Kip and I have been in Galveston, TX since Tuesday. We joined our friends Ron and Barbara Spahlinger here for Thanksgiving. They have been coming to the Jamaica Beach RV Park for years. Kip and I came for the first time last Thanksgiving. We were all here New Year’s Eve, and again last summer. The park is really nice and it’s so family oriented. They have two pools, two hot tubs, tubing, an outdoor evening movie and putt putt golf. It’s also right across from the beach. 

The park owners fix turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy. All the RVers bring side dishes and desserts. After the first midday feast in the park clubhouse, the owners clean it all up and bring the leftovers out again that evening. On Friday, they make turkey gumbo for everyone to enjoy. They do this every year.

So if you have been wondering why I haven’t written a blog in several days, it’s because I have been too busy eating. It hasn’t all been fun and games, though. It seems that my stomach doesn’t like being given three pieces of pecan pie in one day along with the turkey and trimmings.

It felt good to take a break from all those things that tend to consume me. I love writting, but I was beginning to feel quantity was overtaking quality. I have wanted to complete a couple of writing projects and keep up with a daily story on the blog. I’ve never been very good at prioritizing, but I’m getting a little better about finishing what I’ve started. 

Kip and I have a big, busy family which includes eight grandkids and three great grandkids. We want to find ways to spend more time with them. My dilemmas are challenging for sure.

great granddaughter, Ryan Constance…eating raisins…looks like me after three pieces of pecan pie.. only she’s much cuter.

*************************

I’m sure clarity will come with time. In the meantime, I want to share some ‘Thanksgiving in Galveston’ pics with you.

Ron and Kip at the clubhouse…feeling full

Ron cooking breakfast…the weather was perfect…

Sunset picture taken from the ferry to Bolivar. We saw dolphins swimming.

I love this picture of Ron and Barbara’s granddaughter, Kaylee, throwing pieces of bread to the seagulls.

Breakfast at the Sunflower Bakery. Kip showing off his cinnamon roll to go…

Life is good, and meant to be appreciated!

I never ever know what to expect when I go to Pearl’s to pick up Pearl the dog, or I go to Pearl’s Busy Nest. The only thing I know for sure is that Pearl the dog has to go a lot, and I am the only one who won’t forget to take her.

I do have something else on my mind, today. Ever since I started helping Grace with her Dear Grace letters, kids are starting to look at me funny  I didn’t realize so many kids had a bunch of problems. Pearl said as long as I was discreet, it would all be okay. That reminds me, I forgot to look up discreet in the dictionary.

Well, I’m not there yet, but I almost am.

************************************

Hi Pearl, I’m here…are you?”

“Yes, Dear, I haven’t left for my Busy Nest yet. Grace went over there to hold down the fort for a while. I needed a little time to figure out my life. (She was being all mellon dramatic.) I’ve learned a lot about mental health in this job, and I have so many symptoms and let’s not even talk about the issues.

“Hmhm, ” I nodded my head. I’ve learned  the best thing to do when you’re doing light therapy is to let the client do most of the talking. It was not a problem with Pearl as long as she was on the client end.

“How did I end up like this? How! How! How!”

“Tell me more,” I said.

“I’ve wasted my life. I don’t even know who I am.”

I almost said, you’re Pearl the human, but I didn’t feel that would be very theraputical. I got her a box of Kleenex, looked her straight in the eye, and let her keep on talking.

I let her ramble a while…and then she said this! “You and Grace get all those letters every day, and all I get is a bunch of crazy people! I fear some of them have heavier problems than I can handle.”

“Well,” I said. “You are going to have to get used to talking to crazy people or pack it in Pearl, because they’re the ones who need light therapy.” (I knew my voice was kind of shaky. I was getting attached to some of those people…especially the green Siamese witches.)

Pearl wears white when she’s depressed

Pearl was actually silent for a minute. “I have reached into the dark crevices of my mind today, Essie, and I now have the answers. I need to put a window in my closet turned into an office. I have decorated every bit of space. I can’t even stand up without hitting my head on something. Yes, that’s it, Essie. I’m just claustrophobic.”

There’s another word I will have to look up.

Pearl got up and told me I was a good motivational speaker and she was going to have me write this stuff down and maybe later she could get invited to a PTA meeting to speak. “All the real crazy people go to Rapid City, right?”

I told her I guessed they still did. Then Pearl the dog and I went for a very long walk. I talked to her about all of it. Now I know what Pearl the human means by petting therapy. Pearl the dog has good sense.

