family

Last Sunday to today have been days of brain fog that has disabled writing ability. Not much has been going on other than lots of family visits and time with Kirsten's sister-in-law, Kenda. I have been happy to be able to spend the time with everyone and feel blessed.

My brother Olaf even came for a visit one evening. I sat back watching and listening to him and marveled at the delightful man he has become. He's 14 years younger than me and I still think of him as a little boy, so I am always surprised to find that he has grown up. The same thing with Kirsten. We spend lots of time on the phone, but it is the serious conversations that highlight that she is a capable woman.

The summer birds are coming back in droves. Of course there are the geese forming their neat "V's" in the sky, but also red-winged blackbirds and grackles. Two robins showed up a few days ago, and a pair of ducks has been seen in the pond. Most of the snow has melted and the big flood is over. Now we have to wait for the temperatures to rise for the grass to start greening up.

Yesterday Carm got new tires for the truck. They are giant hunks of rubber with deep tread that should keep us safe on our travels this summer.

Bad news: the pool liner has split, letting all of the water out and the metal sides have crumpled and ripped. After all that angst and trouble last summer to get the new liner in, we now have to get a whole new pool. We are seriously sad about this.

Camping reservations at Presquile have proved elusive. We have another try on Monday; after that we aren't sure what we'll do. Maybe we'll be at home enjoying our new pool…

We needed an escape from everything today so drove to Morrisburg for their famous club sandwich. It was worth the drive. Liquidation was on the route so I picked up 2 dups of a t-shirt that I really like - $5 each. After lunch the bargain store had a top for $4 and a raspberry vest for another $4. A bit of cheap retail therapy.

“That's what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable.”  ~Deb Caletti