Improving connection

Our nonegenarian is doing better, according to her caregivers and my observations; she's rested enough to comment that things get a bit boring, but that people are nice, and she likes the other two little old ladies who are her housemates with whom she can chat. Thursday will be hair do day, which she has always enjoyed.
Very last farmers' market in our shopping district, and probably the final one forever; the disagreement with nearby merchants was never resolved. So, last call for fresh bagels, German butterball potatoes, tomatoes that taste like something, huge ears of yellow sweet corn, last of the harvest and sweet as can be; the dairy fresh "crack" butter, reputed to be so delicious people have eaten it all at one meal, which is probably hyperbolic but accurately describes its flavor. No more oddly-voiced older hippy guitar player who knows all the songs of my youth and college years; his gravelly tonsils did Joni Mitchell justice.
Walked home in full low-angling sun, almost sweating.

Sweet and low

That's how we climbed at the gym, my friend and I, both out of condition for anything hard due to the demands of the everyday; we hope to get stronger pretty soon.
Also how I tried to stay undetected at the clarinet sectionals the other evening, but with only ten people in the room, I know my deficiencies were evident. Well, when you're in over your head, you have to try to stay afloat in the best way you can. Too danged many notes flying along the lines...

Yo yo weather again

Swinging in and out of wet and dry, warmer than usual but occasionally throwing in a coldish night to remind of us of what lies ahead; it's still been pleasant enough for long walks. We had a fine one over the weekend, complete with salted caramel soft ice cream for lunch, an utterly decadent but dairy requirement-covering item. We skirted the strange Oktoberfest thingy going on, including its Miss Buxom Contest, which was won by a portly fellow this year; missed the chainsaw pumpkin carving competition, too. Visited our nonegenarian, who is sleeping better and seems a bit more alert; gotta take this day by day.
Taking a break from the Perec tome, have dived into a more current novel titled The Bastard of Istanbul, by a young woman whose name escapes me. Not exactly heavy weight, but funny and engaging. Beloved son loaned me Miles Davis's autobiography, which contains many creative uses of the word "motherfucker." Got several kinds of bases covered with this material.

Still moony

Very bright partial moon shining clearly at the end of the week; it makes a person want to take a brisk stroll in late evening. Waiting for the beloved spouse to get home from a work-related trip, as the house seems to rattle with just me and the aging cat in it.
Nice walk during the day, the usual hunting and obtaining; got a nice shipment of novels from our book buddy down south, with tempting items in the pile.

Sogs a lot

Doused again for a day or so; spent the afternoon hanging out with my mother at her new digs, chatting and getting to know one of the women who works there. Some of the ladies had gone out the day before, when it was sunny and warmer, on a scenic drive, and were treated to milkshakes afterwards. One of them remembered the outing, and the fact that my mother chose chocolate for her flavor; no surprise. Very old age needs interpreters, like any other foreign country.
Farmers' market in the late afternoon the day before, I forgot to note, one of the last in our neighborhood; lovely tomatoes, breads, dairy items, but the fish guy has never returned. Will have to scout him out at a bigger market held all year in a somewhat distant area.

Harvest moon

Couldn't see the full orange moon as it cleared the horizon due to clouds moving in, but it was brighter than blazes in the night, causing migration to a darker room. Our aging cat was playful for a bit, being a goalie and batting a plastic Easter egg around for a bit; loony.
Swell afternoon activity, over to the climbing gym with a dear friend and her college-aged daughter, our rope gun despite her claims to being out of shape; it's so relative, baby.
Unexpected invitation from a dear friend and neighbor, for a glass of wine and a bit of conversation; their kid was home for dinner, and all seemed well.

Head of rocks

Wacky sleeping around here these days; no one home but me and the old cat. Wake up in the middle of the night feeling like a landslide has covered my skull, and it's hard to resume slumber. A full moon approaches and the barometric pressure varies wildly. Who knows what screws up what's supposed to knit up raveled sleeves of care?
At least the concert band rehearsal is productive. I am gaining control of the various rhythms, passages and keys, except for "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." It's seven pages and almost fifteen minutes of harrowing activity for me as a rusty clarinetist. I can only hope we are not singled out much in practice...

Mixed results

After that late night, got up and went to the indoor gym for a climbing session; tired, didn't do so well, but it was good to at least try. Wee hours are not my forte.
The tux is coming together; should be done soon.
Long walk back from an errand, over Queen Anne Hill, then up the next one to home; wild skies, but all the storms flew eastward.

