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I've been walking each morning around Jeff's lakes, even in drizzling weather. The skies were clear this morning, with Venus as my companion. |
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Papa and I got a lot of work done before this little guy decided to join us. And even when he did, he wasn't sure about it. |
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It took us awhile to get to Jeff's. When we arrived, Ella was eating breakfast. |
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I commented on how tall Ben had grown since I had seen him last (four months ago), and apparently this is a sore spot with Ella. Now I see why. These two siblings are five years apart. |
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Dave's family arrived last night. They traveled with lemons, fresh from a neighbor's tree. We discussed at length what to do with them. Someone suggested pie. That idea floated in the air for a few minutes. |
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In the meantime, Melanie taught many interested people about rocket fuel. I'd love to tell you more, but it was at this point that I left to take Ella to work. |
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Sirius was not interested in rocket fuel. |
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Julia and I were interested in lunch, which was ready when I returned. Everyone enjoyed chicken nuggets. |
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Carolyn and Kate worked together to make crusts for lemon meringue pie. Jill just happened to have everything necessary. Anything we needed, Kate found. |
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Not everyone was involved with making the pie. I love watching cousins play together. |
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Nate's blanket caught my attention. I made this quilt 20 years ago for Nate's oldest brother. I guess college kids don't take truck blankets to school. |
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Jeff and Jill had to leave. Carolyn stayed home with all the kids except one. Papa, Dave and I took two animals and Ben for a walk. It seemed like a reasonable balance. |
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I love Jeff's lakes and never turn down an opportunity to go for a walk. |
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We spied an abundance of wildlife. |
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So did Sirius, who was outraged that squirrels were in the trees above us. |
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While we were all looking up in the trees, Little Ben spied two cormorants. |
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Ben tired of the scooter, so Dave took it over. Sirius is such a funny dog. He was delighted to pull Dave along. Maybe Dave enjoyed this a little too much. |
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The lake was filled with birds. Dave taught me about cormorants. |
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Lo and behold, Corinne joined us! |
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Back at the ranch, people were moving in the direction of a piano recital. |
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Maybe not all of us were moving in that exact direction. Some people went to a playground. |
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Julia ended up in the latter group. |
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Kate ran through her music one last time. |
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Melanie worked on chemistry homework until it was time to go. |
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Nate and Luke were teaching Ben the finer points of Minecraft until there was no time left at all. |
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The pies came out of the oven just before we had to leave. |
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If the recital hadn't been important, it would have been sacrificed for the pies. |
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Luke and Jane performed extremely well. |
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Kate is excellent. Trust me on this. |
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Ben said he was nervous, but I couldn't tell at all. |
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Jeff was a pretty proud dad. Marcia and two grandsons made a surprise appearance. Joseph was bored to tears. |
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The first words out of Ben's mouth when we all met up at the house were, "I want pie." Those were everyone's exact thoughts. |
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We all met in the kitchen to eat dessert. No one spoke. The kitchen was completely silent. This pie was that good. |