I Have An Excuse

I have not only an excuse, I have the best excuse for posting late today.  Sandy arrived yesterday afternoon, having made a circuitous scenic trip through and around the hills.  Her GPS wasn't working.  Thank goodness the woman has a sense of humor and we were able to laugh each time she called from some new location.  "Okay, give me a hint as to where you think you are now and I'll try to guide you in."  I hadn't wanted to leave the house for fear I'd miss the next SOS, so not long after she arrived safely, if a little the worse for wear, we had to go up to the grocery store for dinner supplies.  "Oh, I passed this corner!"  One way to find your way around is to get lost often enough to recognize landmarks.

We worked together to clip Bessie's coat and give her a puppy cut, so much cooler in hot weather.  Bess has just so much patience and she stood it as long as she could.  Not much you can do with a dog lying on her side.  Let's just say she had a unique hairdo.

After dinner I played an old, but favorite movie, "Always" (1989, Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman).  It has one of the most romantic scenes ever when Hunter walks down the stairs in a lovely white gown and a roomful of rugged firefighter pilots rush to wash their hands and line up to dance with her, a woman's dream.  I made it almost through the film before taking my usual before-bedtime nap in the chair and left poor Sandy to fend for herself.  Yes, I am a most thoughtful hostess.  Aarrgh.

While I milked goats this morning, Sandy evened up Bessie's coat and now my girl looks lovely and undoubtedly feels better.  We had both heard the crack and thud of another branch/tree, but I hadn't had time to find out where it hit.  Dang it.  Another huge branch had broken off the oak out by the driveway, the same tree that broke when Linda was here, the same tree that had held all those noisy baby birds.  Crum.  It's an epidemic.

It is sometimes years between Sandy's visits and I wasn't going to lose a minute with her this morning.  Sandy has a calmness about her that is rejuvenating.  Not only did we talk and talk, she also gave me a wonderful back and shoulder massage.  I may not be the perfect hostess, but Sandy was definitely a perfect guest.

How grand it was to hear, "Love you!" as she drove away this afternoon (with a complete set of directions).