On the Fourth of July, I drove Mrs. Kravits up to the quaint and country town of Rutledge, GA to attend the Sunflower festival. Those who know me well know that Sunflowers are one of my all time favorite flowers and how better to spend a summer day than in the midst of thousands of them! I had spent hours the weeks before downloading all my favorite tunes to a flash drive so we could sing a long in the car...but Mrs. Kravits was in a bit of a dour mood on the ride up. Her life story is tragic at best and some days are worse than others. But as we turned the corner to the field of flowers, her mood definitely lifted and by the end of our time there she was positively radiant. We took pictures of each other riding tractors and clowning around with gourd masks. We wandered the stalls of local artisans hawking their wares and chatted with the shop keepers about the work that they do. I was surreptitiously taking snapshots of some of the crafts thinking 'hell...I could do that!' And at the end of our time, I forked over $15 and got a pair of clippers and a bucket to cut as many sunflowers as I could hold.
I took a wrong turn on the way out of the place when we were leaving and told Mrs. Kravits not to worry...I had my handy dandy navigator with me. We would find our way home. Little had I realized at that moment that I had turned the settings to take surface streets instead of the freeway. As we laughed our asses off mid-way through our maze home...we realized what a gift it was. We didn't spend our 60 miles staring at asphalt and useless billboards, but instead wound our way through multiple tiny towns filled with antebellum homes and acres of farmland. Toward the end, a merciful rain began to fall easing the heat and releasing one of my favorite emanations - that of big juicy raindrops hitting scorching red clay. It's a scent that can only be found in the South, when the ground gets so hot it's almost like a fire-pit. And when the rain hits, the explosion of musty dirt and fragrant grasses permeates your nostrils until it feels almost like you are being reborn into the nature around you.
When we finally turned the corner to our street, I could see the soft stain of sunburn across Mrs. Kravits's face where she had smiled the day away. Forgetting the drama her family creates and just enjoying the time away. That alone was worth the trip.
After taking a short catnap, I got up and started anew. A fresh shower to wash the rank away, slipping on khaki's I haven't worn in years and wearing my favorite new pair of shoes: patent leather turquoise wedge sandals that make me feel like super model on a cat-walk. I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shoes...I'm too sexy :) Went over to my friend Mark's girlfriend's loft downtown. Up on the fifth floor roof top we grilled steaks, drank wine and watched the multiple profusion of fireworks that littered the city skyline. I could see three different performances from our vantage point, making it seem like it was theatre in the round. Of course the glittering waterfalls occurring just a few miles out from us seemed so close we could have grabbed the stardust in our hands - and the reflection of them echoing in the glass tiled buildings didn't hurt my feelings one bit. It was nice for a moment to remember why I love this country. The 30 or so on-lookers with us broke out every once in a while in bad but beautiful renditions of America and the Star Spangled Banner...the lack of professionalism well overrun by the heartfelt sentiment behind the lyrics.
The last week or so, I've been dutifully crossing off the list of to-do items I've put off for too long. I finally made a mammogram appt. - something I've been dreading. I mean seriously, who the hell wants to put their privates in a freaking cold metal clamping mechanism? I feel like it's a humorless attempt to make patties out of my boobies.
I wrote my friend a long letter as he patiently spends his days in prison for horrible choices he made in addiction. I pray for him constantly as he finds his way out of the bleak whole he put himself in.
I started tending to my garden once again. Something my whale of a body was loath to do of late. And for my effort, I accidentally began to grow a crop of...zucchini. No wait, cucumbers...nope, I see the fruit now...it's fucking cantaloupe! You would have though God could have made greater distinctions in the leaf and flowering patterns of edible greens. Apparently when I was throwing in some home grown mulch...I threw in the seeds of a long rotten cantaloupe I had cut for myself. What I had intended to be a beautiful string of liriope and golden oros has been overtaken by the extravagant and flourishing vines of hearty fruit. Too cheap to spring for tomato cages...I made do with an old wrought iron table, chairs and easel I've been intending to refurbish. Officially proving that it's way too easy to be white trash when your roots are deep South. Also note my garden bird, his huge green globey eyes poking out from amidst the tundra!
Over the weekend, I volunteered my time and energy at the Church Jumble Sale we hold every year to benefit the teenagers' mission trip each fall. Come July, we Epiphanites haul in our old, unwanted wares...and then spend the weekend buying each others crap. We raised $7000 with this effort though...proving that one man's junk is another man's treasure! I bought two god-awful chairs with great lines and am beyond excited to refurbish them. I found a great upholstery class that starts this fall just a few miles from my house at the technical college. I can hardly stand the wait! I have grand visions of stripping off the crayola orange paint and narly Naugahyde and recovering in some timeless fabric and crisp white enamal, studded with gleaming nickel upholstery tacks!
I wrapped up this week with the bone crushing relief that the ballsy request I made for a raise (amidst thousands of layoffs) was not only approved, but substantial. I can see some light at the end of my debt laden tunnel as I spent the better part of an evening figuring out how to squirrel some of my fortune away into savings while I chip away at the mountain of red ink in my life. I can actually feel the stress slip away from my shoulders as I see a week not left with 84 cents, but a couple of bills in my pocket. Now that's a good feeling!
As always...thanks for letting me share. I am constantly filled with gratitude for the multitude of friendships in my life.
Cam
