Tough game to watch.
One of us Cornhusker fans survived the last 3 minutes by putting a colander over his face.
He also learned to jump up and down while yelling, “GO BIG RED!”
His grandpa was so proud.
Next Saturday we are going to paint a big red “N” on his belly.
(unless his mommy’s home)
Matunuck Beach, photo by RIDOT
Theatre-by-the-Sea, for those of you who have been there and remember, is out of the photo, directly on the left side of the picture.
We hope to have electricity back by Sunday. So glad we are not there right now! We’ll deal with the mess when we get home…
Banjo Man’s favorite musician is blues man Johnny NIcholas.
Wednesday night’s Happy Hour at the Saxon Pub in Austin = Johnny Nicholas and his band, Hellbent. Or were they the Hellbenders?
I will look it up tomorrow and let you know.
Anyway, it was a big night for Banjo Man. He had a date. Me. At the Saxon, his favorite bar in Austin. And two sets of music with Johnny Nicholas, who was born and raised just a few miles south of us in RI. Banjo Man tries to see him when he’s in town, as do lots of his old friends from high school. Every show is like a reunion.
Okay, back to Texas…we’ve been here for a week and I’ve spent almost all that time getting to know my gorgeous grandson, who greets me every morning with a big cheer, as if to say, “Ta Da!!! Here I am, Grandma!!!! I’m awake! It’s a new day! Glad to see you!”
I give him hugs and kisses and tell him he needs clean pants and he lets me change his diaper before he runs off to play with the new trucks he got for his birthday.
Today was a Halloween festival in a local park. If you are a two year old boy who likes trucks you will want to go on the hayride four times, even if you have to stand in line. And then you will cry, but your grandmother will take you out to lunch and give you her french fries.
“Mom, can we go on this hayride again?”
Okay, back to the Saxon…Banjo Man was very excited about tonight. So I returned to Austin after spending 4 days with The Gorgeous Grandson in order to go out with Banjo Man. Because of the book deadline, I haven’t been out much. In the past 9 weeks I’ve been to one music lesson, one band practice and one ladies’ lunch…and those were all in one week about six weeks ago.
I ordered a margarita, but asked for it in a tall glass with lots of ice. It came in a big beer mug. The guy next to me kept looking at it and finally leaned over to ask, “What is that? A margarita?”
Me: “Yes. It’s been a long week.”
Him: “Sweetheart, it’s only Wednesday.”
He is lucky I didn’t whine about the book deadline.
I drank two of those monster margaritas. I still didn’t care what day it was.
Johnny Nicholas can really play the blues. Banjo Man bought his new cd.
I’m sorry this blog post isn’t more interesting.
…and a great big happy birthday to my brother!
Future award winning author and Amazing Race fan.
Many of you have emailed or called to ask where we are. I love you for that.
We’re not in the storm tonight. We’re in Texas. Daughter Nancy and her husband Mike are in the midst of the storm. The power went off at three o’clock this afternoon, while we were talking. She texted tonight to report that they are safe and playing board games.
The ocean has flooded roads, trees are down, and the wind is blowing. It’s not high tide yet and we are glued to the Weather Channel.
Our home is not in the path of the rising ocean. We sit on a ridge on a glacier morrain (am I saying that correctly, Retired Mountain Man?). We worry about trees coming down on the house, though, as we’re in the middle of the woods.
Love to all. Stay safe, wherever you are.
More Pie
Okay, I know what you’re thinking. But here are the facts, ma’am, just the facts:
1. My daughter-in-law bought my grandson something similar at a thrift shop. It broke. My musically inclined (aka genius) grandson was royally ticked off.
2. My daughter-in-law gave me permission to buy a drum set for his birthday.
3. I even called said daughter-in-law from Toys R Us to make sure this purchase was okay. I described the box. I mentioned it had its own stand. And an mp3 hookup. She still said yes, after that final chance to say no, thank you.
4. Yes, my guitarist son is going to be very unhappy when the wrapping paper comes off.
5. Yes, I bought extra batteries.
6. I also bought an alphabet puzzle–wooden and very educational, I swear.
7. I hadn’t been in a Toys R Us in 15 years–I think it went to my head.
8. But I bought something else, something else on Etsy, something else that is so wonderful and perfect for my rock and roll loving grandson that I can’t even blog about it. It doesn’t need batteries and it doesn’t need to be assembled and my son will like it, too and I will be forgiven for the drum set. I’ll link to it tomorrow, after the party.
9. Grandpa Banjo Man approved of the drum set, btw.
10. As did Uncle Will and Great-Grandma. Daddy is outnumbered 6 to 1.
Levon Helm
EDITED THURSDAY MORNING
As much as I wish this statement was true, and as much as I love boxers and their expressions, the book is not done.
I’d written this post and thought I’d saved it as a “draft”, so when I was done with the gd book I would be able to hit “send” and tell you all that you didn’t have to read about my whining any longer (or at least not for a while, until the next deadline).
But this darn post keeps appearing. The boxer is mocking me. Or does he just look at me like I am pathetic?
I should title this “The book is not done”. Then it would be the truth.
Speaking of truth…the book is over done. The book is over the page limit. The book will never, ever end, I fear.
i hope they like it.
Excuse me, I think I have to take this dog out for a walk.
Happy Birthday, son #2!!!
(this photo was taken a few years ago, when Will and I were on a road trip together. We stopped for the afternoon in a ghost town in Bannack, Montana. He wanted desperately to see a ghost. I didn’t. And thank goodness we didn’t, though there were several creepy houses we didn’t go inside of.)
For more info on Bannack, click HERE.
Just downloaded THIS book from the e-zone section of my local library and uploaded it to my Kindle Fire. Sometimes it’s good to be a geek. I’ll be posting more about books this winter, so please let me know what YOU are reading as the snow falls outside your window.
I love my Kindle Fire, but I surely don’t want to pay to read most books when I can get them free from the library. But libraries have limited supplies of e-books, so I use my son’s Texas library card, my Idaho library card and my local library card to browse and checkout e-books. If you have an e-book and you have a family member or friend who has a library card but doesn’t use the e-book part of it, see if they will share their account with you.****
****If this is illegal or immoral or in poor taste, please know that I was only kidding. Otherwise, happy reading.
Fourth of July
Glen the Banjo Man
LIVE at the Dump
