I went on lots of walks with wee Flora and her piggy. xo
It was a typical Reed family adventure, with lots of jigsaw-like planning and a sophisticated action plan. A U-Haul and a car left Brooklyn in the early hours of the morning. We met up with the caravan at a rest area somewhere on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Our pick up truck was loaded with a few things that had been stored in our shed for a few years.
Much hugging, jumping up and down and squealing (and maybe some tears too) ensued. I can only imagine that some would say we caused a scene. Oh well. We drove west, trading drivers and having snacks along the way. Whenever we stopped, we ran around with our Magpie to give her antsy kid body a chance to unwind. She’s more of a bus and subway kind of kid, but she was a champ strapped into her car seat.
We rolled into Lindsey’s driveway just in time for supper, family style, so grateful for a safe journey and for our reunion. The next day the truck was unloaded into her basement, awaiting the next move into Ben, Gretta and Maggie’s very own apartment later in the summer.
The week ahead was filled with fun. I often had breakfast with Flora via FaceTime during the pandemic and it was SO MUCH FUN to have breakfast together in real life! There were morning walks to the park, swinging at the playground and reading books with Flora’s curly little head tucked under my chin. We had playtime when the two cousins learned about how to be together (the isolation of the pandemic robbed some kids of more than a year of interaction with other kids). Maggie was just soaking up every new thing up, dazzled by new places and new people and new routines.
Batman had to go north for a few days, one more time, and despite a few snafus, closed the chapter on the summer house. It marked the end of an era. I’m so aware of the generations shifting before my eyes. Old weaves into new and yet there is still the connection of family, threaded through the changes.
I had a chance to meet up in the real world with my friend Noel, a member of the Detroit Modern Quilt Guild. We met via Instagram and when we sat down together for the first time, she felt like an old and dear friend.
We toured Fisheye Farms, with veggie gardens planted in vacant lots in Detroit. We ate delicious African, Mexican and Thai food. We stopped by Sister Pie to catch up with the fabulous Lisa and had a legendary mocha at Avalon Bakery on their 24th birthday. (They make their mochas with chocolate milk, such a treat!) We wandered the beautiful grounds of the Cranbrook School and enjoyed supper gathered around Hannah and Loren’s table. I even did a bit of babysitting!!!
As fun and full as those days were, there was also an element of reticence in some situations. We had ventured out of our very safe state of Vermont and into the wilds of the rest of the world. Masking protocols were just being lifted in some states and vaccination rates varied. Add to that, the fact that we went from just the two of us, sheltered in our home on a dirt road…then launched into a busy urban area, bustling with lots of interactions. I was weary as my head hit the pillow at night! But most of all, THANK YOU SCIENCE, for making it all possible.
We’re already plotting our return for Hannah and Loren’s wedding at the end of the summer. Hannah just ordered flower girl dresses for Maggie and Flora, the tent has been reserved and the food truck selected.
I know a few of my readers are in the midst of similar family transitions this summer. Godspeed to anyone navigating their way into changes this summer. We have all hoped for these opportunities for so long. Let us embrace them with renewed appreciation for the simplest blessing of being together in a turbulent world.
xo
Our peonies have been magnificent this year. We lost a lot of the blooms to severe thunderstorms that passed through the other night, but I caught these pics before the wind. June beauty.