Long, long weekend

Blaine left his tie here Friday night. I happened to see it on the floor next to the couch the next morning and dropped it off on the way to my brother’s. He said he had set it on the side table when he took it off. It must have slid off. The explanation of how the tie had come off and fallen to the floor disappointed Mica but not as much as when I explained its return was why I was leaving Blaine’s Saturday morning.

I had called her after I left his house. I wanted to find out how the little white dog was doing. She said there had been a huge improvement and she was going to try leaving the cone off.

I was headed to my brother’s because every Memorial Day weekend he and I use Saturday to take flowers to the cemeteries where we have family members. It’s six cemeteries spread over three counties. Round-trip it’s 200 miles and takes around six hours. It’s always a long day but this time it was particularly so because the temperature was 100 degrees. I was sunburned and way too hot by the end.

Blaine had sent a text in the afternoon asking if I wanted to have dinner with Eve and Paul. I said I did if I’d have time for a cold shower first. By the time I was ready for Blaine to pick me up (he prefers that to meeting places), I was so sleepy I wasn’t sure I’d make it through dinner. Many glasses of ice water and two fruit cups (in lieu of an entree) later, I felt good again. The company helped perk me up too.

I stayed in bed yesterday until Eve sent a text asking if I wanted to check out nurseries with her and Allison. It took me a moment to think flowers rather than babies. Once I had that straightened, I said sure.

We met at Eve’s. When I arrived, they were counting planters and exchanging phones to show each other arrangements they’d saved on Pinterest. As they did that, I focused on keeping my balance while Izzy figure-eighted through my legs. “It’s because I let you do this that you have to go to boot camp,” I told her. I’m not the best influence on dogs or kids.

“What do you think we should do for Dad this year?” Allison asked. I glanced at Eve before realizing she was asking me.

I had no idea. “Red and white?” College football colors.

It seems that’s his preference every year.

It turns out that visiting three nurseries, picking out enough plants and bags of soil for 31 pots and planters, and then going to three houses to fill and place all of them is as exhausting in 100 degree heat as visiting cemeteries. It was more fun though. Eve and I always have a ball together, and Allison is equally fun. Under other circumstances I could see us becoming friends. I suppose that could happen under current circumstances but it's seems strange.

Blaine was surprised to see that I was part of the planting brigade but was pleased. When I talked to him later that night he said he would like Allison and I to get to know one another. I’m taking that to mean so far, so good for he and I.

And that brings me to today, the final day of a long and exhausting weekend.

Earlier I went to my hometown cemetery where my parents are buried. My brother told me he’d seen a sign about purchasing a flag to be flown on Memorial Day in honor of someone. I want to do that for our parents but needed a mailing address to send a check to. On Memorial Day someone from the cemetery board is there all day.

As the board president wrote down his address for me, I noticed he had the original cemetery ledger with him. I asked if there was any information in it about one of the markers, which is just a slab of concrete with a name scrawled on it.

One of my pet projects is researching the history of my hometown, and part of that has been to learn about early residents. The marker I asked about belongs to a man who ran the general store for a long time and served as constable, either officially or unofficially, for awhile. His parents and a few sibling are buried there too, all with nice headstones. I wondered if this simple concrete marker had replaced a nicer original one. The cemetery register doesn’t contain that information. It also doesn’t contain any mention of the man. If going only by the official record, he isn’t buried there at all. My mind is going to spin that into a dozen plotlines before I let go of it.

Mica and I went to supper tonight, the only thing we had time to do together this weekend. Right now I’m trying to catch up on laundry but I’m going to give up as soon as I have done enough to see me through the week. Here’s hoping I sleep through the night so I’ll be bright-eyed for the super secret meeting tomorrow.