Jan. 03, 2005 - 21:47 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Return From Paradise

We got home just before dark today, in time to go get milk and something for tomorrow's breakfast. Did enough unpacking to survive a day. The following part of the year holds enough excitement for me to anticipate, it should be satisfaction plus, but there will be a lack.

Yet the two weeks with daughter put Heather and I into another world. Being a part of a family that has growing children, Heather being mothered by her daughter -- true to her blood is she. Interesting conversations with Professor Daddy, we pretty well live on opposite sides of most any question, yet in good nature, agree to disagree and enjoy each other's company. Never saw an economist I could agree with anyhow.

Sir Cyrano the Primo Poodle, although the subject of the alpha momma of the family shows his love and hankering to play with the whole family. He picks his play time and the toy. Other times he will snuggle up next to someone and snooze. Heather was feeling pretty well under the weather when we got to Eugene and Cyrano stayed close to her and snuggled up close just like he did the last time we were there, when I was ailing. I would go in and lay down on my side, a light cover over me, before I dozed off Sir Cyrano would snuggle up in the crook of my knees and stay with me until I got up. He's a quivering, frisking joy machine at his very best most of the time, when he is not absorbing the sickness of one or the other of the family.

Sir Cyrano wouldn't sit up at the table and play Scrabble with us, his tastes don't seem to run to that sort of word play but he would spend time laying at the feet of first one of us and then at the feet of others at the table. However he seems to know what is said to him and is a good reader of mood of the speaker.

On the trip up to Portland from Eugene today he chose to sit in Heather's lap about for half way and then came back with me for the rest of the way. He seemed to know we were going somehow. I don't think daughter could have kept him out of the car with a crowbar.

Both of our grandkids are doing well in school, enjoying learning for the most part and both of them engaging in seasonal sports. Jeepers that grandson is taller than his six foot plus Dad. Keeps daughter busy being sports chauffer and cheering staff all the time, so her spare time for visiting with us was a bit of in between her Momma jobs.

We did have periods with just daughter and us and as well Heather accompanied daughter on her trips a good part of the time.

This has been quite normally accepted by Heather as she came up in a big family, nuclear and extended. Enjoyed greatly of course. For me it has been what I would think of as heaven. Family, together, at peace, each perhaps doing something different yet there is a feeling of closeness no matter what each is doing. I do sincerely wish I could have grown up with a sibling or dozen like that.

After a very smooth flight, scrooched up in seats that were too close front to back and side to side we slid back down to the ground and were home. All too soon did we have to get real and Return From Paradise . . . . . . .

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