Scheduling, shopping

I remember a country song that quipped “I got both ends meeting in the middle but I can’t seem to get them tied.” Life is imitating art in that respect. We are pulling all the divergent tasks together but we are not fully confident of the timeframes for any of it. Aaron’s boat is stuck in dry dock because of generator problems so his approved time off for the wedding is in question; but plans move ahead as scheduled.


We are attempting to schedule the closing on our farm on the 8th so we can do that on the way over to the wedding; no commitment on that front either. All these events will happen, but the schedules are not firm. That makes extending invitations and arranging travel plans problematic. So we press forward prayerfully and set the goal as if it were not a moving target.

I went out last night with Mama to look at dresses. She needs something to wear for the wedding photo ops. We struck out pretty badly – it made her miss New Jersey. Either the colors were not right or the fit was not right or the style was not right. We still face the daunting task of accessorizing once she does decide on the outfit. I feel her pain a little because most of the clothing in the stores was just plain ugly. I cannot imagine how some retailers survive.

Mama took me to show me one particular dress that she said she really liked but I could not imagine her ever wearing it with any confidence. It was a shoulder-less long gown with a necklace type neck line. She did not look bad in it. I just cannot imagine her wearing it. Other dresses were too hot, too casual, too short, too wrinkly, too tight, too formal, too see through, too 1920’s (I’m not much on the “flapper” look which seems to be popular.) and on the list goes.

I enjoy shopping with her. We used to do it often, but as we have both gotten old either our tastes have changes or our physique has changed, making it a much less pleasant task. Grandpa Kline often says that he weighs the same as he did when he got married; it is just arranged a little differently. Add to that the money needs we are projecting and a limited budget and you come up with a recipe for discouragement. Mama will recover. I probably will too.

Mama and I did manage to find a suit for Chase at J C Penney’s. They will be back there today to see if the suit pants are needed or if he can make due with what he has. As we were walking through the store to show Chase the jackets we had found he remarked about a headless male manikin with sculpted pecs and six pack abs “Look Dad, they had cast my torso in plastic.” My son is not vain he is just extremely pleased with himself.