We have a phone call lined up with our agent in England for Monday evening. She said she could shorten our tour to just under three weeks, which would enable her to not cancel the £3,000 worth of gigs she’s already got on the books for next May. The way I got through a six week tour was thinking, “Anybody can tour for three weeks,” and doing that twice. So anybody can tour for three weeks, so I guess I can do it one more time. We’d be able to deal with our own stuff that we left there, and not make anybody (like our agent) look bad with the touring schemes because of cancelling.
Ah well. I feel okay about the compromise, I guess.
Our meeting last night was very good. We’re all trying to work together to make it as easy a transition as possible for everyone, and that’s the way we work best. Carol really wants to go to England again, and that’s why we even considered it as an option. Chris even suggested that, if it doesn’t look lucrative enough, they might subsidize my trip a little so that I don’t lose money over what I’d have made at home. He’s willing to do that for Carol’s sake. She was a little teary at one point, but kept talking right through it so she stayed on her feet. I felt good toward them both but there wasn’t any bittersweetness to it for me yet. I had been focusing on staying calm and true to my heart, so really tried to stay in that place in case things got testy, but they didn’t. Thank goodness. Chris even said that, since I’d sent the email, he felt a lot of relief that we were finally talking about it and making our plans.
Carol wants to do a ceremony toward the end, to honor and commemorate our almost-ten years together as a band. I think that’s a great idea. We might do it in Texas on our last Southwest tour, because our good friends there are so important to us, and they really were part of our inauguration as Mad Agnes. It was very magical, what happened in Austin.
So we talked about the rooms we’ve most liked to play, to see if they’ll book us for one last gig before our time is up. It will be a very busy winter if all that comes to pass. But at least it’ll be in this country, and England will be tolerable if it’s only three weeks. I’ll cherish every moment, as best I can, and come back to stay.
Meanwhile we are determined to finish this last CD, so June will also be busy as hell. We have several gigs and several recording dates and some rehearsals, on top of my job and house/garden responsibilities.
I think I’ve done it right.
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So. Today involved taking the pickup truck to a building supply place and picking up a “yard” of topsoil. A yard of topsoil is one ton. Of dirt. In the back of the truck. Where it still is, because it was way too hot to shovel dirt when I got back. That is my morning chore tomorrow before it gets hot. I have to get the truck bed empty because it will be called upon shortly for hauling other things.
After doing the email to our agent and getting topsoil, I did two loads at the laundromat. I did manage a few errands after that but mostly I wanted to have fun, so I went to TJMaxx and bought cheap dishes. I admit it, it’s my vice. I love shopping at TJMaxx. Sometimes I don’t find anything, but there’s always some exotic olive oil or seasoning or jar of preserves or box of biscotti… or blue and white plates with roosters on them.
Rose texted me to ask if I could help with planting tomorrow, and she’ll come over midmorning. I don’t know how I’ll get myself up early enough to get everything done that I want to do, as my slow, quiet mornings here are so precious. I have to get fencing for the raised bed, which will be ready for soil by tomorrow night probably. (The waterproofing is drying.) The tomatoes we put in last week got pummeled by hard rain, and a lot probably won’t survive. Everything else — squash, peppers, chard, snap peas — looks very good. My salad plants in the jiffy pots upstairs are leggy as hell and not very happy. Only a couple more days, I tell them. Then they’ll have all the room in the world.
Healer, Musician, Bookmaker, Poet 
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