Skipping Town

Thursday was a day of guests. Andrew's cousin Betsy arrived for lunch so she could visit with Robert. In the evening, other cousins (from up the road) came for dinner. We were able to sit outside for both meals, which we haven't been able to do because of bugs, which was very nice. The girls and I also spent time reading in our hammocks and getting a rope tied from the floating dock to a tree. I finally floated around the pond in a raft. More pond improvements to come.

Lucia woke up at an ungodly hour because she had a bloody nose and had bled all over her pillow, bed, and blankets. It looked like a crime scene from one of the grisly books she's been reading. Good thing we have water again because we had a big load of laundry to start the day. We finally turned our attention to the pond today. We blew up the floats, and Andrew untangled the floating dock from the ropes that had coiled around the buoys. Tomorrow we'll put up the rope across the pond. The kids floated on their rafts for a while today, having races. They did not actually get off their rafts to swim, so it will be a different kind of pond-time this year, it seems. Lucia did a lot of 3D drawing today. Greta read a lot. We all did Duolingo, and the girls did their math. We ran a mile--the girls actually did a mile and a half--and then swam in our cousin's pool. The kids claim to be embarassed by my neon-orange running outfit--especially because I take on a hyper-enthusiastic, w...

We spent today doing more 3D drawing, playing Rummikub, and reading. We tried to go read in our hammocks but a SNAKE was blocking our path. The worst of all WILDLIFE. So we read in chairs in the yard. The girls and I took a walk around the pond trying to spot snapping turtles (we didn't see any). We haven't yet been in the pond--we still haven't inflated our boat-rafts--and I think once we do we'll get out there. But I'm 95% sure the kids won't be actually swimming in the pond this year because of the clear evidence of the snappers. I told Andrew last year that I suspected it was the last year the kids would want to swim in the pond--and I was right. I mean, I can't blame them. I've never swum in the pond. It's very pleasant to just float around on a boat-raft, safe from what lies beneath. Later this afternoon, we ran a few errands in West Lebanon and had dinner at the Weathervane. One of my errands was going to an exotic pet store to get hay for Nut...

It rained a lot overnight, and in the morning, Greta asked if we could take a walk along the road to look for red efts. We saw many--maybe eight or ten--some especially tiny. It's always so satisfying to spot them, little flashes of bright orange among the wet greenery. These are welcome and acceptable forms of WILDLIFE. It rained for much of the day. After breakfast, the girls and I attempted to do some 3D drawings on graph paper by following along with Howard Lee YouTube videos (these occasionally cross my Facebook timeline and I thought it'd be fun to try). We had modest success.  We played Chinese Checkers, Pickup Sticks, and Rummikub. We made cookies from a brick (not as good as cookies from a tube) and read Little Women together outside. We read our own books. We ran a mile. The girls did math and Duolingo. After dinner, Andrew made a fire and the girls played with burning sticks. Also today, Andrew and I gave Farrah a bath outside with the hose, because she was unbearabl...

No hay agua! Me gusta cuando hay agua en la casa. Necesitamos agua.  Although I was able to continue my daily Duolingo Spanish lessons today, the other portions of the day veered off track from the get-go, when, in the morning, we discovered we had no water. The enormous cement cistern in the basement was completely empty. There could be no brushing of teeth, no flushing of toilets, no doing of dishes, no washing of hands. Splendid. Andrew called the plumber but it was hours before he called back. It was clear that he'd either be able to fix the problem, or we'd have to leave. We've had trip-ending issues twice before, when the kids were babies. Once, during a fall trip, we had no heat because the oil tank was empty. It was freezing outside. We tried staying in the kitchen with an ancient space heater, but ultimately surrendered and went home. Another time, we had no water--I believe it was because of a draught. A spring-fed cistern cannot fill if the feeding spring is dry....

The girls both slept late this morning. After breakfast, we went into West Lebanon to run errands--random things at Walmart, some beading things at Michaels, and books at Books-A-Million. Both girls had earned two books by reading two thousand pages plus finishing five books from their school's recommended reading lists. Greta chose just one today, the first in a Rick Riordan series, to decide whether she liked the series enough to get the second book; if not, she'll pick out something different for her second book (such a deliberate child). Lucia chose three thrillers from the YA buy-two-get-one-free table. I tried to get her to choose something less gruesome and more...lighthearted, but she wanted the scary ones. I had to give in, remembering all the RL Stine and Christopher Pike I read at her age. We'll see how she likes them. It was very hot today, so after lunch, we went for a swim at our cousin's pool. Later, the kids worked on their collaborative story, which ult...

The girls and I had most of the day to ourselves again today (Andrew flew to FL yesterday morning to get his dad and fly with him here today). We made bracelets with our remaining supplies; baked cookies from a tube and had Books & Cookies time outside, where we read Little Women at a table under a tree; took walks down the road; and--what else? Just spent the day. The hours just go by. For a while the girls were in their room typing up lists of supernatural powers they were making up. They did some Duolingo. They typed up a collaborative story. We all read. It's these long, idly filled days that I think will be what they remember about their time up here. No schedules, no scripted activities or camps, just...free time. A lot of it. Also? I couldn't say this in yesterday's post because I didn't want to advertise my solitude but it is so so beautiful and fun here and also so completely scary and unsettling once the sun goes down. Especially when I'm here by mysel...

