Happy Anniversary!

Blog Entry Thursday 1 May, 2008 May Day!
A SIGNIFICANT Anniversary for Moi (Mwah)(Me), 11 years ago today I had my first heart attack!
11 long, joyous and fruitful years EXTRA time. Thank you Kiaser Doctors and St. Mary's Doctors for your skill, perseverance and knowledge of all things HEART. It was a long 9 days in the hospital(s) and the care I got could NOT have been better, I'm LIVING proof of that! Lots of drugs, exercise, diet and keeping everything positive has kept me going. I laugh a lot and that helps. I'd laugh a LOT more if I had DSL, alas Tuesday and Wednesday have passed and TODAY is a BANK HOLIDAY in France, ol' socialist republic as it is, they DO dance around the May-Pole! We don't anymore, it was never and IMPORTANT Holiday like 4th of July, Christmas or Thanksgiving, it was a low key one with little billing and once taken over by the communists that was pretty much the end of its celebration for US citizens. I still can remember in the early 50's having a May-Pole in the schoolyard at Walnut School in Selma and dancing around in wrapping ribbons as we went. Pretty silly but made the day special to a kid from Panama who would have rather been with his Mom than there, but that's another story for another day.
Today HERE it is a Bank Holiday and a Day off for all government workers and most shops are closed, at least those we frequent seem to be. Ah well, I'm building the bookcase for the waiting room fireplace wall, I like building furnishings though I'm by no means an expert at it. I have only the plans from between my ears and as such I make silly mistakes here and there. My shop is very limited too, not enough table space and the one I have is too small for this project. A Ryobi 10” table saw, a router, a portable planer, a belt sander abd a spray painting rig and a liberal grouping of hand tools makes up my tool cabinet (where?!). Not enough clamps, light and brains to do the job RIGHT but adequate to get something that'll hold books and can be painted to cover my crooked nailing and general poor construction technique. I spent the afternoon fabricating the bottom, sides and supports for the shelves before the weather became too cold and windy to deal with the open layout of the barn.
I was so cold I was shaking, enough! I took all the completed pieces inside the house to allow the glue to cure. Tomorrow we'll fasten the sides together and Kelly will paint samples so we can decide what color it should be.
Made a Madras Chicken Curry over Saffron rice for dinner, it was good but way too hot (spicy) for Kelly. I'll try to calm it down next time but it is a conundrum in order to have sufficient flavor in the coiconut milk/onion base one has to use more Madras Curry and that brings heat along with it. One day I'll figure this curry thing out but not yet I guess.