Sam, Lucy, and Kasey

Here are a few photos of Samantha taken recently with Lucy and Kasey. This is really to see if I can embed a slideshow into a blog posting.

Remembrance of a good kitty

Our kitty Lucy had to be put down last Friday morning, Nov 9. The last few days were pretty tough for her and it was clear the end was at hand. I could try to relate 20 years of cute anecdotes about Lucy but that might take a while.

Lucy was adopted in June of 1987 at about 6 to 8 weeks of age from the Williamson County Humane Society. Of all our cats she was probably the most sane and predictable. She was definitely a creature of habit.

As I am the first to rise at our house in the mornings, Lucy would be waiting for me each morning as I got out of bed. She would trot ahead of me to the kitchen and wait to be fed. In the evenings as I got to bed and laid down she would pop up on the foot of the bed, and then walk on my legs and would stop at my sternum and lay down. After some ferocious purring for about 5 minutes or so, she would then stand up walk to the foot of the bed and get on my knit afgan and settle in for the night. These pleasantries went on for years - it was a comfortable, warm routine. Lucy would also come to the front door as I walked in from work, often appearing to be greeting me, but then quickly lead back to her food bowl.

She liked being around the family as we did things, often walking on a board game on the floor that we'd be playing. She wasn't too taken with Kasey our border collie tho, often choosing to hiss at her.

One last bit. In the last year or two she was unable to jump up on beds or furniture, and slept in the main room, not my bedroom. I usually have to get up in the middle of the night. It was not uncommon to see Lucy sitting upright in the middle of my bedroom as I got up at 3:30 a.m. She would watch me stagger to the bathroom and then back to bed. I would occasionally stop and give her a brief head and ear scratching. She would lean into my fingers for a moment and then I'd go back to bed wondering what she was up to.

I will miss Lucy, and the quiet consistency she brought.

Laurence Juber Plays Austin

The great Laurence Juber played a very nice show here last Friday night, Nov 2. I looked forward to this concert after acquiring several of his CDs over the years. Juber is an exceptional acoustic guitarist. The sounds he gets out of one guitar are impressive. And he is working hard too - every finger and arm muscle is being used - and yet he made it all look very easy. Sometimes sitting, or standing, finger picking or flat picking. A crisp clean sound, very few squeaks, and nice clear melodies. LJ does whatever is necessary to get the most out of his guitar, whacking the instrument for percussion, often slapping the strings, popping harmonics, bending strings, and little tinkly picking. Nice, enjoyable, professional.

I arrived just as he began the first song. After a birthday dinner for Samantha at Chuy's, I had to fill up the car, get to an ATM for cash, drive to the site, park and get in all in about 30 minutes, and barely made it.

I had made a list of the pieces played but they got thrown away by my wife who thought they were trash. Notables though were Layla (even the piano part at the end), Every Breath You Take, Pink Panther, Wonderful World, the Beatles' Rain and While My Guitar Gently Weeps, If I Only Had A Brain, of the songs he has arranged. Lots of his own compositions.

He played two sets of at least an hour with a 30 minute break to sign cd's and chat with the audience in the lobby. He signed a young boy's guitar and even played it a bit for him.

Juber clearly enjoys what he's doing. At one point he asks the audience if they're having a good time. After enthusiastic applause, he says, "well that's good because I'd be doing this anyway."

HEB Check Out

Standing in line at the HEB check out tonight I notice a woman in front of me purchases 16 items. The man directly in front of then purchases 15 items. This is in the "Ten Items Or Less" line. Harumph. No, same items do not count as one item. My bad karma is now washed away - I watched passively, chatting with a lady that attends our church, and waited to buy my 5. One of the these days tho, I will get up the nerve, and probably still do nothing. Except harumph a lot.