Mica and I had a pedicure this morning. We found a new place we like, one where we don’t feel our feet are being ridiculed in another language (although they probably are). I wanted pretty toes and extra moisturized legs so I could wear a skirt and sandals tonight.
Blaine and I went out with Kim and John, or rather we made arrangements to meet at a winery where there’s live music on Saturday nights. Blaine suggested to me that we go a little early for some alone time.
The drive led us out of town, down quiet highways bordered by cornfields. It was just far enough to be relaxing. We skipped going inside and instead walked around the main house to the back where the trails began. There are two that meander through the property. Both start at the same place but soon diverge, one going toward the vines and the other through the grounds where events are held. We followed the latter.
The path passes a gazebo surrounded by trellised rose bushes and other landscaping that make it a popular spot for weddings, I imagine. After awhile the path dips downhill toward an area of trees where there is a rabbit warren of nooks. Years ago, soon after the winery opened, there was a small renaissance festival held there. Blaine was surprised that I had gone and asked if I liked that sort of thing.
“After the one here I went to a proper one in Iowa and then the big one that’s in Kansas City just be sure that I don’t get them. Not my thing.”
He smiled. “Now that thoroughness sounds like you.”
The rest of the walk was through open spaces but went away from everything else. There was a nice view of farmland, and birds became more vocal. It took us about an hour to wind back to the main house. We had stopped along the way a few times to take in the view, the quiet or just to talk about something. Being with him is so easy.
As we approached the main house, Blaine sent a text to Kim to let her know where we were. They had arrived a few minutes earlier and had grabbed a table on the back porch. Kim told us they had spotted Blaine’s SUV in the parking lot and when they didn’t see us inside they assumed we had gone for a walk. “We always did that when we were dating,” John said.
All of us decided to do the wine tasting to start. Six samples (equivalent of one glass) from the winery’s long list of wines, meads and ciders. I stuck to the whites. I selected one semi-dry and the rest were semi-sweet. I was gratified to find that I do have a limit on sweet. I was more gratified to find a semi-dry I liked. “This could be my gateway wine,” I told Blaine. But my favorite was a semi-sweet, almost on the semi-dry border. To my surprise Blaine liked it too, as did John and Kim. This one might solve my problem of what to bring to all-purpose occasions. Not that I have many of those, but I do like to be prepared. At the end of the night I bought a couple of bottles. Blaine offered to keep them for me since he has a proper wine cooler and I only drink wine when I’m with him.
The music started as we were finishing the tasting. We ordered a bottle for the table along with a basket of bread, meats and cheeses. It was a bit hard to talk over the music, but the singer took frequent breaks.
Again, I enjoy Kim and John a lot. John continues to be a surprise. When I met him on St. Patrick’s Day my impression was he was a sports-oriented guy (a lot of tailgate talk that night) and maybe not as interested in general conversation. I couldn’t have been more wrong. He seems to get interested in any topic, and he likes to discuss things in terms of the larger picture, the greater impact. Blaine is like that too. It’s always satisfying.
Kim and John walked down to the lawn to dance a few times. Blaine asked if I wanted to give it a go but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I just cannot get my feet to do anything they're supposed to. Blaine has tried to help, and
I’d like to think that even though I’m a disaster there is still some
enjoyment to be had when dancing in the privacy of his home, but I can’t say I’ve
improved at all and certainly not enough to be seen in public. Nothing is harder for me than feeling embarrassed in public, so the idea of dancing is almost panic inducing. I don’t turn red but my face goes warm when I’m very embarrassed. I felt it in my cheeks when I turned him down. “I’m sorry.” It was heartfelt. “I’d like to be able to dance with you.”
He scooted his chair up against mine and slid his hand under mine. “We’ll get there.”
On the way home, Blaine opened the moonroof and let the back windows down enough to allow a breeze to cut through. He left the air conditioner on too. Perfect on a summer night.
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