lazy saturday

Last Saturday was the first non-Sunday Dar didn't have to get to work at the crack of dawn. So we took full advantage of it. It was blissfully lazy & deliciously unproductive. Breakfast for the two of us usually goes something like this:______. That's right. We don't have breakfast together. But this morning we had eggs with bacon, feta, onions, tomatoes, & basil. And then Dar helped me assemble my shortcake trifle for a picnic we were invited to that night. He is great in the kitchen.

Then we headed out to the farm (because even when he's not working, he's still working) & since Riley was gone we actually got to drive the new mule. We cruised around, making sure everything was in order, basking in the thought that we had a whole day to do this if we wanted.

When we came across an old shed on one of their farms that's scheduled to be torn down, I suddenly found all sorts of energy to comb through barrels of glass bottles, piles of junk, and musty old boxes. I was ridiculously excited. There is just something about digging through the cast-off belongings of a person that makes my heart pound with anticipation. What will you find? What kind of person were they? Why did they not keep using this, but couldn't bear to throw it out? And Dar sweetly dug through everything with me, bringing me odds & ends he thought might tweak my fancy. I came away with some sweet bottles, old books, & wooden chairs. Sometimes I expect everything out here to be newer, since I have this conception that Oregon is a younger state, so discovering old stuff was an extra boon. I only wish they had more old sheds for me to rummage through:).

In the afternoon, my uncle Lyle came calling. In a strange turn of events, we both moved to the PNW (Pacific Northwest) within a few weeks of each other from our prospective long-term homes of Illinois & Europe. So he got to see our two apartments & the workings of the farm. It was great to see him again, & we're planning to head up to Seattle some weekend this fall to see his neighborhood.

In the evening, we headed into Salem to a riverfront park to spend time with some couples from church. It was a gorgeous evening, full of hazy sunlight & a welcome freshness in the air after the past days of upper-90's. There was an old railroad trestle bridge converted to a walking path we meandered down as the sun winked its last rays through the foliage. It was a good day. A great day.