Charlie Hopper

[charliehopper]

Didn’t seem all that rigged. #democracytrudgeson (at First Presbyterian Church Noblesville Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CrxEpvSMZMb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Haven’t posted anything lately. Not sure why. Just doing stuff, I guess. Here’s me and Marj and Phoebe in South Carolina from a couple weeks ago. (at Port Royal, South Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CrWLxUBrYRh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

…thanks, Mr. @59tweed … Good morning, Saturday Scrollers. 1. Tomorrow evening we perform as Mikes House first time since 2013, early show, doors at 7 so you can eat dinner, see a couple bands and be back home in time for bed on a school night. Melody Inn, 38th & Illinois. 2. I knew when I noticed Brett taking that photo he’d caught me making a goofyass face singing backing vocals on John’s song “Hey Magee.” I think I’m singing the part where the lyrics are “I bend my back and I bend my knees/Bend my elbows, make a fleur-de-lis” or maybe the part that goes “I’m just trying to help you and I hope I don’t get up your nose again.” We’ll play “Hardwood Floors, we’ll play “Cheaper Faster Better,” we’ll play a rocking version of John’s new song “Please Bring Back My Tupperware.” Oh man, it’s only 45 minutes or so but there’s “Townshend Nose,” “Everybody Makes Me Mad,” “Fakebook,” “King Wiener.” I’m really looking forward to it! #originalmusic cc: @melodyinn_ (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpX3V4ZrHws/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

If you can read this, you’re invited to the reunion of our 80s/90s band Mikes House on Sunday evening at The Melody Inn, March 5th; AND my belated birthday hootenanny in The Lacy Arts Building on Saturday evening March 11th. DM for details if you think you’ll be in the neighborhood and of-a-mind. Knowing you, the reader of this, as well as I do, well—I think you’ll like our songs! #gettingthebandbacktogether #originalsongs (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-HO71OlNh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Our most excellent neighbors (in the red house over there which I look out at from my desk) just brought me a little birthday cake! I’m having the best birthday over here, writing headlines and receiving digital birthday greetings and unexpected Bundt cake. cc: @nothingbundtcakes thanks: @debsipeswebster1517 and Dan, who delivered it #birthdaybundtcake #happybirthdaytome (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLQwhJLSEV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Tonight at @melodyinn_ at 7:00ish I will be performing five original songs just me and guitar as part of John Sheet’s monthly showcase. Since Mom fell and fractured her femur about three weeks ago, this was her good-luck note from earlier today. #breakaleg #nodont #dontdoit #dontbreakyourleg #originalsongs (at Indianapolis, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoLOoEAOeoD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Not doing that anymore at #alvinords but they are making fine lunch sandwiches that are more than you should eat even the small size. #whatpandemic #thesalvation #isthenameofthesandwich (at Alvin Ord's Sandwich Shop) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn3M6HLOGXh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

So, Mom fell a week and a day ago. I’ve been here a week. Long road of rehab ahead. Many questions, but she came through the surgery for her fractured femur all right. 1. At least the hospital in Beaufort, South Carolina has beach scenes in their innocuous hallway art. 2. Yesterday Marj texted me “Eat a piece of fruit today and I’ll do the same,” knowing that I hadn’t been eating well, and one of Mom’s friends down here stopped by with a goodie bag that had apples and oranges in it—Mom, who hadn’t been eating the hospital food very well, enjoyed some apple slices. 3. I know why she wants to live down here instead of Indiana. 4. I’m getting the hang of working down here and having Zoom meetings at coffee shops because the hospital wifi (WiFi? wi-fi?) suuuuuuuucks. 5. A doctor, nurse, therapist, caseworker or person carrying a food tray or picking up laundry is likely to appear literally at any time. 6. Mom has Covid (she says it made her dizzy and that’s why she fell) but shows no visible symptoms, from what I can tell, by the time I got here. But they still have to mask up, sometimes in astronaut helmets, before coming in here. I’ve been masking, too. 7. It’s a little mean but I do like getting some palmettos into the background of my conference calls with people up north where it’s not only not warm but also snowy and cold (the ones in the far north). 8. Therapy, therapy, therapy. 9. During the quarantine I cut back to one cup of coffee a day, in the mornings. I have a feeling with my coffee shop wifi searches that I’m going to get back in the habit of a second cup in the afternoon again. 10. This photo was the day after surgery when the anesthesia was still in her system. It was a good day, an optimistic and chatty day. There’s been difficulties since, as those drugs wore off. But we’re still optimistic. (at Beaufort, South Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnr2JZWrDvD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Heeeeeeeere’s a mystery for you. Yesterday we couldn’t keep Phoebe away from the gate. She had to sniff sniff sniff all around the area, and then she got out! She had never escaped before and she got out from under the rickety old gate to continue sniffing. Having her know a way out of the yard is terrifying because she’s (a) deaf and (b) hopelessly stupid about the world and would surely wander out into traffic within 40 seconds of being on her own and not hearing us call her. Anyway, it was chicken. She was smelling this chicken: Person or persons unknown had speared a delicious-looking chicken breast on our rickety picket fence right up by the gate (which is not something a random stranger would typically do casually or accidentally; to do this they’d be coming up the driveway fairly near the house to [??!??!] spear a chicken breast they don’t want even though it looks and, to Phoebe, smells delicious). A #mystery! #wasityou? #everydaymystery #yardmysteries #smellslikechicken #havanese #rescuehavanese #havaneseofinstagram (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmSbYjvrdj2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

