That "G" State

I'm on a flight to Atlanta for MaryCatherineFullofGrace's wedding. I called her last night to check in and she sounded equally overwhelmed and exhausted with a modicum of excitement thrown into the mix. There were the extraneous sounds of people being busy in the background (the in-laws from Texas) and her four year old son clearly exuberant with the kind of anticipation that lots of visitors and brouhaha inside a home can generate. She was worried about unfinished home improvement projects and the state of the house to outside eyes. The wedding is taking place on the grounds of her home, so she's nervous about hosting so many people. I can understand her anxiety to have everything just so, but in the same respect, no one is going to notice the things she considers obvious. The house will be fine. No, what the guests will notice is the beautiful multi acre setting outside where the wedding and the reception will take place.

This is a patch of property that I covet. I gasped with amazement the first time I saw the spread, staggered that someone could own so much terrain. As someone who has lived in a city over half my life, I envy those people who can lay claim to a gracious patch of countryside and know it is exclusively theirs: every little blade of grass, the sheltering trees, the wild foliage that springs forth. MCFoG's property is lush and filled with mature trees and dense flowering foliage. Mr. MCFoG has planted fruit trees. A bucolic little creek meanders through the setting. And the neighboring property on the horizon is a farm which looks like something out of an Andrew Wyeth painting. It is simply charming.

Still MCFoG was anxious about tasks that needed attention. I did my best to reassure her that I was there solely to help in the next few days leading up to the festivities. I can schlep chairs. I can prune the trees. I can try and made bridal bouquets or table arrangements. I can make potato salad for 100 people. I can do everyone's nails for them. I can distract the child for a few hours. I can DJ the reception. Just ask, I told her. I hope she's making a list.

Well, I just got here. The house really is in a state of remodel upheaval. Lord Have Mercy. We've got our work cut out for us.