Saturday, February 4, 2023

 Saturday, February 4, 2023

      Lauren made breakfast for everyone. She cut up mango and papaya, enough for several days. She made me a bowl of fruit covered with coconut yogurt and granola. Wow! What a delightful invention. I planned to make some of this for myself when I got home. My culinary imagination is limited. I eat to live; I do that barely.

     The day was relaxed. Bobbie and Lauren’s attention was on the children, and I happily made myself at home. I perched on a bar stool at the kitchen island and did what I always do: I worked on the updates and the blog. Mama K canceled the Saturday morning session because her older daughter had volleyball. I spent the day typing, walking, talking with Lauren, Bobby, and Koa, and occasionally holding Rio, the four-month-old. I love how these two kids parent; they’re calm and thoughtful. The almost three-year-old, Koa, is rambunctious and has strong opinions. He can be insistent. He is tuned into his parents’ buttons and skilled at pushing them. He is also a lovely child, bright as a whip, warm and playful. I had a good time with him. Then again, I never had to say no.

   Lauren’s parents, Susan and Roy, came from the nearby hotel in the afternoon. Susan is outgoing and joyful; Roy is reserved and generally muted. In some ways, they remind me of Mike and me. I was the outgoing one; he was more reserved and often uncomfortable with my making connections with total strangers.

    Susan, Lauren, the kids, and I went on a walk. Koa was on a bike. He often raced ahead of us. Watching a kid under three tear down a street on a bike has breathtaking moments. We made it back without incident- all body parts intact.

     We had dinner at the hotel where Roy and Susan, Lauren’s parents, stayed. Lauren picked a hotel restaurant that had sushi because her father loved it. We had two tables pushed together. Roy, Susan, and I got to sit at a large end table unsuitable for a chair. Susan got her legs underneath. Roy and I had to make do. We ordered several rounds of sushi to share around the table, which we all enjoyed except Susan. She’s not a fan of raw fish.  

      Koa was active. Susan walked with him. She took him up to her room. Fortunately, he was in the bathroom when he threw up. Susan got some of it on her shoes and genes. Lauren went upstairs and helped her mom clean the boy up. We headed home. He made it without incident. Lauren threw her mother’s jeans into the washing machine when we got home while Bobby attended to the Koa.

      I got in my ten thousand steps today.