Exercise In Futility

Company was coming!  From experience, I know there are those things that must be left to the last minute if there is any chance the house (or I) will look presentable when required.  I jumped the gun yesterday and vacuumed before leaving the house.  I also showered and put on clean bibbies before going to the barn.  What was I thinking?  By the time I was done with the chickens my socks were soaked and when I got down to the goats my britches were sopping wet to the knees.  Anyone with curly hair knows what happens in drizzling rain; hair takes on the appearance of a Brillo pad, the curls getting tighter and tighter.  Before the girls leave the stand every day, they shove their head under my arm and rub vigorously against the front of my bib, leaving dirty smudges.  After milking and slogging my way back through the ankle-high weeds, a very wet Bessie Anne, Pearl, and Frank met me at the door and beat me into the house, leaving footprints and a trail of oak pollen fronds everywhere.  So much for the efforts of the morning.  Tree Guy came by and a milk customer needed an emergency pick-up, so it was a race to get a dessert made to serve my guests.  I was out of time to make any repairs on house or attire.

Arden arrived with a friend of hers.  They were on an excursion to counteract the effects of cabin fever that strikes us all after another spell of gloomy days.  The sun broke out and, as we sat in the kitchen eating butterscotch pie, suddenly there were butterflies spotlighted on the lilacs by the windows.  These were tiger swallowtails, huge and bright yellow with black stripes, not the more common monarchs that I'm used to seeing.  They were just spectacular.  The hummers are back in growing numbers and put on their own show by the dining room windows.  (They slurped up two quarts of juice yesterday alone.)  I hope the "entertainment" Farview provided took attention away from footprints and frizzy hair.  It's always so good to see Arden and I enjoyed meeting her friend.  As for the rest, well, some days are like that.

PS:  tonight is the night of the "super moon," when the moon is closest to the earth and looms larger than on any other night.  It is best viewed when it is just coming over the horizon in the evening.