It's good to be home again. I flew in yesterday. It feels like I was gone for much longer than the sixteen days it actually was. A lot has changed here in Tennessee. The leaves have fallen or turned bright orange on the trees behind the house. The air is crisp and cool. The garden is barren as my father, my Aunt Toots, and Uncle Bob seem to have worked a lot cleaning it up while I was away. They finished construction on the Turkey Feeder, for the ten or so wild turkeys that come through the yard. Sadie got her nails cut short enough to where you can't hear her dancing on the hardwood floors of the house. They planted tulips along the front of the house. The peach wine got bottled. Twenty-something pumpkins got donated to the local church and schools.
My father got a thank you note in the mail from our friend's grandson who also received a pumpkin.
On my flight home, I was the last to board the plane. I had to wait for my seat to be assigned. 28B. Last row, center seat that doesn't recline. I was walking down the aisle and realized it was the only open seat on the plane. As I approached it, the flight attendant, Sue said, "Welcome, we've been waiting for you." I laughed when I realized I was on a cross country flight at 6:45am and there was no hope of getting any sleep. As I sat down, Tori, the woman on the aisle was speaking to Clive, the gentleman with the prime window seat. She passed him a complimentary drink coupon and said to enjoy a bloody mary. I chimed in and said, "Oh, good. I am in the correct row!" They both laughed and this began a conversation that lasted the entire flight.
Tori, a mother of three girls is from California originally. On a business trip, she was returning home to her family outside of Atlanta. Clive, of British decent has lived all over the world. He was on his way to a fresh produce convention in Atlanta. It has been a lot of years and many many flights since I have said anything other than hello to the people sitting near me on an airplane. I saw the premier episode of Pan Am a few weeks back and remembered what it was like jet-setting the world in the upstairs business class cabin on Quantas, taking breaks to go play in the cockpit and steer the plane. I enjoyed decent meals and a glass of bubbly as a little girl, and being entertained by going down the spiral staircase to check out the action at the bar in First Class. That was long ago but it was the only way to fly.
Things have long since changed, however there is Sue. Clive ordered a mimosa, which is not an option in the main cabin. She suggested that she handle the cocktail and would make him, "Something special." I obviously hadn't intended on drinking at 7am but nevertheless, I chimed in with, "I'll have what the gentleman is having". Tori followed suit, and Sue set off to the galley with several cans and three bottles of Skyy vodka. Upon her return, she presented us with plastic cups that had a rainbow of colors. Clive asked the name and she replied, "Sue's Sunrise". We saluted our beverages and then enjoyed them. Sue returned to see that we were enjoying them and told us the story behind the drink. She spent six months flying with the Angels baseball team, and she came up with it to entertain them. They would try to order it on flights where she wasn't working and were always disappointed. Sue regularly flies between Orange County and Atlanta. You better believe I will be asking for her next time I take that flight! We ordered a second round and continued chatting.
Tori was talking about how she wants to get a pet goat. I have a fondness for farm animals and decided I need one too. I loved the idea of fresh goat's milk, and making my own goat cheese. After my flight, I informed my father of this. He promptly replied, "okay", and began researching everything on the internet. By the time I got home, I had several links to sites with information regarding dairy goats. After reading all of it, I have come to the conclusion that it is a lot of work and expensive equipment to make some homemade goat cheese. I then thought I should just get a pig, also a lot of work. So, I have decided to get a few chicken birds. I can easily build a coup for them down near the shed and will have farm fresh eggs! I plan to start with three hens. I have a name for one of them which was suggested in a conversation regarding the goat. I will be accepting name suggestions for the other two. Growing up we had several chickens and ducks along with our horses. I know the work tied to caring for the chickens and realistically speaking, this is the only option for an animal that I am willing to commit to taking care of. We have the deer that come by and the wild turkey's, and they feel like pets without the maintenance other than refilling the feeders. I'm so excited to go down to the Anderson Farmer's Co-Op this week and get started on my chicken project!
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