The Home Stretch

Every day the UPS brown guy, or gal, leaves a little something at my door. Last night it was four big cartons that were as light as a feather. Can you guess what it is? Well, my attempt to order this confection online failed, so I did it old school and picked up the phone. Lo and behold, they offered me a 20% discount because it was for a wedding!! Now you won't find that happening very often, on the land line no less. All I had to do was email them a copy of the invite or 'save the date,' which I promptly did. In my zeal to make this as local and sustainable a wedding as possible, I ordered pickle flavored potato chips from Route 11, a very eco-friendly and just plain nice company a few miles up the road. These snack size packages will be part of the welcoming gift bags at the hotel for our guests. There is a store in town that specializes in gifts from our fair state, including peanuts of all shapes and degrees of smokiness, that will pack and deliver gift bags to the hotels for free. And that's all I'll be saying about that, since some of you reading this will be attending the wedding and I wouldn't want to give away any wedding secrets.

Last night I had a dream about a dress. It had lace and was being fitted by a tailor. When I woke up I said, "Amen." Can't remember what I was amening, but I can tell you it's been a long time since I've had any trace of religion in my dreams. We've had a rainy spell, so maybe I was amening the rain since it means no more mornings spent hauling hoses around the yard. Or maybe I'm just grateful that my daughter seems happy lately on the phone. There was a period when she wasn't sleeping too well; her residency keeps her on swing shifts so I never know if she's working in one of three possible time zones. This morning she was brushing her teeth while talking to me, on purpose...I thought she had worked the 3 to midnight shift. But no, she worked all night and had just gotten home; I was about to take my shower and start my day and she was going to bed. It's almost cruel if you ask me, to keep changing their circadian rhythms. It would be better to just put them on one time zone for a few months and then gradually change them to the next. That's the way the police do it, and any other job that requires 24/7 coverage. Residents only get one day off between changing a shift to adjust. It's almost a form of psychological torture.

I've decided to set up a table in the basement and put all the various boxes with wedding paraphernalia downstairs. That way I'll be forced to organize all of it, and I won't be tripping over it in our "not so big" house. The potato chips are in the front hall, the DIY fan programs are on the kitchen table, and the assortment of china and fabric that will become tiered serving platters and decorations are in the living room. My Beehive event planner is afraid I'll be folding napkins the day of, and wants me to delegate. You see we bought the periwinkle napkins for 50 cents each at a Plow and Hearth sale months ago, and my plan is to tie each with twine and insert a twig of rosemary. I have plenty of rosemary in the garden; it translates to "dew of the sea," and symbolizes "remembrance and fidelity." Lavender will also figure heavily in our flavors and decor, and it means "loyalty." Even the orchids I ordered for the rooftop terrace will be lavender colored. They should be arriving by UPS early next week so I guess they'll go on the porch...I really want my daughter to remember this wedding! They forget so much, these kids.

It's the last two weeks, so I'm switching into zen mode. Someone told me recently if the bride is smiling and happy, the whole thing will be a success and everyone will enjoy the wedding. I love getting wedding advice and I'm determined to say "Yes" to everything, to take life as it comes. There is no reason to fight about tents, or worry about colors...maybe when it's all over, I could become a motivational speaker?