Coming to the end of Home Repair Week 2009 (necessitated by that monster storm we had last month, during which my basement flooded and my gutters leaked into the windows). Several grand poorer, but now have water pressure and showers the envy of any hotel, brand-new faucets in the kitchen and main bathroom, a floodproof basement, and 3/4 of my new gutters and fascia installed (not to mention some interesting temporary sheet-aluminum-and-ladders lawn decor--hopefully gone by the time Sat. morning's Block Party rolls around. Still need safety bars installed in the upstairs bath--none of us are getting any younger or steadier--and some icky ceilings patched up; but by summer's end our house should be in as good a shape as any centenarian can be. Basking in the glow of an INCREDIBLE experience playing an outdoor house concert (Andina & Rich) at Terry & Nancy's Prairie Herb Farm in Monroe, WI. A totally enchanted place, set amid lush herb, perennial/annual/succulent gardens and forested glades in lovely rolling farmland--and the concert area is at the foot of the hill in a roofless stone-walled barn that is strikingly reminiscent of a mini-Baths-of-Caracolla (the venue for the Three Tenors). Terrific acoustics, large and attentive audience (most of whom contributed to a caffeine-themed potluck dinner), warm and convivial campfire and song circle afterward (with audience members who are no musical slouches themselves) and the amazingly gracious hospitality of Terry & Nancy. The house concert series is highly eclectic--the hosts delight in exposing their loyal attendees to as many kinds of music as possible; some of those who've played there include James Keelaghan, Don McLean, polka and Cajun bands and even an operatic troupe. Check their website at www.prairieherbs.com for reservations (you WILL need them if you want a seat); next show they're sponsoring is nautical bards William Pint & Felicia Dale at a restaurant in town on July 25; Aug. 1 will be a Balkan music troupe that is supposed to be wild and wonderful. Excited to announce that in mid-August Stephen Lee RIch & I will be stepping into the studio to record our next CD (much of it at the studio of Gary & Roberta Gordon in Sparta, down in southern IL's bayou country--yup, cypress knees, moss and all). We should have at least an EP in hand by FARM or maybe even Lilfest! And relieved to see that Sonia Sotomayor has apparently survived the GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee's attempts to get her to crack under cross-examination (sadly, a judge--or nominee--doesn't get to say "Objection: asked and answered" no matter how many times the same question is thrown at her). Who knew that Sen. Graham's seemingly benign assurance that "short of a meltdown, you'll be confirmed" was really an announcement of the GOP contingent's strategy---to attempt to induce a meltdown! The last resort of a powerless super-minority deprived not only of substantive objections but of any power to filibuster. I mean, she's been a resolutely mainstream judge regardless of any extrajudicial speeches she may have made (and the latter don't carry the force of law); and as for her personal life....well, let's just say it's not as if she ignored her official duties to go "hiking the Appalachian Trail" (thank you, Gov. Sanford, for unwittingly giving us the first truly cool double-entendre euphemism of the new millennium)! Finally, Adventures in Orthopedics and Podiatry--it took two sets of X-rays and an MRI, but I don't have a stress fracture in my foot: besides the arthritis in two major joints, a big honkin' bunion, tendinitis and a (healing) sprained ankle, I have something called "cuboid syndrome:" a joint in my foot actually dislocates when I bear weight on it; and changes in the bone marrow that could lead to stress fractures without immediate intervention. Said intervention is taking the form of custom orthotics (waiting for them to come back from the lab) so that I can start a painless walking program to lose some of that weight I've been forcing my feet to bear; and OTC orthotics in the meantime. No more cast-boot, thank heavens!