The Epitome of Random Ramblings (a.k.a. My Weekend)

I had a surprisingly wonderful, yet long and exhausting weekend. I managed to get permission from my boss to leave early (12:30) on Friday afternoon because I had gotten it into my head that I needed to visit Sandy. She’s been such a constant in my life and occasionally is my only grounding force. With all that’s going on right now, I needed the craziness (which is somehow calming) that exists only at her house. She has this cat named Chauncey, who is a beautiful black and white mix of who-knows-what with the softest fur of any cat I’ve ever known. He’s absolutely terrified of everything. He scoots out of the room (or under the bed, or outside, or under the sofa) as fast as he can if he perceives danger in any form. In his eyes, danger can be his sense that you’ve even thought about walking into the same room with him; the noise from the furnace that clicks all night long; the hum of the refrigerator; the flush of a toilet, the leaf from the house plant that accidentally touched the single strand of hair that was sticking up on his back, and yes...his own shadow. He’ll only eat on the dining room table or on a chair in the kitchen (which Sandy brings in there just for him), and only then if everyone holds still and doesn’t make a sound. If someone sniffles (like me) he makes a bee line for the back door. He’s nuts. She’s nuts, too, you know? I say that in the most affectionate and joking way...but it’s true. She spends most of her day talking to the cat and neighbor’s animals. She has contact with other humans, but I truly think she’s most comfortable around animals. Not that it makes a difference – I love her anyway. So on Friday afternoon I took baby Greta and she and I made the three and a half (nearly four) hour trip to Greenville, SC for an impromptu visit. The drive was completely uneventful, although I left about an hour later than I wanted to and arrived at Sandy’s house after dark – which I had really wanted to avoid. The traffic was pretty much a non-issue until I got into the City of Greenville and then it was awful. There must have been something happening at the Bi-Lo Center because as I drove through downtown, there were people walking everywhere, guys (and women) in those orange reflective vests handling parking (Park Here! Only $5.00!), and people driving cars who didn’t seem to have a clue where they were going. It seems interesting to me that only a few years ago I was afraid of driving, and most specifically, driving on the highway – and now I think nothing of driving two states over and four hours away to an unfamiliar city (rapidly becoming more familiar) and am still able to find my way around even in heavy traffic after dark. That would have terrified me before I conquered whatever fear it was that was keeping me within a five block radius of my house. I digress. So Jamie took Charlie up to visit his Mom, Dad and sisters in southern Virginia and East Tennessee (respectively). I really don’t know what they did except I know they had a nice visit and Charlie was a very good boy. Sandy took me to get my hair cut (desperately needed, by the way) by her friend and neighbor Annika. It was the fastest and probably the best haircut I’ve ever had...and I’m thrilled to death! It’s amazing what a good hair cut can do for one’s self esteem! And then she took me shopping, so I now have two new shirts, a pair of pants and a skirt. She oooh’d and aaah’d over Greta, who was at her smiley best all weekend and gave me little to no trouble at all. And then I left yesterday at 10AM for the long drive home. Again, a completely uneventful drive. I wanted to get home well before Super Bowl festivities began. (Go Giants!) So...now that I’ve written forever about nothing in particular (I know, I had no point at all...) I’ll sign off. Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! TTFN JMS