Wednesday, November 11, 2020

We Get A Visit From A Three-Year Old


Right before Vergil was to come home from North Carolina, some of his mountain family had a few flu-like symptoms and so his brother-in-law got tested but it was going to take a few days to get results. Of course this worried everyone and made Vergil wonder if he should come home before the test results were received but he and Jessie decided he should come on and they'd isolate until they found out if covid was involved. This meant to us that we couldn't see Levon on his birthday but yesterday the test showed negative and so Jessie brought the boys out this morning. 

"You got me a present?" Levon asked as soon as he was out of the car. "Yes!" I said. "I did!" 
"And did you get me one?" August asked. 
"A little one," I told him. 

They ran for the house and August immediately found them on the dining room table where I'd just wrapped them. We all gathered around and Levon tore into his big present with August helping. I'd gotten the boy a set of trucks that you have to put together with a big screwdriver that came with all the other stuff and there were stickers to put on the various vehicles and the crane. There was a crane. And boulders for the crane to pick up and put into the dump truck. There was a fire engine and a tow truck and a garbage truck and the dump truck. Maybe something else. I can't remember. And little guys to go into the various trucks. 
So many pieces. 


Jessie's reaction to so many pieces. 

But between those three and Boppy, they got those trucks and the crane built and all the stickers applied properly in short order. 


I just watched. I was quite surprised and pleased, too, that Levon shared his new present so willingly with August. They passed the screwdriver back and forth between them. August's present was a set of Little Critter I Can Read books. He's coming right along with learning the sounds that letters make and putting them together into recognizing words. His mama and daddy are helping him with that and it won't be long until he's reading, I think. 

After the trucks had all been put together some other stuff went on and then Jessie took orders from all of us and phoned them in to the Hilltop and went picked up our lunch and it was so fun to eat their delicious, salty, fried foods. And then, because it had been Levon's birthday, I had gotten a treat yesterday at Publix. As we've been reading Babar books, we've seen pictures of eclairs and because we spend a lot of time discussing the pictures in the books they now know what eclairs are but they'd never had any. August had been asking me if I could make some and I said I could probably buy some and yesterday, at Publix, I was so happy to remember that and to find a tidy little box of four neat chocolate eclairs. 
I put each one on a plate and served them out and the boys have now had chocolate eclairs and they like them very much. These particular eclairs had a very generous amount of cream inside of them and I wish I'd gotten a picture of the boys eating them, each with his own technique. Jessie ate half of hers and Boppy put his in the refrigerator for later. I had a bite of Jessie's and I declare that the eclairs were fine indeed. 

After a wash-up, Levon took me by the hand and said, "Can we read books now?" and led me to the library and we read books. 


"Oh boys," I sighed. "I would like to read books to you all day long." 
And I would. 

After they left Mr. Moon and I felt lazy. I think I'm having a reaction from the flu shot I got yesterday. My arm and shoulder have been sore since last night and I've just felt...tired. But yesterday I did something CRAZY which was to buy an entire new set of stainless silverware (oxymoron?) at Costco to replace the things we've been eating with forever which are a mixture of things I'd bought at Publix years ago during a promotion, a few things from Mr. Moon's first marriage, some of my grandmother's old stainless, another grandmother's actual silver, and those random things that pop up out of nowhere. I'd been looking at new sets forever and finally yesterday I just decided to go for it and this afternoon I cleared out the silverware drawer and put a lot of old utensils in one bag to give away and the silver in another bag to store because I need to keep it. That grandmother's name was Mary Miller so her monogram works for me too. I've got the new stuff in the dishwasher and I can't tell you how excited I am to use it. I suppose we could call that our anniversary present. 

While I was clearing things out, I tackled the huge drawer in my kitchen hutch where I have first aid supplies and OTC medicines like Benadryl, Sudafed, and god knows what all. Also many boxes of band-aids and gauze pads, thermometers- one digital and one an old-fashioned glass one because it still works and doesn't need batteries, and countless tubes of antibiotic ointment and Benadryl cream. I threw away the oldest stuff and cleaned the drawer and organized the things I kept. That feels good too. 
A neighbor who had surgery yesterday asked me if I'd come over and help her with her incision dressing and I did that and honestly, it felt good to help someone, to feel like I had a little knowledge to share. "Little" being the key word, but still...

And so it's been a really, really good day. And now it's time to go put the new forks and spoons and knives into their clean organizer and make our supper. I've picked enough greens for an entire salad and I'm so looking forward to that. 
We've watched two episodes of "The Queen's Gambit" and I'm hooked. GOOD series, for sure and we'll watch another episode tonight. 

I have no idea what evil Trump has gotten into today and right this second, I don't care. I don't think that Hurricane Eta is going to affect us much except for some rain and we need that. 

For the moment I can say- all is well. I hope it is for you too. 

Love...Ms. Moon

27 comments:

  1. New silver! Good for you. I recently bought a knife holder, and got all my sharp knives out of the silverware drawer; I share your sentiment exactly.
    Those youngsters are a treasure, thanks to their parents, and their parents and so on and so back. I look at August's fingers and see artist. Some sort; artist.

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    1. I love my knife holder. It's a Kapoosh that one of the kids gave us. Owen autographed it a long time ago when he learned to write his name.
      Joanne- I have been fascinated by August's hands since he was born. They are exquisitely beautiful. I agree- artist's hands.

