Mom & Me Four Archive

    Grandma's still recovering from your visit, as I'm sure you know...I'm still ruminating about it, but I knew you'd be checking in soon, so even though I'm still silently savoring aspects of your and your mom's recent visit I decided to write you a personal note about how much I, and we (yes, Grandma enjoyed the visit, very much, I'm sure you could tell, even though she has already forgotten most of it) enjoyed having you and MPS here for a couple of days. Here, in the journal, this bread-and-butter note to you will also serve to update others while I organize my thoughts about other, less personal-to-you aspects of the visit.
    I can't believe we got the hardest rain we've had all season while you were here! Thanks for bringing that with you!
    Grandma is having a recuperation period today. She awoke earlier than usual but with a headache. She seemed fine after hydration and breakfast, then began complaining of the headache again. I gave her another adult buffered aspirin and she prescribed "bed rest". I know you're grinning at that! Anyway, our weather is pretty iffy, today. Sun and steady pressure was predicted but there's a storm coming in from the southwest, which is nice for me. Not so nice for Mom's "poor old bones". And, guess what. Mr. Man is sleeping with her! The pictures came through, so I've included a few of the good ones that I knew you'd like. This seems like a good place to insert the photo of Mr. Man. If you click on the thumbnail you can go to a larger version.
    One of my favorite visit times was playing Apples to Apples with Grandma. You know, I don't think she consciously knew what was going on, but her subconscious was kicking in frightfully well and she was playing from her depths like a demon. Amazing that she won one the first game. I think the only reason she faltered in the second is that she tried to think about what was going on and that confused her. That's probably why she doesn't like the game, despite the fact that she does well and it works with her dementia. Oh. I forgot to ask...who won the Sorry game you guys played while I fixed the salmon dinner? I heard you guys pampering her. I don't give her no quarter with that game, MPNC. I'm telling you, the woman knows what she's doing when she plays that one.
    So, to be fair (The Little Girl would insist on it), here's the best picture of The Little Girl. She was so funny this weekend. She was pissed, but she was not about to be supplanted! And, the business about not releasing Mom's rocker! I guess you know, I went to Costco in your wake as you left town yesterday. I noticed a baby rocker made out of small wood logs and bought it for The Little Girl. She's used it, some, and has marked it thoroughly. I'm sure it will be used again. Once when Mr. Man was in it she spit him out, then walked away from it. But, right now, as I type this, I'm looking at The Little Girl snoozing in Mom's rocker. With luck, she'll be done with her nap before The Mom awakens.
    Your mom was going on and on about how she didn't want to leave. I don't blame her. I don't really get out on our property all that much as it is. When we have visitors they usually insist that as much "our" time as possible is spent out on the property. I don't blame your mom for wanting to live on our property. I want to live on our property, and I do! Anyway, I'm "enclosing" a few of the better property pictures, which I'll scatter throughout this letter, as I reminisce for you about the visit. The first is the area right behind my bedroom bordered by that narrow, sunken path (where all those spiders nest). Enchanting, huh! You know, although your Mom went on and on about how much she loved the property, and I know you like being up here and visiting with us, I never asked you your opinion of the property. I can't remember if you were there when I was telling your mom the clean-up I've intended this year and the brick "road" I'm going to sink to the mail box and the place where we put the trash bins. I would appreciate any suggestions your peculiar perspective would reveal.
    Don't know why I'm thinking of this right now, but I should go out and check the ant hill...see how it survived the storm and the car tires. Hold on...it's is about a third larger than before...still tilting the same direction, still full of busy, busy workers.
    Oh, here, this one, MPNC, is the area to your right as you walk straight out the back Arcadia door, that little "inlet" where the irises usually bloom every year. This year, for the first time, the javelina chomped them down to the ground just before they bloomed. I guess those buds are tasty. On the middle left you can see the Quail Den.
    I want to mention to you something about yesterday, a weird little thing, MPNC, but it's been plaguing me since it happened. Remember, yesterday morning, when you asked for an egg?
    And I said, "Sure, there's a boiled egg in the refrigerator door, to the left."
    And then mention was never again made of an egg and you. It got lost in the clatter of your leaving preparations.
    Well, I noticed that it was still there last night. You know, when I saw it I realized, this is probably what happened:

    You probably wanted an egg fried in the bacon grease, right?
    And I was thinking, MPNC=vegetarian=no bacon grease.
    And, when I mentioned the boiled egg, then turned away to something else, you probably thought...yuck. I want a grease-fried egg. Never mind. We're getting ready to go, anyway.
    And, as I turned away I was thinking, lucky thing we had an extra boiled egg so MPNC can have the egg she wants this morning without any fuss.

    And then, I saw, you didn't eat the egg.
    MPNC, I think what really happened is that you got lost in the leaving shuffle. I'm sorry. Next time something similar happens I'll ask you, "Not fried in bacon grease, right?...Yes?...Okay. You got it."
    So, this one, MPNC, is the path leading up to the middle platform where the third compost bin (which you can see behind the brush on the right of the picture) sits. The picture is intriguing, I think, but doesn't do the area justice. You can't see, in this picture, the steep angle of the path up to the platform. But, it's a cool picture and certainly looks like our property.
    I'm sorry we didn't get around to showing you the Brain Age game. It's an interesting little diversion. It's funny, MPNC, how her memory runs, now. Although she hasn't played it for two days I couldn't lay a bet as to whether she'd remember it. It won't matter, though. She likes it and when it's "new" she likes it just as much as when it's "old".
    Although it rained while you were here it's too bad we haven't yet gotten enough for the wash to run. Here's a picture of the wash taken from on top of the culvert, showing both avenues: The dark hole beneath the tree trunks middle left and the gully middle right. At the front you can see the tip of the culvert lining that steers the wash underground.
    Mom has lost all that fluid she retained the second day of your visit. I was surprised how much she slept while you were here but, you know, I'm a little slow on the uptake. Seems to me, if I'm to be objective, I have to admit that she's been doing this through visits, now, for at least three years, maybe more. Why else would MPNP come up with the label "offline" for her years ago?!?
    I'm drinking chocolate velvet/caramel truffle coffee (freshly ground, of course) with pumpkin pie spice and rum extract added, and thinking about all the coffee we drank while you were here. Should have buzzed you up good for the movie!
    This morning while bathing Mom said, "When was the last time we saw MPS's house?"
    "Oh, wow," I said, "I don't know...maybe a couple of years?"
    "Seems like we could use a visit, see if they've done anything." She still, by the way, talks about the carpet-over-carpet effect of a couple of years ago as though it's new.
    So, I don't know, it sounds like maybe we might be up to planning a day visit. I was thinking next fall during your break; or, that might be a good time for you guys to come up here and cool off. Who knows...one thing I do know is that I sure enjoyed spending time with you, MPNC! You never fail to continue to steal my heart! Oh, and, loved the outfit! --The Aunt Gail