Thursday, February 17, 2022

A Full Day


So I woke up at the ungodly hour of 7 am this morning and was surprisingly cheerful. As I drank my coffee I thought, "Wow! I should do this every day."
Even as I thought it I knew it would never happen. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and so forth. 
I thought I'd given myself plenty of time to get to Jessie's house at 8:45 but, as so often happens, I got behind a dump truck on Buck Lake Road, my usual route to town. It's a two-lane road and hilly and curvy so I just stayed behind him. A guy in a truck behind me obviously wasn't having it and pulled out to pass us both and almost hit an on-coming car before he swerved back into the lane between me and the dump truck. Good thing I don't tail-gate, motherfucker. The funny thing is, he stayed there the whole way. Perhaps he had learned a little caution. 
Even still, I got to the Weatherfords only two minutes after I said I'd be there and Vergil and I got to chat for a moment before he had to go shut himself into his office to make a business call. He works from home. Jessie was already at the hospital, doing some educational things. 

It had been suggested that I might want to take Levon to the park which is well within walking distance. This is the same park where I used to take Hank on walks, right after he was born, because we lived right down the street. But I wasn't quite ready to make that stroll yet so Levon and I read some books and giggled a lot and then he jumped on his trampoline and then we read a book about octopuses and so then I had to find videos of that amazing creature on Youtube and then we walked to the park. 
Levon is a most agreeable lad when he is with me. But of course that's because I am entirely at his service and also, I am the person who gives him going-away treats of M&M's so there is that. He held my hand and told me how to get to the park. I would put his vocabulary up to any six-year old's. At least. He is one of the most verbally talented kids of his age I've ever met. I mean- there is NO place in a conversation you can't go with that boy. 
At the park he wanted to play pretend baseball on the field (where Lily used to play softball as a child) but I told him I'd sit on the bench and play the grandmother who cheers. That was okay for one home run. Then he wanted to play a game of pretend where one of was asleep and the other person was Santa Claus and Santa delivered presents while the sleeping person, uh, slept. We found a piece of sidewalk chalk that we soon started using to draw pictures of presents which added to the reality of the situation a great deal. 
I got a front-end loader. 
After that, there was playing restaurant. I was the server first and welcomed him into the restaurant and took his order. He wanted one billion birthday cakes or, if they only had one, then that would do. Also, a popsicle. 
Delivered. 
I ordered a sandwich and he brought me a pepperoni and pickle sandwich which sounded pretty good and also, a birthday cake. 
And so forth. 


We spent some times on the swings, too. Now I have loved to swing for as long as I've been able to do it. Swinging, unlike every other physical activity, was something I was good at. I could not hit a ball or climb a jungle gym or hang from my knees or do cartwheels and ended up crying with bleeding knees every time I ever played tether ball but I could swing as high as a bird could fly and oh! How I loved it. 
I learned something today though and that is the fact that a sixty-seven year old brain does not react to swinging the way an eight-year old brain does. 
I got dizzy! Not bad dizzy just disconcertingly so. 
One more great thing about getting older, eh?


Well, la-di-dah. I was about ready to back home so I asked Levon, "You got any snacks at your house?"
He assured me he did and so, hand-in-hand, we walked back home where we had some peanut butter pretzels (which he shared so sweetly with me), read a few more books and then did a little deep dive into gorillas. 
I now know far more about gorillas and octopuses than I did before today. I will no doubt forget these facts but Levon probably won't. I will tell you however, that even though we all know how very incredible both octopuses and gorillas are, they are even more amazing than we can imagine. Also- tip for the day: Never, ever, EVER get in a fight with a gorilla. It will not end well for you. 

Vergil took a break for lunch and we met Jessie after her testing at a restaurant right across the street from the hospital and that was fun. She looked so nursey in her scrubs. I am so proud of that girl. 

And then I went to Publix AGAIN and came home and did all the things I didn't get done earlier today and here we are. 

Mr. Moon has finished the railing for the kitchen steps. 


When that man builds something, it is sturdy. 

And hey! Look here!


So yeah. That's a bit cluttered but for now- it'll do. My life is cluttered. As long as I remember to clean around things and under things, who cares? I am not Martha Stewart nor will I ever be. 
I just realized that every one of those appliances are made by Cuisinart except for the thrift-store espresso maker. 
Huh. I didn't plan that, it's just how things in my kitchen have evolved. 
I've found a place in the freezer for the canister which is the most important part of the ice cream making process and since it takes 12-24 hours to get that sucker cold enough, I believe it will just live in there. I'm planning on doing a test run tomorrow evening. 

And by the way- my arm is fine now. I am just a hivey person. This is the way of it. Those welts I had didn't even itch that much. Nothing at all compared to yellow-fly bites which I'll be complaining bitterly about in a few months. 
Thank all of you who were concerned, though. 

Love...Ms. Moon

31 comments:

  1. "I got a front-end loader. " Priceless! A close second: "Never, ever, EVER get in a fight with a gorilla. It will not end well for you. " This was an epic Levon day. Bet you sleep well tonight!

    Please commend Mr. Moon on that fine railing.

