Catching Up

I bet you thought I'd fallen right off the edge of the world, didn't you? I haven't, but I've just been soooo busy lately, I haven't even had time to think about blogging. Heck, I almost forgot how to sign in! We've been busy at work, busy at home, and busy with Band Reviews and there's so much to tell you about.

We have done a few fun things. We went on the annual AAUW Home Tour. It's always fun to see people's home and how they decorate. And frankly, I'm tired of the same old, same old Mediterranean/Italian look that is so prevalent in California; tan stucco, tile roof, wrought iron, arched doors, museum kitchen, over-scale furniture, that whole staged look. Three of the four homes were just like that. Ah, but the last house, built in the 1920s, was my favorite. It had original divided light windows and french doors, beautiful built-in cabinets and mouldings, and wonderful flowery drapes and wallpapers. Classic style and so comfortable looking. I could have moved right in and been happy.

I helped at an out-of-town band review three weeks ago. We rumbled to a nearby town on the old yellow buses, french braided hair inside the bus because of the rain, walked the parade route carrying backup equipment, helped put it all away, watched the awards ceremony in the rain, then rumbled home again. And we did it all again this past Saturday, but it was Championships so that means it was the last one! There were some tears as the seniors realized they'd never march together again. But hey, guess what starts in January? Winter Guard. At least the percussion and guard will perform together in the second half of the school year.

And now about our Band Review. About three weeks before it, the Lord of the Manor and I went to a meeting to get up to speed regarding the signs, which we always make and install. It was quickly obvious that they desperately needed help with the food committees. As in they had no chairman. So guess who volunteered? Needless to say we were immersed in that project for days; planning, shopping, transporting, setting up, prepping, cooking, cleaning up, and putting it all away again. And we still did all the signs too. We left our house at 4:45am on the day of the Band Review and put up the signs first. Then we started our kitchen duties; the Lord of the Manor ran the industrial BBQ and I supervised the kitchen. That lasted for hours, then after everyone left at 10pm, we cleaned up and didn't get home until after 11:00pm. Then the next morning we went back and took down signs. I am SO glad Teen1 is a senior.

Then there was an anniversary celebration for the in-laws two weeks ago, the Lord of the Manor's birthday last week, more work on the studio/cottage, and all the usual yardwork, housework, laundry and groceries. And my poor old Dad had a burglary last week and they took all his cameras, a gun, some cash and credit cards, and *here's the worst* all my Mom's jewelry. I've been trying to help him figure out what she had and offering moral support, but we'll never replace it and he seems so depressed.

So the bottom line is that Thanksgiving is only three days away, we've invited twenty people, and this is the sum total of my preparedness:

One tiny little pumpkin plopped on the buffet. How pathetic. Looks like I'd better get busy, doesn't it? Actually, everyone brings something and we only do the turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy. So I should easily find some time to decorate a bit and set the tables. And Thursday when we all gather together we will have lots to be thankful for; snug homes, jobs, plenty of food, and each other.