It's Market Day again, already!

Time passes so quickly for me now.  The days fly by.  It seems to me only months ago that we moved into Waitakere Gardens, when in fact, it has been nearly a year and a half. In this brief period, we have evolved from newcomers into part of the establishment.  It feels very good.  

We have just enjoyed our 2nd Market Day here. This post consists of a quick look at some of the tables and displays. 

You may not find find these photos to be particularly interesting at first glance, but try to look into these pictures a little deeper.  Many of the people you see behind masks are friends of ours. You see strangers. We see Colleen or Ray or Margaret and many others. This has become our home and it's a good one.     

Indulge me, if you will, with a little reminiscing. I'm including a few songs in this post. 

I've said it before; I know that music is very personal. You may not like what I offer here, so if that's the case, don't listen to it.  However, if you do listen, each song is in a separate window, so you can click back and look at the photos as it plays. 

I discovered this group, The Blind Boys of Alabama, a year or two before I retired. (That was on Jan. 4, 2010. Yes, I was just 58. I had no clue earlier that I'd be able to do such a thing. ) They are a gospel group, but this is gospel of a different sort in my opinion. Fantastic voices and fantastic chords. 

I was driving 45 minutes to and from work in those days and I enjoyed several of their CDs as I traveled. Most days I rode with two friends who also worked at the factory, but sometimes, when I needed to spend time with the 2nd shift folks, I had to drive alone.  The Blind Boys were one group who kept me company during those solo trips.  

This first one is called, No More. This is the song that I put on as I drove out of the parking lot on that very last day. I thought that its title was appropriate to my situation.  I had been working for better than 35 years at that point, and I wasn't going to go back 'no more.'   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcTL1b0xVIc&list=RDEcTL1b0xVIc&start_radio=1

The next one, I learned while researching it, was written and released by Prince, in 1987. I think the Blind Boys do it much better here than he did it. (Look his version up if you want to. It's on You Tube.) 

I had never paid much attention to Prince back in his day, but I have to give the guy credit for writing this one. (There is much more to each of us than meets the eye) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69E8qEf8lbM 

I don't have any additional info about this last one. I just like it.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JffEKhqJXVo 

Those were rather hard days. I'd get up at 3:45 a.m. and meet my carpool buddies at 4:30. We'd get to work, after stopping at an all-night gas station in Vulcan for coffee, at 5:30.  

I'd start driving home at about 6 pm. and these amazing songs would keep me company. Jeanne would have dinner ready and I'd go to bed about 8:30 p.m., in order to get up and do it all again tomorrow.  Thanks to a very good management team that ran the place during my last years there, I made some pretty good money. (for the U.P. anyway) 

And now, here we are. We have been able to live here in part because of  those difficult days.  Makes one think, doesn't it?   Yeah, these pictures mean a lot to me.  I'm so thankful we made it through the hard times.   

Another market and another day has passed, and the moon is rising on my 25,798th evening of life.  

I've had an interesting life. Jeanne and I are now enjoying each day as it comes to us. Our new home here will continue to support us as we pursue our many and varied interests.  

Keep visiting this address on your computer and you can continue to share my look into life here in Aotearoa.    -djf