We worked all morning getting the patio ready for our visitors. By noon, we were getting cleaned up as we both looked like walking dirtballs. Hannah and her family are coming along with sister Lisa for a short stay in the Southland! We are anxious to see them!
On a serious note (yes, I do get serious), I felt rather special when I found out the girls mostly came to SoCal to visit “Uncle Paul”. I always had a fond place in my heart for these two and have great memories of Hannah and Jon riding in a battery-powered pink jeep, the girls playing in a plastic castle, the girls watching Uncle Paul make a three-layered birthday cake with enough icing to give a whale diabetes,s not to mention going to Disneyland and other places.
Before they arrived, Mary and I went to war with the patio, bravely battling weeds, rogue tomatoes, and mint bushes that had clearly been planning a hostile takeover. We lasted until the temperature hit 95 degrees in the shade, at which point even the patio furniture looked like it wanted to quit.
My arm ended up covered in dirt and scratches from yanking out the tomatoes and mint, so I looked less like a gardener and more like I had lost a fight with a salad. Mary worked her magic on the upright gardens and made them look respectable again.
Then we set up the feeding station for our wayward cat, because apparently we are now running a patio restoration project and a feline soup kitchen.
I was beaten before we went inside and enjoyed a nice, cool shower so I would look presentable when the kids arrived. Mary kept laughing at my face, especially at the eyebrows where I had wiped away the sweat and dirt. Two more swipes and a red rubber nose, I could be in the circus!
At 4:00 p.m., the door opened and, to our surprise, a group of overheated people appeared—looking like they had just crossed the Sahara in dress shoes.
When I told them our air conditioner had just broken, they took one step inside, felt the heat, and immediately said, “Bye bye.” Honestly, I’ve never seen people RSVP “no” so quickly after already arriving.
Then the whole mood of the room shifted when Owen—also known as the Whirling Dervish—made his grand entrance. Shy? Not even a little. The moment he spotted the birthday balloon, all heck broke loose.
He attacked that balloon as if it owed him money. Punch after punch, jab after jab—I’m telling you, we may have a future prizefighter on our hands. Either that, or the balloon had said something deeply offensive.
James is teaching Owen early, and Owen approves of the Coors Light! Did he wonder if it could be made with a berry flavor?
Mom supplied Owen with a gourmet berry sampler fresh from Ralph’s Market: blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries—basically the berry Olympics in a bowl.
Then we all sat around the table for about an hour, waiting for the lasagna to heat up, which gave it plenty of time to think about its life choices. During the wait, the girls conducted a full family news investigation, asking about everyone: Colleen, Joe and family, Michele and Theo, Lisa and Peter, Zack and family—no branch of the family tree was left unshaken. We reported everything we knew, everything we thought we knew, and possibly a few things we made sound more confident than they were.
Robin had planned to stop by, but things got complicated with her sister, so she waved us off from afar. She was definitely missed—and so was the lasagna, until it finally decided to become dinner.
We had an Italian dinner with two kinds of lasagna, cucumber salad, coleslaw, and garlic bread. Mary’s Italian ancestry didn’t just show tonight—it burst through the kitchen door yelling “Mangia!”
After dinner, we attacked the cannolis and the birthday cake; it was a hit! We could not get permission from the fire department for 35 candles (it’s considered a fire hazard). I remember when Hannah was born. We were in New Orleans when the alert came through; Diane was in labor. We dropped everything, packed up, and drove to the airport and found the fastest way to Saratoga, California. We flew all night, got there, and met up with Rita (Sue’s Mom), who was already there.
Then it happened: Hannah was born, the church bells rang out (I think it was to warn people), and the geese flew backward to see when they had been! Hannah was here!
At 6:30 p.m., it was officially “Last one to the pool is a rotten egg” time. James and Owen were in first, followed quickly by everyone else except me.
I heroically remained dry on shore, serving as the designated responsible adult, emergency snack coordinator, towel supervisor, and official family photographer. Someone had to document the chaos — and protect the dry clothes.
Then they were off, but not before we loaded them up with goodies. Anything fattening went with them in order to save us from ourselves! We will see them again tomorrow as we are going to Roger’s Gardens Farmhouse for lunch. Then they were off—but not before we loaded them up with goodies.
Basically, anything remotely fattening was sent home with them as a public service, because we clearly cannot be trusted alone with snacks. It was less “Here, have a treat” and more “Please take this before we do something regrettable.”
We’ll see them again tomorrow when we go to Roger’s Gardens Farmhouse for lunch—because apparently the best way to recover from giving away food is to immediately go out and get more.
Later, we went back in the water around 8:00 p.m. and pitty-pattered around until 9:00 p.m., when the serious business of television called. Tonight there was a full moon, which was fun to watch even though it was hanging low near the horizon—like it was tired too and thinking about calling it a night.
We went back in the water at 8:00 pm and pitter-pattered around until 9:00 pm, when it was time to watch TV. Tonight was a full moon, so that was fun to watch even though it was near the horizon.
The movie is “Finch” (2021), starring Tom Hanks. He plays a man in a post-apocalyptic world who builds a robot to take care of his dog, Goodyear.
At 11:00 p,m we declared victory and crashed. It was a good day!
