Kinda Fond of My Household

Continuing with my theme of things in my life that cheer me up, I'd be totally remiss if I didn't mention the members of my  household. Every day I find myself smiling at something one of them does or says. Between the things the humans say and the things the pets do, there's no shortage of grins around here lately.

The humans have been exemplary lately. Lee has been incredibly patient and kind to me while I have been dealing with interpersonal issues and worrying about my lack of paying work the past few weeks. He works so hard, but still has time to do music with us, joke with the kids, and do important church work. Beccano (new readers, that is the code name of the red-haired child) plays his guitar and sings all the time, which soothes my soul, then he will come out with some zinger of humor that makes me wonder where he got this genius--wow this kid has a quick wit! And Tuba Boy (who no longer has a tuba) has matured incredibly since going to college, and is a joy to converse with--he really holds his own on any topic. Plus I enjoy all the kids' friends as they visit.

Scrunchy in his favorite spot.

However, I spend most of my time with the non-human residents. Poor Scrunchy is less than pleased with us right now, because we got a new sofa and loveseat. Both are recliners, and the loveseat has electric up and down mechanism (yes, an indulgence, but I have a weak shoulder). I think he's spooked by the moving couches, plus not happy that there's a center console, so he can't glue himself next to me any more. Now he plops his immense pug self on the wing chair and arranges the pillow to his liking. He's apparently saving his best snoring for night, so he can serenade us while we try to sleep.

Rose prefers to sleep at the bottom of the stairs, so she can't miss anyone going up or down.

Rose amused me very much yesterday. Every once in a while she gets a frenzy in her head and has to run. She runs in that funny hunched down ways dogs do. I heard a noise and went out on the balcony to see her running back and forth downstairs. When she saw me, she charged upstairs, wiggled a bunch, then went back down. After 4 of these events (which also sent Scrunchy into a wiggling and snorting frenzy), she finally fell down, exhausted. I do not know what starts these events, but they are fun to watch.

Buddy had been watching the rain outside before I disturbed him to take a picture.

During this event, Buddy realized something was going on, hauled his poor ailing legs up, and "rushed" up to participate. By the time he was halfway up the stairs, Rose was done. I encouraged him to come up and gave him happy petting, so he'd think he got to play too. Poor old guy, he doesn't run downstairs every time there's a noise that gets the other two in an uproar any more, but every once in a while he decides to play, and it's really cute how he lumbers over and makes happy dog noises, which thrills Rose and Scrunchy.

I enjoy the stuff the animals do, from trying to go out and pee on the plants in the front yard when given any chance, to stationing themselves at intervals so you can't walk anywhere without stepping over a canine companion. Since Gwen has been gone (a year now!), the barking around the house has diminished incredibly, and they are much better behaved when we have guests. Lee also has them eating very politely. I know I have complained about the dogs in the past, but things are way better in that department now. I don't know how I'd ever get through a day without the love in Buddy's eyes, Rose's smile, and Scrunchy's wiggling devotion.

Skkylight says, "Hey, that's rather bright light!"

But, there's even joy to be had from Skylight. That bird is quite the entertainer. She has been doing all sorts of climbing tricks and doing weird stuff with her toys a lot these days. Plus, it cracks us up how she seems to love certain songs and television shows and sings along as loud as her little chirper can sing. When Jeff's mom was visiting, about halfway through the visit she said, "Hey, is there a bird in here?" and then good ole Skylight started singing away. She doesn't talk or anything, but has always been a pleasant companion for me. She's at least 12 years old, making her the oldest pet we have!

I'm thinking of people I know who are dealing with flooding right now. Our rain is pleasant and good for our lakes and trees. The storms up north are another story! Stay dry, readers!

Great Weekend of Happy Things

Singing at Church
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It was quite a celebratory weekend--without the weight of Lee needing a job on us, it was easy to do fun things and feel good. The picture shows what we did this morning. Lee, Bill, Beccano and I played all the music at today's peace-themed church service. Here we are singing "Rocky Mountain High," a song about someone who finds inner peace. I admit it, ever since this was my favorite song when I was 14, I dreamed of getting to sing this in front of a crowd. Maybe hokey, but the words to this are actually pretty nice. We also did "One Tin Soldier," which people my age from the US will remember from endless viewings of the fine film Billy Jack. Beccano terms this number "rockin'". He really liked his bass part.

Indeed, one of the special things about today's performance was that it was Beccanos' first public guitar performance. He did great! It was also a first for me, because we sang a song I wrote. This was the first time anyone ever agreed to play anything I wrote. I just couldn't think of a song about peace and its importance, at least the kind I wanted, so I just wrote it myself. And I remembered to keep it simple. I think everything else I ever tried before was way too complex. Bill even said nice things about the song in front of the whole congregation. Honest, though, while it isn't a greatest hit song, it does say something nice and is sort of catchy:

I am a warrior for peace.
With fierce determination my quest will never cease.
'Till peace fills every land, I vow to take this stand,
For I am a warrior for peace.

Deep stuff, huh.

