Ode to my wife

Maryellen pretty much rocks the house. For my b-day last week, one of the other things she got me was a Grundig hand-crank radio.

What is so great about this little baby? Well, in addition to batteries and an AC adapter, it also can be powered by cranking a little handle on the side. You crank it about 60 times (takes about 30-45 secs) and you are good to go for about 45 minutes to an hour.

This means that I can listen to tunes while I am up in the field, and I don't have to worry about running down the truck battery by listening to the car radio, and I don't have to worry about going through a b-gilliion little triple A batteries. Plus, it has shortwave frequencies, so I can listen to my favorite Albanian news station, or some Taiwanese soft rock favorites. Pretty spiffy. Thanks Maryel!

ODE TO MY WIFE PART II:

Yesterday was market day. Market starts at 9 a.m., so I need to be there about 8:15 to set up. The market is about 20 minutes away, so I usually leave a little before 8 a.m.

For some reason, it didn't quite work out that way yesterday. At about 7:50 a.m., I was still washing and bunching onions, and I still had to pack the truck, eat breakfast, change clothes, count out change, and edit and print out a price list. Basically, I was totally freaking out.

Maryellen to the rescue! My seven month pregnant wife jumped in and helped me pack vegetables and get on the road. Then she came to market, helped me unpack the truck, set up, and she stayed through the first rush of the morning. Thanks Maryel! All would have been seriously lost without your help!