WanderingTattler of Trill
Apr. 13th, 2025 06:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoSo, yesterday we tried to institute a sensible recovery program. We went for a walk, albeit a very slow one. We ate bean soup for lunch. Actually, my conversations with the Duchess and Ms. Science reminded me of a childhood snack that Mr. Science and I both enjoyed. Our mother's lentil soup would become a solid when it cooled. We'd butter a hunk of bread, then apply a slab of cold soup, and eat it as an open-face soup sandwich. I made a bean soup sandwich for lunch and sent them a picture. Lentil soup works a little better, because it's more coherent, but the bean soup wasn't bad. The Sparrowhawk took a nap while I had a long conversation with Queenie. She wanted a download of all that had occurred in her absence.
The trip was successful overall. The so-called dedication to my brother was no more than a placard, not much of anything. But the flower show itself was spectacularly gorgeous, and filled throughout with the scents of spring flowers. Taking small steps in enclosed spaces is one of the hardest things for the Sparrowhawk, and he had to go and sit down before we finished the tour. Ms. Science fed us well, on different kinds of soup! Chicken stew, vegetarian chili, and carrot/cauliflower soup. The accommodations were comfortable enough, but we both had that problem of not being able to sleep when away from home. We saw Ms. Science's kids and grandkids. We stayed up far too late working on a jigsaw puzzle. Some of the conversations were fraught in a way that I preferred not to engage with. So I didn't. I hope we were some help to Ms. Science. I think it was good for us all to be together. With grief, it's hard to say what helps. Being in my brother's house wasn't as hard as I had feared. It seems that his spirit is no longer strongly present there. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.
On Friday morning, we navigated across Pittsburgh--always a hair-raising experience--and met the Nipper and the Redhead for breakfast. They both work from home and were able to take a couple of hours of personal time. They offered to let Raptor play hooky to see his grandparents, but he was horrified by the idea and chose to stick with the correct schedule! It was so great to see them. The Redhead has learned tablet weaving, and made me a gift: a friendship bracelet that can also serve as a bookmark. She's so talented!
And then we set off for home. The trip was more arduous than expected. The Sparrowhawk was really not feeling 100%, so I drove most of the way and we had to make more pit stops than usual. The traffic was the worst I've ever been through, including a guy who came THIS close to crushing me with his pickup truck, and a long detour around a crash probably caused by his brother yahoo. On the bright side, I have now seen the scariest bathroom ever, in a gas station off route 19, and have also visited Al's Corner on Big Beaver Rd., a unique experience I never would have chosen of my own accord.
We were simply flattened by the time we got home, and it didn't go away in spite of our efforts yesterday. We had a pre-existing commiment to have dinner with Math Fairy and her husband, and as it turned out, with three of her grown sons. It was a delightful occasion, but driving home across town nearly did us in. This morning, the Sparrowhawk was feeling worse than ever and has spent much of the day back in bed, napping. I feel quite suboptimal as well. I've done a couple of loads of laundry and made myself some dinner. The Sparrowhawk tried to eat a little chicken soup, but couldn't handle it. We hope to be better tomorrow. The full moon is with us at night, casting its gift of reassuring silver light across a darkened room.
The trip was successful overall. The so-called dedication to my brother was no more than a placard, not much of anything. But the flower show itself was spectacularly gorgeous, and filled throughout with the scents of spring flowers. Taking small steps in enclosed spaces is one of the hardest things for the Sparrowhawk, and he had to go and sit down before we finished the tour. Ms. Science fed us well, on different kinds of soup! Chicken stew, vegetarian chili, and carrot/cauliflower soup. The accommodations were comfortable enough, but we both had that problem of not being able to sleep when away from home. We saw Ms. Science's kids and grandkids. We stayed up far too late working on a jigsaw puzzle. Some of the conversations were fraught in a way that I preferred not to engage with. So I didn't. I hope we were some help to Ms. Science. I think it was good for us all to be together. With grief, it's hard to say what helps. Being in my brother's house wasn't as hard as I had feared. It seems that his spirit is no longer strongly present there. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.
On Friday morning, we navigated across Pittsburgh--always a hair-raising experience--and met the Nipper and the Redhead for breakfast. They both work from home and were able to take a couple of hours of personal time. They offered to let Raptor play hooky to see his grandparents, but he was horrified by the idea and chose to stick with the correct schedule! It was so great to see them. The Redhead has learned tablet weaving, and made me a gift: a friendship bracelet that can also serve as a bookmark. She's so talented!
And then we set off for home. The trip was more arduous than expected. The Sparrowhawk was really not feeling 100%, so I drove most of the way and we had to make more pit stops than usual. The traffic was the worst I've ever been through, including a guy who came THIS close to crushing me with his pickup truck, and a long detour around a crash probably caused by his brother yahoo. On the bright side, I have now seen the scariest bathroom ever, in a gas station off route 19, and have also visited Al's Corner on Big Beaver Rd., a unique experience I never would have chosen of my own accord.
We were simply flattened by the time we got home, and it didn't go away in spite of our efforts yesterday. We had a pre-existing commiment to have dinner with Math Fairy and her husband, and as it turned out, with three of her grown sons. It was a delightful occasion, but driving home across town nearly did us in. This morning, the Sparrowhawk was feeling worse than ever and has spent much of the day back in bed, napping. I feel quite suboptimal as well. I've done a couple of loads of laundry and made myself some dinner. The Sparrowhawk tried to eat a little chicken soup, but couldn't handle it. We hope to be better tomorrow. The full moon is with us at night, casting its gift of reassuring silver light across a darkened room.
