Countdown

They were a dingy almond. Now they look like frosting!

Kitchen cabinets cleaned, sanded, and painted glossy white.  √
(It's amazing to discover what creatures of habit we are simply by putting everything in our kitchens somewhere else temporarily.)

Wedding dress completed.  √
(Except for the hem. I can't finish that until the bride tries the dress on with her footwear of the day. And I can't post a photo until she sees the dress first!)


Wedding gifts wrapped.  √
(Both of my sisters in Oregon and my daughter in Florida sent their gifts ahead of their arrival to be wrapped and delivered so they didn't have to bring heavy extras on their flights. My sofa is covered with wrapped delights.)

Still left to do: 
*Load the pots and pans and silverware and sundries back into the painted cabinets.
*Paint the remaining kitchen cabinet (there was nowhere to unload what was in it).
*Calligrapher guest names on the place cards.
*Create a wedding card for my youngest daughter and her husband-to-be. It has to be as special as they are.
*Collect all the items still needed for the wedding (blankets to cover the hay bales, tablecloths and napkins for the dinner tables, coffeepot, canning jars (for candles), etc.
*Clean cottage before leaving so when I return with my sisters in tow we won't all gasp when we open the door.


I'm off and running!

Bits and Pieces

Covered buttons and hand crocheted loop detail on front of gown.

*Wedding dress is nearing completion. It will be ready for hemming after a fitting next week.
*Garden is growing; so are the weeds. So is the grass. When it was cut this time I gathered the clippings and spread them between the plants. Instant mulch/weed inhibitor.
*Retirement celebrations are behind me; ahead are days to be filled as they were today with a ten-minute wake up yoga routine, an early morning walk, hot tea sipped leisurely while lounging on the outdoor swing, eggs scrambled with fresh herbs from the patio garden, a bit of farmer's market shopping, a lot of sewing, an afternoon nap, an evening bicycle ride and a little writing time while waiting for the lightning bugs to appear.
*Friends and family from near and far sent $ that, when pooled, equalled enough to purchase a new mattress. I went today to the bed store and tried out half a dozen, flopping on them like Hugh Grant in Two Weeks Notice. When I finally found The One, I plunked down my money and made arrangements for delivery. My old mattress, almost older than I am, was carted out this afternoon. Tomorrow the new one will be delivered. My trusty futon will serve as my bed tonight. I am beside myself with excitement. I can't think of a better retirement gift!
*I found a baking potato that Bean had hidden under a chair cushion.
*Looking forward to tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow!

Reading My Life

Yesterday's parting gift - waning sunlight kissing the highest leaves goodnight. Today is my last formal day of work. School will be out for the summer at 11:40 a.m. Tomorrow will be my first full day of vacation/retirement (which is official June 30 when my contract ends). So ends one chapter of my life. So begins another.

Mind Photos

My swing at the edge of the yard.

There was no time for taking pictures this weekend so here are a few word snapshots:

Bean sat on my lap on the swing that hangs from a branch of the large maple at the edge of my yard. "Memere and Beanie are swinging," I sang as she leaned back and watched the leaves overhead. She smiled at me, at the tree, at the the bits of blue sky she could see through the canopy.

We went to visit the Moo, the Baaa, and the Ooo-oo-ooo-oo-ooooooo before lunch. "Hi," called Bean to the chickens. "Moo!" she said to the cows. She handed some grass through the fence to the sheep. Then we came home hand in hand to tell Mama all about it, but first we stopped to pick a dandelion and sniff at a wild phlox blossom.

The bride-to-be tried on the muslin prototype for her wedding dress. A tuck here, a dart there and we were both pleased. Next week the cream colored satin will be cut and stitched, green organdy will trim the sleeves and be fashioned into a sash. She will be a beautiful bride!

I kissed Daughter and Bean goodbye. Bean waved disconsolately from her car seat. I stood at the end of the drive and watched the car disappear around the curve. I will see them in two weeks' time. Still, I wept.

If you Don't See Me...

"I am just going outside and may be some time." 

       -- Captain Lawrence Oates

It's raining and usually rainy days are blog days. If I can't be out of doors, I don't mind sitting and pondering indoors, but there's a lot going on in the next few weeks. I'm ten working days from retirement, the material for my daughter's wedding dress is spread across the dining room table waiting patiently while I master the intricacies of my new sewing machine, the garden is planted but needs constant attention as the weeds are flourishing along with the vegetables, and as my daughter, her fiance, and the Bean have just moved house, I will be on the road between here and there as often as possible to lend a hand getting them settled before the wedding at the end of the month. (Pausing to wipe sweat from brow.) 

As weather and events allow, I'll be around to read and comment and hopefully to write - but if you don't see me here for a bit just look for the blur I've momentarily become!