Kate’s Visit

We stayed busy while daughter Kate was here for a week, but we never felt rushed. I usually take photos when we go out to eat, making it appear that we never stay at home. I have only two from this visit – eating dumplings at China King and going to Jukebox Junction, modeled after roadside eateries from my childhood. Neither place was busy, and both had wonderful food.

Mother and son do heavy chores, making them look easy. I wrote about their burning the garden trash early on. They trimmed the Wicked Wisteria, making me hold my breath. Kate held the ladder, while David reached wayward branches. He felt safe bracing his knees against the top of the ladder. I wouldn’t look too closely, but was relieved when the job was done.

Kate noticed I had left a pile of branches from a nasty thorn bush. She loaded them on the broken wheelbarrow without touching the sharp thorns. It looked like she was running with the wheelbarrow, but she said she hurried because one of the handles was hard to hold.

Seeing neighbors was fun. Joyce brought mail that was put in her box by mistake and stayed to sit on the porch to visit.

Logan came over to play games with us. Kate was putting a jigsaw puzzle back in the box while he and David played a computer game. I didn’t take a photo of our visiting with Shawn and Bob in their living room, but we did enjoy it.

Although Kate has always been very afraid of dogs, she paid lots of attention to Kasey and often took her on short walks. These were two of the photos she took of the dog in her playpen and a favorite pose when looking at the neighborhood from the front porch.

A most exciting moment was seeing a bird flying at full speed and crashing into the porch wall. It didn’t move for a long time. I eased past the bird, took a photo of it through the front door, fetched a dustpan, and gently put the pan next to its feet. It stepped on. As I rose to take it to a tree, it suddenly flew straight to the top of a tree across the street. When Logan (13) saw the photo on our frame, he asked what kind of bird it was, looked closer, and said, “It’s a waxwing. No other bird has markings on its tail like that.” I was very impressed with his knowledge. I had planned to look it up but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

David and I were chatting with Kate on the phone as she drove home to New Jersey. Grandson Nathaniel called to talk to us, so David propped the phones up for a four-way family conversation. We had had a lovely visit, and that was a fine way to end it.

Like Old Times

It had been weeks since we visited with neighbors Shawn and Bob, so we got together for a long chat. How satisfying it was! Cold weather has always cut down social interaction, but these COVID days, everyone thinks twice about being inside together. We thoroughly enjoyed catching up on news. There was one new person partying with us – Sadie. She was so excited at seeing them that she could hardly keep four paws on the ground.

Sadie adores Logan (10). She forgot all our rules and gleefully jumped on him. Having three dogs at home, Logan can take care of himself, but he shouldn’t have to. Sadie wedged herself in half of Logan’s chair and kissed him. Bless his heart, he was still posing nicely for the camera. I really appreciate that.

I missed getting a photo of Logan bringing me a Valentine balloon. They know I love balloons, and this one was different from all I’ve had before. Bear Hugs! What could be nicer?

Last of Lise’s Visit

Neighbors Shawn and Bob invited us for dessert the night before daughter Lise left. Shawn and Lise have a special bond; they share the same birthday and have always enjoyed each other. Logan (9) had snuggled next to his mother, playing with a tablet.

David was in dog heaven, having his hands on two of their dogs as Bob watched in the background.

Of all the homes Lise has seen in Denmark, she said few had a bathtub. She intended to soak in our tub, but didn’t get to it until her last night. Shawn gave her a bath bomb to make it extra special.

This was the last photo I took of Lise. We were on the way to Charlotte and dropped Rose and son John $pencer off to pick up her car. The girls were laughing about Lise’s stuffed animal. Instead of T-Rex, she named him T-Red. After she got home, Lise texted that T-Red had a seat to himself from Charlotte to London.

We packed a lot into Lise’s two-week visit, giving us many memories to savor.

Geography with Logan

It’s easier to keep up with neighbors in warm weather when people sit on their porches or work in their yards. We hadn’t seen neighbor Logan and his parents for a long time, so we got together after school for dessert and a quick visit. We knew they had an appointment and couldn’t stay long. That explains why the exit photo had a deer-in-the-headlights aura.

Shawn said she is going on a mission trip next year, causing John to bring the globe to the table. Logan found the country, and that led to John’s talking about the Gulf stream. That’s the wonderful part about having a living encyclopedia in the room. You get information focused on the present topic. I once likened John to an interactive screen. You press him, and history comes out.

There must be a magnet in that globe. We all find it irresistible once someone begins looking at it. Shawn said geography isn’t taught in school any more. I asked grandson David if he knew where Africa was, and he pointed to it and continued identifying Australia and New Zealand as the globe turned. David was just out of camera range, but he was in on the conversation. I was relieved he had map skills, some of which must have come from early schooling.