With Brett
So I had several more goodbyes to say this week, and it doesn’t get any easier! Brett, one of my favorite employees left. We had a good dinner at Manhattan with a group of friends to commemorate the occasion Friday night, preceded by drinks at our house. Brett will be sorely missed – he’s just a good, calm, all-’round guy. A huge thunderstorm moved through during the night and I was worried that his plane couldn’t take off, but it did. The humidity is so thick right now, it feels like you are swimming in it, so the evening and morning rains have been welcomed.
(To a point, anyway. Our consular section is downhill and usually floods. Our facilities group has built a lot of drains that have helped keep us dry this monsoon season, but the “creek” that runs alongside our waiting area has caused extensive flood damage. The other day it looks like a dirty, fast river overflowing the banks.)
Tonight I went to dinner with Barb and Edward to say goodbye to our friend and security officer, John. I met him at FSI last summer and have enjoyed occasional dinners throughout the year. We went to a nice Italian place that had surprisingly good pizza.
Last Sunday was nice, even though John wasn’t here. I’ve started a little ritual of going to the Afghan bakery for fresh goat cheese, crackers, biscotti, flowers and milk. Last week, I stopped by the Gloria Jean’s for a latte, since John wasn’t here to brew me a cup of his good coffee. After a stop at the commissary and to a fabric shop to indulge my linen crazing, I settled in for more episodes of “Downton Abbey.” (I watched a lot of “Downton Abbey” this week, I have to admit!)
Yesterday was another rainy morning. I worked all day, stopping for lunch at the Club with Carla and Mike – two other folks I hate to have to say goodbye to. Carla’s been a good shopping buddy and confidante – I hope our paths cross again.
For some reason, Flavie has been intrigued by the geckos in our house. She watched a baby gecko intently the other night, but couldn’t get close enough to it to catch it. The next night, though, she deposited a tiny one on the TV room rug as a gift for me. Thank you, mighty huntress.