family weekend, continued

Oh the storms! They raced through south central Wisconsin in the middle of the night, flooding homes, streets, construction sites, toppling flowers, unnerving at least one person at the farmhouse (me!). How could you sleep through that?

It turns out many people could, including all farmhouse guests and one resident (ed, not me!).

Still, I'm up early. I take a stroll through the gardens, shaking off the water from the toppled phlox...






... and whoa! whats this?? A beautiful day lily that tells me that the lily season is at long last here, ready to bring a rainbow of colors to the flower beds.






The youngest farmhouse guest appears to wake up as her cousin does when she sleeps here: with a big grin and a readiness to start the day.






Breakfast first. It's going to be a very hot day, but in the early hours, it merely feels summer-warm.

Primrose, welcome to one of my favorite routines: having a morning pause on the porch.






Ed, I want to hold her -- this little girl with cow pajamas and inquisitive eyes!






Her parents bathe and dress her. Oh, radish girl, you do look like you're ready to have a grand day!






Check out my sandals, grandma!






Everyone wants to go to the farmers market! It's an ambitious plan: there is a mom who gave birth just a week ago. There is the newborn. There is the three year old who in theory does love the market, but has some reservations on the hottest of hot days, especially when the early summer crowds can be intense. And of course there's the Chicago babe who doesn't quite know what she's in for.

Still, everyone is determined! The grownups love this summer ritual too much to put it aside just because there now are young ones among us. Too, there is the cool, shaded Capitol lawn for a post market romp (and a study of three-leaf clovers)...






"This will be my highest jump EVER!"






(An uncle for three years, a father for nearly three months...)






I'm not one for posed pictures, but I do want this one. I should note that I'm wearing a dress I found recently in a stored cardboard box: it was one of my pregnancy dresses. Fast forward a few decades and here I am, with daughters and grandkids!






So how was the market excursion? Perfect!






We spend the afternoon at my older girl's home. Because we see her less often, our eyes are on the wee Chicago girl.

Here she is, with dad...






... with mom...






But never do we forget the other two: here's little Sparrow, getting so many hugs and cradles from Snowdrop! (She is superb at supporting him in all the right places...)






(My older girl remembers that her little sister loved cheetohs as she was growing up. This modern day version is much more sophisticated and you can actually taste the cheese in it. She brings out a big bowl now and of course, Snowdrop follows in the footsteps of her aunt!)





And here's what makes me insanely happy: I have such powerful feelings for all these guys! I mean I just love them to pieces, with all my heart. And this is the joyous part: I know that everywhere I look, there are people whose hearts, too, are filled with intense love: toward kids, grandkids, toward partners, spouses, toward siblings, toward all the people who make their lives, our lives beautifully full and intensely rewarding. Just being in each others company, doing nothing more complicated than that, is sublime!

(My daughters, granddaughters, grandson...)






Evening. We're back at the farmhouse. I'm baby sitting Primrose while the young couple goes out to celebrate their anniversary. Four years ago (almost to the day), they held their wedding at the farmette and now here we are again, with all these little ones, with all this love...





Forgive me for getting a wee bit sentimental in this post. This spring has given us a lot of happiness. When I sit back and write about a family weekend, it comes rushing to the surface -- all that tearful gratefulness, all that profound joy.

family weekend

A weekend to remember!

It starts early.

I'm up at 4. Blame it on the storms, blame it on the anticipation, blame it on the very long list of things to do.

Blame it on happiness.

You'll know that the younger family is coming up from Chicago to meet Sparrow and to spend time in this place of my daughter's childhood (and of their wedding!).

But first, after a thorough house tidying, I settle in to eat breakfast.






(Stop Sign settles in to spend the day watching our comings and going.)






At last: the meeting of the boy and his aunt and uncle...






Two babes, so close in age, slated to watch the other grow up... (My younger girl holds Sparrow, her husband holds Primrose.)






(a switch around...)






Primrose: "wow, my family's crazy nice!"






"but, is he, like, gonna roll over on me??"






"Go to sleep, six day old child!"






Time for me to pick up Snowdrop. She is so busy making play-doh cakes for me with her good friend.






Never let it be said that the little girl doesn't pause to smell the flowers...






And now we're back at her house. Hi Primrose!!






A reading moment: Primrose likes the first parts alright. She finds the last pages a tad predictable.






We are all at the farmhouse! Welcome, Primrose! It's your first farmette visit!






"I think I'm gonna like it here!"





We have supper (take-out Mexican): for the first time, all nine of us are at the large table. And I learn something: to get everyone to look photo-normal while they're eating dinner is hard! (In this shot, you can't see Sparrow as he chose to sleep this one out.)





There is so much activity! But it is a fine evening. Everyone is delightful, everyone has a heart full of play. And love.

(Primrose, kissing mommy good night)





What a day what a day what a day!

I'll sleep when  this week, or make this summer, or make that this year are over. For now, I'm just riding the wave of a grand family weekend.

you're sure it's Thursday?

