Life is like a series of boots for me...

Get a pair and a number of years later they become these yard boots and then they become no more.

It is sad for me when a pair of these boots is retired. 

They start off at various events, jobs, numerous projects around the house, concerts, life moments, really everything.

Then as if those weren't big enough... These same boots get demoted to Yard Boots where they walk many miles mowing the yard for family events, reunions, birthday parties for the kids, weddings, cookouts, camping, fires, chasing after the dogs, planting a garden or working in the garage... 

These boots maybe stained green, smell, fall apart, have holes, just look horrible... but these boots have seen somethings - miles, memories and just life.  I had to put this pair down after a long run.  Hopefully you have a good pair of these boots and are making memories in yours.

One word comes to mind when I think of tacos - YUM! I love tacos...hard or soft, it doesn't matter. I do prefer though that they be filled with ground beef rather than shredded beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, or anything else.

I enjoy tacos with cheese, lettuce, tomato on them. I could also go for some Guacamole on there, and sour cream if we must. I also do enjoy them with some rice on the side and maybe some beans as well. Chips and salsa are a great side idea as well.

No matter how you like your tacos - have a very fulfilling National Taco Day. :)

There have already been quite a few TV appearances this week, let's get you caught up!

Tyler Hubbard made an appearance on the TODAY Show on Tuesday: 

Brothers Osborne were featured on CBS Mornings yesterday talkin about their new album and their lives. Click here to read more and to watch the interview.

Last night, Jelly Roll made an appeatance on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, one of the first shows that has aired since the talk show returned to television. He sang "Halfway to Hell" from his album Whitsitt Chapel: 

On Tuesday I was out riding my mini bike doing some exploring, when out of the blue, my wheel bearing blew out and stopped me in my tracks. It threw my chain, causing my rear tire to skid in a somewhat sketchy fashion. Broken down, I was left with no other option than to push the bike back at least half a mile to my house in 80-degree heat. It wasn't a fun time. 

With my recent mechanical failure, I figure it's a good time to give an update on the status of all my fun stuff. Aside from that little incident today, the mini is just about as good as ever except for the front end. Someone crashed it somewhat hard a while back, and it hasn't quite been the same since.

Getting into the rest, we'll start with the boat. It's been a little more than two weeks since I've had her out on the water. It's an ongoing project with lot's left to do in terms of restoration, but it floats and the motor runs great. I'd like to have at least one more boat day before I winterize the vessel, but we'll see what the weather has in store for us. All that I really need to do to the boat is pull that old two-stroke Suzuki off for the winter and wrap it up, so I'm calling it good for now! 

Next is my lawn tractor, a classic Simplicity Broadmoor from the early 70's. I love that thing, but it's not without its faults. I've been using it as a "mud mower" riding through the woods tearing up the trails. It's slow but otherwise very capable off-road. I have the deck detached and have never actually used it to mow. Anyways, the key broke off in the ignition, my starter isn't working, the paint is getting a little scratched up, the tires need air, and I just recently lost all braking. I'm hoping it's a linkage that came undone or something else simple. I've got a buddy who is supposed to come check it out, and he was the one who got it running originally, so I'm crossing my fingers we can get that sorted out at a minimum. I plan to do a full restoration on the Simplicity one day and get it set back up to mow the lawn, as I no longer have a zero-turn. 

Next is my go kart, affectionately known as The Joe Kart. Of all my powersports, it is the closest to my heart. I did a full build on it with brand new parts from the tires to the engine, and currently it's actually not broken! It's fast and fun, and I cannot wait until the icy wintertime weather when I can do some drifting. I've got quite the story for you coming up in a future blog about a little incident I had with the kart out on the frozen Turkeyfoot Lake a few years back. 

I also have another new go kart that I traded a snowmobile for, but it needs a lot of work. I've been trying to get the steering together and buy a powerplant for it, but lately my priorities have shifted. It's not something I'll shove in the corner and forget about, not only because it's a massive two-seater buggy that's bigger than a Smart Car, but also because I think it's gnarly. 