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  2. Down here in Palmetto we’ve had five inches of rain and bad winds all day long. It’s not the kind of rain that’s easy to sleep to (believe me, I tried!). The rain and wind are so loud!! I had so much silverware before we sold our house up north that I sold it at our garage sale...and made $35 on mismatched stuff!

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    1. We've hardly gotten a drop from that storm. And I guess it's crossed the state now. I'm sorry it was such a torment for you. That was an excellent return on mismatched cutlery!

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  3. I just loved "The Queen's Gambit" and am so sorry that it's over.

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    1. We are doing one episode a night. I don't want it to end either.

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  4. those boys are absolutely gorgeous. Glad no virus in family...... a good eclair is like heaven and good to expose them to that early on in life LOL! Silverware.......... when we moved Mom and Dad up here to assisted living 5 years ago and sold their home......(they are both gone now) and emptied said home.......I gleaned all Moms silverware. It's silver- it was their wedding silverware from 1950. Mom kept it in a velvet lined box and she only brought it out once or twice a year at Christmas and Thanksgiving. Since I gleaned it........I threw out ALL my mismatched (but loved) other silverware......and Moms silverware is our everyday silverware now. So sad that she never used it.....but I love it and think often how much she missed out on NOT using it on a regular basis.
    Susan M

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    1. I hope that if August ever goes to France he doesn't eat his eclairs by scooping out all the cream with a finger the way he did yesterday. I suppose he'll learn the proper way to eat them eventually.
      I'm glad you use your mother's silver daily. That's the way to do it. I don't really like the way silver tastes in my mouth. Is that odd? I prefer the stainless but I do use some of my serving spoons, etc. that are silver.

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  5. I am impressed that a three year old could put together a truck, with little assistance. Exceptional children
    I watched the Queen's gambit nearly in one go, I get obsessive that way, It was great I love the actress, her eyes damned near swallowed my face. Then i watched the most dysfunctional group of folks in Doctor Foster- don't bother with that one. Glad you had a birthday party with eclairs. I could probably eat ten at once and then be really sick.

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    1. Well, it was made for children but still, they boys had to figure out where everything went. They were really good at it. You are so right about those eyes- my GOD! I asked Glen last night- "Does she ever blink?" They could swallow the world.
      I'll take your advice about Dr. Foster.
      I knew I did not need any eclairs and honestly, watching the boys eat them made me just as happy as eating one myself would have made me.

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  6. {'m so glad you all had a nice time together and no one is ill. I use my mother's silverware and my grandmother's plates. I hope you enjoy yours. Eta has caused some flooding and power outage and the winds are louder than normal. Coastal areas report much worse and still raining.

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    1. I hope that Eta has truly passed you by now.
      I think my daughter May uses my mother's "wedding china." I never really liked it and she never really used it. But I think May likes it.

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  7. Great present for Levon!
    I read the book of The Queen's Gambit decades ago, it was excellent. It sounds like they've done a really good job.

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    1. I want to read the book now. Hey, Jo! I dreamed I visited you in Ireland! It was pretty cool.

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  8. I'm laughing at Jessie's face in that picture. Do the trucks make loud noises too? LOL

    We like "The Queen's Gambit" too, although I fell asleep during the last episode so we have to watch at least part of it again.

    Who doesn't love an eclair?! This makes me want to buy some!

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    1. The trucks don't make any noise which is one positive aspect of them. And now that they're put together, there aren't really too many pieces.
      Yes! You better watch the last episode again!
      Get you some eclairs. Life is short.

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  9. Glad that Levon enjoyed his present. I had to look up what you refer to as " silverware".....here we say " cutlery" for the implements we use to eat with .....knives, forks and spoons!

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  10. Wonderful present time. You are so good at presents! And how imaginative to provide the storied eclairs.

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    1. Well, it's easy to get Levon presents- anything heavy equipment related is what he wants. I'm proud of those eclairs, though.

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  11. Sounds like a lovely, love filled day. And yes, Jessie looks terribly impressed with all the bits and pieces.

    Hope you get some rain, just rain. You can have some of our snow. I got stuck in the snow yesterday at the dog park and some very kind people had to pull me out of the ditch as the sun was setting. There is still kindness in the world and it made me cry.

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    1. We hardly got any rain at all. Dry, dry, dry. And thank you, but you can keep all your snow. How sweet that someone stopped to pull you out. There really is still a lot of kindness in this world.

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  12. Jessie's face reminds me of my own children's look when I have given noisy or multiple part toys to my grandchildren. You know, the pop-pop machine that toddlers like to (obsessively) push around; a set of musical instruments guaranteed not to produce music; or enough legos to build their own kingdom. Heh-heh.

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  13. Those boys already know how to concentrate, that's going to serve them so well. Look at their earnest little faces. They're such beautiful children, as are all your grands. And ooooh I knew you would love The Queen's Gambit! I'm like an evangelist for that show, best I've seen in a long long time.

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    1. They like a good project as much as their daddy and granddaddy do. They're learning how to get things done!
      I probably wouldn't have started watching The Queen's Gambit if you hadn't recommended it to me. So thank you!

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  14. Adorable images of the Boys, I'm sure when they're all Grown Up they'll Cherish that you took so many great photos of the Good Times for them to recall. My Grandson, whose Grown now, just asked me to dig thru my vast photo archives to send him those he's in to make a huge Art Collage of them. It was so Nostalgic to wade thru what I've sent him so far.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.