Therapy Sisters

Friday was a gray and cold in the day in the morning – a bit depressing. But you can't have it perfect every day. The sun came out for lunch and it's snowing back home so we are grateful.

Reg went by taxi to Howdy Honda on Ben White (just south of us, the major road to the airport) to get a loaner car this morning. Our car had developed some clunking noises in the suspension and we felt it best to investigate before returning on the long drive back home. He had dropped off the car on Thursday but they weren't able to get parts to fix it right away. Then Friday morning we find they're not going to get parts until Monday so they're renting a car for us from Enterprise. Reg had to be shuttled home to get his passport (in spite of the fact that we've rented from them many times) and then on to Enterprise to rent a car. We're now driving a late model Chevrolet but would rather be in our Honda.

In the afternoon we went out to do a bit of shopping in North Austin. We had a pizza for lunch and some wine outdoors at the Central Market café on North Lamar not too far from Uchiko where we had had dinner with Sam. They often have music events at the café so we were interested in checking that out. The Central Market is an upscale Austin grocery chain competing with Whole Foods. We found some interesting Texas wines to take home as souvenirs for friends. Then on to Sue Patricks on Burnet Rd (got a little lost on the way) to see if Kate could get another pair of the Capri pants she bought there a couple of weeks ago and really liked. They didn’t have any in black in her size and she didn’t like the other color so we didn't get any pants. But we did get a few souvenirs for staff back at work. I think we're pretty much done the souvenir shopping.

At about 5:30, we went to Patsy’s Cowgirl Cafe on Ben White near the Howdy Honda to have dinner and see the Therapy Sisters whom we had seen before at the EmilyFest at La Zona Rosa on a trip with Jack and Doreta back in 1994 and remembered liking them.

Of course, they were doing Emily Kaitz songs at the EmilyFest – we weren’t so crazy about the music they do (sort of jazzy swing) but it was an interesting night. They were very openly lesbian (3 out of 4 in the band dressed pretty manly as well) and had a few friends who had come to see them (both lesbian and straight) so it was a pretty jovial crowd. At the end of the show they thanked everybody who had come out to the show and especially thanked those that had "come out" as well.

Purly Gates who had played with Emily Kaitz every once in a while threw in a protest song – usually to the tune of an existing song – e.g., blowing in the wind done about the environment, one about the health care system. one about never getting same sex marriage in Texas. One of the other singers did a song (more in their style) about being nickle and dimed by the trickle down.

Reg went to talk to Purly in the break to ask if she was the same person who had recorded with Emily – told her we saw them at the EmilyFest, we were from Canada, etc. So of course, during the second set, she mentioned about the wonderful folks visiting from Canada (Reg and his lovely wife – can’t remember her name) and that people should talk to us about our health care system (actually given some of our experiences – maybe they shouldn’t). At the end, one of the other singers said that they were changing the pledge of allegiance – “one country under Canada.” Also at the end of the protest song about same sex marriage, the third singer (who had done the song about trickle down), yelled out “Oh Canada” and held her arm up in a cheering way. It turns out they know about Canadian health care and same sex marriage – which in Austin makes them love us, in the rest of Texas, makes them hate us.

We had a good time with the music. Reg enjoyed his Texas slow smoked BBQ brisket with BBQ sauce and mashed potatoes -- it was melt in your mouth tender. Kate had some fish tacos with rice and beans. And then pecan pie for desert. Mmm ... ain't that Texas cooking something.

And the other good thing? We were home by 9:00!