14 09 22

We had a good time at Goodtimes.

Noah: "We don't call it 'Goodtimes for nothing,"

Brittany worked, and Skyler was sick.

Angela and Ryan came and we all sat out on the pool deck and talked and played Phase Ten. She said it was fun to just come and hang out for a little while. Tori was here last weekend and couldn't make it back. Kennedy kept in touch, but was busy wrangling with her washer and dryer. She said she thought she'd be in Mobile today, and that she would probably get to stop by.

Blake and said he was going to try to come. Morgan was in Atlanta. Amber came after while and sat out by the pool with us. I was glad Beth checked to see where Zak was --- turns out his truck is broken and he needed a ride, so she went to get him. He sat with us for a while, too.

When Evan sent a message last week, he was sick, so I guess he was still sick Sunday. Faith and Daniel didn't come, but Michael was here. He said he'll be playing the drums at a game this coming Thursday.

Noah was here, as were Shawn, Tyler, and Willo.

Noah has become a French Toast fanatic, Kim and John said, now that he can eat eggs even if they aren't in baked goods. He gave lots of hugs and pat-pat-pats.

It was the smallest group ever in the pool, and for most of the afternoon was just Willo and Rodney. She is all about her Uncle Rodney. She said his name so many times Sunday that she really was saying it more clearly by the end of the day.

Beth played Phase Ten with us. Most of the rest of the kids stayed inside, playing the video games, I think. Barry was inside.

Chris went to get Faith, Michael, and Daniel, and while he was gone, Willo started saying that she wanted to swim. She was dressed in her shorts, but no shirt. Beth told her she needed her bathing suit, and Willo told her that she was wearing her "silly suit."

She took her shorts off and asked again. I told her we needed her swim pull up. She said, "Please let me swim in this pull up." I told her would mess up the pool, and I thought we were done with the conversation. But....we weren't. She solved the problem by removing it.

14 09 02

People scurried about did their chores yesterday, so that was good.

Zak and his friends came out to swim.

Angela and Ryan are at the houseboat.

Beverly, re: guessing what was in Barry's latest juice creation, "I just love this game!"

Blake came out to order his computer for school.

14 08 28

Text from Angela, accompanied by a picture: "Humming Birds have been checking out my feeder and pink hibiscus lately! I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture w him in it but hopefully he will keep coming back like our little humming bird friend did  (smile)"

Ryan and Barry talking. Really quite a while. Working together on some kind of a project for Ryan ... power washing. Comfortable with each other. 

Facebook Email from Kennedy:" Due to an unfortunate (but awesome) schedule mishap, I get to take drawing AND PAINTING this semester!!!!! I'm so excited and I love my art teachers! I did find out that I actually do have to take Drawing 3: The Figure though...

I'm not too thrilled about that, but I figure I have awhile before I need to worry about that. Hopefully some of my art from this class will be back on the walls and you can come see them! I love you both and hope you're having a good week!!!"

Swimming with the boys. I finished Thursday in the office without a lot of ... or any that I knew of... Wonderland Friday panics. Still an enormous load of things to do. Still a slew of undone things in the household sector --- like getting the phone line checked .... but no scary Thursday night thoughts. After "tea and the news" I asked Barry what he wanted to do, and he said, "I think I want to go get in the pool." I told him to get Tyler, because Tyler would love that. I had to hang up some jeans, but that didn't take long. I put on my bathing suit and joined them, but I sat in the rocking chair at the\\\\deep end of the pool. A few minutes later, Chris and Shawn came out and joined them in the pool. I sat in my rocking chair. I rocked. I settled. The evening temp was nice. The stars came out. The boys --- all four of them --- laughed. The had competitions ---- who could hold their breath the farthest, who could do jump the highest, who could do the most spectacular dive, could Tyler catch them? I tried to take a picture of Chris diving, to use for his contact picture in my phone, but just couldn't get it. So I got him to come to the deep end of the pool where the light was. "Be still, " I said. "It's hard to be still when you're treading water," he laughed. I just settled. I just enjoyed. 

Miss Belinda to Beverly: "You know,  you have a very willing heart. " Miss Belinda has a very sick son. He is mentally and physically overwhelmingly handicapped and cannot do anything for himself. The doctors have told her that he has reached the end of his life expectancy. She told Beverly that when she was at the hospital the night before, she at least did not have to worry about about the stacks of things that had not been done, because they had gotten caught up on everything. I think that is because Beverly is such a willing helper, and said so. Beverly said, "No, it is because of her work, but she did say the nicest thing to me. She said, "You know, you have a very willing heart." 

So Tori and JA have a thing about meeting famous people. Her contribution last night was to tell him that when she walked into (?) she saw herself .... a picture of her on the brochure for the Computer Science department. She told Beverly that she went ahead and grabbed one. :-) 

We pulled the wedding dresses out, and found the sixpence that Barry put in Beverly's shoe. 

17 04 26

Ryan: you can just count on us every time. Ryan came in so that I could write out my check to A Sharper Image and I asked if he and Angela were going to be at Goodtimes. He said, "Yes." After a tiny pause, he added, "You can just count on us being here every time. My grandmother used to do the same thing."

