20 plus years ago, when we lived in Memphis, a young couple with a two year old daughter bought the house across the street from us. We liked them immediately, and became good friends. Later they added another daughter to the mix, and the love we felt grew with the addition.They were the kinds of friends who would watch our daughter for us, invite us to prepare and share meals together, join us for the annual Thanksgiving feast, pop over unannounced and help themselves to something from the fridge. One of the happiest memories of my life is when Angel brought her 2 or 3 month old infant over, and handed her to me. She also handed me a diaper bag. "This one needs a bath, and her mother needs a rest," she quipped, and turned on her heel. I spent the next happy hour indulging in adoring the baby, giving her a sweet little bath, and dressing her in the clean clothes I found in the bag. I kept her until she got fussy, then returned her to her mama. For someone who loves babies as much as I do, this was a gift to remember. It was a sadness when they moved away, but we kept in touch some, and that was wonderful.
When Rachel was 20 and trying to figure life out, our friends invited her to stay with then in North Carolina. She did for several months, and was greatly enriched by the experience. Last week I got a message from Angel, "Can Hannah come visit you for a while? Her college is going to be all on line this year and she doesn't want to do that, so she's going to do a little traveling." We got the guest room ready and now our house has the beauty and energy of a 20 year old in it.
We cooked her a lobster over the weekend. She liked it.
I like to see her sitting at the picnic table, painting. And I like to see those paintings drying in a sunny window.
The first night she was here Chris grilled some chicken and boiled some fresh corn on the cob. I milked the goats while he cooked. When I brought Bliss in, and began to clean her udder, I found a cut there, bleeding. I cleaned and medicated it, then messaged my farmer neighbor to see if she thought I should do more. She came right down, agreed with me that the cut probably didn't need to be seen by a vet, but she had some stronger medicated cream at home that might help. I didn't want to let the goat go, because there was a good chance I might not be able to catch her again when the medicine arrived. Meanwhile, dinner was served, so I just brought Bliss to the table. Chris grabbed an extra plate, so our friend was rewarded with an impromptu supper when she returned. Once the udder was slathered in medication, the goat went back to the pasture, and we finished our meal.
I figured this would make for a memorable first evening in Maine! How often does one dine with a goat? (I must add here that Bliss had remarkably good manners at the table.)
The weather has been hot and dry, and we have gotten in a few swims with the dogs, which is a joy.
Opal the pug is very pregnant, looking like she swallowed a soccer ball. I wish I could describe to you what a very round Pug in a bright orange life vest looks like paddling in a clear lake. It's a sight to behold. Bravo is happy to swim, retrieving sticks or just puttering about for the sheer joy of it. I bring Flirt into the lake in my arms to cool her off, and let her swim a few feet to shore. I can't say she enjoys it, but she is a competent swimmer and loves nosing around the waters edge to smell all the smells that a wee canine nose can find.
Afterwards she sleeps well in the old enamel wash tub I turned into a bed for her. This is her favorite position to be in.
The signs of late summer are all around us. The long, light evenings are a bit shorter than they were. Crickets chirp in the later afternoon heat, the air smells of milk weed blossoms. Along the roadways Purple Loosestrife, Queen Anne's Lace and Goldenrod bloom. Because work has been so busy I feel like I have let our short Maine summer slip between my fingers, and am determined to grab onto its joys as hard as I can in the next few weeks. I will swim as much as I can, eat the fresh corn from the farm stand, finally get my kayak into a lake. Hopefully I will share some of these delights with Hannah, so that when she leaves she will take along some happy memories of goats and lobster and New England summer.
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