The Gang's (Almost) All Here

    I shouted with joy when Chelsea and Simon walked into the house. They caught me by surprise when they arrived much earlier than I expected. We haven't seen them since June- too long ago! Everyone has a full week of 'togetherness' planned- the four sisters, niece and nephews (grandchildren ), and sons-in-law.
     It troubles me that we are down to floor space for the grandchildren's sleeping arrangements, but no one is complaining. Our house was ample when we built it thirteen years ago and now we are filled to the brim. There were six of us then and now we are twelve. It's all very, very good.
     In between satisfying meals and baked treats, the young folks have been active. They had a nice tramp in the woods this afternoon and came back with stories, photos, and a big rock. One photo was of a large bear print in the mud. The attention, however, was on the rock that Simon found. It appeared to be a Geode and everyone was eager to cut it open. When Steve suggested they set up the saw with the diamond blade, the excitement was just like Christmas morning with a gift to be opened. Everyone quickly bundled up before it got too dark to work outside and Ian and Simon donned safety goggles and took charge. It was a very hard rock! It was more solid than hollow, but it had many little pockets filled with crystals making it fit the definition of a Geode. I don't know all the technical terms of rocks in geology, but it was pretty inside. The guys sliced it up into large and small chunks and everyone had a piece to call their own.
     After dinner, we played Apples to Apples. That gave us a wonderful dose of laughter to end the day.