What a peaceful day. Grace all over the place.
This day was rare, for I ran errands alone back to the town where we lived for 15 years, even driving a different route and not getting lost (always a plus) and then just in time, I remembered seeing online that their library has many of Joanne Fluke's mysteries (newly-discovered favorites) which our new library does not. I'd not been there for over a year and when I asked the librarian how long they'd had their beautiful new front desk she said, "Since February. You haven't been here in awhile, have you?" So I chatted with her about our farm.
Then I picked up some syringes for Lennon the Cat, drove past our old house for old time's sake, shopped at Salvation Army, then drove to the supermarket where I stocked up on non-perishables for winter (I'm determined to be prepared this winter, unlike last). Nearly everything I needed was on sale and you should have seen me dancing in the aisles.
I remembered my history with that town while inside every store and upon each street. How this was where I spent my 30's, the mom of a middle schooler then a high schooler then a college student... all the chauffeuring, all those shopping trips together and all those mom lessons and emotions. All those people I knew there, sat on our porch with or attended church with, many with which I've lost contact. And I drove past businesses which had changed owners and names and ones bulldozed years ago. I recalled weeks when I sang inside my car and other times when I had to try not to cry.
So much growing-up happened in that town! So much of my current happy foundation was built brick by brick in that place (while, simultaneously, God tore down my self-made sad foundation there, too). And how amazing that I can return, unlike when, as a child, we moved every two years. Back then when we moved, we moved, hundreds of miles away and this was way before email. This was back when long distance calls cost fortunes and if your friends were bad at snail mail, you never heard from them again. And so today I found myself grateful for short moves just a country drive away and email and Facebook and blogging. Never again will I lose people unless they or I wish to become lost.
I headed out to the next town over where I'd agreed to meet my buddy, Donna, at the theater so we could watch Julie and Julia.
Wow. Loved everything about it. The blogging references, of course, and the clothes from the 40's and 50's (and even today's Julie inspired me to wear more skirts). And the decor from both then and now captured my eyes, causing me to miss pages of dialogue while I stared at pretty wallpaper and furniture. Loved all the kitchens (even Julie's), the hairstyles and all that food!
I. Must. Buy. This. Movie. Why? Because way too often I just do not feel like cooking. After 30 years of being Mrs. Happy Homemaker I too often resort to opening cans and sloshing the contents into pans and calling it dinner. But with every viewing of Julie and Julia I'd be assured of enough creative culinary inspiration to last me two weeks, minimum.
And that, my friends, is worth any price.
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Oh, and in case you wondered, I do not plan to read the Julie and Julia book. I've heard too many things about it which will keep me away.
