A busy day yesterday, which I didn't enjoy as much as I would have a few years ago. As I get older, I seem to appreciate the quiet days more.

Beans planted beyond the baby broccoli in the early morning light

The morning was typical: computer time, breakfast, walk, bath, getting dressed. I wore my suit with a white blouse, since I had an interview at 1:00 at the Land Trust. I figured I didn't really need to impress them, but thought I should show that I can dress up if need be, and I wanted to respect the process. I worked some on the newsletter layout, which is interesting work--tedious but challenging. I was able to  fix a few things, but was stumped for awhile by a picture. Nathan was working on it, but he needed to finish up some things, because he is leaving for Haiti this morning, to participate in a volunteer building project. I was very impressed and a little jealous, but afraid it may be depressing there. I feel oddly exhilarated that he will be away. I moved his monitor after he left, so I can sit at his desk all week, answer the phone and greet people who walk in. His desk has a place where the computer and keyboard are the right height, so it will be better for my back, I think.

Tomatoes set out to the left of the old beets and one boy choy

About quarter of one, I realized I hadn't eaten my lunch. Nancy was eating too and we had a pleasant few minutes together. Then Heather arrived, we put our dishes in the dishwasher, and moved to the back room for the interview. I think it went well; at the end, Nancy said "you certainly know more about working with volunteers than I do." Of course, running IHN involved hundreds of volunteers, trained to do work that required some high-level skills. The program they want to set up at ALT is for yard maintenance. The hardest part will be finding and recruiting the volunteers. (I never want to help other people with yard work; I can't get to my own.) They said they need to interview two or three other people and then meet in executive committee. When they asked me why I wanted to do this job, I said that I was committed to the Land Trust and was going to work there until they were able to pay me. Nancy said thank you.

I worked some more on the newsletter and asked Nathan if there was anything I should know to do while he was gone. He explained to me what happens when someone calls who wants to buy one of ALT's houses. There is a phone intake form; the biggest question is about their income. They have to make less than 80% of the median (which is about 52,000 for a family of four). Someone had called and I returned her call after he left. C is living with her in-laws near a house that ALT has renovated, with her 2 year-old daughter. I did not ask about the father/husband, not at this point. She says her credit record is bad and she may be interested in a lease/purchase. I answered a few of her questions and made sure her income qualified ($22,000 as a CNA--certified nursing assistant in a nursing home). Then I sent her an application and information.

Nancy and Laura and Heather all went to visit a property. I locked up and went to get Ray. We went home briefly. On the chicken front, Sylvia seems to be spending all day in the nesting box. Either there is something wrong or she is what they call "broody." She wants to hatch an egg. Since there is no rooster, the eggs are not fertile and will never hatch. I have to read up about what to do about it.

We had a big night planned--dinner at Five and Ten with my parents and then a concert at Hodgson Hall. The dinner was very good, but, as my Dad pointed out, not as good as Bistro Niko and at least as expensive. Of course, we do keep ordering things like drinks and appetizers and dessert. First, we had four dates stuffed with celery and Parmesan cheese, but not overwhelmed, served in a long narrow divided dish. And a whiskey sour made with bourbon for me. Martinis for my parents. It makes the Captain especially happy when they have onions as well as olives at the bar, so he can have his the way he likes it. I had a spinach salad that was excellent, with blue cheese and pear. Ray had a different salad that he loved. My Mom had crab claws, which she really enjoyed and took her into the entree time to eat. The Captain had steak tartare, which he doesn't get to order often, with a raw egg. Then he had lamb, she had Caesar salad, I had flounder, nnd Ray had chicken. Followed by 3 desserts and coffee for two. It was almost $300, over 300 if you include the tip. And the service was very good. The place was jumping.

We paid up and left and drove to the concert and found a place to park and walked in and sat down, with about 5 minutes to spare. There were people we knew all over the Hall. Mike and Todd behind us; Morgan and her husband right beside me. Katherine K. with a helper and her parents. Rosemary, Herb & Myrna, and lots more.  Our seats were in row B. Only where we were, there was no Row A, so we sat in the front row, way over on the left side. http://www.uga.edu/pac/strings.html

 

Bela, Edgar and Zakir from our seats

The performers included Bela Fleck, a very attractive and pleasant man who played banjo, wearing jeans and sneakers, with his plaid shirt tucked out. I really wanted to meet him and get to know him better. There was a bass player named Edgar Meyer. He was taller. He wore dress slacks, with his shirt tucked in, and a little bow tie. He leaned over that bass like it was an extension of himself, dangling his arm down to caress the strings and change the notes with his meaty but delicate fingers. He went from long fluid notes to very fast ones, constantly changing. He brought the bass out front for a solo at one point and the music was so beautiful. Of course, I remembered Molli playing cello and the many high school orchestra concerts I had been to. The third person was Zakir Hussain, apparently massively popular in India. He sat (cross-legged, I think) on a platform surrounded by silvery drums, with ropes. Several times, he took out a little silver hammer and tapped to adjust them and trade them around. Bela and Edgar even played a snatch of Maxwell's silver hammer... His hands were amazing; the fingers moved so quickly, you couldn't really see them sometimes. He had very expressive eyes and was facing us, so we saw the faces he made to his fellow performers as they passed tunes back and forth.

As far as the music, it is hard to identify. I guess you could say it was very modern jazz. It felt like improv and was mostly fast with dissonances. The drums are amazing, and actually had some tune as well as percussion. I admit to dozing off a little, my usual method of enjoying music late at night. Sit down, relax, fall asleep. I hope no one was offended.

We chatted with people on our way out (no hurry, since everyone had to get in the cars and leave at once) and were home by about 11:30. Ray worked some, but I went to bed. It looks like a beautiful sunny but cool morning.