Grandmother's Hayride

A very good day, my friends. The view from my window appears to indicate an afternoon like we have seen too often this summer in New York - depressed, colorless skies waiting to open up with angry clangs of thunder. No matter though, we must soldier on and at least keep the memory of sunshine warm inside of us!

My thoughts today harken back to this past fall when we at Dunn & Overwith were asked to secure a "hayride" to transport the grandmother of one of our clients from the house of worship at which she would be praying to her surprise Western-themed 80th birthday party. The event was to happen in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (I have always enjoyed my visits to Boston, that City on a Hill so recognizable by the dome of its State House building resplendent with the work of Paul Revere).

I must admit, I was a bit puzzled by this particular request. Of course I know that farms require hay to be moved from place to place within their fences and therefore have horses harnessed to an often rickety cart for such purpose. But why would one want to travel like so when lovely horse-drawn carriages are available? And in Massachusetts no less! Oh, what a sight for the Cabots and the Lodges to behold - the Oregon Trail brought to their backyards!

I was not the only one with questions regarding this task. We called on many local farmers who we understood had such vehicles at their disposal. However, they were loathe to rent their horses and haycarts in autumn as such "rides" are a staple of their enterprise during this time when children visit them to pick apples from their orchards and pumpkins from their patches. Further, as one would expect, only certain types of vehicles are allowed on the roads of Massachusetts. For those wishing to drive a horse-drawn cart, a special license is required. So in effect, some of these "hayrides" could not even venture off their paddocks.

Not to worry though. One of our very resourceful assistants located a company in Massachusetts that specializes in event transportation, albeit for wedding parties, that indeed had such a "hayride" available. We confirmed the date and time our client needed the transportation and where grandmother would be awaiting her chariot. The client then called the company with her payment information and all was set.

The event went beautifully and our client was very pleased with our efforts, which took three hours and cost $90.00, a price she was happy to pay to save her that much time and potential frustration. As you can see from the picture above, a good time was had by all.

Until my next post, I remain steadfastly yours,

Marjorie Overwith

Greetings!

First, a thousand thank yous for suspending your disbelief with respect to the preposterousness of a centuries-old woman "blogging" her thoughts about the personal assistant experience in modern day New York City. I appreciate your indulgence.

I remain skeptical about this medium - a diary of fine parchment and a Waterman fountain pen, I would prefer. However, I have been informed that this, this "blogging" (which to me sounds like the industry my hearty cousins have so successfully undertaken in the Adirondacks) is a required component of doing business today. So, alas, I must relent...

I shall endeavor to keep you equally informed and amused as I detail the happenings of my company, Dunn & Overwith (http://www.dunnandoverwith.com/), that I began with my dearest friend, Alfred Dunn. (I am unsure how he escaped this experience, but I believe he simply may have been lucky enough to possess a name not quite as alliterative as mine). I do hope that you will follow my "musings" and that you will request the same of your friends and neighbors. If you utilize our services, you certainly will have the time to do so.

Until my next post, I remain steadfastly yours,

Marjorie Overwith