A RABBIT, A CAT, & A CLEAN FLOOR

I love a clean floor, although I don't like to vacuum. Today the floor is clean, freshly vacuumed, thanks to Tracy, who cleans the house from time to time. How nice to come home to a clean house after a day of substituting.
The bunny rabbit, Herbie Miller, hasn't been out of his cage for a couple of days so I brought him in the house to get some exercise. He was so excited, hopping all over the house, taking time to rest under the bed, then hopping around again. I fixed him a plate of lettuce, cabbage, and carrots, prepackaged, organic, and set it on a towel in the middle of the living room floor. Going back into the kitchen I hear Lydia scratching at the back door. Then I get myself all settled in the chair with the computer. Herbie MIller soon found his food and joyfully started eating. Here comes Lydia! She creeps under the rocking chair, never taking her eyes off the rabbit. Herbie Miller is so busy eating that he doesn't see Lydia. Right in the middle of a tasty morsel, Lydia pounces. Herbie jumps sky high, his back legs landing right in the middle of his plate. As he lifts off with his strong back legs, his supper goes in every direction, scaring Lydia so bad, she runs in the opposite direction. All I could do was laugh, even if my clean floor was covered in lettuce, cabbage, and carrots.

HERBIE MILLER EATS HIS SUPPER

LYDIA STALKS HERBIE MILLER

LYDIA SURPRISES HERBIE MILLER

WATERMELON

While I was gathering tomatoes for supper, Mama called to tell me to come get half of a watermelon. JW relayed the message but I was cooking supper and decided to wait to return her call. During our supper she called again, asking me if he told me she had called and did I want the watermelon. I explained that we were eating and I would come when we were finished. Which I did. She had the watermelon in a large metal bowl. She asked me if I really wanted it. I told her, of course. I really didn't care one way or the other. I stayed to talk for a bit. I carried the bowl of watermelon out and sat it on the trunk of car so I could open the door. The next thing I knew the bowl and watermelon were on the ground. It was a hard fall for the watermelon but the bowl didn't seem to have any damage at all. I put the watermelon back in the bowl and brought it home. I left Mama's yard littered with pieces of watermelon. It gave us both a good laugh and didn't hurt the taste of the watermelon at all.

LOUISVILLE

I'm in Louisville. I love being in the city. This afternoon I made a walking trip to Borders. Being with books was just the thing for a Sunday afternoon.
Several streets were closed and traffic was being re-routed. Every kind of vehicle imaginable was trying to go in every direction when one SUV stopped and a woman yelled at the policeman that she needed to go up 3rd St. He told her 3rd St was closed, she said she wanted to go on 3rd St. How am I supposed to get home, she asked. It's closed, he said. She got out of her vehicle and walked across the intersection, throwing her arms and yelling, How am I supposed to get home! 3rd St. is closed, he said. I don't know how she got home.
The sounds of the city are just the best, chimes, horns, helicopters, clip clop of horses, children yelling, people talking, laughing, sacks rattling.
We ate at Morton's. When we walked onto the street the sun was just setting, turning the buildings a golden hue, setting the windows ablaze with light. The light breeze cooled my skin and lifted my spirits. Ah, the city.

