#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Farm Pond

Chippie has made great progress and didn’t wake us until 6:00 a.m. I took him across the field to the river for our usual waking up view. Some fog rising. Warm and low clouds. The heron, no beaver. We tromp around the river and Chippie loves the mud, of course. And then I must go in and take over for Wave as my daughter departs. A smoother morning. Ironically, after he eats his breakfast and gets dressed we play hide and seek! I’m very good at hiding. He looks and looks and then decides he’d prefer to play Marco Polo when he can’t find me. He calls and wants me to answer, which I do and he soon finds me. After yesterday, I’m careful not to push the game too far, as much as I’m enjoying being in my hiding place. Frank is on his way home, but had to get rerouted to Hartford instead of Boston because of fog. His car is at Logan in Boston, of course. He’s ubering, and keeping his patience. I will pick him up in Framingham soon as he is sharing an Uber and getting dropped off. A Farm Pond day, and I’m excited to take Wave after he gets home from school. We haven’t been there together for six months. It’s warm and breezy and cloudy and the water is cool, of course, and Wave doesn’t hesitate. He’s all in. We play, and then he makes a friend. A boy who will also go to Kindergarten with him in the fall. Franci arrives and she takes a full dive in with him. But departure, getting Wave to leave the beach, doesn’t go well. It’s a very messy and unhappy departure. We get home, both stressed and his mother smooths things over. Gives him dinner. Soon enough I hear him with his mother, after food, he is performing, acting out our beach argument for her. I’m soon ready to go in and join and I get to act out my part. Then his mother gets to act out her part of greeting us in the driveway. . . his eyes are puffy from crying, but we are all healing and he’s able to enjoy his evening with his mother. He and I make peace and I know he regrets his outburst. I take Chippie out to the yard at dusk for a final romp. Our neighbors, with their dogs, are walking down our driveway as they often do. Chippies is wild to see their dogs and romps crazily with them. But of course he doesn’t want the play to end. So, for the second time today I’m managing a very loud and messy resistance to going home! But with Chippie I have a leash and cookies in my pocket. I manage to get him back indoors for bed. Boys and puppies. Keeping me young.