkins

Speakin' of babies, Hana reports that she's been feeling baby hiccups lately. She says our little one is quite a mover and shaker. I have the week off from trucking, so I'm heading to Missoula for a visit.

While digging a trench near the horse corral today, I found a perfectly knapped flint knife. I've found several scrapers this year, and a couple broken arrowheads, but this is my first knife in years.