Away from home

So the other night we were nine. Yes, nine. Four adults and five children, crammed into a tiny living room, on one of the hottest and most humid nights of the summer.

It's because my daughter, who herself is not well, graciously offered to help out a friend in need, who needed to work till after midnight and so there were five children to put to bed, instead of only three. Ages 7, 5, 4, 2, and 8 months. A most interesting two days. I'd forgotten how exhausting raising small beings can be--there is so little time for the caretaker and when it finally does become available, one is too tired to profit from it.

The littlest one has taken to me, a complete stranger. We stood at the kitchen window and watched the morning birds descending in a swoop on the concrete steps of the courtyard as a squirrel raced by on a fence top.

I've been down in Beantown, visiting, and landed in the middle of a sweltering heat wave, which promises to be somewhat alleviated perhaps with the arrival of Hurricane Bill, who may or may not hit inland from the coast, but for sure there will be wind and rain. There have also been periodic tornado warnings but nothing came of it.

Not a lot of time or opportunity to blog this time. Leaving here Sunday, with more luggage than I came down with, thanks to Bookcrossing, which I'll write about when I get back home.