This week started out not so great. While saying the Pledge to the flag Monday morning, my eyes drifted to several brown splotches on what was supposed to be a pristine white wall. GRRRRR. Some heathen teenager had launched wet snuff through the air to splat on the library wall. I'm sad to tell you that I did not use the moment of silence in my customary manner. I usually thank God for a wonderful place to work and ask Him to give me a good attitude and a loving spirit and to be a positive person in some teenager's life. My mind was plotting revenge and destruction instead! I wasn't considering my high school a wonderful place to work right at that point either. Cause the good fairy doesn't clean our building. I could either wait on the custodian, who is busy enough with other stuff, or take care of it myself. I used a broom and swiped at it till it came down. Yuck.
So, my mom called me at work Wednesday and wondered if I could possibly take a day off and have lunch with the women of our family. Hmmmm. After pondering this for about two seconds I said yes!
The plan was to meet at some cozy little out-of-the way B&B. You have to understand that where I live, out-of-the way is pretty much a standard! We all journeyed to Englewood, KS to a wonderful place I never expected to find there. My memories as a child of traveling through this town to visit my relatives was that it was a ghost town. Englewood no longer has a school, the mercantile's porch has fallen in and the swimming pool is out of commission. But, the ladies we met that day were so charming and hospitable that there was no need for anything more 'citified.'
The home of our hostess was a treat--a 1920s era, Victorian style home with gate posts and the pictured statue. We were warmly welcomed and fed a wonderful fall lunch of Cranberry-sausage strata with homemade bread, Waldorf salad on a bed of fresh spinach and a delicious pumpkin cream cheese pie. The table setting, the house and the wonderful Indian Summer day all contributed to a relaxing, enjoyable time. My mom demonstrated some cute purses she's making, then we went down the street to another house to view beautiful, intricate quilts.
The best part of the day was just being with family. Usually when we're together, there are kids plates to be fixed and food to be prepared and clean up to be done. It was terrific to be waited on and be provided a yummy lunch and there was no clean up or preparation involved! We spent an enjoyable few hours catching up on each other's jobs and kids and holiday plans.
My cousin and I discussed the difficulty of finding time to take off and just do something we wanted to do without feeling like we should be at work. I've found that I think I'm indespensible but usually, no one notices I'm gone! So, the lesson for today is--Find a beautiful day and some family you hardly get to see and reconnect!
By the way, Englewood may be 'out-of-the way' but the guests at the B&B were from New York. Of course, they were there to kill small, defenseless animals but hey--they'd traveled a long way to do it! And no, I don't know why that statue has her hands up in the air! Perhaps she used to have a fruit basket!
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