My Cup Runneth Over

Saturday, July 27. 2024

Today was exemplary! Today was the kind of day that you hope everyone has and notices how great it is while it is happening. I sure did.

We woke up at a reasonable time to take care of the pool and the flowers, pack for the trip (yes! a trip!) and get an eggamuffin and oatmeal. Wow. Oh, and to deal with one more thing. While I was filling the cooler, I heard a few random beeps. I crept around, trying to locate the source. The beeps stopped. I finished the cooler and was moving away from the kitchen and I saw that the fireplace was on. Finding your fireplace running in July makes you think your wall is on fire – very startling. Before I could get the remote to turn it off, the little beep sounded and it turned itself off. I stared at it. It beeped and turned on. It beeped and turned off.

Huuuuuh. I went up to tell Keith the good (it turns off) and bad (it turns on) news. He disabled the whole thing and turned the gas off, but it is still creeping me out when I think about it.

The Sheldon brass band was playing at the Vintage Band Festival at 11am and we arrived at 10:05 – early!! I hung out with Jenny (recovered from Covid) and Bruce until they had to get ready to play. I wandered the farmer’s market and craft booths. I chatted with two ladies who showed me how they make their crafts. I’m going to take a class with one in September. Keith was subbing on soprano for this concert and played “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. He bobbled a few notes that really surprised me – apparently the sweat dripping down his face actually rolled into the corner of his mouth and broke the seal on his embouchure (the real downfall of outdoor concerts in the sun on 90-degree days). There were so many people I knew to chat with and catch up with. When we were riding along after the concert, I said to Keith that his music has just enhanced our lives so much and given us so many people in our lives. He said, “Music extends your family,” and we agreed that was a good phrase for it. Even though we weren’t able to stay today, I still felt part of it and it felt so good.

As Keith was finishing packing up, I looked across the parking lot and saw a truck full of instruments. I did not understand what it was. It must be a band’s truck…I guessed…and I was so taken with it I actually walked over to take a picture. It turns out it was a man selling instruments – he said he had everything from piccolos to tubas – and I said with a side road of accordions. He agreed – he had 4 accordions. Keith came over to see what I was looking at and chatted a bit with the man. My friend just asked Keith to shop for a starter horn for her son, so he investigated what the man had. In a matter a minutes, we were on our way with a starter trumpet that Keith was really excited about for half of what my friend was hoping to spend. Bargain!

We are listening to the audiobook Remarkably Bright Creatures and are enjoying it so much. An octopus named Marcellus narrates some of the chapters and he is our favorite.

We stopped in LaCrosse to have lunch at Buzzard Billy’s, a Cajun restaurant. The restaurant is filled with old signs and machines, and it just made me happy to be there. Then I saw the menu. MMMMMMMMmmmmmm. I could hardly make up my mind. We had armadillo eggs for an appetizer. We never order an appetizer, because then I can’t eat my meal, but I figured I wouldn’t be able to finish it anyway, so why not have more delicious things. Armadillo eggs are bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with pepperjack and jalapenos. We got bacon jam (which is one of those things adults call “candy” and kids look at you like you are insane) and ranch on the side. SO GOOD.

I had chicken czarina – shrimp, mushrooms, green onions sauteed in creole style parmesan cream sauce over fried chicken breast with dirty rice and corn maque choux. It was as good as food gets.

Keith had Ca C’est Bon. Andouille, tomato, onion, and garlic sauted in white wine and butter, tossed with fried diced potatoes, topped with blackened catfish and parmesan. He also got corn maque choux and grilled bread. He thought his was as good as food gets.

We happily drove on, wishing that the bread pudding had been available without raisins, but more than satisfied.

We arrived at my sister, Nancy’s, house and she had made me cut out cookies (these are my favoritefavoritefavorite) and blueberry bars. We weren’t here 45 minutes when my brother called and said come over for coconut cream pie. OKAY! I love coconut cream pie. We got to see the fabulously newly remodeled kitchen for the first time since it was finished. If they decided to move, I am selling my house and moving to theirs. It is glorious.

Then brother, David, Nancy, Keith and I played Spots. A game! Everyone liked it. It was fun.

So – a concert with dear friends, amazing deal shopping, a fun ride in the car, fabulous food, three desserts, a sister, a brother and sister-in-law, and a game. Beat that!