A Day Full of Surprises!

Oh my, where do I begin... The day was wonderful...and sooo eventful.... It started off, early, early this morning, running to the store, to pick up 'last minute treats', and then getting everything together, no more than got that done, and Larry and Linda, popped in, {Painted Pony Antiques} I love those two, they have the most wonderful Log Home, filled with the most wonderful things... and then people kept coming... Colleen and Sarah, I have written about them, over and over...What a fun pair! Bud, Renate, and their dear friend Jeff, from NE. My sweet new friend, Kim, who drove 6 hours, from Kansas, to come, I met her at Walnut, and we became fast friends! Lori, my new friend, who is putting finishing touches, on her tree, and had to gather a few more ornaments, Carolyn A., who informed me about a 'kick butt' urn, at a tag sale...{more about that, in a minute! { Her Lemon Pound Cake, was a hit with everyone!} Peg came out, and brought Geri, to see our progress, Allyson, popped out, and is frantically measuring, for a counter, she fell in love with...My Pal, Tammy, from Williamsburg, scouting out ironstone...She is such a peaceful soul, I truly love our visits... And I was blown away, when my friend, Jo, {Jo's Brantiques, from Carlisle, Iowa {near Des Moines} pulled up...{ Jo has been on my heart, all week... I don't get to see her often enough...} Jo has been through so much, she lost her husband, Wade, a little over a year ago, very suddenly, and her son, just suffered a heart attack.... He is doing fine, but wow... Jo and I have been friends for many, many years... We did 'Heart of Country' together, in '03, and kicked butt! She has 2 sales, at her home, like me, in the Spring and Fall, and they will totally blow your mind! She contributed to Country Home Magazine, for years... She is a whirl wind, and is one of the most creative people I have ever known! My friend, David popped in, we had a lot of laughs, he has a sense of humor, that is wonderful! Our neighbor, and most dear soul, Vernon, paid us a visit...I love him so...{ he always writes his checks payable to, 'Barb the Sweetheart', and our bank gets a charge out of that, {we both bank there!} {it, by the way is the best bank in the world!}Tom, popped in, but I was sooo busy, we didn't have much time to chat, but I'm sure we'll be getting together, one of these days, and we'll all have to have a great visit, over Martini's, my treat! Mark and Dale, came and visited for a while, Dale about dropped, when I told him, our friend, Jo, had just bought all the beautiful Limestone columns, he had helped me pick up...and I have to deliver.... {Run, Dale, Run!} Our new friend, Amy, stopped in, and of course, had to tempt us all, even Peg, with Cool Christmas stuff, and we all shared our 'thrills of raising chickens' stories! Just as we were all clucking away, what do we hear...Sleigh bells...and a Ho, Ho, Ho! Yes, it was SANTA CLAUS!!!!! He came walking right in the door! He asked us if we had been good little Girls, and of course, we all are! He said he already knew that! { It was my dear friend, Bart....I have known him, for more years, than either of us would like to admit... He is a wonderful soul...he would help anyone, anytime, and truly is, the most perfect Santa... He does the 'Santa', soo well, and charges very little...He really loves doing it, I can tell...he even has a twinkle in his eye...perfect!} I can not begin to tell you, how many wonderful comments, we had on the store... I informed everyone, it was ALL PEG! I do not know, what I would have done without her....She is already dreaming, about coming in the Spring, and helping me give the outside, a 'face lift', with all kinds of plantings, and sprucing up.... I think I have died and gone to Heaven...{she asked if that would be o.k., if she came up, and fluffed the outside...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!} So many folks, knew Peg, and had never met her. They had seen her on the Blog, and loved her gourds, and already knew, what a God Send, she has been to me....We are going out for breakfast, in the morn, and she is headed home.... I know we will shed a few tears... It has been a grueling week, but also one of the best times ever, and a time we will never forget...To see the little store, transform, was amazing... We had a lot of folks stop, that I didn't know, that also seemed to be having a good time, and I Thank Everyone for stopping by! After everyone left, I had one more thing, to get done...My friend, Carolyn A., had told me about a wonderful urn, that was at a tag sale, she described it, and offered to go buy it for me...since I couldn't leave. I trust her judgement, and said if she would, I would take it...She warned me, it was a big one...Ah, she was correct... Peg hadn't left yet, and offered to follow me, and help... I assured her, I could get it... but she insisted...I grabbed my spade, {Carolyn said it was buried in the dirt, and grabbed my dollie...} We found the house, I thought, it was dark, and I saw the urn, she was right...it's over 4 feet tall, and one piece... I was wearing a long black cape, and had my spade, and was digging, and digging, trying to rock the monster, every so often, to no avail...Peg dug and dug, then I stopped her....I wondered, is this the right house.... we both looked at each other...there were no 'tag sale' signs, anywhere... the blood was draining from my face.... { I thought Peg was a goner!} I called Carolyn, quick... and yes, it was the right house...whew! We continued digging, and I rocked it over, partially, to expose a huge 10 inch in diameter by 18 inch long, concrete post, attached to the bottom... Now I can lift a lot...but this thing was not happy about being moved... Just then a young man walked up, out of the dark, and asked if we needed a hand, { I assured him, tho I may look like a 'Grave Robber', I wasn't, and he laughed...} I told him we would greatly appreciate it... He went next door, and got his Dad, and between the 4 of us, we broke off the bottom post, clean as a whistle, as Peg blocked traffic, I jacked the truck in, and we got'er on.... as I'm searching for money, to give to these 'Appearing Angel's', my phone rang, it was my daughter Liz. I called her after I got on the road, she said, "hey, are you on 15th ave?... I'm with a friend, and saw the road blocked, ahead of us, and told my friend, that looks like my Mom... I think that is my Mom....!!!!", I said, you drove by, and didn't stop? Thanks a lot!!! She made her excuses, and they were valid...she wasn't driving, and they had small children with, and it was a very, very busy road... We had it loaded, by the time they cruised by....But what are the chances of that! Cedar Rapids is a big, big town... I called Peg, who was headed for Geri's, and filled her in, on Liz's, 'drive by', and we both got a big laugh! Peg said, that she thought if she was going to be hanging around me, she would have to write a book, on all of the adventures... I would love to read it... 'til next time, Barb C. The urn, is home, not unloaded, but home... And thanks to all of the Angels! What a day.... Barb C.