Saturday, July 4: NH

We've been coming to NH for the Fourth of July for over twenty years. The girls have never not been here for the Fourth. It is always the same, and the sameness is what we love. 

Andrew made pancakes in the morning, and then we headed into Plainfield for the Fourth of July festivities, starting with the rummage sales. For many years there was just one, inside one of the buildings; last year another, outdoor one was added across the street. We made some quirky and maybe questionable purchases, including a house address sign (Greta), a purse (Lucia), a large quantity of buttons (me), an old Dartmouth bleacher seat (me), two small glass Anchor Hocking bowls (me), a box of watch faces (the girls), and an antique dresser (Andrew). Refinishing the dresser will be a NH project for Andrew. We will likely never be able to bring it home.

Then we watched the parade, and were given bottles of chocolate milk by the local dairy. We had lunch at the firemen's bbq. We listened as former Supreme Court Justice Breyer read the Declaration of Independence in front of the Town Hall. Plainfield, NH, was founded even before the U.S. became a country.

After this small-town fun, we headed home for the rest of the day. We read for a bit in our hammocks until it started raining. We took a walk on the road and saw one red eft. Then Lucia did some driving practice with Andrew--driving around the barn, up the road, and between a variety of ladders for parking practice. Meanwhile, Greta and I were upstairs, working on introducing Greta to contact lenses. I'd brought some of my old ones so she could learn how to do it. And she got one in! And took it out! A few more days of practicing and she'll be ready for me to take her to the eye doctor for an actual appointment for contact lenses. (She has to demonstrate the ability to put contacts in and take them out before they'll actually let her have her prescription, and she'll be prepared.)

Andrew and the girls went for a four-mile run in honor of the Fourth. We did more reading. We played two rounds of Rummikub (Lucia won both). Dinner was hot dogs, corn on the cob, watermelon, and tomatoes with mozzarella, eaten inside since it was too buggy outside after the rain. We did some sparklers and s'mores around the fire pit. We finished the day with a game of Scrabble (Andrew won).

It was exactly the Fourth it has always been. Perfect.

We fought hard against reality to get here this year, determined to get at least one week. (You may remember me comparing myself to a fisher cat, teeth bared, claws out, protecting our time here as viciously as any hungry creature.) And we did get our week. The fact that we get one more week here--even if Andrew and I both have to work--is an amazing and frankly astounding bonus.