A Day of Unusual Mixtures...

Today was a good day in my neck of the woods. We made an early run to Columbia for a blood draw at the V.A. 

As we were driving back to Fulton we finally found the lost home we have tried to locate for the past several months. We first saw the house and its yard a couple of months ago as we were driving on a county road.  The people who owned the home had recently planted palm trees in their front yard. Six or eight trees about eight feet tall. The whole scene looked surreal. Winter had not completely left Missouri. Spring was dragging her feet about moving in and this family planted palm trees!  The snow was gone but would make a couple repeat appearances before winter decided to let spring play. I looked at the trees and could not believe what I was seeing. 

The palm trees are beautiful but not robust.  They look lost in Missouri. The trees have an uneasy look as though they are not comfortable in their own dirt. Of course I had to have pictures, after our third trip by the house I had enough shots to prove my point,  the trees are not happy. And then my camera died. Battery was totally done! My 'stalking' was finished for the day.

 It is absolutely none of my business what these people do with their yard. If they drove by my house, they would probably wonder why I have a red boat in my back yard filled with flowers!  No one owes me an explanation but I sure would like to know why they planted these expensive trees in the wrong state.

Our final stop was the laundromat. Until I get my laundry room finished, we do laundry in town. That place is always an adventure. It may be an unconscious ploy on my part to keep putting off fixing the laundry room. I like the characters I meet at the laundromat and I think I would miss the people who come in to do their laundry. Plus Tommy and I adore Bobby who works there. Today was his day off and we missed seeing him. There could be a sitcom written about what all goes on in this curious place.

However, true to form it wasn't long before I was engaged  in a rather interesting conversation with a lady and her dog. I seldom ask anyone their name, but before my laundry was done I knew her whole life story. She is disabled and lives with four dogs and five cats. All the time we were talking she held a dachshund in her lap. The little dog never barked or offered to get down. He was quite content where he sat. I complimented her on how well behaved the little dog was. She smiled and told me not to touch him. Apparently he is old and grumpy and does not care for strangers.  I know exactly how he feels, there are days I feel the same way.

As we talked she asked me if I went to church. I told her I did but not regularly. That is about the time I spilled our bottle of detergent and said, "Oh S**T"!  I looked at the lady and she smiled and said, "You should think about going more often." I let that one pass.

By now all the laundry is in the dryers and we are once again in a conversation about her dogs.  She told me that every Sunday night and Wed. night she takes her dog to church.  That struck me as funny and I laughed. Smiling she informed me he 'likes' church. I thought on this for a minute. I have never been to a church where there were dogs. Not once. Then she proceeded to tell me his favorite part is communion.  Evidently, he sleeps through the sermon and wakes up for communion.   Again I smile and bite my tongue. I had so many replies for that one it was really hard to let it pass. I knew the pastor would never give the dog communion. I also began to wonder about the lady I was talking to. Finally I can't leave well enough alone and I say, " so what do you do with the dog during communion?"  Still smiling, she says she gives him Pepsi and crackers....he doesn't know the difference. 

I am pretty sure I have spent the past two hours talking to an ex patient from where I used to work. She was nice, we had fun and a few laughs.  Before I left, I asked her if by chance did she live on a county road in a fairly new home with palm trees planted in her front yard?  She said, "Why no, but it sounds lovely."

Yep, I bet we know a lot of the same people and that is a good thing as far as I am concerned.