Hope your Saturday is a Great One.....

I really do hope you are having a good day because so far, I have. My leg feels a little better and hopefully the cream will start working soon. My leg took a real bad turn for the worse Thursday night so I called to go in to see the dermatologist yesterday and she ruptured all the blisters. She said there were blisters inside of blisters and that she got the big one that had started oozing as good as she could and it would take a while to heal. She also said that my lymphoma could be one of the reasons my allergic reactions have become even worse than before. Oh well. I came home and tried to make some headway in making this little place presentable enough for company. As always - everything got piled up in the office/laundry room and the rest was hit with a lick and a promise. I do like my new vacuum cleaner. Yep - I finally broke down several weeks ago and bought my Dyson Ball. I went to Sears and handled both of them and

still decided to go with the smaller one for all the reasons I have had all along. The bigger one is easier when it comes to using the wand but the one I got is just fine in that area. It is very lightweight and takes up very little storage space. I just pick it up, extend the arm and it takes no time to do the living room carpet, push a button and do the kitchen and hallway for a quick clean up. I've offered my old one to a young friend who just moved into a garage apartment and is living alone for the first time. On Wednesday, Rie asked me if a friend had sent me a text message. I told her I didn't know so she checked my phone and sure enough, there was a message asking me what I was doing Friday. When I told Rie, she said - "yes, Friday is going to be her last day of work (she drives a school bus) and we were talking about getting together to have a glass or wine to celebrate." So I'm like - alright - that sounds like fun! Then Rie said in her hesitating so as not to make you mad voice - "well, we were kind of hoping to have this at your house". LOLOLOL and of course I said YES - I would love to.

Luz was the first one to arrive in her lovely pink outfit with matching shoes. She was laughing when she came in and said, "I don't get to go out or get dressed up too often so thought this was an appropriate occasion." I knew right then we were all going to have a very good time. Rie had told us earlier in the week about a very simple and quick pasta she makes for her family. I had bought some of the ingredients thinking I would try it and asked her if she would make it for us so we could all try it and watch how she does it. Vera's younger sister wanted to come and brought one of the best salads I've ever eaten. Gail made delicious garlic bread so we had a feast. This was an expensive week for Kendall Jackson so I finally bought several bottles at Wal Mart where I also picked up a nice cheese ball to go with some crackers I already had.

I also picked up a small bunch of roses at WalMart but didn't hold my breath over how long they will last. As it turns out, I think they are going to be the first fresh flowers I've purchased in a long time that do last.

Everyone decided they also love Kendall Jackson - except for Vera who likes her sweet wine. I didn't care as long as she was enjoying herself. We all LOVED the pasta which was delizioso which is the Italian word that sounds a lot like the Spanish word for delicious!!! After we finished the pasta, we had some of my fresh fruit salad with a big serving of Greek yogurt with a little honey added. Everyone said they liked that too.

Poor Vera was so tired she would just sit with her eyes closed and listen to us talk. Everyone started getting real comfortable while some music played in the background. It was an excellent way to wind down and cool off after a hot week in service.

When Gail pulled the chair out to recline it she said - "that's it - I'm gone". I had the digital frame Kurt and Leah gave us for our anniversary last year on and everyone was looking at the pictures while Vera was trying to not snore. She swears she heard everything we said but I doubt it. At one point she realized I was taking her picture and "discreetly" pulled pulled her shirt up.

Once she was quiet again, Gail was going to tug on her shirt to scare her while Rie and Luz pointed but Luz's arm got in the way. Not long after everyone got here, it started raining.  We were laughing about all the things we heard as youngsters about when it rains while the sun is shining.  Mine was that the devil was beating one of his wives. That brought up how we were also all told thunder was the sound of the angels bowling. Then we started remembering the first time we saw it rain across the road from us or down the middle of a car. As the evening progressed, the rain became a downpour.  When it first started, I opened the back door thinking it would be cooler but it wasn't.  By the time everyone left, it had cooled off a bit.
 
Miya enjoyed watching the rain also. Of course she had to greet everyone and fell in love with Vera's younger sister Monay. It turns out she isn't like her older sister and actually likes cats! Everything feels really fresh today because of the rain last night. As long as I don't go into the office or look around too hard, the house looks pretty good which is why I probably should have a few friends over every month - it forces me to do what needs to be done. I feel so honored that people actually enjoy coming to my little cottage to wind down for relaxing but fun conversation.  They know they can kick off their shoes and nothing is off limits - hopefully they will always feel this way.  I wish Marlan could have been here but she was in Virginia with Bri who found out there is a 95% probability she is going to have another little girl.  Woo Hoo!  Can't wait to meet the little princess.