A Diverse, Delightful Day

The heavy rain that fell all night tapered off as the time approached for the four of us to leave for Day 2 of "Grandparents U" -- a good thing, as B was looking forward to the outdoor (controlled) explosion in a garbage can that was part of the curriculum for the earthquakes and volcanoes class that he and P were taking.

Z and I, with our tablemates B (grandma) and M (granddaughter), finished the art projects we'd begun yesterday. One of the great things about "Grandparents U" is how all of us are on an equal footing, learning new skills, and B was pleased to have Z and B help her with one of her projects. The girls have become good friends and are planning to be penpals, and B and I are looking forward to getting together for lunch, having enjoyed our conversations over the past few days very much.

The program finished earlier than yesterday, so Z and I had plenty of time to run a couple of errands we'd been planning. One was to deliver a birthday card and gift to the newly three-year-old son of a friend of mine, and the other was to deliver a surprise package to Z and B's parents, D and E, who are staying at The Chrysalis Inn tonight. Z thought it would be nice to have a card from all of us waiting for them at the check-in desk, and I offered to provide the card, a bottle of French sparkling wine, and a little chocolate from my stash. Z added some freshly-picked lavender from our yard, and beautifully packaged all the treats, which became the second delivery of the afternoon.

Phil and B were busy in the workshop while we were gone, and after we returned, Zoe joined them. Both children are becoming more comfortable with Phil's tools, a wonderful skill to acquire at such an young age!

Despite our good intentions, it's after 10pm, the children aren't in bed yet and Phil and I are still working on our blips, so I'll close this one with a contented smile of gratitude for such a fine day -- and a fervent wish that this could have been the case for the many families in Aurora, Colorado, whose family ties were broken today by the violence of a gun-wielding man in a movie theater. The National Rifle Association's absurdly powerful lobby, enabling people here to purchase assault rifles, has blood on its hands tonight.