Saying goodbye to Erin

Since Gerry and Erin were home from Salinas, they and Vickie, Tara, and Geri Ann were able to join us and the Cedars and Trent and Brianna for Sunday dinner at Woodsong. Special guests were cousins, Renee and her son Tyler.

Erin leaves us this week for fall semester at Notre Dame, and there is a certain sadness in our hearts although we are also happy and excited for her. We just won't be able to see as much of her. But that was also true when she started kindergarten. And it was true when high school and all those activities took up even more of her time. So I put a blue table cloth on in her honor with gold paper napkins, and Gerald picked golden blackeyed Susans, a handful of small sunflowers still blooming, and some of the partridge peas (warm season native grasses planted on the set-aside ground) for us. And Renee skillfully made a couple table arrangements for us. When two or three tiny insects turned up on the flowers on the kids' table, that added great meal-time entertainment for them.

David took Samuel and Trent fossil hunting yesterday while Brianna, who had spent the night with Geri Ann, went on their shopping trip to Fairview Heights.

Soon now Mary Ellen will be arriving to spend the night and collect the kids after being at Hilton Head for the weekend. She called about 2 or 3 and she and Brian were in Savannah and waiting to go on to Atlanta, where their ways would part. He is going to work in Florida this week, and she flew back to St. Louis and is now driving down.