Back Home Again


We are back home again after 2 weeks in Jacksonville helping Karen and Tim with Sophie. I think we managed to be of help and not add too much stress to the situation. I feel privileged that I was able to spend the first 2 weeks of Sophie’s life with her and to see what good and loving parents Karen and Tim are. Once again I got to see Penny in action – cooking and caring for everyone.


The drive home went smoothly. This is the first time we used the kayak covers Penny made and they worked great. We barely knew the kayaks were up there. It’s a good thing we didn’t have to use a parking garage because I would have forgotten they were there again!


The first thing we checked when we got home was the kitty situation in the back yard. Sometime during the 2 weeks raccoons (probably) assaulted the cat feeder. They tore open the food storage area and broke the feeding wheel. In the process they ate every scrap of cat food. I don’t know how long the cats were without food. Only 3 of the 8 were out there, Marmalade, Velcro and the seal point. We fed them. So I’ve got a repair job to do on the feeder.


The next item needing attention was the lawn. My neighbor did mow my lawn once while I was gone so it wasn’t as wild as it could have been. After unloading the car and putting the kayaks away I broke out the lawnmower and did the yard. I succeeded in finishing that before it got dark.


I already miss Karen and Tim and Sophie. Karen mentions in her blog that it is difficult for her emotionally right now because the baby really doesn’t give back much in the way of emotion. Add onto that the changes going on in her body and the fact that she has very little alone time – and she is doing something for the first time and everybody has different ideas and advice about the proper way to do things – one can understand how she feels.


Hang in there Karen. If you could only see the way you glow when you are talking to Sophie or see the look in your eyes you’d have less anxiety about all this. I hope the hurting continues to ease. It won’t be too long before Sophie will start providing some feedback. For now it is all one-way – and that can be draining.

Tomorrow we attack the mountain of snail mail that accumulated while we were gone and get back into our normal routine whatever that is. Our go bags are unpacked and we are no longer on baby alert. Who knows, maybe we will sleep in in the morning?