Friday, May 11, 2012

Well. Friday morning and Mr. Moon is doing something with the boat and I think Jessie is still in bed and Vergil is up and helping Mr. Moon and I am trying to wake up.
We are going to the island.

For those of you who are newish here, there is a small, barrier island off the coast near here called Dog Island which has a few houses on it and a fire station and a dock.
The end.
No stores, no restaurants or beach bars. No art galleries or souvenir shops. No bridge.
Just beach and bay and birds and trees and sandspurs and snakes and sunsets and sunrises and dirt roads and we have a little house there. We share it with an old friend.
And that is where we are going today.
You have to take everything with you, including your water because the water that comes out of the tap there is not fit to drink. So water and food and gas for the car which we take from dock to house and beer and rum and clothes and books and I have no wireless there except for, I guess, my iPhone.

And a few years ago when I was there, I had a profoundly horrible and scary time, due not to the island, where I used to love to go alone, but to a very deep walk into the backyard of my own insanity, and since then, I have had a hard time being there.

But, here we go. And I still have to go to town and get groceries and I have to pack everything up and eventually, we'll make our way down to the coast, boat trailered behind Mr. Moon's truck, and we'll get to the place we put in and cross the bay and perhaps see dolphins and get to the island and pull up and tie off and move everything off the boat and into the jeep and then to the house and up the rickety stairs and unpacked and put away. And we will be picking up Vergil's mama and stepfather who are flying in on their little plane and landing on the grass runway there.

It's a tiny house and nothing to do but lay around and play cards and nap and go fishing and make feasts and eat them and drink beer and read and nap again. And walk, walk, walk from bay to beach to woods to bay again. And fish. And swim.

I know. It sounds heavenly.
And it used to be for me.

Well.

Tomorrow Lily and Jason and the boys may drive to where we put in and Mr. Moon will pick them up in the boat and bring them back over to the island for a day's play. Owen has never been to the island and of course, Gibson hasn't either. I used to take the girls there for their spring breaks and the whole family has gathered there for one holiday or long weekend or another and my ex-husband and his wife even used to come, too, not staying with us, but with my ex's wife's sister and brother-in-law who used to have a house down the bay from us.

So. Here I am. Getting ready to get ready.
We had such a good time last night. Mr. Moon and I went to Lily's and we ate pizza and played with those boys. I got to play with my boys a lot yesterday after the dentist. Lily and I took them to lunch and then to Walmart where we heard a baby crying. Owen said, "Baby crying. I want see him."
So I took him over to where a mother had a baby in a snugly thing on her chest and yes, her baby was crying and I said, "My grandson wants to see your crying baby." And the mother said, "Okay," and we observed the little boy and he quit crying and so Owen lost interest and I said, "Owen, say thank-you for letting us see the baby," and Owen said, "Thank-you," and we went off and bought him a new toy. He picked out the Woody doll you see in the picture below. This makes three Woody's that he has. He loves Woody.
I held Gibson a lot last night and once, when I was holding him, his grandfather came up and started talking to him and Gibson smiled that goofy baby smile and began to coo at him and then his mother came up too, her face entering the picture, and Gibson didn't know what to do with all the attention. He is such a fine little boy.
And then Jessie and Vergil got in and we had late-birthday cake for Jessie and there were hugs and cuddles and lots of kissing.

So. Here we go. Well, after I get up from here and begin to figure out what we need to take. There are vegetarians among us and I should pick the beans in the garden and figure it all out. Jessie's up now and Mr. Moon is telling me that we need to get ready and oh, here we go.

I'll post tiny postettes with my iPhone and that will be that.

I hope we see dolphins.

Happy Friday, y'all.
Love...Ms. Moon




17 comments:

  1. I hope you will see dolphins too Ms Moon... The island sounds like heaven on earth. I am sure you will have a great weekend with the kids and Mr Moon.
    Never mind us, go lay on the beach, swim with the dolphins and enjoy the silence and the sounds of the sea. worces crestio

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  2. Oops, for some reason, the captcha ended up behind my comment. Sorry!

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  3. Count me in for all of it, dolphins too, but not the walk backward into a place you don't want to go, I hope that memory is fully erased.
    I know about all that packing up you have to go through - it seems a bit sometimes like the packing up takes longer than the actual event, but then it's all wonderfully worth it.

    You make me want to be there with you.

    be well, xooo

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  4. Oh Mary. I got your letter yesterday and I pray to the postal gods that the letter I'm going to write and send today is there for you when you get home. You too, Deirdre up there. Dog Island sounds like a place my stepfather took us camping. It was a wild river and a little shack and that's it.

    This made me cry for whatever many reasons. But mostly because I do love you and here you are going out into the wild world again and being anxious and I wish I could come to your beautiful house and talk you into staying home and we could drink and play cards and eat cheese and cake and yes I would eat one ONE okra and then I would cook you something amazing. Perhaps a cake or if it's too hot then I'd make grits my way which I call polenta with four kinds of cheese and oh it is good and I'd rub your feet and then we'd go dancing. And I'd look at photos of Gibson and Owen forever because they are so beautiful and Owen already is so so very GOOD.

    I will miss you when you're gone isn't that funny? But I do. Miss you when you're gone.

    love,
    Rebecca

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  5. I so like those little islands that have shacks. I could easily become like Skink. When I get sick enough of humanity maybe someone will write a novel about a crazy scientist who lived on an island and studied the critters there.

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  6. It takes time, a lot of time for those memory free falls to fade. I know.
    But I hope those perfect little spirits of Owen and Gibson will wash some of it away for you. And so much love will be there for you in your families eyes...and then there's rum ... and your husband's arms.
    I'll be thinking of you.

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  7. I hope it is lovely. You paint such vivid pictures for all of us it is like I get to go with you.

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  8. It will be nice for you to be surrounded by your whole beautiful family and especially those little baby boys of yours. I hope you have a happy visit with your kin and maybe soon-to-be kin. I think many of us will be sending good wishes your way.

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  9. Ms. Radish King and I are going to be with you in spirit on Dog Island.

    Love to you and strength and courage and humor.

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  10. Oh, I hope you see dolphins too. Put your toes into that beautiful white sand for me if you think of it. Sigh. Sounds like it'll be a wonderful trip with those you love...

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  11. Sweet darlin'

    The big scares and the little scares. Gather those lovely people around you on your wee island. We're here riding along.

    I stewed some rhubarb for you to put on vanilla ice cream.

    XXXX Beth

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  12. Oh I hope you see dolphins and recover your love of your island home and that the memory of your dark time fades from your consciousness. With beautiful Light Being Jessie there, that seems entirely possible! Wiggle your toes in the sand and laugh with delight as you share the magic with your grand boys. Love, love, and more love to all of you:)

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  13. You know Ms. Moon, I think you have the best life in the world!

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  14. I hope you have a blessed time at the island. Surrounded by your babies, at least there will be some good there for you.

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  15. May you all have a beautiful time.

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  16. Happy Friday, Ms. Moon, and I hope the island is wonderful. Take care.

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  17. the owen baby crying story is my favorite story i've read in a long time.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.