Sat Aug 13 - Dayle and Ken got here about 5 minutes after I had lay down on the couch late last night, which was my thought when I finally curled up, "Maybe they'll walk up now." I was glad I had finished as much of my room as I had, because I felt like I could really offer them a lovely place to stay. Half my room still looks like a giant pile of boxes, but half the room is neatly appointed with pillows and linens, bookcases and lamps, chairs and workspaces.

In the morning I had time to leisurely enjoy a book, a cup of coffee, and some sweet corn tamales I bought at Bristol Farms yesterday. But because we do not have a microwave, I'm finding all sorts of "old-fashioned" ways to reheat leftovers. Steaming the tamales in a frying pan with a pot lid over the food worked very nicely.

Then it was a morning and afternoon filled with trips back and forth between the two apartments, getting the downstairs bathroom scrubbed at the old place, moving one more stack of boxes, vacuuming at the new place to prepare for the party, hanging curtains, emptying boxes of books, and hanging out with Dayle and Ken. I was really glad to have Ken there to save me from the bugs in one box, and for Dayle to help me deal with the books that had been partially harmed by the bugs. Bugs are creepy crawly and have no place in my life. *eww!* But with some scissors, paper towels, and an extra trip to borrow the vacuum cleaner again for the new apt, everything important was salvaged and everything disgusting discarded.

And as Mer and Geoff took their UHaul of stuff to their new apartment, Geoff stopped by to unload the old bookcase made by Pamela and Ron that I still own. It fits neatly on the patio, and will be used for all our gardening and container plants. Maybe I'll be able to do some container gardening, too.

Finally by late afternoon, our guests started arriving. And I was absolutely thrilled that so many friends made the 1-2 hour drive down to my new place—friends who hadn't RSVP'ed for the party and just decided to come at the last minute. Of course, several reminded me that I had apparently forgotten to ask for RSVP's, so they just showed up and I was happy to see them.

Let's see: Dayle and Ken were here from the night before, and also had plans to pop in and out from our party and some other friends holding a party just 2 miles away. Mel's sister Sarah arrived early, and then Carlina and her husband, who's name escapes me. These were the first friends of Mel's who'd arrived, and I couldn't recognize them because they were not wearing medieval costuming. Then more members from her household(s)—Theresa and Alan, Matt, other Matt (Jaime), Saul. Brian and Morgana made it down from my hometown, plus James, Wilhelm (Michael) and Mara (JJ). Finally later Giacomo made it to the party too. We were blessed with so many friends that we very nearly ran out of chairs.

It was so nice to hang out all day, snacking, telling stories, and just enjoying one another's company. It was lovely. Everyone seemed to love our new place and was so happy to see our good fortune, and I was thrilled at how many friends were able to make time for our party. It was a true success.