What I Did On My Summer Non-Vacation

Woke up with a headache Friday morning. (Watch for a trend here.) Left the house at 8:15, arrived in Hendersonville, NC, around 6:15. Stopped just inside WV to visit the Coldwater Creek Clearance Center (great deals here - bought nothing), and twice for gas and nourishment (including the Panera in Johnson City - a regular stop on this route). Went straight to Spring Arbor West and spent an hour or so with Mother, including a couple of games of Rummikub. Back to her old apartment at Fletcher Park Inn. Looked around, assessed the situation, then plopped in a chair in front of the TV to knit and relax (or wind and unwind!).

Saturday morning: Woke up with a headache. No food in the apartment, so went out for breakfast, then to Ingles to grab shampoo and food for the rest of the weekend. Back to the apartment and packed until 2:00. Went out, picked up Mother, and took her to visit my cousin, BJ, and her husband, Melvin. Chatted a little, looked at their garden, then took Mother back home and headed back toward the apartment. Head still hurting and sick to my stomach, so decided I needed a treat. Stopped at Chili's and had an appetizer and a glass of Chardonnay. A young lady walked into the restaurant and sat down a few seats away from me at the bar. Her eyes were red and she had obviously been crying. She ordered a very large beer and sat there fighting back her tears. After about 15 minutes, two young women on the other side of her started talking to her and got her to scoot over next to them and open up about her problems. I sat there and pondered the wonder of my life, then asked the bartender to give me both my check and the young lady's. I paid and walked out, anonymously, having done my good deed for the day. After a trip to Wal-Mart for more boxes, tape and paper, I went back to the apartment and packed until 10:00.

Sunday morning: Woke up with a headache. (See? I told you there was a trend!) Had planned to take Mother up to the mountains but called and told her I just could not take the hour-and-a-half drive up and another hour-and-a-half back down. At 10:30 I went out and got her, then took her to Panera for lunch. Then a drive up on Blue Ridge Parkway, then back home and said goodbye. She couldn't get her hearing aid to work, so it was a verrrry quiet drive. No talking. No hearing.

After another trip to Wal-Mart for more boxes, I returned to the apartment and continued packing and cleaning. Used the Emmy Awards broadcast as motivation to stay on my feet and keep packing until I quit around 10:00. Three more boxes left.

Monday morning: Work up at 6:30. With a headache. Threw the last of the items into boxes and finished loading the car. The movers arrived at 9:15. After filling out the paperwork, I took my knitting to the quiet little porch outside the building and sat, knitting and listening to "The Girl Who Played With Fire" for two hours.

(Found a fabulous knitting blog in German with a picture of the scarf I'm working on—only in a different colorway.) (And another picture from a different blog.)

The movers finished around 2:00. I locked the door and returned Mother's keys to the Fletcher Park Inn front desk, settled in the driver's seat, and arrived home at 11:05 p.m.

Can you say, "Exhaustion"?

P.S. Woke this morning with a headache. Waiting to hear from the family's favorite massage therapist to see when she can fit me in.