Tuesday

A foggy morning. Windows steamed over, the air outside -- densely humid.

 

Primrose wakes early -- too early. But, she dutifully stays in bed with a stack of books so that I can attend to morning chores before her official get out of bed time at 7.

Cats fed, chickens released for the day. Okay little one, come on down! It's breakfast time.

(She watches the cats on the porch wearily; Primrose has a deep affection for cats, but likes them at a distance. She shares that trait with them, since they, too, like humans that come to the farmhouse... at a distance!)

And once again, the cousins come trooping in soon after.

For some reason they are all into stickers again -- the reusable kind. A real throwback to the olden days!

Art project for this morning? The making of haunted houses. I know, I know, it's not even Autumn yet. What can I say -- this is what I found in craft-land. And in fact, they have a great time making up their own houses, even if one wanted an extra ghost, another wanted an extra star. Once again, the swapping center was open for business.

Our excursion for this morning is to the Olbrich Gardens. I hesitated on that one. Not everyone is enthused about the place, and especially on a day where the temps are hovering in the mid nineties F (upwards of 35C).

I needn't have worried. It's enough if one, or two of three is enthused. Joyfulness is very contagious.

 

 

(inside)

(outside)

 

One reason I love taking kids this age here is that you can give them the freedom to roam. Indeed, they lead, I follow a bit behind.

And as an extra bonus, the skies cloud over (which make the temperatures far easier to take), and I got my fill of flower gazing.

(This may be the only camp photo of the four of us...)

Of course, we finish off with a visit to the gift shop. Someday, I have to get firm with the "no's." Today is not such a day. Small souvenirs (for example -- a butterfly magnet, and a butterfly hair clip, subsequently and tragically lost) were acquired.

From there it's just a hop skip to Madison Sourdough, where a croissant lunch (with some variations and additions) is devoured by all.

Not done yet! We head from there to my older girl's house. She's not there, but I know a sitter is coming soon to mind Sandpiper...

 (some wild time before she shows up)

... and she will also keep an eye on my trio for an hour or so at the pool, while I rush home to take care of much neglected farm chores. (Animals come to mind.)

(at the pool)

In the course of the day, the three kids have begged for a sleepover tonight at the farmhouse. I hesitated on this, really I did. I mean -- no way is this a good idea! Three kids in that little room with the sloping roof? Keeping each other up? Waking each other too early in the morning? Placing additional demands on poor gaga? Who ever thinks this is a wise direction to take for the last night of farmette Gaga Camp? (Late tomorrow, the camp will shrink and move to a different location.)

Still, I want to give them this challenge. And so I pack up their teddies and night shirts and toothbrushes while they swim and try to create some credible sleeping spaces for them in the little farmhouse room upstairs.

And this is when I get a text from the babysitter that one of the kids has been hurt. Getting out of the pool, slipping, falling, banging the chin. Lots of blood. Lots of tears.

I pick up a very discombobulated handful of kids. 

The sleepover should probably be canceled. But is this the way to take a camp accident? I think not. I pack the trio into the car and we study clouds and give them names on the drive back to the farmhouse. By the time we get off the highway, all three are laughing once again. So I go with the moment and swing them by an ice cream store and let each pick out a carton of their choice.

 

And after all are showered and revived, I put on the movie the two girls wanted to rewatch and the boy wanted to see for the first time -- Descendants 4 -- and I cook up a potful of spaghetti...

 

... and I smile at how fast kids bounce back from the hits and misses that befall them in the course of a day.

And yes, we do have lots of ice cream for dessert.

Did they sleep well/at all/maybe a little? I can't tell you that yet. I'll know tomorrow.

With so much love...