We started our jewelry-making today and had great success making bracelets for several hours. It was a lot of fun and even more satisfying than I'd hoped. The end product is so nice and professional looking--we were all pleased. Of course, with some experience behind me, I see the supplies I'm missing. Another trip to Michael's is in order this weekend.  We read a lot today, played Pickup Sticks and Chinese Checkers, took Farrah for a walk. The girls did (most of) their daily summer work.  Nutmeg continues to be happy as can be. She's hayed the place up fully, is flopping around, and poops copiously all over the room, proving her happiness and health. An adaptable bunny. She's been so adaptable, in fact, that it makes me think she might actually be able to bond with another bun. We shall see. She's been grooming her hop-n-flop, which is heartbreaking. Clearly she needs a bondmate.  Farrah loves NH as well, chasing her toys all over the yard, taking long walks al...

Cold and rainy today. No sun all day. The girls did all of their daily summer work--Duolingo, Typing Club, Khan Academy / Matific--and we went for a mile run. Even Farrah does these runs with us, running free on the road, wearing herself out. We spent a lot of time reading our books, part of the time with Nutmeg flopping around us in her room or, sometimes, hopping onto our books. We played Pickup Sticks and Chinese Checkers, and did a 500-piece puzzle. Lucia played chess and checkers with Andrew between his work calls. After dinner (sausage/potatoes/carrots), we went out for ice cream, the first Maple Creamees of the season. It was nice to stay inside all day and avoid potential wildlife encounters. We did pass four deer on the road when we drove home tonight, but deer are acceptable.  What We're Reading Lucia - finished Stand Up, Yumi Chung! Greta - finished The Lion on Mars Margo - Pachinko Andrew - Civil War / hay Read aloud - Little Women

We always have a lot of wildlife encounters here of one kind or another. It feels a little wilder every year. Today, when we went out to our hammocks, we saw a big pile of scat--bear scat. Right by where we read our books. And Andrew told us that last night, as he sat out watching over the dying fire, he heard what he thinks was a bear down at the pond. This is terrifying to me. Short of staying inside for the next month, I'm not sure what to do. This afternoon, as I walked up the front hill with Farrah, I spotted something strange moving in the grass. I thought at first it was a gray bird. But it was moving too low to the ground. I then thought it might be a skunk, so I grabbed Farrah's leash (we let her run free in NH, but I keep a thin, light leash attached to her harness so I can grab her quickly if needed--like if I see some weird animal in the grass). Good thing I grabbed her, because when I got a better look at the moving creature, I realized it was a snapping turtle. I ...

Thursday, June 16 Spent much of the day cleaning and preparing to leave for NH. It was another super hot day, not the day to be vacuuming the entire house, but so it goes. We went to the pool in the early afternoon and then the girls had piano lessons. We had yet another random dinner of stuff we foraged from the fridge: I haven't grocery shopped or cooked all week. Friday, June 17 Andrew came home from CA this morning and joined me in final leaving-the-house preparations. The girls both had a tennis lesson, then we took a final swim (well, final for the next month). Again, a random dinner. Andrew and I had the very fun task of putting the roof-rack bars I bought at a yard sale onto the Volvo--not as easy to install as they seemed, but we did it. Our roof bag, which on previous trips caused lots of stress by constantly appearing to be about to fly off the car, now nestles right in the middle of the roof bars and seems much more secure. We're ready for the ten-hour drive to NH. ...

Wednesday, June 8 Last day of school. Lucia had just an hour of school in the morning, for the Middle School Moving Up ceremony. Then we brought her home. Next was Greta's Lower School ceremony. It's crazy that next year will be Greta's last year in the Lower School. After lunch, Lucia went to Kennywood with some friends, and Greta, Andrew, and I went out to lunch. Later in the afternoon, we all went to the pool and had dinner.  Thursday, June 9 I volunteered at school in the morning, setting up for the faculty and staff luncheon. Then I helped the kids get set up with Duolingo and Typing Club, two things they're endeavoring to do daily this summer. We got out the Badge-A-Minit--Dad recently unearthed it at their house, and I'd restocked the necesssary supplies--and made some buttons. Friday, June 10 Lucia had her first tennis lesson, and then we went to the pool for a little while. Greta went to a sleepover at a friend's house. Lucia and I watched Hunger Games ...

It begins tomorrow. And by "it" I mean "summer," the most glorious season of the year. Long, free days. Poolside reading. Family vacations. Warm weather. Sundresses. Mornings of crafts. Shopping excursions. Walks in the park. Bike rides.  Of course, with two tweens, there will also be many hours of bickering and stubbornness and refusal to engage in magical summer fun. That's okay. Already, this weekend, there were hints that things will be okay: an entirely free Saturday found the girls in the basement, pulling out the water beads and filling a large bin with water. They also resurrected some plastic gemstones, and were trading gems for stickers. Just idle, unstructured fun with things they hadn't thought about for a while. I'm sure there will be lots more of that alongside the other moments, the ones that reliably have me yelling at least once per summer that I'm sending them away to camp. As usual, I'll be posting here daily throughout the sum...

So May seemed to last much longer than just 31 days, and it seems crazy that we were in Barcelona just a month ago, from April 28-May 3. We'd planned the trip in a kind of covid-break fever, along with our trip to Mexico--with numbers low (back at the beginning of the year) and all of us vaxxed, it seemed like this was our chance to finally do some traveling. Andrew's fifteen-year MBA reunion was planned for May, and our discussion about how he should definitely go quickly expanded into--Hey, let's ALL go! So we pulled the kids out of school for a few days and went. Our first time back since we left in 2007. It was very very strange and exceptionally wonderful to be back. Lots has changed. It seemed much more crowded and touristy than we remembered, and there were new procedures for timed tickets to Gaudi sites and things like that. But we reconnected quickly. We rented an apartment in the Barri Gotic, a narrow four-story apartment with one room on each floor, and after dro...