Daughter Kate and I went to an antique mall in Asheville with Nathaniel while David was working. Nathaniel knew the place, having spent a couple of hours there when I had an appointment nearby. We enjoyed poking about, and I knew the bench to sit on when my back protested. They made two purchases, a jacket and a London Fog raincoat. I wish I had taken Nate’s picture when he modeled the raincoat at home. On him it looked elegant. He wore the jacket when he served us the peach cobbler he had baked.
David and Kate responded when we called out that it was time for the mirror ritual. Nathaniel put the mirror back to its normal position before we went to church.
We ate lunch in Asheville, after which John drove Nate to Charlotte. They took our wash with them, and Nate texted his three roommates to ask them to be through with the machine by 4:30. Our washing machine died, and the new one wouldn’t be delivered for a week. John met the roommates for the first time, as well as the mother of one of them. The mother had cooked for the four boys, freezing about ten meals ahead. Normally the fellows shop for food, share the cost, and cook dinner together. John said it appears that Nathaniel does a great deal of the cooking, since he works from 1 to 6 most days. John came home with one load of dry clothes and two others that went in our dryer.
David and Kate planned to hike to the top of Purchase Knob, a mountain we see from our house, but the weather looked threatening. I took a nap as they sat on the front porch and saw two lightning strikes in front of them. Both were less than two miles away. They obviously made the right decision to stay home. I wondered how loud Kate may have screamed. A few days before, I was in the kitchen while others were in the dining room. They saw the flash of lightning and were not surprised at the thunder. I told Kate I didn’t know which startled me most, the boom of thunder or her scream. It’s an instinctive thing she cannot control, this being a warning to those who scream at the sight of a spider not to criticize her. The same goes for those who can’t deal with mice.
We’re back to six in the house, feeling a large empty space where Nathaniel had been for the long weekend.
Mehrling Muse 
It’s still a sort of full house and I know you will make it fun!
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Thanks for that vote of confidence. We’re having a ball, thanks to people who come to stay.
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You do see a lot of comings and a lot of goings from that house Anne but you can see how popular it, and you are from the number of times they return.
xxx Humongous Hugs xxx
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I guess there are lots of returns, but as yet, no one has asked for his money back. Of course, we haven’t charged anything, either.
xxx Hospitality Hugs xxx
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The purchase of a London Fog reminded me of a similar purchase then I started college many years ago. Glad to know they are still around.
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London Fog is still in business. We have no idea how old Nathaniel’s coat is, but it still looked spiffy. I’ll bet you looked good in yours.
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I felt very cosmopolitan.
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This happy post made me smile. London Fog is a classic and always the best choice.
Giggle over the mirror. Nice!
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Nathaniel is 19 years old, so he is a minor in the mirror.
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I had to laugh about Kate screaming and your observation about mice and spiders making people scream. I don’t scream at spiders but I really do not like them. They are too quiet and sneaky and can drop on you!
Love reading about your adventures and your visitors Anne.
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I’m like you. I don’t scream at spiders, because I know it won’t do any good. It won’t bring me help, either. Thanks for reading my posts. I’ve written a lot this summer because of traveling and having visitors. I should give people a break soon.
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Nice family bonding even with that thunder and lightning,
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London Fog’s never go out of style, which is a good thing considering how much they generally go for. That cobbler looks great.
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I have no idea what Nathaniel paid for his London Fog, but he felt had got a great bargain. He takes good care of his clothes, so it should last a long time.
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I have London Fog coats bought decades ago – they are like the Timex brand. You can never go wrong. I hope that Nathaniel ends up living close to you and John and David. You all enjoy each other’s company so much.
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We hope both boys will choose to live in this area. We never thought we’d be this close all through the years. How blessed we are!
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You sure are blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with your grandsons. You’ve given them many memories to cherish and so they choose to return to make more.
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You are so lucky to have a professional chef to make you peach cobbler! Peaches are almost ripe in our area. I am looking forward to that season almost as much as I look forward to strawberry season each year. It sounds like you don’t have to worry about your grandson starving in his new place! 🙂
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We are eating preaches from SC now, as ours aren’t ripe yet.
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Those huge lightning bolts make me jump regardless if they’re close or far. Glad you all were safe. Rather jealous of your peach cobbler, though. I want some, too.
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Wish we could have shared the cobbler with you.
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Thank you for sharing your beautiful family moments and photos …. precious times! The peach cobbler sounds delicious!
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I especially loved this post-just reading about such a family does me good.
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