#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Dinner at The Fireside

A dry day. After dark, I water the plants, and shower outdoors with the fireflies and crickets. At 3:00 a.m. I woke up and reached my leg over to find Frank’s and make sure he got home. No leg! No Frank! I get out of bed and text him, call him. Where could he bed? His plane should have landed before midnight. How could he be this late? I’m really worried. Then, in bed again, I send my leg over again - contact! He’s here! He was here all along. Whew! We both wake early. Perri and Wave too. I make his egg and pancake and his lunch for gymnastics and rush out the door so I can have my Farm Pond swim before Frank and I drive him to camp. Perri has a hair appointment. The pond is quiet and glassy and warm. I swim around the island and back. Rush home. Just on time to get Wave out the door. But he’s resisting. Not cooperating. He seems irritable and tired. I get him to the driveway, and almost in the car, but not quite. I can see he needs a day off. I know his mother will agree with me. I ask if he’d like to stay home or go to camp. He makes the right choice: home. He plays quietly for a good part of the morning. I offer to go on a hike for blackberries, and he says yes. But we never quite go. He’s lagging. His mother comes home and agrees with me, this was a good idea. I work on a poem while he plays with some toys. After lunch Frank and I take him to Kingsbury. It’s burning hot out, and the water is cool. We swim together and play in the water park. Then it’s time to go home to go to his father’s house. I’m grateful to have had this time, and he kisses me goodbye. I get a much better draft of my poem today. It’s a good start. We play pickle tonight, indoors. Wisely so. Dinner outdoors in the center of town as the sun goes down and it’s still quiet warm. July night. Fireflies, some play today, some poetry and family. Frank home safe and sound.