feeling sad tonight

Posted on July 22, 2011 by is there any more pie?

This is what the sky looks like tonight. It was another cool day, a sweatshirt morning. The sun came out for a while this afternoon, but the clouds returned for the evening.

After a whirlwind day–baking blueberry cakes at 7 AM, loading the crockpot with pork ribs, watching a recorded episode of The Bachelorette at Janou’s, driving up the mountain with Dancing Mandolin Player and rehearsing with the band, then going to town to Walmart and the Peach Man stand—I came home to sad news.

First, a dear friend’s mother is very, very ill. I first met her in 1975, when two of her daughters babysat for my toddler. She and her sweet husband lived in California then, but would come to Montana in the summers to visit some of their grown children. They eventually moved to Montana, which thrilled their kids and gave us more bridge partners. Glen and I were always grateful to be included in the family gatherings. I am so sad for her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And for all of the in-laws, who love her so very much, too.

It was an honor to have known her.

Second, a very special friend of ours in RI collapsed this afternoon.***** We were in high school together, but our friendship really started about 8 years ago. He especially enjoys my karaoke machine (he does all the Frank Sinatra tunes) and loves to laugh at Glen’s eccentricities (of which there are many). He’s the one who insisted we go to the Corn Palace in South Dakota, which we did, and I sent him the promised postcard to prove it.

*****update*****Diagnosed with extreme heat exhaustion, he is home now and doing well!!!!!!!!  It was 104 in Rhode Island yesterday, which is very unusual.

So…it’s a sad night.  I am going to skip fiddle practice, ignore the exercise bike and just go to bed.

And I will say some prayers and hope that the morning brings good news all around.

Good night.

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happy birthday

Posted on July 22, 2011 by is there any more pie?

happy birthday, dear daughter-in-law.

i hear your husband is taking you to see Dwight Yoakum.

i hope you get chocolate, too.

because you’ve had such a busy and exciting year.

you were the happiest pregnant person i’ve ever known, despite carrying around that enormous baby.

so, happy birthday.

your present is in the mail.  use it for margaritas with the girls.

love,

your mother-in-law

Posted in lake | 2 Comments

band practice, berries and bubble gum

Posted on July 22, 2011 by is there any more pie?

Last night we practiced at the Hope market. Actually I’m not sure if that’s the right name now or not. It used to be called the “Hi Hopes Market”, but that was a zillion years ago. I remember when the big excitement there was the addition of a video rental room (videos, not dvd’s). That meant we didn’t have to drive to town to rent movies from the auto parts supply store (for a special weekend rate, we could take home a vcr and 3 movies–what a deal).

Now it’s a beautiful art gallery and cafe.  The owner lets us practice here.  Boy, are we lucky.

Here’s our brass section getting ready to jam:

And here is Retired Mountain Lady behind the keyboard.

Neil & recorder, RML and Bruce on bass.

Linda (accordion), Julie (drum), Anne (mandolin–she’s playing so fast she’s a blur!).  We had such a good time.

I missed taking a picture of our Dancing Mandolin Player, but here’s one of the tayberry cobbler she brought for us. It was so good.

People ask me all the time about our songs. What kind of songs we do. How we decide what to play. Do we have special songs for the dump concerts (notice I said concerts).

Last night Mark (blues harmonica, jazz cornet, vocals, guitar) suggested we each come up with a song we wanted to play and then just jam. That worked! We tried some new things and revisited old songs. I’m going to try to list what I remember:

Jambalaya
Hey, Good Lookin’
Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys (we decided we definitely needed alcohol to try this one again)
Tear My Stillhouse Down (I got to pretend to be Gillian Welch…or her mother…or her grandmother? and sing)
I’ll Fly Away Medley
Mercy, Mercy (a cool instrumental)
The Midnight Hour (Motown? I sang Motown?  Can I buy sequined bell bottoms now?)
My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It

If I think of the others, I’ll add them to the list.

