Weekend

 We drove to the Home Place on Saturday.  It was something of an effort to get out the door plus we stopped at Walmart on our way out of town for a few necessities.  But we finally made it!

The kids got here about 30 minutes before we did.  They left the mouse in the trap for Adam, but they started cleaning up flies.

Emma asked, "Is there a solution for these flies?"

I said, "Don't have a log house?"

Especially one that isn't lived in most of the time.  We are always greeted with dead flies, but it feels like a small price to pay.

The four of us were unloading the car, cleaning, putting stuff away, all the things.  Mark said, "Dad...there's water on the floor."

Adam said, "How much water?"

Mark said, "A lot...."

We didn't have a flood.

We had two floods.

Adam hadn't turned the valves the right way on the water heaters so they were both flooding water onto the floor.  One water heater is in the store room and one is in a bedroom so the carpet was soaked.  (My grandpa wanted to always have hot water.) We grabbed all the towels we had and a mop.  I called Olivia and borrowed a shop vac.  I sent the wet towels back to have her wash.

We are nothing if not indebted to our neighbors every time we come here.

(By the way, I don't fault Adam for the water heater thing.  I don't know how to do it properly and we de-winterize so seldomly, it's easy to forget a step.)

So that was exciting.  We righted the ship.  In the process of making beds, we realized that we didn't bring back all the laundry from last time we were here.  Adam came with Braeden once since I've been here and we miscommunicated about what was where and I haven't been on top of my game in any aspect of my life, let alone the housekeeping around here.

So we didn't have enough sheets.

We made it work.  Adam and I used a top sheet for a bottom sheet and blankets on top and it was no trouble.  Who says I'm not a camper....

Saturday evening we visited my parents and had stuff to drop off at my sisters' houses.  We happened to see Clarissa leaving Olivia's so we sent a slow cooker with her that Marianne was borrowing.

Then we visited with Olivia's family.  She wondered about playing a game and I was too tired.  I'm not anyone's idea of the life of the party.

We came home and I went straight to bed.  Sunday morning I woke up and enjoyed the golden light.  This little log home isn't perfect, (we're really not perfect in our attempts to take care of it) but it surely glows in the right light.

Sunday was Marianne and Robert's farewell before their 6 month mission to Ghana.  They both spoke and I was inspired and impressed and grateful they are ours all at the same time.  I also loved being completely surrounded with family.  Everyone except Enoch's family was there and we missed them.

When we were leaving church, Braeden called and said he was thinking of coming.

30 minutes later, he called and said he was coming with QE.  What a happy turn of events!

We went to Marianne and Robert's where they fed about 70 people with all the panache Marianne does everything.  (Also Olivia and her family helped her a lot and they're amazing.)

I had a deliciously long talk with Hannah.  I've been wanting to talk to her for months.   We cried together as we talked about cancer and the recent tragic passing of her sweet daughter. We also laughed and talked about all sorts of other things.  Cousins are a great invention and I'm so grateful for mine.  I also got to see my cousin Jason there, who I hadn't seen for years.

After we got home, Adam and Mark went to town for Braeden and QE essentials and they actually beat Adam and Mark home.  QE was happy to be here.  She has the native cheery disposition of her dad.  She zoomed around telling me about the snow she saw going over the Sierras and the chicken nuggets she had eaten for dinner.  

Then she said, "How do you have a house without books?"

I felt slightly chastened, because Nana needs more books around here!  I do have half a shelf of picture books and I showed them to her. 

Then we snuggled under a blanket and read several.

When Adam and Mark got home, she gave them each an enormous hug and announced it was time for bed.

She is always and ever a dream.

Today we have the ladies' brunch at Olivia's and then I'm looking forward to a few more days around here.