Oh, What A Night, Late August, back in 2015

I slept like shit last night.

Couldn't fall asleep, tossed, turned, dozed, woke up, tossed, turned, had weird dreams, got up to go to the bathroom, laid in bed rubbing my eyes until they were all irritated, tossed, turned, went downstairs and got eyedrops from my purse, talked to Owen, went back to bed, read a little bit, tossed, turned, and finally began to fall asleep.

Yet again, my sleep meter was COMPLETELY accurate in rating the house concert. The better the house concert, the worse I sleep. I slept horribly....so now you know what a fantastic evening it was.

THANK you Jon Langford, Rebecca Rego, and the delightful Abstract Man (Gary Inight and Julian Hayman). This morning as I tried to pull myself awake the phrase 'oh, what a night' kept going through my head nonstop. So of course I now have Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons going through my head. Eh, these things happen. Can't complain.

 
I had a truly crappy week in the not-really-important-non-threatening-non-life-altering kind of way....just lots of small frustrations and irritations. In fact 3:30 pm yesterday found me sniffling in the kitchen as I chopped vegetables. I had gotten home late from work and was trying to get things done while thinking about work emails I needed to send and then first one boy came home from school and pissed me off and then the other came home, sighed deeply, made me lift his backpack to see how heavy it was, and then complained up and down about the unfairness of having to be in AP classes. "Sorry you're so smart asshole" I screamed in my mind. I didn't actually say that out loud though...I did say "sorry you're so smart" rather sarcastically but I didn't call him an asshole. He left, I sniffled and thought what the fuck is up with this week.

I got a glass of wine and Ernie and I went to sit outside and try to relax and cool off before things started. And then....Rebecca pulled up in the alley, then Jon, with Gary and Julian, and my night, and my week, got better and better and better and BETTER. And so on.

SO MUCH BETTER.

By the end of the night the sides of my head were hurting in that way that happens when I have been laughing and smiling endlessly.

Sometimes I have no words to explain the joy of meeting delightful people, bringing them into your house....and then they play amazing music. I just have no words for it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the folks that came...Ernie and I LOVED having some new faces in the crowd. Please come back!! And I hate myself for not remembering the name of the woman who turned around at the end of the show and said, "Do you ever take donations for the house....since the rest of the money goes to the band? You know, for the power bill and the food and everything else?" I had had a couple of glasses wine so instead of politely saying no, no, no, I said, "Well, I wouldn't turn it down." She handed me some money and I stuck it in my cleavage where all house concert money goes and didn't look at it until later----you were FAR too generous! Thank you with all my heart....and please come back....we'll be worth the trip!!

Of course my beloved Richard took pictures...he'll have more up soon I'm sure but I really like this one.

One from us...not perfect but also captures the moment of that last song.

Thanks with all our heart to Jon, Rebecca, Gary, and Julian. Please come back all of you (and yes, yes, yes, I know it's a bit of a trip from Wales).

Much love to all that made it such a great night.