our annual trek to a bluegrass festival was derailed a bit. by flooding. the big, brown Walnut jumped its banks and took over our usual campgrounds. yet, the festival found a way to proceed. and we were rather simply uprooted miles away to a lake camping. made for a quieter time, and yet maybe the best Winfield City Lake, ever. my t-shirt this year didn't, per usual, commemorate music. but instead, the floods. and stinky mud.
next, my last big house project. at least, the last one I can really manage on my own. (I think)
the front room. wallpapered in leafy imprints and muted mud colors. carpeted in dingy white. well, in the same spirit of inspiration in which I've removed previous ugly carpet from the house (anger, frustration and the need for a distraction) I pulled up the carpet. had to cut it into pieces in order to get it out of my house. the thing was damn heavy. and it threw my allergies into whack. but underneath, the same wood floor as the rest of the house. a bit darker, and a bit scratched up. but, all-in-all, beautiful compared to what it once was. I just might get started on the wallpaper now. I just might. (please hold any questions as to when I'm refinishing the floor)
the demolition part of this post comes from the house across my street. as old as my own. its new owners decided to take it down. the week of demo was dusty & loud. watching it come down, of course threw all those "permanence of life and material possessions" questions into my head. but now, it is a muddy empty lot. giving me a "better" view of Main street. or rather, giving Main street a better view of me. (and yes, d., as you are reading this and wondering if I took video of the demo. I did. Just in thought of you)
I guess the "friends" part of this post is always around. living in a small town can get to feeling lonely at times. but then you have friends that visit. they buy you coffee or bourbon and remind you of why you liked where you once lived too. or they call you for dinner, b/c they've just decided to drive up from the city-to-the-South. or you realize that you are always busy on weekends because of them. birthday party at a bar on a Sunday afternoon. housewarming parties that start in the afternoon and go into the night. random get-togethers inspired by a bottle of wine. knowing you've got friends knitting downtown on Saturday afternoon. or drinking on a patio on a Friday night. I'm reminding myself of this luck I have. Because I know that in a few months, I'll be deep into Winter and full of the blahs.
