Crazy Weekend

It was a four day weekend, and there was a lot on the agenda.  I had a To Do list a mile long, and was so glad Gwen would be here to help

Gwen's long hair, braided.

.We had errands and shopping, picking up Rx, putting away Xmas decor, and taking donations to the Salvation Army.  Gwen brought her Kindle and we downloaded a couple of books that were waiting delivery.  She also brought her computer and I ran Spybot through it and cleaned out a dozen or two pieces of adware and malware.

But things don’t always go according to plan.  First off, Gwen woke up feeling poorly on Friday.  She had not slept well, and her mother insisted she stay home from school that day. This meant that I picked her up about noon with the intention of doing a few chores and maybe errands.  We cooked our favorite meal: chicken thighs (browned), covered with mozzarella and red sauce, baked an hour and served over big pasta.  We got the laundry under control–it was mostly folding and putting away by the point.  But the Xmas decor was a deal-breaker.  She brought all the boxes into the living room, and put away the candles, but that was about as far as she could go.  She needed some pain meds and a good long sleep. That suited me fine.  A job like that needed to be approached when one is fresh.

Saturday we actually got the Xmas decor sorted into Keep and Give Away, with an empty box to break down and throw away.  A sealed box labeled “Big Twinkle Snowflakes” didn’t get a second glance; it went straight into the Give Away pile. Plans were made for next years “Choir of Angels” display.  Gwen took a bulky comforter into the attic, vacuumed the bathroom closet floor, and we put the Keep decor neatly away until next year.  The Give Away was put in the car trunk and away we went to the Salvation Army drop off station.  We pretty much emptied the trunk, but they were out of receipts.  Gwen made a list anyway.   We went looking for someplace to eat and settled on Logans Roadhouse.  My food was great: I had appetizers and dips.  Gwen had fried cheese sticks and then her entree came: fried fish.  She began with great enthusiasm, then slowed down to little lady-like bites. “What’s the matter?” I asked.  She didn’t like to say, but finally I understood that she didn’t feel well… felt ‘queasy’, in fact, so we packed up and left.  I was afraid of food poisoning, or a stomach virus or something like that.  “Please tell me if you’re going to throw up,” I begged, “so I can pull over and you can open the door!”  But it never came to that.  I took her home to go to bed; I still had errands to do.  While trying to explain how to be ready for sudden sickness, she said, “I know what to do.”  Good.  I did errands, and just couldn’t help myself: I got her some sweaters for school.

Sunday we went to church; Rebecca invited us to go to lunch with her and Laura but I declined with regrets, after our abortive attempt at lunch the day before.  We all went to our cars, but I couldn’t GET INTO mine!  Where were the keys? I emptied my purse twice; Gwen checked under the car, in the church at the coffee/tea table; at the pew where we sat, but no keys. Gwen finally spied them on the floor of the front seat.

After turning down her lunch invitation, I had to ask Rebecca for a ride home for the spare keys.  Not really: Rebecca and Laura kindly offered to take me home and bring me back.  (Couldn’t call Jerry for them, as he is not driving yet.) We had a pleasant visit on our forty mile round trip.  Gwen ran in the house for the spare keys, she knows where they live!

Monday was reserved for the beautician. Gwen had mentioned that if we had time, she would like to have her hair trimmed and thinned.  It’s super thick and curly, and tangles easily.  My eye just happened to fall on the thank you card from Locks of Love, a donation of her long hair from several years ago.  “Would you like to do Locks of Love again?”  Her eyes lit up and she broke out into a big grin, “Yes!” she said.  So that’s what we did.  The beautician shaped it well and it is short and curly all over, and as cute as can be.

We came home, made pizza, and then it was time to go visit with Laura and Rebecca on the way to take Gwen home.  Rebecca gave me a reviving glass of red wine, some cheese and crackers and apple slices which set me up for the last lap.  Gwen had collapsed on the sofa.  Is she sick?  She admitted to be queasy again on the to her home.  I do hope she’s all right.  It’s been one Crazy Weekend.

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