Cold weather, a new toy, and homecoming—oh, homecoming

 

Shea, my new dog

You know how people says “it’s going around” meaning a stomach bug or a sore throat? I want to know if a laziness bug is going around, but I won’t be surprised if the answer is yes. The first cool, really cool morning (45 degrees here) does not inspire to energetic action. I did not want to get out of my cozy, comfortable bed this morning, despite the persistent poking of paws as Sophie tried to tell me it was time to get up and stay up! She’d been out half an hour before, but she sometimes just doesn’t want me to sleep. I think she wants company.

I have a new dog. His name is Shea, after one of the most memorable dogs in my life. When my ex and I moved to Texas, we brought with us a magnificent male mahogany tri-color collie (wish I had a picture) named Shea. Truly a beautiful dog and such a gentleman. A friend in Missouri was going on a year-long sabbatical in Europe and asked us to keep the dog. We readily agreed, and so did Shea—when the friend returned, Shea refused to stay at his house and kept coming back to us. As the time for our departure neared, we worried, but finally the owner came to us and said, “I’m hoping you’ll take him with you to Texas.” Huge sigh of relief.

My new Shea is a wooden pull toy made by the late folk artist Jim Clark. When I saw it in his studio, I knew I had to have it as a memory of Jim, a memory of Shea, and a wonderful object that I’ll enjoy having in the cottage. Thanks to Jean Walbridge for parting with it and with a pig-shaped cutting board that reminds me of one my mom had. I will put the cutting board to work in the kitchen—the one we sometimes use is glass, and I don’t think it’s good for the knife blades (which are already too dull).

Big doings this weekend—homecoming at Paschal High School. Unfortunately, Paschal did not win the game against Haltom City, but that didn’t dim any spirits for the dance as far as I could tell. Jacob escorted Violet, who had asked him to the Canwick dance. They dined with a group at a country club and danced, I suppose, somewhere on the TCU campus.

Morgan and her beau with their mums

Jordan and Christian had friends in for a potluck supper, and we were all sitting around the living room when in came this parade of five boys, each wearing a blue jacket and sporting a boutonniere. They made a beeline for Jacob’s room and soon marched back out, wordlessly, carrying athletic shoes and other things to “dress down” for the afterparty. Bunch of good-looking young men. It’s noon on Sunday as I write, so of course I haven’t had a report on how the evening went. I don’t have particularly happy memories of high school dances and the like, so I’m delighted to see Jacob having such a wonderful experience. It was also homecoming for the Tomball two, and here’s a picture of Morgan with her mum—haven’t gotten a report on that one either, but the pre-pictures were pretty handsome.

Kegan, ready for the dance

And my final bit of news is that I start a class tomorrow on writing the culinary mystery. My four Blue Plate Café mysteries sort of count as culinary—Kate Chambers runs her grandmother’s small-town café, serving chicken fried steak, fried chicken, fried catfish, and the like. The Irene in Chicago Culinary Mysteries are more clearly food writing, with a diva chef and her protégé—well at least Irene likes to think Henny is her protégé. I prefer to put Henny in charge.

Anyway I’m about to start a third Irene mystery, so what better time to take a class and sharpen my skills. The class is offered through the Guppy online chapter of Sisters in Crime. Who knows? At the end of two weeks, I may really have a handle on “Irene Saves the Day.”

It’s looking like a great week ahead. I hope for you also.

High Jinks at Camp Tomball

Jordan gave her brother an unexpected push

Home after spending a few days at Camp Tomball, a special treat for four of my grandchildren. Colin’s children, eleven-year-old Morgan and ten-year-old Kegan, along with their mom Lisa, put a lot of time and effort into planning everything, from camp activities to menus. There was even a printed sheet with menu for each meal, available drinks, activities, and so on. The kids swam and fished, had a lesson from a TV Ninja warrior, even tried to sleep at outdoors on the trampoline—they gave up and came in about midnight. One night Colin declared we would all come to the dinner table in our underpants, because he'd been caught doing it the night before. So we had underpants dinner, though Ford declined and was even photographer.

