Our sons have been friends since they were two years old; mothers and sons met at the co-op preschool in Juneau, Alaska. Lis has been a celtic musician her entire adult life and has produced many concerts bringing Irish music to Juneau. I used to play music in my early adult life until I began having children; the house was too small to practice and play because it would wake up the kids; it wasn’t until after my kids grew up and I divorced that I finally had the time to play again; I took up the ukelele!
Lis came down from Alaska and spent three weeks helping me get certain deadlines done before I returned to Alaska for the Summer. The two of us worked, worked, worked the entire three weeks – While I was finishing a Chilkat robe with the same deadline as all of the work, Lis helped me dye weft yarns, cook bark, split bark, wash warp to make my weaving kits for a class; she helped lay buttons and sew them down on two button robes; she helped weed and water the garden. It was wonderful to have full-time help with the things I would normally do if I didn’t have the time crunch of “getting outa Dodge” on time!—I’ve always said that women need a wife; a woman like myself definitely needs one full time all the time. When I make enough steady money (hahaha!), I will have a steady wife! — Playing this open mike together was about the only “free time” thing that Lis and I had time for! Lucky us!