sometimes we just stay home and don't take any pictures...

Today was a wonderful day. I got up early, made coffee, turned on the pool filter, and found my way to my comfy chair, after letting the dogs out, then back in. And giving them water. And wiping down counters and putting away some dishes. Once I put my feet up and took a few sips, ahhh, of that fresh first cup, Margaret texted and asked what I was doing today. Well, nothing, I replied, come on over! She came, with Evelyn Joy and little Mr. Wulf. Mr. Wulf is two years old, and he is going to be a big brother in THREE WEEKS. Yes, his mama and papa, Marge and Adrian, are having a new baby soon. Adrian was busy working today, so Gramma and Grampa got to see little Wulfie. (Paul went to the Dollar General for envelopes and came home with a little battery/sound firetruck for Wulf! (and a little toy for Miss Lydia!)).

We sat on the deck, we sat in the living room, we swam in the pool and lounged on the pool deck. Grampa picked tomatoes in the garden with Wulf, and Charlotte Claire played Bananagrams with Wulf, which consisted of him throwing them all over. He also figured out how to get water from the refrigerator dispenser, to play with a homeschool science measurement set. He helped me water the plants on the deck, and he rode his little tricycle.

Our dinner was leftover steak, sliced thin and warmed in the grill basket with fresh onions and peppers, served as fajitas, with garden tomatoes and green peppers, guacamole, ect. We sat out on the deck and ate, had some cherries for dessert, and enjoyed the beautiful summer weather.

Tomorrow, Paul has to work, Sonja and Jonathan are working (building project at church), Evelyn is bringing Miss Char and Miss Cam on an adventure to some waterfalls...maybe I'll go with them. Or maybe I'll stay home, and have some quiet. I don't know.

Now, I know you guys are smart, and that you know I had some mentions in previous posts about there being some sick kids, and a few testing to make sure we didn't have the dreaded C virus. Well, one of the kids had issues with putting things out there, you know, privacy and all, so I retracted, pushed the delete button, erased some paragraphs. I try to walk the line here, the delicate high wire between my business, and their business. Yes, things effect me, so I write, but then...they don't always appreciate it. So, we are happily virus free, and that's all that matters, right?

We are supposed to go camping next weekend, and the rest of the fam isn't as excited as I am, can you believe that? Paul has been quite busy, today he built new framing for that window that has looked awful in the kitchen all this time, but hasn't put it up yet. He was going to do the closet door too but I'm not sure what I want. Well, I know what I want, but they are way too expensive, so I might have to suck it up, so for now, I'll wait. It hasn't killed me yet, so it'll be all right for a while.

Here's a sad thing: Abigail moved out today. She actually moved out years and years ago, as she is 33 years old, but she moved back in here in March. She lives in a house in town with Emily and Mariel, who are in healthcare. Em is a nurse practitioner, Mar works as a nurse educator/oncology nurse. (Emily went to a busy hospital in Buffalo and worked on a Covid floor for a while, coming home here and there on weekends and when she had a few days off in a row...not HERE home, but her home in town, with Mariel). Anyway, the two nurses decided it wasn't safe for Abigail to live with them, they wanted to keep her safe, so she moved in here. It was AMAZING! She lived here for 5 months, and I spent more time with her than I had in the previous five years! She's such a sweet girl. She is an accountant, and works four days a week (schedule cut because of virus). She is just so much fun.

I know the time of quarantine, lockdown, wasn't pleasant for everyone. But shh, I kind of enjoyed it. Abigail moved back in, Evelyn moved back in (she moved back out a bit ago), Evelyn's college classes stopped in person, she only worked a few days a week, Ab was on a weird schedule at first, kids were home from school, we were all together, trying to make the best of things, and we did. We made some fabulous dinners. We put together puzzles, made cookies, went on walks and adventures around the Finger Lakes. We still went to Target once a week, in April it was like a ghost town in there. We had fun.

It feels horrid to be saying this, when I know there was suffering, here in our country, and around the world. People with family in nursing homes whom they cannot visit, people who suffered and died alone with no family or friends by their sides, even women giving birth without their husbands with them. People who couldn't get basic medical care, postponing surgeries and dental care and not being able to get what then needed from the stores. The businesses that closed and the jobs that were lost, I do not celebrate those things, obviously.

Hopefully things get better. It's a straaaaaange world we live in. I am thankful for my blog friends, for the positive outlooks, for the truthful posts, for the ones filled with hope and faith. I am thankful that God has a plan, and that I know to trust in Him, and that He gives grace to the humble.