Last but certainly not least in terms of brokenness, is my quad. It's an old Honda Recon 250 2wd that has been put through the ringer. I routinely abuse that machine, from plowing snow to regularly getting it stuck deep in mud holes. With how rough I am on it, it's no surprise that the old four-wheeler needs quite a bit of TLC. This would include fixing the brakes, repairing/remounting the winch, securing the axle, replacing bearings, rewiring my aftermarket reverse light, replacing a missing hub cap, installing fresh rear tires, and routine maintenance. In the two years I have punished it, I've never even checked the oil, let alone changed it... it's a Honda. 

This blog came out to be a lot longer than I expected, but hopefully it can serve as some encouragement to you if it seems like you have too much on your plate. I didn't even mention the work my Civic needs done to it (stupid E-check), but I'm not overwhelmed by all of this. It's just the nature of machines to break after time, and the work I have ahead of me is totally doable. My perspective on owning "boy toys" as such is this: you either have to have a lot of money or know how to work on your stuff, and let me tell you I'm by no means rich! Creating a garage to-do list has alleviated anxiety and helped me tremendously, and if I may, I'd like to suggest to you to do the same for whatever seems to be hanging over your head. Afterwards, prioritize that list. If it's time, motivation, or finances holding you back, just remember to take it one thing at a time! 

In what was probably the worst kept secret in this area for quite some time...Terry Francona has made it 100% official. He's done as Manager. Now the search for the next skipper begins, and we know one name that is NOT getting the job - because he declined to even interview...Sandy Alomar.

It has probably always been a dream of Cleveland baseball fans to see Alomar, Lofton, Baerga, Thome, etc as the manager of this team. Not going to happen, at least right now. The team is saying that they expect Sandy Alomar to stay in his role as first base coach. There are also questions as to whether Francona will have some role ith the team going forward.

Who knows how long the search will take. I just hope it will be done with diligence and the right choice will be made.

Parmalee has the #1 song on the charts with "Girl In Mine" and they just announced their next radio single. The group says "Gonna Love You" is about that one person that's your ride or die, the one person you would do anything for.  

Parmalee will be at the Dusty Armadillo for a SOLD OUT show on Friday, October 20th!

Back Where I Come From  - Kenny Chesney  - 1996  -  (Album Simple Life)

Kenny Chesney has had a couple of careers. There is the "Beach" Chesney that has been incredibly successful and will remain so for years to come.  Then there was "Early" Chesney and that's where this song comes from.  When KC hit in the mid 90's he was successful but his music, his sound and image was very different than today.  It's very similar to Toby Keith in the fact that TK became something very different after his successful start.  Both stars went through a real career reinvention pretty close to the same time.  THIS song by Chesney is one of my very favs from him.  This song to me represents "Early" Chesney to a tee.  It's traditional country and speaks directly to country fans. It was first recorded by its writer, a great song writer named Pat McAnally a few years earlier.  I've seen Chesney in concert a few times and he seems to always play this song and I'm glad about that. I am a Chesney fan no matter what era we are in with him. He has kept and updated his relevancy for 30 years which is no small feat.  This was not one of his biggest hits, but fans love this song. I Love this song!

I thought it would be cool to make note of every show that I have been to, as there are a ton, and I'd hate to forget about any of these great experiences I have been so lucky to have. My very first show was the 2014 induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Green Day and Joan Jett, and my most recent concert was Hardy with Lainey Wilson at the Covelli Center in Youngstown. The next show I would really love to see is the Violent Femmes, coming to Cleveland October 9th. The best show I have been to was Superorganism at Skully's in Columbus. They are my all-time favorite band, and I was so stoked to be front row (close enough to untie the guitarists shoes) and to have the opportunity to meet them and get a concert tee signed. 

