Saturday....................................

Nope! You don't have your dates confused. It is Monday. It is just so early on Monday, I thought I would write about Saturday; since it was such a full day, and it lingers in my mind still.

I became aware of being awake praying, before the alarm clock went off at four forty-five in the morning. I had to laugh at myself when I realized what I was praying for was lightening! It would be just down-right dangerous crazy to go running when it was lightening now wouldn't it? When I reach full conciousness, I came to the conclusion that my luck (what luck?) was holding, and there wasn't one single flash of lightening to be seen. Only thing left to do was get up and get moving. (Tell me again why I write stupid things like "I don't make excuses to not run." in this blog? Now I have to hold myself to them.) If I didn't do my first run of the day, I couldn't go to the plant sale. (I am so good at punishing and rewarding myself. Years of practice I guess?) The good news is, since I didn't have time to drive to the trails, I did my long run on the road, so I finished in eighty-five minutes instead of the pledged ninty minutes, and it didn't start lightening as soon as I was two miles from home, so for once not having (MY kind of ) luck worked out.

So.......... At one minute to eight in the morning, I was feeling good for having one run out of the way, and my youngest and I were pulling into the plant sale. I was slightly mifted to see, oh about a thousand people, all ready pulling plants into their piles since the sale didn't officially start until eight am, but in the excitement of it all, I was able to let it go.

The plant sale was started eight years ago by a nurse that I used to work with. Her (and as the years go by more of) her friend (s) started to thin their perennials in the spring and sell them to their friends at very reasonable prices. Since we don't work together any longer, it is the only time of year I get to see her. What I like best about her plants, is that they are real, not ones force started in a greenhouse so they are already hardy and tend to do really great. My only rule of gardening is "I stick you in the ground. From that point on you are on your own. You get watered when it rains, and weeded if your lucky. If you die, there is more where you came from next year." Sounds harsh I know, but as a result I have some pretty hardy plants. You know..... Survival of the fittist. Pick your battles. Tough love. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger...................................

Being brilliant, I had gotten lunch ready for my friend (other right arm) to serve to the OPs Friday night, so when I got home from the plant sale, and my youngest headed off to her track meet, (I had switched my prayer to NO lightening please) I actually had time to sit down and relax for a few minutes. I fast forwarded through last weeks Ghost Whisper, and still can't believe how it ended. (I have got to learn to let things go!) (My) Mister, doesn't watch the show, but I am sure that he is wishing he did so he could tell me something profound to make me BELIEVE the ending and get on with my life instead of walking around muttering (I can't believe they did that," and "I can't believe I didn't see it coming." under my breath........... By the way, I've seen "Sixth Sense three or four times, and I still say the same things every time it ends. )

Time arrived to get ready for the funeral, other right arm arrived and we were on our way to say a final farewell to our resident. I had decided to speak at the funeral, and share some of my memories. It is a good thing that I took my visual aid, because several people came up to me afterwards and told me they didn't recognize me until I pulled it out......... Then they made the connection. (I was going to include a picture of the famous visual aid in this post, but I forgot to bring it in out of the truck, so it went to work with (my) Mister this morning. The visual aid is a piece of wood with a hook, two clamps, and a screw attached to it. My resident designed this to assist himself with dressing so he could retain his independence. He loved showing it off to everyone that visited, thus they all recognized it fondly when I talked about it at the service.) Must be they didn't recognize me because every time they saw me at home, I had my normal uniform of shorts, T-shirt, hair pulled back, naked face on, and out of respect today I was wearing a dress, had my hair down, AND Makeup........ And they say clothes don't make the (wo)man! My youngest was sporting the layerd look. After she ran the four by eight, she threw a skirt and top on over her track uniform, came to the service and then returned to run the two mile (AND GET A P/R of thirteen thirteen!) She had forgotten to grab different shoes, and looked so darn cute with her skirt and her track shoes, that she helped me not be so sad at my loss.

Funeral finished, (It had been very special, and as the talk went: "Would have made our resident very proud." off I headed to do my afternoon run on the trails. Since it had been raining nearly non-stop for three days I was sure I would encounter some mud, and was ready to "take it on!" The first half of the trial was a little slicker than normal, but I ran it fine, and was feeling pretty cocky since the trees were blocking most of the rain, and I was hardly wet. Just as I am thinking this, the trail disappeared, into a mini lake that had not been there two days before. I looked around and noted that up a few yards to the side there was grass that I thought I could cross over on. What I found was a stream with a fallen log. My dilemma; cross the lake, go the mile or so back around, or pretend I was in the circus and do a balancing act on the log to get across the stream. I picked the latter, knowing if I slipped I would get soaked, but just two darn lazy to swim or go back around. (Are you holding your breath, waiting for the outcome?) I MADE IT ACROSS, without falling in! (Are you disappointed, expecting more drama after the build up?) Now I was feeling very cocky, as I continued down the trail. A hundred yards or so farther up, I was again stopped by water. Only this time there was no land in sight. (Except of course behind me, and I just wasn't going to let that be an option.) Had this been the race, of course I would have just ran through both lakes, but it wasn't, and I had to go to the store after I finished running, and I didn't want to be walking around with sqishy, squeeky shoes. Nothing left to do but take them off and wade across the mid-calf deep COLD water, praying that no little fish bit my toes. (Okay! logically I know this wasn't likely, but that happen to me once when I was a kid swimming in a lake and I have had a phobia about it ever since.) I made it to the other side, put my shoes and socks on and finished the rest of the trail uneventfully.

When I got home with the groceries, I declared that Mother's Day was starting early this year, and went to bed, leaving (my) Mister to deal with the bedtime routine for the OPs. Did I say I wasn't lucky? Maybe not, but I am very fortunate that I have a husband and children that spoil and support me in every way. Thanks gang! I love you more!