What a Day!!!

Peg and I worked in the Store for several hours, the funny thing is, the more you do, the more you see, that needs to be done....Oh well, we are pulling out the Vintage Christmas this morning... { I am anxiously awaiting news, on a new baby... Kate is being induced this morning... The Hospital is very protective, about visitors,{ this is a very good thing...} so I don't know when we will get to go in...Kate assured me, they would have their phones on! Keep them in your prayers...} Peg and I made deliveries, in the afternoon,yesterday, and had a fabulous lunch, in Oxford, Iowa. If you are in the area, be sure and stop in! It's called Augusta's, located on the main drag, everything is homemade, the breads and pies are wonderful, the folks that run it, are from New Orleans, and the food has a mix, between our hearty mid-west flavor, to a creole, and southern style...Very Nice! { I had the 'Derby Pie'.... oh my...oh my...} Augusta's hours are : Wed, Thurs. 11 AM-9PM Fri, Sat 11AM-10PM and Sunday brunch 11AM-2PM Closes at 8PM Phone #319-828-2252 {www.augustarestaurant@gmail.com} We had a wonderful lunch, I had the 'Po-Boy' and Peg had the most awesome Tenderloin Ever! Everything was great, I even knew the waiter.... In Oxford.... I looked like a real Goddess, my hair pulled up in a gnarly ponytail, sticking straight up in the air, no make-up.... bad, bad, bad... Joe, the waiter, seated us, and said, " Barb, is that you????" He was serious.... I said, "oh, yea...it's me...." I didn't recognize him either, probably because I didn't expect to see him there, Joe works part time for Fern Hill, and that's where we usually see one another! From lunch, Peg wanted to harvest some birds nests... She is a wonderful gatherer... Peg truly enjoys nature, and she found some wonderful ones. We wanted to cut evergreen, at my favorite "lawn waste" site, but we got 'skunked', they had already dozed and burned... As we were leaving the site, I glanced over to a pile of broken concrete, to see, in amazement, a HUGE BIRDBATH!!! Holy Smokes! I looked at Peg, and said, "I am Not Leaving, without that...." It was partially buried, by other pieces of discarded concrete, so we carefully exposed the huge bowl, to find it in remarkably good condition... the pedestal was standing near-by, and perfect! The issue was, how to get this monster loaded... My asthma has been the worst it has been in years, I am constantly huffing, puffing, wheezing and coughing all day and night...{ little rest these days...} and Peg, tho mighty, isn't a very big girl... But I knew one thing... if it killed me, that birdbath was going to be in the back end of that truck.... Peg and I looked at each other, I backed the little Ford, as close as I could, to it, looked at Peg, and said, "On the count of three...1...2...3....GRRRR! And the huge bowl was loaded... What two crazy women can do, when they put their minds to it....I'm sure it was adrenaline! On the way home, our pal, Dale F. called...{he truly has the worst timing...} He asked if we needed a hand, unloading stuff, he was in Fairfax, and would be glad to help... We said, suuurrre! When he saw the size of that bowl, I thought he was going to get in his car, and RUN! But sweet soul, that he is, he stayed, and helped. { More than he wanted... We got the birdbath, elevated on 4 big concrete disc's,{ that had to be carefully leveled, one by one} then Peg looked at me, and said, "Well Barb... don't you think this needs to go back, another 6 inches, or so...?" {it did, it really did...} The look on Dale's face, well, it was totally priceless... I was laughing so hard, I truly could not breathe, so was Peg... Dale literally 'crossed his eyes' and totally went limp.... Oh my gosh, I thought Peg and I were going to keel over, right then and there... Dale agreed, he would help tear it all apart, and re-do... Peg found an old level, Dale grabbed it, and started leveling the stone, squinting, and standing back, eye balling the stone, then back to the level.."I CAN'T SEE THE BUBBLE!!!" Oh my Gosh... Peg and I were rolling....Poor Dale... I kept snapping pictures, he kept yelling at me "THIS HAD BETTER NOT GET ON THAT BLOG!!! {Flash, Flash, Flash went my little Kodak!} What A Guy... Dale took off, before we had a chance to change our minds, again, and Peg and I worked til about 8:30. She's coming out, this morning, around 9:00, and we will get into the trailer, and Fluff Christmas... I need to get the treats lined up, and the 'wine' is looking mighty tempting, already, this morning... It has been a long, long week... I don't know what I would have done, without Peg... And for the life of me, I can not understand, why she puts herself through so much torture, helping me... This is grueling work...really... She says, " I'm not doing anything but running a vacuum, and sweeping.." WHATEVER!!! God truly sent me an Angel, when Peg walked through the door, of my little store, many, many years ago... When she moved to MO., it was awful, but I hear little hints, like they might be moving back home... I hope so... I'm headed for the bath, it's about 7:30, and I keep thinking about Kate... They induced her around 6:30...Prayers, Prayers... and Justin too... he has no idea... 'til next time, Barb C.