farm guests

A longtime reader of Ocean, one whom I never met but consider, through our Internet communications, to be a dear friend, asked for a photo today of a feast. Dear Lili! How I would love to please you! But I couldn’t do it! Let me explain, in three points:

1.     Comings and Goings

Now starts a week of departures and arrivals and then more departures and arrivals. My daughter and her guy left Madison today and between our various travels, I wont see them again ‘til mid July. With a desire to be helpful I threw out an offer to take them to the airport.

Thanks, mom! That’ll be wonderful!

Okay then! What time?

Well, the flight leaves at 7:20 am.

Enough said. This, after a night of listening to an old computer (these days used by Ed in random places) cry all night. Have you got a crier? We do. It whines and moans and even closing the lid wont quiet it down. Ed sleeps through it, I do not.

climbing sleepily into the car, I caught the sunrise

On the subject of comings and goings – in a couple of days my younger girl will come for a quick visit, and then, immediately after, my nephew comes down to house-sit for us. Most people would think that it's appropriate to have someone local do their cat and garden care in their absence. Not me – I want my nephew. The one who lives in Stockholm, Sweden. More on that later.

And of course, farmhouse sitting means that Ed and I are leaving. But not until next week. More on that later too.

2.     Exams and work in general.

The (set by me) goal was to be done with all school work by noon today. Sluggishness slowed me down. I was half an hour late -- done by 12:30! A few administrative do-dads and by 2:30 I am free!!

Sort of.

The house is disorganized (according to me). There is no food worth cooking. Ed has his evening bike ride tonight and so cooking for me, just me, seems – eh, not such a worthy goal. Even if there was food. Which, again, there's not.

In my first free hours, I turn to the essentials: pulling out a few weeds and finishing the interrupted Google calendar.

So no, dear Lili, it was not a good time to cook.

3.     There is always an upside

Here’s mine. Or ours. Or just out there, an upside:

I’m loading exam grades onto the Law School website. For many reasons, this task requires utmost concentration. And I hear the motion sensor doorbell ring. Almost always this is because Isis wants to come in. Sometimes it's because the chipmunks are frolicking nearby.

Ed, I cannot be interrupted. I say this and continue loading. The sensor bell rings again. And again.

Ed, I cannot deal with Isis right now. You deal with Isis (there’s that “he’s your cat” tone in my voice).

Ed gets up and goes to the door. Nina, come look at your “chipmunk!”

We have a visitor. Probably a repeat visitor. That would explain the utter devastation of one lettuce bed. Forget the chipmunks – we have all of nature living in our backyard!

Well what are you gonna do... Dis-invite them? Nah...  Continue forward, as best as you can.

I live in the countryside and the countryside lives with me here. And that is, for the most part, a very good thing.

I hope, dear Lili, your eyes are fine after surgery. I do. In case they’re a little fuzzy still, here’s an easy close up of our beautiful guest.

Much better than the photo I could have offered of our reheated Chinese takeout, I promise.

(She was gone in a blur of movement. Not your vision, my friend, no -- just her rapid saunter.)