Maybe I’m overly optimistic, but how could they say no to my need for an extreme makeover on my yard. After all, 80-to-100 people are coming to an outdoor wedding reception at our home this afternoon. There was no denying it. The yard needed work. People were scheduled to arrive. If those two variables weren’t enough to balance the tide in my favor, it would never be done.
Several months ago, a long-term friend mentioned that his son and his fiancée were looking for a hill-country wedding venue. Who could blame them? Apparently, Vodka distilleries, breweries, wine vineyards, Mercer Street businesses and wedding venues in Dripping Springs top the charts for the “in thing” around Drippin’. At last count, there are 37 wedding venues within 12 miles of Dripping Springs. Add mine to the mix and we have 38.
Unfortunately, the price tag associated to an outdoor wedding venue around Dripping Springs is sometimes a stretch for young people attempting to get the most for their buck. Consequently, I mentioned to my friend that his son and his fiancée were welcome to get married at our place. I’ll match our view with any that I know of in the area. In addition, it was a “mi casa es su casa” invitation. Apart from chair and table rentals, the wedding could go on as planned in the “Las Vegas of Texas” (ie: Dripping Springs) without the customary kind of cost.
Actually when the young couple came out to see for themselves, I suggested they might want to look at the church as the sight for their wedding and reserve the hilltop with a view for the reception. Initially they thought the outdoor wedding was more of what they had in mind. However, to humor me they allowed me to drive them over and show them the church. When it comes to an ideal wedding venue for under 100 people, it doesn’t get more picturesque than our church. The interior of the sanctuary is 100% beaded ceiling on both the ceiling and the walls. The floors are wooden with a carpeted runner accentuating the middle aisle and the slightly elevated platform at the front of the church.
The big drawing card for our church is the stained glass windows. To suggest that it is a picturesque display of art with a spiritual flair doesn’t even begin to describe the ambience. Beaded ceilings, stained glass windows, wooden walls and floors merge together in a “you’ve got to see it to believe it” kind of experience. I can promise you that none of the other 37 (38 counting our home) wedding venues in Dripping Springs has the same quaint and unique appeal. I guess seeing really is believing, because the young couple wanting a hill country wedding venue found themselves very open to a mixed venue. The wedding would take place at the church and the reception would take place at our home.
I remembered thinking at the time, I’ll have our home in showplace condition by the time April 29, 2016 rolls around. Actually, I mostly thought that because the General immediately began to identify the things I needed to get done. Sure, I could get it all done. With the General’s stalwart resolve, the things on her “to do list” with my name at the top would get done.
Did I mention that I’ve been mostly out of town for the past three weeks? The same is true for the General. In our absence, the rains came bringing with them the magic for weeds to thrive. “Showplace” is definitely not a word either of us would use to describe our lawn. Many other words come to mind, but showplace is not one of them.
Thankfully, on Friday morning I had James on the line and he held the power and wherewithal to change all of that. Initially he told me that he had us on his schedule for May 15. I know what you’re thinking and I agree. That wasn’t good enough. I needed his help immediately. All I needed to do was provide him compelling reasons why he’d want to move our home up on the schedule for mowing and manicuring our lawn. You would have been proud of me. I left no stone unturned.
When I told him we were hosting a wedding reception at our home, he responded “Congratulations.” Of course, I immediately clarified for him that I wasn’t getting married. However, I made it clear that I might not have the option of staying married if he didn’t come to my rescue. My “Mrs.” (he wouldn’t have understood the term ‘General’) wanted the yard professionally done before the wedding. That left both of us a looming deadline of less than 24-hours. I had every reason to believe he had the capacity to be accommodating.
I was fairly confident James now had a better understanding of my sense of urgency. I could hear it in his voice. He was already feeling good about coming to my rescue. Did I mention, I don’t always get it right?
I was startled when he said again: “I have you on the schedule for May 15”. I bit my tongue to keep from saying: “Did you not hear a thing I just told you?” I had given it my best shot and lost. I wasn’t going to beg.
James was still talking: “We can’t get there any earlier and it will probably take two days.” Are you kidding me? Our lawn isn’t that big. We don’t mow the pasture area. Knowing that I’m hearing impaired, I asked again for clarification: “Did you say two days.” “Yes, it will probably take two days” was his response.
I was beginning to see ‘$$$’ signs in my head. What was James and his crew planning to do? This was way more than I had in mind. There is no way mowing and weeding our lawn was going to take two days. Sure, I had explained that I wanted the edges along our drive mowed down to the gate, but there was NO WAY it represented a two-day job.
To make a long-story-short (I know – You’re thinking too late) as it turned out, James didn’t work for the lawn service. He was calling to reschedule a date to come refinish our front door. The two earlier appointments had been cancelled because of rain.
As it turned out, I was embarrassed by the conversation. Of course, James thought it was funny. At least he laughed when he said, “Now what you’ve told me makes more sense. I was wondering why you were telling me about your compelling need to get your lawn done.”
All My Best!
Don