Summer's on its way!

It's beginning to look a lot like summer.  Or at least a little. The grass is green, and in need of a mow. Daffodils and forsythia and warm weather and long days and work in the gardens. That means aching backs. But it's worth it. I am pretty sure that you all reading this are wondering, forsythia?  They came and went a long time ago.

It also seems like a long time ago, but since the last letter, we played host to two grandchildren along with Margaret and Andrew, who did a reverse spring break and came north. It was all Simon and Thomas though, with each day a new surprise, a new outing. Playgrounds, swimming at the Y, picking up pine cones, driving the tractor, playing in the stream, taking a walk by the dam and the stinky fish, reading Beauty and THE Beast, playing baseball and soccer, making volcanoes, we packed it in. They even charmed their ways to trips to Shaker Village, the Lego store, Panera, the Hot Dog Ranch and an ice cream place. They have so much energy and me not so much.

Margaret took the week off, but Andrew somehow squeezed in a week of work at his new job. They did get a little break as well as they went to a movie (Civil War) and trivia night at a restaurant in the next town. They came in second.

It's been pretty quiet since they left, and we've had to fill the void somehow.  Mostly with garden work, I think.

We talked to Andrew and Lur, and they had just come back from Kohler, Wisconsin where they saw Claire, of course, but also a concert at her school featuring Bela Fleck, the banjo player. Sounds great. Andrew is plugging away at his physical therapy. They passed up the opportunity to buy Billy's pontoon boat that we saw for sale on Facebook, followed by a very fast "sold" update. They're really moving.

Down in DC, sickness continues to dominate Joe and Leonor and friends. Joe got a second round of strep which saw him out of commission and on antibiotics for a few days. He was joined by Luisa also on antibiotics for an ear infection and then by Thomas for pink eye, or something. Unfortunately, their trips to the doctor did not coincide so I think they qualify for frequent flyer points for doctors visits. This will soon end, we hope, as we remember bouts of sickness as we changed and had to get accustomed to new environs.

Annie and Sankar returned to his hometown of Thanjavur so he could vote for the first time. They had to postpone their planned trip north as Annie's back went out and then Sankhar had a foot issue. We are hearing, from them, and seeing on the news, about the heat waves through the whole region. Annie said the other day it was 90 degrees at night, but felt like, according to her weather app, 108. Thank goodness for air conditioning. They will revisit their travel plans once the aches and pains recede.

And we had birthdays! Peter reached another milestone, and so did Elliott, at different ends of the spectrum. Pretty sure their days were special, and especially wonderful.  

And we hope yours are as well, whether it's your birthday or not. Love from up here.