 

 

 

I’m on my way to get Pearl the dog. Our schedule is different now. We go for a walk and end up at Pearl’s Busy Nest. Pearl the dog loves to go there. She gets petted a bunch and sometimes she even gets to go into the Light Therapy room with one of Pearl’s clients. Pearl calls it Petting Therapy.

We had a rocky start, but we finally got things running smoothly. At first the clients would go into Pearl’s client room and ask her where the lights were. She had to tell them that light therapy meant she couldn’t go deep down into their psyche. She’s not allowed to put people in a trance or hypnotize them. If they need more than talking about their feelings, they will have to drive all the way to Rapid City. She usually convinces them to try light therapy first because its cheaper and they can always go on to the deep psyche stuff at a later time. Rapid is a two hour drive and its best if you can accomplish two or three things in the same day.

Well, I’m not there yet, but I almost am.

***********

“I’m here, Pearl…are you?”

“Yes dear…I’ve been waiting for you to get here. I desperately need a cup of coffee.”

“Okay,” I said. “Where is Grace? I looked around and didn’t see her.”

“She went to pick up the mail. Poor dear, she hasn’t gotten a single Dear Grace letter for her to put in the paper… Here she comes.”

I went to let her in because she had so much mail she needed both hands to hold it.

“Look!! I have ten letters here. All of them are addressed to Grace at Pearl’s Busy Nest. I can’t wait to read them all. I put flyers in every women’s bathroom I could find, and it worked. People like to read while they’re using the facilities, you know.”

Pearl glanced over that way and I could tell she was a little curious. “Essie,” She said. “Please bring my first client to my office.”

“But Pearl…No one is here yet.”

“When they get here, I’ll be in my office.”

Grace let me read the first letter she opened.

Dear Grace,

I have a child who goes to sleep each night with her hands up. She says if a bad guy comes during the night she wants to be ready in case she doesn’t wake up right away and she doesn’t hear the bad guy say, “Put Your Hands Up!” She says its even more important if the bad guy is in the hall and says: “Come out with your hands up!” She doesn’t want to get shot just because she isn’t ready.

Thank you for your help.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Grace sat there with a puzzled look on her face. She couldn’t think of any advise. I knew I could help her out.

 

“Grace,” I said. “I know who this is, but I won’t tell anybody. This girl watches Roy Rogers and Dale Evans every Saturday. Somebody always has their hands up in that show. Suggest she tell her daughter to watch Sky King. They fly around in a plane in that show. Penny is the girl who sees the bad guys from the airplane. Even if the daughter feels like she needs to bail out in the night, she’ll just hit the floor and shouldn’t get hurt bad.”

Well, Grace wrote all that down and signed it: Yours truly, Grace. Then I took it to the newspaper. We answered four more letters today.

“Where is Pearl the human keeping herself,” (Grace was so busy she hadn’t noticed Pearl not being around.)

“She’s in her office spending some quality time with Pearl the dog. She didn’t get any clients today, but I have some doozies lined up for tomorrow. They need a lot of light therapy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am on my way to Pearl’s, but I really don’t want to go over there. If it wasn’t for Pearl the dog needing me to take care of her, I would make myself scarce for a few days. But since that’s not going to happen, I better prepare myself. You see, I was the one who sorta spilled the beans on Pearl. All the ladies thought she hung the moon…that is until after her yoga class. None of them could get out of bed the next day. They all complained and said since Pearl was such an expert on yoga, she should have known they needed to stretch before doing some of those moves.Pearl made me call them all and cancel the next day’s class. They informed me they were suffering and would not be back!

When I left yesterday, Pearl was choosing between pretending to leaving town, pretending to have a terminal illness, and pretending she had amnesia which is why she didn’t remember stuff like stretching before stretching, and that there was no “limbo to the oldies” in yoga.

I’m not there yet, but I almost am.

**********************************

“Hi Pearl…I’m here, are you?”

I heard a very weak voice coming from her bedroom. “Yes,” she said. “Is anyone with you?”

“No Pearl…,its just me.”

“Come into my bedroom, Essie. I need your help. You better bring a notepad.”

I told her I would come in there with a notepad as soon as I took Pearl the dog for a walk. Just because Pearl the human was only thinking about her own problems, that didn’t mean Pearl the dog should be neglected. I know if she didn’t love Pearl the human so much, Pearl the dog wouldn’t have wanted to go back to those rooms above Sanderson’s Store. She’s the only one I felt sorry for. Well, maybe Grace just a little bit.

