Hope and Happiness

"Let your hook be always cast. In the pool where you least expect it, will be fish."
-Ovid

Hope.

Yesterday was one of those days you fall into bed early knowing that it was a good day. And in the grand scheme of things, good days have been too rare lately. Things were so right Saturday that the feeling has carried over this morning as I drink the first cup of coffee and listen to everyone in the house sleeping.

I can't thank Vicki enough (there will be something sent off in the mail for you on Tuesday). I was completely shocked by her kindness, not that I didn't know she was kind. I did. But I never thought that my yarn emergency would get a response, especially on my blog. I don't have a lot of hits each day, so I never expected the blog to connect me with the yarn I needed. My post to the Knitter's Review was viewed several times, but the responses weren't able to give me a lot of information. Things seemed bleak.

I knew Vicki had sent the package, and my oldest daughter and I rushed to the mailbox on Friday to see if it had arrived early (she is waiting for a package with her basketball sweatshirt in it - both packages were due to arrive either Saturday or Monday). Yesterday, after watching two great soccer games in summer-like weather (one daughter lost, one won; both played extremely well) we came home and I darted off to the mailbox. There it was, a cute little box that fit perfectly into the mailbox. Obviously, Vicki had snuck over to my home and measured the mailbox to know the exact dimensions for this box to fit so well. She obviously also knew how much this would please me. The mail carrier had even lined up our letters alongside in a most compulsive way. He was obviously trying to apologize for the many times he did not deliver mail in the winter when the streets were too full of snow by appealing to my anal retentiveness sense of order.

I opened the box, and Vicki RAOKed me big time. Thanks, hun! Photos to come, but the bug on a rock is too cute! The girls immediately begged for the suckers, and I happily gave them their sugar and sent them off to run around and buy junk at the village-wide garage sales. Peace. In the house. For a long time. While DH cut the grass, the neighbor came over and asked if I would like him to edge the lawn. Would I like it? Oh. My. God. Ten minutes later, he was done and I was sweeping up the clippings on a gorgeous day. Have I complained about the people in my village? Well, forget that, this guy is kind.

I weeded happily (the garden beds are the best I have had in nine years - because I'm actually working them this year) and ran to the dump for recycleables and yard waste. My black-eyed susans and phlox have spread in one flower bed, and my balloon flowers, which I thought had died out, were peeking up at me in my other flower bed. Lupines are spreading everywhere, which is fine because I like them, and the lavendar is fighting hard to hold on this year. Vicki and I live about 45 minutes apart, but her garden is light years ahead of mine in the growth department. I'm still a rookie.

After my DH finished frying out (a native Sheboygan term for grilling out, BBQing, or cooking brats on the Weber), we ate and I was able to listen to the entire episode of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor. The entire episode. Is it my birthday? No, it was just a good day. During the two hour show, I cleaned up the kitchen, finished weeding, and sat on the deck knitting away with the yarn Vicki had sent me. Perfect. Day.

Happiness.