This was a busy week. One of those weeks where you start with a list of items to get done and end the week with a longer list. We’re getting ready for Barb’s party next week. This has been a week of cleaning. That and getting the oil changed on my car, and taking care of the cat, and both of us working 8+ hours a day. It’ll be good to see everyone. This is the first time a lot of us have gotten together in a long time. I’ve taken a week off from work to be able to see everyone. (I haven’t, Marsha.) The party itself is Tuesday at Costin Hall in Lantzville. We have it from 3:00 till midnight, but the party will really get going about 5:00. There will be live music by Mike and whoever else wants to, or is drunk enough to, get up and perform. I think we’ve invited everyone in town. Next week I’ll let you know how it went. 

As I said, we’ve been cleaning, picking up supplies, plus our usual work schedule. On top of that Momiji is having a rough time. She started grooming herself obsessively and wore a bad bald spot on her back. She’s on Prednisone for itching and, as that’s not been completely effective, she’s also been wearing a “cone of shame” on her head. She’s so happy when we take it off. Unfortunately we usually take it off only to give her a pill. She’s gotten very good at not taking her pill. Last night it took six tries to get it down. We’d hold her, open the mouth, put it in, close the mouth, and we find the pill on our hand, or on the couch, or on the floor. We know it went in but somehow it wouldn’t even be damp from her spit. How she does it we don’t know, but we persevere because it’s working. Momiji is not trying to groom herself as much. She’s gaining weight again too.

Friday we went to the Smoke and Water to see our friend Heather (who was in the play Ethan Claymore last Christmas) perform with her band, Eastbound Train. They’re pretty good. They do a mix of old songs but they’re not just a cover band. They do their own arrangements of the songs, several of which I liked better than the originals. Their selection is very eclectic with songs from John Denver, to Kansas, to John Cash, to ABBA, to Nancy Sinatra, and everything in between. It was a lot of fun. I hope to see them again, hopefully in a venue with better acoustics. The Smoke and Water is many things, but a great concert hall it’s not. 

During the meal though, I suddenly realized something. Something was so shocking that it stopped me cold. Marsha noticed and gave me a questioning look. I grinned, and said, “Happy Anniversary?” No, that didn’t cut it. Saturday was our anniversary. We got married twenty-eight years ago thank you very much. This December will be thirty years since we met. Man, we’re getting old. Anyway, on Saturday we were walking hand in hand through the mall and passed the fountain. I stopped and dug out a coin and tossed it in. Marsha asked me what my wish was. 

“To not have to carry so much damned change.”

I’m known for my romantic side. It just seldom comes out where anyone can see it. I’ve said before that it’s amazing that we’ve stayed together this long. Saturday night we split a bottle of champaign and talked about the things we’ve done over the last twenty-eight years. Iwo Jima, The Great Wall, the terrorist attack in Mombasa, road trips, moving to Canada, Rio, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, Brussels, storms, droughts, floods, tragic losses, and ecstatic additions. It’s been a wild ride and we agreed to give it a go for another twenty-eight years. 

Doug & Marsha

PIX:Our cherries are almost ready. (The netting is to keep the birds away.)