Day 176, Friday, June 25th, 2021
So Happy to Be Home
We got home about 11 pm Thursday night and the dogs were besides themselves with joy at our arrival. I missed Lola a bunch this trip and I don’t normally miss the pets. I know mom missed Teddy so much that it almost physically pained her. Friday was a flurry of activity… unpacking, laundry, taking Anna to the doc for a UTI, returning my rental lens… and when I finally plopped down on the couch Friday night, I was exhausted. We put something mindless on TV then I remembered that I hadn’t taken a photo today and Stuart looked so cute in the chair that he became my subject. You should’ve seen how surreptitiously I crept off the couch to get my camera. I didn’t want to disturb him. Stuart had pulled the blanket off the back of the chair and made a nest with it on the chair cushion. Lola is just behind him. So precious.
Day 177, Saturday, June 26th, 2021
Night Swim with the Glowing Balloons
It had been so nice to get away and cut loose and be real grown-ups last week that we weren’t quite ready to get back to our regular routine. So we invited friends to come over Saturday night to swim, drink, and play cards. We heated the pool (didn’t need much to warm it up!) and hopped in just after sunset. Aaaahhhh… the water felt great! Those balloons are solar-charged LED floating lanterns that my mom got Curtis for Father’s Day 2020. They change color automatically and add a lot of light to the pool at night. Followed by a couple of adult beverages and some cutthroat canasta, it was a very fun evening.
Day 178, Sunday, June 27th, 2021
Pretty Plumbago
This is such a pretty perennial plant, the plumbago. We thought this particular bush had died forever with the great Snowpocalypse 2021 but it survived and is blooming like crazy right now. The color is a purplish blue and the petals are thin and delicate. It’s always been one of my favorite things to photograph, I remember snapping photos of our neighbor’s plant in Austin. I like this composition with the sun setting in the background and the tiny unfurled blossoms ready to burst poking up amongst the blooms. Makes me happy.
Day 179, Monday, June 28th, 2021
Waiting on Dr. Arnold
We love Dr. Arnold… our family’s gastroenterologist. He has now seen all 5 of us in his office. (My claim to fame? I have the colon the size of Tim Duncan!) Dominic had his follow up with him after getting a bazillion tests run. All the testing came back normal so he was diagnosed with IBS. Dr. Arnold said it was common in people with ADD and ADHD. Dominic’s been tracking what foods upset his stomach but it looks like he inherited his dad’s genes for tummy troubles. Sorry kid!
Day 180, Tuesday, June 29th, 2021
Cloud Blows a Kiss
Every afternoon since we got back from Key West, we’ve had stormy skies in the distance with intermittent light rain showers. Tuesday brought super dark skies and dramatic clouds… including this one where it looks like a pair of cartoon lips blowing an exaggerated kiss! Do you see it?
Day 181, Wednesday, June 30th, 2021
Lunch for Dominic
I had my follow-up with the cardiologist today. (Nothing of note other than we added paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia <PSVT> to my other arrhythmias of PVCs and PACs.) I dropped Dominic off at his counselor’s office before my appointment and picked him up after. I’m glad he has someone with whom to talk that is there solely for him. Since he hadn’t eaten yet, we picked up some 5 Guys on our way home.
Day 182, Thursday, July 1st, 2021
Anna Tells a Secret
Anna loves telling news to everyone and every day she makes the rounds calling relatives to share the latest. Today she had a juicy tidbit that she was forbidden to tell anyone. I found her at Nana’s this afternoon and asked her if she had shared it and she hadn’t. Yay! Then she asked me so so nicely if she could tell only Nana. I said okay. I love how she leans way in to whisper the secret and how you can see her shadow reflection on the glass behind them.
The Big Reveal
For the first time in nearly 30 years of parenting, Curtis and I were walked in on… ahem… you know. Anna was like, “Oh my God, what did I just see???” LOL!!! I made her promise not to tell anyone because it was private (and for what it’s worth, she was at my mom’s house and our door was closed… she didn’t knock). She did good and did not talk about it all day, even to her caregiver, Andrea. Her boundaries aren’t good so I was worried. Anyway, this was her reaction getting to tell her Nana… and Nana’s reaction too which is priceless even if it’s out of focus.
Thanks for looking!
