An old friend dropped by

 Yesterday we had a bad 5 minute rain storm and of course, branches fell at Many Branches. We were just finished cleaning up what we could manage when a strange man got out of a car and started talking to Andy.  Andy burst in the kitchen and said Ben Richards was here.  WHAT?  A favorite former student.  Well, we hugged and chatted and then he gave me a very big surprise, his mother and sister (whom I had taught too) were in the car with Marcia's ailing husband.  Well, in they came and our jaws were flapping and tours through the house and apartment were led for after all this was once their home.  We bought this place from Marcia Richards who had been my room mother for several years because I taught three of her four children.  I had said once or twice (lol...more than that) if you ever want to sell let me know.  We want to buy.  She said when I am 58 I'll sell it to you and she did.  Now she is 87 and is living in upstate New York near Ben, her son.  But they are selling again and moving to a retirement center in Westerville, where Andy and I graduated from Otterbein University.  I can't wait until they are settled which will be a couple of months and then they are all coming for dinner.  I want to catch up.

Marcia and I traveled together while antiquing on several trips and I must say she was the perfect travel companion next to Andy.  We had the best time ever.  One time we made the mistake of taking a third woman on this one trip and three women on a trip rarely works out I have found from personal experiences.  The third woman said she wasn't happy and was going home on the bus and I said why not take the plane, it's faster.  I meant it in a good way, but unfortunately, it was taken the other way...and off she went in a huff and that was that was it for the rest of our born days. Sigh.  Relationships are soooo tiring.  Constant maintenance.

We are taking an entertaining break on the 4th.  It is on Wednesday and seems unnatural to have a big to-do in the middle of a work week. But we are doing a Labor Day bash.  I have so many recipes to try out on the guests.  It will be fun.

I'm off to find those sweet hot pickles that disappeared here in a week.  I am trying Carfagna's first because I Googled the company name and it is an Amish organization and Carfagna's, Italian though they are, sell Amish canned goods and pies.
Note:  Carfagna's do not carry the sweet spicy pickles.  We drove to Plain City to the Amish store and there were three jars left, so we took them all.  We bought a lot of things there this morning because there are two round-abouts into Plain City that are a plain pain in the butt.  So we don't go often, but we get good stuff when we make the trip.

Have a lovely day.