Tired Girls

Instead of the beach, Jessie and I ended up going down to Apalachicola and May came with us. It wasn't very sunny and so we just headed down to the coast and stopped for lunch in Panacea where we found a new restaurant called Angelo and Sons, not to be confused with the HUGE Angelo and Sons over the water at the bridge about a quarter of a mile away.
I guess it was Angelo and Sons Lite, maybe.

The interesting thing about the place was that it was in the same building that Bill Wharton and my ex used to play in when it was called The Brown Dog Saloon back in the mid seventies and of course, that room was filled with memories. I have quite a history in Panacea- another novel if I ever cared to sit down and write it so I sort of felt like ghosts were tapping on my shoulder the entire time we were eating lunch, even though the place looked quite different and a hell of a lot better.

Still, the bar was in the same place and what used to be the stage is still there. A continuation of last night, in a way. But with Greek salads with shrimp.

Which is good.

We traveled on down to Apalach and did a little shopping and got coffee. When I think about moving down there, I think about the coffee shop and I think it'll be all right. They don't only sell coffee there but also a few funky clothes items and hats and jewelry and there are tons of cool magazines and wireless, of course, and there's just a beautiful feeling to it.
I didn't even mention the guava pastries which I have never had but by god, one day I will!

Here's May, trying on an apron that was for sale:

Isn't she cute?

We hadn't gotten to spend an entire day with our darling May in so long so it was just a treat.
We went to our favorite store, River Lily, and became dizzy with the earrings, the clothes, the cards, the perfumes and mermaids and lotions and potions and just feminine joy of the whole bespangled place.

Right about the time we were ready to leave town to come home, a huge thunder storm came blowing into town and we took off to get over the bridge in front of it and we did and made it home safely.

Exhausted. All of us. May just finished her work week last night and we all went out both Saturday and Sunday nights and none of us has gotten enough sleep or even rest but it's all been a joy. And we'll get some sleep tonight.

And then Jessie will be driving home to Asheville.
Sigh.
It just feels so right to have her here.

We went out to eat last night with Lily and the boys and here's a picture from there:

We're so rich in family. We are just fabulously wealthy in love.
When we were at the restaurant, Owen saw a fellow of about thirteen and the boy looked sad and Owen announced that he needed to give the guy a hug and a kiss. I had to explain to him that we can't just hug and kiss people we don't know and I think it came as a shock to him. Everyone he knows hugs and kisses all the time and begs, quite literally, for Owen's kisses and hugs. He knows they have value and are restorative and healing and he was sad that he couldn't just go kiss that boy.

Ah. Well. In a perfect world, he could have but we don't live in a perfect world and there aren't too many teenaged boys who would welcome the hug and kiss of a strange little not-quite-three year old and that's just too damn bad, isn't it?

All right. Time to rest.

Hug and kiss each other. Do it for them and do it for yourselves. Keep on doing it. Don't stop.

Everything will be all right and we'll all be better off. If I have any wisdom for today, that would be it.

Just hug and kiss.

But maybe not random strangers in restaurants. Unless, you know, they look really sad. And then maybe...what the hell? Give it a try. We could start a movement.

Love...Ms. Moon