Evening

This evening I had a massage scheduled. I had bought a Groupon for $30 that was for an hour-long massage in our town about two weeks ago. I had a massage once before at one of the local spas and wasn't overly impressed with the experience. When today rolled around, I couldn't remember why I felt like this was a good idea. I was pretty nervous.

I was even MORE nervous when I learned that the studio was in someone's home. Before I left, I showed Honey my certificate so he could find my body if I didn't make it home alive. (Hello, melodrama.) The house wasn't very far from mine at all, but our town is pretty small. It was 150 year old yellow house with a tiled fountain in the backyard and a beautiful deck. The masseuse led me into the studio and gave me some instructions on where to put my clothing and such. There was a nice table-top fountain in the room as well. The water sounds coupled with the music she had chosen made for a nice relaxing atmosphere. The sheets were warmed, pale blue and silky. I would say the only drawback was that throughout the process, there were some home-sounds. Opening and shutting of doors. A few snippets of conversation. The sounds of a dog walking down the hallway. Even so, it was a nice experience and I am really glad I went.

My actual favorite part was when she walked me out to my car. She had a couple of hens that had come onto her back deck and I said how I liked her chickens. Then she pointed up into the twisted and curved branches of the 150 year old live oak in her backyard and sure enough, there was a Bantam rooster looking down on us! She said something like at 6 o'clock every evening, there was the 'throwing of the chickens'. I couldn't fathom what she had meant by that...but as I walked to my car, I turned around and saw my masseuse picking up the hens and gently tossing them into the live oak. They ruffled their feathers in a chicken parody of flying and ended up next to the rooster, a good 20-25 feet off the ground.

I laughed softly to myself as I got in my car and thought, "Only here."