Now With 2/3’s Less Noise
The boys went to their Grammy’s this weekend. (Grammy’s doesn’t mean the music awards in this case; it’s the name they gave my Mom many years ago.) It’s blissfully quiet and peaceful around here today.
Getting them out the door was quite the experience though. Packing the clothes is the easy part. They find it necessary to take a couple of game systems and all the games to keep them busy for a long two day, one night stay. Who knows what else they decided to haul along. Besides the bag of clothes I provided, there was one box, a backpack, a messenger bag and a grocery sack of stuff. When they return tomorrow, Mom will add at least two bags of groceries and leftovers. She also returns all clothing freshly washed and coated with about five times the amount of fabric softener I use. The clothes are positively waterproof. I still should have stuffed more dirty items into the bag.
I think it took nearly half an hour to get all their things and their selves loaded into the car. The big problem is the 3 inches of ice coating our driveway. Between the ice storm, the cold weather, and a couple days warm enough to generate snowmelt and re-freeze, we could host ice skating championships out there. Our house faces north and stays in the shade this time of year, and no amount of chipping or salting is going to dislodge the mess. Getting them gone went something like this:
1. V hauled the stuff out on a sled.
2. V hauled SW out on the sled.
3. SW can only get up from the sled at the end of the drive where there is no ice.
4. SW inches fearfully to the drivers door of the car on the ice but won’t work his way around to the passenger side.
5. SW then decides he cannot move from the spot he is standing on, period.
6. I get cat littler to throw down on the ice for foot traction.
7. Grammy moves the car to the street where there is no ice.
8. SW finally makes it into the car.
9. We all wonder why in the heck we didn’t just move the car up closer to the house instead of sliding all the way down the driveway on the ice.
10. A couple of neighbors drive by and wonder why we are laughing so hysterically.
11. Grammy and the boys leave.
12. Grammy and the boys return to fetch additional video game accessories and SW’s asthma inhaler.
13. Peace descends on the house.
Now I dearly love my boys, and wouldn’t be without them - except for the occasional weekend when they go to Grammys. I can enjoy every moment they are gone and still be glad to see them when they return. Part of me even looks forward to the day when RM is less a homebody and is ready for her weekends with Grammy as well. She’ll enjoy the spoiling as much as her brothers do I’m sure.
I got some work done this afternoon, tidying up a few odds and ends and knocking out a couple of projects. V did a little running and a litle of this and that. We are now about to settle in for an evening of Chinese takeout and movies. It’s like a real weekend!
