Mid-April report

I've been absent the blogsphere for a couple of weeks now. This is my attempt to remedy that situation and reconnect.

The past week end all my kids were together for the first time since before my grandson was born. The weather was bad, it even sleeted! So we had to stay inside most of the time, but it was okay. We did particularly well, I'd say....6 grownups, a rowdy almost-five-year-old, three cats and a dog in my tiny apartment.

Saturday, Sons #1 and #2 built a book case for me. It's solid oak, 4' wide x 6' tall, with 6 shelves. It still needs to be stained, but they did an awesome job on the construction.

In the evening we all went to the IMAX theater to see the 3-D sharks movie.

On Sunday we all went bowling. Later Son #1 and family left for Near Walmartland and the rest of us went over to Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon for Chicken Shit Bingo. (more about Ginny's and CSB).

They've all gone home now and I'm recuperating. I love them, and happy when they come, and miss them when they go. But they also wear me out.

The week end before that, I finally got to see Little Richard after all these years. Like Patti Smith, "I was drawn to the voice of Little Richard wailing “Tutti Frutti” back in the 50s and so powerful was the connection that I (figuratively) let go of my mother’s hand.

I was supposed to go see Little Richard back in 1970. The day of the show I got call from my mother-in-law. She told me that my brother-in-law, her oldest son, was presumed dead after his fishing boat had been found empty in the Gulf. I was the closest thing she had to a daughter, so she wanted me to come be with her.

I'd always regretted missing that show, and was extremely pissed 14 years later when the brother-in-law showed up again, alive. He'd staged his death to collect insurance money; and let his own mother believe he was dead all that time. And for THAT I missed Little Richard.

It would have been so much better to have seen him back then, too. The other night his voice went out pretty early on. He was in pain, sciatica he said. It had the effect of making him rather petulant. It was sad, he was almost a caricature of himself. I'm glad got to see him, though. The show was free, a part of the UT 40 Acres Fest.

Lots of dog-walking going on lately, and it's been so beautiful out. The Bluebonnet picture at the top of the page was taken by my daughter at the dog park. That, work, and reading are taking up most of my time these days. More activities planned for this week end, though. It's that time of the year.

The False Prophet sent me this book for my birthday. Wobblies! A Graphic History of the International Workers of the World.

Yes, it's my birthday tomorrow. Why don't some of you lurkers drop in to say hello, hmmmm?