Yesterday I worked on campus, but it was still an uneventful day. I walked with Seabird at lunch and was mad at a colleague because I'd asked a question and this person replied to my boss and like three other people... but not me. What the hey? Then I went to Adoration, led Night Prayer, and completely forgot to water my plants.
Today I worked on campus and walked alone at lunch because Seabird was working from home and Hardingfele was busy. We had our department meeting, and that's about as exciting as it got. But after work I went to the Song Circle at the music club we belong to, and to my surprise I found parking very close. That never happens! It gets better, because as I was parking I heard a low rumble, and sure enough the train went by about thirty feet in front of me. The song circle had started at five, but that's when I get done with work, so I was pretty late. It looked like a lot of old hippies, but there was a woman around my age who had an open chair next to her, so I sat beside her. We sang from the Rise Up Singing songbook, which I know well from all my protesting. It has the words to folk songs, no notes, but it does have chords for the guitars (and whatever) to play along. Several people had kazoos (you don't need the chords for those), and one woman was playing a piano accordion. Not long after I got there, it was break time, so we had seven different kinds of cheese and also moon cakes for the Autumn Festival. If you have never had one, there is a weird, dried-out egg yolk in the center, but the cake itself and especially the lotus seed paste filling are delicious. I may have indulged in two pieces since a lot of people were not brave enough to try it. The cheeses were wonderful, including one with blood orange and one with sriracha sauce, but my favorite is still the Kerrygold Dubliner from Monday evening. Who brings all this cheese? It's one of the best parts of the music club - there are always snacks.
When the break finished, it was my turn to choose a song. I had checked and was ready for them with the page number for "Hold On," the old spiritual. Later I saw the second edition (we were using both, the "classic" blue and the "sequel" red) has "Whistling Gypsy Rover," one version of a very popular Irish folk song about a gypsy who entrances a woman so she runs off with him. This version is tamer; her father comes looking for her, and it turns out the "gypsy" is a powerful lord, so then the father is okay with it. A lot of versions have her husband come looking for her, and the gypsy sometimes meets a violent end. The woman next to me said she is leading another singalong called "Folking Around" on Tuesday, but sadly I'm busy with Adoration then. Everyone seemed very welcoming, and they said they hoped I'd come back, even if I will always be late. It's like Moldy Jam in that they go around the circle so everyone gets to suggest a song, and I have to say that there were some I'd never heard before, but plenty of them were familiar. I said I'd have to bring my kazoo next time, but right now it's at home in my ukulele bag, and they said, "Bring the ukulele too!" Of course, I could have just taken one off the wall at the music club, but for my first time out, I preferred to just sing. Maybe I'll bring the ukulele next time... and of course, the kazoo too.
Famous Hat
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