Saturday was one of the most gorgeous days of my life. Sometimes you just get one of those days that has so many perfect moments you just don’t know what to do with yourself. I don’t mean to make any of you jealous, but I’m going to share that day with you.
Memorial Day weekend brought lots of plans for me. I’m nothing if not a planner. I had the whole weekend mapped out by Thursday afternoon and took off down south to the homestead on Friday evening. Madre and I planned to ride horses Saturday morning. We also planned to pick blueberries. Later that evening we were invited to a cook out with Martie and family. After that, I was going to drive back to Nashville so that I could make my Sunday morning run.
Saturday morning I got up at the crack of dawn and drove from Martie’s house where I had spent the night to Madre’s house. I got there early and was ready to go. After running some errands, we saddled up the horses and launched our journey. You’ll see a separate post about that later, but now I can tell you that it was a gorgeous ride. The sky was exquisitely beautiful as it often seems to be after big rain storms. The weather was perfect, breezy and warm. We rode for about three hours, just kind of leisurely and slow. I last rode a horse in September and can’t say I have any great skills but I can plod along just fine. My butt now hurts. I thought you’d like to know. I also got a really sweet farmer’s tan.
After we gave the horses a bath and turned them out, we picked blueberries. Several years ago, Madre and Poppa decided to plant a few blueberry bushes. Now a family of 6 can have all the blueberries they want for a year out of just a couple of blueberry bushes, maybe three or four. Madre and Poppa planted 14 of them not knowing this, so every year they extend the invitation to pick blueberries to everyone they meet. Everyone. I’m more than happy to do my part in weeding out the excess.
Later I whipped Madre’s arse in a couple of games of Spite and Malice. That’s okay because she will whip my arse next time we play. It all comes out in the wash.
Saturday evening we were invited to a cookout at Coach’s parent’s house. (Does that sound complicated? Let’s call them my sort of in-laws.) Granddaddy and Grandma are nice people and I’ve always enjoyed them. Granddaddy cooked ribs and chicken and the rest of us brought side dishes.
The girls played outside like children are supposed to do. They played hide and seek, tag, and rolled down the hill in the grass over and over again until they got so itchy they had to stop. It gave me so much joy to watch them run around the yard with no shoes on in their dresses, cheeks flushed and hair blowing back in the wind. Their tinkling laughs and giggles were good for my soul. I love that childish abandon when it comes to having fun. We ate watermelon and had a seed spitting contest. I won. That’s what having a big mouth is good for, apparently. I also won the affection of every single mosquito in the county. I have the bites to prove it.
Martie sang for us and played her guitar. She has the most voluptuous voice, full bodied and rich. It fills an entire room, and being outside and listening to it expand was amazing. Coach watched her, enraptured, which is very special to me. I love seeing those moments between couples. Martie sang a song or two for everyone until we exhausted her voice and her good will with our requests. It happens when you’ve got that kind of talent.
When it was getting dark, we made half-hearted attempts to catch a few lightning bugs, then we piled up in our respective vehicles and headed for home. I just sighed all the way to Madre’s house. It was such a perfect day.
I felt and commented so many times throughout the course of the day, “I’ve got such a nice life.” I really do. I’m very fortunate. I’m so thankful that I’m aware of it as it happens so that I can send up my gratitude and really squeeze every bit of loveliness out of it that I can. I enjoy my family. I’m so blessed to have a good one. I love you guys!
I hope you all had a nice Memorial Day! I say a big thank you to everyone who serves in our military, for our country, for us. I ask for blessings for the families who have lost loved ones during that service. I ask for blessings for the men and women who have served and who still serve. My heart is filled with gratitude for all of you. Thank you.
Love, Jimmie 