Bluegrass weekend

I won't be home much this weekend. I'm rehearsing this morning with Dudley's Rush, and then I go straight to work.

Tomorrow we're playing in church in the morning, and then we have a gig in the afternoon. The local Barbershop quartet group is doing their annual concert with other Barbershop quartets; I haven't been to one before, but I'm guessing that all the groups in driving distance come and do a set. They decided this year they wanted a Bluegrass set so they invited Dudley's Rush. It's kind of cool to be asked specifically.

My only dilemma is that the uniform for tomorrow is jeans and black shirts. (That was the first time I've had a pastor tell me to wear jeans to church!) Sounds easy enough, right? It would be, except that I have two pairs of jeans. One is a light wash, and the other is a dark wash with a bleach stain from work on the left thigh. As of last night, I had two more pounds before I can go shopping. So I get to go through the closet, and either make something magical happen, or go shopping early, which will have to be late this afternoon or this evening. I'm all for shopping, but I'm also all for spending some time at home with the family!

Decisions, decisions...

I'm not the only one who had this idea

A while back I posted my opinion about building a wall on our southern border. I said it should be built with private money and the Federal government should not be involved.

I'm not the only one who had the idea.

Folks, this is the topic du jour. I don't think any of us are naive enough to think that a fence, large or small, expensive or chain link, is going to stop illegal immigration completely. It's a thriving business on the other side of the border. They're going to find a way to get in. A fence would make it harder. We might actually catch people.

I'm not against immigration. I'm all for the sharing the opportunities available here. In spite of the drama in Washington I believe our country is still great. Immigration reform has to be more than 'how do we stop illegals' which, really, is as much a security issue as an immigration issue.

People who cross the border illegally aren't doing themselves or their people many favors. Sure, they can make more money here and it home. But the marches and protests? They're giving all Hispanic people more trouble than it's worth. I caught myself on day looking at a young Hispanic woman and wondering if she was here legally. For all I know she's fourth generation here in this little town! (I repented of that thought immediately!)

I know I've said this before, but I've seen the flip side of this issue. I was in Italy legally, and I saw lots of people from neighboring countries who were there illegally. They were easy to spot around train and bus stations. Women and small children, dressed in brightly colored clothing, always with a baby in a sling (or a doll if the infant had grown up), panhandling in groups on the streets of Verona. Men would wash your windshield at traffic lights and demand payment. They were beautiful, strong people, and everyone looked at them like they were trash. African men hung out with junk souveniers at the base of the Eiffel tour and accosted tourists, scattering when police cars drove by. I had them follow me around, trying to sell me things. At first I gave them a polite, 'Non, merci.' They left me alone only after I all but shouted at them in English. You don't see that on TV, do you? It's sad.

I don't have answers. No one would listen if I did. I know who does have the answers, though; I talk to Him every day. I know He'll fix it, but is anyone in Washington talking to Him?

Doubtful.

Memory Lane

This is from Jean, who got it from Tambo.

20 years ago:

April, 1986, I was here in Illinois, in Rantoul for technical training. I'd been in the Air Force a grand total of three months. I've blocked out most of that experience now; I don't like the person I was then. I had a lot of growing up to do and no idea that it needed doing!

10 years ago:

April, 1996, we were in Goldsboro, North Carolina. I was working for a stock broker part time, putting together seminars at that point. I think I was also still the director for the A-Day-Away program at our church. Later I quit the job at the church to accept a full time job with the broker. That was the job that taught me I really shouldn't be working full time before the kids are grown and gone. Our lives are much more stressful when both Eric and I are 9-5'ing.

5 years ago:

April, 2001, we were in Del Rio, Texas. Thank goodness we found a good church early on, or I don't know what I would have done. I had culture shock like I'd never had to that point, and I hadn't left the U.S.

1 year ago:

We were packing up non-essentials in preparation for the move we made in June.

1 month ago:

I was gearing up to go to Rendezvous, not knowing that I was staring Oz in the face.

Yesterday:

I worked the quietest bridal shower ever. Showers can get a little rowdy sometimes, but this was a group of about 15, and after the games were done we hardly heard a peep out of them. Tips were great!

Today:

I baked bread because I felt like it.

Tomorrow:

I get to go to the dentist and clean the house.

In the next minute I am tagging:

Anybody who feels like exploring this walk down memory lane.

Oof!

That's the sound of a ten pound cat jumping into my lap when I'm reading blogs and trying to wake up. It's a common occurrence here, but this morning was different.

Unbeknownst to me, there was a piece of Wheat Thin on the desk. It was about a quarter of a cracker behind my coffee cup.

Ryan came up for scritchies, but when he saw the cracker he trampled me to get to it. At first I couldn't see what it was; I thought he wanted to play with a Borders Rewards keychain card.

Nope, he chased that Wheat Thin corner across the desk, got it in his mouth, and took it under the piano bench. I swear, he licked it twice and it was gone! Seriously, I even got up and looked for it!

Since when to kitties like Wheat Thins?