STAYCATION: FINAL DAYS

Thursday morning I arose knowing it was time for the dogs and me to return to town. Wednesday night was warm and muggy, and we didn’t sleep well. Time to return to air conditioning.

After our morning walk, I watered the gardens well, packed boxes and coolers and began the arduous task of loading the pick-up. By the time I finished, the sweat was rolling off my brow and down my cheeks. How unladylike! It promised to be another hot day.

Then it was time to load the dogs. “Come Bess!” I called. Bess was lolling on a dog pillow on the porch and just looked at me. I tried several more times before resorting to a proven method – leading her with a dog treat. That got her up and out to the Dakota where I could lift her into her crate and firmly close the gate.

“Here Nellie!” I called. “Come on, girl – time to go back to town.” It looked as if she was going to comply, but what did she do? She crawled under the Dakota! Some firm coaxing got her out and she jumped onto the tailgate. With the dogs secured, we were ready to leave.

It’s always a little bittersweet, this traveling back and forth, but this time I felt ready to leave. Mike will be back tomorrow. I'll see family and friends in town. And there’s always the trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Upon arriving at the town house, I checked the garden. My corn plot is truly pitiful, but my five tomato plants look decent, perhaps because they are somewhat shaded by the pitiful corn patch. I see that some nice tomatoes have set on.

As I fixed supper in the evening, I glanced out to see Bess gnawing on a green apple. I wondered to myself where she got that apple. Next time I looked out, she had another green apple, and I left what I was doing to investigate. NO! These were not green apples but my prize tomatoes. Bess had pulled green tomatoes from the vine and was eating them! I was angry and let her know it. Not that anger will deter her. Is nothing sacred?! We have no wire fencing here to prevent this mischief.

It was 70 when I rolled out of bed at 6:00 Friday morning. Another hot August day. Nellie and Bess were eager to go for our walk. It’s not as easy to walk them here in this development as it is in the country, but it must be done. It’s routine for Nellie and me, but to little Bess everything is new, and she revels in it. Quail on a fence caught her attention, and she went hunting all by herself. Nellie and I stood and watched as she went through brush and climbed deer trails on a fruitless venture. She was curious and she checked it out.

We were all three relieved late this afternoon when Mike pulled in. Nellie was especially happy to see him, and Bess said, “Oh yeah! This guy again. Howdy! Where ya been? Well, any friend of Nell’s is a friend of mine.”

We visited while Mike unpacked his gear. He had a wonderful time motocaching Utah with son Yancey. I guess the scenery was spectacular. Nothing bad happened. He didn’t lose much – just his tin cup and the five-dollar Walmart camera case.

Seems like a “Colorado motocache” is in the planning stages for another year – maybe trailering the motorcycle and taking the dogs and me. I’ll insist on taking my sewing machine, my AG doll(s), patterns and fabrics so that I can play with Emmy.

Happy birthday to my dear mother-in-law, Bennie Warnock, who turned 99 on Friday, August 16. KW