Profiles High and Low

We had company this week in the person of a Yorkshire Terrier named Clyde. He boarded with us while his folks were out of town. This was the second time he had camped with us and he and Mojo and Coco seemed to remember each other and, for the most part, got along fine. There was a little bit of jockeying for top dog position, but Mojo let him know pretty quickly that visitors had better toe the line. Even so, Mojo was remarkably tolerant with regard to having another male in the house and even allowed Clyde some daily time in Mommy's lap for cuddles and reassurance that his folks would be back before long.

Clyde was much calmer on this visit, but I still hesitated to go off to the office and leave him unsupervised, so I opted to work the three days of his stay from home. All three of the dogs snored on their respective beds spotted around my desk and we enjoyed periodic walks in the perfect spring weather when Mommy needed a break to clear her head. It sure does make for less stressful days when I can sleep a little later, avoid the long commute and work without interruption from phones and traffic in the hall. We all enjoyed the break in routine.

(Be that as it may, once Clyde departed for home, my two collapsed and have slept solidly for the better part of the last 24 hours and I hear Clyde did much the same. The cats were overjoyed to get their house back. Clyde hates cats and they were sequestered to either the guest bedroom or the garage for the duration of his stay.)

As opposed to the low profile I kept with the office this week, my home profile is beginning to rise. On Friday I attended the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and turned in my application for membership. I've since heard from the registrar that my papers are in order and she is preparing to mail it on to headquarters. This is only the third meeting I've attended and many of the ladies are already beginning to call me by name without having to stop and think about it, and the registrar has publicly called attention to some research I shared with her about a family connection we share. Not a bad way to begin to get recognized as a qualified family historian,

Later that afternoon I went to the members' preview of the regular Spring book sale held at the Bastrop Public Library. One of the volunteers on duty was a fellow member of the DAR. This morning I went to the monthly meeting of the Smithville Genealogical Society for an excellent presentation by a gentleman from the General Land Office. I am also beginning to be recognized by members of this group and the regent of the DAR, who arrived late, made her way to a seat next to me. I'm beginning to feel like I'm gaining acceptance into the various local historical groups.

After the meeting, I spent a few minutes checking out one of my favorite antique shops in downtown Smithville and found a couple of history books that were too cheaply priced to turn down and that led to a conversation with the shop owner's husband who also collects local history books. We compared notes on lucky finds, chatted about mutual acquaintances and he took my name and number to have on hand should a particular book I'm seeking become available.

I made a brief stop at the Alum Creek Cemetery on the way home to take some pictures of a gorgeous patch of phlox.

After such a satisfying start to the weekend, I improved on the day by settling down with my stack of newly acquired books, indulging in a brief nap with the dogs, catching up on missed episodes of "The Mentalist" and pondering what course to take for the reunion newsletter due next month.

Rest, relaxation, and a heavy dose of history. My kind of weekend.

LSW