HornedToad of Simmer
Jul. 16th, 2025 07:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoThe last few days have been wonderful, so much fun, packed from one end of the day to the other, hence no blogging. On Saturday, the Diva arrived a couple of hours later than expected because of weather. So it was 2-ish, and I just happened to be awake, so when I heard her come in, I went downstairs, but was unsure how to make my presence known without scaring her. So I sat in a chair to wait for her to come out from brushing her teeth. Then she came around the corner and saw me, as she put it, "sitting creepily in a chair," and shrieked just a tiny bit. She accepted the offer of a comfy bed and everybody went back to sleep. In the morning, she went out to do some cheese and wine shopping with her dad while I completed some arrangements before the Nipper and family arrived. We had lunch snacks and sat around and talked until late afternoon, when we sent the Nipper to get Buddy's pizza (they make gluten free crusts for Detroit-style pizza) while the Sparrowhawk and I went to church. Then it was all kinds of fun again until everybody crashed.
Sunday started off with the Nipper frying bacon. The Diva's kind wish was to help me with my yard, so she and the Nipper and Raptor and I went out and attacked the undergrowth with the Slayer Shovel and an assortment of clippers. The Diva did the whole side of the house and around the grill area, Nipper and Raptor killed off and dug up a number of naughty buckthorns, and I weeded out the area near the AC unit. Progress! It was very hot and sunny. On their shopping trip, the Diva and her dad had stopped at the hardware store and got two umbrellas for the outdoor tables. The Sparrowhawk grilled a lot of steak. I had been creating a steak stash by buying some whenever there was a really good sale. I do this in anticipation of an occasion, and this was it. It was really good. My job was to bake potatoes, cook green beans and corn and mushrooms, make salad and slice tomatoes, and assemble condiments and potato garnishes. After dinner, the Diva taught us all to play Uno, and we played several games with Raptor, who is a champ at this. The Sparrowhawk turned out to be a card shark and had his picture taken and labeled JAWS by Raptor.
Monday was Beach Day! And to make everything double the fun, Tron texted to say that if we would wait for her, she could jump in the car and be there in a couple of hours. We packed up all the suits, towels, chairs, umbrellas, snacks, and water, and were just ready when she arrived, and we all went off to the beach together. The water temperature was over 70, it was a beautiful day, and we had a really great time. Even Tron, who has a bad reaction to too much sun, and had to hide out in the mini-tent wrapped in a sarong, when she wasn't swimming with us. Then there was the obligatory stop at the Whippi Dip, and when we got home we unpacked and threw our wet things in the wash and ate the abundant snacks and leftovers that filled the refrigerator. After that, we played another round of Uno, followed by Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, kind of a Slap-Jack-y game that is lots of fun. The Sparrowhawk and I kinda reached the boundaries of our possibilities, but we survived! Victory!
The Diva had to leave for the airport at 4:30 am on Tuesday, so she let Tron have her futon bed and slept on the couch. She had a car ordered, and she is a total badass grownup, so of course I had every confidence in her . . . but I mysteriously woke up at 4 am and decided I might as well go downstairs and keep her company as lie awake waiting to hear the door slam. It's a mom thing. This time, she heard me coming and didn't scream. The car arrived as scheduled, and I got to hug her one last time and wave goodbye. And then go back to sleep. Tron got up and hung out for awhile before driving home. Having those two join us was everything. The Redhead had to work remotely on Tuesday, so the rest of us went to the City Museum and did a scavenger hunt and had another game of Uno with the giant Uno cards and saw the shark exhibit. When we got home, the Redhead was free, so we went to the bookstore and had coffee and browsed and bought Raptor a Garfield collection and some Brain Quest cards for the trip home, and then went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. Back home, we watched the Strange New Worlds musical episode with the Nipper and enjoyed sitting around talking until we were all too tired to stay up.
This morning, they had coffee with us and then headed homeward. I begged off visiting Madame today. Technically, I would have had time to dash over there, but I wasn't feeling it. Instead I returned a call from one of my other old lady friends--this one pushing 80, and neither of us can believe it--and started washing the giant pile of sheets and towels. These last few days were a treasure beyond time. It gets more precious every year. . . .
Sunday started off with the Nipper frying bacon. The Diva's kind wish was to help me with my yard, so she and the Nipper and Raptor and I went out and attacked the undergrowth with the Slayer Shovel and an assortment of clippers. The Diva did the whole side of the house and around the grill area, Nipper and Raptor killed off and dug up a number of naughty buckthorns, and I weeded out the area near the AC unit. Progress! It was very hot and sunny. On their shopping trip, the Diva and her dad had stopped at the hardware store and got two umbrellas for the outdoor tables. The Sparrowhawk grilled a lot of steak. I had been creating a steak stash by buying some whenever there was a really good sale. I do this in anticipation of an occasion, and this was it. It was really good. My job was to bake potatoes, cook green beans and corn and mushrooms, make salad and slice tomatoes, and assemble condiments and potato garnishes. After dinner, the Diva taught us all to play Uno, and we played several games with Raptor, who is a champ at this. The Sparrowhawk turned out to be a card shark and had his picture taken and labeled JAWS by Raptor.
Monday was Beach Day! And to make everything double the fun, Tron texted to say that if we would wait for her, she could jump in the car and be there in a couple of hours. We packed up all the suits, towels, chairs, umbrellas, snacks, and water, and were just ready when she arrived, and we all went off to the beach together. The water temperature was over 70, it was a beautiful day, and we had a really great time. Even Tron, who has a bad reaction to too much sun, and had to hide out in the mini-tent wrapped in a sarong, when she wasn't swimming with us. Then there was the obligatory stop at the Whippi Dip, and when we got home we unpacked and threw our wet things in the wash and ate the abundant snacks and leftovers that filled the refrigerator. After that, we played another round of Uno, followed by Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, kind of a Slap-Jack-y game that is lots of fun. The Sparrowhawk and I kinda reached the boundaries of our possibilities, but we survived! Victory!
The Diva had to leave for the airport at 4:30 am on Tuesday, so she let Tron have her futon bed and slept on the couch. She had a car ordered, and she is a total badass grownup, so of course I had every confidence in her . . . but I mysteriously woke up at 4 am and decided I might as well go downstairs and keep her company as lie awake waiting to hear the door slam. It's a mom thing. This time, she heard me coming and didn't scream. The car arrived as scheduled, and I got to hug her one last time and wave goodbye. And then go back to sleep. Tron got up and hung out for awhile before driving home. Having those two join us was everything. The Redhead had to work remotely on Tuesday, so the rest of us went to the City Museum and did a scavenger hunt and had another game of Uno with the giant Uno cards and saw the shark exhibit. When we got home, the Redhead was free, so we went to the bookstore and had coffee and browsed and bought Raptor a Garfield collection and some Brain Quest cards for the trip home, and then went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. Back home, we watched the Strange New Worlds musical episode with the Nipper and enjoyed sitting around talking until we were all too tired to stay up.
This morning, they had coffee with us and then headed homeward. I begged off visiting Madame today. Technically, I would have had time to dash over there, but I wasn't feeling it. Instead I returned a call from one of my other old lady friends--this one pushing 80, and neither of us can believe it--and started washing the giant pile of sheets and towels. These last few days were a treasure beyond time. It gets more precious every year. . . .
no subject
Date: 2025-07-23 01:14 pm (UTC)