Topsy-turvy and out of kilter

 

That’s how things have been at my cottage the last few days, but mostly in a good way. Jordan is off in Fort Davis, with a group of girls, staying at the family home of one. While she’s away, Austin daughter Megan has come to visit, bringing along her youngest son, Ford. He and Jacob are only four months apart in age and are close buddies, so that’s a treat for both of them.

We’re a working group. Megan has her computer, though much of her work is by phone. She’s alternated between working in the main house and at my coffee table. Jacob of course has virtual school all day, while Ford, best as I know, is preparing for those standardized tests he will take next week. I have been trying to put together the June issue of the Poobah, our neighborhood newspaper, but my wifi connection has been slow to nonexistent. I’ve had a good lesson in how dependent I am on the internet—even editing articles when I want to look for illustrations, etc. Several of the information sites I rely on, including cooking sites, are so slow to load that I confess I lost patience. A frustrating day.

Last night Megan’s longtime friend, Amy, came for happy hour. The girls went to kindergarten together and then all through elementary, high school, and college. In law school, they were roommates. So they had lots of catching up to do. I visited with them for a bit and then came inside. By 8:30 I realized that I was really hungry, and we should feed two teen-age boys. I had fixed my current favorite casserole, Queso Chicken, and we ate a one-dish meal late at night and sat and talked until way too late.

Tonight, we took the boys to Pacific Table, one of Megan’s favorite restaurants. Lovely to sit on the patio with just enough breeze. Who cares about the noisy trains? Both boys ate sushi, an incredible amount for Ford and a chopsticks lesson for Jacob. We dined early, were home by seven o’clock and Megan asked, “What will we do now?” She cleaned and organized my freezer. Visiting daughters are so wonderful. And she gave my computer at least a temporary fix, so I am back in business and was able to clean up a lot of details from this morning.

The pictures I’m posting are from Jordan’s trip to West Texas. Such beautiful country. Makes me want to be there. I hope you enjoy them.