Moving days

 I wanted to write this letter yesterday, but it was FATHER'S DAY!  So much to do and take advantage of, naps and barbecues and phone calls and repeat. In between the Father's Day fairy was hiding my favorite snacks all over the house, on my pillow, on my computer, in my work gloves.  And then today, what a letdown. I have to wait 364 more days.  

But, let's reverse, and remember that since the last letter Andrew and Lur were here. And there and seemingly everywhere. If everywhere includes Princeton to see Peter, Janet and Johanna, and Fairport to see David and Paula. Oh, there was a 50^th high school reunion thrown in there too.  The highlight of their visit here, for them, must have been walking over to the lake to see all the construction there, on wet and uneven ground. I don't doubt that they never come back.  The highlight of their visit for us was sitting around and chatting. Or, as Paula says, "visiting." It was fun. And a correction – they had purchased and were driving their new Mercedes, not a Volvo. (Only kidding, it's a Lexus, with a cassette deck.)

We had other visitors as well, friends from Mexico, so we relived those days a bit. We even took these high-end gourmets off to Teo's one evening. They loved it!  I think.

Around the horn – Leonor is back from London for a couple of weeks; she'll be working from home and helping get ready for their pack-out. Margaret and Andrew have bought a house! Just down the street, a single-family house with a nice yard for you-know-who.  They close on August 1, so they are also moving.  And Annie and Sankar have fixed their land dispute, so they are spending more time in their new home. You'll need a map – it's near Kodaikanal.

Timmy's moving as well, as he hopes to get to Florida by July 1.  Are we the only ones not moving?

Around the horn for photos as well – the next generation. Billy and family in some wild west park/town, Oliver helping Donald with Ninja moves, a happy Ronan because he's in his Mom's arms, Joe at Great Falls, and Simon enjoying a birthday party.

We've been spending a lot of time in the garden, and we are far behind, but catching up, thanks to Mary. My ride-on mower broke last year, and I hired someone to finish out the growing season with the idea that I would make a decision this year on a new one. I hemmed and hawed and then no-mow May ended, and I still couldn't pull the trigger on a machine that cost in the thousands. So, my wife called in the reinforcements, and her swimmates all sent suggestions for guys with huge mowers. In a few hours, I had hired a guy, our new best friend named George, to mow the high grass and then come back every week. Crisis averted. That's what amounts to a crisis around here. 

Speaking of crises, we did attend our No Kings rally on Saturday. Thousands showed up with very creative signs and costumes. From there, we went to a supper for the international club, where we persuaded a friend from Cote d'Ivoire to play his drums. Fun.

In a few minutes. I'm heading off to my least favorite place in the world: the dentist. I have a cavity that needs to be replaced. I will not put in my hearing aids since I don't really want to hear the loud drill.  My doctors in Boston told me to get my teeth in shape before treatments. Oh well.

On that not so happy note, wishing you all the best.  Love from up here.

 

  

  

Chapters

Two birthdays mark the last two weeks. And they both had a five in them.  John turned five, and Matthew hit the big 5-0.  Wait, how did that happen?  What happened in the last 50 years that time flew by so fast?  Congratulations to both of you.

We missed Matthew's big day, but not John's. We drove down to DC in a fierce storm and stayed with Margaret, Andrew and Simon. They had just put in central air and heating and have a new garden container that holds strawberries which we picked! 

Across town, Leonor was getting ready for her departure. Her mom had flown in from Portugal and will help out Joe over the next few weeks while Leonor starts her new job in London. As you can expect, John was super excited (about his birthday, not his mother leaving). He gave us the memorable quote for the weekend when he shouted from the car the night before, "Don't remember my birthday!" I suspect he will never live that one down; at least I know I won't let him.  Kind of like Simon's famous phrase, "I don't want idea" when I told him I had another idea for an outing. A few years ago, but I still remember.

The weekend was more than a little sad since we knew that Joe and family were leaving and these last two years of living so close were a gift. At this writing, early Sunday morning, Leonor should have already landed in London. We realized, though, that it probably takes as much time to drive to DC as it does to fly to London. We're excited for them in their new chapter.

And, Timmy has a new chapter, as he is also moving. To Florida. He spent a couple of weeks with John and Marilyn, and they helped him pick out a house in a community. He seems happy to leaving the cold and owning his own place.

Health update – Mary was my Uber driver to Boston and back on Thursday for doctor's appointments. I started hormone therapy which consisted of a shot, every three months for a year or more. The whole thing is no longer an abstraction.

We had a long chat with David and Paula on the way home from Boston, and they filled us in on gardening and health and a conversation they had with Janie who's now living near Sooz on Martha's Vineyard.  They are looking forward to being in the Poconos after a couple of years of absence. So are we.

In a few hours, Andrew and Lur will pull in the driveway here in Pittsfield. They are coming from Princeton where they attended Andrews's 50^th reunion at Lawrenceville. There's that 5=0 number again. They did it right and stayed at the Nass in Princeton. We will hear all about it, including the dinner they had with Peter and Janet on Friday night.

And speaking of reunions, Peter showed up at the Princeton reunions for a talk with the alum General Mark Milley.  And did you know the oldest alum in the P-Rade was from Pop's class? Another sign of the passing time.

That means that we are passing into summer as well, as we've spent a fair amount of time getting gardens and porch ready. My no-mow May experiment is over, and now I have to buy a new tractor to get it back under control. Big decision – electric or gas-powered? The former is at least twice as much as the latter, but the former helps our climate. I know what I should do, but will I?

And with that quandary, hope you are all well and enjoying the season. Love from up here.