I give out no indication of being compulsive. And the only history of obsessiveness I can recall is with crushes of the past. I'd obsess over what wasn't working for me, but then, doesn't every person who is in love and feels an absence of reciprocity? People who dabble and let things slide aren't exactly the obsessive types.
But how else do you explain my unnecessary rush this morning?
It's a really beautiful day here, in the upper Midwest. Blue skies, good air quality, warm but not hot. I did not need to be up super early, as the campers are at their Aunt Goat's house for an overnight. And yet I did get up early. Sure, I had to pack my bag and pack up Primrose's stuff. Yes, I had to feed the animals. And, too, I wanted a breakfast with Ed. But all that would take a scant amount of time. Snipping 250 lilies? (I let go of the rest.) Why do it? I'm going away and Ed doesn't care. And yet I cleared the spent lilies that are by the porch, and by the walkway to the door. And it took a while. Obsessive!
My morning craziness:
(it's so early that the nymphs and shepherds are just barely opening up)
(I missed one in this group.... can you spot it? Bottom left.)
(the phloxes have a way of showing off!)
With at least a quiet breakfast...
And then I'm off to pick up Primrose. Bye Aunt Goat!
The plan is to split the girl's last day of camp between Madison and Chicago. And we do in fact, do that. After her last morning with her cousins (at their house), I take her to Eugster's Farm. She'd been there in the past, to pet animals and admire the sunflowers, but this time we are on a practical mission: to buy freshly picked corn.
Yeah! Delicious Wisconsin corn for tonight's supper.
The drive down to Chicago is reasonably fast. We are there by about 1:30.
(camper, returning home)
My younger daughter has been waiting to take her lunch break with us. At Floriole Bakery.
While her mom finishes up work in the afternoon, Primrose and I take a walk: to my hotel for tonight (I'm back at the Robey). To a bookstore. For a small ice cream. And to pick up some N/A beer for tonight.
(checking out my wee room...)
(at home, she settles in with a new book)
And now here's a special evening treat: my daughter packs some foods (smoked salmon, cheeses, and a delicious salad she whipped up with the corn), we pick up Juniper and the dad and head downtown for a picnic and concert at the Pritzker Pavillion in Millenium Park. It's the Tchaikovsky Violin concerto and it is beautiful.
The whole evening is beautiful! The spacious lawn for picnicers allows for kids to get up if they have to. There's room for everyone. And our food is delicious. And the music swells and fills me with the kind of emotion that comes with familiar pieces beautifully interpreted.
(A moment of realization: she's home with my parents again! The cousins miss her, she misses the cousins, but it sure is nice to have these guys nearby!)
We finish with ice cream at Amorino's. Memories of our last trip together in April!
(Chicago: a city with a little of everything)
I finish the evening in the quiet of my hotel room.
(the Robey)
I'm too tired to think, review, explore again the details of last week. I'll do that in the next few days, I'm sure of it. In the meantime, camp comes to an end. Those intense lively funny joyful memories? Forever with us, of that I am sure.
with so much love...
