August brings a traditional gathering for the Sven Saw Sisters – our Girls Week-end at the cabin (DeeAnn’s cabin on Lower Comstock Lake). For many years, DeeAnn had the camper for extra lodging. The camper was sold for $100 last fall, a real deal for DeeAnn! This year, Kristie & Georgette slept in Kristie’s large tent, on cots with a small table lamp plugged into the electrical cord running from the cabin. DeeAnn & I, and all dogs, slept in the cabin.
The week-end included some great food, good laughs, long conversations, bird identification and feeder refills, water-wafer floating, swimming, pontoon rides and an amazing sunset. For the dogs the week-end included playing chase, stealing napkins, chewing on sticks, swimming and refusing water-wafer rides. For everyone, there was plenty of resting moments and just plain old peaceful sitting.
When evening came, there were four very tired dogs laid out on the cabin floor. Helen crawled on a dog bed and curled up, foregoing all attempts to position herself on the couch next to (or on) someone’s lap. Holly stretched out on my sleeping bag before I had crawled in, then made like a sack of potatoes and took on the brains of one suddenly not understanding ‘off’, ‘down’ and ‘come’. I did manage to move the Potato Retriever far enough over so I could crawl into my bed.
The time went by fast, it always does when the Sven Saw Sisters are together. Planning gets simpler as the years go by, we are easy to please as a group. Routines and roles are established via unspoken means. We just know who does what, or more common who doesn’t do what. Conversations wander all over the map, from frivolous to serious, sometimes making the switch in a heartbeat.
The dogs know all of the girls well. Rainie made the leap this year of accepting Kristie into her world. Due to unknown mysteries, Rainie had been leery of Kristie all of her life, to the point of rejecting toys held by her. This week-end Kristie was able to pet Rainie and even hold her on her lap. The sudden acceptance is as mysterious as the long and lingering 12 years of reservations.
Patience and persistence do have pay-offs!
You Go First!
What Is That Thing?
Sunset on the Lake
