MountainDaisy of Flourish

14,000 steps today, what with going to the zoo with Aquinas and then chasing after him as he scootered to a nearby park and rambled merrily around it. I probably got nearly as many yesterday, when we went to a different park, but yesterday I forgot to wear my fitness device part of the day, so it only recorded half as many. After the park, the Philosopher and Lovely Friend wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and take Aquinas back to the hotel for a nap. I recommended a very nice cafe that was only six minutes away. They had always been pleasant and efficient in the past. Well, wouldn't you know this was the day they took an hour to make our drinks and sandwiches. Thomas badly needed to go to the hotel before any food was ready, so his parents said they'd take him there and we could stay and await our order, and then one of them would come back and pick it up. But by the time we finally got our stuff, it occurred to us that we might just as well take it to them. After that, the Sparrowhawk made one more heroic stop to get some ham from Whole Foods, which Aquinas had been plaintively asking for, as in "Ham! I want haaaaaammmm . . . ." And then Grandpa simply had to take a nap as well. I did not take a nap, because I was cooking some things. Which I shall not enumerate because they ended up being superfluous. We got takeout instead, and everyone was pleased and Aquinas ate a phenomenal amount of chicken fried rice with mushrooms, as well as three or four clementines.

Our refrigerator is so stuffed that it is crazy, mostly with things we thought might be necessary but turned out not to be what people wanted. We will be happy to consume these things ourselves, but it may take awhile because the Sparrowhawk is off his feed. At the zoo, he made a valiant effort, but had to stop and park himself on a shaded bench outside the gift shop while we ascended the hill to see the tigers. Since then, he hasn't been feeling well. He is just tired out and needs some rest. I confess to being tired too, but it was worth it to see them and to get to know Aquinas better. Naturally, as his grandmother, I find him to be a remarkable child. It's very sweet to see how he seems drawn to his Granpa. Who would not love the Sparrowhawk! And he calls me Granmommy and has given me a couple of hugs of his own free will.

We don't expect to see them tomorrow, because they will probably need to leave without further adieu. Ah well, a short visit but a merry one!