Company is coming, going, gone!!

I’m so excited. My friends, former clients, visited me and Daniel in Waitsburg last week. A few weeks ago, we had an extended laugh-a-thon Zoom meeting trying to figure out their flights and other travel logistics. The arrival time hadn’t sunk in for Vicki (yes, another Vicki) because she sent a text the night before the flight saying, “OMG, what were we thinking, getting to the airport at 6 a.m.?”

The good news was that the early flight meant they didn’t have to fight traffic to the airport—unless there was construction, an earthquake, or another LA disaster. When traveling in Los Angeles, residents always look for a silver lining because it’s always a challenging adventure.

My working years, all fifty-plus of them, were charmed. I worked hard but also was lucky in my career. I had amazing and some very prestigious clients, including The Academy of Motion Pictures. It meant I could attend the Academy Awards eight years in a row. I had security clearance, took pictures of the attendees on the red carpet, and still have copies of the scripts.

I also managed the insurance program for the United States Marine Corps. Non-military operations were insured as though they were a regular business. I had the opportunity to travel to the bases in Japan and Hawaii.

The two clients who visited last week became friends of mine and then of each other after I introduced them. I had a hunch we would have fun together, and we do. When we used to meet for dinner, we always managed to stay late enough to close the restaurants. On this trip, we skipped restaurants and hung out on our deck to enjoy red summer sunsets and star-filled skies.

I couldn’t wait to show them Waitsburg and Walla Walla, less so my garden. At least I did figure out that my mystery squash was just spaghetti squash picked too early. My tomatoes are an embarrassment. I planted some more rutabaga, and evidently, a variety of neighborhood cats dug it up to use that planter as their litter box. At least I have onions!

I drove them to Seattle on Monday for their return flight, with time to hit the streets for a few hours. I decided to rent a car with a drop-off in Seattle and then fly back to Walla Walla. I knew I would be exhausted arriving around midnight, so I probably looked like a vagrant as I waited for sunrise before I drove home. I’ve heard deer come out to wander around during harvest, and after having my windshield smashed by a bird, I wasn’t going to risk hitting a deer.

A few days off the tennis court to hang with friends was good; being the accident-prone person I am, I recently sprained my fingers. They are swollen, it’s painful to make a fist, I can’t grip anything, and it’s difficult to hold my tennis racquet. Yet, I continued to play, which has delayed or totally halted the healing process. So, the few days off probably helped heal my fingers and gave me some great laughs with friends.