Bridge over troubled water. Barry and I were on our way home from having had supper at the houseboat, and were listening to the radio. This song came on, and I remembered being 20, and in that little apartment off Springhill Avenue. Singing that song out loud, loving the song, thinking that I sang it well, which I probably didn't. A good moment though. 

Mike and Maria. Maria is from Argentina. I'm not sure if her husband's name is Mike, but I think so. Her daughter is due to have twins in just a few weeks. Her daughter and her son-in-law are both doctors. When she left Argentina, they didn't say anything to her about her being pregnant, but as soon as she got here, "Surprise!" I got the feeling she would have stayed in Argentina if she'd had any idea grandbabies would be coming so soon. 

14 07 19

Saturday. Neither one had to be at work on Monday. Out loud, they agreed that if they saw anything that interested them, they would stop. Unspoken, they agreed that they would be driving through. Home, a magnet.

Tori josh Bentley canoe.  Beverly said that Tor, Ange, Josh, and Ryan were going to go out in the canoe, but Bentley changed that. Josh said, "He's mad at me for taking his seat," so they set up an inner tube for Josh to float in. And then Tori got out of the boat and swam to Josh. And there was some kissing, which prompted Ryan to say, "I don't like that." Beverly said protective, as he is of his own little sister.

14-06-27

Cause when Grannie needs me to do something, I'm always there. I asked Tyler and Noah to do something .... I've forgotten now what .... I remember ..... to get the things out of the pool that had been left there by the last group .... some fins, etc. .... Noah started. Tyler said, "You don't have to do that right now. And then Noah said, "Cause when Grannie needs me to do something, I'm always there." 

Late summer afternoon. .. sipping root beer.... watching the boys swim. And I got through my work, and got a bottle of root beer and a magazine (Tyler: Are you drinking a beer? Noah, have you ever seen Grannie drink a beer?) and went to sit on our shaded deck and watch the boys swim. 

Papa bubbles and squeak. So then we decided to see if Noah wanted to come and spend the night, and that we would cook dinner at the house. And Barry said, "So that means I"ll be cooking for Tori, then?" And he set about getting the ingredients for meatless Bubbles and Squeak. He was so happy preparing it all, and so happy when she liked it so much. 

The boys liked their grilled cheese sandwiches. And then Tyler and Noah were hungry and I asked if they'd like Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. They were pretty impressed with the grlll pan.Wondered who was the best at making grilled cheese ... me or Noah's mom. Went on and on about how delicious their sandwiches were, and each wanted a third sandwich.

We seem to be doing more things together. Barry at the end of Saturday, after we'd worked on my writing shack, and gone to Lowes and Office Depot, and Rouses.

We put the floor in my writing shack. Yes, we did. We most certainly did. And I am writing in it now. I don't know what i'll do in the cold of winter, and I hope we aren't sending too much cold air out through the cracks. and I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave a computer in here, but today is good.

Visiting with tori and josh. Tori coming to sit beside me. Papa staying at the table and us all visiting together for about an hour.

Choosing a puppy: Tori and Josh, side by side, looking at puppies on the computer. 

Willo. Got a lot of attention yesterday. Floated in the pool with Tori. Played with me a little. 

"Again and again and again --- Willo

Noah. . Lay off on the hamburgers.

And so Annette and I made chocolate chip cookies together. She took notes. We relaxed. We visited. We had a good time. She said, "I love you." 

Josh and Ryan playing with the little kids in the pool. 

Willo: "I need you, Uncle Rodney." when she hurt her finger. 

14-06-24

Tyler and Noah on the swings. --- boy noise. 

Annette wanting to learn how to make my chocolate chip cookies. She and Skyler are coming early Sunday to help me make them. (Morgan asked for cookies when she comes home.)

Went to the gym.

Was at Wonderland by 9:14. Didn't have a frustrating day. 

Ryan posted that he and Ange were going to book their wedding venue. Then they posed pictures and she sent me a text. May 2! And she said she can take me to see it. 

And Barry cooked dinner.

And Annette sent me a text when she was worried about Brittany and travel. 

14 03 10

Daniel,  as soon as he saw Ryan.. "Let's play football!"

14 01 27

Ryan and Angela cleaning up. Angela hugged me bye, mid afternoon. Homework. I understood. And then she cleaned up around the project she'd been working on, and Ryan brought the craft table in, and they both worked at neatening things up. I thought that was sweet. 

Annette visit. Annette, hug. "I feel like it has been forever since I've seen everybody." And so she sat, and we visited, and she told me about her run, and feeling a good tired, and what she wants to do next. And Skyler's competition. 

Noah helped me make the bed.  Beverly.  Pillows. Noah and I played Crazy Eights, and then I told him I needed to clean up for the cousins, and he said, "I will help you." And so he helped me make the bed, and we talked about when he used to help Aunt B with the pillows.

Faith, connection. Faith and I, chatting and visiting throughout the day.

Zak Shawn Tyler.... recycling. So, we were down to three. Three boys and two big boxes of recycling. I asked if they would take it for me. Tyler asked if there was something for him to take, so he took the original recycling bin. They did it without hesitating, and when they came back, and Zak saw that some of it had spilled, he gathered it up and took it out the bin, too.