A Definite End to the Day

... just one minute grandmother, until I am ready for the picture ...

I got to have supper next door.

The only person who still had energy left at the end of the day was Betty.

She was able to pose for her picture, telling me to wait until she got her mouth really pulled open wide.

When I used to do this as a child, someone would tell me that my face would freeze that way.

There was another saying:  "I will put a rooster on you lips."  I had no idea exactly how that could be done, not coming from the farm.  I did know, however, that it was not something I should want to happen.

We ate a delicious salad from Costco.  Not delicious to the children.  Only to the adults.

There was a small bowl for each child, none of whom really wanted it, but it had to be eaten before the entree was served.

the sweet smell of a sausage earned by eating nasty salad
"you can't make friends with salad"

And that would be hash browns and sausages.

Michal wanted to sit on his dad's knee to eat, but kept leaning into Richard's chest and then sliding down.

"I am not a bed," Richard chided.  "If you want that position, you will have to get off of my knee."

It is OK for a 7 year old to sit on his dad's lap, but not OK for him to be as tall and boney as Michael is.

"He was playing with a ten year old at the pool, who was shorter than him," said Richard of Michael.

It was torture for Michael to finish the salad.  At times when it seemed to be spilling out of his mouth, back in he choked it, just so he could get to the hash browns and the sausage.

Alice had not had a very good day.  Her parents couldn't figure out why. There had been a ballet class.

... just one glimmer of hope to her life ...
Book 18

That had been followed by family swim time at the North Y.

But Alice could think of nothing that had made her happy, now that the evening was drawing on.

I was thinking that she and I haven't been doing enough reading and mentioned that we are only on Book 18 of the primer series.

"Book eighteen," shouted her parents in disbelieve.

 Alice was able to just barely raise her head from where it had been resting on the table in acknowledgement that she really had made it to Book 18.

And thus endeth another [perfect] day at the house next door.

Arta