Vacation turns into Staycation

Four sisters try to take a "Sisters" week annually

                After too much rain and with more predicted, both here and in route, the planned sisters’ trip to Willis, TX, in a condo on Lake Conroe, two of the four of us—one the condo owner—decided against taking the risk of getting into rising water on the way down.

                Since we live within twenty miles of each other, and since the host has a home with three bedrooms, she invited us to “shelter” with her in Little Rock, then fan out from there on three days of flea-marketing forays. One sister had to be at choir rehearsal on Wednesday night, so our staycation would last from Sunday through Wednesday morning.

                I begged a ride with another Benton sister. When she came to pick me up, we stowed my food, a box of legacy trinkets I wanted them to go through, and she said, “Where are your clothes?”

                “We’re coming back tonight,” I said. “Barb didn’t say anything about staying Sunday night.”          “Well, that’s what she meant,” Carolyn said.

                So, I rushed inside, picked up a small, soft-sided Samsonite piece, which usually holds shoes, fan, heating pad and cosmetic bag. I stuffed two tops, two pairs of jeans, underwear, jewelry already out from the day before, nightwear, make-up pouch, toothbrush/paste, meds, and chargers.

                I’d already put extra food in the cat dish and more water in the bowl. The litter box was clean, the plants were watered, the appointments were re-scheduled, the mail hold cancelled. I guess I could manage for three days.

                We arrived mid-morning Sunday, had brunch, drove to South Main Street where our brother-in-law has a booth in an antique shop. We lucked out—Cliff was there. Was he excited when we all four rounded the corner, smiled and waved!

                I bought a silver bracelet with a purple stone, and a used book of selected poems by Federico Garcia Lorca (published in 1955) with Spanish on the left page; English on the right.

                The next stop was a “junk” shop in Hillcrest. Surely nothing in Hillcrest is junk! Although one sniffed at the place, the others of us were impressed.

A movie was on the suggested activities for Sunday, but we decided to drive a few blocks to Bev’s home and watch “La La Land” for free. The last movie I’d seen was “Sleepless in Seattle” at Dot’s home a couple of weeks earlier.

                Monday’s itinerary included multiple flea markets in Cabot and Beebe. My BFF Dot came to see us when her workday ended. She’d met the other sisters at my 80^th birthday party but hadn’t seen them since.

                 We ended the day at Holiday Inn Express in Searcy. Dinner was at the Rock House.

                Tuesday morning, we found a couple of places to visit in Searcy, then one more in both Cabot and Beebe. Rain was on its way, so we hurried home. That night, we watched a tape of the ending ceremonies of the Olympics, then the Arkansas-Auburn basketball game, all the while continuing our cut-throat game of Phase 10.

                Wednesday morning after breakfast, we packed up, straightened our rooms and, again, before the rain, left for our respective homes. The rain caught up with us, but it wasn’t so hard we couldn’t deposit my boxes and sacks of goodies—blue glass pieces, a pear candleholder, a Haeger pot, 4 silver (looking) candlesticks for the mantel—on the porch.

                Grandson Billy, sole occupant at Couchwood for three days, not knowing when I would return, had locked the screen door! Thank goodness, he was getting ready for work and heard my desperate phone call. “Sorry,” he said. But he was only being safe.

                That afternoon, I took a three-and-one-half hour nap.

c 2018 PL, dba lovepat press, Benton AR