My younger girl and I talk about schedules. She lives in Chicago. We're coordinating a visit. She throws out an idea, I tell her -- great! But don't wait too many days to let me know! Can you get back to me say by Thursday? She pauses, then says -- mom, today is Thursday.

I hadn't quite realized that.

I think I live in a calendar fog at the moment.

(Morning photo of a walk to the barn. The girls all clamor to be near the person who will lift the magic lid and dispense the pellets of food.)





Breakfast: Ed does me a favor and agrees to the porch. It is so loud right now! They're digging at our property line and having hit the water table in one place, they're trying another -- you could not get closer to the farmhouse if you tried!





The rest of the morning is devoted to house cleaning and making an enormous attempt to barrel through a to-do list. Neither project is completed.

By noon, I am at my older girl's home. We're putting in place our new schedule and I admit to liking it quite a lot -- it gives me time with Sparrow and later in the day, it gives me time with Snowdrop and on some days, it gives me time with both of them together.

I catch a tail end of a feeding, where Sparrow gets his supplemental drink. The boy really does enjoy a healthy wallop of food!






The parents go out for lunch and I get my first baby sitting time with the little guy.

He decides to mostly sleep through it.






I mean, is that a chill babe, or what? (time release photo)






He opens his eyes in a dreamy way for a second or two, then dozes off again.






And now it's time to pick up Snowdrop from her first day at "camp." It is a busy scene in the new space where she is now placed. Twenty-five kids attend some or all of the program in that room and when I come to claim her, at least 10% are having issues. Not Snowdrop: she bounds out with her typical enthusiasm, even as I can tell that she is one tired cookie.

I suggest a calm adventure and she lets me know that she'll do a lot, just as long as it's not the pool!

We go to the playground. We'll wage our swimming battles another time.






(the usual role play: she's the mommy, I'm the little girl...)





At the farmhouse, she is delightfully her old self. But there's no question about it: these days, she is especially revved up when her parents and Sparrow come for the evening pick up. She is a hugely enthusiastic big sister and she does not want to be left out of anything!

Oh, but let's introduce Sparrow to Ed. It's their first encounter! He plays tough, but he holds on to that little guy for an awfully long time.





Tomorrow, the pace of the day will pick up some. The Chicago family is coming for the weekend and for the first time, all the cousins, sibs, and their parents and of course us, the farmhouse guys will be in one place together.

A thrilling but very busy weekend ahead!

And a P.S.: thanks to those of you who have pointed out that your comments did not make it to Ocean this last week. I thought it was a fleeting problem, but no -- there is some glitch whereby I never get notifications of comments and so I do not give the necessary permission for publication. There is an easy temporary fix and for the next few weeks, I'll use it: I'll spot check for new comments and at the end of each day. So no more big delays, but until I take the time to resolve the glitch, the turnaround between your commenting and publication will be slow. Please know that I appreciate all your efforts to keep in touch in this way. Ocean has a lovely community of very caring people. It's very sweet to hear from its loyal (and new) members!

what a difference...

I have no routine. I may tomorrow, or the next week, or the next moth, but right now, we take each day as it develops.

You know we have regrading taking place on the lands all around us in preparation for a new development. The noise only gets worse each day. Ed agrees to eat breakfast outside, but the rumble is so loud, that all we can talk about is the effect of loud sound on personality disorders.






Soon after, I meet up with Snowdrop and her mom: we are attending an open house at the little one's school, oh, excuse me -- camp.






She has nothing but grins and smiles all morning long. Indeed, she is the very last one to leave the open house.






Her mom returns home to Sparrow, Snowdrop and I head out for a lunch out at a coffee shop we used to frequent oh so often when she was way younger.

No high chair today.






I time it so that just after 1pm, we are at her beloved community pool. We nearly lived here last year! She wasn't quite swimming, but she loved every minute of her splashes, jumps, games and water shenanigans.

I am so surprised that this year is different. This girl, who just spent an hour jumping gallantly off the steps at her school, is suddenly tentative and reserved.






The smile comes back only when we go (at her insistence) to the playground by the pool.





But the pool -- well, the girl's grown and she knows that life isn't always easy or kind. She holds back.

We have a summer of pool work ahead of us.


At the farm, she discovers the refreshed, scrubbed and ready toys and bouncy things that only a young infant could enjoy.

Well, a young infant and Snowdrop.






She is excited to show her brother all the "new" stuff, but the hour is late and her brother passes through only momentarily, in a car seat, like this:






Evening. Ed is biking, the young family has gone home. I walk the farmette lands, noting the strange alliances that exist here...






The flowers are getting ready for the big show -- summer. Right now, phlox is starting to puff out, as is the yarrow...






The air is summer lovely. Snowdrop had said, during our walk -- I love the smell right now! I agree. Every last whiff of fresh sweet air is total heaven. Winter cold seems years away.