“Are you back, Essie? Do you have a notepad?”

I was hoping she wasn’t going to have me make any other phone calls.

“Hi, Pearl…what exactly are you going to have me do?”

“Well,” she said. “I have decided to tell the truth. Yes, that’s the only way I’m going to get out of this mess. This probably means I’m going to lose my job at the library. I sure hope I can make it without that job.”

“You volunteered, Pearl…you didn’t get paid.”

“You are correct. It was all out of the kindness of my heart.”

“Should I write down, “You get what you pay for?” I asked her.

“No!!” Pearl raised all the way up in her bed. “I am going to take this time, while I am bedridden with…We’ll think of something exotic and contagious so no one will want to drop in to see me. Anyway, I’m going to come up with something else I can teach those women. We’ll make bracelets. I’ll take all of mine apart so they can remake them.”

Pearl was feeling so much better until Grace came in with a letter addressed to Pearl. It was from the library.

Dear Pearl,

The library board held a meeting to discuss your activities at the library. We have decided they interfere with the normal flow of checking out books, not to mention checking them back in.

This is your notice to turn in your library card, (if you even have one). One more thing. You are not eligible for rehire.

Love,

The librarian

I thought Pearl would cry, but she didn’t. All of a sudden she seemed to be happy.

“I am going to start my own business, Essie. I have a little nest egg and I am going to use it to get my business off the ground. That old library can go back to the two or three people who came in every day before I started volunteering there.”

“That’s pretty neat, Pearl. Can I work there too?”

“Of course, Essie. So can Grace. We’ll take Pearl the dog with us. They’ll love it.”

“What are you going to name your business, Pearl?” I asked.

“I’m going to have a sign made. It will be flashy like I am. I will call it ‘Pearl’s Business.’ I think it has a ring to it, don’t you?”

I don’t think I’ll give up my towel washing job quite yet.

 Well, Pearl’s business has been open for two weeks and business has been good which is surprising since she hasn’t decided what Pearl’s Business is yet. From what I can tell, people just come to sit around and gossip.

 

I’m not on my way home from school today. It’s Monday, but Its some kind of holiday. Its either Labor Day or Memorial Day. I can never remember which is when. The library is closed too, which means Pearl will be home. She said to come if I wasn’t too busy because even though she’s more active now, she still doesn’t like going up and down the stairs several times a day. She said I could have today off if I wanted it, but I figured since I’m not busy, I would decline the offer.

I’m not there yet, but I almost am.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When I got there, Pearl the dog was waiting for me. I could tell she hadn’t gone outside yet, and I was sure glad I decided not to take the day off. I don’t think most of the kids are doing much today, anyway…at least I haven’t heard about anything.

When I got there, Grace was in the kitchen fixing a breakfast tray. She acted real happy and everything. She was even singing.

“Hi, Grace, is Pearl sick?”

“No, Dear, she just can’t get out of bed. She overdid it yesterday and can barely move. She says even her fingernails hurt. She is not a very pleasant  patient. She had me over here at the crack of dawn.”

I took Pearl the dog for a long walk and when I got back, I decided to go in and say hi to Pearl. She was barely sitting up in her bed, but she waved me to come closer. I thought for a minute she couldn’t talk, but I was wrong.

“Essie, dear. I need you to do me a very big favor. Do you have a couple of hours? I will pay you extra.”

“I might get a call from some of my friends, but that’s okay. If you really need me, I can stay,” I said.

“Good…Get me my handbag. Its sitting up there on the dresser. Thank you, dear. Would you open it please and get my little notepad out? I have a list of names and phone numbers for all the ladies who are in my yoga class. Even though the library is closed, I was able to get permission to hold my class there later today. I need you to call all of these women and tell them I have come down with something dreadful and I will have to cancel today’s class. Can you do that for me? I don’t want them to know I hurt too much to get out of bed. They are under the impression I know all there is to know about yoga.”

Well, I hate doing that sort of thing, but I had already told her I would, so I was stuck.

The very first woman I called was sick with a dreadful disease, too. Her husband told me she hadn’t done anything but moan and groan all morning.

The next lady said Pearl better lay low for awhile, because she was mad at her and she wasn’t the only one.

