Rubber balling it

I'm back in Louisville again and begining to feel a lot like a rubber ball. I wish there was someway to earn milage points for driving that I could used toward getting I don't know what at this moment, because I am racking them up.

I used to hate driving and for years I didn't do much more then drive myself to work. When my husband was alive, I had no problem riding shot gun. And he was happy to dive me ANYWHERE. I would read the maps and give directions. Of course I had to tell him three exits ahead that I needed a potty stop. He like most men hated to stop. His philosphy was "Lets just get from point A to point B, please" Riding with him was never boring. I would read, knit some or crochet in the old day, embroider and I could hand quilt without stabbing myself too.

HERE'S A CONFESSION. dispite the many miles I have traveled in a car I could not truly say that I really knew the fine points of driving. Driving was just something I did when I had too.

When I drove on a straight road Phil likened me to Mario Andrette. I zoomed. But let me come upon a curve or a series of "S" curves especially those that went downhill at steep grades, it was all I could do to navigate them successfullly without braking to below the speed limit. More than likely POing the drives behind me. But as I was driving back to Louisville today I finally got it.

My friend Kathy A told me several years ago; as I was driving us back from New England one Autumn ,that I didn't know how to drive. Of course I DID I told myself under my breath, least there be an unfriendly exchange of words. Why would she say that anyway, I'd been driving since the late 60's. Some 30 plus years. I knew when and how to pass. I used my turn signals. I let people into the flow of traffic. I've never had a wreck that was my fault. Sure I knew how to drive.

Driving myself back and forth to Columbia on somewhat of a regular bases of late I discovered driving curves was a lot like free motion quilting. You do not look where you are. You look ahead to where you want to go. That how I began driving. When I did that I flowed into and out of the curves smoothly. Now not only can I drive the flats I can drive the curves, up hill and down, wha-hoo with the car in cruise control. NO BRAKING ya-hoo!!! A few more trips west and I just might be ready for NASCAR.

I had to call Kathy on my cell phone to tell her she'd been right. And I didn't get my feathers ruffled when she said, I told you that years ago. Don't you just love friends?

Last week at Lyn was uneventful. John and I got along well, we went off to buy him some clay to work with. We went to look at the house too. The kitchen except for the appliances is complete so off to Sears we went to choose them. The carpet was in. Dispite our hopes of being able to choose what we wanted we learn that the carpeting had already been ordered. DID YOU KNOW THAT SHAG IS BACK. We have a short shag that I can't tell if it is a soft yellow or a yellow beige. I suppose it will depend on the wall color and what else is in the room.

They began leveling the back yard this week too. Shucky darn, I was growing fond of the two large mounds of dirt, but alas we will have the typical suburban flat yard all the way back to the point where the lot falls off into a raven. I haven't the nerve to walk that far back in the yard yet, least I come upon some critters in the overgrowth that will make me scream and run.

I never was a Girl Scout. I never camped out. Spent the summers of my youth in NYC at Coney Island, the Bronx Zoo and Time Square, never in the country with uncaged critters and I don't do dirt unless it is sterile and in a pot. We're getting a yard-man.

Spent most of my free time while in Columbia getting the rest of the paper work I need for the Smithville exhibit together. Went to Lyn's office to use a printer, but couldn't connect my laptop to her printer network, so I went off to Kinko's.

That's one of the disadvantaces of living between two places. You get one place and realize you left something you need at the other place. I can not and do not want to travel with EVERYTHING.

I will be in Louisville until after my July Symposium. Getting ready for that and doing some more packing. If I don't get a buyer soon I am going out to buy a stature of St Joseph, have him blessed and bury him in a flower pot on the deck. I wonder if that works as well as burying him in the ground?

I am not going back for the closing on June 26 which is the tenative date at this point. THE builder has 10 DAYS TO 2 WEEKS TO FINISH IT UP and there's still the house inspection to be done and a walk through that Lyn can do.

I came home to find my middle grandson had acquired a 5 week old puppy. Right now I am NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS. More on this subject later.