The following morning both daughter and I awakened with
clubs for hands. I thought I had been cursed like the servant in Beauty and the
Beast who was turned into a candelabrum with enormous blocks that shot flames
for hands. We had loaded the 6 U-Haul boxes, yes 6, 5 wasn’t enough, but then
we overloaded them and had to take out some of the weight. Thus the over-worked
hands, and thus the trailer to catch the over-flow.
And yes, husband dear, your airplane engine is in there,
although it was only by the grace of God, or rather my grace that it didn’t end
up in shreds. And regarding the other portion of the plane, Daughter Dear said,
“Please can I roll this gyrocopter down the hill? Please, please.”
We got it in.You see, we were not only loading furnishings, we were loading a shop.
Never mind, all that is behind us. I have seen the elephant.
There is a story about a farmer who had never seen an
elephant. When he heard that a circus was coming to town he was ecstatic. He
packed up his produce and aimed for town. Along the way he had an accident and
all his wares were destroyed. Back home his fellow villagers sympathized with
him that he lost his produce and thus his profit. “Never mind,” he said, “I
have seen the elephant.”
My elephant was in the Swahili shop at 5th Street
market in Eugene, Oregon. He was about 2 feet high and as colorful as a native
dancer . The elephant and his counterpart, a lion, were made out of flip-flops
that were gleaned from the beaches of Africa. The flip-flops were heated,
softened, then shaped and carved. The lion with its colorful mane of rubber/plastic
strips was quite exquisite. Ingenious creative people just tickle the heck out
of me.
And traveling around Eugene gave me new appreciation. There
is something for everybody. From the exquisite 5th street Market with its gourmet food,
a new upscale hotel ( The Inn at 5th) complete with a Maserati parked at the entrance, to the Performing Arts Center, the University,
the numerous and excellent eateries, the second hand stores, the Natural food
groceries that grow up around the city like the grasses this area is known for,
the Vitamin and supplement stores that sell what in other places one can only
get online. Going into Market of Choice, a gourmet grocery store, will break your budget if you let it, for almost everything tries to
jump into your cart. And I haven’t yet
hit Saturday Market where I know creativity is spread out like cake icing.
And now for the most amazing
and wonderful thing: WE GOT A HOUSE! A tremendous Rental Manager lady trusted us with Bear, Daughter’s rug of a dog, and let us have Little Boy Darling’s
kitty, Obi Kitty Kenobi. I love her. You can bet we're going to take good care of that house.
I can sleep again.
I can sleep again.