Every woman I called was madder than the the one before. I really didn’t know what to say to them to get Pearl out of trouble, so I just said if it made them feel any better, Pearl couldn’t get out of bed either only she had a dreaded disease today, and she would probably have it tomorrow, too.

I went back into Pearl’s room to tell her I called them all and did she need me to do anything else before I took Pearl the dog for another walk.

“Where did I go wrong, Essie? I was at the top of the heap, but now I feel sure I’ve plummeted to the bottom. And you know what they say, Essie…”

Right then, Grace came in the room. “What exactly did you have those ladies do in your class, Pearl?”

“We jumped rope, and did the limbo to the ‘oldies’ Why?”

“Well, Grace said. Some little kid dropped this off. It didn’t have a name on it, so I opened it. It says right here yoga is mostly stretching.”

“And saying omm,” I added.

“Oh, no,” Pearl said. “It’s worse than I thought. I’m going to have to leave town!”

 

 

I’m on my way to Pearl’s. I get a three day week-end  because I don’t have to go to school on Monday. I haven’t made any neat plans yet, but I’m sure an idea will hit me soon. Things have been a little different since Pearl started volunteering at the library. She’s kind of making a name for herself. People are always commenting on how flashy her outfits are and asking for her advice on what clothes are popular and does she think they’ll look good on them. One lady even brought her catalog in and they sat right down and ordered some things. People also ask her about how to handle problems in their lives. Pearl said some people even ask her about books.

To tell you the truth, I don’t really like Pearl being gone that much because it puts a lot more pressure on me. I am pretty much solely responsible for Pearl the dog and that really ties me down. I’m hardly ever busy, but it could happen, and then what would I do? Grace is around all the time, but It’s really hard for her to get up and down all the stairs. It’s even worse since she’s been sick.

I’m not quite there yet, but I almost am.

*********************************

When I got to the top of the stairs, Grace opened her door and said Pearl the dog was at her house. She had been crying over at Pearl’s because she was bored.

“Pearl didn’t even come home for noon dinner,” Grace said. “I just hope she is doing the right thing by spending so much time at the library. Doesn’t that sound funny? I mean to hear Pearl and library used in the same sentence?”

I took Pearl for a long walk and she loved it. She really is a sweet dog and she makes Grace and Pearl feel safe. Personally, I think the stairs keep more criminals away, but they’re nervous because they live on Main Street. When Pearl and I got back, Pearl the human was home.

“Hello Essie, how is my puppy dog doing?” Essie, do you think you could take Pearl out again in a couple of hours? I just came home to change for my yoga class at the library.”

“What’s a yoga class, Pearl?”

“Well, it’s a class where you do yoga. I think it’s exotic and spiritual, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve never been to one. I know you say omm.”

“I guess I can come back in a couple of hours,” I said.  “I just hope I don’t have someone call me and want me to go to the show or something. Do I get paid more money?”

Grace knocked on the door. She had a big pot of something. All I know is I was thankful it didn’t smell like cabbage.

“Hi Pearl and Ellie. I brought some homemade chili over and I also made some cornbread. I thought we might all have supper together tonight.”

“It sounds delightful, Grace, but I’m off to a yoga class. The girls and I are going to get a bite after class.”

Grace put the chili on the stove and without saying a word…she left.

“Well if that doesn’t beat all?” Pearl said.  “I can’t very well cancel yoga now can I?”

“Just don’t go,” I said. I was feeling bad for Grace. She was sitting around counting freckles while Pearl was becoming the Queen of Murdo.

“Well,” I have to, Essie. I’m teaching the class. Are you sure you don’t know anything about yoga? How do you like my yoga pants?”

I felt sorry for Grace, so I stayed and ate chili and cornbread with her. It was Friday night and I’m sure lots of kids were calling my house to ask me to go to the show with them or something, but there’s always tomorrow night. Besides, I was there when Pearl got home from her yoga class and bite to eat with the girls. I think she got her comeuppance. She took right to her bed.

The other day a blog I wrote reminded me of this story. I had a hard time finding it, but I need a rerun tonight, so I’m going to use this one. I loved dresses until I was in second grade. I had to wear them of course, but no matter how pretty Kitty Reynolds made them, I just didn’t like wearing one…with one exception…my long red formal.

In another blog I wrote about the time I went to the cabin with Grandpa and Grandma Sanderson and Grandpa decided we should go to this big church in Rapid City. That was the first time he had done that when I was with them, and I hadn’t brought a dress, which didn’t bother Grandpa any. I wore blue and white striped bermuda shorts and held my legs together so everyone would think I was wearing a skirt. (I’m sure more people were wondering why I was walking with my knees together than would have noticed I had shorts on.)

