Quiet day

Today was my "Earth Day."

My Friend Debbie and I plans for this last Friday of Freedom before her new job and revised schedule kicked in. We had planned a quiet day, but ended up jumpstarting it with her covering a huge job fair, photo and stories to be written tonight, and a visit to our library's semi-annual book sale. [And who could pass up a book sale?]

I browsed the job fair, trying to assess who has work for what level of pay, but left the details to Debbie; I still tire too easily, so I shifted my energy to a more literary direction.

Such a book sale! So many books, so little time. I did my first 'sweep" of the tables, culling four oversized softback novels of store shelve quality, no broken spines or such, and the guilty pleasure of a Clive Cussler novel. Depositing those behind the cashier's table, I made round two, accumulating four more delectable novels [including a Peter Mahle) and at 4 mint softcovers for $3, I was a wealthy woman.

From that point, it was straight to Debbie's house for a lunch of tuna melts with spectacular cheese on grilled homemade organic bread. Eat slowly, savor the taste and the gooey warmth of melted cheese. Debbie is the master of home brewed mint teas, which we guzzled over ice with fresh lemons.

We meandered through her yard and its eclectic collection of trees, flowers, plants and birdfeeders. She collects rocks and stones of all sizes, some that fossils, others simply "interesting" or colorful. Pieces of driftwood are staged and structured with her artist's eye, and a closer look reveals rusty iron findinds turned into art.

I paused to study a piece of driftwood [closer to half a hollowed, waterlogged tree] that she dragged from the river when it flooded a few weeks ago; she is still studying it, assessing what it might become in her artist's mind. The tree hasn't revealed itself yet. But it will. In time. And she will make the most of it.

We chattered about large things and small, and spiced the conversations with generous dollops of laughter and smiles, enjoying the antics of the dozens of hummingbirds whizzing through the air from feeder to feeder along the the length of the porch railing, just a few feet before us. I spotted a young rabbit in the flowerbeds, apparently a regular guest. It was too early in the day for the deer or wild turkeys to emerge from the woods by the river that runs behind her home.

A stiff and cooling breeze took the edge of off the otherwise muggy heat of the day, and we sat on the deck immersed in tranquility.

Like all things escapist, it must also end, and so it did. She dropped me off at my house before heading into a hectic weekend. I settled into my house to finish a few chores before starting my hectic weekend. It's wonderful to have a hectic weekend planned after being as ill as I have been.

Spending time, any amount of time, with a friend like Debbie is always a gift, never to be taken for granted. She is a gentle but bright light in my Tennessee life and I cannot thank her enough for having found me.

The sun has set now; the bird chatter of twilight has succumbed to nightfall. In a few minutes I will close my door, turn off the lights and settle in for the evening. But it has been a wonderful day.
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created Apr 2008
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