Quiet Soul Tonight

I took that picture from the deck of a Mexican restaurant in Tallahassee today. That's a bald cypress, celebrating fall with all of the appropriate colors. I was there with five grandchildren, two daughters, two might-as-well-be-daughters-in-law and two granddogs. They'd all met up at the little park by the library and although I'd been invited, I just could not get myself together early enough to meet them there but for some reason, I was able to get to the restaurant for lunch. 

Here's some pictures from the park. 

The kids are getting a lot of good cousin time this week. 

I've never been to the restaurant where we went for lunch but I've passed it many times. It was terrific and they brought us so many chips and bowls of salsa and we sat on the deck so that Pepper and Chloe could be with us. They are such good doggies.

It was a rowdy lunch, of course. How did I raise such rowdy people? You know perfectly well that I trained them up to be perfect ladies and gentlemen. 
Try not to laugh your ass off. 

I've told Owen to let me know when he's going to be working at Publix so I can go see him in his new capacity as an employee. He told me today that next Sunday will be his first day. I asked him to please text to remind me because I definitely want to go see him at work. I also told him that there was little doubt that I'd cry when I was there. And even as I told him this, I began to cry. 
Good Lord, but I'm so ridiculous. 
But as Jessie pointed out (and it was exactly what I was thinking of) I used to take Owen to his mama at that same Publix on her breaks so that she could nurse him. 

That seems like yesterday. God, what a stupid cliche! But it's so true. I'd pack that little baby up in his car seat and carry him out to my car, buckle him in, and drive the interstate because it's only about eight or nine minutes from my house to that Publix if I take I-10. Classical music seemed to soothe him and so I'd play that on the radio. It was tricky timing because I didn't want to give him a bottle right before he went to his mother, but I didn't want to starve the poor little guy either. So he was usually fussy on the way. I have never in my life been any good at not feeling great anxiety and despair when I hear a baby crying and cannot do anything about it. It is the most heartbreaking, heartrending sound in the world to me. 

But he and I both survived and look at this boy now.

He is way taller than I am and he's only fourteen. My heart. 
Gibson keeps telling me that he's as tall as I am but he's not there yet. Give him a year and he will be. And August? Well, who knows how tall that child will get? Vergil comes from a family of very tall people as does Jessie, of course. Well, her daddy's side of the family, anyway. My side is all a bunch of short people. Perhaps there was something about his height that called to me. I needed to add some stature to my bloodline! And so I have. 
Owen is so loving towards me. I think he truly knows how much I love him- how fiercely and deeply. As I do all of those babies, but he was the first. He gave me my grandmother name. He knows my heart. 

It's Maggie's turn up on the big wheel next to come spend the night. She's planning it already. She's going to give me another make-over with her Claire's cosmetic set. I can't wait! God, I need a make-over.

That dress I'm wearing in the picture just arrived today. It's flannel and has excellent deep pockets and yes, it looks like a tent which is what I need these days to fit my formidable body but my only real requirements in clothing now is comfort and that includes fit, fabric, and pockets. This dress is as comfortable as they come and the pockets are more than adequate. Leggings go under it nicely for warmth. I am still wearing it as we speak. I took off the bra-like garment I was wearing under it and replaced that with a very soft, comfy, old long-sleeved cotton shirt so I'm feeling good. I got the dress from a company called Natural Life. They have a sort of hippie/Bohemian vibe and the things I've ordered from them are fine. They are generally of decent quality and do not cost an arm and a leg. 

 

I would just like to say that I am not getting any sort of kickback from them. I wish. 

I haven't heard from the man today. He called me last night around 10:30 and I told him that he was being rather bold, calling that late. He wanted to report that he'd already spent some time in the deer stand and had seen a buck. I'm sure he told me how many points it had but I've forgotten already. Points are those pointy things on the male deer's horns. Horns? Antlers. Yeah. That's it. 
Well. He's happy. 

And so am I. I didn't get any pills wedged in my throat this morning, my kidney stone is quiet. I talked to the urologist early in the week and honestly, he's not recommending that I get the lithotripsy at this point. I can if I want. He's made that clear. But he keeps saying, "It may never really move that much at all and if it does, we can take care of it then." 
Eh. This is true. And I like the fact that he's not not trying to pad his surgery schedule with a patient with good insurance. So that's where I am with that. 

This morning when I got up, the sky was so blue that the single contrail that streaked across it was startling in its whiteness. A simple thing that we see all the time, but made brilliant by the clear, fall sky. I could hear hawks making their piercing cry, loudly, and I wondered what in the world was going on with them. I was grateful that I had no chickens for them to be diving for. I miss those birds but I do not miss the constant worry about them. Still, I think the way their gentle clucking presence soothed me may have balanced that worry out. At least until the fox began his or her taking of them, one at a time. One at a murderous time. 

It's supposed to rain tomorrow and then we're going to get some cooler temperatures. Some even in the thirties. This always happens when Glen is out of town and I don't have any help moving plants to more protected places. It always works out. 

He just called. He's fine. He took a bunch of shrimp up there and they're about to cook it, eat it, and drink some whiskey. He's not getting home until next Saturday due to a situation where he has to pick up some small boats for someone (does this sound like Mr. Moon or not?) in another part of Tennessee. I told him that's all right. That maybe I'd knit a rug or something while he is gone. 
I am not going to knit a rug. Trust me. 

But oh, Maurice is going to be so mad at him that she's not going to talk to him for days when he gets home. She started getting upset when he began laying out his duffel bag and backpack on the bed in the guest room. That girl knows her daddy's habits. She does not like it when he leaves.

I guess I'll go heat up some leftovers. I should have stopped at Publix today and gotten some salmon, cauliflower, and baby peas. What was I thinking? 
I believe I was thinking I just wanted to get home. I need to eat some salads anyway. I sure have the greens to make them. I'll do that tomorrow. 

Love...Ms. Moon