Or rather, I suppose I ought to say, Goodbye and Hello. Goodbye, Kelly Brubaker: it was real, it was great, and it was really great, but this is goodbye. Not goodbye, but just…goodbye.
Tomorrow it will be hello to Kelly Ledbetter, whoever she is. My new self.
Tomorrow.
I don’t feel able to communicate what I want to say, so I’m going to go pack my suitcase for my honeymoon in Oregon. (Never thought I would be writing anything like that.)
When I return, I will be someone else, only complete this time.
My maid of honor and I drove to my parents’ house in Arcadia for me to try on my finished wedding dress. My aunt did a positively stellar job making it, and I can’t wait to wear it at my wedding in four (4) days.
On the way home, Chera and I had picaresque adventures driving on Route 66. First we stopped by Pops in Arcadia for Dublin Dr. Pepper from the fountain. We resisted the temptation to buy a hamburger for only $3.50, as well as many Pops paraphernalia, including coasters, t-shirts, and lunch boxes. Just down the road, we stopped by the Round Barn, a ‘non-smoking historical site.’ We climbed the wooden stairs to the impressive loft, which was indeed round. It was acoustically aesthetic, but the main thing was that we could say we saw it. In the gift shop downstairs, we were told, “Sign saysno pop.” Apparently Pops and the Round Barn are not friends.
Catching a sign which promised us watermelons, we took a U-turn down a tree-lined side street. Another sign directed us to the left, but as we continued down that road, we became fearful of the apparent lack of watermelon – and lack of bridge. Both in the sense that a sign warned, “BRIDGE OUT,” and in the fact that there was no bridge. We did, however, see a sign suggesting a pumpkin patch (with a realistically rendered watermelon pasted to it). Although the gate was locked, the sign declared it was open, and so in a fit of type-A personality, we called the number recommended and asked to be let in.
And so we viewed watermelons growing. They weren’t growing very fast, at least, we did not discern any changes while we watched; but we did purchase the last nice watermelon from the farmer lady’s refrigerator for $7.00. We put Watermelon in the back seat and drove on, anticipating the Big Blue Whale, but we were laughing too hard about the shaking of the corn and passed it.
At the mall at home, we found a smashing deal at Vanity – three solid colored shirts for $9.00, which is pretty hard to beat. And then we made an excellent dinner. Behold:
Red Wine Chicken
Brown some garlic and basil in olive oil in a pan. Add four chicken breasts and cook until no longer pink in the middle. Add 1/3 c. brown sugar and 1/3 c. red wine. Simmer for 15-20 mins. Serve with pasta and steamed broccoli.
To top off the brilliant day, we watched Elizabethtown, in which the Round Barn (and 2 Brothers Pizza) features briefly during Drew Baylor’s road trip. This was accompanied by additional wine and
I read Passage by Connie Willis, and liked it enough to order her Doomsday Book. I bought teak wood oil and oiled my teak wood dining room table, with immediate and pleasing improvements. I went to work and scanned the barcodes of our entire mystery/thriller section, to see whether any copies were to be returned to the distributor for the month of July. I scrambled my last egg and ate it, and now my grocery situation is truly dire. As soon as I have an opportunity, I must buy food, unless I want to eat tomato sauce, rice, and Ranch-flavored croutons.
And the days plod on towards July 20, although not fast enough for my taste. I am lingering in a highly unpleasant limbo (I begin to appreciate the penance of those characters in Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio, and of Sisyphus), and I believe I would like to get married and move to Texas now.
In the words of Morwen: None of This Nonsense, Please.
[Note: The pomegranate has no significance, except that it looks delicious.]
I am getting married in thirty (30) days. Pardon me while I fail to contain my excitement:
thirty days oh my goodness I can’t believe it’s only one month I think I’m going to explode with waiting wouldn’t it be so nice if we could just skip the next four weeks and get on with it but if we skipped them how would everything get done I would so rather just move now can’t I just move now because I would much rather be with my favorite person ever than not for another whole month (the cake and the flowers and the dress and the pictures! so many trappings of celebration) and I’m going to be so nervous and I can’t believe it’s coming up so fast and isn’t it Portland yet and excitement anxiety general stress nervousness apprehension anticipation and bliss and bliss and
Ahem.
Meanwhile this weekend I will be celebrating the marriage of my cousin Greg to his bride Theresa. I will be a bridesmaid, so as to have an inside view of how the days before the wedding really go, although I’m afraid after my eyes are opened, I might want them shut again.
Finished A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray: disappointing. Began Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard: couldn’t make it through due to the confirmation of my belief that plays should be viewed and not read. Began Passage by Connie Willis: it is most promising. I am officially a fan of Connie Willis.
Mostly About Books 