Green Washcloths

When Jim and I were in Michigan, about a year before he killed himself, our friends Lisa and Martin took us to Meijer's, a huge store. We don't have anything quite like it here, though the HEB Plus is trying. It looked as if it had started out as a food store, and expanded into general merchandise, rather than the reverse, like Walmart. They have really cool food, too. Off the wall stuff that grocery stores here don't carry. I bought these lovely lime green washcloths. The colour made me smile, the texture was great and the price was right.

I came across one of them this morning...I had been working my way down the pile, and it had been in the linen closet for several months. It still smelled like Meijer's! It has been washed many times in the past year, and dried with fabric softener. It has been loaded with Ivory soap, Brendan's "Dial for Men" (heh), and my Dr Bronner's lavender. Still, after it sits in the linen closet, it starts to smell like the store it came from.

Such a nice reminder of Lisa and Martin and that wonderful trip; the last adventure Jim and I took.

It was kind of a magic trip. Lisa invited any and all available Misfits to join her for her 40th birthday at the end of July, 2006. I really wanted to go, but we couldn't afford the trip. A Misfit who would be unable to attend gave me her Frequent Flier Miles, and Lisa said we could stay with her.

I asked Jim, "How would you like to go to Michigan for Lisa's birthday?"

Bear in mind that we had never actually met Lisa and Martin in person. Lisa and I had become friends at Loretta's blog, Observations of a Misfit, which was THE place to be during the Laci Peterson case. We all read and commented on each others' blogs: The Lisa Life andOne If By Land, Two If By Sea and felt as if we really did know each other.

Jim felt we couldn't spend anything on such a trip until some financial matters were resolved on the home front, and he thought that was the end of it.

But it wasn't. I scrimped and saved every penny I could. I did some side work, sewing and cleaning. The plane reservations were made--I was going to make sure they didn't go to waste. The day we were to leave, I placed the receipts for the paid-off accounts on his desk.

That impressed him!

Then I told him he should pack his bag, because we were going to Michigan.

He said, "OK..." and sat down to play solitaire on the computer.

I hauled out a weekend bag and started loading clothes and toothbrushes.

Jim said, "When are we supposed to go?"

"In about three hours," was my answer.

That got him going. I had everything taken care of. Tickets, parking...I had set it all up. All he had to do was show up.

I had never done anything like that before. He was Chief Executive In Charge of Planning Trips.

Martin was there at the Detroit airport to get us, and we had a wonderful time. Lisa's party was fantastic, and Martin's parents were like a little bit of home, for me. Lisa and Martin's little girl was a joy, and they took us all over their "neck of the woods," including a side trip to Hell.

Misfits gathered from as far away as California, and more called during the party. Lisa's family and friends made us feel so welcome!

It was our last Great Adventure, and it all comes back to me every time I smell those washcloths.

It's the little things.