Been a busy girl

...this past week. First, I was determined to finish Abel's quilt. Check. Then I wanted to get one of the boys' quilts quilted. Check. And didn't it turn out cute? I figure that if I do one quilt every Friday, I'll be all caught up in only 6 weeks. Not such a long time, really, when you consider that they have been in a bin for... 6 years! And I took some one's advice here- sorry, I forgot who suggested it, but I found the neatest novelty prints for the backings. 6 different prints- and all on sale since it was the end of the summer! $2 a yard!! How cool is that? This one is Paul's. I just did a meander over it, so that I could avoid all rivets and zippers and flatfelt seams. I haven't strictly meandered in a coon's age- how fast! The whole top was quilted in only 2 hours. Next, I got Aunt Isobel's quilt on the frame- no small task considering the square acreage involved!! 106x106." Now that's a decent-sized quilt. I'm about 1/4 of the way through it- no sprint, this, but rather an all-out marathon. But I need to be finished by Friday so I can do the next denim quilt!

And last, but certainly not least, Bill and I planned our anniversary celebration for Friday night. Sarah, you will be amazed at how entertaining the local environs can be when Bill applies himself. He calls me at about 2:00 in the afternoon to make sure I'll be ready to leave by 4:00. Kinda early, I think, but then, am I going to complain about more time on a date? Hardly. So I get all dolled up- yeah, it takes a while these days. I even straightened my hair- mom teases that most women try to get theirs curled, while I spend hours straightening. But it is a different look, and after 19 years... well, ya have to make an effort to still be appealing, right? We agree on Texas Roadhouse to eat. Bill worried that it was too casual, but I was starving and it's my favorite, so... Food was great and the service was great. We stuffed ourselves- shared a 16oz steak and fries and oh, had chicken for an appetizer, and I'm pretty sure there were 4 baskets of rolls served- told you the service was great! We were giddy by the time we rolled out of there- good and stuffed- not miserable- though we should have been. But it was too good to regret. Bill starts driving North. I promise to not ask any questions. We drive for about 30 minutes until we come to a flashing yellow light- the "town" of Redkey.

I suspect that there are towns like Redkey all over the US. Used to be hoppin' little towns near railroads, but with the highways and all- just mostly ghost towns, now. Bill makes a right and drives about 2 blocks, "Oops! Must have missed it." I had to bust out laughing, 'cause what could he have possibly missed? Run-down houses with run-down, empty storefronts? So we swing back around and drive up the road again. "Oops! Must have missed it, again. They said it was here." OK, so I asked for a hint of what we are looking for- maybe I can help. "Hmm..." says he, "This must be it." It was... well, I honestly can't describe it. I want to be fair. At first perusal... it looked like a ...saloon. Yeah, that's what it looked like. "Are you takin' me to a Rodeo?" "No," says Bill, sadly, "Sorry." We are out of the car and on the deserted sidewalk... "Are you takin' me to a club? My Mama's gonna be mortified." A club in Podunk, no less. He says nothing. I'm getting worried, but I have complete faith in him. This will be fine. But then he opens the door... Ah, ambiance, that's what this place has. Lot's of ambiance. There was a very tiny "lobby." I hesitate to call it that, 'cause it was just so small. Smaller than my bedroom. And there was a tiny little window with bars over it- and a lady behind it. She was smiling, a pleasant smile. Bill gives her $40. She hands him 2 tickets, no change. I blink R-e-a-l S-L-O-W. What in the world, er, in Redkey, Indiana, could cost 40 bucks???!!! No way could this be legal. We proceed through another set of doors into another "lobby." Smaller than the last. Some guy is sitting there with a Hawaiian shirt on, ready to take our tickets and stamp our hands. "First time?" he asks. What gave us away? Bill looked real cool, but I wasn't missin' a thing. Like where the exits are!! He points out that there is a restaurant through this door and a bar beyond that. Says where the restrooms are. I smile and make a dash for the closest one- I did have 4 glasses of iced tea with my dinner. I must say that I have never seen 2 toilets in such close proximity in all my life... and the mirror frames looked like... yep, sequined trim from Joann's. I come out and Bill is laughing at my expense. "It isn't a club... it's a theatre." No kidding. The Key Palace Theatre. Now, the only thing palatial about it is... hmmm... well...er... there were some red velvet drapes behind the drums. It seats 230 people and I had the time of my life. I just love blues and soul and Bill found out about this, admittedly, hole in the wall, theatre that has just great blues!!! How cool is that? Lee Roy Parnell was playing. LIVE!! With his band!! (His new album, "Back to the Well." is great and I have probably played it 100 times- love the repeat option on my cd player!) Oh, what a blast we had!! Bill had to go check out the restaurant- I was just too stuffed to even contemplate it- he comes back with a "Zeke's Monster Burger." I roll my eyes 'cause didn't we just consume an entire month's allotment of red meat? He said he had to try it. Ate the whole thing. Lee Roy started playing at around 8:30pm and played for a good 2 hours- maybe more. Have I mentioned what a good time we had? And I would never have made it through the front door(I admit to a case of the willies) without Bill's courage and commitment to our relationship and love of the blues!!