Back from LA

Mission accomplished. We are back, and we have the Moto Guzzi. The drive was somewhat harrowing, us being country bumkins in the big city. We saw three young men in fast heavy LA freeway traffic on sport bikes and one of them was doing a wheelie. I don't know what the other two were doing because they were out of sight when I saw the 3rd up on his back tire, no protective clothing, zooming fast with the traffic. Bikes split lanes in LA. I told him (of course he didn't hear me) to stop distracting my driver. HH did all the LA driving. Yikes. We traded off other places. Big sighs of relief when we left the LA area.

The fellow selling the bike was from Ireland, and is going back for a reunion with all his friends and the Isle of Man tt race. He, and his wife who had just gotten back from her own trip to Ireland, were very fun to visit with, and brought out garage furniture so we could have a little party on the driveway while we watched HH assemble the Trailer in a Bag. They regailed us with tales of LA and Ireland, insurance, universal health care, health care costs, education, and motorcycles.

HH is the first non-engineer owner of the bike, and the prior owners kept pictures, records, diaries. If you scroll down a couple entries here you may see a photo of the car, trailer and bike. I changed out the photos.

Do you see the dark spire in the left quarter of this photo? It is a tree. We started seeing them in Sacramento and south, so I assume they require a warm climate, but when growing singley with various other trees and bushes, they are spectacular. I wonder what they are?

Looking for Cali

Alley doesn't understand why she can't find Cali. She is so confused, and no, she doesn't like dogs. HH is off riding the Harley and expects to eat when he gets home, and DD is hungry. She's going to something she calls "Devising". It's a theater thing. Saturday she has a rehearsal for Ragtime. What fun. She's playing piano now, and it's beautiful. Why is she such a good sight reader? Must be smart.

Goodbye, Cali

I miss you.

Need a Tune

Planned on getting pianos tuned. I had just decided we'd caught up enough financially to tune at least one if not both pianos, and was wondering what tuner to use, but there has been a slight setback. The Moto Guzzi (which I hope will work fine) is the setback. Some friend of a friend in Seattle has one, too. Maybe I should ask him if he's heard any lemon talk from that guy. This one's an 89, so maybe some of the bugs were worked out before it was made. It doesn't matter anyway, because we already bought it. HH won the bid. I'm taking old kitty to vet today. Hope all works out OK.

Vita and HH's Next Adventure

Sometimes a deal comes along that is just too good to pass up, and when such things happen, the fun and smart thing to do is go for it, so that is what we did. It is a 1989 Moto Guzzi Le Mans with low miles, meticulous care and lovely paint. We are going for a fun weekend drive to LA to pick it up. Ya Hoo!

Fun In Sun or Taxes

What a beautiful day. We have sun, there are flowers outside ready to plant, the temperature is perfect, an outside sort of day. I need to spend all my spare moments finding all the tax papers I put off filing so I can do my taxes. HH has a cold, DD has allergies. I'd be wonderful if my head wasn't plugged up.

Scramble

That's like eggs, not a motorcycle race. That's what my head is doing this morning. That and the little Morse code thing that's been going on constantly for several days. I'm pretty sure that's because of my head being plugged up.

Do the rest of you have times when you're smart and times when you're not so smart. Sometimes my brain is just right on top of things, and I can clearly think of several things and keep them all straight. Other times it's all just a muddle...... I had to stop for a minute to turn on iTunes to hear the Bassoon Quartet instead of my head ringing, except now it seems my head is playing along.

I so admire the beautiful gracious manners of my friends. I really enjoy watching them socialize with their great skills. One in particular must have learned at her mother's knee. I think she's brilliant and admire her so! I tell myself to be like her, but when I get in a social situation, I'm just so excited to be around people I forget to think before speaking. I'm so lucky to know such fun people.

I hope Roger isn't mad at me--I told some entire band that he'd had a birthday of which he didn't wish to be reminded. He told the band I was delusional. Ha! I was around people and got excited. Sorry, Roger. It just slipped out.

My MIL tried to deposit a "check" that was just a voucher saying "we owe you money." I carried this and other checks to the bank for her, never thinking to question, as I am used to her being the mom, and me being the subordinate. I feel like I let her down, though. Should I have looked through the pile? Now she thinks she threw away a check, but I think it's possible that they haven't sent the check, just a notice saying they would be sending one. I have to pick her up at 10:30, so I'd better get going so I can get things done before I leave.

Shopping

We did it. Yesterday DD and I went on an adventure in the world of Teen Fashion. OK, she's used to it, but I lead some sort of sheltered life. The picture above shows a teen fashion when I was young. Now things are a lot different, and I feel lucky that DD has such conservative taste. Do people really wear the stuff they try to sell in stores? I did see some goofy looking things on people, but nothing as awful as what the stores wanted to sell, which was mostly of inferior quality. Actually it was fun, and I like what the clever daughter picked out, and don't think I had any inhibiting effect on her. We came home with packages. Since we didn't buy any motorcycles, HH barely noticed. Today we go to the dentist! I can hardly wait.

Odd You Should Say That

Friday I took MIL to visit a doctor--thank goodness the tests turned out OK and she won't have to have surgery--but when HH and I came back later after picking up her medicine, she pointed out that she was wearing odd socks. Maybe that's why the outcome was so positive. After pointing out the odd socks, which were barely noticable, one being navy blue the other black, she announced that her mother often told her if she put her underwear on backwards, and it had to be accidentally backwards, not to change it, because if she left it as was, she would have good luck all that day. No, I haven't said anything to her about my recent run-ins with underware. But I see now that I should have left it odd, and yes, boggywoggy, it was uncomfortable.

Where is Mind?

Several mornings now, I've had to actually take of my underpants and put them on again right way front. Am very proud of self today, as I remembered to check first, and got them right first time.

Tonight is a trombone clinic by (with?) Henry Henniger, but also DD is coming home from basketball tournament and will need ride from school around time clinic is under way, so will have to see how that pans out.

At masked ball, was off getting picture taken with DD and masks when band started playing and missed one whole tune. This is 1st rehearsal since, so I will see how mad everyone is at me. Now I'm leaving early for trombone clinic. Scanner not working, so am safe in saying you will not see picture.

Red Lights

I heard on the news that Eugene had so many red light runners (people driving cars through red lights) they put up cameras to catch them. Up until then, I hadn't noticed much in the way of red light running here in Corvallis, but it's like hearing that on the news gave Corvallis people the idea, or maybe the Eugene runners drove up to Corvallis to do their red running to get away from the cameras. (We're about three towns away, depending how you travel.) I have lately been seeing a lot of red light runners. Also, a lot of deer wandering the roads, not to mention skunks, so drivers, be cautious.

Our local tuba playing USA presidential candidate is traveling to New York today to meet with other presidential candidates. Good luck, Michael Charles Smith!

Sunny Girl

What was that? Play? Play play play play play. Yes! I love to play.

Accidental Change

Today is a beautifu day for a motorcycle ride, and HH went on one, while I stayed around kicking my heels. He met up with people with Yamahas and Moto Guzzi's, and took this photo.

I thought I'd lost my name, but now I have it back, so I'm happy. This is very confusing.

Happy Valentine's Day

Just wanted to wish everyone, and especially Mrs. Staggs, a Happy Valentine's Day. HH is going to take me to the Darkside to see Pan's Labyrinth. The Darkside is the most romantic theater in town. I can hardly wait.

