Busy Times, Slow Time

 It has been a week since I last posted here on my blog. When I look at my calendar it doesn't look all that busy, but whatever I'm doing seems to take twice as long now. 

Because we had guests coming on the following Monday, cousins from California whom we had hardly ever met and who had never been here, we needed to get busy and spiff up the garden that was beginning to look a bit raggedy around the edges. Between keeping up with my twice a day PT routine and yard work, I got a work out.

Thursday I had a long awaited appointment with my primary care doc, and she was a good listener. By the end of that day I had an appointment set up with my orthopedic surgeon for my hip, and a pending referral with neurology for my balance issue. I felt heard, and that's a good thing.

Our Friday morning breakfast was canceled because one of our friends had COVID, probably picked up from a large family reunion she had attended. She is OK, thank goodness. The plague still lurks, though. We slept in and then shopped for groceries and did more yard work.

On Saturday Tom attended an outing with our garden club. I stayed home because it involved a lot of walking and standing. In the late afternoon, evening, we attended a lovely outdoor wedding.

I didn't take any more pics, that wasn't my job. We had good visits with cousins of several generations in Tom's family.

Sunday we did the Monday chores; housecleaning, laundry, and some party prep - food, table set up, flower centerpiece. It was pleasant gathering flowers from my spiffed up garden.

Then we made a trip across the valley to our favorite produce stand, Carpinitos, to get fresh local strawberries.

Monday we were up and going to get things done. Tom picked up the fresh mini-croissants from the Safeway bakery that I had preordered. We had an assembly line building the little sandwiches: ham, brie, and butter lettuce; or turkey, cream cheese, and cranberry sauce. Completing the menu were macaroni salad, butter lettuce, avocado and orange salad with blue cheese dressing, and fresh cherries. My sister Laurie brought yummy shortbread cookies to have with coffee or tea. 

Laurie and my local cousins arrived early, so Laurie, Kris, Charley, and Dan toured the garden while awaiting our California guests. Cousin Rick, his wife Donnakerri, and their Seattle daughter Samantha completed the gathering. 

There was lots talking and catching up around the table. Laurie brought pictures and we shared some we had on our walls. We learned things about each other we didn't know. Tom and I have wonderful people in both of our families.

We adjourned to the garden for more touring and talking and then gathered on the patio for Strawberry shortcake made with the angel food cake I had made the day before and those wonderful local strawberries. There was lots  more talking. 

I was happy to have hosted a very successful gathering. I met a cousin and his lovely wife whose relationships I will now cherish. 

When we had time Tom and I had been packing. We had a getaway planned for Monday, so after our guests left we finished packing, had a light supper of leftovers, and we were off to Whidbey Island.

It was still light when we arrived, but the sun was soon to set.

We appreciated that previous visitors, younger family members, had gotten the dock back in the lagoon.

Tom got the new recliner we had brought with us up the stairs and installed in the living room.

All unpacked, we settled in.

This morning Tom raised the heritage flags aloft.

I have done my first round of PT, about the only work I plan do to for three days. 

The garden will soon be going to seed but we don't plan to do much with it during the summer.

As I have been composing this LONG post, the sky has cleared. It will be a warm, pleasant afternoon, which is actually well under way already. 

We will eventually get over to the beach. No hurry. 

It's s-l-o-w time.