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.
i hope the dream of the auto shop and country place can come true for them!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great meal!
ReplyDeleteExciting 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.
ReplyDeleteSounds 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.
ReplyDeletesounds wonderful....
ReplyDeleteMy cat would have been up on that table faster than you could scream, "NOOOOOO!"
ReplyDeleteAre there any silver dimes or quarters in those coins you rolled up years ago?