Hee hee. He had a little excitement with his 1954 BSA Monday. Got stuck and had to call the rescue trailer (me). Thank goodness our very able neighbor was home to push the Gold Wing out of the way of the trailer for me. He also hitched it up for me. HH says it's all part of the excitement of driving old British bikes, and he's also looking forward with glee to rebuilding the magneto.

Into the Sun

Can you see it? There the sun is just behind that tree. This is the sort of weather that makes one appreciate puffy down coats with pockets and fluffy socks.

34 F Outside, 58 F Inside

Can you blame me? I'm waiting for it to warm up in here before I take my shower. I could take it now, but I have to wash my hair, and I don't feel like hanging around with wet hair in a 58˚ cold house. I pushed the thermometer up a little, and got an immediate sigh of appreciation from Old Kitty. Fluffy Kitty doesn't seem to care. Old Kitty was hollering, and I think it was because of the cold. The weather forcast says it's going to warm up to a blistering 45˚ F outside, with a bit of sun peeking through the fog. I'll turn the heat back down in a couple hours, OK? After I've showered. Meanwhile, I have parts lists to type and a quilt to bind, and the band wants me to prepare several new charts. Ugh! I don't even like them. Why can't we get some GOOD new music?

Mask Making is Fun

With the help and suggestions of the creatively brilliant Cabaret Chairwoman, I made two beautiful masks. Now, under no pressure to make more, and with my newly accuired experience, I can just try to aid and supervise other mask-makers at the next go-round. I am looking forward to it. All masks made at the work session are in her care, and the materials were provided by the symphony associationa and by her, with the exception of a very few minor contributions by her volunteers. Time flies when one is making masks with all sorts of beautiful materials at hand to decorate them. Some of the students were absolutely brilliant, creative artists.

One Hundred

Hey! That's not a motorcycle? No, it's the engine of a big yellow piece of mysterious equipment. Maybe it's road equipment. We have snow. We have school, too, at least so far. Maybe the big yellow thing is a snow plow, but I don't think so.

Oh, boy. A masked ball. The Corvallis Youth Symphony is putting on a masked ball. I get to make masks. But I don't get to wear my green velvet gown because the band is playing, so I have to wear my black dress. I like my black dress, but maybe not as much as my green velvet. Maybe I could wear both. You know, change before we play. Don't know enough yet to know if that will work.

Ninety Nine

Mrs. Staggs wanted to know if I was in highly organized mode, and I just wanted to say, "Ha ha ha." I wandered into the back room with the intention of swapping some of the furniture around, and measured. The desk I want to put in is 4 inches wider than the desk I want to take out. Then I just backed out of the room and put the tape measure back in my tool kit before I lost it. Maybe tomorrow I'll make some moves on that front.

I have to make a cold weather TO DO list, because the forecast is for well below freezing. I think I have a hose hooked up, and unless HH is doing it now, MIL needs some faucets covered and vents plugged. Also, the tree is still looking spiffy, so obviously taking it all apart and away is on THE LIST, and putting furniture back in place also LISTED. The living room doesn't look like the photo because the large coffee table is gone--a brother has it--replaced by a pine chest my father made. The chair at the desk is now at the piano.

Undecided

Happy New Year. We had a great time bringing it in over at the Carnivorous Hippy House with the the Really Interesting husband of M Hippy, not to mention the Really Interesting daughter and mother-in-law. Really Interesting son wasn't in attendance. But HH & DD were there, and we were playing Auld Lang Syne on the front porch with other Really Interesting people at midnight. This is a great town, and I am so lucky to know such great people. Oh, sorry. I'm getting all maudlin. Stop it, you.

HH doesn't quite know what he's going to do with this thing. It's a little more awful than he first thought it was, and maybe he made a mistake buying it. It's been sitting in the corner of the shop hiding under a tarp for some unknown lenghth of time. I know what I want to do, though, and I'm going to go do it now.

I'd tried some new food on the cats, and they weren't having any, so old blind cat wandered out here to me and it took me a while to figure out what she wanted. Clever of her to make her wishes known, don't you think? She's such a sweetie. OK, I was going to go get things done, wasn't I? Byeeee.

Oh-oh. Chestnut brass are on the radio, and they are really distracting. I'm going. Going. Go...

What do You Say?

This is HH's bike in Mill Valley taken during his fall trip to San Fransisco.

How do you refer to ex-presidents of the USA? What title do you use? Please tell me. (Of course, if you don't talk about them, tell me what you think you might use IF you talked about them.) I want to know.

Hug Day in Spirit of Season

This is not to be confused with Free Hugs. This was yesterday, and everywhere I went, I saw people I knew, and they all gave me hugs. Heidi, the little minature Dachsund, gave me as much hugging as she could, and MIL gave multiple hugs and said to be careful and not let her fall down. First, I got several hugs from my piano teacher, one from her quilt-making grandaughter, one from her friend D, one from her friend JM, lots of them from people at the gym, where I took MIL, and she took cake and Heidi, then we met MJ and she gave us hugs, as did the waitress. Then when I took MIL back home, more hugs from her and Heidi, and I go home soon to be met by HH and hugs. Next, hugs from DD after she returned home after playing with her string quartet at a wedding, and we three sat on the sofa under a blanket and the cats, watching a Best of the Muppet Show tape. Manamana. Doot doo de do-do. Yaaaaa. Very nice day. (MIL even gets hugs from checkers at grocery stores, so I get more hugs just from hanging around with her.)

Am I Still Here?

Yikes! Well, I'd just better say something and be on my way. Hello. I'm better, and farther behind, but haven't written my To Do list, so not getting anything done. HH and DD are having similar production problems. Maybe it's somthing in the air? In case you wonder, "What's that?" It's a cute little teeny tiny bike that HH is working on for someone else. I think he told me it's called a Shortster. Tee Hee. A pun. Get it? I'm going to write down To Do's (in my To Do notebook, not here, as that would just get me into more trouble.)

Almost Still Here

I'm still here, except I hardly know which way is up. So I'm sort of not here.

Snow in Corvallis

School is on a two hour delay here in snowy white frosty icey Corvallis. Outside is sparkling at least two inches deep.

One thing I wanted to mention to Dear Mrs. Staggs in Merryville is that not all motorcycles pictured here are still here, and some were only here for a visit and never lived here. This one did live here, and isn't it festive? It was a favorite. It has moved to a new home, because we have limited room and HH keeps getting eyes for other bikes.

I have goofed off enough for now. If you can find Merryville, go visit Mrs. Staggs, who has posted pictures of dear Mrs. Frost, who is worth seeing. Do I have a link down at the bottom of this blog? Yes. Look for 'A Happy Miscellany'.

Autumn Leaves

Cowering inside, The Watcher sees sun dancing on wildly waving branches.
Devistated garden, filled with flowers dead and dying, awaits The Watcher.

Meanwhile leaves are running helter skelter from their windblown trees.
Jostling and bumping in their haste to get away.

Unaware--their fate lurking below.
The Watcher grabs a rake.

It's a Rupp

Isn't it cute? May be just the thing for taking on an R.U.P.P.?

Chocolate Raisin Tea Bread

1/4 c butter
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c flour
1/3 c cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 c buttermilk
3/4 c chopped walnuts
3/4 c raisins

Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat egg and combine with buttermilk. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Beat on low speed until blended. Stir in nuts and raisins. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool before eating.

