FRIENDS

Yeah Friends!!!! Auntie Jen came from the North and Val, Mark, Soren, baby Ingmar, and Agnes the diva dog came from San Fran for a week in “paradise”. They happened to be here during the rainiest week we’ve had since arriving. Our car flooded, leaving sippy cups and animal books floating in the back seat. It also so happened that the power went out for most of the days they were here. In addition, the road back to San Francisco was closed due to heavy snow and downed power lines. We also ran out of firewood for the woodstove – our only source of heat. These are true friends. They still speak to us and and act like they would come back again. Oh – also, there were still boxes everywhere…..and our dog was covered with ticks.

Somehow, it was still the greatest visit. Auntie Jen became super nanny to all the kids and whipped faucet back into shape. She bathed him, meticulously picked the ticks off, administered Frontline, and cut his hair with a pair of shears. She also facilitated some sessions between Faucet and I so that we could rebuild our relationship. I had kind of stopped liking him so she put us on a little program to reconnect. Just seeing a decline in the number of engorged ticks on the floor every morning did wonders. His skunk smell still lingered but was more tolerable – this also improved his status around here.

Val whipped mountain man Blase into shape by cutting back his woolly beard and pruning his fro – both of which had gone unshaved and untrimmed since our arrival here in October. It was nice to see his face again.

Ossian and Soren had lots of tea parties, potty science, hat fests, and unsolicited lessons in sharing. Ossian continued her obsession with baby Ingmar. She found him so irresistable that she had to grit her teeth everytime she said his name or squeezed his cheeks. She demanded to “pet the baby Ingmar!” Ingmar was unflappable. At times, he was surrounded by three toddlers all trying to do something with him at the same time. He seemed bemused and never got mad.

Ossian turned two. I made cupcakes for her little party and then realized that the oven didn’t work due to the power outage. Instead, the 3 two-year olds in attendance ate honey, peanut butter balls coated in coconut with candles stuck haphazardly in the middle. They managed to eat a bite or two to make me feel better.

At the end of the week, I said goodbye to my little Ossian for the weekend to have my first night away from her. With number two imminently arriving, I decided it was time to seize the moment and have a little break. Val, Jen, Soren, Ingmar, Agnes and I drove to Santa Rosa, deposited the kids and dog with Val’s husband Mark, and we headed to a spa for the night. Wow. I think that I experienced a relaxed state for the first time since July of last year.

We said goodbye the next day and I made the journey back to Petrolia, encountering lightening storms, hail downpours, a blizzard, and ice along the way.