The road to a wedding?

Dearest Blog Reader

I hope this finds you doing well. I am fine. I was struck by a thought on Friday as I left work in anticipation of a glorious week of vacation preparation for Grace and Chris' wedding. Why does my employer reserve 30 spots in the parking garage nearest the door for hybrid electric cars? Wouldn't it be more environmentally friendly to have them park on the highest level at the farthest corner away from the building and reserve those close spots for the gas guzzling behemoths that wantonly burn fossil fuels as they slow grind up and up the steep incline in search of a place to park. Just think of the free energy the environmentally conscious could generate each evening as they coasted down the ramps and out of the garage. They might even be able to make it all of the way home burning no gasoline.  Just a thought.

The countdown clock now stands at 6 days. The Weather Channel watch continues. I do have a bit of an issue with the children of the weather. I had expected to start looking on Wednesday the 22nd. I woke early the 22nd went to the app and was sorely disappointed to only see that May 31 was to be bright and beautiful with almost no chance of rain. It appears that Weather Channel takes credit for "predicting" the current weather conditions. Isn't really just a story problem. St. Louis is experiencing rain. It is moving at 30 mph to the NW. How long will it be before the rain hits in Ingalls, Indiana, 277 miles away? 30 years ago a third grader could have told you 9 hours and 15 minutes. Now a first grader can google it.

May 31st predictions provided almost nothing. The rehearsal dinner and wedding kickball looked good. I am thankful. But what about the main event? What will the weather be on June 1 at 5:00 p.m. in the wedding meadow? Pushing the angst back another 24 hours, The Weather Channel informed me that a 65% chance of afternoon storms were to be our lot. Fortunately, the weather geeks are a bunch of kidders. They got their minds right the next day; 20%.

In the moments, between looking at the weather, trying to fit the to do list to time remaining calendar, and pondering differences in the to buy list to the budget, the time has been filled with the reminiscence of 28 years ago. Bev and I were married 28 years ago.

They go like this. The three weeks between school's release and the wedding were spent on the farm. The spring came late that year. Planting started in mid-May. Dad and I were on the planting team, my cousin on the tillage team. Two weeks of bright sun, doing jobs that were a huge challenge when first attempted at 14, I had a blast. Driving a 54 International one ton truck with 500 gallons of water, a ton of fertilizer and seed, being told not to stall the truck or burnout the clutch, driving down the road at 14, I had a lot on my plate. Nine years later, I had arrived. This was a job that I could do.
During this time, I milked cows for the last time. A job done nearly every evening from age 12 on, except when gone to college had imprinted a cadence to my life. The thrum of the vacuum pump broken by the 3 second pulse of the inner machinery is still a background that I feel comfort from when life's noise finds its harmony.

They were days racing against a clock. The timer of the spring planting counting down against the deadline of young love. There were lunches missed, late nights planting by tractor lights. Time spent looking at the three day forecast. Then it was done. The last field planted. I was released. I could go to North Manchester and help with the last minute preparations.

Dad gave me a hundred dollar bill to go to the terminal fruit market in Indianapolis and buy as many water melons as would be "needed" for the reception. 30 years ago wholesale watermelon prices were  about a $1 a piece. Quick logistical party planning story problem; 275 big appetited farmers going to a wedding hog roast how many $1 watermelons should you buy with a $100 bill? That's right 100.  Who cares if the paper plates would need to be made out of aluminum in order to hold 1/3 of a watermelon without collapsing.

There was butchering the hog for the hog roast. Thank you Pyles. I know for certain that not enough thank yous were said way back then for the wonderful gift you gave us.

Other memories;
Mom's themed rehearsal dinner,
 Buckets of KFC original recipe,
 Slideshow of the bride and groom's formative years,
Late night inspection of the pig in the cooker,
Riding in a convertible late on a summer's evening to best-man's apartment, Waking,
Breakfast at Waffle House,
Getting to the church too early,
Ready to go,
Sitting on the back steps,
 Talking to aunts and uncles,
Nervous? excited? petrified?,
Spelling HELP on the bottom of shoes in masking tape,
The pictures with Bev and our ring bearer Steven,
Last minute remembering and reciting of the vows,
The siren howling while Bev recited her vows flawlessly,
The reception line,
The McDonalds refrigerated orange drink dispenser in the reception hall that was procured because our people knew their people,
The square dance,
 Refilling glasses of water for parched square dancers,
Breaking traditions and proper behavior by not opening presents at the reception to the displeasure of my grandmother and her sisters,
Giving away 75 watermelons,
Driving off,
Excited,
Petrified,
Nervous;
Just married!

Take care

Roger