The week started with a day of wading – perfect! It was my last day in the Black Hills and Connie woke up feeling much better so we went on a tour of Spearfish, did a little bit of shopping (many stores were closed for Labor Day, which was weird for such a tourist centered town) and met Gordy for lunch. We went to a local Chipotle type place and took our lunches to Spearfish Park, where I finally got my feet in some mountain water. It was SUPER cold but just heaven. There’s nothing I like more than wading.
After lunch, Connie and I headed up Spearfish Canyon. There was gorgeous scenery everywhere, especially the waterfalls. We stopped wherever we found something to see. Roughlock Falls was wonderful and we both took advantage of a platform over a pool to wade in the breaktakingly cold water. You couldn’t keep your feet submerged for more than 10 seconds. It was that cold! We stopped to see the open pit mine in Lead, got more truffles at The Chubby Chipmunk and then headed home for the chicken dinner Connie had put in the crock pot before we left. We ended the night with another fire in the outside fireplace. Nice! So many of my favorite things and people in one day.
My plan had been to be on the road by 8:00 but when I woke up at 5:30, I changed that. By the time Connie but up, I had eaten breakfast, packed and made a hearty lunch to eat on the road. I left the house before 7:00 after Connie woke Gordy up for me to say goodbye. The ride back was endless! I took I-90 the whole way because I wanted to stop in Yankton to photograph the old state hospital. Other than one stop to pee and another for gas, I didn’t stop at all, arriving in Yankton in early afternoon (I’d lost an hour when I went from mountain to central time.) I stopped at McDonald’s for a frappe, drove through the hospital grounds, taking pics from the car, and then headed south. I was home just after 5:00 so had some time to unpack and settle back home before bedtime. It had been a long day but the drive was worth it to see Connie and the Black Hills. I’ll be going back for sure.
Since I was able to go to bed early, going to work Wednesday wasn’t that bad. I slogged through email and finished my monthly reports so the day flew by. I swam after work, picked on ton of veggies in my garden and made a big salad for dinner. Then I sat down to finish the last 2 CD’s of The Lost Symbol, which I’d listened to both to and from SD but hadn’t finished. I knitted while I was listening and finished the hat for my color swap. It was a good day.
I had my annual eye doctor appointment Thursday afternoon and, as usual, I was there for almost 2 hours. They dilated my eyes and it was so hard to see that I went straight home. And what did I find when I got there, just wanting to hole up in the dark? The twitchy painter was there finishing up the last of the window trim and repainting some spots on the side of the house. With the sun beaming off of the west side of the white house, it was impossible for me to check his work. I could NOT look at that wall and I just wanted him gone. Sheesh!
My swap package had arrived and I was excited to open it. It was full of amazing things! Two tote bags (one in my colors and one with Paris fabric), tons of Paris themed stuff, two Royal Worcester egg coddlers, which I’ve wanted for years, anodized aluminum glasses and handmade lampwork beads. She even bought my favorite yarn, which was just by chance according to my swap partner, and some undyed yarn. This woman did a wonderful job of cyber stalking me and getting perfect stuff. It made my day!
Friday was over in a flash, ending with a pleasant evening at Kate's, and the weekend was here. I had a Friends meeting on Saturday morning and then I ran errands, which included a stop at the Senior Center Thrift Shop, where I filled 2 bags with clothes – t-shirts for Debbie, who will be here in 2 weeks for Michael’s wedding and needs them for a quilt she’s making, a few things for me and a big bag to divvy out to friends. I went to Andrea’s shop to drop what I’d found for her and we decided to go to the flea market at Venice Antiques, after a homemade pizza lunch at Andrea’s. I found all kinds of good things at good prices – a white metal plant stand, some avocado canisters, some linens, etc. It was hot in the sun but we had fun. Since I had so much to do to reclaim my house, I started when I got home, picking up the kitchen, running the dishwasher and mowing, leaving only laundry and cooking for Sunday.
So that’s what I did Sunday. I had lots of laundry with all I’d bought at the thrift shop and cooked on and off all day – coffee cake to have with my tea, quiche, a peach pie to take to knitting, etc. I also finished the last of my drink cozies and started the market bag for my next swap. While the house wasn’t completely neat when I finally went to bed, it’ll just a matter of putting things away to prep for the cleaning lady. What a wonderful week. Life is good!
No comments:
Post a Comment