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Today had the same promise of good weather as the last few: warm but not hot; no humidity; and a light breeze. It was also a long-awaited special day; the day the parts had come to fix the tractor and the previous day spent putting them in. Sitting in a dirty garage filled with leaves, twigs, and the smell of WD40 is enough to take the smile off the weekend. But this morning we woke up early with but one thought: mow the lawn! Coffee, bread, and walks with the dogs and we were OUT THERE! But first there was the phone call: our daughter would like to visit with our grand children, and would that be OK? Sure, but we will be outside!
Within half an hour, the little family pulled in. School had barely started for our grand daughter and she was bubbling with things they were doing there. Our grandson was, I was told, already reading the books we gave him for his birthday in June. Today his interest was in having the coffee can full of magnetic letters that he knew I had for him. Making words was a big favorite for him, and he really knew what he was doing. Patches and Skittles were happy to add to the general commotion, and the kids enjoyed their being around. The three cats made brief appearances, choosing to keep their distances. Only Sanchez, the Siamese, came out to visit for longer than a minute. I guess when you're royalty, presence is necessary. Instead of going outside immediately, my daughter had brought ham and cheese and rolls to make sandwiches for their lunch. Emily was eager to talk with me about everything going on in her life. Talking was preferable to eating, it seemed. Constant reminders to "eat your lunch" came from my daughter. Alex spread his attention between eating and chatting as well until finally my daughter gave in and OK'd going out to "help " my husband with the mowing. On previous visits, my husband had let each of the kids ride with him on the big tractor, but today he explained that it wasn't safe. Our lawn had grown so long that the tractor could bounce up and make them lose their balance. Besides, it spit out big streams of grass that might contain rocks. So a "ride along" was not on the agenda for today. But the kids had another idea: they could ride on Grandma's scooter. Emily could control it on her own with the joy stick. Alex could ride in my daughter's lap. With the new paved walk in front of the house, an acceptable ride could be had part way down the driveway and over to the front door. Both waited more or less patiently for their turn. Skittles and Patches were happy to trot along, too. Grandma could remain in her wheelchair and watch the kids having fun. My daughter wisely uses her cell phone to take pictures. Grandma here knows that HER cell phone can do that, too, and instructions for that are in the BOOK that came with the phone if I ever bothered to read it! (Or even found it in the chaos that is my desk) So for now I rely on others' skills to take the memories. Tomorrow will still be bright and sunny, and I can use the scooter myself to cut down the low hanging branches that attacked my husband as he mowed. There will be time to remember my grandson using sticks to make letters on the driveway and my grand daughter using one as a magic wand. These memories will keep longer than today, for soon the green leaves will begin to turn color and fall off, and the grass will stop growing as autumn takes hold officially tomorrow.
September let me hear you say
Just Mom |
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| Cartoon Courtesy of Coffee Cup Software |