Not Just Another Day

The day did not begin auspiciously.  "Hey, mister, you're scaring my goats!"  It was hot, I was hurrying, and had one last goat to milk.  Of course, it was Inga.  Inga was ambling her way to the barn when the herd turned toward the fence line and gave a few snorts.  It was Joel, walking the water line in his vineyard (which, by the way, is growing like gangbusters).  We exchanged a few pleasantries and I went back to coaxing Inga into the barn.  She was being a total butthead, coming to the door, getting as far as putting her nose in, and then backing away.  Almost at the point of walking off and leaving her to swell up and suffer, I gave it one last shot and she came in.  I made it back to the house just before Deb and Craig drove up.

 They came loaded with goodies from their garden:  tomatoes, basil, onions, an eggplant, and fresh buffalo mozzarella.  The aroma from the platter Deb prepared was enough to make the angels weep.  (Did I mention she does a beautiful presentation?)  Sighs of satisfaction were the only sounds at the lunch table.  It was a perfect summertime meal.

I am, once again, being dragged into the 21st century, this time with Craig's help.  I have a full cabinet of VHS tapes.  Thinking to play one a few weeks ago, I was more than distressed when the VHS player swallowed the tape and wouldn't give it back.  It happened to be a video of my wedding to Steve and was absolutely irreplaceable.  Imagine my excitement when I found I could buy a machine that would dub VHS onto DVD (new-age alphabet soup).  I had gotten so far as opening the box and looking at the installation manual, but it might as well have been written in a foreign language.  Craig to the rescue!  In what seemed like no time at all, he had the new machine in place and working and had retrieved the precious tape from the jaws of the old one with little to no damage.  Together, we watched the dear faces of many who are no longer with us and remembered a happy day.  Deb had been my beautiful Maid of Honor, and it was all four of my Kids who answered, "We do," when asked who was giving this woman away.  The conversion to DVD was successful, but just to make sure, we did another of home movies of several of long-ago camping trips and a bang-up birthday party.  Ain't technology grand?  Craig is my hero.

Time with my Kids is special, a memorable meal together, a dance at my wedding...it wasn't just another day.