"Today" has taken about three weeks to do, but we're finished with it now. My son from my wife's first marriage and his son, my wife Ruth and I have been constructing a 10' x 14' screened-in pergola with a pale green plexiglass roof in our side yard. It has a green, patterned outdoor carpet on the floor and will seat as many as 14 people at two tables. Or just, me and my wifey, when we want to enjoy sitting outside without being feasted upon by mosquitos. We wanted to finish it in time for a gathering of the Messengers, a few other musicians, family and friends for a cookout and all day sing in a couple of weeks. It turned out beautifully, and the whole process of creating it from our heads, with plenty of laughter, soul music and rhythm and blues pumping from a portable CD player was worth the effort in itself. I fell and smashed up one leg pretty badly, but it is slowly healing now. It's gone from black and blue, to green to a sickly pale yellow and I have a discernible ankle again.

Everything should be in good working order by the time the day rolls around.

Jerry