In Good Company

Tecla braved the storm and arrived yesterday morning right on time, amazing since she'd followed the GPS directions which invariably send travelers up to the far end of the Gray Rock loop (wrong!) and around and down an almost-impassable dirt road, sections of which are washed out during rainy weather.  This is a woman who just returned from a trip to Colombia and Chile, where she climbed glaciers(!), trekked with pack-laden donkeys, and hiked up mountains, so was unfazed by her adventure on the back roads of Fair Play.  A guest after my own heart, she brought beer and a Dutch boterkoek (butter cake) she'd made.  Boterkoek, as close as I can describe it, is a rich, crisp, shortbread type of cookie with an almost creamy inner texture and oh-so-good!  I could thank her only by putting a batch of feta cheese to hang while we talked.  And talked, and talked.  Tecla is a real-life travelog, facing fears and overcoming them.  A truly inspiring woman with unbounded joy in life.

Bessie Anne, who is normally the hostess-with-the-mostest, was an absolute pill yesterday.  Like a cranky three-year-old child, she whined and yipped for attention until it was embarrassing.  Countless times I had to excuse myself and deal with the whiner, giving her a few minutes of play time, when what I really wanted to do was send her to her room for a time out.  Tecla suggested Bess might want another treat, but I refused to reward bad behavior.  Even Ralph got into the act, making a pest of himself in the kitchen.  Was it something in the air?  Only Celeste remained hidden as she does when company is here.  Of course, as soon as Tecla left, Bess laid down and napped for the rest of the afternoon.

So far, so good for Clyde, Deb and Craig's cat.

The towel I'd stuffed under the window was absolutely sopping wet this morning, the storm was that strong.  No hesitation on the goats' part last evening as they pushed to get into their rooms.  For the most part, the chickens stayed in their coop all day.  A grey squirrel at the bird feeder kept his tail up over his head like an umbrella, while the sodden turkeys scratched below.

It was quite a day.