Up in the barn......

That's where our young Miss C was for the past three days and two nights... in the guest rooms over the barn. She prefers the barn rooms to the cottage, and that doesn't surprise us. She is an animal lover of the highest order, with a special place in her heart for horses and cows, and dolphins. The barn rooms are decorated with Texas everything, and there's not a dolphin in sight, unless you look into one of the closets where dolphin prints are stored, left-over decor from our old house near the Gulf. (Too near the Gulf for comfort, which is why we are now here.)

C goes back to college next week, so this was her last visit with us until she gets a long weekend or a holiday from her class schedule. Rather than having a dorm room this term, she and four friends will be renting a small house near the college in Galveston. Her only regret about the house-- the landlord doesn't allow pets of any kind.

We spent some time this weekend learning a new card game-- "Shanghai." The instructions are on the Internet, but we first heard of the game from our neighbors J & J. It's a game of concentration and luck, as with all card games, but it's a lot of fun, and I thought C would like to learn it and then play with her friends. By the end of the second game, she beat me by too many points than I care to mention. Lowest score wins in Shanghai, and the object is to get rid of the cards in your hand, not get stuck with them, which is what was happening to me today and yesterday. Oh well... we'll keep practicing here, and when C comes back, we'll have a re-match.

Today for lunch, we all drove to the little airport out in the countryside. Or should I say further out in the countryside.... There is an airport out there with private planes flying in and out all day long, and the diner/cafe at the airport is pure 1950s, with black and white tiles on the floor, chrome and red booths and tables, and the waitresses all wear poodle skirts, bobby-socks and saddle shoes. Very classic retro-looking place, with those little juke-box-three-tunes-for-a-quarter machines where you press the numbers and your songs play out. It was so busy and noisy in there today that we could barely hear the music playing after C put a quarter in and picked out some songs. The energy in that place is always at the highest level.... fun place, good food, and you can sit there and eat your lunch while watching the planes taking off and landing.

It's been pretty hot this last couple of weeks..... temperatures over 100 degrees, 112 on one day last week when there wasn't a breeze to speak of. There was a nice wind yesterday morning, and it seemed cooler than usual, so my husband took C out in the sailboat. The wind was fine, the waves were high, and at one point, they were taking on a little bit of water as it splashed over the sides. (I am so glad that I know enough not to go sailing. Know your limitations: rule #1.) But they both had a good time, even though they came back exhausted from the joys of being out on the lake.

Our youngest cat Mickey remembers C from the old house, and each time she comes to visit, Mickey knows who she is and goes right to her. This time, both Sweet Pea and Gatsby didn't remember C from her last visit. Sweet Pea just stood and looked at her for a while, but then eventually got closer to C so she could pet him. Gatsby, on the other hand, stared at C with wide saucer-shaped eyes, then walked so close to the perimeter of the kitchen that he was practically hugging the walls. Gatsby wouldn't go near C, and kept giving her questioning looks.... Just who are you and what are you doing in my house?! We all basically told Gatsby to "Snap out of it and get over it." Which he will, in his own good cat-time.

C left for home this afternoon, and has already called me to say she got back to Clear Lake just fine. She is packing up some of her stuff tonight, to bring to the house in Galveston. Her school term begins in a week and she wants to be all settled in before the day of the first class. And tomorrow is "Hell Week" at the school..... lots of pre-semester parties and gatherings. C says it sounds worse than what it really is.

My answer to that: Then why call it Hell Week?

With C gone, we're back to our quiet house. I haven't heard a door slamming in at least four hours. Yikes. Sure is quiet in here...