A Happy, Rainy Day

ONE MORE DAY til Brad comes home! I think I can make it...I think I can, I think I can...It has really been okay( but I'll be so happy to have him back). I had dinner twice with my parents and I just finished a lovely day with Sarah...and tomorrow I'm heading back to work. It's just an odd feeling, sometimes, of being adrift...being Bradless. What an awful state.

BUT! On to more pleasant topics. Sarah came up yesterday, bless her dear little heart. After visiting around Fairwood with various folks, we drove home and made dinner- my new favorite: Lori's Couscous-Chicken-Artichoke salad. It was a great success; you KNOW something's good if Sarah likes it. Soon afterwards, we began...THE BEAUTY RITUALS. We gave ourselves pedicures and manicures: HUGE amounts of fun. I had NO idea my nails could be so smooth and shiny. We both got quite hilariously excited about it. I went out today and bought a nail buffer because I think I am going to be addicted to buffing my nails now. And maybe if I concentrate on shining my nails up, I'll be less apt to rip them off to the quick...an absent-minded stress-habit of mine that I've had for as long as I can remember. Stayed up way too late of course...and then when we DID go to bed, I laid awake until almost 2:00 a.m., unable to sleep. Manicures will do that to you. One of the unlisted side effects: May cause insomnia. Or possibly it was the trace amount of Ben & Jerry's "Chubby Hubby" that we consumed...

Anyway- up at 8:00 and off to Saint Gauden's shortly after 9:00. We took quite a scenic route up to Cornish...and thoroughly enjoyed the leisurely self-guided tour. It was extremely muggy and hazy, so we didn't get a good view- or any view at all really- of Mt. Ascutney...and just as we were toting our picnic lunch down the meadow, sweating like proverbial pigs - at least, I was- rumbles of thunder were heard. Sarah, being the smart one, suggested we retreat to a more sheltered spot to partake of our sustenance. I agreed reluctantly...and we hastened back to the porch of the house. Gorgeous porch, gorgeous house, and gorgeous view, even if the sky was threatening. We'd been eating for a few minutes when there was a sudden flash of lightning close at hand and a wickedly loud clatter of thunder RIGHT OVER OUR HEADS...and the rain suddenly GUSHED out of the sky. Heh heh. And the air quickly felt 100% refreshing. But I was glad we weren't in the meadow. ( Later we saw some people who had been trapped in the downpour- they were totally drenched and I just outright laughed at them.) What a jolly memory. It is so fun to take someone you love to a place you love and introduce the two.

The rain subsided a little -- enough for us to gallop back to the car. We drove back to Keene and went shopping for a little while...We found some things to give Sarah's bathroom a makeover. Great fun! It was nice to catch up, do fun things, and just be with each other. And with Sarah, you don't always have to be TALKING all the time- that's the sign of a good friend. Sometimes you just BE.

To sum up, a hugely enjoyable day off.