Company is coming and I have a busy day so can’t meet them at the noon ferry– ( another friend has left them a truck to use for the week) they are old friends, dear friends and I can’t wait to see them, except all I can see right now is the dog hair. Also, I have my weekly radio show today on KHNS ( 1-3 on air, but it takes 30- 45 minutes before and after to pick records and put them away), and then a Friends of the Library meeting at 4, at which we must organize the annual 4th of July barbecue for 700 or so, and this is not my strong suit, and yet, I am the chairman of the board now so it is my responsibility. I woke up three nights in a row thinking about mustard and ice, grills and volunteers. The tablecloths. Bake sale, book sale. Hot dogs. Help. (Call me if you want to volunteer…thank you!)
Anyway. It’s summer and life is back to near normal and it is taking some time getting used to.
Why I am here right now, is to tell you something important about friends and women and life. It came in a text stream this morning regarding the regular dog walk. I went very early, since I have so much to do, and that means I missed walking with my friend and when she texted about what time we were going I confessed I’d already gone:
“It’s my fault. I’m panicked about dog hair. How old does a woman need to be before she doesn’t worry about appearances?”
“Many do ALL their lives. Hence the pink hair phenomena.”
“Pink Hair? Is that next?”
“Just dog hair so not so bad. Some have light blue hair…”
My grandmothers had that blue rinse in their gray. Why? Who thought that was a good idea?
I really admire women who don’t run around picking up for visitors, and who never apologize for the dog hair, who have a table piled with books, markers and papers, dog treats, and cucumber seedlings. I never mind a mess when I walk into it. Doesn’t bother me a bit. I wish I could be like that, in the same way I wish I could wave my arms in church when we sing to Jesus. Maybe I can grow into my wishes?
I love flowers though, anytime, they matter, and I do think feeding people well is important, so now since I have been procrastinating on the clean up– I still need to vacuum- ( Trixie is really not happy that I have blocked the couch off with a chair… but honestly, what if my friends have black pants?) I need to run to the store next for shampoo and lotion for the guest bathroom, and potatoes and butter. (Not for the bathroom.) I picked rhubarb but may have to wait until tomorrow to bake it into a crisp. (I have a week to entertain so it’s nice to have that in my back pocket, you know?)
One more thing I wanted to let you know– I don’t mean to be braggy– rather it is such a relief to know that something I wrote has indeed been published in 2022.
