I just officially quit as leader of the 1144th Army Nat. Guard Unit's Family Readiness Group.

I should be able to mellow out beautifully now.

The is no real training for the job. People who are supposed to know what is what tell you conflicting things. I would have someone tell me to do something a certain way, then add "But don't tell anyone I'm the one who told you to do it." I don't work that way. At this point, the families don't seem to want to acknowledge the unit is slated to deploy and are showing virtually no interest in getting involved in the Family Readiness Group. It is a good time to say adieu. I told them I am willing to help if someone else is the leader but I'm not going to be the group leader.

Big sigh of relief!!!!!

Hubby and I are off to a bluegrass festival tomorrow through Sun. AM. I don't think I'll take my lap top so I'll be incommunicado for most of the weekend. We are meeting up with a local bluegrass friend and some of the people we met while at the jamcamp we went to last spring. Pete Wernick has also been doing a jamcamp at this festival, so we will be saying "Howdy" to him and his wife Joan as well. Our local friend DJs a bluegrass show on the public radio station and Bruce put things in motion so that she ended up interviewing Pete for the radio show. She was all in a dither as he is one of her Dad's bluegrass heros and she has listened to Pete's various bands nearly all her life. The interview was excellent - Jennifer does a good job. When she isn't being a DJ or playing fiddle with our fav regional bluegrass band she teaches chemistry at a local community college, as does her husband. I'm continually amazed at how many bluegrass people are intellectual sorts of folk. There is one band, Dry Branch Fire Squad, whose front man makes like he's a Virginia hick until you really listen to what he is saying. He is a farmer . . . and a Math and English teacher. His sounding uneducated is actually cleverly placed and misplaced witticisms. It really is interesting to me. Pete Wernick goes by "Dr. Banjo" because he has an earned doctorate in sociology from Cornell and early on in his career his friends called him that to tease him.

I think I'm a bit better on my fiddle than I was last spring when we went to the jamcamp in Morehead, KY, but I've a long way to go. but I've had more than one good fiddler tell me I'm a fiddler - so I guess I am :-) I still really love it and am amazed that I can play at all.

Well, off to finish packing for tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone!