Happy Friday... Happy Fairy Day... Happy Summer!

 For many of you, today is the final day in your work week..  It is usually that way for me during the school year, but summer brings its own pleasant haphazard way of keeping time..  Don't!  All days run into one another in a lovely jumble of "days off."  It makes the season fly, and that is sometimes a bit frightening...  Today is a special day for my mom and me.  We are meeting three or four other women for lunch in a continuation of a tradition begun by the men in the families.  After more than 30 years of working together at Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, my dad and several men retired.

 They each decided  after a few years off that life was great with its lack of scheduled work hours, BUT they missed the camaraderie and the bond they once shared.  So for possibly another 25 years or so they and their wives, sometimes daughters, often a grandkid, met for lunch.  I was a happy participant at times, and my son, more often.  It was always such a joy to meet with these dear friends.  I especially loved the way the women gathered together and chatted.  But I was entranced at the men.  These 80-year old-plus retirees laughed, reminisced, and "climbed poles in the elements" to their memory's delight. It was always a treasure to hear those tales.  Nobody has memories quite like a group of people who worked together on common ground.. 

 Only one of the original employees is still left.  We had a few meetings after so many had gone, and he just decided it was just too sad. I so understand.  How could you sit there and ponder the incredible odds that you would be the sole survivor of an "era"?

 And so, today marks the first day the women go it alone..  All of us decided we still wanted to visit, so we are meeting in about two hours at that restaurant to have a little ladies only luncheon...

 Wherever you work, I hope you are surrounded by those you love.  If not, at least by those you can endure!  I have always loved my coworkers...  They become a second, different kind of family...

 These are shots of our back yard!  This old barn reigns in the back of our property...  and the hollyhocks and lilies are the stars of the show this year.

 Enjoy your summer day and your fairies...  This is their day, you know!