Week 32 - Rhode Island Bound

You would think that since I was leaving for Rhode Island in the wee hours on Thursday I would have kept the beginning of the week free but is that my style? Not so much.

Despite still being in the throes of year end closing meeting prep at work, I still knitted on Monday night and went to Dunkirk after work on Tuesday with Anne and Rene. Good thing I’d set aside all the clothes I needed to pack on the weekend and was dressing strategically for work (nothing I’d need to launder or take to RI) because I needed to pack and be ready to go (plants watered, cats all set to be inside for 5 days, etc.) and be in bed by 9:00 on Wednesday night. Yes, I did it all and was in fact in bed on time with 3 different alarms set for 2:45 so I could get to Eppley for my 5:20 am flight. Well one of those alarms was my iPad but I didn’t account for the calendar reminder for my flight, which chimed at 2:15 and woke me up even earlier. Oh well. I got up and to the airport and had uneventful flights. All good.

Carolyn picked me up and we immediately drove to my aunt’s and took her out for lunch. She is 95 years old and sharp as a tack, plus she gets around better than I do sometimes, despite being legally blind and having bum knees. We had lobster rolls and caught up. It was lovely. Now our plan had been to go from my aunt’s to the beach but Carolyn was as exhausted as I was, having spent the previous week helping her parents pack for a move to assisted living on Wednesday. Her father had called to say he couldn’t find the box with his meds so we went into lunch thinking we’d be driving to Providence to find them. Well, when he called to report he’d found the box, we’d already resigned ourselves to not hitting the beach so headed straight home to veg. With low energy levels and a fully packed weekend ahead, it was a good decision, even if it meant I wouldn’t get a beach day this summer. Oh well.

On Friday’s agenda was heading to Sharyn’s for lunch and shopping, which was fun, as always. After salads at Panera, we hit The Christmas Tree Shops and 5 Below, where I bought tons of stuff. From there we went back home to make blueberry cobbler to take to Peter’s that night. Seeing Bob for dinner had morphed into a barbeque at Peter’s for 7, including Tracy and Andrea. After a tour of Peter’s beautiful gardens, we had a wonderful night sitting on the deck enjoying food, drinks and conversation. Perfect!

Carolyn had an appointment on Saturday morning so I’d made plans with Deanne. She picked me up and a tour of the old neighborhood lead to all kinds of fun. First I noticed that my nana’s ivy had come back around the tree in the house I grew up in so I stopped to ask if I could pull a piece and was offered a tour of the house I grew up in. A family with 6 kids lives there now and I got to see my old room. How fun! I then stopped at the Corrigan’s (next door neighbors) to give condolences on Mr. Corrigan’s recent death so got a hug from Danny – the youngest Corrigan kid who was older but really hadn’t changed much at all. I then headed across the street to talk to Mr. Hatch, who was out in his garden, as usual. He’s 92 and still going strong, which is a testament to how healthy gardening is, right? As if it wasn’t already Old Home Week, Deanne suggested we see if Mrs. Bassett, our old girl scout leader, was home. She was and we spent 45 minutes chatting before heading to Providence Coal Fired Pizza for a yummy lunch. From there we went to Wickford to walk around and I hit The Mermaid’s Purl, where I bought yarn, which is always happy. We stopped for a drink on the water in East Greenwich – a great way to end a fun day with Deanne, who is my oldest friend. 

Carolyn had been cleaning at her parent’s now empty house after her appointment so when Deanne dropped me off, we were happily in for the day. I did go out to pick up spinach pies from Don’s for dinner – YUM! – but that was it. And Michelle came over after dinner to visit and drop off some yarn from her mom. LOTS of yarn. Clearly I'd be taking the duffle bag bag to Nebraska again. Gotta love Southwest's 2 bags free. I crashed early after Mitch left. Sunday was a day of rest, which we both needed.

The only commitment on Sunday was Cornelia coming for dinner. I’d brought brats from North Dakota (one of the many packages my nephew, Drew, had brought at Easter) so after a Job Lot run, we got corn at Morris Farm and macaroni salad for an easy supper. It was great to hang with Cornelia, who told me all about her new man. She’s happier than I’ve seen her in years, which is understandable since she’s been dealing with her late husband’s sickness and subsequent death 2 years ago. The low key day was much needed and appreciated. I did do a bit of organizing before bed because I was leaving the next day. I had some final fun planned for Monday but didn’t want packing to keep me from sleeping well.

It had been a quick trip but so worth it. While I’m happy living in Nebraska, my summer trip to RI is always special. Rhode Island is a wonderful place to visit and I’m so glad I grew up there. Regardless, it would still feel good to get home to Nebraska. I went to bed hoping for a good night’s sleep and drama free travel on Monday.