    Chris from Boise

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    1. Thank you, Chris! And yes, I certainly did sleep well. Hope to do the same tonight!

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  2. I look forward to an ice cream machine trial run report! Your counter looks similar to mine. Just the other day I was contemplating where I could store the espresso machine I hardly ever use. And I bought an air fryer last week after avoiding it for years - your praise of yours was the final push to take the plunge.

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    1. Oh gosh, Jill! I really hope you like the air fryer! I'm making ice cream tonight so we shall see how that goes.

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  3. Your day with the Levon - it could not have been mo betta. It has been such a long time since playing with a child that age- make believe and invent and you be this and I will be that. God I love it. Thanks for the day!!

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    1. Oh, Linda Sue. Playing with the little ones offers so much insight as to imagination and learning- all things we have forgotten. And observation! Children see so much more than we do with our old, jaded eyes.

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  4. That looks like a pleasant day! My 3 year old grandson asked me yesterday if I had a penis and reported my answer back to his 5 year old brother. Then they came back to ask, if I don't have a penis, then how do I pee? and I said like their Mom does. They wanted to know what I called it, if it was not called a penis, and I said they would have to ask their Mom about that. She and my son come home on Sunday. Hurray!

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    1. Ha! I was reading a book to Levon that I was a bit concerned might lead to him asking me at the end exactly how the seed and the egg come together to make a baby. I was a bit anxious about that but then I thought, "Well, I've done this before!" But he was just happy with the way the book ended. The penis question is one that must be asked, right?

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  5. the rail is nice but ooooooooooooohhhh girl that generac.....

    that's my homeowner's dream. a generac!

    xxalainaxx

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    1. Honey- I KNOW!!!
      The bank that rented a building from us left it behind and Glen asked if they wanted it. They said no. And so hell- he had it brought here, cleared and built the pad for it, and hired a young guy to hook it all up. It took a very long time (and not an insignificant amount of money) to do that but my god- it can power the entire house from lights to AC. Every Saturday at 4:34 it cranks up and runs for a few minutes and I am so happy to hear it every time.

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  6. I woke up at seven, too. But my youngest grandson is 20 and in collage in CO, so I had a shower, got dressed and took a nap.

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    1. You so made me laugh. I almost did that this morning.

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  7. I wake up early these days. Read in bed, drink tea, check emails, doze off again, resent any appointment before 10.30 am.

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    1. We do love our leisure time, don't we? I spend my in-bed reading time at night and I look forward to that from the moment I get up.

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  8. Levon and you seem like two peas in a pod in the way you have fun together.

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  9. You and I would have been friends swinging. I was the same, and I tried to swing a while back and had the same dizzy reaction. It was disappointing and weird.

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    1. Oh, Elizabeth! It was like, "This too? Fuck me."

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  10. I love this post. It reminded me of playing restaurants with E when she was little. She is 11 now and getting very " teenage" about everything!
    That is a very fine handrail that Mr Moon has built. Those steps look lethal without one! I made a rule to myself some years ago that I would not walk down any steps/stairs without holding on as I never know when my knee might decide to give up.( I am older than you and you can't be too careful)
    We are expecting storm " Eunice" later today. ( Around midday it is supposed to arrive here.....Steve has already mentioned it)Apparently the worst winds for at least 10 years here. We are about 25 miles north of where Steve is, but probably more " open", being a small town rather than the big city! I have already walked the dog ( and got quite wet) and we won't be going out again today. Luckily no big trees within reach of the house, but I fully expect the front fence to get damaged! Glad that your arm is better...it looked very uncomfortable yesterday. Love the pic of Levon on the slide, such a happy boy!

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    1. I played restaurant with Owen and Gibson too, when they used to spend a lot of time here. I even gave them menus. And then I cooked them what they ordered! It was great. Owen would die now if I brought that up. Or maybe not. He likes remembering things sometimes.
      Some things.
      I hope Eunice isn't as bad as they say it's going to be and that all is well after it passes.

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  11. Levon sounds like a wonderfully entertaining little boy, he'll do very well in school with his willingness to do and learn.
    Your kitchen appliances are so shiny.
    I like the hand rail, that will keep you safer.

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    1. The hand rail is absolutely needed at this point in our lives and in some of our friends' lives.
      Two of the appliances are new so that's why they look so shiny. The coffee pot is so old that we've worn the little words off of the settings dial.

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  12. A full day indeed. Mine have been as well though nothing so fun as hanging out with a young grandchild. Today though I have nothing on my agenda. Turned cold again last night

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    1. And as usual, we'll be getting your colder air tonight!

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  13. I really, really hope Levon keeps his wonderful imagination and childish curiosity for ever and a day. It is a gift!

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  14. OMG Mary-your arm!!!! Levon might be a genius or a future fiction writer. Beautiful boy.

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    1. Of course he's a genius! All of our grandchildren are, right?

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  15. It's amazing how imaginative kids are. Glad you had the energy to keep up with it all! :)

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  16. You've had your one on one turn with each of your grandkids before they started school, and how incredibly wonderful that is for them and for you. Levon is a bright little guy. And I'm proud of Jessie, too!

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  17. Oh, and that is a very fine stair railing your man made!

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.