9:14 a.m.

I am trying not to stress myself, though there is a lot to do today. The lady I hire periodically is coming to clean for an hour or two, and I have to go to Ma and Pa’s to wash down some chairs to take to L’s aunt’s tonight and make the bed for our travelling minstrel to sleep in.

I have to go to town for a cash float and to purchase crackers, napkins and whatnot for the lunch at tonight’s concert. And I may have to go to L’s aunt’s in the afternoon to do some setup there.

The minstrel is to arrive from Winnipeg around four and I hope to have supper on the table by five so he can head to L’s aunt’s (our concert venue) when he needs to and I can have Don up from the table by six. Loverboy couldn’t commit to being here so I’m not sure how to work it all out, as basically I should be in two places at once around that time. The concert is to start at 7:30 and it’s a half-hour drive to L’s aunt’s.

For the moment, I’ve had a bath and just need to get some food into me and talk to L’s aunt about requirements before dropping some paperwork off at Ma’s and driving to town.

The reupholstered couch is coming home today but I don’t know where it’s going to be kept until we make space for it. My two trunks filled with old journals are in the porch, blocking the stairway, and the old ugly couch down there has to go somewhere, but when I asked L what he wanted to do with that stuff it sounded like he just wanted to stuff the “new” couch in. I don’t know. It’ll be a hustle-bustle at the very time when everything else is going on, probably.

Me, stressed? Me, worry? Nah.

Soon the livingroom will look a bit differently, because I will be able to get rid of all the camouflaging blankets presently used to cover up the orange floral. But the coffee table will remain.

Back in 1982 or so, I got a job in a restaurant up in La Ronge. The cook was also a carver, and made this coffee table for me. It’s a conversation piece; I thought you might like to see it.