After the food poisoning from Sunday's trip, it's all I can do to just get to work and get back home - possibly doing small things like laundry. I have to cancel my show in Kitchener-Waterloo on Monday (sorry Terry!), which is lousy.
Still, it's lovely to be home. All the imperfections of our new house are forgiven. The only problem is that it's missing my kitten, Marty. We've left him at his Grandma's until we get things in order and I miss him. I worry that after 6 weeks he won't remember me.
Thursday, I play in Oakville. No one in Oakville who I talk to seems to know where the Moonshine Cafe is, but they should, because it's a great place. Afghans across the chairs, instruments everywhere, and local paintings on the wall mark it as a folksy, homey local coffeehouse and one of my favourite venues. Plus the local jamming house band is always good.
Some good friends from work come out (printers who I work with, Doreen & Brian (& his wife Dorothy)). I owe them BIG TIME for the beautiful work they did on my postcards and posters. They're the best - and are not only a joy to work with, they also are incredibly supportive. Doreen used to be Danny Michel's landlord - I am a HUGE fan of Danny Michel and try not to ask her too many questions about him.
A local girl (I missed her name) opens for me and plays a lovely couple of songs on piano. My show is fun (a group of artists (a gaggle? a flock?) come in and start sketching me as I play)- and long - I play every original song I know and when I run out, I make up a new one. I tried this back in Moose Jaw and it went well, so I thought I'd give it another go. I say, "what should we do a song about?" They suggest, "The Moonshine Cafe", "Spam" and "Something that rhymes with Regina"... and I make up a pretty cool song about playing there ("at the Moonshine Cafe... my kind a (rhymes with Regina... sort of) place" and how I've been travelling in a tiny little metal car ("like spam... on wheels"). The audience loves it. I have to do this more often.
I pick Irene up on the way back in to town. One more day together before I have to leave for Ottawa and Montreal. Not enough time.
