Life is taking on a different sort of pace as we empty out the nest.  There is still one more week before we load up the trailer with our youngest and all her worldly possessions (minus the ones I'm sure will still occupy a good portion of our home).  The next week is her time to gather it all together, add a few more "necessities", and say her good-byes to all that is familiar to her now.
Tonight was one of those nights that became a logistical challenge of time and vehicles.  She needed to pick up a used futon and dorm frig from a friend that had them for sale on the southwest end of the county.  She also wanted to be at another friend's house for the evening on the southeast end of the county.  I wanted to be at a book signing on the northeast end of the county.  We wanted it all to happen in under two hours.
The first stop was for the futon.  After removing the legs and sliding it in the back of the Ford Explorer, we needed a couple more inches to get the door closed.  Both front seats were readjusted, a little push, a few bungee cords, and we were ready to roll.

My daughter took the wheel on the way to her friend's house.  We safely navigated into the driveway.  I took her seat from there.  Now, she normally has the seat slightly closer to the wheel than I do.  She drove to the futon friend's house so the seat had already been closer than I sit, now it was an additional two or so inches up with the seat fully erect.  The Ford logo of the air bag was staring square at me.  Too close for comfort, but nothing I could do about it.  I had to head north, get on the Lake Freeway, and follow the Lake Michigan shore line if I was going to make the book lecture in time.
I am accustomed to mirror driving with my work truck, so this was not a problem.  Sitting with bent knees and straight back was.  Fortunately, the area of town that I was heading to was very near the university she will be heading to next week, so large vehicles filled with furniture are fairly normal.
As luck should have it, a parking spot opened up just across from the bookstore as I pulled up (with 15 minutes to spare).  I was able to pull straight in to a spot with no risk of someone parking my ample sized, vision obstructed vehicle in too tightly.  
I had enough time to purchase a book and even read the first chapter before the lecture got under way.  If you have read any Michael Perry books, you know that he has a fine sense of humor with back road wisdom attached.  These are the kind of people I seek out to entertain me.  I was not disappointed.
Being raised Lutheran in a small town, I often choose the furthest seat from the front as is comfortable when presented with an unknown crowd.  There was already plenty of people when I got to the east side bookstore, so the back was my home.  I couldn't always see well, but I could hear just fine.  Michael Perry not only writes well, but he also tells a pretty good tale in a captivating fashion.  He was on Michael Feldman's "What Do You Know" this weekend.  You can listen to the broadcast in archives on Wisconsin Public Radio to hear what I am trying to convey.
When all was done, the back seat proved to be to my advantage as this put me closer to the front of the line for the book signing.  Perry's first book was Population 451.  My friend gave it to me as a birthday gift, and I have shared it with others.  I have read every Perry book since.  My favorite so far has been Coop.  I have high hopes for this one as it talks about the wisdom one can gain by getting to know their neighbors in Visiting Tom.

Perry also plays and sings in his band with the Long beds.  He talked about his gig the next night at the Oconto County Fair. As ironic as it may seem, he was heading for the very same county I grew up in.  The place where I learned small town wisdom, ethics, and how to get along in a bigger world.  It seemed fitting to have made the trip across three-fourths of my present county of residence to hear him speak.  
After I got my book signed, I headed out to my truck to drive home.  I folded myself back into the space behind the wheel.  I said another prayer that the airbag would have no reason to deploy while I challenged it by sitting too close.  As Bob Uecker called the Brewer game, I wound my way home on those streets that have become home to me and my family.  It doesn't matter where life puts you, its what you make of it that counts.  You don't have to live in a small town to know your neighbors and learn something along the way.

A Graduation, a Garden

I haven't been doing journal entries about my garden because...I'm too busy gardening.  Life has also kept me busy, so some things had to take a back seat to all the other things going on.  Today I "powered through" and planted over 12 flats of plants to wrap up my flower planting.  All that remains in my gardening cue are my tomatoes and peppers which are going in after we host a graduation open house for my youngest.  They would wait until then anyway to keep them toasty on the few remaining cool nights we have left.

My lovely girls have taken to having their photo ops in the best garden spots.  After years of standing them here, and seating them there to commemorate occasions, they now just move to where I can capture all that is blooming, including them!  Neither one has taken an interest in getting dirt under their nails yet.  I do hope that some day they come home looking for advice on starting their own garden.  I will wait patiently.

We have participated and a lot of last times this past month.  I will miss the days of fast-pitch softball, even if I haven't always enjoyed the drive to watch them.  We have enjoyed watching the team build each year and grow into one functioning unit on the field.  Some year's had exciting playoffs while others just fizzled and ended.  I will miss the players, parents and coaches that made those hours at the ball field worth the trip.  I especially will miss watching my daughter behind the plate in her catcher's gear.  She was a reluctant volunteer to move into this position her sophomore year, but she did it for the team.  She quickly adapted and even coveted the position that she held.  Her pitcher has been the same all three years, so the two of them developed a real friendship both on and off the field.  Watching them walk off the field with their arms over each other's shoulders after a tough loss was something I came to look for after their post-game team meetings.  I will miss those girls much more than the game. 
So, onto another chapter of life.  In just a few short months, my little bird will fly the nest and I will be left with lots of time to garden and all those other things I have put off doing over the years.  I know I will miss her, but I also know that this was my job in life.  She has been prepared to become independent, and so she will be independent.  Like the saying goes, "Parents have to give their children two things. One is roots, the other is wings."
Hats off to all the graduates and their parents who got them to this point in life.  I look forward to meeting you on a new playing field and seeing you as the the changed people we all become with time.  Best of luck to all.