Monday, June 27, 2016

Meals on the deck

I finally got a chance to reciprocate a meal with Trudie & Leo on Friday. I made pasta with a mushroom, tomato, sausage sauce, but put too much pasta in. Everyone had seconds so I guess it wasn't that bad. We had fun (perhaps a bit too much fun), on the back deck overlooking the fields. Fireflies came out the same time as the mosquitos so we didn't enjoy them for long, instead taking cover in the house.

Saturday we drove down to the Sol de Acapulco (gosh I wish this was easier to spell), for a schnitzel. It had been Alicia's birthday 2 nights earlier and we had hoped to celebrate with her, but of course the restaurant was busy, keeping her in the kitchen.



Sunday we drove into town to meet up at my parents place to go pick up my niece Shenna from the airport. At a grown-up 18 she has travelled 1/2 the world by herself, all the way from NZ. We were all happy to see her, but I might have been the only one that cried. I'm not sure what is wrong with me these days but the tears are closer to the surface than ever before. At times I am almost overcome with emotion with a sob choking me. It is embarrassing…

Mom, Erik & Juliette, and I went to meet her and as we stood at the bottom on the long escalator I watched for her. Faces were blurred by distance as they stepped onto the moving stairs and I wondered if I'd recognize her right away. I hadn't seen her for 3 years and she's grown from a young teenager to a young lady. A group of people started their descent. My hand was up in the air waving before I even knew it - of course I recognized her. Aunties do. Of course this was before I started tearing. Which aunties also do (at least this one does).

On Monday I spent the day with the family, culminating in Mom & Shenna coming out to our place for a swim and light supper on the deck. It was a beautiful day in more ways than one.

"Society is great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."  ~Anonymous Greek Proverb

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