Planning My Day

If I'm not careful, I won't get done all I want to do today.
1)Practice Trombone
2)While doing laundry
3)Practice piano; also while doing laundry (lots of laundry)
4)Order Grapefruit from MIL and Teachers
5)Oh, no! I didn't get it all written down fast enough, and now I've forgotten.
6)Work on Quilt binding
7)Vacuum
8)File pile of filing on top of file box
9)Make vegetable stew and chocolate tea bread
10)Go to band practice

B 31 Second Try

I hope this works. I just wrote a rambling reply regarding Mrs. Staggs, Avus and hhnb and got an error message, so suppose that was all lost. Hmph. If it's gone forever, I'm sure it was all brilliant reparte, but if it shows up, it was complete drivel.

This is one of my favorite views of the B31 BSA. When it's up on the hoist, this view is at eye level. Photo was taken while bike was still in New Zealand, but it doesn't look any different now, even though HH has received many packages from England that contained things that he's put on her, plus a nice little owner's manual, which I find all over the house. I keep trying to keep it away from food consumption areas, so it won't get blobs on it.

Well, I must away.

Happy Halloween

My big brother just wrote to say he smashed his thumb putting in fenceposts and had to have stitches. Now he's disguised as Frankenthumb. Bwa ha ha. I borrowed that wicked laugh from Dark Mind, the evil genius of blogging.

Maybe you are wondering why the picture of this normal looking bike, instead of something gorgeous. To me, this bike is a wonder. Someone did a nice job of making a seat cover for it, but other than that it was pretty well broken by the time HH bought it. There was a great whopping hole through one of the cylinder walls and the piston was poking out. For a few years, it was just a pile of rubble on the floor up against the wall. Everything was dismantled. It really looked like rubbish. I got a thrill buying parts for it, under instruction from HH, on E-bay. This is it all put back together again. Isn't it nice?

New Old Furniture

The picture is the young ornery kitty sitting half on the floor of the drum room, and half on the drum rug. Whew! I don't miss that ugly indoor-outdoor carpet scrap! Maybe it's one reason this room looks so much nicer with the beautiful (I didn't know it would look so beautiful) poor old beat up baby grand piano. I like our garage, which we can only use for the 1957 pickup that doesn't lock, and my car has to sit outside, because it has the old old old pump organ that was my mom's first keyboard after she married my dad. I used to practice on it in the morning, because it doesn't make much noise. My big brother is taking it home when he can borrow his son-in-law's pickup truck to haul it in. Or, maybe HH will work out something where we drive it up in our old pickup, but bbrother will have to come down and load it, since it makes HH nervous. Besides the old pump organ, which is pretty, are the two items of furniture I haven't made room for, 3 broken chairs that I'm supposed to have repaired, and a bunch of other furniture that's on it's way out, either to bbrother's or charity shops.

This morning I was a useless dweeb, just ran around looking for things I couldn't find and trying to remember why I went into the room, whichever that was. That makes me mad. OH! Bye!!!

About Time

If this photo works, isn't it great. Collections of a friend of a friend. An amazing fellow, I think.

I've taken an old drawer from a dresser that fell apart and the rest of it went to the dump, but I put a pet blanket from the pet store, sworn to kill bacteria and be machine washable, in the bottom, and the poor old blind kitty curls up in it and sleeps and feels fairly safe from the ornery young whipper-snapper kitty, who likes to bite her ears just because she can. Cats! Hmph!

The piano is in! The room looks great, and we have friends vieing over who will get to store the drums at their house, since they really are quite big and it doesn't look like they'll fit in the closet, unless we give up wearing clothes. I've made room for the two dressers. The small cupboard my Grandfather made fits nicely into the tiny dining area, but his small table hasn't found a place yet, and neither has my old desk. Well, that's not true. It's just that I have to extracate the drafting table from it's spot before I can replace it with my old desk, which my parents used as their first kitchen table in their first house. I also have their second kitchen table, and it fits beautifully into my tiny dining area. It's the table I grew up with, and my little brother and I did homework on it. It's so nice to have! HH and DD seem to like it, too.

A New Week

Ah, here it is, Monday morning. A new week. A new chance for perfection. The photo was taken yesterday on Mary's Peak by HH. He said he was taking his bike around the block. That's a euphamism. Since this bike is from 1942, I consider it less reliable than the 1984 Honda Nighthawk, so send him off with the cell phone when I can. He said the WLC handled as well as anything he's ridden down Mary's Peak. Hmmm. I wish you could see the carburator of the Nighthawk right now. It is all dismantled, its parts laying in orderly fashion on a red shop towel on the custom work bench of rolled steel HH had made for his shop. It looks like one of those exploded drawings in a shop manual, with little lines pointing like the typewriter on my last post, except there are no lines, and it's not a drawing.

Yesterday we visited Heidi and MIL. Heidi has gotten wilder and more energetic, biting and licking with manic energy and ferver. She is still very pretty, but less inclined to tire. She loves toys that squeek, and is a good fetcher. We make the toy squeek, then throw it, she chases and brings it back, where she shakes it silly in front of us so we can admire her tecnique, and when she's ready she backs off for the designated tosser to take charge. MIL says she knows the words "tug of war," their favorite game.

Celebration

Here's my cute manual typewriter. I got the ribbons for it. I had to order them from New Jersey, because that's where the typewriter collectors are. It looks like one of the things my dad collected was typewriters. My brother found them all over the house, and brought them all to one place. It looked like a museum display. I've had mine for ages, but I found the receipt for it at Dad's and discovered that my brother bought it. I asked him, and he said I could keep it, so I ordered the ribbons. I typed a letter to my cousin on it. I was surprised that I could still do it.

Yesterday HH found a buyer for his Kawasaki W650, so he's happy. We will be able to pay down the loan for the expensive 1942 Harley Davidson. He was talking about selling his Nighthawk, too, but I think I talked him out of it. It has a shaft drive and doesn't have spoke wheels, so is relatively unadventruresome, which is good for having fun and getting there and getting back and still having fun. He says he almost fell over in the early morning soggy fog in San Francisco when he drove over one of the huge white arrows painted on the road. He says you have to be in total focus mode driving in San Francisco. He also said he would have been so embarrassed if he had, because all the other bikes there were Ducati's or other flash exotica, and he felt such a hick with all his camping gear strapped onto the back, and it would have scattered all over the road.

Yesterday afternoon we went to The Darkside theater and saw the French movie, The Science of Sleep, which surpised us both. It didn't sound that great in the previews, but it was. See it if you get a chance. I don't want to say anything in case
you do. It's fun to go in with no expectations.

Stuff

Can't stay long here. Must put self in HIGH GEAR to make GREAT STRIDES toward destuffing and making room for baby grand piano. Are we going to have a garage sale? The talk on this issue fluctuates and I don't know what I'm doing. If we do have the garage sale, then I'd better not haul any more stuff off to charity shops. If only we lived close to HH's brother, who runs his own charity shop through his church....though I guess they have no shortage of donations to deal with. I haven't heard from my brother regarding when piano may arrive. He wrote and said he has major tooth things happening to him.

