In The Midst

  Ten days until Amy's wedding. It's been wild. Suddenly spring came for real making it possible to do the yard work. Everybody came and helped us here at the Stone House and then Elv and I cleaned and raked even more after that. And hauled tires and recycle-able metal away. Tires cost and metal pays. And it is not even at all. Funny world.
    I always get this urge to write it all down in my journal over coffee in the morning and to read books between prayers and bedtime. I scribble detailed lists and then finally cave in to writing on the blogspot, too. I read Kathleen Norris's book entitled Mother in the last twenty-four hours and wondered about authors and their little soap boxes and mine. Will mine every produce a readable novel? Maybe in the middle of the busiest of times someday. Anyway, reading is my escape from all the demands.
    What if I forget something important on wedding morning. Or what if there isn't enough food. I don't actually spend much time worrying about these things... I can't. I just can't even think of not getting this right. So I won't think about it. So I don't. But the last ten days are fraught with the care of timing orders for flowers and food and of phone calls and making sure everybody knows what they should know. And of finishing up things at the right time. The flowers are coming to our door here on Thursday according to the ordering we did online with Sam's Club. I haven't talked to a person. Just made an order on the computer. If those roses don't show up here on Thursday, I'll...what will we do? Another thing that I refuse to think about. All this not thinking of potential disasters and of working on not forgetting anything important and checking the things off my four or five lists that I keep adding to or crossing off. It makes me dizzy. Soon I'll have to have a list of my lists.
 

The wonderful people helping us along way must know that we are very grateful.
    Elv pulled me away from work half an hour early today and we did the weekly grocery shopping together. He had been on his feet all day doing repairs for Farmer Bob and his back was killing him. He finally asked to push the cart at Wal-mart to lean on it. I wondered when he was going to finally take over the cart. Everything took too long. We'd been to Miller's Market for cheese, and Kwik Trip for gas and then at Wal-mart we pulled up to the check out to the very slowest clerk we have ever encountered, ever. I kid you not. Maybe she was tired and in pain too, I suppose. We arrived home to laundry and dishes to do and the car full of groceries. The groceries came in. Then Elv offered to make supper while I whipped through the dishes and folding laundry and Brad built a fire in the stove downstairs because at last it has turned cool and rainy as per hugely needed. My man takes such very good care of me and us. He cooks on a crazy evening like this one or on another day shows me how to get a margin right here by having coffee midday.
    Elv says he has ordered 125 feet of the best clothesline there is from L&M. Should be in by the weekend. But I wonder, when am I going to hang out laundry yet, too. But I will. And read my books and learn my music.Which brings me to a miracle moment for me. In the middle of all of this I have re-discovered my piano. And a new song. A new song besides the Festival sheet music that I am learning. Like there isn't quite yet enough to do, so I add in another thing.
   Every day interesting packages arrive. It's fun. Last week while I was working on making the patio into our usual summer oasis, the mail carrier handed Elv two big boxes at the back of the house at the same time as the UPS handed me a package in the front. Kettles, lace, shoes, and you name it all addressed to Amy Graber. She opened a carefully arranged six yards of table lace the other day and the dearest little sewing kit fell out into her hands, a blue lace covered box with pins and thread and do-dads completely complimentary.
   Amy is getting married in ten days. But Brad is planning a canoe trip with Timmy for this summer. And researching their canoe trail and planning their outfit and possibly buying a canoe. So we all have our goals and dreams providing us purpose for living.
   And to keep the house from turning into complete mayhem I have asked Lou to do the weekly cleaning for us these three weeks over the wedding time. It's amazing to find our little house all spic and span when the four of us gather home in the evening. I had time to bake bread and play piano last weekend on Saturday for a change. I'm considering how we could make excuse to continue having her.
    I'll resist the urge to make yet another list here of what still must be bought and done and finished by simply closing this scribbling. Goodnight and sweet dreams.