There is so much to share — I had such a great time in Nashville! But re-entry has been wild, to say the least, as my boss was in the hospital from Friday night until Tuesday afternoon & the office was all but closed for two days (thank goodness for the answering service). I was gone from Friday morning until Tuesday evening, and was unaware that any of this was happening until late Monday afternoon.

So, the dust has finally cleared a bit! This is going to be (haha, was supposed to be) a short post, because there’s still a lot going on (two Airbnbs to ready by tomorrow morning, among other things), but some updates!

When we last met, I had started sewing up the granny square afghan. I hemmed & hawed about bringing it to Nashville — an afghan, even throw-sized, is substantial (and knowing I’d need room for purchases) — but I did, and I’m so glad. I got it all seamed up & did a single-crochet border around the whole thing while I was there — readying for the real border, which I started last night! I spent most evenings in, and it was perfect. My Airbnb host had previously worked as a curator at the Country Music Hall of Fame (CMHoF) and had a small but excellent selection of music documentaries on DVD; I watched:

• The Rolling Stones: Charlie is my Darling – Ireland 1965
• Neil Young – Heart of Gold which was filmed in Nashville
• Cream – Royal Albert Hall – London, May 2-3-5-6, 2005
• Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan on Netflix

It was very crochet-friendly viewing (& listening). My only complaints are that the TV could have been a little bit larger and a soundbar would have made such a difference. I remember renting It Might Get Loud back when Netflix sent discs in the mail, and bought my first soundbar in preparation! haha.

Anyway, while I was gone, the Rowan Magpie was delivered, as was the Noro Ito. As suspected, the Magpie is not a perfect match, but it is definitely close enough to proceed with the Farfalle Cardigan as planned!

When I arrived in Nashville on Friday, I stopped at the grocery store so I could drop off provisions when I dropped my bags at the Airbnb, then I proceeded downtown to the Frist Art Museum to see Fabric of a Nation, American Quilt Stories from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston — the exhibit closes this Sunday, so I was just in time!

I have a lot more to share, but that’s a separate post. (It was amazing.)

Afterwards, I made my way to Robert’s Western World — the only music venue that I really wanted revisit — and got my honky tonk on!

I caught the last part of Jesselee Jones & Brazilbilly and the first part of Kelley’s Heroes, bands that I saw there in different iterations last time, and that I was very happy to see again.

A girl needs to eat, so I ordered up a Recession Special at Robert’s — a fried bologna sandwich served with chips, a MoonPie, and a PBR — for $6! (I believe it was $5 when Annie & I were there last, but we did not partake then.) Other than lunch on Monday at the CMHoF, that’s the only meal I had other than at “home” or at MDK.

While I was at Robert’s, there was a little hubbub up front at the table that’s reserved for any VIP that might walk through the door… and it turned out to be Tanya Tucker! I have been aware of her since she first burst on the scene (Delta Dawn) and, though our lives have been very different, you could say that we grew up together — she’s less than a month older than me. Her birthday is today!! (I didn’t know that off the top of my head… had done a quick google search while I was at the bar… and wished her a Happy Birthday as she walked past me on her way out.)

Stay tuned, there’s more to come…