Home Again and Hoping for a Less Busy Week

Drooping yellow daffodils that I had swiped from the roadside still sat in blue glasses on tables when we returned from a weekend at the University of Missouri softball games with the University of Georgia. The bouquets  still looked good when we left, but they and some pretty glass serving pieces not yet put away reminded me of the busy week before we left for Columbia.

Katherine had a couple of aides out, and I spent considerable time there.  On Tuesday afternoon when there was a gathering of our church  women that night at our house, Jeannie texted that she and Cecelie were on their way down from Freeport—but they’d entertain themselves.  That was good, but I was glad she gave up sleep so that she and I had a long late night visit at the kitchen table. Despite their being on spring break, Rick did not come until the next night because he had a track meet to attend.  (He and I had a nice visit before they left again,  however.)

Jeannie chose to come a day early so that she could get another lick in on her goal of riding her bicycle down the entire length of the Mississippi River.  She and Rick had gone from Cairo across the bridge and down into Kentucky during their Thanksgiving visit, and she wanted to add a few miles onto that before next summer.  Leaving Cecelie at Woodsong on Wednesday while I went to Katherine’s, she completed another 20 miles or so almost reaching the Kentucky border this time. I am not sure if she plans another stint before she takes off in earnest with Rick accompanying her with the truck—eliminating the need for back riding to get the bike returned to the parked van.

Thursday morning they left Rick’s truck at the farm and took off for Nashville to be there for Leslie’s opening night of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at the Larry Keeton Theater.  I have no idea how Leslie and Mike are accomplishing all they are doing with full time jobs and a newly bought house to fix up. But then, frankly, I have always wondered the same thing about our children and their spouses and their multiple careers and projects. So I guess Leslie and Mike are just following their elders’ examples. Fortunately, Les and Mike are young and strong and healthy.  I love the audio Jeannie posted of one of Leslie’s songs. Since the belongings they had left at Woodsong were gone when we came home, I assume they spent Saturday night here before they traveled up to stop at Elijah's church to worship on their way back to Freeport. 

Our nephew DuWayne and his wife Vickie are long-time softball fans, and they came up Friday morning, and we left for the five-hour drive to Mizzou. We picked up Mary Ellen at their farm for her first opportunity to see Geri Ann, a sophomore now, play college ball. She was also very excited to see her niece Tara since they have always been super close.  Mary Ellen was Tara’s first baby sitter the summer Tara was born. (Vickie would bring her over, and I would seeing her having a sweet mother-daughter talk with her baby before she brought Tara in.  We got to enjoy her until Mary Ellen woke up, and we were there to help if Mary Ellen needed us.)  Then a couple of decades later, Tara served as a summer nanny for Mary Ellen’s Trent and Brianna. 

After stopping for lunch on the way, we had plenty of time to check in at our motel just a couple of miles from the ball park although we were disappointed we hadn’t been able to get rooms at the same place as the team. After hugs and greetings, we sat with Gerry’s wife Vickie to watch what turned out to be a very disappointing first game of the series since we lost 8-6.  (Yes, there are two Vickie Glascos in our family as well as one Vicki Glasco Escue. There were some mixed-up medical records once, but that is not a problem since our Vickie moved to Georgia.) After the game, Georgia softball girls were having a catered dinner at their motel;  and since we lost, that was just as well since none of us were in a mood to celebrate. 

We assumed we’d celebrate the next night, but instead that late night supper with Gerry and Vickie was also a consolation dinner because again we lost to Missouri—this time with a walk-off home run changing the tied score to 6-3.  Tara had already taken the Georgia team to dinner when we all met up, but she came with us, and we loved this opportunity to visit with her.  Geri Ann and the team were required to get an early closing to their day, so we didn’t have the pleasure of her presence.

Sunday was our last chance to play like we usually do, and we did it winning 6-2, which made everyone’s trip back home much more pleasant.  It was great fun seeing Alex Hugo hit her nation-high 15^th homerun of the season and seeing the hugs she received from her Kansas grandmother after the game.  For several of us, the trip to Columbia was the closest trip we would have all year to see UGA play.  Paige Wilson had a very large family delegation from Chicago, and it wonderful to meet them and Paige made them very proud all three games. I loved seeing her tiny toddler niece walk by wearing her Auntie Paige Bulldog shirt.  Georgia is now 30-5, and they will be at home to give their players some rest for the Wednesday game and next weekend’s conference games with South Carolina. I think they are pumped and ready for more wins. Gerry proudly posted that their players had perfect class attendance except when travel required them to miss.  There will be life after ball for these young women.