Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Tuesday

 Late Monday night, we pop the usual bowl of popcorn. Not for us the silly prebagged stuff: we like the baby white kernels (Amish, bought in 10 lb bags) popped up without the annoying hull bits that get in your teeth. Fluffy and delightful!

It's better than ever! -- we proclaim, almost in one voice.
That dumb little  $50 microwave appears to do a nicer job than our bigger built in machine.
But we have to fix the big one -- it would be weird without it there. Like a gaping hole. Besides, it has a vent and a light for late night cooking! And the little machine takes up precious counter space.
We should put the little one into the broken big one!

Laughter at midnight is a good thing.

Early in the morning, I get a call that my mom needs help as she is once again under medical care. I leave a sleeping Ed and take her to her home, stopping at various places to do some trivial errands. Things are okay, just in need of a little attention. As I drive back to the farmette and listen to the lovely music on the radio, I think Ed type thoughts -- one button and the heat in the car comes on. Another -- you have music. Amazing!

I call Ed as I pull into the driveway. It's nearly 11, but the guy is still asleep. I tend to the animals, filling Stop Sign's dish with lots of cat food. Ed has constructed a little cave of a place for her for the winter. We're hoping she'll take to it, though we don't really know where she hangs out at night. And here's a worry: she is petite as always, but she is getting a very fat belly. Are we going to get kittens along with the first snow? We had toyed with trapping her to get her neutered, but she is a distrustful cat and not at all acclimated to life among humans. We decided not to spook her just yet and now here she is, walking around with a fat belly.

It's noon. Ed's up. We have breakfast. It's a cool but sunny day. We'll take it!


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Our afternoon is a little different: in watching the weather patterns, I thought today might be a good day to take a hike with Snowdrop. She and I have gone to the Arboretum in previous Falls, but we have never gone beyond the vast meadows here, leading her to one day complain that we've never hiked in a forest.

Today, I corral Ed to the effort: we pick up the excited little girl at school and head for the woods.


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The "meadow" that we cross has a grand collection of maples...


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This is all fine and well, but the girl is most interested in reaching the forest.


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And we do and it's quite lovely! So much to study!


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So much to admire!


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When she is ready to turn back, I suggest a pause for a snack. She is thrilled that I have packed a blanket and a few cookies, nuts and pieces of fruit.


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(A playful pause...)


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Our Arboretum is a beautiful and vast space. We limit our explorations today so that Snowdrop isn't too overwhelmed by it.


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She needs her book time and her play time as much as she needs to set foot in that forest. Today, we have time for both.