Anniversary Week

 We’ve had such a fun week!  I worked Monday morning like crazy to be done in time to leave for Eureka Springs.  Then we wandered over there.  We made a couple of stops in town and on the way there and arrived at the Arsenic and Old Lace Bed and Breakfast about dinner time.

We’d stopped at the welcome center and grabbed handfuls of maps, places to see and dining establishments.  Fall is a bit of a slow time, and some of the eateries were closed.  The first night we tried a Mexican place—it was coastal Mexican food with lots of citrus.  Oh!  Can I say, GOOD?  Mmmm. I had a spinach salad with avocados, mango, cheese, bacon and yum.  The salad dressing had a hint of lemon in the vinaigrette.  Tom had chicken enchiladas with an amazing white sauce.  Again, it had a bit of lemon flavor, but the meat...mmm… like barbecued, but not the tomato kind…. just flavorful.

That evening we walked part of the town to walk off dinner.  The next morning we walked into town stopping at shops and galleries.  They have some very talented artists there.  Jewelry making, pottery, fine arts, mosaic, beads, fabric work—it’s all unique and interesting.  I especially liked the pottery and looked for ideas there.  They had some wonderful polished stones—spheres of agate and other highly variegated rocks.  Actually the only thing I bought was a fossilized snail.  It had lovely brown tones and I want to make it into a necklace.

When we got footsore, we hopped on the trams that go around town and admired the historic homes and the scenery.  We stopped at the Crescent Hotel and wandered around.  We went to the historic Catholic Church.  There was an underground tour… but we didn’t make that.  Apparently Main Street was called Mud Street because it was low and all the mud and water flowed down.  So they raised it – in some places as high as 12 feet.  The second floors of some buildings became the first floor.  The court house has deep pits around it with retaining walls so the windows can get light.  It would be interesting to see all the first floors that are now underground.

The weather was delightful and we ate lunch outside at Local Flavor.  Again, the food was very good and filling.  We wandered around town, but weren’t sure what to do for dinner.  So we stopped at the fudge store for snacks and went out for banana splits and called that dinner. Hah!  The advantage of advanced age.  No one tells you, you can’t do that… and if they do… you don’t have to listen.  Well… the scale does complain a bit.

Wednesday we drove around town and cruised all the little side streets.  Some people call it little Switzerland because it’s so hilly.  But it’s not nearly as tidy as Switzerland. I think it should be called little San Francisco.  The streets are very narrow and windy, the architecture is similar, and the culture is liberal. 

On the drive home we stopped at some yard sales.  I had to laugh.  We’d go into these boutique stores and think, who needs all this stuff?  Mugs, ornaments, doo-dads, wind chimes, shirts, hats, belts… just stuff!  But then we stop at the yard sales and here’s all this great STUFF!  We picked up a scissor, a lamp shade, some crinkle ribbon, a few romance novels.  Come on.  Doesn’t everyone need those?

We got home in time for Tom to attend his meetings.

Thursday Tom started cleaning out the garage, barn, and shed in preparation for our yard sale.  Wow!  He’s done wonders with the garage.  All of them are neater and more organized.  And we have a pile of stuff in the middle of the garage and under the porch to go to new homes.

I got a tracfone and will use that as my phone.  870 656-3194.  Of course, I’m not all that good at answering my phone.  But’ it’s there for when I travel and for business.  I have it programmed with maybe 5 names.  More to put in.

Thursday I did a little work and listened to a peer review for the article I’d submitted to AWAI’s on line magazine The Barefoot Writer.  They gave good information to improve it.  I got to listen in on reviews of other work… and it was not much better than my review… so I certainly didn’t feel singled out.  I made the changes and sent it back on Saturday.

In the afternoon we went to the fair.  It was fun to go around and see how my entries did.  Mostly they did very well.  My beaded necklace and my picture of flowers in Switzerland were considered for Best of Show for their categories.  I got all blue ribbons except for a white for my Switzerland Castle (too dark of an exposure) and my peach jam (too little head room and too much foam.)  I love it that they tell you why they rated it as they did.  Tom says the peach jam will still taste great.

Thursday night was Relief Society.  We had a good taster’s table and learned “texting for dummies.”  It was taught by two teen-aged girls.  Who better to teach about texting?  They really were very patient with some of the older women who had never texted.  It was a fun class!

Friday I did a little work.  Then I needed to fix dinner.  The missionaries were coming over and I invited two other sisters. One brought her handicapped granddaughter.  It was a nice evening, but somehow a bit stressful prepping dinner.  After they left, I needed to make cinnamon rolls for my Saturday meeting.   Well, I didn’t HAVE to make them, but we’d eaten some Silver Dollar City cinnamon rolls, and this just seemed to be the right time of year for them.

I’d also been busy visiting with seminary teachers and preparing the training for Saturday. One teacher is really struggling.  Some are still not able to post their attendance.  I think things are going well, and then discover there are glitches and struggles.  We had rain—a nice gentle rain—Friday evening and all day Saturday (over 1.5 inches). 

I drove to the training in Branson in the rain and came back in the rain.  Later that evening I picked up two sisters and we went to a Relief Society event on hand gun safety.  It was a good lesson.  Shot a 22 for the first time in YEARS!

Tonight Brother Lawson, who is the seminary and institute regional coordinator, will be speaking to our youth.  So I’ll be going to that.

It’s been a great week.  Happy 42 wedding anniversary to us!