The Attack....

**Due to computer trouble at home this one did not get published earlier. Today "is" the day...so more on that when the computer issues get resolved. But thanks to so many of you for the Birthday wishes!



When I decided to blog I thought I could write something everyday - you know I had this kind of fantasy that once the kids went off to college and it was just Rob and me that we would actually get home from work by 5:30 p.m. have a pleasant conversation, maybe have a nice glass of wine while we prepared dinner...well that was a nice fantasy.

I LOVE my job - I've worked for nearly 20 years as a downtown revitalization professional and last fall I was fortunate enough to get a job with the state of NC where I actually get to work for five small towns who apply to be in the program. I get to go to those towns and work with both the private and public sector. I have a great co-worker who is a designer and we travel together. The operative word here is travel: while we live and work in the Western region of NC the west extends all the way to Union County and Randolf Counties of NC and when we travel there and back in one day it makes for a long day and we travel two nights a week three weeks out of the month. This week we had two towns and I just found myself letting a lot go this week - including laundry...which makes me ask: why is it that I haven't had a child at home in nearly two years and I swear the laundry seems almost as much as it was when they were home? We're either the cleanest two people I know or the dirtiest!

But, back to my work and the "attack". In the nearly 20 years of working downtown I've had some interesting experiences such as crawling through a tiny hole into a display window to help create a display and thinking once in there I was going to be the display the space was so tight, wondering if I'll end up suffering the consequences of inhaling asbestos after crawling around the second floor of a burned out building (or worse falling through the floor). I've been flea bitten, crawled onto the roof of buildings through really tight openings, encountered snake skins that made my skin crawl, smelled odors that made me wonder if Jimmy Hoffa was behind the walls, ridden an outside elevator up to the top of a building while winds were around 35 miles per hour (and I hate outside construction elevators)but I did get to see Pilot Mountain - but being attacked by a squirrel well that was a first! Did you know squirrels play possum to0...yes indeed.

I decided to forego climbing up the ladder onto the roof of the building we were evaluating and squeezing through a hole just to see what the upstairs looked liked. I really didn't want to look like Pooh Bear when he got stuck trying to get honey - instead my younger and much more agile co-worker did the honor of crawling onto the roof and through the hole (not getting stuck). While he was crawling around on the roof the town planner and I observed a squirrel that we thought had died between the power line and the exterior brick wall. Once my co-worker and the building's owner got back on the ground we pointed out the poor little creature. Sneaky little bugger - he was just bidding his time until we left. The building owner decided to poke him with a stick and you got it - he wasn't asleep at all. The squirrel literally jumped on the chest of the the building owner, ran down his leg and straight toward me. Yes, this nearly 50 year old woman can still run and so could that man who is older than me. The two young men were laughing their - well you know what off!

But - Tuesday is the "big" day. I'll be traveling to another one of our towns just above Asheville. A little town called Burnsville. So I'm really hoping a bear doesn't wander out and decide to crawl into our state car. I think that might be hard to explain to our bosses in Raleigh.

Anyway next week the family is having a little get together on the family farm to celebrate. My dad turns 79 on Friday and my brother turned 47 on Oct. 6 so we'll just have a family celebration in the old packing shed. Rob and I went over today and it was like these memories washed over me and I could just feel the presence of little Sherry, Billy and Rodney in that packing house. We even walked upstairs and I could see us with skates on our feet skating as if the upstairs of the packing house was the fanciest skating rink around and to us it was. Next to the packing shed is the old sawmill. I walked over and pretended once again to be the Capt. of the Ship. When my brothers and I were little we used to pretend the old sawmill was a ship. I always had to be the Captain and my brothers the crew. I was such a bossy little girl! We spent hours sailing the sea and no pirates ever took over our ship when I was in command.

I love the family farm. It takes me back to a childhood that was just perfect. Long summer days running around the farm. Going fishing in the evenings. Oh we did work - yes dad made us work but I don't remember it being such drudgery, but isn't that a part of the aging process??? We remember things more ideal than they probably were. But seriously I am blessed...then and now and next Saturday we'll just spend the evening remembering the past, looking forward to the future and my favorite thing...laughing. I love to laugh. Hopefully no attack squirrels though!