Moving Maybe and a Plan for Next Spring

Dear Hearts and Gentle People,
Just when I think life is settling down it throws me another curve. Our friend and former neighbor Reva and I were talking last year, and I was pissing and moaning about how tough it was to find a place on Vashon that we could afford, and she said, "Why don't you buy my house?" We talked some more -- she was on the waiting list for low-cost housing; we were not ready to sell and move yet. Yesterday she called to say that she got into the low-cost housing, and were we still interested?
Well, yes, we are. We just have to figure out how to swing it, and we weren't expecting to make this big a decision this week. Of course I don't know if we'd ever be truly ready to make such a decision. It might work and we're talking to people who know how to swing such deals and have given ourselves a deadline of Monday to let Reva know one way or the other. So that's our weekend.
Other than that, the war is still going on. But you knew that.
It is Indian Summer (I think). It's September and it's sunny and warm, anyway.
Our older son is coming out this afternoon to spend tonight and tomorrow with his daughter, and our younger son is headed for the Gorge over in Grant County with five other metalheads to see a band called Velvet Revolver. Velvet Revolver consists of guys who formerly were in Stone Temple Pilots and Guns'n'Roses. The bass player, Duff McKagan, was the bass player for Guns'n'Roses, and Slash, who was the lead guitarist for GnR is the lead guitar for Velvet Revolver. These are pretty legendary metal guys. Even I know that.
Why am I telling you all this? Because a couple of years ago when I took Drew shopping for an amp, we went to Emerald City Guitar in downtown Seattle. Drew ended up buying a Fender Twin Reverb. That's what his fogey mother advised, but he didn't listen to me because he wanted a monster Crate stack, but the guy at Emerald City talked him into the Twin. I smiled and said nothing. Later Drew got the Crate stack, and it currently resides under our stairs. Well -- anyway -- this Twin Reverb amp had written on one side in white paint, "Property of Slash." The guy at the music store told us that the bass player for Guns'n'Roses lived in Seattle and when they finally broke up, he disposed of their equipment, including this Twin Reverb, which the store had reconditioned.
The amp had obviously had a lot of hard travelin' and usage -- the black cloth covering it was worn off in spots, and many of the black control knobs had been replaced by scavenged brown knobs. We weren't sure whether to believe the Slash story, but yesterday when I read a feature article in the Seattle Times about Duff McKagan, the bass player for Guns'n'Roses and now Velvet Revolver, who does live in Seattle, and was the organizer/go-to guy for both groups, I began to think, wow, the story was probably true and we probably do have a little bit of rock history sitting in our living room, and our Drew is playing guitar with Slash's old amp.
Why am I telling you all this? Because a couple of years ago when I took Drew shopping for an amp, we went to Emerald City Guitar in downtown Seattle. Drew ended up buying a Fender Twin Reverb. That's what his fogey mother advised, but he didn't listen to me because he wanted a monster Crate stack, but the guy at Emerald City talked him into the Twin. I smiled and said nothing. Later Drew got the Crate stack, and it currently resides under our stairs. Well -- anyway -- this Twin Reverb amp had written on one side in white paint, "Property of Slash." The guy at the music store told us that the bass player for Guns'n'Roses lived in Seattle and when they finally broke up, he disposed of their equipment, including this Twin Reverb, which the store had reconditioned.
The amp had obviously had a lot of hard travelin' and usage -- the black cloth covering it was worn off in spots, and many of the black control knobs had been replaced by scavenged brown knobs. We weren't sure whether to believe the Slash story, but yesterday when I read a feature article in the Seattle Times about Duff McKagan, the bass player for Guns'n'Roses and now Velvet Revolver, who does live in Seattle, and was the organizer/go-to guy for both groups, I began to think, wow, the story was probably true and we probably do have a little bit of rock history sitting in our living room, and our Drew is playing guitar with Slash's old amp.
It makes me feel like there aren't really six billion people in the world, because if there were these things wouldn't happen so often.
So that’s it. Autumn is here. Oh, we’ll have some more good weather – I trust we will, based on past experience – but summer has definitely kicked its flip flops into the back of the closet and headed for the Southern Hemisphere.
There is more happening, but this letter plus essay is already long enough.
Happy Autumn, all --
blessings, love, peace & grace & hugs
Mary

The Plan

Last week I opened the front door, and there on the porch was one large maple leaf, one of those platter-sized babies, the first of thousands to come. This morning I opened the door, and a half dozen brown tinged maple leaves were there. I walked out to water the plants in the yard, and everywhere I went I ran into spider webs.
So that’s it. Autumn is here. Oh, we’ll have some more good weather – I trust we will, based on past experience – but summer has definitely kicked its flip flops into the back of the closet and headed for the Southern Hemisphere.
School has started, and we’re all geared up for the bustle of fall, the stresses of winter, and the relief of spring. This is my 60th circuit around the seasons.
Yup, I will turn 60 next May. A couple of my dearest pals, who, all evidence suggests, are complete maniacs, have decided that I should go to England and Europe for my 60th birthday. The hardest part of a trip like that would be getting me on the airplane. To say that I have a fear of flying is an understatement.
The idea of this adventure has left me gobsmacked, as the British say. In my lifetime I have traveled up and down the West Coast of the United States many times. The only foreign country I’ve been to is Canada. One time the boys and I took the Empire Builder across the Country to visit relatives in Ohio, and took the Super Chief back to visit relatives in New Mexico, and I got to see some of the country east of here on that trip. But that’s about it for my travels.
I think about Jane Austen a lot: she lived a rather small life. She didn’t travel far or have exciting adventures, but she studied the people around her and in her spare time sat down and wrote a few of the great classic novels of English literature. Read a Jane Austen novel and you will meet and laugh at people you know and have put up with, although these fictional characters are set 200 years ago in England. Jane did all right for someone who didn’t see the big wide world.
I do not expect to produce any great literature, but I figure I can write a column every couple of weeks without having to go far from home. I am content.
Is this really going to happen next spring? Right now the leaves are falling, and this winter when the wind storms come I’ll be studying Trip to Europe 101, what to pack, how to get a Eurail Pass, how to say, “please,” and “thank you,” in several languages, wondering what it will be like, how it will change the way I see the world, and if my friends and I will make it through the trip still friends. You never know.
You never know what will happen in the world between now and next May. A lot can happen in nine months. Ask any mother.
I think I’ll have an early 60th birthday party before we go. You’re all invited. I’ll get back to you with details. Meanwhile, it’s autumn. The war goes on. Winter will come, and then spring, and then, apparently, I’m going to have get on a damn airplane. That’s the plan, anyway.