The party, traveling

When I got home yesterday the driveway was full. Grandma, Grandpa, Norman, Seth and Gabriella, Trace and Krystal and the boys had all come over for a party to visit with Joshua and Alicia and her children and Brittany and the girls. It was not a quiet gathering. What struck me immediately was that the noise did not emanate from the kids – although there were eight of them. The noise, or rather, the level of volume required to speak to be heard, came from the adults. For those who know Grandma and Norman, that is not an unusual thought. Pizza, the staple for such events, was being consumed at various settings throughout the dining room, kitchen and living room. The twins were less overwhelmed than I thought they might be and were happily trying to pinch bites of avocado that their mommy had put on their trays. The “chase” that ensues almost every time they try to capture a chunk of avocado in their tiny fingers is fun to watch. Their determination to accomplish the task is amazing to observe. I often wonder how long it has been since I possessed the singularity of focus.

Everyone was having a good time getting reacquainted or newly acquainted in the case of Krystal and the boys and Alicia and her three children. It was interesting to see five boys crowded around on iPad giving input to the person who was actually playing. When Sophia and Zoe were placed in the mix, the boys made room for them until they tired to touch the screen whereupon, the moved and re-huddled. The girls would skootch themselves over into the mix yet again and the process would be repeated. Meanwhile Grandma did her best to engage everyone in conversation – often at the same time. Part of the volume level came directly from those efforts. Everything was going well until Grandma got the hairbrained idea to have Alicia sit on one of the stools at the counter in the living room and have Joshua propose to her. She somehow thought that would be a great skit to add to the party. Even going so far as to ask Mama to get her an engagement ring to use for the “proposal”.

Alicia, not knowing Grandma, had to be rescued by Brittany and Mama as they tried to deter Grandma from her grand plan. As is common with Grandma she was unrelenting. So next, Grandma went to Joshua and asked him to help her orchestrate the mock proposal. Joshua, kindly, but flatly refused. More than once. Eventually, it all blew over, but not before Alicia had been mortified by the thought of having this happen in the crowd that was gathered at that moment. I believe Joshua plans to propose, but he will do so in his time, at his choosing, when he feels there is the makings of a memory that can be shared for many years to come. That is as it should be. You have only to ask Mama about my proposal to her, almost 37 years ago at this point, to understand the significance of the moment; of the memory. The moment will come but such a moment is not to be forced upon the couple for the purpose of amusement.

When Norman announced that he was leaving, the Bowie crew packed up to head home. He had already helped Brittany pack for her pending departure and he and Grandpa were anxious to get things staged for jobs waiting on them this morning. Suddenly the house was quiet. Even the twins noticed. It was not long after that Mama and I were given the privilege of feeding the twins their bedtime bottle. Me with Sophia. Mama with Zoe. We prayed with Brittany, helped her put the babies in their car seats and waved our goodbyes. I was then free to begin my nightly watering duties.

When I was at the peach tree, I noticed that it was starting to shed its fruit. I picked one and took it to Mama suggesting we use the labor we had available to clean what remained off the tree and do whatever we could with the tiny fruit. The peaches we picked were about the size of a small apricot – but they had a good flavor. All the kids joined in the process of gathering the peaches - with a lot of chatter about who was tall and who was not. It did not take very long but I think it will be a good memory for them. We could not have left the fruit on the tree through the weekend without losing all of it, so it was time well spent.

Joshua, Alicia and the kids will be leaving sometime this morning. Heading yet farther north to see a friend Alicia has not been this close to geographically in several years. From there, they will head back home to Victoria. In an unusual twist of life, Mama, Victoria and I will arrive in Victoria, TX before they do. We will head there tomorrow afternoon to attend an anniversary service for Pastor Parrish at Western Hills Baptist Church – 40 years as their pastor. We will only be there for the morning service and the lunch following. We are looking forward to seeing everyone.

We will be back at the farm before Joshua and his crew get home.