a pleasant distraction

To be honest, I’ve had a less than desirable attitude the past couple weeks.  I’m working on it, I really am.  I probably could be doing a better job but… whatever.  So, there’s that.

This afternoon  {pre-shower and pre-lunch} I received a phone call from a friend, saying, “So I was thinking that I could pick you up in ten minutes and we could go to the antique store that is only open once a month and they close in another hour.”  I was about to say no, due to my current state of  not being ready to face the world, but the husband demanded that I say yes.  {I think he was trying to get rid of me, for a while.  He even said, stay out as long as you need, I’ll take care of the baby.”}

I’m glad I did.

• We visited four antique shops, dreaming and scheming about all that grand things we could do with a few dollars.
• We had a lovely chat with one shop owner, who was also an interior designer.  We talked about how she was possibly going to be renovating a house about five houses down from mine and turning it into a show house, open to the public during the holidays.  How fantastic would that be?
• We found a wonderful, treasure of a gift for a friend.
• We also check out this place that cures country hams, sells fresh produce and other canned goods.  We got to check out the room where the hams hang for months and months until they reach flavor perfection.  (It smelled incredible there.)  I almost bought a bag of locally roasted Country Maple coffee (sounds interesting, yes?)  but then realized that coffee was in abundance in my home, money in the bank, was not.  I definitely will be back there.  We learned about different varieties of squash and pumpkins, too.  When we were leaving, they told us to take a pumpkin home.  We both took pie pumpkins, the lighter ones, apparently are better for making pies.  Guess what I’ll be doing in the next few days?  We asked if they were a new business.  They’ve been there for 35 years.  They must be doing something right.  I can’t wait to try their hams.

I came home on the brink of being inspired and with a much better outlook on the world.  One of the shops we visited opens their warehouse on Saturdays almost flea-market style, only a few blocks away.  We’re going to visit tomorrow morning.

So thank God for pleasant and much needed distractions, and friends who love spontaneity as much as I do, a husband who tells me go out and do something , and free pumpkins, and antiques, and the smell of curing hams, and farmers.

I would like to have a farm and to try country maple coffee, but, I’d be happy with some sort of  development in the whole husband needs a  job/ what is the next step is for our lives.  For now, I’ll drink my Peruvian coffee and anticipate the warm banana bread that is in the oven.  That will be enough for right now.

{My pretty pumpkin}