So, today Jeremiah and I are sitting at the breakfast table (Pace didn’t REALLY wake up until I had to walk back through to look for Jeremiah’s keys), and I tell him that the monotony is getting to me. It’s not the long hours or the nights on call as much anymore, it’s just the sheer fact that there are so few days when he’s truly off. Weekends fade into the week. Saturday is no longer for sleeping in and having fun; it’s just another day of the week. Even on days when he doesn’t technically have to work, he still has to get up early to go see his patients, and thus the Pace cycle never ends.
This morning, I decided, would be different. I was going to feel Saturday if it killed me. So, I put a sweat-suit over Pace’s pajamas and threw a jacket on with mine. I called Krispy Kreme to find out where they were, and Pace and I went out for Saturday morning doughnuts. As our car pulled up in front of that big glass window, I began to search frantically for the “Hot Now” sign. There it was, glowing in its ruby red glory, waiting for us to come inside and take in the sweet smell of freshly baked and glazed doughnuts. Pace had caught onto my excitement (possibly because the whole drive over I kept grinning at her in the back seat and saying, “Doughnuts! UMMM they’re going to be SO good.”) and could hardly wait for me to get her out of her carseat.
We walked in to find a big black woman (BBW) taking orders behind the counter. I hope this doesn’t sound horribly prejudiced, but I love to see a BBW serving breakfast. There is something about the way they look, that tells me not only do they know how to make a good doughnut, but so did their Mama, and their Grandmama. Something about their knowing smile says, “Don’t worry baby, I didn’t scrimp on butter, or sugar, or cream, or anything else yore mama says is bad for you.” With a BBW behind the counter, I knew my breakfast was going to be top notch. When this sweet lady started loving on Pace, the deal was sealed! So, I ordered half a dozen–4 glazed and 2 chocolate covered–and Pace and I headed straight for the little table in the corner, by the window, so that those “Hot Now” doughnuts wouldn’t lose any more of their warmth than absolutely necessary.
I sat Pace in my lap and she looked curiously at me, not knowing what all this excitement could possibly be about. What were we about to eat, that brought us out of the house, in our pajamas no less, first thing in the morning. It didn’t take her long to figure it out. As I pinched off that first warm, sugar-coated bite and placed it in her mouth, a blank stare came over her face. I was disappointed, “Is it possible that MY child could not like doughnuts???” But then, slowly, a little smile began to edge up the corners of her mouth, and with all teeth showing she declared, “Dodo,” and lunged her hand towards the box. We ate, and we ate, and we quenched our thirst with rich whole milk. We are ladies, and I am not going to tell you how many of those “Dodos” we ate, but we made our fair mark upon Krispy Kreme this morning. As we drove home, Pace chanted, “Dodo, Gall Gone!” from the back seat, as I smiled happily and FELT Saturday morning.
We had an INCREDIBLE time this past weekend. It was Jeremiah’s and Mrs. Maddox’s birthday, and Dr. and Mrs. Maddox, Tommy, Alex, and seven horses came up to Birmingham for a visit. I have learned to not get my heart set on any kind of agenda when there are Maddox family festivities at hand. Just as soon as you think you have a definite plan, a wheel is going to fall off somewhere that will alter the state of everything you had in mind. When you cook, you prepare for the 5-thousand (because it’s very possible they might all show up), but be willing to to have lots of left-overs (because NOBODY may show up at all). There will undoubtedly be WAY more “planned” for the day than could ever be accomplished, but you get to what you can and you know that you will always be running late to the next event. However chaotic this may sound (and let me tell you it was very hard on my type-A personality at first), we always have a great time. Maybe it’s because, on the whole, everybody keeps a positive attitude. Maybe it’s because we all enjoy each other’s company enough that it doesn’t really matter what we are actually doing. Or maybe I am just learning that chaos can be fun, but no matter what the source, this weekend was awesome.
It started with a wheel falling off. The cavalry was supposed to roll into Oak Mountain on Friday night, but due to many extraneous circumstances, they called to say they wouldn’t be leaving until the next morning. Tommy, however, did make the trek and Jeremiah, me, Brett, Ashley, Tommy, and Pace had a low-key dinner of Upside-down pizza, corn, salad, and cookies at our house (with plenty of left-overs), followed by a really terrible Oscar-winning movie.
The next morning, the poor cavalry rolled out of bed in Dothan at 4am so they could have a full day with us despite their late departure. I had a type-A standoff with myself about where and how Pace was going to take her 11 o’clock nap, but I finally appeased myself by putting her down a little early and waking her up a little early. Then the girls (Mrs. Maddox, Ashley, Alex, Pace, and me) went for a ladies luncheon, a perusal of the shops in Homewood, and finally a birthday present surprise for Mrs. Maddox at SAKS. We wanted to buy her some perfume, but we wanted her to help us pick it out. A scent, you know, is such a personal thing that you hate to push your ideas on someone else.
By this time, we are approaching 3 o’clock and decide it is time to check in with the boys. They were just finishing up a LONG horseback ride, so we (all of us except Ashley the work-horse who went to gather all of our pre-prepared cook-out items) went to meet them at Oak Mountain. There is something so inviting about the site of a camping trailer, with its canvas awning rolled out in greeting, with hay bails snuggled in a semi-circle for conversation, and with a grill billowing with smoke for an evening feast. As we pulled up, Pace began a chant of “Horsey, horsey, horsey…” followed by an occasional “Neigh!” that lasted the rest of the weekend. She was so excited to be outside, the center of attention, and around horses, that I hardly saw her the rest of the weekend.
Tommy, Alex, and I decided to take the young guys (the less experienced horses) on a mini-adventure. It is so frustrating and sweet at the same time to watch a young horse, anxious to please her rider, but terrified to cross a mud puddle or a log. I was on my favorite horse, little Hope, and she was the most experienced of the three. Unfortunately she is not a born leader. We needed Hope demonstrate to Windows and Curly (the other two horses) the ease of these seemingly scary tasks, but she kept looking over her shoulder, questioning why nobody else was willing to move forward. We were also anxious to pick up our pace and see the horses do a bit of galloping. Again, Hope was looked to as our leader, but she truly loves to enjoy the scenery. “Why would I want to go fast, and miss out on all these pretty trees?” she seemed to ask me. So, our ride was not grandiose, but it was fun. It felt marvelous just to be out in the beautiful Spring weather. It was gratifying to know we were helping the young guys become more experienced carriers, and it was hilarious to see how much trouble we went through to get from A to B.
There’s a lot more to tell, but it looks like this, like many of my weekend stories is going to have to be a two-parter.
Here we are, in season limbo, and I am loving it! I can almost feel the anticipation of the trees. They look dead and dormant, but the energy within is contagious….They’re getting ready for their biggest production of the year, and the only hints they are giving are their velvet covered buds. Then there are the plants, that grow from bulbs, that show their glory at this time of year. I have already bragged on the daffodils, but I saw some very sweet Lilly of the Valley, with their graceful white bonnets, bowing humbly to the ground. If I were a gardener, I am sure I could name several more of the showy flowers, but I am not a gardener, so here my ability is limited. Finally, there is the spontaneity of the weather itself. One day, Pace and I are bundled up in sweaters and stockings (Pace in the stockings, not me. I know some of you are worried I’ve morphed into Little House on the Prairie), the next I am stripping her clothes off so that she can play in the sun and the mud. One evening we huddle together in front of the fire and the next we leave the door open so the breezes can blow through. The change itself is invigorating.
So, I challenge you to pick your least favorite time of year (this was mine) and look for the beauty in it. God left no season without her own special charms!
It was this hazy tangle from tree to tree which made it all look so mysterious….