Gnomenclature

Last Friday afternoon there was a knock on my door and when I looked outside I couldn't see anyone or anything so I opened up the door and lo and behold there was a tiny gnome on my front porch.  He introduced himself as Roamy The Roaming Gnome and explained that he had traveled all the way from Di's house in Virginia to pay us a visit.  Ironic really that a gnome would show up on my doorstep when one of the top grossing movies at the box office right now is Gnomeo and Juliet.

He went on to explain that he wasn't feeling well after his long journey and asked if he could take a nap.  So I made up the bed in the guest room and he went to sleep and didn't wake up until Saturday morning!

On Saturday morning he was up bright and early, before the rest of us.  And when I came out to fix some breakfast he was busy reading the latest catalog from Pottery Barn.  We then ate toast and jam, drank some tea, and discussed the merits of fitted slipcovers verses loose fitting slipcovers.  It turns out Roamy is quite the design connoisseur!
 

It also turns out that he is a bit of a history buff and asked if he could visit some of the local historic sites in my area.  He said he had relatives that had sailed over from England on the Dove years ago to help establish the new colony of Maryland so I knew just where to take him...Historic St. Mary's City!
 

He loved seeing the old state house and touring the grounds of Historic St. Mary's City, and wanted to have his picture taken everywhere we stopped so that he could remember the trip fondly once he had headed off to roam the countryside once again.

Here he is on the old iron gates which lead to historic Trinity Episcopal Church overlooking the St. Mary's River.  And he was also very interested in seeing the rest of the area which includes St. Mary's College of Maryland, a well respected liberal arts college which is adjacent to the historic site.

Now, I had heard from both Di and Karen that Roamy has a bit of an independent and mischievous streak about him, but I really hadn't seen it...until...

As we approached this innocent looking vine covered stairway that leads to a dorm he jumped right up on the vines and announced that he had always wanted to try bungee jumping!  I was able to talk him out of that, but it wasn't long before he was hanging out with a few college students and well, let's just say, that he got a little out of control.

The group of students began egging him on and one thing led to another!  Here he is practicing his 50-50 grind down this steep staircase...without a skateboard!

Here he is trying to decide where he wants to go next...North, South, East, or West...in the end he decided he would flip a coin.

Now, I'm not trying to say that college students are a bad influence or anything, but Roamy was invited to spend the night at the college and hang out.  He had a pretty convincing argument, he assured me that at the age of almost 200 he would be the mature one and keep things in check.

He even took me to the recently built boathouse and said things like "look, we'll just sit here on these Adirondack chairs and discuss the world's problems and watch the sun go down.  We might even read some poetry or help old people across the road."

And the students were pretty convincing too and told me how they would take him out sailing and really give him a true "southern" Maryland experience.  

That's why Roamy left home after all, to see the world and experience different things, so I grudgingly agreed and went home.

The next day when I went to pick him up I found this!  Blurry pictures posted on Facebook with wall posts that said things like "Haha Roamy that was awesome," people calling him the original hipster!  Something no parent really wants to see!  Now I know I'm not his parent, but still I was entrusted with his care and safety while he's visiting me!

Roamy and I sat down on the jetty while I espoused the virtues of education, the need to limit his alcohol intake, and how you can't give in to peer pressure.  And I really thought I was getting through to him when someone in a passing car yelled "Roamy, check out your boat dude!"

That's when I saw this!  Needless to say we headed straight home and Roamy has committed to doing a few hours of community service to make amends!  Thank goodness my own children were a bit more tame!

Of course you can't stay mad at a face like his for too long though!

If you live somewhere other than Maryland, Virginia, or Connecticut and think you have what it takes to host Roamy for a few days send me an email and I'll pick a name from a hat!  Just be aware that you might need to have the number of your local bails bondsmen handy...just sayin'!

And if you simply want to keep up with Roamy's Adventures you can follow his travels by clicking HERE!

Spread the Love...

Leaf and Ink (love your BC pics in your latest post!)

52 Flea

The Consummate Hostess

P.S. Roamy is an extra in the movie...

Thank You

They say that when one door closes, another door opens.

And that with age comes wisdom.

That even under the harshest of conditions, life will flourish.

That although our world can sometimes seem challenging, there is always something new waiting on the horizon.

That how we chose to deal with life's adversities, overcome them, and move forward is what makes us who we are.

That even amidst the chaos, there is beauty...

Calm...

Incredible strength!

And most of all, compassion!

I can't begin to thank you all enough for your wonderful emails and comments filled with the love, kindness, support and compassion that have carried me through the months, and most especially the last few weeks!  It means more than any of you will ever know, and for that I say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!

I've been without a computer for over a week now since the laptop we bought didn't work and had to be returned.  Our desktops are still out of commission and I'm not sure when I'll have a "real" keyboard and a mouse again...which I sorely miss!

Ms. M is not progressing as well as we had all hoped and so we have some tough decisions ahead of us, but we'll make it through.  My dear friend Dan continues to deteriorate from his brain tumor, but he is not in pain and is surrounded by his family over in the UK so I know he is comforted even if it can't be by me.

And Mr. Tide and I took some much needed time and went to the beach for a few days to renew our souls and to unwind.  There really is no better medicine than salt water!!

Our son had an easy move in to his college, only to move out a few days later.  When faced with people making bad choices that impacted him, and with a university that couldn't guarantee it would be any different if he changed rooms, he made a very tough decision and one we are SO proud of him for making!  He stood strong and even the Dean couldn't disagree with his choice.

He is sad to have to go elsewhere, but he knows that by keeping his eye on the big prize and what he wants for his future that sometimes doing the right thing isn't always an easy path to follow.  It's a lesson that we can all learn from, that even when one door closes, another one opens.  And even though we might not always realize it at the time, it will be the door we were meant to step through!

Without a computer for over a week I was able to slow down a little and focus on what was really important to me. I spent lots of time with my family and took my camera everywhere to capture the beauty around me, like this sweet Akita named Moto that we met on the beach at St. Mary's City last week.  

I feel so much better than I did when I wrote my last post, thanks to all of you and after taking some time away.  We all need that for ourselves, time to reflect and to move onward and upward.  Thank you again for everything and I hope each of you have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Kat :)