The Seven Year Old List

In 2007 I made a list of things to get done around the house--our current house. In its entirety, the list had six items on it, as follows:

1. fix stucco
2. fix brick in front
3. paint foyer
4. clean carpets and rugs
5. remove mildew and paint basement
6. clean attic

Six years later, I have crossed off one item, number four. We have paid someone else to clean the carpets and rugs (a few times). Either this is a list of herculean proportions that no one in their right mind could finish in six years or I am the laziest home owner in Red Wing.

I've met people that accomplish this much stuff in a weekend and still do laundry and cook their own food. You might be tempted to think that I've accomplished other things that have put me off the above list--perhaps another more global list:

1. achieve inner peace
2. achieve world peace

But, clearly, I haven't done that either.

So what have I been doing these past six years? Well, in my defense, I think a person shouldn't hurry up their laundry and their cooking all in one weekend--life is too short, spread it out over two weekends, heck, take a month. Then there's the kitchen clean up, the reading of the paper, putting gas in the car and work. All in all, the time has flown. Oh yeah, and throw in a heck of a lot of good times with family and friends, so many good books and music and a bit of dancing and traveling.

The house is still standing and who knows, we'll probably knock another thing off the list in the next six years

the best Fourth of July

In Central Park, Red Wing MN, on the Fourth of July the new band shell was dedicated and used for the first time. The cast from the local production of "Fiddler on the Roof " sang several songs; Rosanne Cash performed with her husband, Jon Leventhal; A Roomful of Blues, from Providence Rhode Island got everyone on their feet and then the Sheldon Brass Band finished the night's musical entertainment with some fantastic music that included ringing church bells and canons firing.

The music was great but even better was being in the park with everyone else, enjoying the day with other people. We saw a lot of friends and acquaintances, people came and went throughout the day, people brought picnic food or bought food from the vendors, and visited. The off and on drizzle of rain did little to scare people away.

Easy conversation, lots of smiles, relaxation, great music and beautiful surroundings. I don't believe I've ever had a better Fourth of July.

One of these days

Over and over, I am amazed with the abundance of fine people in my life. This week has been full of reminders that these connections with people are what save this crabby middle aged "antisocial misanthrope" (see last post) from an empty, sad and misspent life. It would be wonderful to be eloquent enough to tell people what their presence in my life has meant--but it seems that the words often fail or sound cliche.

I'm not a hugger, I'm not good at remembering birthdays or other special days, I'm not good at thoughtful gestures or gifts but:

"One of these days,
I'm gonna sit down
and write a long letter
To all the good friends I've known
And I'm gonna try
and thank them
for all the good times together
One of these days"
Neil Young

Soup Suppers and Songs

I had a GREAT IDEA last year and I told my friend, Kim, about it. Kim, knowing that I am the queen of procrastinators, took it upon herself to put the GREAT IDEA into action right away. She invited about four families over and had each of them make a pot of soup and bring it and Ta Da!! the SOUP SUPPERS (MY GREAT IDEA)were started. Now we, a loose gathering of 4-6 families, get together a couple of times a month, for soup. We talk and laugh, occasionally play a game or sing, but mostly just enjoy being together. Its great fun and cheap. {If you want to be invited, let me know--it's not an exclusive group}

As we were sitting around talking at our last soup supper, Sandy mentioned that she had been watching MTV (not because she's shallow and has no purpose in her life) and found out that Prince's song "Little Red Corvette" does not refer to a car. (I'm not going to explain it-but call me and I'll give you Sandy's number). Other song titles were brought up that were euphemistic, or as I like to say, downright misleading, including the Beatle's "Norwegian Wood", the Doors, "Light My Fire"--and others that I can't remember now. I have to believe some of Elton John's titles would be on the list as well as Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4".

I felt very naive but reassured that at least the country music people know how to title their songs; "Liked you better before I knew you so well" or "Her teeth was stained but her heart was pure" or "If I had shot you when I wanted to I'd be out by now".
It could be that my sense of humor is only getting more juvenile as I get older.

art studio ramble

Last weekend my friend, Gina, and I went on a tour of art studios in western Wisconsin. I think we saw about 10 or 12 studios and drove about 100 miles. My vocabulary for talking about art is so limited--I don't know how to tell you about the great stuff we saw. Pottery, painting, sculpture, jewelry, glass work, photography, woodworking, iron smithing-and variations in each category. It was phenomenal. It was cool, beautiful, inspiring, calming, exciting and on and on.

My appreciation of art is uninformed and unsophisticated. I don't know what makes art good or bad and have only a minuscule bit of knowledge about technique or style-- enough to recognize the difference between a Picasso and Monet, and that's about it. But, as we cretins like to say, I know what I like and you can bet your crayolas I saw a lot that I liked on Saturday. It would have been fun, (in a "look at me, I just won the lottery" way), to be able to buy something from each artist just to show them how much I appreciate what they do.

The artwork was great, the weather was perfect, the scenery wonderful and as an added bonus, I got to spend the day with Gina, who, it could be said, is a piece of art herself.