Iowa relatives and Sanderson and Miller families at the cabin

The below story was told to me by me, so it must be true. It happened over 50 years ago.

I had to start wearing nylons. It seems that when you get to the 8th grade, you’re supposed to wear them when you dress up. We went to Winner for a music contest and that’s when some of the girls decided it was time to start wearing “hose.” I had to play a saxophone solo, and those darn nylons ruined it. Are there boys that read this? Oh well, I don’t care.

With the Haverberg and Sanderson cousins at Horse Creek

You have to wear a garter belt to hold your nylons up. It is a very weird contraption. It has long straps with a doohickey on the end that you put the top of your nylon over. Then, you have to pull another part over this button like thing. That’s what holds your nylons in place. There is a strap on the front and one on the back of each leg, so there are four altogether. The straps are attached to a garment that is held around your waist by elastic. I guess it’s sort of like a real short slip, only you still have to wear a slip too. The whole thing is called a garter belt. The nylons come separately.

Right in the middle of my solo, the doohickey on the back of one leg came loose, and the nylon slipped right off, which caused the front to sag.  I finally got an opportunity to glance down when the piano player who was accompanying me, had a little part that I didn’t play my saxophone to. I could see the nylon was a wrinkled mess just like my Grandma’s hose (nylons) always are because they don’t make them small enough for her. Grandma wears a girdle to keep her nylons up, but it doesn’t work. Besides, you still have to deal with the doohickeys attached to the girdle. (Some older ladies just roll them down over a rubber band. I wonder if that works better.) Well, at least the front doohickey on my garter belt never came all the way off, which was a blessing.

Anyway, for the very first time in my life, I didn’t get a Superior on my solo, because I was too distracted to remember all of it. I can’t even tell people about it, because it’s going to sound like an elaborate excuse, and they’ll think the real reason is, I didn’t practice my solo enough times to memorize it better.

I’ll add this.

I must have been pretty traumatized or I wouldn’t have remembered so many details all these years later. I also made the mistake of wearing a red jumper that was like a shift. It was one of those dresses that you have to keep tugging on when you sit down. It was a long day, and it didn’t help that Mom was not too pleased that she had to drive us and listen to me play badly.

You’ll be happy to know that after years of therapy, I finally came to terms with my past. I wish I could have known I would forget most of it anyway. I could have saved a lot of money.

I’m on my way to walk Pearl the dog. I really had an off day. I lost two rounds of tether ball and another girl, you don’t know, beat me in Jacks. I guess my head just wasn’t in the game. I had one of those days when I can’t concentrate. At least that’s what I’m going to tryout on Mom when she sees my science paper. She doesn’t think she expects too much from me, but she doesn’t account for off days at all. I heard that most of our Presidents were B students. Hardly any got straight A’s and they used words  like, cipher. I’m not going to try that sensible approach. Mom will just say, “They didn’t have running water or electricity. They had to do their homework by lantern or candlelight. I’d like to know what taking a bath more than once a week has to do with my grades.

I’m not at Pearl and Grace’s yet, but I almost am. I wonder if Pearl is still at the library. She’s already been there a whole four days.

“Hi, Pearl…I’m here, are you?”

I didn’t get an answer and Pearl the dog didn’t come when I called, so I figured they must be over at Grace’s rooms.

I was right. When I walked in, Grace and Pearl the dog were right there waiting for me.

“Hi, Grace…Is Pearl still at the library?”

“Yes, I suppose she is. Although, just between you and me, I don’t think she’ll be there for long.”

I could tell that Grace wanted to take back what she said…but it was too late.

“Why do you think she won’t make it at the library, Grace?”

“Well, I went to my women’s circle meeting today, and some of the ladies took me aside and said Pearl was trying to take over the place.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that those ladies had no use for her when she was trying to join their circle?”

I could tell Grace was getting flustered because she won’t look at you when she’s nervous. Stuff gets written all over her face.

“Well,” Grace said. “I guess that could be part of it, but there’s another thing that people are bothered about.”

“Like what, Grace?” I knew Grace was ready to spill everything. It was eating her up.

