Scary Moments and Placid Gardens

Scary moments this morning. McLean Middle School, where Jacob is in sixth grade, was locked down. Although we were late for a doctor’s appointment, Jordan insisted we’d drive by the school (it was on the way). About three blocks away, we saw a cluster of police cars, an ambulance, and a TV van, along with a group of people held back by barricades. A helicopter circled overhead. But at the school all seemed quiet. Still, a police car was stationed at every intersection nearby.

Jacob texted and was, understandably, scared. The morning dissolved into an onslaught of texts and emails. While waiting for Jordan to come back and pick me up, I got an email from TCU: two people had been shot, one survived. The shooter was on the loose. He’d been sighted near the middle school and then near Albertson’s Grocery—right where we were headed. Apparently, the incident was a disagreement between three adult roommates, none of them connected to TCU.

We got the grocery to find business as usual and one lone officer standing in the parking lot. Jordan speculated on whether the shooter could be hiding in the back of the store. Unlikely. She finally decided we should live on the edge and shop. We did, uneventfully, and on the way home got word that the lockdown was lifted.

Still haven’t heard tonight if the shooter was found, taken into custody, whatever. It didn’t seem to be on the local news I watched. I did hear they didn’t believe he was still in the area, a “belief” that is not much comfort.

Came home to my yard, where ground cover has been installed in a large portion of the yard. It looks great, and Christian, who is enthusiastic about the whole thing, says the biggest plus is that they carted off all the rocks which were in the yard—we live in an area of extremely rocky soil. 

Shout out to John Filarowicz and his Five Star Landscape Company.They did an excellent job, left a clean site behind them, were polite when they were here. With a nice neighborhood twist, both John and his wife, Sara, grew up in our Berkeley neighborhood and Sara was Jacob’s first-grade teacher at Lily B. Clayton Elementary, across the street from our house. I couldn’t remember her first name this morning, and Jordan said that was because we always heard Jacob call her, “Mrs. Filarowicz.” Keeping it in the neighborhood is sort of like keeping it in the family.

Sophie of course could not resist this morning. She did not tiptoe through the tulips—she romped and ran through the ground cover, merrily chasing squirrels. Both the squirrels and the dog were energized by the cold weather.

I am delighted by the ground cover, which is protected with a heavy layer of mulch, because when it takes hold we won’t have a mudhole in the half of the yard where it’s too shady for grass. Sophie has been bringing in mud, too often depositing it in my bed. I suppose now I’ll get mulch in the bed, but it seems less objectionable.

Tonight, the Christmas lights blaze, the yard is peaceful, and I suppose the shooter no longer lurks in local streets. We’re locked in, just in case. Stay safe and warm, folks. It’s another nice wintry night.

A little bit of heaven on earth

Notice the dog lying in the middle of their picnic.

 

I've just spent a good part of my weekend sitting by a small--really small--lake, watching three of my grandchildren swim, fish, catch tadpoles and generally enjoy life in the country. My oldest son and his wife, Colin and Lisa, have bought a house with character and interest, set amongst wonderful landscaping someone did at no spared expense years ago, and on a small lake--too big to be a stock tank, but a really small lake. Colin says it's not six acres, so I'm guessing it's four. Their property takes in about a quarter of the shoreline. We visited, we ate, we read, we had happy hour--all by the lake, usually with a wonderful breeze. Fun to watch cousins having such a good time together. Morgan, at nine, is the real outdoor girl...loves the bugs and frogs (good at catching baby frogs but lets them go), good at swimming, loves living in the country. Kegan, just turned seven is not quite as much into it but he swims and was quite serious about his fishing.

Jacob woke up every morning feeling like a new adventure waited for him. In the picture above, they're trying to "water catch" fish as Jacob said. When his uncle told him about noodling, he said, "I'm never doing that in my whole lifetime" (for the uninitiated, you stick an arm in the water, a catfish bites, taking  your whole hand in its mouth, and you catch it by pulling your arm out of the water, catfish attached (Colin, have we fallen for a tall tale here?)
The property has lots of banana tress, a few palms, an apple, pear, fig, and peach tree, crepe myrtle, hedges galore, flagstone walkways that lead to concrete circles around trees, a riding arena, and a two-stall barn. Next door is a commercial stable so if the kids ever want riding lessons, they're in a perfect place. (The only drawback to that is that the flies are really bad!) There are at least three patio areas by the lake, one covered with a wonderful arbor overgrown with old wisteria. Plus a covered patio up by the house and a screened-in porch. I said if it were me I'd be sleeping on the porch--but it is pretty humid down there even at night. And great but short shower-storms came through sporadically Saturday.
The house, built in 1950 and since upgraded and added onto, is really interesting--a huge room that will become office/TV room/workout room; a smallish kitchen area--storage adjustments are going to be called for, a huge room open to the kitchen which will be living area, and three bedrooms. Cedar paneling in the kitchen, gleaming hardwood floors throughout. A house with many possibilities that they've only begun to explore.
As Lisa says, this is where they'll grow old together. I added that the kids will think of their young years as spent in the country, suburban memories fading fast. A wonderful place for all of them, and I'm so happy about it. So pleased for them. It's a great place to visit too--if I could only figure out how to get their big sweet dog not to snarl at my lively, in-your-face small dog!