Tennis and Basketball (Watching - NOT Playing)

Yesterday afternoon and most of today, we took the opportunity to visit with Dave and Elizabeth. Yesterday, Joe put together steps for the hot tub while Elizabeth and I sat on the back patio and chatted. After an early dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes, and a salad we sat until 8:00pm on the patio visiting. We started yawning and so went to bed early.

Our bed has a weighted blanket on it. Our first experience. I slept very soundly. I’ve always wondered if it was a good investment so am excited to see how it goes for a week. The guest room is lovely plus the biggest benefit last night was that I did not have to climb out of the car in the snow to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. The guest bathroom is connected to the bedroom and no need to traipse outdoors!

This morning, I sat on the patio for awhile while Joe and Dave tore apart the small boat deck at their home. They needed to assess if they could fix it or if it was time for a professional. Elizabeth invited me along for her tennis foursome – to watch not to play. It was lovely sitting outside and watching them play – the weather was warm, and the sun was shining. I enjoyed listening to their banter and appreciated how supportive they were of anyone who had a good shot.

Elizabeth and I then went to visit her mom, Judy, who lives nearby to watch the Women’s NCAA championship game. We sat on the patio and watched the game on a big screen TV. Dave and Joe finished assessing the deck and they walked over to finish watching the game with us. They determined that the work to be done on the deck was beyond their ability.

Then it was back to Elizabeth and Dave’s house for more visiting. Joe and Dave are reading in one room. Elizabeth has gone off to purchase a cell phone replacement she found on Craigslist. I threw together a salad for tonight’s dinner and sat down to write this blog.

One of the highlights of yesterday occurred while visiting the library in Gilbert. We had a little bit of time before our hosts were expecting us, so we found the library. In the new biographies section, I discovered a book by Peggy Rowe, “Vacuuming in the Nude: And Other Ways to Get Attention.” When we got ready to leave, I was three chapters in so immediately purchased and downloaded the book from Amazon. Peggy Rowe’s story speaks to my writer’s heart. She wrote all the time throughout her life and had rejection after rejection. Her husband would introduce her as a writer to people, which made her uncomfortable as she believed she needed to be published to be considered a writer. Peggy sold her first writing (an article) at the age of 66. She now has three published books. The first book came out when she was 80 years old.

Reading her work makes me laugh out loud and shed tears a moment later. Her work is warm, witty, kind, and authentic.  Her writing inspires me to keep writing every day.

Tomorrow afternoon we are headed to visit with a friend of Judy’s, Dave’s, and Elizabeth near Superstition Mountain. For now, Joe and I are happy to visit with people instead of traipsing off for full day tours of sights. We will do shorter sightseeing trips while here and enjoy the opportunity to rest part of each day.