Friday, November 29, 2013

before and after


before



after


The family arrived about 1:30ish, food and kids spilling out of their truck. Still too cold to hang out outside so Xbox games were played, TV was watched, words were chatted while we waited for the turkey to finish cooking and then the dressing and then the warming up of the other dishes. I never think to take pictures these days.

Mike and Sarah went across the street to check out the auto shop that's for sale. Mike's hobby and nascent business is restoring old cars and trucks and he's ready to get a place big enough to hold all his toys and to have a place out in the country. Their plan is to put their city house up for sale at the beginning of the year and hopefully buy that place and then rent in the city until the kids all get out of school. I'd be very happy to have that happen as the only drawback to being out here is that I'm so far away from the kids and grandkids on a daily basis.

It will be weird though, once their house sells, not to have them next door when we are in the city. For most all of 36 years I have had Sarah and then Sarah and her family either in my house or right next door. I'll have to make the special effort to go visit them every time.

I've always liked the Mexican family compounds. Every part of the extended family has their own little house, sharing a central courtyard and as it is right now, the whole family, when we are in the city, is together in a 100' x 100' space. The Boy and Leesa will still be close though since they are still in the city house.

Anyhoodle, as my friend Janine says, eventually food was eaten, dishes done, candles lit, presents opened, and the parental unit skedaddled home.



About twice a year, I let the grandkids divvy up all my accumulated change and this year I added in some rolls of quarters and dimes and nickles I had rolled up years and years ago and Marc threw in one of his containers of accumulated change and they scored $30 and some change each. So we played dreidel for awhile and eventually I went to bed.

So now I have a house full of sleeping teenagers. Except for the grandboy. He's always up early no matter how late he stays up.



6 comments:

  1. i hope the dream of the auto shop and country place can come true for them!

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  2. Exciting times for your people. I might not be understanding.. will they be living near you in the country now instead of in the city? If so, better to be closer to one another in a more isolated place than in the city.. but I understand how you'd miss their closeness all the same.

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  3. Sounds like a lot of fun. I like the change giveaway. My youngest used to look under my lazy Boy and had a huge jar full.

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  4. My cat would have been up on that table faster than you could scream, "NOOOOOO!"

    Are there any silver dimes or quarters in those coins you rolled up years ago?

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.