Alien Art

I love Friday’s. They are inherently magical.

Yesterday was no different.

It started off with Lisa wanting to get packages mailed to her sisters for Christmas.

I really don’t mind driving into town to the Berthoud Post Office. I get along with the wonderful women behind the counter and usually take advantage of the captured audience waiting patiently in line to try and hawk my books. Shamelessly.

And on the way in on this trip, I spotted a cool old truck, driven by a cool old guy – whose license plate identified him as a firefighter (retired) –

with a cool little sticker on the back window that captures a personality.

It said “No Airbags We Drive Like Real Men.”

Respect.

Now, Lisa wasn’t going to waste my trip to town on a one off, so she had me stop and pick up some extra Christmas cards from Hayes in order to complete an errand on her ever growing Holiday To Do List that she was intent on completing (mostly) yesterday.

I hate writing Christmas cards (part of my larger I hate Christmas prep of any kind) and am relentlessly vocal about it if I am conscripted. So a trip to town alone in my Toyota (from TCS) sounded like a way to avoid certain bodily harm by removing me from an angry woman’s reach.

And it paid social dividends.

When I stopped in at Hayes, who do I spot but a beautiful and wonderful young woman named Brooke, who I have been friends with since I first ordered fake burgers from A&W in Berthoud (sigh, they no longer serve fake burgers).

However, while on the check out line, Brooke and I quickly caught up.

Brooke was now an entry level art teacher at Berthoud’s Wildfire Art Center.

https://www.wildfirearts.org/#ignite-a-spark

We reminisced about her attendance at my reading of the Claire Trilogy at Mike O’Shays during the Longmont Theatre fundraiser. She was the youngest fan in attendance. She mentioned she wanted to finish reading the series – FJM and WTLLM having been published since I had last seen her – so I of course volunteered to drop by a set the next time I was in town.

After all, struggling artists should support one another.

That drop off occurred an hour later, due to Lisa completing another tranche of Christmas Cards during my first trip that were ready for the Post Office.

So, an hour later found me at Brooke’s very bohemian digs in town, where I delivered an inscribed, complete set of The Claire Saga.

And, while learning she is a musician, playing guitar, banjo and Ukulele, I also got to see some of her art work, which was hanging on the walls as well as a real cool ceiling panel painting in progress of a cartoon concerning an alien visiting earth. Of course it caught my eye.

Which led to a discussion about the Alley Cat Diner in Ft. Collins, where my Riverdale Ex Pat Cruiser, Lisa and I have enjoyed wonderful breakfasts and Lattes.

It was once known for the great graffiti on its walls – Lisa and I both having contributed – including Lisa’s bold request for a sexual encounter that made me rush through breakfast – and the venue is still known for its artistic drop-ceiling panels by local artists.

Anyway, while I was chatting with Brooke, Lisa called and asked me to pick up a cheeseburger for her at A&W, so after letting Lisa and Brooke catch up briefly on my cell – they had sat together at the MOS reading – I made Brooke promise to tell all of her friends about how wonderful TCS is – I need the young people to start a JKR Rowling like cult – but not share these books (they always disappear) and then said my goodbye to this delightful young lady.

I then got to catch up with the other young ladies at A&W, including Rachel and Tea (pron. “Taya”) and had a lot of laughs and ordered a vanilla milkshake for old times sake. The girls, as always, were a lot of fun. The milkshake was delicious.

Lisa loved her cheeseburger – she will always be a carnivore. Old habits.

I loved the milk shake and laughing with young ladies. Ditto.

When I got home I received a text from Brooke, which captured the mentoring encounter between an old writer and a young artist.

And if I were to command an artistic legacy, I would want people to remember my Peter Pan complexity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-hLwuzbqGA

Well, its time for this old writer to get moving.

Claire and Honey have their mani-pedis this morning, and then Lisa and I are taking the Grans to see the movie Wicked.

Based on its title, they think its a film about them.

Let’s see if I survive this experience.

Well, I hope you fine, five readers have little of consequence on your Holiday Season errands on your plates.

I’m going to head out and feed Mittens, who has taken to sunning himself on my side deck under my Hemingway bench. Natural barrier to overhead prey.

While Smokey avails herself of the finer things in life as a newly minted indoor cat.

And then it’s off on my rounds.

But no matter what else we get up to, let us make today a great one.