After church, we goofed off a bit and took some photos. We need to do our wedding announcement soon, so Beccano took some photos of me and Lee, and then Lee took a few of me and Bec. They really do look like we're having fun--one of my friends' husband was looking at them on Flickr and he told her how happy we all look. Amazing how a little stress relief can help! And if Tuba Boy were here, he'd be happy too--he got his first debate trophy yesterday, and that is about time! As a reward, I gave the kids permission to go see Weezer in concert. I hope that is how you spell it!

The rest of the day has been just fine. The weather is nice this time of year, and I sat outside for a while and watched Beccano sand on his piece of wood shaped like a guitar. He just got two books on building your own guitars, so it's the start.

And Lee made me melted cheese on crackers for dinner, just like my mom used to. Aww.

Here's one of the photos of me and my boy. You can hardly tell we are related, can you?

Yesterday!

Yesterday was also a very nice day. The plan was to head down south for some wedding dress shopping with my friend Katie, but on my way I got distracted by people on the side of the road offering free Obama stickers. They led me to the Williamson County Democratic Party HQ, which was a nirvana of "people like me." I got three bumper stickers, including one for a candidate whose beliefs really match mine, and a yard sign for another local do-gooder, though they were out of Obama ones. I got two t-shirts, but the kids are so fashion conscious that they will not wear size large shirts. Fine, then, Lee and I can say we think a black dude can be our Prez.

So, emblazoned with liberalism, I did make my way to south Austin, where I got the patiently conservative Katie and drove to New Braunfels, host city to Celebrations, the place to shop for wedding attire in the area. This place had sold Katie's mother her wedding dress and Katie her wedding dress (and prom dresses and every other formal she ever went to). The same woman is still doing the alterations. She certainly must know how to make this matron look good. The place was as nice as Katie said it would be, and the people there were patient and helpful. I tried on every red dress in the store, and sure enough, one of them was just right. It is exactly the color I wanted, has sleeves, has a lovely neckline and just enough sparkle. Katie was really cute about not wanting to pressure me into getting that particular dress, but really, it is just right. Also, it is the one that would look best with my wedding shawl. I am glad I got to get one that didn't have a jacket, which would have made the shawl harder to wear.

After making the largest clothing purchase of my life, we were hungry, so Katie took me to the nicest restaurant in town, Huisache Wine Bar and Grill, after a nice tour of the old downtown (it is fixed up very nice). I really enjoyed the restaurant, which is in an old building and has a beautiful garden and outbuildings behind it. I was really impressed by the plant selection and the neat buildings, which were designed by the dad of someone Katie knows (so fun to hang out with a native). And after the lunch, we went to see her parents' house, in a lovely location outside of town. There I got to meet her sister and little niece, too. I do so love to play with babies. And this one was quite charming, and VERY good at arching her back and using her legs to move her around in that position.

I'm really glad to have had the help picking a dress, and really glad that to do item is over. Whew.

Other than getting stuck in bad traffic on the way home, it was a great break from the usual routine. And we even managed to drop by the Knitting Nest and see their second anniversary celebration! All in all, one fine day, topped off by a lopsided college football game.

Being happy. What a concept.

Fun Music Night

ELAB on Stage
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Hey, thanks to everyone who came by BB Rover's last night or thought of it. We got through out performance without any huge mistakes, but were somewhat dismayed when we realized we'd have to perform outdoors. Our friends roasted a bit, but we had lots of lovely water, and we made it! It was nice that lots of friends from church showed up, plus a whole bunch of their teen kids and their friends. I am not sure WHY they came to a folkie open night, but it was nice. We did drag Beccano along, but he got to leave as soon as his brother got off work (he did say we sounded good, which was nice). Since Austin's keyboard really doesn't make enough sound (it lost one speaker), we had to bring both bass amps. That's lots of heavy lifting. It is surprising how nice the piano sounds in Lee's newer amp.

Lee and I, along with our friends Karen and Scott, stuck around through a bunch of other acts. It was a real mixed bag, as you'd expect, but there were a couple of very pleasant surprises. There was a duo of rather young, clean-cut fellows wearing red shirts and khaki shorts. One had a guitar and one a bass. Well, they were a bit quiet, but their harmonies were delicately lovely, and the music a neat jazz/rock mix. I talked to them for a minute after they were finished, and they said it was their first public performance. What a treat! After some more nutty and/or loud groups (many of which seemed to be related to the quirkily enthusiastic autoharp/harmonica player who helps run the show, there was another very pleasant surprise. A guy named Dave Ransom (I think) came up and played some mind-boggling guitar (using techniques I had never seen before--a lot like some of those folk prodigies we used to see at the Live Oak Coffeehouse). He then sang a couple of songs, and we were all favorably impressed with his range and technique. He is new to town, but should go far--he was far and away the most professional person there. Here is a bit more on him.

Anyway, the reason we were waiting around was that Lee signed up to do some songs on his own. That's him in the dim picture! He did three of his own songs, and by the end was really sounding wonderful (weird microphone issues messed up the first song a little). I was really proud of him--it takes a lot of bravery to stand up and do your own stuff. I hope he does more. If I were still doing grateful Monday, it would surely be gratitude for the chance to have interesting musical experiences.

That's the report on that! There isn't much else to report, so I will save some energy for another post tomorrow.