Mid-holiday musings

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Sleep has been hard to manage on this trip to the Midwest, but waking early allows me time for back/hip exercises and copious solitary moments greatly enhanced by sitting in my sister-in-law's sunroom listening to the lake, which laps gently or voraciously against the shore. This morning is of the ferocious style, a clear day with a strong breeze, the waves not quite whitecaps. Large geese have been spotted, a dark gray heron too. Frogs attempt to get into where my granddaughters sleep, and we joke that those amphibians don't get to go inside because they don't pay rent. Other than missing my better half, who is keeping an eye on our place, I'm enjoying a marvelous getaway.

Well, I did break my pinky left toe, ahem. Going down the loft stairs a little carelessly, I banged it hard, thought nothing of it until much later in the day. Now it's taped to the one beside it, and I'll avoid the loft where my granddaughters play with toys from a previous generation.

Otherwise..... Being here is lovely; I haven't visited in summer since 2019. Yet I spent a week here this past January as my brother-in-law died. It's hard to place those wintry days alongside summer's explosion of leafy trees, vibrant wildflowers, expansive greenery and the noisy lake, which six months ago was silenced by a thick layer of ice. Now that body of water roars as though making up for all those quiet weeks, and I can picture our beloved sitting across from me in the sunroom, his coffee in hand, a smile on his face as we talk of the grandgirls, nieces to him, but just as adored as who they are to me. We'd chat about getting a few dozen ears of corn for that night's supper, then he'd go to his feet for a refill of coffee. He was an earnest, selfless soul, hard-working with a sly wit. This place isn't the same without him.

Yet the lake continues to churn, birds twitter, frogs hop about. We'll purchase corn this morning, no more than a dozen ears for the six of us. My son-in-law made Sunday gravy yesterday, maybe one of the neighbors will drop by with zucchini. A trip to the playground is planned, perhaps some EPP lessons for my youngest granddaughter who wants to learn to sew hexies. Her older sister is keen to make another paper-pieced block, and we bought some fabric yesterday for that very activity, hehehe. Time seems to halt in this place as though the lake absorbs the minutes and hours into its depths, trapping those seconds as if wanting to freeze them forever. Yet it's already Tuesday, this week humming along as though time swirls around us, keeping the memories of one missing safely from our hearts. It's a strange experience which I won't ponder further, other than to remark how grateful I am to be here. Life is short. Best to spend with loved ones whenever possible.

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