This was first posted November 12, 2010.
My apologies for missing a post yesterday, that’s the first time since… gee… I can’t remember. Seems like I’m here everyday! I had a full day, and arrived home at midnight. Midnight is not a good time to create a last minute entry. Now I’ve been up til midnight working on one or two or forty… but I decided this time to pass on keeping the light on and Vernon awake.
Let me first explain that it wasn’t anything serious. I was having Fun. With Friends. You know, those kind of Friends that will hold your hair out of your face while you’re puking? <I think that may have actually happened a time or two in the distant past, come to think of it> but Good Friends… is what I’m trying to say.
For example as I arrived at their house yesterday morning… I had a BIG PROBLEM. It was a unique Problem. A Problem courtesy of two English Shepherds and one Aussie. <For clarification… Dally was innocent of this little escapade>
I was working at the Mills Place as the early darkness settled down Wednesday night. Five thirty/quitting time arrived and I grabbed my coat and was shutting off lights. Dally had stayed inside with me, the other dogs were outside. Suddenly barking erupted and lasted perhaps 30 seconds. “Deer.” I just knew it… and they’d chased them away and settled right back down. I slipped into my Muck Boots, zipped up my Carhartt, and stepped outside.
“Oh. Oh. Yuck!!!!!!!!” “Skunk.”
Waving my arms and shooting daggers at three fragrant dogs, I walked the few feet to my Durango and opened the hatch. Sighing, I watched as four dogs loaded up, and I quickly slipped into the driver’s seat. I rolled the windows down and cranked up the heat. It was bad… but they’ve been worse. I knew I’d definitely have to wash that heavy blanket I put down in a feeble attempt to preserve my car’s beauty.
Four quick miles later, I was home and settling down on the couch with Vernon. He begins chatting with me and suddenly sniffed at his hand. Then he looked around. He sniffed. I grinned. Innocence, I thought, might make him forget what he was smelling.
“Is that you that stinks?”
Boy, that’s the phrase I’d been wanting to hear all day.
I raised my hands in a feeble gesture. “I only walked from the house to the car… and the dogs weren’t THAT bad.”
“Oh, yeah… It’s BAD.”
“Fine. I’m taking a shower. There’s hamburger defrosted in the frig. Go ahead and start cooking it and make something.”
Cool. I’m getting out of cooking supper! As I peel off my clothes… Vernon was right. I did stink. It was much easier to tell from a distance. My coat, shirt, jeans, and even my ball cap reeked. The ball cap had done enough duty, it ended up in the garbage. The clothes in the washer. Me in a shower scrubbing away with my Ayate cloth!
Being blonde that I am… I simply enjoyed a long shower and the act of missing out on cooking duties.
Slide into Thursday morning. I’m dressed and ready and looking good and smelling great thanks to some new perfume. <The storebought kind!> I grab my sunglasses and wallet and a little cash and I’m out the door to spend the day shopping with Good Friends.
I’m smiling. I’m giggling. I’m probably humming some tune. I’m psyched!
Until I open the door of the Durango and it washes over me again. “Oh, Lordy.” I roll the windows down a little, but it is Cold this morning and I can’t stand for them to be very far down.
My Good Friends live seven miles away. I sit on my coat and hope my sweatshirt will protect me from the seat. I try to come up with an alternate plan, but I can’t use the pickup, the guys need it. Daniel would have a fit if I stole his little Firebird without *permission*. Forget the fourwheeler… not at 20 degrees for seven miles!!!
I leave and hope that the skunk smell doesn’t *stick*. When I walk into my Friends’ house the first words out of my mouth are: “Hi, do I stink?” and I thrust my arm under their noses.
“Yes!” they say in unison. Great. Seven miles ago I looked good and smelled great. Now I’m driving two hours to go shopping and I look good and smell horrible except for the smidge of an area covered by my Rare Gold.
I peel off my coat. Ditch the sweatshirt. Hang them on a hook outside the door. They dig in their closet until I’m outfitted again. Sniff. A curled lip and wrinkled nose still disapprove.
My jeans aren’t passing inspection. One grabs the Glade, one the Febreze. I choose Febreze and close my eyes and spin like a kid getting fumigated for mosquito proofing. Now I’m standing in damp jeans and borrowed coat… I feel my Good Looks deteriorating rapidly.
My Good Friends finish getting ready, grabbing lists and money and sunglasses and finally return to me. One bends over and smells my jeans.
I think that goes right there on the Friend List with Holding-Your-Hair-Back. Think. How many of your friends right this instant would willing do the Smell Test to Skunk Endowed Jeans? If you’ve got one, you’re doing good!
“Yes? Do I pass?” “Yeah, you’ll do.” Great! I can feel the grin coming back, the humming starting back in my head… We’re Going *Antique* Shopping… It was Great Fun. At the second little booth I saw these.
Be still my heart. I LOVE teapots and pitchers… but have no practical place to put them… so I drool and never buy. Like I need more stuff to dust. But after my Blue Willow ware story from the other day… These little 4″ beauties about did me in. I could have bought all six! I could have Good Friends for High Tea and use a different cream pitcher almost every day. They deserve that… or better! but I left all six on the shelf.
The day ended late and I missed you all… you’re my Friends, too. You just don’t live close enough to pass the Good Friends test… but if you like, I have a pair of skunky jeans I could mail you…
Find me here!
What wonderful friends to have………… and to keep.
When you have that rare commodity of Good Friends keep them close although as you found out they might, at times, want to keep you at arms length. Good friends are hard to come by cherish them.