It was an odd feeling standing there in the remodeled market. My music stand was approximately where the dairy section used to be. One of my very best friends, Barbara, worked in the store for years and treated my children as a grandmother would. The kids and I would go to the store, pick up milk or a movie and visit with her. One day I discovered my four year old daughter had stolen gum from the penny candy display, so I drove her back to the store and made her give it back, apologize, pay for it and grovel.

My daughter cried, but Barbara cried harder. As a mom trying very seriously to teach a lesson about shoplifting, I had no patience for tears and scolded both of them. Barbara fussed about that afternoon for days, alternating between being amused and telling me I had been too strict.

I don’t think my grown-up children would have recognized their strict mother last night. The fiddle strikes them as a bit eccentric, but the singing would freak them out.

Which is a good thing.

Bazooka gum

Image via Wikipedia

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trip to the big city

Posted on July 21, 2011 by is there any more pie?

I missed exercise class this morning, due to having to make a quick trip to the Big City, which is an event, believe me.

There was coffee at a gas station, a sausage biscuit from McD’s and ice cream from the Cenex station on the last leg home.  Two grocery stores, TJ Maxx and Kohl’s were on the route.  I’m not much of a shopper–and I especially avoid supermarkets–but IT WAS FUN TO SHOP.

It had been a while.  That’s why buying a bath mat seemed like a summer highlight.  Before you judge, you have to realize that this wasn’t any ol’ bathmat.  It was made of microfiber.  And foam.  “Like stepping on a cloud”, the tag said.

Well, hot damn!  Who doesn’t want to step on a cloud?  Especially after a long day in the Big City?

And it was on sale.  Here’s the link, if you ever want a cloud on your bathroom floor.  Life is full of one little thrill after another.

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/bedandbath/bathrugs/solid/PRD~c22306/Tranquility+Memory+Foam+Bath+Rug.jspere

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make a wish

Posted on July 19, 2011 by is there any more pie?

Here’s what was in front of us while I drove home from Montana a few evenings ago.

It was leaning to the right.  Way to the right.  As in, knocking leaves off the trees.

Please don’t tip over and cover my car with hay.

Please don’t tip over and block the road because I am very hungry and counting the miles until I can get home and heat up leftover chicken enchiladas.

Please don’t run into a deer.  Or a sheep.  Or a bear.  Because I really, really need to go to the bathroom.

Especially since we just came from the dam.

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more bodacious photos

Posted on July 19, 2011 by is there any more pie?

Many, many years ago Glen and I were part of an energetic group who wanted to build a community center in our little town. The first Bodacious BBQ was held in the summer of 1984 and it was an event like no one had seen before. And it has been going on ever since, raising money for the community center’s expenses and the preschool program.

Pretty darn cool.

We were thrilled to be able to attend this year.  Greeting old friends was the best part.

Banjo Man turned out to be a real flirt.

The location was gorgeous.

As were our hosts.

Just-as-good-as-Willie-Nelson entertained.

A pig was roasted.

Mike (trumpet player in our band) helped out serving the “cracklin’s”.  He is one of the friendliest people I know.  And pretty good with a pair of scissors.

There was dancing.

And silent auctions.

 Look at this closely (or maybe not).  One holds the hot dog and the other two marshmallows.  I wish I’d won it.  It would make a great wedding shower gift, but I’m not sure who I’d give it to.  Or who would really use it, besides me.

And here’s that pesky Meryl Streep-lookalike  sneaking in another bid for a basket of wine.

Patsy won a set of pearls.  She swears she’s going to wear them while she vacuums.  We suspect she has June Cleaver fantasies.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

One last conversation…

…before the last shuttle across the bay.

See you all again next year.

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music in the genes

Posted on July 18, 2011 by is there any more pie?

Meet son #1.

He lives in Texas.  He plays bass guitar.   He’s in a couple of bands.  He sings.
And he writes songs.

He was born almost 11 weeks early, and that first month of his life was incredibly scary.  He actually died three times and was resuscitated  (I love doctors, nurses and neonatal hospital units and the Baby Bird respirator).  He was purple and bruised and incredibly tiny.

