Clear Skies And Beth Arrives

Clear And 22º At 7:30

It’s 8:05, and I’ve been up since 6:15. I’m happy that our daughter Beth is visiting for a few days. Today will be a bit strange, though, because Tom and his family are attending a funeral for an uncle, which will take up the entire morning and part of the afternoon. That leaves Beth, Evie, and me on our own this morning.

Marlena And Rhys

On Monday, we were lucky to have Rhys for the day after he spent Sunday night with us. He was up early with Mary at 6:00, while I slept in until 6:45 so I could at least be of some help later—though probably not a lot. He’s a typical boy, full of piss and vinegar, and only truly settles down when a truck video is playing on the boob tube. By 9:30, everyone was up and pitching in—playing with Rhys and giving him plenty of attention so Mary could enjoy some free time. He especially loves the Richard Scarry books Evie gave him, which kept him occupied for a while.

Rhys And Mary At The Library

It was too cold for a walk, so I stayed in, helped with Rhys, and worked on the blog. Around 9:40, Rhys, Mary, Evie, and I drove to the Lee’s Summit Library, about 15 minutes away, for story time. Unfortunately, the woman who reads the stories was on vacation, so story time was canceled. We stayed for about half an hour anyway, since there’s a play area for kids, and Rhys loved climbing and exploring. We left around 11:00, happy we’d gone, even though he didn’t get to hear a story.

A Busy Boy

The rest of the morning was mostly spent hanging out and waiting for Beth’s plane to arrive from Dallas in the early afternoon. Since I hadn’t gone for a walk, I decided to take a sauna before lunch, followed by a shower. I was in for only 20 minutes, but it took a bit of the mojo out of me and left me wanting to relax—or even take a nap. Lunch was easy: leftover pizza.

Beth Arrives

Beth finally arrived around 2:00, coming by Uber. It was great to see her, and we really appreciated the effort she made to come, despite leaving the family at home. Tom headed to the Tesla dealer at 3:00 for a minor battery adjustment. Beth loved spending time with Rhys as he got to know her, and as usual, he was good with everyone.

Dinner With Beth And Rhys

We had dinner reservations at 5:00 in Lee’s Summit at the 3rd Street Social. Nick arrived at 4:00 to take Rhys home, but stayed with us through dinner. Even at 5:00, the restaurant was busy, though we had no trouble getting a table. Our waiter was quick and efficient, bringing drinks and appetizers promptly, followed soon by our main courses—mostly burgers, salads, and fish. It was a good place, and we enjoyed it. Rhys did fine and seemed happy to be there.

We were home by 6:45—without Rhys, alas, since his dad took him home. We sat around talking for a while and then watched a show called Knife’s Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars. By 8:30, everyone was in bed except me. I stayed up to watch the end of the NFL game, which wrapped up around 10:00.