After three years of non-stop running, doing, helping and care-taking everything changed and suddenly I had way too much time on my hands. A friend suggested I get a calendar and fill it up. Since I've started taking all advice to heart, up went my calendar.
Day 1-September 20:
9AM-Help Amanda set up a Facebook Page at 9AM.
2PM-Work with my friend Kate's horse, Gus.
My friend Kate is Kate McMahon (Katheryn) in certain instances!). Kate is an excellent horsewoman and barrel racer who has undergone some physical maladies and will be unable to do much with her horse for the next month. She asked if I would come and do some ground work with Gus ( I LOVE groundwork) so of course, onto the calendar it went. I worked with Gus for a bit less than a very uneventful hour and enjoyed being out in the beautiful upstate weather. I don't think I traumatized him too much so it was a successful adventure.
But this post is about my morning meeting with Amanda Crames. Amanda is the owner of Schuyler Pond Home & Garden and is starting a new business called Dovecote Home with two very talented friends. Dovecote will be selling art inspired home furnishings on their website and other online stores. Amanda asked if I could help her set up her Facebook Page, so 9AM it would be.
Plying me with cider donuts and strawberries we got to the work of making her page. We edited the photos, made the header, picked the admin, set up the email on and on down the list. About an hour into the task Amanda was working on the long series of questions to put the finishing touches on the page. As we were chatting (while I was checking my emails on my phone) I very innocently said "I think I'm going to make soap". The sound of typing stopped and if you can actually hear someones jaw drop, that's the sound I heard. "Explain".
So I proceeded to explain: "well I have these 3 AirBnb's I'm renting and I replace the soap with new soap every time and no one uses very much soap and it seems like such a waste so I bought some molds and I'm going to melt down the used soap and make new bars of soap and it will be great" and as I'm babbling on I'm realizing how ridiculous the project actually seems. Amanda laughed one of those laughs you really don't want to hear so I just shrugged and she went back to her typing.
We finished up, said our goodbyes and off I went to me play with Gus. I was halfway to my car and I heard Amanda call me. "Hey Mark. If those friends you told me about come to visit over the weekend, don't tell them that soap story" and she closed the door.
That was pretty good advice.
Once the shock of you making soap to save money and avoid waste wore off, I smiled on the inside. I have known you a long tome and we have been through some things, but I never would have guessed this soap thing. I think I am charmed. Partly because of your resourcefulness on such a micro level. But mostly because you truly surprised me. A fun, quirky surprise. Love when that happens.