Shower Preparation

I’m ahead of where I normally am at this stage of the game when I’m organizing for a party. There are still 3 days to go, and the food is ordered, the desserts, except an orange cake, are made. The yard is in great shape thanks to CC and my working like dogs. She did get overzealous in one area and began clearing out the Spanish needles (Bidens alba), a native weed that normally I rip out continuously. I got her stopped with enough left for all the little wildflower arrangements I want to make for the party. We’ll get the rest pulled up the next time she comes. Grant and I’ve made the list for the crudités, broccoli salad, beans, and rice he’s making. He will shop today. Steph is making decorations and labels for the little honey bear party favors. The porch is cleaned, and we’ve picked up the tables. We’ll borrow 8 chairs from our neighbor’s daughter tomorrow.

Today, I want to get the rest of the house neatened and find the photos of Spaulding as a baby. Since he swears we have none of him, I’m tempted to substitute one of Mary. I also have to text all the guests about parking. I’ve managed to borrow driveways from the snowbirds across the street and Nancy, my neighbor to the north. Who can’t fit their car in one of those slots or our driveway will have to find parking along the street. Tradition is 2 wheels on the swale, 2 wheels on the pavement, so traffics isn’t blocked, and, more importantly, you don’t go down into the ditch and have to be towed out. I may put Grant on parking patrol.

Grant took down the lanai curtains and washed them. Eventually, I need to re-dye them as the sun has bleached out most of the turquoise color I originally made them. They have faded into a nice ombré pattern, but it’s getting a little pale. Gracie helped Grant reattach the curtain rings.

We even carried my sewing machine and its cabinet to the Habitat for Humanity’s Restore thrift shop. This has been on my to-do list for a while. Nothing like having guests we don’t know to spur me finally into action. While I was at the store, I found a used Keurig coffee pot ($10) that I can use for the rest of the k-cups left from our Bonita Springs stay. When they are all gone, I’ll take it back for someone else to buy. I did wake up this morning with fear that I may have taken attachments from Steph’s sewing machine in my rush to get stuff out of our house. Please let that not be true. 

Next, we moved the bureau my Grandfather Coe made into the guest room, rearranged the loveseat and bench in the living room, and moved paintings around on the walls. Looking good. And my timetable is good. Unless I have to go to the ReStore today to try to retrieve sewing machine parts.

Even the weather seems to be cooperating. A couple of days ago, we had rain and thunderstorms predicted for every day this week. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, nothing, then 2 3/4” of rain in about 2 hours. Some of the mulch I’d put around washed away, as did lots of sand from our town’s roads. Yesterday (Thursday), we had a light sprinkling. Now Saturday is predicted as cooler and dry. Cross your fingers.