HH is talking about selling his drums. Might as well, I guess, as he's too beat up to play anymore, and he only likes to mess with motorcycles. Dang. I wonder, though, if I got rid of enough stuff in the closet and his drums would fit in there, would he be willing to keep them until the eventuality of him not being a mechanic and beating himself up at work too much to play. I got things away from the door enough to open it. I still need vent holes in door. There are mystery-things in that closet.

Zhoen's Challenge

WHAT I'LL NEVER DO, AND THAT'S OK.

Be perfect.
Sight read piano.
Keep the Dust Bunnies out.


WHAT I'VE DONE, AND WOULD LIKE TO DO AGAIN.

Take motorbike trips.
Hike up Matterhorn.
Play second trombone in symphony.
Play second trombone with big band. (I do this now.)
Play in trombone quartet.

WHAT I'VE DONE, AND WILL HAVE TO DO AGAIN.

Cook.
Work out at the gym.
Clean.
Organize.
Carpool.

WHAT I WON'T DO AGAIN.

Be young.
Move my left ankle.
Drink Long Island Iced Tea.
Eat cake.
Run.

WHAT I MAY STILL GET TO DO.

Create beautiful rooms in home.
Have vision for garden, then make it so.
Learn new trombone playing tricks.
Keep a car until the ENGINE breaks.


If you are middle-aged ( whatever that may be) and read this blog, consider yourself tagged. Please let Zhoen know.
(To do that, you'll have to link off to Secret Hill and follow her link to Zhoen, as I'm inept.)

Another Trip

I'm just back from another trip down to my Dad's house. The car is full of family heirlooms, the mirror my great aunt gave my grandparents when they were married, stuff like that. I'm going to hang the mirror where I now have a print my brother had made of another great aunts drawing of The Family Tree.

My brother says I should go through all the recent snap shots (there are hundreds or maybe thousands) to see what should be kept, copied, shared. My car was full the last trip, so I will need to make more trips. He's made many many more than I. He discovered a leak in the chimmney and was reparing it when I left yesterday. Clever fellow.

Fight Fight Fight

Here it is, Thursday morning, and I'm still battling the huge stashes of Stuff. Some of the Stuff is Stuff I just brought back this summer from Dad's. I think I have made inroads in the Stuff, but could anyone else tell by looking? Maybe some, like BRS or Mrs. Staggs, who are familiar with Stuff Fighting. I mentioned Craig's List to HH, who thinks just Garage Sale and EBay are better for getting rid of Stuff that's too valuable for the charity shop or the garbage. I keep seeing the directions to put things in 1) Trash 2) Give Away and 3) Keep containers, with labels on. Maybe I should try it--the labels, I mean.

Photo is of Crooked River off Highway 20, from HH's run last weekend with antique motorcycles. He says part of the adventure is the possibility of a breakdown. He keeps getting little boxes of parts from UK, and had been expecting some for days, and was all atwitter earlier this week when box came. Now he's got his B31, the BSA from New Zealand, up and running. Funny thing about that bike. The previous owner has the same first and second name as HH, and his last initial is also the same. Isn't that interesting? He (HH) told me he had to strain his little gray cells a bit and go back into what he called "The Vault" while pointing to his head, probably from electronics 101 in 1969 or so to get new old generator rotating in opposite direction, to make bike happy. Now bike and man are both happy.

Baby Day

I visited two babies today. First was a sweet little trumpet player's baby, who woke up and wandered all around the coffee shop while I held both her hands, because she can't really walk yet. Ha ha. She was so funny. She picked up her knees like she was a drum major leading the marching band, and sometimes she planted her feet, and sometimes she didn't. She'll probably be walking in a couple more months. Oh, my! And how she smiled. Just beaming at anyone who spoke to her.

Second was MIL's baby long haired dachsund, Heidi. So sweet, and like trumpet baby, ecstatic to be visited. Just full of joy. Unlike trumpet baby, Heidi is very agile, and flies around, leaping over her new doggy bed, after her new squeeky toy, or having a go at her tail. So funny! MIL talking about not being long for this world. I reminded her she has to be strong so she can take care of Heidi. Also, I'm not ready to loose another elder, but I didn't mention that bit.

I thought, But

Picture this: Lots of piles of books and boxes, very messily arranged and stewn about. There. That's your photo, whatever you have in your mind's eye. DD is thrilled because she started back to school today. No, that's not it, she's thrilled because her new viola case came in the mail. Since my band is playing in the park tonight, we can't pick up the viola that was my mum's until tomorrow. The old viola's original case has the wool lining, which encourages the carpet beetles, which eat the horse hair strings of the bow, so we couldn't use it, never mind that it is a great looking case. The shop owner suggested if we want to not toss it, to kill the bugs, then strip out the insides. She thought we should put little shelves in it and use it as a wall hanging, but my favorite parts of it are the latches and handle. HH wants it tossed. I think it is Art.

What Fun

Instead of battling all the poison oak yesterday, I went to the Saturday Market and bought lovely tomatoes, and when I returned, I found that HH had mowed the little strip of lawn around the roses between the two driveways. The little baby rose, is no higher than the dandilions blooming in the lawn, and its blossoms are a pale yellowy orange, so it got mowed in an accident that was bound to happen, but it only affected it's top most bits, which I then trimmed off, and no harm done. I wonder if I should plant the new azalea, which is still in it's florist shop pot, in the row with the roses? Would it look out of place? Only if I never get around to planting daisies and vinca and phlox, too.

I don't remember how, but suddenly it was two o'clock, and we planned to see the movie The Heart of the Game at 3 at the Darkside Cinema. We were the Only People in the Theater! A private viewing. We were very entertained. It is a documentary about girl's high school basketball in Seattle, Washington.

After the movie, we picked up the daughter and went to see MIL and Katie-who-is-now-Heidi. Even DD, who tries to claim she is not a dog person because she is a cat person, could not resist the charms of Heidi. MIL tried to call her Katie, but just naturally kept calling her Heidi to the point where she said "Ah, heck, I'll just call her "Heidi", so Heidi it is. DD kept muttering to herself that Alley (her cat) (when she's not my cat) is cuter, like she was trying to convince herself.

Beware the Poison Oak

The shiny chrome and red BSA is HH's. When I got back from Klamath Falls, the first thing HH did was ask me if I could go to Fred's Honda to buy a motorcycle he'd picked out, which is a non-fancy, non-expensive 650 Honda Night Hawk. He's thinking now of keeping it for his daily runabout, and selling the W650. DD is Devistated, because she says the Kawasaki is her favorite of her dad's bikes. We all like the W650, but he has already had it longer than he used to keep a bike. I liked it because it's a 2000 and he had a bike he could take trips on, and I wouldn't worry about him breaking down and not being able to get parts, which I worry about with his old Brit bikes. He says he has the BSA Lightning running really great.

Anyway, down in Klamath Falls, my oldest brother and I the middlest, got to join our youngest brother (French horn) in a rehearsal and concert with the Klamath Symphony. What fun. We all got to sit in a row, French horn (one of 2), bassoon, trombone (one of two), and there was a shortage of trombone parts, so now and then I'd play 2nd bassoon, and once both us trombones played along with the cello, except there were 3 cellos instead of the one that came to rehearsal, and the director told us there were trombone parts, and it was a shame we didn't have them, because it was a good part, but people are pretty casual down there about getting their parts turned back in. I think it was the 1st time we'd all three played together.

