Bumber Crops

The Prairie Dogs have been playing a lot lately. More than I’m used to at any rate. Played last Thursday night up in Seattle at the Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater, a bar that is run by my sister-in-law’s sister and husband. We had played the Friday before that at Kings Coffee here in town and this Friday we’ll be playing at Shakabrah Java up on 6th avenue filling in for a last minute cancellation they had.

Our oldest boy starts school tomorrow. There’s a full time Montessori preschool program here in town that looks really great so we signed him up. He turns five in November so he’s too young for kindergarten, but really too old to just do daycare two times a week. We’ve been crossing off the days on the calendar and he’s raring to go. Sweetie, Ike and myself are taking him tomorrow morning where they have something called “Coffee and Kleenex”. I imagine it’ll be hard to see him go.

Speaking of Ike, he got his cast off Friday and he’s none to pleased about the whole thing let me tell you. Yes it’s true he didn’t like the cast and irritated his skin but this whole thing about being able to move his stiff and sore leg has really pissed him off. To make matters worse his regular doctor wasn’t there and after an hour wait the doctor who was there said he “felt uncomfortable” taking the cast off with out our doctor giving him the ok. That would have meant not getting the cast off until today, a prognosis that I was less than eager to accept. I stood there. I looked displeased. I didn’t say much. I didn’t let him leave. He changed his mind. By Sunday Ike was sitting in his chair without discomfort and only really let you have it when his diaper needed to be changed.

Sunday there was a wedding to attend. Sweetie and I got a babysitter for the day and at ten in the morning, set out for Concrete Washington which lies north-east of Sedro-Wooly, of Arlington, Everett and the Skagit Valley. From Tacoma it takes about three hours to get there. It was one of the few overcast days we’ve had this summer, at times raining but mostly just heavy clouds that looked menacing. The wedding took place on the lawn looking over the valley, though for some reason the ceremony was turned around and we found ourselves looking into the trees. Perhaps the minister needed something to look at to inspire her. It was, like most weddings of people we know, a very nice, short and easy to stomach service. The bride looked beautiful, the groom handsome, people wept in the appropriate places and a good time was had by all.

Yesterday I picked the ripe tomatoes off of the vines and thought about how the days are getting shorter. The sunflower forest I grew this year has grown up higher than our fence, than our garage and the lilac bush that sits in the back corner of the yard. Cecil who turns 93 this year and is not doing that well, can see them from his living room window as can Heather and Earl who live across the way on the other side of our garage.

This year I’m making chutney out of the tomatoes we don’t eat. It looks like we’re gonna have a bumper crop so be sure to stop by and get some if you get the chance.

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