Wednesday, August 20

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Jeff and I get up at about 8am but it seems like 6am because of the billowing dark clouds just outside the windows. Dark, dark, dark! Wow, is it going to STORM today! We get cleaned up and start up the first of two loads of laundry. Jeff ends up doing most of the tidying and cleaning of the apartment because my tummy has decided to be obstinate and I am very much distressed with nausea and cramps. My body just doesn’t seem to want to leap and bound into new health but prefers a slow army crawl, with an occasional jig-jog, instead. After a bit of rest and a few crackers w/ cheese, I feel much better and do a bit of my share to help out. We take the recyclables to Selia’s garage and then take over the refridgeritables and flower arrangement to her place cause we can’t take ‘em with us. (No room at the inn with the dog in the back of my little Maxima.)
Selia has two baby birds that she is nursing and two new additions to her menagerie, a rooster named Jasper and a hen with no name as yet. Funny, I don’t remember Snow White cohabitating with barnyard animals, just woodland animals. The Snow White bubble is burst with these new additions, I think, but Selia is still the fairest in the land. Poor little Jasper the Rooster has had his little head pecked on badly so that his little skull is showing, so Selia is taking him on as a new project. We feed the baby birds, put some salve on the rooster’s head, look at Selia’s new cards (she is an awesome photographer and has her own line of greeting cards) and have some coffee, chatting about this and that. Jeff goes to put a load of laundry into the dryer and load the car and, while he’s gone, the bottom falls out of the dark roiling clouds from above. Monsoon time! It’s just coming down in droves and it’s as dark as night outside! The lights go out and Sue chooses this time to clean out the goose/duck enclosure and the rooster pen so that the new inhabitants will be more comfy. Why not? She’s in her jammies and doesn’t mind the rain, so it’s all good. However, Lucy the goose is hiding from the rain and seems terrified by the storm.
The lights come back on but Jeff is stranded at the apartment while we’re at the main house. After about 15 minutes, though, the rain dies down and Jeff and I prepare to leave. Sue and Selia both tell us that they wish we lived there permanently and we agree. It’s been a TOTAL blast, a healing experience and such fun to be there. Honestly, for not being at home,we felt VERY much at home there. We agree to come back and use the apartment whenever we can and Jeff and I get on our way to my Momcat’s to pack our belongings, get the dog and make sure that Alex is packed and ready for the road. It’s too bad that my mom is at work but we’ll see her soon enough. We give Alex enough $$ for gas and off we go.
Jeff and I stop by my office so that I can pick up some files and I end up giving and getting hugs from everyone there. It’s like a receiving line at a wedding! Mom and Pop offices are wonderful in that you really do feel like family working there. These guys are lifelong friends to me, now, and I’m very glad of it. But, Jeff and the dog are waiting, so the conversation, jokes and hugs will have to wait until later….
The trip is uneventful, but we arrive home to a beautiful flower arrangement left by my little sister, Stephanie. How thoughtful is that? Unpacking and sorting through weeks of bills is never fun, but flowers make it better. =) The cats are extremely pleased to see us and haven’t done anything like poop in our shoes for our delinquent behavior, so I’m way happy that my sister took such great care of them and the plants while we were away. Now, I’m comfy and happy and grateful, oh my. It’s soooo good to be home…..