On my way over to Mom’s on Monday I stopped in at Target to pick up a stapler for her; both of hers were ‘broken’.  It was no biggie, a quick in-and-out for me.  When I got to Riderwood (having to park in the Boonies because all of the open visitor spaces were coned-off) it turned out that her staplers were only jammed with bent staples, which was quite easy for me to fix.

Mom decided she would rather stay in, visiting and relaxing instead of zooming around to the library and grocery store, so that’s what we did.  I created a desktop folder for photos, and then spent a good portion of the afternoon teaching her how to transfer pix from e-mails or FB posts.  We went slowly, and by the end she seemed fairly comfortable with the process, also having taken “copious notes”.  However, often being on that side of the technology equation myself, I made it clear that should she experience difficulty when she tries to do it on her own (the story of MY life!) I am only a phone call away!

We met Lucille for dinner, and had a delightful visit.  She’s still plugging along (each year I fear it’s my final visit with her) though needs aides with her 24/7.  

My dinner (crab soup, spinach/strawberry/feta salad, pecan crusted rainbow trout with lemon dill sauce, steamed broccoli and roasted cauliflower) was delicious.  (All the fine dining I've enjoyed during my visit is going to make it even harder to go back to feeding myself!)  But the service was beyond slow, so instead of being on the drive back to Mink Hollow by 7:00, we were just walking back to Mom’s apartment, in a different building than where we dined, at 7:15. A major storm had rolled in (I had seen how dark it had gotten through the windows in the dining room) and there was a lot of lightning.

 By the time we got back up to Mom's apartment I was feeling somewhat rushed
to get going before I lost all the light.  

I bid Mom goodbye (for another year?) grabbed my stuff and zoomed off.  Is anyone surprised that by the time I made it back downstairs the skies had opened, and it was pouring.  Good thing I’m not made of sugar and didn’t melt, though I was pretty drenched by the time I got to the car.  All the windows were fogged up and needed to be wiped (and I had to consult the manual in the glovebox to discover where they had hidden the rear wiper) but despite the darkness and weather (they were talking about 70 mph winds, and possible hail) I had an uneventful and safe drive back to Mink Hollow.

Pippa was especially thrilled to see me, no doubt in part because I was tasked with feeding her the dry portion of her dinner; Andy had driven straight to Charlie’s concert from work.  She did, however, have to wait until Andy got home (around 9:00) for the rest of her meal.

Despite the rain, the repaving of their neighborhood’s private road was going ahead on Tuesday. Since I was up at my usual time, 6:00, it was no problem to shower and pack and head out when Andy did, before the deadline at their portion of the road. Mom was surprised to see me appear (she was still in her jammies having her morning coffee and reading the paper) and it turned out to be a good thing that I forgot to leave behind Dad’s set of keys Monday night in my rush to beat the darkness.

We whiled away the morning playing Rummikub, I packed a lunch to fortify me through my travels, and then after a much more relaxed goodbye I headed to BWI. Returning the rental car was easy, and though it was a bit of a schlep from the end of the line in the garage to where I needed to catch the shuttle bus to the airport, one was right there at the curb and waiting for me. For the first time in history there was NO line at curbside check in, and (since I had plenty of time) security moved along at a reasonable pace. (It helped that my trail mix did not get flagged as explosives this time through.) Bottom line: I was at the gate before 2:00 for my 3:20 flight.

With my A44 boarding number I had no trouble getting “my” seat, on the aisle in the next to last row.  That section of the plane turned out to be Baby Town. Next to me ended up being 7-month-old Cash on Mom Natalie's lap, and his twin brother Dorian was behind us on Grandma's lap.  Across the aisle, in the last row, was another little boy, four months old. All three of the little ones behaved amazingly well (no doubt to the delight of all passengers around us) throughout the flight. I got to have Cash sitting with me for much of the trip, and then Dorian for a little bit.  Got a wonderful baby fix - and Natalie was most grateful for a bit of a break!  The twins were absolutely adorable - and their propensity for flashing huge grins didn't hurt any.

My luggage made the same trip I did, Tom was at the airport to pick me up, and I was home in time for dinner (delicious beef ribs in the crock pot) though MY body said it was almost 9:00 and maybe I should just fall into bed.   Did manage to keep awake until 8:30 last night (only unpacked enough to find my toiletries) and slept until a reasonable 5:30 this morning.

I have Busy Bees this morning, the cleaning ladies coming this afternoon, and an appointment at the dentist tomorrow, so I am plunging right back into my Real Life after a wonderful vacation.

Alex had flown home from the East Coast on Monday, but then flew out to California on Tuesday, so I didn't get to see him.  He should be home this week long enough to get ready to head to Vegas for the weekend to attend EDC. I hope to get a glimpse of him <g> and thank him for the lovely Mother's Day card, flowers, and bird feeder that awaited my arrival yesterday.

Guess now I'd better get showered and dressed
and ready to head off to quilting.