Vitamin Sour

 

Yesterday I finally got my "Chrismas" cards in the mail, with Travalon's help. He really wanted to go see eagles in Sauk, since the weather is finally warming up so they might not be hanging around the dam much longer. He set off, while I waited for Tiffy to get to town. She and I got lunch at the Daisy Cafe, then we went to Olbrich Gardens, where the orchid show is still going on. She wanted to walk some more after we got done going through the outdoor gardens, so we went to Tenney Park, and out on the lake, right near the locks, there was an open area of water with a real bird party going on. There were lots of Canada geese, several types of ducks, and about a half dozen swans. A woman with a fancy camera said they had dirty necks, and we didn't hear them yelping like puppies, so I hazarded a guess that they were trumpeter swans rather than tundra swans. 

When Travalon got back to town, the three of us went to the Caspian Cafe for dinner. They were having a special on Georgian dumplings, so we split an order of those before our main courses, and we also split a piece of honey cake. Then Travalon dropped us off at the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble concert; he went to the bookstore and then picked us up afterwards. Once we got back home, Tiffy headed back to her house.

This morning there was a Diocesan Appeal video in lieu of a homily, but it actually appealed to me because the bishop was talking about how our faith journey is a pilgrimage, which is how I look at it too. My OTHER choir director played "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" for the communion hymn, and he ended it on a major chord - yes, he ended "Picardy" on a Picardy third! The usual crowd were at brunch, then Travalon and I went to Tenney Park, and he took photos of the geese and all kinds of ducks, but the swans were not around. We did see a couple of gulls. We walked along the canal and went to the chocolate shop on the way, but as usual it is closed to restock, so we went next door to O'so Taphouse, and I had a sour beer, since that's what they are known for. Most beer is tasty, but for some reason I crave sour beer as if it has something in it my body needs. I joked that it was "Vitamin Sour," but I wonder - could it actually be Vitamin C? Then I was a little buzzed. It had been a while since I did any day drinking, and it was so enjoyable to walk in the sunshine while pleasantly buzzed. 

In the evening we went to Pizza Brutta for dinner, then Travalon dropped me off at band practice while he went to a little bookstore/coffeehouse/bar, which he really enjoyed. My band hadn't practiced in months, and Mandy was happy to get out of the house, but she was really out of tune, and her strings sounded so dead. It's time to replace them. Worse, I was having trouble playing. I have had tendonitis in my right wrist since December, and I keep meaning to get a brace but keep forgetting. It doesn't hurt constantly, but when I make certain motions it does, and playing with a pick is one of those motions. Then I panicked, because my identity has been "mandolin player" my whole adult life, and what would I do if that was no longer true? The pandemic didn't bother me much, since I figured it was temporary, but what if my wrist was so bad that I could never play again? Then I would just be a low-level civil servant, not part of a musical group. However, I did figure out a way to play that wasn't nearly as painful, so maybe I'll be okay. But it was a terrifying moment to think I might not be able to be a musician anymore.

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