As you can tell from this list, I like a broad range of music and enjoy just about anything played live. From Bob Marley to Taylor Swift, I don't put my nose up to anything that sounds good. Basically, if there are musicians actually playing instruments, I'm into it. I describe my musical taste as riding a skateboard in cowboy boots because I love alternative music and country alike! When it comes to live performances, I don't like shows without a band onstage, and everybody hates lip syncing. I'll venture to say Country music artists are generally the most authentic and caring for their fans, and I think that's super cool of them being down to earth and humble. 

Here is the list of performances I've seen thus far, and I am hopeful there are many more to come. It's pretty crazy to actually see it all on paper, and I think future Joe will thank me for doing this to look back upon. 

• Green Day 
• Joan Jett 
• Weezer (x2)
• Pixies
• Modest Mouse
• Nas
• The Strokes
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Thundercat
• Superorganism
• Weird Al Yankovic
• Sam Hunt
• Zac Brown Band
• Jon Pardi
• Chase Rice
• Riley Green
• Jake Owen
• Tim McGraw
• Travis Tritt
• Rodney Adkins
• Wynonna Judd
• Tracy Byrd
• John Michael Montgomery
• Mark Wills
• Frank Foster
• Tyler Booth
• Lainey Wilson (x3)
• Megan Moroney
• Joe Nichols
• Ashley Cooke
• Hardy
• Lauren Alaina
• Dustin Lynch
• Tyler Hubbard
• Warren Zeiders
• Cooper Alan
• Randy Houser

My bucket list includes Blink-182, Toby Keith (I pray he beats his cancer), Eric Church, Ween, Tenacious D, Olivia Rodrigo, The Bloodhound Gang, Miranda Lambert, The Black Keys, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Blake Shelton, Kesha, Zach Bryan, T-Pain, Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs, and especially Morgan Wallen. I'd also really love to see an NPR Tiny Desk Concert at some point in my life. There's definitely more I'm forgetting right now, and I likely excluded an artist or two on the list of shows I have seen. All in all, it's a good summary.

How about you, though? What shows have you seen, what's up next, and what's the dream concert? 

If you're looking for some great shows to attend, there's a ton lined up at the Dusty Armadillo in Rootstown as part of their concert series. You can check those out here: http://www.dustya.com/concerts.asp We're also gearing up to have a heck-of-a night with Chase Rice and Pricilla Block acoustic at the Akron Civic Theatre on October 18th for our 24th annual WQMX Bosom Buddies Benefit Concert. Info for that is here: https://bosombuddies.wqmx.com/ 

Thanks for reading! 

The weather was so nice on Sunday, I spent the afternoon at The Akron Zoo. So many of the animals were enjoying the wondeful weather too. A few were taking naps in the sun...a couple in the shade. And then there was this one Grizzly Bear who decided it would be fun to go play in the pool with a floater ring! 

We spent several minutes watching the bear have a great time in the water with the toy. It was a nearly perfect day. Even if the animals were sleeping, they were visible from the window and not hiding back in a corner. What was even better is that some animals were up an active! 

Accoding to the forecast, we have about two more days of beautiful weather before things start to look and feel more like Fall. I hope you can enjoy it while there's still time!

So this week, I will have "Trick-Or-Treat for Larry Fleet" at The Agora...  Listen for the sounder.

Plus for ?W-BOO-MX - Bloodview Haunted House Passes for Broadview Heights

Mark your calendars! Akron’s city-wide trick or treat is Sat. Oct. 28 from 5-7pm.  Trick or Treat Night is always the last Saturday in October.  

The City will also have with Downtown Akron Partnership their 2nd-Annual Fall Fest on Saturday, October 21st from 5-9pm at Cascade Plaza Down Town Akron.  The Family Event will feature Trick-or-Treat Statinos on Main St. from 5-7 with live music, food, drinks, pumpkin decorating and a free showing of Hocus Pocus Movie at 7pm.