The past few days have been so busy I’ve hardly had time to sit down at the computer. My daughter’s dear friend has been visiting for the past few days and life has been full!
A short itinerary since otherwise I am bound to forget most of it:
Tuesday evening, we picked her up at the Amtrak station.
Wednesday, their big plan was a picnic. They have been working out the details for months. They dressed up in their most feminine, old-fashioned clothes, packed a basket with tea and dainty things to eat and little teacups and saucers, and co-opted a cooperative 10 year old Kieron to take some photos.
Thursday, we went up to grandma’s lake near the summit — spectacular and quiet since their part of the beach is private. I took the little boys to the dock so they could splash around in the water. The girls sat by a different part of the lake and sang, according to all reports. The older boys played darts and pingpong and chess.
That evening, a bunch of old books arrived from ABEbooks. We had fun looking through them and having literary discussions. The “What are you reading and what do you think of it?” kind that occur when “real learning” families get together.
Then after dinner, we had our Story Club meeting previously mentioned. After that we talked about story writing. Then we said a decade of the Rosary together and then watched the movie made by the TAC students called Supaseo, which had arrived in the mail. It was so much fun! but unfortunately, the DVD was damaged so it kept cutting off and finally died, so we’ll have to order another one before we can watch the last few minutes. However, along with the story club and the afternoon by the lake it made for a great creative day.
Friday, we went to the homeschool Stations of the Cross and then the girls had planned to go into town and go fabric shopping. We went to Wal-Mart, then Michael’s, then Joann. Whew! Especially since it was 104 degrees and our airconditioning is dying in the car. I also picked up Aidan’s meds at the pharmacy and got Kieron his free personal pizza from the library reading coupon. That made all that fabric shopping barely tolerable for him, anyway.
Today, Saturday, Clare had her violin lesson and we met her teacher’s very appealing mother who was there on a visit — she was one of those elderly people who make you feel they are bestowing a blessing on you as they talk to you. I would like to be like that.
Now Clare is happily sewing, and her friend is not-so-happily preparing faux legislation for her Girls State congress next week. Tonight Kevin may take them to the fireworks by the lake.
I have been spending a good part of the days outside with Aidan and the other kids. I hope to keep doing this. I bought them squirt guns the other day to encourage them to keep active outside.
Tomorrow, Sunday, we will be going to the Tridentine Mass in town and then take Clare’s friend to her political camp– sigh. We will really miss her! It has been a delight to be a leetle less outnumbered than Clare and I usually are –our norm is a ratio of 7:2, not even counting the pets who are both males as well. A little extra feminine influence goes a long way and this is particularly the case with this friend of Clare’s. Yesterday the girls put on swing music and danced out on the deck, and even got Kieron and Paddy to join in. Now they want to teach Liam so that when he goes back to college he can go the dances — yeah, right!
Clare and Paddy swing-dancing
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