I gave my Memorial Day shift away, which afforded me a five day stretch off! We had our relatives from St. Louis and New Jersey up for a visit, and it was a great time doing all of the things you do when summer arrives: hot dogs and bonfire, boat rides, swimming, long country walks, and frog catching! Of course, it was a relief to me that there was lots of family to visit my grandma, keep her company, and cheer her up (as well as share the responsibility for her).
We are going to be putting her on the waiting list to move to the assisted living side after rehab. It’s bittersweet, as it’s a relief for those of us who live here but also very sad as her house now stands empty for the first time… ever. It was brought up to the top of the hill by my grandma’s great-grandfather, lived in by her great-aunt (who was a grandma to her), and then inherited by her as a young married woman starting a family. My mother grew up there, and I spent 99% of my happy childhood moments there (and in the cottage). While I’m very glad I purchased the cottage from her (it was built and maintained by my great-grandmother), I won’t be purchasing the house. It pains me, but it’s just in a bad state of repair and would be too much work for me to re-build it. I also don’t want to be tied here 100% of the time, as all my readers know. It’s a wonderful place to spend the summer, but not somewhere I would want to raise my daughter full-time. Not to mention I’d have literally no money to travel.
Anyway, it’s a sad thing for me and for her but it’s also a huge weight off of my shoulders knowing she’s somewhere safe, and not having to manage the caregivers.
Back to the fun, though. Summers on the lake make me never want to leave, and I forget all about the 8 months of longing to be anywhere else! It’s great enough to make me want to stay all the time… until I remember how gosh-darn miserable we are all winter. M, at age 3, is now jumping off the boat and swimming with a life jacket in the middle of the lake for the first time! I’m so proud of her! She’s kicking and moving her arms as she’s learned to do in her swim lessons. I certainly wasn’t coming off the boat in the deep water at this age, so I’m awfully proud of her. She kept saying, “Mommy, I’m brave!”
Mother of All Things 