Playing catch up...

I had no idea how much I used the keys "g", "h" backspace and '. My beloved computer is still not right, but I have a temporary keyboard I can use until it is fixed, so I will write a long post now to catch up on things that have been happening in the past few weeks.

On September 12th I spent a lovely day with my family and other folks decorating a beautiful old barn in preparation for the wedding of my niece, Aimee, and her beloved, Tim. It was a hot day and we worked hard, but we created a lovely place for a celebration with a lot of love and laughter. Aimee had painstakingly made all the hanging decorations, table clothes and napkins, creating a magical, homespun atmosphere.

I was invited to officiate the ceremony... a wild honor! When I saw my Aimee walking down the isle, tears in her eyes, I was afraid I would be rendered speechless, but I think I pulled the ceremony off ok. I heard some laughter, and I saw more than one person wipe a tear.


It was a wonderful celebration, with great music, a bonfire, good food and terrific people. I danced and laughed and am cherishing the memory of such a special event.

After just a few hours of restless sleep at my sisters house I got up and left to drive back to Maine in the wee, dark pre-dawn hours.Before getting in the car I noticed there was a phone message from my sister in law in Mississippi, telling me the tragic news that our 19 year old nephew had died.I spend the next two hours alone in my truck, thinking about the sadness that this young soul would never see another sunrise, never take a plane ride to somewhere he had never been, never do all the things I'd hoped he'd do when I was there at his birth so few years ago. In my memory I could clearly see him in his Halloween costume going trick or treating with my little girl, and making ginger bread houses in front of the fireplace in our Memphis house. I could almost hear his giggle. But my life was set in motion and my grieving had to be done on the fly. It still hits me in waves.
By breakfast time I flew out of Portland to Toronto, Canada, where I met my friends Remy, Josee and Faty. There was a large trade show there and I helped work in their booth selling grooming tools and also gave 3 lectures. It was a fun weekend. I arrived home in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday and after a few hours of sleep went to work. Thursday found me back on the road to the airport (a little over a 2 hour drive) and I flew to Pennsylvania where I attended another trade show, Groom Expo. While there I worked in the German Red Clipper booth, visited with lots of friends, and attended the 2013 Barkleigh Awards ceremony. It was a lovely event, made lovelier still when I was awarded the Writer of the Year medallion!


Home again after hours of travel I am now off the road for any such trips for a long time, and I am glad. There is much to tend to here on the little farm to get ready for fall. And that will be in a future blog!