Graduation of Bliss

Mission accomplished! Stage one, anyway. Yesterday we saw our grandson Angelbaby graduate from his early-college high school. The ceremony was held in the very nice auditorium that belongs to the community college. Most of the students had amassed many credits from community college while finishing high school. Afterwards we went out for a celebratory dinner at a sushi place that was a favorite with Angelbaby as a chubby-cheeked child. It has been a long time . . . . We stopped briefly at the Diva's house for gift-giving--a wok from the parents, for student cooking, and a useful check from us. Muffinhead and his very nice, bright, tall girlfriend came home from college for the weekend. The kids were very sweet to us yesterday and allowed us to bring them coffee and take them out for lunch, where they actually talked to us amiably, while their parents were at work. It was a good day for the grandparents. After the gifts, we were exhausted, and had to go back to the hotel to recuperate. Today: a visit to the Diva in her native environment--the pre-school!

Water Day of Bliss

We went off to visit Teacher Diva at her pre-school this morning. This place is like a tiny, somewhat dilapidated slice of heaven. Some parents bought an old house 40 years ago and transformed it into a place for kids, and made the big back yard into a wonderful play space. Last year they had school outside all year around--"except when it thundered," the Diva said--so they built an immense sort of canopy with a wooden deck for sitting and reading stories, and tables for doing art and eating lunch beneath its shelter from sun and rain. There are a lot of big old trees and a bunch of sun awnings rigged up for shade. Today was "water day," so the kids were playing with various containers of water, plus shaving cream, bubbles, and oobleck, and shortly after we arrived, a sprinkler was rigged up and turned on so they could all run around shrieking in and out of the spray. The Sparrowhawk was a big hit with one of the little girls, who wanted to sit with him and read the insect book to find out what kind of caterpillar she had found. I was helping with a painting project that involved a salad spinner. I am in total awe of Teacher Diva, who has so much creativity and energy and is so wonderful at interacting with the kids and giving them maximum freedom to find out about their world while also gently teaching them how to treat each other kindly. It was so enjoyable to be with the kids and to watch the Diva doing her job.

However, it was 90+ degrees, and after a couple of hours, the kids paused for lunch, and we went back to the Diva's house to cool off and take a break. The Sparrowhawk went out and got coffee, which was very helpful in reviving ourselves. The boys and Muffinhead's friend went to the beach. The Sparrowhawk got to practice the piano. When Kansas and the Diva got home from work, there was cooperative dinner, planned by Kansas and executed by all. He grilled some bratwurst and made potato salad and corn on the cob. I made deviled eggs, and the Diva made cucumber and tomato salad. We had blueberry pie and ice cream for dessert. The boys arrived home just in time for a second shift of dinner. We were trying to watch the Royals vs. the Twins, but it was a slow game, and Kansas gave it up to go and read, while we joined the Diva in trying to re-learn Rummy--with enough success to be enjoyable.