A Windy Day

Today the wind blew in from God knows where and like a mad housekeeper swept up all manner of debris from one corner of town to another. All morning long the wind would grip the edge of the outside doors, pry it open and slam it defiantly shut. Each time, bits and pieces of crumbling leaves would swirl in, until the rug in my little area looked as though fall had sneezed on it.

The energy inside the building matched the blowing outside; all day long everyone raced around, frantic to put together this project, to reach that person.

The bread baking activity was forgotten and I should not neglect to mention that it was I who should have remembered to put the bread in. I was deceived by all the little dishes set out with a pat of butter on each. No one knows who so thoughtfully set the activity up, but whoever it was successfully duped everyone else into thinking that someone else was doing it.

Also, our beloved house dog Sweetie Pie was carried out in a sling by sympathetic veterinarians; she had broken her hip and had to be put down. This caused a dear lady to break down into tears most of the morning; Sweetie Pie had been her baby. However, a new dog was introduced by mid afternoon and the slightly nervous but good natured fellow was immediately adopted, taken for walks and fed treats on the sly.

He's technically on a diet, but it is forever the fate of house dogs to be over fed. After their stay with us is over, they waddle into the golden halls of Evermore full furred and rotund, their gentle eyes peaceful and content. There's simply no way to convince the residents that fifty nine other of them are also slipping the house dog bacon after breakfast; the moment remains an individual one for each.

It was my particular chore today to complete the AP Packet, the details of which I will not bother to go into; the title alone should indicate its tedious nature. I labored on this project from early afternoon on; the knowledge that, like death and taxes, the FedEx man would come at four pm on the dot, possibly earlier, to collect his due.

It came down to the wire and I was steadily copying one invoice after another after another when my coworker came flying into the cramped and stuffy copy room. If it were possible, her hair would have been standing up on end in vivid expression of her energy, crackling with static electricty.

"Is it done?" she thrilled. "He's here!"

"No!" I retorted, indignant. After all, it couldn't possibly be four already; it was positively indecent of him to arrive so early. "What time is it?"

It was Time. In a flurry we finished, in time for it to go out the door; book keepers and business officers now all able to breath a sigh of collective relief; life as we know it would continue and each item would be totaled for Corporate's accounting pleasure.

I also fed the birds and made the four pots of coffee required, baked a half dozen chocolate chip cookies and remembered to put people on hold so I could buzz the respective Department Head before sending the supplicant through to them, if they were approved. If not, they were sent, dejected, to the dungeon of voicemail, where their message might languish for days before being attended to.

I enjoyed my new found command over the complicated phone, that and the little ring of keys that dangled, chatelaine-like, from the waist of my skirt and jingled as I walked the halls on any of my varied errands. I did still manage to send one of the important calls for the Executive Director into voicemail, most inappropriately, and to hang up on one random, unidentified person. One hang up a day seems to be my average; it could be worse.

When I got home, I was startled by the sight of a tall, gaunt looking person standing, motionless, to the left of the garage door; after a moment or two I recognized him as Larry the Good Neighbor.

While I was at work, the wind had been busy at home and knocked down part of our fence in the back yard, releasing the girls into the World-At-Large. This was very exciting for them at first, but then, according to Larry, Lynn had retreated back into the backyard and Abby went to Larry's house. Larry had patched up the piece of fence that had fallen, but it will need more permanent work.

I collected my errant girls; both of them very glad to see me. Lynn was especially shaken; in her mind, fences should never fall down. Abby didn't seem to mind, though she sat eagerly down on her haunches and lifted large and loving paws up to me when I came for her.

The wind has all settled down now and so must I; it's time to crawl into PJs and watch one of the comfort movies I rented yesterday, the girls arranged lovingly around me. I hope tomorrow is more calm; a girl can only drink so much coffee in one day.