Life remains crazy busy. Everything that was put off while the puppies were here now is condensed into the few fall days left. Friends have helped with electrical and computer issues; dismantle the pup-corral; rearrange the great-room and bring in a special bed. After a few days of rain, the fire Marshall announced that the use of chainsaws, power equipment and even burn piles was allowed. Amazing friends spent a day working the remove massive amounts of last winter's Icemageddon tree damage. Andreas climbed the 50'-100' oak trees with his chainsaw to drop dangling branches, some 10-15" in diameter and several feet long. He was able to remove the branches overhanging our property from about 10 trees in as many hours. Others limbed and bucked up the logs to be transported with the log grapple to a staging area where still others cut them to length, split and stacked them as fire wood. I alternated between limbing with my chain saw; dragging the branches to and manning the enormous burn pile. By day's end we had several cords of split wood under tarps; a huge stack of rounds and logs waiting to be processed into fire wood at the staging area; about 70" of fence-line free of branches and a still burning wood pile which I tended throughout the night and is still burning 8 days later as I type.
Sunday was a day of rest and periodically rearranging the burn pile. Sunday night was a well deserved, very special date for Dave and me. The at times, almost intolerable, levels of stress of the past few months was whisked away in Margaritaville. Jimmy Buffett has played a huge part in our marriage. Jimmy Buffett means fun times and few cares. We saw his other Eugene concert almost 30 years ago and still vividly remember Eugene's newly opened concert hall vibrating with the dancing of hundreds of happy Parrot Heads. There was actually concern for the structural integrity of the concert hall. It was designed with more sedate audience in mind. Wednesday when it was apparent that Dave could indeed tolerate going the event, I bought the last three tickets in the 17,000 seat arena. A friend joined us for dinner out in a restaurant full of like-minded, Hawaiian Shirt clad patrons. She then assisted with getting Dave to the seat and settled and joined me in rocking to the beat.
Who knew being handicapped had advantages? Dave not only had special parking and personal wheelchair transport, we went to the front of the line, were not frisked and got some of the very best seats in the house.
Dancing stress away in MargaritaVille
A very excited Dave and I.
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