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That's a brag picture. I admit it. Aren't those some lovely dumplings? Self-rising flour, a tiny bit of baking soda, and buttermilk. That's all there is in them. 

We had a very good time with those boys last night. They ate their fair share of chicken and dumplings and sliced cucumbers and maybe a little more. That's okay. Mer had made plenty. 

Then came showers. Levon showered in my bathroom, August in his grandfather's. I let Levon off easy. I didn't even make him really wash. Soap and a washcloth were involved but I didn't do much oversight during the process. Mr. Moon, on the other hand, gave August instructions- rinse out the shampoo, now some conditioner...
Both boys came out clean as little river guppies.

And then- purple cow time! I'd thought we had grape juice when I went to the store so didn't buy any. Guess what? We did not. Oh well. They had to make do with Cranberry Mango juice with the ginger ale and sherbet. 

Brushing teeth came next and by this time it was pretty late for them. So off to bed where those sweet young men allowed me to read them "The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza" AND "The Owl and the Pussycat." 
I was more than pleased. 

Then covers pulled up and kisses given and they were asleep before I got out of the room. 
I had told them that they could come into our room at 7:00 if they wanted a snuggle but not until 7:15 if they did not want any snuggles. Mr. Moon ended up getting out of bed at 7:00 and found them in their room, reading books. When I walked through that room an hour later I said, "It looks like you guys had a rodeo in there," and August said, "Maybe we did," and Levon said, "What's a rodeo?"

I made the pancakes and bacon and there was yet another feast. Those guys can eat some pancakes. And then, rush, rush, rush! Levon had a piano lesson at 10:30 and we had to drive to town! I had no idea where this piano lesson place was but plugged in the address to Google Maps and when we got to the apartment complex, the boys led me right to the apartment where the darling piano teacher lives. 
She was so precious! Just the most encouraging, enthusiastic, and animated piano teacher I can imagine. And Levon could not have been more enthusiastic himself. He paid complete attention, did everything he was asked, and was obviously excited by the whole process. Having been taught piano by a screeching and probably very unhappy woman myself, I was delighted to see that piano lessons have come a long way. It was just pure fun. And August sat in a chair by the piano and watched the entire lesson, clapping when his brother played well, and after the lesson was over, gave him a big hug. 
What a wonderful half-hour! 

I took them home and checked on my girl. She seems fine. Her light is not dimmed. She said that when she took her bandages off, she found that Kelly had put heart-shaped steri-strips on the laparoscopy incisions. A very sweet surprise. 

I was very tired when I got home and I'm not sure quite why. I got plenty of sleep last night. Anyway, I laid down and took a nap! Something I never do these days. And when I got up, there were boys in my living room again! Vergil had brought the little guys over to watch the FSU football game with Mr. Moon. They had been eating wings and veggies and August and Levon were putting together some ladder-thing that Vergil and Glen are going to use tomorrow to help put siding up along the roof. Or something. I don't know. 

And let me hasten to assure you that it will be Vergil on the roof, not Glen. 

So that's been my day. I think that tomorrow the guys will be working on that project and Jessie and the boys will be here to hang out. Jessie can sit in her daddy's big, comfy chair and rest and the boys and I can play cards or something. 

A full weekend, indeed! 

Hank and Rachel report that the wedding they attended in Miami Beach was beautiful and Rachel said she sobbed. I'm so glad she could be there at her darling friend's wedding. I hope the reception is full of celebratory merriment. As all wedding receptions should be. 

Oh! I almost forgot. When I was going home from Jessie's house today, I took a picture just a few blocks from where she lives. 

That is the house we lived in when Jessie was born. In fact, she was born in that house. It's actually much larger than it looks. It goes back a pretty long way, there's an upstairs, and the entire back of the house is mostly glass windows which I always loved. It was like living in a doll house where the fourth wall is missing. Having grown up in a house where so many rancid secrets hid, it felt tremendously freeing and right to live in a home that could not keep its life to itself. There was a big back yard so it wasn't like we were on display all the time to the general public, but it meant a lot to me, knowing that we were not afraid to be seen. 

A whole lot of life went on in that house. We lived there twelve years. Some of the best times of my life, some of the hardest. It was a place where we had so many celebrations and mourned so many sorrows. I was ultimately glad to move but it was a good place for us to be for a very long time. I surely did raise some kids there. 

That's enough. 

Love...Ms. Moon