Now I'm in a panic to make room for my mom's baby grand piano here in my tiny house that is chock-a-block crammed full. I got rid of two boxes of books and it didn't even make a dent! You'd think that would make a dent. OK, I'd think that. I'd already planned to get rid of books (sometimes it's a wrench) to make room for the piles of music on the Bagley Cannery Box shelves, but now I'll probably have to get rid of the boxes all together? I don't know. That's the sort of furniture I have in my bedroom, too, with more books. It doesn't bear thinking about.

Oh, I nearly forgot. We're planning to go out and do battle with the yard today, with all it's vile noxious weeds.

Got a Nose

Oh, heck.

Can't Get Nose Thing

Dang. I have a not too bad shot of my nose, and can't get it into a format that I can put on here, so here's my newest teacup instead. I've been wanting to put this here anyway. I'm going to Klamath Falls again today for the weekend, and still have to pack, have to get daughter going, have to water stuff as it's supposed to turn 90F today and for the weekend. Have to go, but let me just say daughter is having a ball.

Delete One/Transfer One/Play One

This photo is of the Community Band, taken by Linda wife of CCBand Webmaster. It shows our fearless leader, Steve, conducting. Next Tuesday is our last night of that. If I said last Tuesday was it, its because I'm easily confused. I may not have made a mistake, in which case, disregard disclaimer. Next week we play all our favorites. Yaaaa.

Yesterday I was worried about solos. My favorite of the three, Don't be that Way, was cancelled by the clarinet soloist in favor of a differnt Benny Goodman favorite, Let's Dance. The solo I was most worried about, which was hardest and least secure, in A Warm Breeze, was played by the brilliant trombone soloist I mentioned yesterday, as a favor to the audience, and I only ended up playing one, which I've played a lot and am very comfortable with in Night in Tunisia, and which is short. It's funny, because when Mike, fearless leader of the big band, announced who'd played, he said it was the brilliant guy, but fellows pointed out error and corrections were made. Was he not listening or am I that good? OK, I know I'm not that good, but maybe I didn't totally blow it, as I did on other non solo songs. Dang! Another trombone solo by another skilled musician in Good Times. So three different trombone soloists last night. Yaaa. FLMike missed a chance when he didn't mention all the other instruments she plays with us (any saxaphone, bass, and she's Really a cellist) since he DID mention that in regard to our substituting bass trombonist.

We have had several brilliant piano players in the past, and one of them is available again, sometimes, so our brilliant current pianist got phone number so she can call when she needs sub, as this summer's brilliant sub has gone back to university. It's always good to have backup, and this brilliant fellow can also sub on trombone. Yaaaa.

Goofing Off Again

Thanks everyone for all the helpful hints. I was going to just go over to DD's side of computer, where she already has Firefox, but discovered the password had changed. Then I tried the photo again, but no luck. Did I tell you Katie, MIL's new puppy, is chocolate and tan besides being 8 weeks old, long haired Dachsund puppy. She loves her toys and MIL and people.

Last night the Corvallis Community Band played, and there was a special guest soloist, who graduated this spring from DD's high school. He's going to Boston School of Music this fall. He played a French horn solo by a French composer, whose name I can't spell, but it sounds sort of like "sa sone". The title of the piece was just as mysterious as the composer. I often think I should study some French because it is so mystifying. Anyway, this young man was absolutely brilliant. I've got to add a link to the web site. I'm sure there will be pictures soon. No sound clips that I know of, though.

Tonight the other band I play in is going to play in the park, and (cringe, groan, quake) I'm supposed to play 3 solos. We have a fabulous trombone soloist, but there are three tunes on tonight's list that have some hamburger soloist. Plus another that is not me, yea. It's probably going to be OK, because last time we played, I was supposed to play a solo, and the trumpets complained that their lips were too shot to play that tune, so maybe they will complain again, since I only have solos on lip killer tunes. DD tells me it'll be OK. I was disappointed last time, because on that tune I think I may sound pretty good, in a not ready for prime time way.

Quick Note

I'm still having trouble, and this has "unexpectedly quit" on me twice while trying to upload photo of new pooch, so will try again tomorrow. My time is up for today. The breed is long haired dachsund. Napolean and Queen Victoria and now my mother-in-law had them. Hmmm.

Just a Day Away

HH says he will take me away on the trusty Gold Wing Saturday to go to the antique motorcycle swap meet in Tenino. We mostly go every year, and stop on the way in Centralia where they have a show and shine car show. Maybe if HH takes any pictures I can show you. I should ask my brother the name of the camera he wants to give me. It is the old fashioned sort that uses film. I only rememberd the information for a while, Canon something, maybe. Yes, I'm sure. But what model? He says there's nothing wrong with it.

Tomorrow we are going to a garden party where wisteria is growing over the porch, champagne is bubbling, cookies are crumbling, DD's string quartet is playing, and other string ensembles, too, are playing. I will have to wash something to wear. Somehow all my dresses got into the laundry hamper and no one's gotten them out again. Guess as long as I had more, I didn't need them, but I've come near the end of the collection. Oh, maybe I'll just wear black. What would my mother say!

More of Same

This is for herhimnbryn. A better photo of latest bike. It has a tank-shift. Clutch is operated with left foot. It's a 1942 WLC 45 flathead, and maybe it has some other names, too. Oh, it's a Harley Davidson. His most expensive bike ever. I think he likes it. He rode the 67 BSA Lightning to work today. He likes that a lot, and was thinking of selling it to help pay for the WLC, but he is thinking he likes it too much, and I think he can afford to keep it, despite having spent all his money on a new viola for DD.

Yes, I kind of enjoy taking a solo trip. I can listen to the same song over and over and over and over if I want to, which I did, and stop when I want, put on whatever music I like.

Last night around 10:30 I picked up DD from a CD release party, and we were listening to the CD, is it Niki and the Shotglass?, and going merrily on our way, when a brilliant light show showed up in my rear view mirror. I was pulled over for changing lanes incorrectly! DD, who is taking driver's ed, and is now at her last class, has been telling me I was doing it wrong, but Dad taught me that it was safer to do it that way, when you turn, and have a good view all around, to turn into the lane you want, but the police officer told me that is very dangerous and told me not to do it again. Chalk up one for DD. I will have to not do that anymore. Dad is not around to argue with the police point of view.

Weekend Away

Friday I took off by myself to Dad's house for the weekend to do some sorting out of things. While I was gone, HH went for a ride and took this picture of his newest oldest motorycle. Most recently purchased, most aged. Isn't it beautiful with the railroad tracks and the road and the bike and the trees?

If I'd had a camera with me I'd have taken a picture of my brother driving a tractor with a big straw western hat driving up from the field past the barn. I hope I don't lose that mental image, because he looked picturesqe. Now I have a bunch of old glasses and dishes that I'm afraid to use because they're delicate and old. Just what I needed.

Driving back over the Willamette Pass I saw a few huge dogwood blossoms in the woods, like it was spring. They were beautiful. Were the trees confused? I could hardly believe my eyes. Two blooms on this tree, one on that, three on the other. That's all.

Spent All Our Money

Yesterday DD and I drove up to Portland and bought a viola, bow, case, instrument polish, and outdoor clips to keep music from flying off in the wind. She'd been trying them out and decided which ones to get. I'm just hoping she'll practice while I'm in the house. She likes me to be AWAY when she plays, which makes sense, except I really really like to hear her.