Continuing pangs

Still many reminders of my mother's life with us around here; her new place doesn't have much room for stuff, and although she arrived here with not much more than a traveling bag and a coat, she acquired a number of artifacts, much of it mail from family, former co-teachers and old neighbors. There is a small drift of it, portions of which she used to read and re-read every day. She's starting a new one up there.
Unusually late night for me, as friends had invited us weeks ago to see a traveling stand-up comedy show called "Arabs Gone Wild." As the comics themselves explained, they were operating on "Arab time", which evidently is slower than regular time, a phenomenon that can be found in various other parts of the planet. So it started late and went late. They were a quartet of Arab-Americans, with humor varying from unfunnily cruel to enjoyably satirical. The crowd was something; evidently the Arab community in Seattle has money, and they wore it from head to toe.
We made our way home in our friends' small VW, a little boat on turbulently streaming streets traveling from downtown over West Queen Anne, to our neighborhood.

Went to the vegetable fair

Friday afternoon we walked up to another one of the neighborhood farmers' markets, ostensibly in search of these amazing dill pickles one of the vendors produces. They were there, and we got not only pickles but also some delightful apple/ginger chutney. Beloved spouse noticed it, tasted it, and approved the purchase. Another guy was hawking his cheeses, several kinds of blue ones as well as what he called a "chevre-like" cheese, only made from sheep's milk instead of goat's. It was creamier and not as tangy as a chevre, and we got it to put in a salad the guy described to us.
Lots of produce stalls, and a handful of food offerings, such as Ethiopian and vegetarian; the pizza over people aren't there lately, having acquired their own permanent pizza place last year. They used to haul around a big clay oven to bake the pizza in, not sure if they do that for any of the markets anymore. This particular market will probably survive, unlike our own in Wallingford, which pretty much got squeezed to death by local merchants being pissy about parking spaces for one afternoon a week in the summer. Bad PR, and it makes one want to find out who griped, in order to boycott them.

Rabbit hole

Gloomy and doomy; pall inside and out, but some walking helped a bit. Trundling along with Georges Perec's Life: A User's Manual, suggested by a bookpal; it's a peculiar tome, structured to follow the denizens of a Parisian apartment building and their histories. It was published in the early 1970's, but exudes a kind of musty older datedness. Parts are maddening, parts are fascinating. The overarching metaphor of a jigsaw puzzle holds sway.

Sort of surely

Managed to do better at band rehearsal, although still felt swaths of being swamped; at least I brought delicious snacks for the break time. It's hard for me to eat much at our break, as it can get in the way of one's playing, but most people don't seem to have any problems with it. Maybe it's because my stomach's a bit knotted with anxiety, which I do hope will ease off.
When I went up to see my mom earlier in the day, they had finished breakfast and were getting into the morning's exercise routine. This is a relative concept, as the exercisers' abilities vary widely, but all did what they could manage.
The afternoon broke out in sunshine, which warmed me as I headed by the lake to get a workout.

Slowly

First climbing session after a couple of weeks' absence; very good time with a dear friend who's having her own various life crises. We just focused on the problems, tried to put all else out of our minds. It would be wonderful to go off somewhere not far away, just to get out in the air and onto real rock for a diversion.
Meanwhile, beloved spouse and I continue to pick our way through the thicket of music facing us on our stands for next month's concert. He'll be fine, the trumpet section is stellar; I am floundering in the deep end, trying to hide my inadequacies from the Olympian first clarinets.

Back from the brink

No way to describe the past several days; only since we found a good place for our nonegenarian to move into has there been even a possibility of at least part of a good night's sleep. Four or five consecutive hours seems miraculous right now.
Onward we go, in the march of mortality.

Down from up

Fleeting false hope for a rally; last night was the worst yet. Onward with the new plan. Life needs to reboot.

What next

Big decisions need to be made pretty soon. We're slender reeds at this point. How bizarre to see a beautiful day drift away while in distress.

Twilight zoning

Gritty issues with our nonegenarian; losing sleep, feeling ragged. It's far worse than having a baby or young child, let's put it that way; things are deteriorating, not going forward.
At least I had some coverage this afternoon, one of the most delightful of summer days, in which to walk on, despite exhaustion which makes you trippy.

Whip sawing

Welcome rain yesterday, but gloomy and bizarre; it's to brighten up again later in the week. Full day of mama care, hair maintenance, a climbing session, then on to the first concert band rehearsal, which was pretty much the highlight of it all. Came home jazzed up and despite my fumbling playing, eager to get on with the show.