The family keeps on coming

September 13, 2008 by Barbara.

With Ken away, Reid and I are particularly grateful for visitors. It keeps us from staring at each other at meals wondering what else we can say to each other. Okay, it would be more accurate it gives me a grown up to speak with and frees Reid for the requirement to provide me with all sorts of stories about her day, which she generally won’t share in any case.

Uncle Dave came to visit on Tuesday. He was there when we got home. Even better than just being there, if I can be selfish or self-centred or something, he was in my garage fixing the garage door opener. For reasons that escape me, the door has been stopping about a foot from the ground and then re-opening. If you hold the button down for the last foot, the door would close. But you had to remember that little trick. Last month, I forgot when I left to go to camping at the KOA and my neighbour was nice enough to disengage the electric apparatus and close the door manually. On Friday, when Aunt Pam took my car to be cleaned, she didn’t know about the trick and also had to close the door manually. While the door has had this foible for quite a while, and we’ve tried to get it sorted out a couple of other time, it only seemed urgent when the “what if” scenarios that I imagine started getting scary. For example, I usually remember to lock the house door but what if I forget and the garage door is open? Or, what if the garage door stays open and someone steals my super-expensive winter tires? And then Uncle Dave got on his white charger and rode to our rescue…

Reid was also glad to see Uncle Dave. I think she appreciates his laid back attitude. Maybe it’s the fact that he is the quiet one in a loud family. As soon as Reid saw Uncle Dave in the garage, she went out to join him. I’m not sure if she talked his ear off, spoke a bit or just watched. She definitely didn’t want to come in. Well, she came in to get me to come out so that she could show me his dirty hands. She was *very* impressed. It’s obvious, I guess, that Ken and I aren’t handy in that way.

Aunty Amanda came for supper on Tuesday night, too. Uncle Dave seemed a bit surprised that I actually have friends and wanted to know how we met. He has spent so many years as my brother-in-law that he thinks that he is entitled to say such things. Imagine! We managed to chat about this and that and we had a nice supper all together (I think).

When I woke Reid on Wednesday morning and told her that she needed to get ready for school, she told me that I was wrong. She said that Uncle Dave was at our house for and visit and she needed to stay to keep him company. If we were still in the loosey-goosey days of day care, that would have been the case but with school it seems Reid should attend. Uncle Dave took us to Reid’s school and then me to my bus stop. It was a nice treat for us and meant we wouldn’t have two cars at Reid’s swimming lesson after school.

Except that her swimming lessons were cancelled due to lack of enrollment. I talked with a teacher about the value of her attending a class at the level below the one she is currently at, since my biggest goal is to get her into the water twice a week, but learned that the class below was full. Ah, well, it was worth a try. Reid was disappointed that the class was cancelled but even more so that Uncle Dave wouldn’t be able to watch. She loves it when people come to her lessons. I love it, too, because she “shows off” by trying some moves that she hesitates at when it’s just me and/or Ken.

So, if you’re able to come for a visit, please don’t object if we end up pool side.

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