I'm off now to Klamath Falls. Must go when can, and sort through stuff of my Dad's to see what to sell and what to keep. Don't have room to keep anything, but.....but, you know....anyway, we'll not be doing this all this weekend. Brothers went through shop, and didn't finish, a couple weeks ago. We will all have to be there for old photo's, I think. Oh, that reminds me, I should get copies of nice photo of brother 2 of 2 and Oklahoma cousin 2 of 5. Maybe HH or DD will scan it for me sometime. Only brother 2 will be there, as he lives in Klamath Falls.

Wonderful HH

When I had my Dad to write to, I could brag to him about how incredibly wonderful HH is, but now that he's gone, I've been missing having a recipient for my bragging.

A little background on HH. He used to work for a huge international company that didn't give a hoop about individual employees, only net totals, and they thought the best way was to put so much pressure on everyone from managers down, that the management turnover was high, and at least once at HH's center, it was because the manager had a heart attack and died. If they don't kill off the managers, they just leave so they won't die. HH's blood pressure was starting to get high, and he was getting nothing but criticism even though he had the best numbers in the state, because of everyone's stress levels. He decided to quit and went to work elsewhere.

Now he works at a place that gives him nothing but praise. They even fight over him because everyone likes him so much, they want him on their shift, and give him thanks and tell him he's wonderful regularly, which he was when he was working at the awful place, too, but no one mentioned it. It makes such a difference. So if you've got someone wonderful working for you, tell them so, and if you're someone wonderful working for someone who doesn't tell you so, go find a new job. There. That's all I have to say about that. For now.

Hanging Out the Wash

Four lines, strung across the yard on T's,
Flapping in the wind, dodging spiders,
Trying not to drop the towels.
Lovely outdoor caresses.

Back From Trip

Here is HH's bike, the one in the middle with just headlamp and crash bars showing, plus saddlebags. This is the destination of his weekend ride, where all the ribs barbecuing took place, except the real destination was twisty roads to ride on, and he said they were GREAT. The bikes have changed some since the old days. Got to GO now.

Yesterday was Nice

How lovely to have a beautiful cloudy day. My MIL said it was like a Colorado sky, with lots of nice little floaty puffy pillowy clouds. HH grew up in Colorado, until middle school, anyway, which was called junior high back in THOSE DAYS. I wonder that high school is still called high school, and grade school is still called grade school, but jr high is no longer called jr high. Grumble grouse gvetch. Ha! I just spelled that word wrong because I wanted it to start with a "g".

We had a lovely time playing for a 10 years celebration company picnic thing. Super guy Alan owns business and plays Congas with us now and then. Love all people in the band, too. Hope none of them leave.

HH returned in good health, but v tired. Had a lovely time Saturday, but in Castle Rock, WA, it rained rained rained buckets Sunday, and he waited waited waited for it to stop, but it never did, so he just had to ride in it, and get wet. It dried up when he got as far as McMinnville, OR. So glad he didn't bring rain with him, as we were having lovely time in beautiful weather playing for picnic thing.

Got to quit goofing off here. DD has to be at violin teacher's house, with new violas to win approval for which instrument to buy. DD has switched from violin to viola, and I have to learn to quit saying violin.

Sunday Morning Blues

Ha ha. That's because I have a blues station on the radio. KRBM? That's what it sounds to me like they are saying. Maybe it's KRVM. Imagine pretty blue flowers spilling out of pots and flopping around on the ground. Have you got that image in your mind? Me, too. I went to the Saturday market yesterday, but didn't buy anything, except a pretty orange cauliflower. DD wondered why didn't I get a purple one? Missing HH this morning, thus the RADIO. If he were here he'd probably be off WALKING, anyway.

Went over to see MIL yesterday and take her shopping. She pointed out nice article in Saturday Gazette Times about friend running for US President. Big picture and everything. He said on a radio interview that the answer to keeping USA business viable and competitive in a world market is a 20% sales tax and ZERO income tax. However unpleasant a 20% sales tax sounds, ZERO income tax sounds better, and if it meant keeping more businesses healthy and local, and maybe bringing some back from China then wouldn't it be worth it? Well, that's it. Maybe that's too much. Oops.

Which reminds me of how worried I am about China not using their bicycles anymore and getting all polluted. I wish my knee weren't so bad and I could ride a bicycle. I was jealous of all the bicycles at the market yesterday. Lots of pretty flowers there, and lovely vegetables. Was a girl playing harp trying to sell CD's at $15 each, and a boy looked like he was drawing her picture, and down the block was a lady playing fiddle. Gotta watch out for those Toyota Priuses. They don't make any noise when they back up.

Can't Close Curtains

I popped into the living room with the big east-facing windows to pull the curains shut to keep the hot sun out to keep the temperature in the house comfortable, but when I got there, both the cats were sacked out in sunny spots and they looked so content, pretty, happy, comfortable... I just couldn't take their sun away. Maybe later. It cooled off last night, and I even had on a light jacket. Great. Had a wonderful sleep. HH is off on motorcycle to summer party of motorcycle gathering business. There is a winter gathering, also. This summer gathering is new this year, since one of the boys remarried and his new wife likes parties. Their wedding was a pretty good party, and after it was all over, I finally found out how that thing with the microphone and background music works. Karioke? I'm going to a party Sunday. But not as a guest. Oh-well. The Band is going to be the riparian entertainment. Hee hee. If you haven't seen the Keeping Up Appearances episode with the water-side picnic with riparian entertainment, then you don't understand why I'm being so silly.

Rise and Shine!

Hello! Good morning. It's time to be up and about. It is my intention every day to get up and 5 and be showered and dressed by 5:30, so I can go outside and play in the garden before it gets too hot, but every morning at 5 I'm sound asleep and usually quite surprised when my alarm goes off at 5:30. One step I'll have to take before actually getting up at 5 will be to reset my alarm clock. Before I do that I need to reset my internal clock so I can go to bed earlier. I was still up at 12:30 last night, and I'm a woman who functions better on 8 hours of sleep, but I was up at 5:35. It's just that this weather isn't conducive to sleep, is it? Well, I guess I've got half an hour. It's 8 o'clock and I'm just out of the shower. Well, I had to wake up, didn't I? And pack a lunch, and read my e-mail, and clean out the cat box, and feed the cats, and drink a cup of coffee, but I can go outside and play in the garden now. Bye-BYE!

Bit Hot Here

Went up to Portland yesterday. Car worked whole way up and whole way back, and got lousy mileage because HH 1) drove fast, and 2) had air conditioning on whole time. Clever boy HH, while DD and I were in checking out stringed instruments, changed a motormount. Didn't seem to take him more than 10 minutes. Isn't that awfully clever? We were in a hurry. MIL called while we were there, even though we'd told her where we were going, she wondered why weren't we back yet, and don't forget to stop by her house. About 3 hours later, we were back and stopped by her house. Brought all stringed instruments in MIL's house as car was about 140 degrees inside without air. Watched Ladies in Lavender, sad little story, but nice and pretty, and ate pizza. MIL's neighbor was also over, as MIL has central air, and her house was nice and cool. Also, neighbor likes looking after MIL, with her new knee and all. Neighbor's cat was also visiting, but headed for the under-bed when HH came in. Too many people to suit. Got gas on way home and only got 25mpg. Poo. Well, I suspect DD, while waiting in car for me while I run in for supplies at grocers, of turning it on and running air conditioner. Don't get good mileage doing that! Am looking forward to hearing stringed instrument playing.