The two moms got in quite a bit of pool and sun time and spent lots of time in the kitchen, preparing meals for grateful kids. I sat, as I planned, at my computer and worked, while watching the activity, but I got some outdoor time too, particularly when Colin was grilling and a couple of nights by the lake.

One day Jordan said while the kids were at the Ninja class, we’d look for a nice little coffee shop. The coffee shop at Target was not quite what I envisioned, but it was good to visit with one of Lisa’s fellow teachers and a friend of theirs I knew from previous visits.

We took Sophie with us, and she behaved admirably, voluntarily sleeping in her crate by my bed, welcoming walks that Jordan and the kids took her on. Her only lapse from grace came with Grace, Colin’s German shepherd mix. Obviously, Grace is a lot bigger than Sophie, and I guess Sophie figured a pre-emptive attack was best. She tried to mix it up with Grace, who only wanted to play and was completely puzzled.

Morgan with Sophie

Sophie got lots of love from everyone

           Long day today. Maybe it was Friday, maybe it was the time of day we traveled—mid-day—but traffic was heavy. Took us so long to go through Hearne that Jacob insisted on asking Siri what the population of Hearne was—a whopping 3,000 plus. We made a couple of stops which slowed us down, but we were in no hurry. One was at Czech Stop in West, where I got sandwiches for my supper. That was sort of a nostalgia trip for me. I can’t tell you how many trips to Austin and College Station ended with me bringing home sandwiches from West. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re not (cotton candy white bread), but it’s a custom.

Came home to an infestation of flies—I think they got in when the window was broken. (Thankful that it was repaired when we got here.) Jacob the giant killer got most of the flies for me. He’s ferocious about it, stalking them like a hunter.

Made nice memories this week. Now it feels like summer is over. Three weeks until summer begins.

Wouldn't it be nice if life was one big sleepover?

Hi, ho, hi, ho. Home again@

I’m back, with apologies for the hiatus. I’ve been in Tomball visiting Colin, my oldest son, and his wonderful family. Jacob went with me to play and hang out with his cousins Morgan, almost twelve, and Kegan, nine. They swam and fished, swam and fished, swam and fished. Jacob caught the most—five fish, including a catfish, first caught in the lake by anyone in our circle. The kids also made s’mores over an open fire, had a water balloon fight, ate snow cones, jumped on the trampoline, went to a movie, went to Top Golf, made their own pizzas and sundaes, and did a thousand other things I can’t think of right now. Aunt Lisa was Camp Tomball Director, and she kept them busy and happy. Last night I asked Jacob if he wanted to go home or stay there, and he said he wanted to stay there the rest of his life.
I should explain. Colin and Lisa live in the country, down a skinny gravel road, outside Tomball. They have a ‘50s moderne house on about three acres with wonderful landscaping that’s been in place long enough to mature, a  small lake (or large pond), and new this year, a wonderful swimming pool.
I also took Sophie, and all three grandkids were good about walking her, and she herself was good as gold—got along with their shepherd mix (even though they ate each other’s food). She slept all night—sometimes on the couch, which was verboten—didn’t mess in the house, was just generally well behaved. And she loved the company, pitched a fit the couple of times we went out and left her.
My days fell into a wonderful pattern. I set up an office at the end of the dining table where I could look to the left at the swimming pool and straight ahead at the lake. I worked at my computer until lunch, read a bit after lunch, napped, and before I knew it, it was dinner time. My favorite time of the day came after supper when we took wine down to the lake and sat enjoying the company, the place, our world in general.

Colin worked hard, building makeshift ramps, etc. to make the house safe for me. And both of them waited on me hand and foot until I am if possible more spoiled than Jordan has made me. Lisa would constantly say, “Drink water. If you don’t Jordan’s going to kill me.” Both Colin and Lisa were around most of the time. Colin even worked from home all but a day and a half, and Lisa, a teacher on summer break, had some appointments but was home or entertaining kids most of the time.
All in all, it was a wonderful week. But this morning, Megan, my oldest daughter, and her nine-year-old son Ford, drove from Austin to Tomball to get us and we came home to Fort Worth. Ford and Jacob will be in the TCU Baseball Camp all week, and Megan will stay with me. She has work to do so I may get a little done, but I’m not counting on it.