What We've Been Doing Since We Got Home

So, Steph sez, she sez.... "Why no action on the blog?.... I miss it." Well... Steph gets her wish and I offer typically lengthy explanation. It starts with her, actually.... and her friend Lee.... who graced our table with their splendid, entertaining selves. Another great night of food, wine and conversation. Lee and Steph met at Cornell in NYC. Steph is getting closer to being a doctor and Lee, closer to being a novelist. I mean... c'mon... this is good, digestive brain activity over dinner, which is what dinner is about, after all.

After checking in with Kitty at the U of M for an evening, it was off to Madison to visit Hannah, who I'd not seen in months. It sorta went like this...... girl on sofa...
...girl at coffee shop...
...a bit of bird feeding...
...girl at work...
...sunset drive to the grocery store...
...girl loading fridge...
...girl and mommy swilling while cooking (mandatory action)...and much conversation had late into the night in candle light followed by a movie in bed (first night, Woody Allen -- second night, Big Fish) and basically just happy to be lounging in each other's company. There appears to be a hat theme going on here.

On the lovely ride home, a stop in LaCrosse to gaze at the lock and dam on this lovely, chilly day and this git'er'done tugboat....

Meanwhile, back at home, Brent was busy with the young lads of White Light Riot in the illustrious Pachyderm Studio, producing their soon-to-be-award-winning follow-up recording. Here he is, apparently hipping them to guitar suave in his award winning suit (huh?)... while they take notes on their laptops. What's going on here is a longer story, but if we can figure out how to get movies on this blog, you'll understand. Waaaaait for it. Just for the record, Brent has been working every single day since October 25th. But he is having a really great time with this awesome band and on this project, which sounds like a promising future in rock and roll. He's even getting paid a living wage!

Then, there was some more work for me and some more entertaining, this time with our friends Mark & Susan......Romeo is clearly coveting the dessert pig offerings.

Following that, more work and then, The Old Crow Medicine Show at First Avenue with Kitty after pre-game warm-ups at Nye's Polonaise Room. What a great band! Catch them if they come your way... and their Tshirts rock. During the show, she said, "I wanna come home tonight... I wanna see Brent." And so, part two of our evening began. En route down Hwy 52, just to spice things up further, we called Mike and ordered him to get his ass down to the farm, swinging by the studio for some meet n' greet the band and... some party. I didn't think Mike would show up, but, he surprised us all and after more studio party, we (barely) made it up the driveway. All members in the White Light Riot crew gladly pushed from the rear on all three cars after what had suddenly become a hellacious blizzard descending on the river valley. Mike was in front so he led the way home, which was almost unnavigable, but hey... we're Minnesotans and we know how to do this stuff ...and after actually all making it up our own driveway, settled cozily into part three of our growing-ever-longer and more luxurious evening... ...involving dining room-tabled laptops, guitars, thawing out a red chicken curry and even more party until finally folding comfortably into our respective beds past 4am.

When I woke up next morning, I couldn't believe how horrible I was feeling. I was sure I'd not overdone it, even though we were up late, since that's a natural occurrance 'round heah and we're all atuned to the rhythm of it. After Kitty and Mike left, I took to my bed and remained there for the weekend with only the flu as bad company. It sucked, as flu has a tendency to do but that's its nature. By Sunday, I was barely back on my wobbly feet but anxious to do something. In between naps, I got laundry rotating, kitchen cleaned and floor mopped, bedroom tidied and a Tex-Mex stew bubbling on the stove by 7pm. Mike had returned to Pachyderm to record some saxophone tracks for the WLR lads and when he was done, well... you know... he stopped by for some food and some company. Brent returned home hours later and the conversation deepened into the night. Before Mike left this morning, we did the forest trail with the dogs...... and scarfed down fried egg sandwiches. Somewhere in there, Brent came blearily downstairs for coffee, stumbled back up to the shower and left for work. Mike left shortly thereafter. I turned on the radio, dragged the pile of bills onto the table and let the dogs out again to sit in what remains of the snow from that crazy blizzard. Rocky enjoys how it cools his arthritic hips.

We're back to life as usual in the Cannon River Valley... work when we can get it, late nights as often as we can sustain it, love around the table and food within reach. Steph? I hope this helped quench your S&N blog thirst. It's 5:00 AM and now that Jack has returned home from his Coyote Meeting on the prairie and this post is finished, I think I better give it up and go to bed. Or... maybe I should wait just a little while longer to watch the sunrise. Mmmm.... life is good.

(p.s. just for the record, any of these fotos can be enlarged simply by clicking on them... happy viewing!)