“She threw all the rules out the window and folks think a library should have rules. She doesn’t keep it quiet at all, and people don’t have to bring their books back on time. According to the circle ladies, the thing that has the whole town up in arms is she lets everyone bring food and drink in. Why that’s worse than food and drink at the show. That’s what they said, not me.” Grace had more…

“She did start a book club which tickles me. I don’t think Pearl has ever read a whole book in her life.”

“Uh, Oh, here she comes. You better run Pearl the dog outside, Ellie. I’ll try to calm Pearl down before you get back, dear.”

Pearl and I took our time. We walked all the way to Super Value south of sixteen. I had enough change on me to get a Bing, so I waited for another kid to come along and hold Pearl for me or go inside and buy my candy bar. While I was sitting there, the lady who gets paid to work at the library stopped when she saw me and headed my way. This day was really stacking up against me.

“Hello Ellie,” she said. “Is this Pearl’s dog? My goodness she’s very well-mannered. What is her name?”

“Pearl,” I said.

“No, I mean what is the dog’s name?”

“It’s Pearl too. Pearl the human forgets names, so she figured if she named her dog the same as her name, she wouldn’t forget it, and if she did, people should find another home for Pearl the dog.”

“Oh, my goodness,” She said. “That sounds just like Pearl. I sure am enjoying her at the library. She has brought a new energy to the place.”

“Wait,” I said. “Do you mean you like Pearl?”

“Oh, my yes…We hardly have anybody come into that stuffy place. One or two a day, at most, wander in there. I know a lot of kids say they’re at the library, but believe me, they are elsewhere. Besides…we plan to get everybody used to using the library, and then gradually incorporate some of the rules.”

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I just hoped I could get back to Grace’s house before she told Pearl what those circle women said about her. “Or should I let the chips fall where they may?”

 

I’m on my way over to Grace and Pearl’s to take care of Pearl the dog. I love that dog. She loves it when I come and take her for walks. Mom says she thinks it’s a good arrangement. I’m always begging for a dog, and Pearl the dog needs someone like me to take her outside and stuff.

When I was younger, I tried all kinds of ways to get a pet. I even ordered one of those teacup monkeys that are on the back of the Archie comic books. It was free. I didn’t get it anyway because the two gold framed pictures I had to buy first weren’t free and I didn’t know that COD meant cash on delivery. I went to the post office with Mom when she said she had a package to pick up. I just knew when she saw that cute little monkey she couldn’t say no, and I would be the only kid in town to have a teacup monkey.

When they brought out the pictures with the gold-plated frames, Mom sent them right, straight back. She told me I didn’t want a monkey anyway because they usually have fleas.

Oh, I had the usual goldfish that die in a week or two, but not a real pet. Even though she’s not mine, Pearl the dog is a good friend.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

“I’m here Pearl…are you?”

“Yes, yes…come into the living room, Essie, I’m afraid I’m not my usual perky self today.”

I didn’t think Pearl sounded too good. She was sitting in her favorite chair. Her nose was all red and she was dabbing her eyes with her favorite handkerchief. It’s the only one she irons, so I guessed this must be pretty serious.

“What’s wrong Pearl? You look…different.”

“Do I? I’m not surprised. I’ve been dealt a big blow today, Essie.”

“I think I know what you’re crying about. J.C. Penney’s wouldn’t take back your before, stretching, during, and after exercise outfits did they?”

“Oh, Essie…I forgot to send them back. Maybe you can take them to the Post Office tomorrow, dear. I’m far too devastated and I doubt I’ll be functional for several days.”

“I don’t know what to say, Pearl. Do you want me to go across the hall and get Grace?”

I forgot what I was getting ready for….Circle, Saturday night, or church.

“If you do she will only tell you she isn’t going to speak to me again for all eternity. I don’t know why those old women invited me to join  their ‘circle’ anyway. I don’t knit or bake, and I surely don’t  sew. We don’t have any shared experiences. I don’t belong in a circle. Ever since I quit doing hair I haven’t found a place to use my many and varied abilities.”

I sure didn’t know either, so I got Pearl the dog and headed out for our walk. We went on a very long one. It was getting dark by the time we made it back to the rooms above the store.

I was sure hoping Pearl had found her life’s purpose while we were gone.

“Essie…is that you?”

“Yes Pearl, we’re back. Do you want me to feed Pearl before I go home and do my mountains and mountains of homework?” (I said that before she said anything, so it would be believable if I needed to get out of there fast.)

Pearl came out to the kitchen and she looked like might have found her purpose.

I’m going to volunteer at the library. Murdo has a library, doesn’t it?