My original intention was to show how the ladder looks like a nice, festive, treelike triangle from the outside. Which I guess I managed to show, but then Ridiculous Cat was looking so charming atop the ladder, well, now he’s the theme of the post. #ridiculouscat #ridiculouscatsofinstagram #catsofinstagram #christmascat #christmascatsofinstagram #laddertree #traditionsendure (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmQUxOMu9V7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

New cat is… *interested* in our traditional ladder tree, but also skeptical. Like many of you, she thinks it’s a little weird and she’s going to have to think about it. Not like the old cat (not shown here; see previous years), who is crazy for this tree and spends a lot of time in and on and among it. P.S. @will.hopper did the decorating this year! #christmasladder #christmastraditions #christmastradition #traditionsendure #catsofinstagram #dilutedtortiesofinstagram #dilutedtortie #dilutedtortoiseshell (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmHkRhTu0yl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

This year at our house, my sister’s house and my sister-in-law’s house (not shown but also harboring a similar-looking pup) we were all thankful for little white dogs you can just scoop right up any old time. #littlewhitedog #littlewhitedogs #comesatime #happydogsgiving #havanese #havaneseofinstagram #rescuehavanese #rescuedogsofinstagram (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClZPKXMuF7l/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Recently, we: 1. Had a lovely dinner with Mr.&Mrs. @bthibbs.studio at @italianhousein where both @b_teddyhopper and @will.hopper work and the lighting is rather low, making nonflash photography slightly challenging; 2. I was downtown Indy toward the end of a workday which meant I was required to bring home @bazbeaux ; 3. The friendly shiba inus in the alley behind us got out the other day and now they’re all three home safe and we’re so relieved!; 4. Luna the still relatively new cat update: she’s doing well, watching for hummingbirds and (still) spooking the dog; 5. They noisily tore up then noisily paved our street even though I still had to do Zoom calls with @bryanmichurski and @vbeggin and Steve & Laurie; 6. Visiting @bamideas and chitchatting with @thatbrianharris we stood next to the anniversary #Plinko they made (so colorful!) and I idly picked up a Plinko circle and dropped it in and it balanced on a peg—symbolically perfect for a freelancer, I guess; 7. Spotted in a neighbor’s yard while walking the dog, but we could not locate the gnomes that live underneath; 8. Before heading out to walk the dog we have been enjoying popping these exTREMEly flavorful li’l tomatoes; 9. Every Friday night my daughter brings home fries to share with the extremely enthusiastic dog but with the new furniture arrangement we did over Labor Day the dog isn’t sure how best to position herself to beg. 10. We’ve been driving Mom&Dad’s 2001 Honda Civic for years and it keeps trying to warn us that it’s going to either disappoint, cost or hurt us very much very soon so today Will and I went to #hondaoffishers and got a somewhat newer #hondacivic and Will went ahead and put Mom’s London souvenir keychain from the old Civic on the new key. That’s just some of what’s been goin’ on. #whatsbeengoingon #weeksinreview (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CioMyqUrZom/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Weekend: 1. Sometimes we don’t make good decisions but sometimes we do. 2. - 3. Fountain Square is good to visit on an August afternoon. Sorry you can’t hear the ambient Spanish electronic dance music in the air (that’s my guess at what they might call it). 4. - 5. Marj wanted to visit a knitting store. I found a button display to make art photos from (you’re lucky I’m just making you look at one of the photos) while she roamed for yarn, led by a friendly lady (she is in that photo #5 toward the back; can you spot her? The whole place was pleasantly used and jumbly and there was a little community of knitting friends sitting in there). 6. - 8. Matt “Leroy” McIlhenny and @59tweed really enjoyed the KISS tribute band we opened for in Brownsburg as part of a benefit for a west side bass player named Jimmy who woke up unable to move one morning on vacation in Cozumel. Very worthy cause. That last photo was us playing our songs by The Cars, as The Rental Cars. Leroy REALLY enjoyed the KISS tribute. #kissresurrection #rentalcars #coverbands #fountainsquare #outdoormargarita #yarnshop #antifaarea #byeaugust #goodweekend (at El Arado Mexican Grill) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch0p6kPrsA6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Walking Marj to her car after last night’s show (I got there early, she came from work) we walked out from the Melody Inn to see the full moon shining through some church on 38th street. We’ve been watching Hammer horror movies on Svengoolie lately; ‘twas exceedingly #hammerfilms -ish. #svengoolie #sturgeonmoon #sturgeonmoon2022 #fullmoon (at Melody Inn) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChLz2ANMaE-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

I got all excited by the tiger swallowtail visiting the tall phlox. I might have gotten carried away. #tigerswallowtailbutterfly #tigerswallowtail #butterfliesofinstagram #tallphlox #toomanypictures (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgsvKqfLLbe/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[charliehopper]

Kinda miss vacation (photo #2, breakfast in / on bed for pooches) but it’s hard to beat toast, cereal, coffee and a summer Sunday breeze on the carport. #summerbreeze #aweekagowasstillvacation (at Noblesville, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf1zTboLu5J/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=