CLAY AND WATTLES

Breathing Room

It's Friday at last, but it's been a pretty quick week. However, this is the quiet before the storm. Next week's first two days will be busy with counting ballots (Monday) for director election, the regular board meeting Tuesday, and then the annual meeting Tuesday night.

I think we're going to see Amy tomorrow. It's her weekend off and we just need to get out a bit. We've both had busy weeks. Paul said he needs a new pair of tennis shoes, which he gets at Dillard's and has for years. They're always "on sale."

Marci called me back this morning from Hairjazz and said she could give me a haircut in the morning early. I desperately need one and had about decided to get one in the mall tomorrow if we decide to go to Memphis.

Richard called this morning and asked if we'd be in town tomorrow - he and Linda will be in Wynne for Neall's birthday. I told him probably not, but he said he'd call in case we changed our plans about Memphis. He was walking alone this morning - Linda had gone to Little Rock. I'm sorry we'll miss them this time.

Sher is in Florida at Melanie's and has helped Jordan look for an apartment there in Pensacola. Yesterday she'd found one downtown near the library, which is just what he was looking for. He can ride his bike to local events and around town. He can save gas money to use on the rent if he decides on that one. Sher hadn't had time to go to the beach yet for her early morning walk. I told her to call me so I can hear the surf and the gulls. With my earbuds I can hear background sounds really well, better than just using the phone itself.

Bren is on vacation, too, most of this week, until next mid-week. The end of this week she planned to visit Mary Jane in Meridian and take her some of her grandmother's belongings which Rosie couldn't take to Southern Magnolia Assisted Living, nor did she use them any more - her serger for one. I miss our emails! Before she left, we talked about getting together soon, just us girls, and tentatively set September 11 for a long weekend. Sher will try to come after work on that Friday. It'll be nice to be with Bren and Charlotte - we've talked about it ever since Charlotte moved back to Iuka. Maybe this will be the time to do it - just having time to be.

Charlie brought Beck's chair back this morning - completely workable/turnable rollers on her chair! I'm glad to have that done for her - she didn't need to try to be pushing/pulling her chair around with her back and legs - it just wouldn't roll right, even on the plastic mat - the rollers would hang and not swivel, but now work perfectly. Charlie didn't charge anything to do this, either. Nice.

Sher's birthday is coming up soon - August 4 - and I already have one something for her. I have in mind another gift and will check on it soon. I've listened to her 50th Birthday CD I put together for her - the music part - this week and can hardly believe it's been 5 years since Teri and I went to San Antonio for Sher's birthday. That was a wonderful, fun trip. At times, this week, I've had to turn the CD off because it brings back bittersweet memories. What was I thinking? At the time, all the songs went well with the pictures (and still do), but then we had not lost our Mama and our Teri. Now the words have another meaning in a different context. Then: Memories we could still share. Now: Memories of people who are not here to share them with us. But I still like the CD and it was Teri's idea for us to take it to Sher, rather than mail it. How impersonal that would have been! "We will take it," Teri said. We. And We did.