ROSINE WITH MY MOTHER

Thursday is the day my mother goes to the beauty shop. Now and then we take off in the car with no particular destination in mind. This Thursday Mama said she thought we should go to St. Vincent de Paul in Beaver Dam. I thought that was a good idea. As soon as we got in the store Mama had to go to the bathroom, said she couldn't wait. But there was no public restroom. I told her we would go find a bathroom and then come back. She said she thought she could wait. She went to get a shopping basket, I found her a small one but she said she might want a big one. Armed with my camera I headed to find the underwear. I was happy to get several good shots. Also made some great shots of neckties. When I found Mama she was still shopping but had nothing in her basket. She had found something though, and she wanted me to look at it, a white oblong dish. The price was fifty cents. I told her to buy it and finally she put it in her basket. In the meantime I started looking at the books. I found 3 that I couldn't live without, BETWEEN THE APPLE-BLOSSOM & THE WATER - Women Writing about Gardens edited by Pamela Norris, THE POET AT THE PIANO by Michiko Kakutani and a signed copy of THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME by Adriana Trigiani, all for $1.35 each. Then I found 4 matching glasses and one mismatched glass that I just needed. We checked out and went back to the car. The next order of business was deciding where to eat supper. Mama said she would like a fish sandwich from Long John Silver. She was hesitant since she knows this is not my favorite but I told her that was fine. (I had a very unpleasant experience in the bathroom there once, I just opened the door and -you don't want to know the rest!) On the way we passed by Taco Bell. She then had to decide which place she wanted to eat, finally saying she thought we should just eat both places. We went for fish first. As we were ordering, one of the employees opened the door going into the kitchen and yelled at the top of lungs, "Would you all get out here and do something!" This set the mood quiet nicely. After much discussion, we decided we would each pay for our own food. I could hardly eat just thinking of the bathroom. I pushed the food around in the cardboard container and threw most of it away. Mama ate every bite of hers and part of mine. Then off we went to Taco Bell. Mama said she was too weak to go inside so we ordered it to go. I was too full for a taco so I had spicy cheesy potatoes and an apple pie. Mama ate every bite and said it was so good, didn't know when she had eaten anything she liked any better. I needed a few things at Walmart. Mama said she would wait in the car and finish her water and last few crumbs of her taco. I left the car running and promised to hurry. When I got back to the car she was asleep, laid back in the seat, her mouth wide open. I was glad she wasn't dead. I would have been arrested for elder abuse. I had bought her band aids for her arm that had bled all over the sleeve of her blouse. I gave her 2 boxes and she went on and on that I should have just gotten one box, why did I get 2, she hated for me to do so much for her. I finally told her to hush and fix her arm. Then she said she didn't like her taco very well, it didn't have much taste. Her taste buds were rekindled when I showed her what I had got for our after supper snack, a can of Pepperidge Farm French Vanilla Pirouettes.
As we started to head for home Mama said she thought we should take a more indirect way to get there. I gave her the choice of Hwy 1414 or through Rosine. Rosine seemed best to her. I was in agreement. I turned the car around and headed for Rosine. We soon passed the sign designating the highway as the BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY HIGHWAY. Then we passed the sign to JERUSALEM RIDGE, birthplace of Bill Monroe. We drove all through Rosine, up and down the streets, across the railroad tracks, by the barn and the country store where bluegrass music is played every weekend.
The cemetery was our next stop. Bill Monroe is buried here. We walked to the grave site and sat on the bench at the foot of the grave. I read the inscription on the monument and Mama asked me to read it again. We were there late in the afternoon, the gloaming, the best part of the day. Bill Monroe parents and some of his brothers and sisters are also buried close by. We stayed a long time, just talking and walking around, me reading the tombstones to Mama.
She wondered if we could find postcards with the inscription so we went to the BLUE MOON VARIETY STORE. Mama waited in the car. I didn't find that particular postcard but I did find other wonderful things - a cross-stitched cloth, a white meat platter, Bill Monroe postcards, a small wooden grip with a leather handle and leather straps that attach to metal buckles and most importantly - a book. LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT - Gandhi & the Way to Peace by Vincent Sheean.
When I was a little girl, my Uncle B told me stories about Mahatma Gandhi. He told me that Gandhi's favorite hymn was Lead, Kindly Light. I never heard or read this anywhere else but I never forgot it. I have told this story but always got the same reaction, disbelief or boredom. When I saw this book, just waiting for me there, I knew Uncle B would have been as excited as I was to find this book. Now this book will be with for the rest of my life.
I knew Mama would have a blast with all the wonderful things I had found in the Blue Moon Variety Store. We had the most fun looking at them. She asked me the usual question, what are you going to do with all this stuff. I don't know, I told her, but I really like it all.
I told her the story about Gandhi and Lead, KIndly LIght. She hadn't heard it before. We talked a lot about Uncle B. We miss him.
By the time we got home it was dark. I took Mama home and got all her things in the house.
I happened to think that I never did take her to the bathroom. I told her I was sorry. She said she had forgotten she had to go.
It took me longer to get all my purchases in my house. They are fine things.
It was a good day, a good trip. Many of the best things in life are close to home. I am truly blessed to have had this day with Mama. I wonder where we will go tomorrow.
Pictures of our day can be seen by clicking here:
www.picasaweb.google.com/bubbealice/ROSINE

WHAT WE'VE BEEN EATING

We have been having wonderful things to eat. Mama has been cooking most of our supper for the last several nights. We have had green beans, new potatoes, black eyed peas, hull-outs, fried corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, fried squash, fried cornbread. Yum, yum!!

SLEEPING, NOT SLEEPING

I would love to be able to go to bed and go to sleep. But the night owl in me keeps me up to all hours. I'll plan to go to bed early, find my favorite pillow, gather my books, look for a pencil, take my medicine, eat something decadent, decide which bed to sleep in, take more books to bed, fluff my bucky pillow. I get myself all settled, the fan blowing in my face, the light tilted just out of my eyes, my books in a pile, the cat asleep at the foot of the bed. I read. My eyes get heavy and grainy. I turn off the light, flop around, dig a hole, now I'm ready to sleep. But then, I can't breathe, I have to go to the bathroom, I'm thirsty, I'm hot, I'm wide awake. Back downstairs I have another snack with diet cherry 7-up, watch CSI:Miami, fold clothes, play solitaire, read e-mail, send e-mail, order books, read, write, become Theodosia, feed the rabbit, read blogs, watch for kittens at the back door, scan pictures, listen for the clock to strike. Finally I'm sleepy again. It might be 3 in the morning. I sleep really well in the wee hours of the morning. My best sleep is usually the nap I take just after I get out of bed in the morning.

Kristin

Elizabeth

Olivia & Leah

Silas, Lisa, Jane, Alice

HOME

I'm settling in at home after being away for two weeks.
The first week away was spent in Perdido Key, Florida. It was our first trip back since Ivan turned the key upside down. The beach was white, the wter blue, the waves white. The temperature was near perfect, hot, but not too hot to walk barefoot in the sand. The girls spent lots of time in the pool and on the beach. Olivia liked the pool the best, Leah like them both. Kristin and Elizabeth spent time both places. I liked sitting in the surf in my sand chair. Getting out of the chair was another matter. Bo & Jeanie came down on Sunday. We all had the best time.
My second week away from home was spent in Hindman at the writer's workshop. It's always good to spend time with my Hindman family. It was a great week, good conversation, reading, writing, listening, eating, books.
The bridge over Troublesome Creek has new boards but the spiders were the same. A new walkway has replaced the gravel walk under the trees. Change is hard but necessary for the settlement school and library since they serve so many people and support so many programs. It is a busy place.
Now that I'm home, I'm encouraged to make time for writing. It's easy now, I just have to continue to make the time. Theodosia is talking.