Hanging Out

Ducati by Moonlight

Today as I was hanging out the clothes, I remembered when Old Cat was still young, and she still spent a lot of time outside. She's strictly inside now. Back then she would bring me presents and leave them for me under the clothesline. Do you know what a cat's idea of a present is? The answer is dead, often headless, small animals. I learned to survey the ground before actually coming out with a basket of clothes, because the basket hides the ground under foot.

Another thing I was thinking about were the little spiders and their prey that like to hang out in clothespins if you fail to bring them in from last week when you hung out the clothes. Today I surprised a spider munching on a half-eaten earwig. Why do earwigs climb clear up into the clotheslines? What are they looking for? Or are they just trying to get away from the other earwigs?

Fall in Street

My MIL is very independent, and wants to help others, and doesn't want her neighbors' cats to get lonesome when they go away, so even with her new knee, and her anemia, she still went over last night to babysit the neighbor's cat. Then the cat wanted out, but didn't want back in, so MIL had to leave her outside Saturday night. Sunday morning at 5:30 a.m. she was up and saw Cat waiting to be let in, so she used her cane and hobbled over across the street, but when she got there she couldn't work the locks to open the doors. She was feeling weak and dizzy. So she unsteadily headed back home, but only got about three feet into the street before she collapsed, and it was an hour she lay there calling weakly for help and assistance. Finally a neighbor spotted her out the window and called to her. She requested the paramedics, so there were ambulances and sirens and police, and three big burly guys picked her up and saw her home. Well, that scared the cat. MIL called us and we came right over and eventually Cat came out of hiding and even more eventually, cat went inside her house, where she has food and water and a cat box and toys. The food and water are in special dispensers that are supposed to hold up for a week, which is longer than neighbor will be gone. So there's our excitement for the day. MIL needed a few groceries, a few salves, and dinner, and a few chores done around the house. HH did the chores, I did the shopping, and we all did the dinner at some near by eating joint. That's three days in a row we've eaten out with MIL. She's feeling lonesome now her Sweetie has died.

Radio Movie

Last night HH (isn't he cute?) took me to see the Prarie Home Companion movie at The Darkside. Going there is always a treat, and the movie was a treat, too. I was enchanted by Meryl Streep's performance. Hee hee. Everyone was adorable. Since it was Saturday night at Davinci Days, I figured everyone would be there, but the theater was still full, after all these weeks. I'm so glad, because HH and DD had already seen it weeks ago when I was in Bend, and I didn't think I was going to get to see it. Seeing movies is a wonderful treat for me, and it's something my parents enjoyed over 60 years ago. They used to throw in a walk in Lithia Park and an ice cream from the soda fountain at Ashland Drug(?) along with the movie.

It seemed like the library was a popular place for parents meeting kids to give them a ride home after DaVinci Days. The concerts ended at 11, and DD had a wonderful time. She reported that she saw M Hippy's Thing 1 there. At first town seemed deserted, but the kids were there, and soon a line-up of cars was behind me to get their teenagers-without-cars. I had just arrived during a lull. They were like quail--easier to see once they started moving. There were the DD and friends, and a line-up of parents in cars to pick them up and bring them home.

Another Beautiful Day

I've never had an open roadster, but they are so fun to see. One of these just drove by my house. I heard a lovely engine noise purring along, and had to look, and this was what I saw. Isn't it cute? I used to want one of these, but having had a few interesting old British cars, I'm now more interested in having interesting old motorcycles, mostly British, but I like lots of kinds.

Do you wonder what interesting cars I've had? Well, let's start with me being a kid and living at home with Mom and Dad and The Brothers. My Dad did Not buy an MG/TD. After that, he Did buy, 3 (I think it was 3) Morris Minors. The first car I ever drove was a Morris Minor. Aren't they adorable? Dad bought several fascinating cars. Most impressive to me was the 1960 MKII Jaguar sedan. Oh! That was so pretty, even the engine was beautiful! He bought a 1950-something Porsche, I can never remember if it's 1957 or 1958. I got to drive it when the Jaguar was in the shop. And when I wasn't driving either of those, I got to drive a 1964 Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors. I could see exactly where the 4 corners of the car were. I now see how horribly wasteful it was, when all 5 of us could fit in a Morris Minor (tight quarters with 3 teenagers in the back seat) to travel around in the Lincoln. I think he'd gotten rid of all the Morrises by then. (He didn't ask me for permission). I guess he was tired of paying insurance on so many cars. But that Lincoln only seemed to get about 4 miles to the gallon. Might as well have been driving a bus! One of his funnest cars, and one I never got to drive, was a DKW. That was a super-cutie.

I would have liked a 2CV, but never got one. HH and I ended up buying Dad's Jaguar, which we sold when money was tight. Later, things picked up, and HH bought the cutest little Metropolitan, a 1957. It went well with his 1957 Chevy pickup, which he still has. No, it's not a Comanche. He also got an early 60's though I've forgotten the year now, Studebaker Avanti. Was it from 1964? Might have been. Is that three? No, I'm leaving out the 1949/50 (Oh, Dear! Was it a Mk IV or a Mk V? It was a Jaguar sedan and had suicide doors, too. It was so cute! But what good were all those cute old cars when they were just a lot of work and broke all the time, except the Metropolitan, which HH decided was unsafe for DD. What a fun car that was! But mostly, it's fun to see old cars in the possession of Other People.

Yesterday I got a card in the mail with my name on it that says I'm a member in an antique motorcycle club. Isn't that fun? I'm sort of in two of them, because I get tag-along benefits of HH's memberships. It's more fun to own old motorcycles than it is to own old cars, and they're more fun to fix when they break, and they don't take up so much room, and they're more fun to use. And they aren't all old. And we meet very interesting people. I know, some people like boats, and some people like airplanes, and some people like cars, but we like motorcycles.

Midterm....I Passed

I was so worried. I couldn't remember anything and was struggling with the practice review questions, but figured I'd better go take the test, since I was out of time, and I'd really really really be behind if I put off taking the test any longer, and was so relieved when I got the written part, all the questions were the easiest ones from the review test, and I got two wrong on the review, and two wrong on the test. That's because I'd run out of time to check the review answers, so didn't know I'd gotten them wrong. Whew! I got A's, too. There were two tests. I got 92% on one and 96% on the other. Yippee! It was fortunate that there was no time deadline on how long you spent taking the test, since I made mistakes I had to fix, and fixing mistakes always takes up lots of time. Now I'm all caught up and current and right on schedule, at least until Monday.

Today I have to do a couple things to help out my MIL, and then I can catch up around here. Yikes! I don't even want to talk about it.

Boy, do I ever want some coffee?

Concert in Park

Good morning. Last night the Hilltop Band played in Central Park, and even though there had been rain earlier in the day, and the grass was damp, and it was a little cool, there was still an audience. What fun to live in Corvallis, which has Central Park and a Gazebo, and band concerts. Last night's concert was Latin music, with a very fun rhythm section and a fast paced Tico Tico, which the saxaphones performed admirably. M Hippy told me someone was referring to the band as The Doctor Band, because not only are there some doctors in the band, but they perform at doctor fundraisers. I don't know how wide-spread that moniker is, but I like it. The community band also has a lot of doctors, so it could also be known as the doctor band? Then when people say, "Oh, is that the doctor band?" other people could say, "Which one?" Ha ha. Well, it's time to go. Nice chatting with you. Bye.