Now he is 6’4″.  Imagine that.

I originally decided to take violin lessons so that I would have a connection to his world.  I’d played guitar in high school and took piano lessons in my twenties (but had to stop because morning sickness made me too dizzy to sit on the piano stool).  My mother remembers my taking violin lessons for a couple of months in 4th grade, but it doesn’t sound as if that went very well.  At least not the way she describes it!

So here I am, still struggling after 5 years.  It’s a good struggle,  though.   I may never stand on stage and play fiddle riffs while my son sings, but the fantasy keeps me going.

And the music connection does exist between us, because Son #1 has an amazing tendency to call me when I’m in the middle of band practice or about to walk in the door of band practice.  It’s a little eerie.  I guess he feels the vibes and wishes he was playing with us instead of those music legends in Austin.

Posted in family, the band | 1 Comment

preview of the bodacious barbecue

Posted on July 16, 2011 by is there any more pie?

I have 75 pictures of tonight’s annual Bodacious BBQ, a fundraiser for the community center and its preschool program.

And I’m not going to post them tonight.

But…I did upload them to the computer.  And there are some good ones.

Name this movie star:

This looks like one of those grainy National Enquirer photos. Who is this woman who just stepped off her yacht to enter an exclusive private party?  And when does her next movie come out?  And didn’t she just break up with Hugh Jackman?

I hear he is still not over it.

Pay no attention to this guy.


The last time he went to an auction he came home with 100 oysters and a strange diamond cocktail ring. This picture was taken right before I took his paddle away and sat on it. Just in case something caught his fancy.

I won the table’s floral centerpiece.  And this.

It’s a spa basket and a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure.  Hurray!!!!!!

More tomorrow…

 

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wherever we are, it’s christmas

Posted on July 16, 2011 by is there any more pie?

One of my sisters-in-law said her mother used to say that.  Last week we took Mother’s sentiment to heart.

We decided to celebrate Christmas together, having not done such a thing since 1984.  It’s a large family and we’re scattered all over the country, so these July reunions mean a lot.

How do you like the tree?  Cute, isn’t it.  The house immediately felt cozy.

There was a traditional Christmas breakfast.

Which was enjoyed by one and all.  There were presents, very special presents that brought back a lot of good memories.  There were boxes of photos and letters to read and share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glen put together a slide show. Funny how we all looked so much younger! And how little the children were. Now we need to convert them to digital pictures so everyone can have copies. (I’m working on it, I promise).

A lovely, special day.
Thank you, everyone.

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an aside from New England

Posted on July 15, 2011 by is there any more pie?

Here is a picture my friend Sharon sent me earlier this week.

Is she smiling because she likes to borrow her neighbor’s riding lawnmower and spend an afternoon cutting grass?
Nope.

Is she smiling because she is happy to be outside in the heat and humidity because her husband hurt his back playing golf?
Uh, no.

Is she happy she finally gets a chance to show off her new pink socks?
Maybe.

She is actually waving goodbye.  In three days she and a girlfriend are escaping to cool and rainy–Sharon’s favorite kind of weather–Scotland for a tour of Edinburgh, Skye, castles, distilleries and Glasgow.

Or so she thought.

Because this morning she sent me an email, and it wasn’t from an old ruin of a castle where a ruggedly handsome (naturally) laird poured whiskey down her throat and held her hostage in order to avenge the death of his beloved, mad, older brother, who was secretly plotting to poison the King.

(I could go on and on, of course, but I’m going to spare you the details of what-could-have-been if I was writing it. There is no laird, no whiskey breath and no village healer).

There isn’t even a happy ending, here in 2011.
Turns out that Sharon’s big plane clipped the tail of a smaller plane, right there in the airport.
You can read all about it here: “http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/14/7085722-delta-767-clips-regional-jet-at-logan-airport-1-hurt#comments—”

I’m sorry, Sharon.  I hope you can try again soon.

Posted in friends | 6 Comments