It smells good in my house, too, because I have a chunk of venison roast in the crock pot with onions and garlic and ginger and soy along with carrots and a few of the last potatoes from the garden. I will miss that plastic bin of dirty potatoes in the mud room. Well, we will grow more next year.
After I walked and showered and got the crock pot set up this morning I put the mandola back into the car as well as two dozen eggs and drove to Lily's where I transferred everything to her mommy van. I sit in the back seat with the boys when I go places with them so that I can give Gibson some attention or a bottle if he needs one or the other and also so that I can be the beneficiary of his smiles and earnest conversations. I answer Owen's questions and listen to his comments and sometimes, if the mood takes him, he grabs my arm and hugs it to him. I feel so grateful that I am agile enough to squeeze between the front seat and Owen's car seat to get into that middle seat. Grateful to be able to get out, as well. This is the difference between being young and not-so-young- you have to THINK about things like that. How do I do this? Which foot should I lead with? What part of me is strongest, which is weakest? What hurts the most and what hurts the least and how do I compensate?
Let me tell you- life can beat up a body. Beat it up good and I notice now how older people dance with their pain, their old injuries, their weaknesses as they walk, as they move. I notice because I do it too.
BUT, I can crawl into the back seat and I can sit between my boys and they were in a fine mood this morning. We went by the string-instrument place and I dropped off the mandola and then we went and picked up Hank and I gave him a dozen eggs and we drove to the Mockingbird Cafe where May works and I gave her a dozen eggs too and we sat at a table and passed Gibson around like a party favor.
Babies love Hank. That is all there is to it, and Gibson is no different in his opinion.
When he fussed, we would pass him back to his mother who can always make him happy.
Owen was as good a boy today as I have ever seen him. I gave him an old small journal to write in and May lent him one of her many, many pocketed pens. He was happy with his book, his drawing, and he told us stories and he ordered his food and he used his manners and he was patient and every time May walked by the table, his eyes got smiles in them.
When she was out of his sight he would look anxiously around and ask, "Where May?" and we would say, "She's working," and he would say, "Oh, oh. Sure," and then she'd come around again and kiss him and he would be happy.
She let him help her some, ringing up checks and getting drinks.
It was SUCH a good lunch. And the food was delicious too.
We dropped Hank off after lunch and then I went home with Lily and the boys and she had to go to work and I stayed for just a tiny while before The Papa came home.
It almost breaks my heart with happiness to see the way Lily and Jason parent their boys. To see the love and the hugs and the joy and the casualness and the patience. It is such a beautiful thing.
And all of that is reflected in those boys, the way they too, give love and hugs and kisses and squeezes and laugh so much.
I reluctantly gave up the squishy bundle of Gibson to his father and came home, stopping by the Costco to stock up on olive oil and get salad greens and tomatoes and lemons and red and yellow and orange peppers. I drove home through the rain. I came home in the rain, it is raining still and I put everything away and took off my town clothes and now I am sitting here, doing this, being so grateful for this rain, and the meat and carrots and potatoes are cooking and Mr. Moon should be home tonight from Georgia and tomorrow we may go on a train ride with those grandsons of ours and their mother.
I am tired, my hips hurt, it is okay, it is Friday, tomorrow I will not walk but let things settle back down and rest. It is cool from the rain, no need for the air conditioning, I collected three eggs- one green, two brown- I have noted another blossom on the passion flower vine, I think I will make a loaf of oat-flour quick bread, I will make a salad, I will make lemon vinaigrette, I may have a martini, just myself, I may sit on the porch swing if the mosquitoes let me, the banana spiders and hanging mermaid my company, sip that silver drink, wait for that man to come home, think of my babies who are my riches, study the immense live oak before me, listen to the sound of tires on wet pavement as Friday night cars drive by, be quiet in my soul, or at least not one bit louder than the sound of the rain, dripping now from leaf to ground which is no longer thirsty but taking it all in to feed the ancient oaks here where I live, so very, very fortunately, in Lloyd.
For a moment, in that photo, I thought dad put a tire swing in the tree.
ReplyDeleteLiving the good life you are! No rain here since morning. But it is a breezy and nice evening.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha, that was what I saw, too. A tire swing and then I looked again....and saw the face! Wow.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing that incredibly beautiful and family filled day. How I love you and your family! I can not even tell you - I could try, but it would be inadequate. Your sharing is my salvation -- and probably not just mine. Thank you for a sweet Mary day!
Oh, that last photo made me almost gasp -- a tiny intake of breath -- it's really magical.
ReplyDeleteThe more I learn of your family, the more I love you and them. Is that normal? Oh well. Either way, it's true.
ReplyDeleteThose boys are growing up! As I was reading and saw the pics of Gibson I noticed how much growing he's doing. Then I kept reading and scrolling and came to the pics of Owen and he's looking so big too.
ReplyDeleteYour writing is so good. I know you get down on yourself because you haven't written a book yet, but your writing on here every day is just amazing. I mean it. Your skills are enviable.
I love your life. I love how you share it with us.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite..."We passed Gibson around like a party favor." There's nothing like holding a baby and I've had the privilege of holding TWO in the last month ~ both less than a month old.
And the rain ~ we've had two weeks of it every day after such a long drought. It's beyond awesome. I've been thinking of rain songs and have six so far, one of them a Stones tune, and of course a Beatles. Please share with me any you (and any commenters!) can think of.
Will the mandola be ready when Lis gets back to town? If not, you may need to take a trip to Gatorbone ~ I'll meet you there???
All the pictures in this post are awesome but that last one is incredible. I think Lily and Jason learned parenting from the best. Your life is filled with love and that is the only thing we need. S Jo
ReplyDeleteHa, I thought it was a tire swing too!
ReplyDeleteLloyd does seem like a great place to be. I miss those big heavy Florida summer storms. Rain everywhere else seems so dainty.
I could have read for pages and pages......
ReplyDeleteDTG- It does look like that, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteSyd- I am loving this rain and the cooler temperatures. We are fortunate this year.
liv- I am so glad you've found a sort of home here. So glad.
Elizabeth- These trees- they sustain me in ways I can't even express. I can't begin to capture their ancient beauty.
gradydoctor- Well, it's much better than if the more you learned about us, the less you liked us!
Jill- Oh, I just haven't written a book LATELY. I've written several. But thank-you so much.
lulumarie- You are such a peach and a prize and a joy to this earth. And to me! I do hope we see each other soon. I have no idea if that mandola was being returned or is being repaired. So...
S. Jo- Ah, Lily had to have been born with a great deal of innate wisdom for mothering. That is all there is to it.
Steve Reed- Our rain is definitely NOT dainty!!!
Deb- God. It seems like I write for pages and pages.