School is Hard

It's a good thing I signed up for a beginner type class, because I am struggling so hard in there. What do the questions mean? There are usually many ways to interpret a question, and I don't want to ask the teacher everytime, because she would soon become annoyed with me, I am sure, so I try to figure things out on my own. That works OK, except I'm so so so so so slllllooooowwwwwwwww. I'll be lucky if I can finish the class before it's over. I am trying very hard. I'm just not used to thinking in the ways I'm supposed to for the class, and I'm quite sure that's all good for my brain to have to think in new ways.

Salem

Last night we heard from the memory care center where my MIL's SO was being looked after. They said if we wanted to see him alive we'd better hurry up there, so we did, and he responded when he heard Mom's voice, opened his eyes, then he shut them and went to sleep and died. It was very peaceful. Hospice was there.

Collections of.....of What?

We all know what the Incredibly Cute HH has a collection of, but I am wondering, now that I've gotten rid of my map collection, what I have collections of, besides letters from my father? I know I have a rather large collection of those, because after throwing away most of the letters I had from other people and regretting it, I kept almost all of the letters from my dad, and he wrote to me nearly every day for six years and a month, except Saturday and Sunday. He used to write on Saturday, too. So, I've got a letter collection. And now I have some of the letters that I wrote to him, too.

I don't think I have any collections that would fill a barn, or even a U-Haul truck, but I may have unsuspectingly collected something besides letters. I like tea cups and have a few, but doesn't everyone? Is a few a collection? If I had a pretty cupboard to put them in, I'd have more, but my house is too small for a pretty cupboard. I wanted to collect spoons, but didn't really get very far with that, and then I lost half of the few I had, so I don't think you can call 3 a collection. I've got a feeling, though, that there's something lurking darkly in the closets and cupboards around the house here. I'm still working on the files, so I won't be discovering anything just this week, or I don't think so, anyway. Meanwhile, I'm going to tell myself I must be quite virtuous because I haven't found a collection that would fill either a barn or a truck. I have some books I could get rid of, now I think about it. My mom always told me that libraries are for holding book collections, and one isn't required at home, but I'll keep some, of course.

Only a Few

Yesterday we went to a picnic and antique motorcycle ride thing. HH went on the ride, and I stayed behind watching the picnic tables being towed by a pickup truck, a tie-down strap, and a team of two Very Handy Guys. One drove the pickup truck, and the other lassoed tables with a motorcycle tie-down strap and hitched them to the bumper, and towed them to our selected site until they had enough tables to seat everyone when they got back from the ride. One of the guys then barbecued the hot dogs and Polish sausages. A couple friendly policemen had stopped by earlier and actually TOLD us it was OK for us to move the tables, because until then we thought we couldn't.

The point is, that while some people were riding, other people chatted, and during the chatting I discovered that there was a motorcycle dynasty there that bought motorcycles and never ever sold them, or at least never sold them until they gave up on that particular kind of motorcycle. The young wife of one of the dynasty thought there were maybe 150 motorcycles, but the patriarch told me later there were probably twice that many. So comparatively, my dear HH just barely has any motorcycles.

Getting Organized

Hello hello hello. It's another beautiful day. I can't wait to get started, so I guess I'll cut this short. The idea is for me to get organized and for DD to get organized, and then we'll really start getting things done around here! Yaaaaaaaa! (But we won't rush.) HH is planning to eventually sell the red bike since he bought the black bike, which is the one that left him stranded yesterday.

Expected Unexpected

This morning, after a night of not being able to sleep, I slept in. The phone awakened me at 6:45 a.m. It was the Handsome Husband, wanting to be picked up in front of Gold's Gym. Luckily he broke down near some phones and not out in the boonies. He takes the scenic route to work. Breakdowns are what is to be expected when a person rides a 1942 bike to work that hasn't been thoughouly gone through yet. He told me that he thought the magneto quit working. Anyway, I picked him up and we went home to get the trailer-in-a-bag, then came back and got the bike loaded up. I was trusted to fit the ramp to the back of the trailer. We brought back the 1942, and he took the 1983? trusty bare naked Gold Wing to work. I think it's a 1983. It came after the 1979 Harley Davidson and the 1981? Suzuki GS 1100. Oh! I did like that Suzuki!! Fun. But HH said it needed a radiator (it was air-cooled), so he bought the Gold Wing, and that has been the Most Wonderful Bike. It has many many many many miles on it, and that's with barely being ridden now days, with all the other stable of bikes around. Did I count 7 or 8? I can only think of 7. The one he rode to work today was the oldest. He's such an exciting guy! What's he going to do next?

Here's Another Day

I've got to hurry and get ready. It was back to work for HH, so I got up at 5:30 so I could see him before he left at 6:30. He rode the new 1942 motorcycle to work. It's the first time I looked at it much. This is only the 2nd bike we've gone into debt for, and the first bike, we had a loan for a new roof and used some of the money to buy a motorcycle. All his other bikes he saved up for before buying. He said he's wanted a 45 flathead ever since 1979 when he bought a shovelhead and he rode it out to see his Dad and his Dad asked him why he bought that piece of junk and told him how reliable his old 45 was back in the 1930's.

On to the next thing now, which is driving his mom to the doctor's. I really think she's getting better every day, and yesterday she did take a stab at doing her exercises. She's supposed to do them 3-4 times a day, and a MINIMUM of 2 times. Her flag is up still from yesterday. I am hoping she'll leave it up today, too. Maybe HH can go over tonight to bring it in for her.

Speaking of HH, he wrote a list of errands he didn't get around to doing. Besides those, I get to go back to school today. Maybe my paper will be graded and I can look at it and see how I did. I hope she doesn't say I should do it over. I did my best, and I might do it better each time, but I would be pretty insulted if my best wasn't up to snuff. I'm actually hoping I did well.

Not Very Holidayesque

All my relatives, outside HH and DD and cousin Rita will be at Lithia Park in Ashland for July 4, but I'm not going to be there. I don't feel like being there, and I don't feel like being here, and I don't feel like playing in the community band--two concerts. First one is in Central Park and 2nd is at Waterfront Park at 9:30 p.m., which is past my bedtime. DD, who has boundless energy and likes to stay up until 2, wants me to give her a ride home after the fireworks. I'm wearing my navy high water pants, and would wear my navy shirt if I could find it. Right now I'm wearing pink. Not very 4th-like, and guaranteed to clash with everyone else's red. If I play in the band I can wear my white CCBand shirt.

HH has a sinus infection that is bugging him. I don't know just what he'll feel up to doing. Yesterday he and I put his mom's awnings up. We were really late this year, but she has air conditioning, and likes heat anyway, so I think she was pretty content to wait until we got a chance to do it. She has that new knee, and doesn't feel like doing the exercises to limber it up and make it work, because it hurts. While we were there the Physical Therapist came and checked on her and lectured her about doing the exercises. When we left, HH told her to do her exercises, and she said she'd start tomorrow. Hmmmm.

Mrs. Staggs sent me the most beautiful package from Merryville, with forget-me-nots and a birds nest on the beautiful label, and more forget-me-nots, lovely soap and wonderful hand-stamped cards in a gorgeous hand-stamped box inside. If I get a picture I'll put it here. Everyone is so good at the pictures thing.