Nostalgia

Look at tiny Evelyn with her grandparents! My how time flies. It makes me wish like crazy I'd taken pictures when we visited them a few weeks ago. We really enjoyed hanging out, playing cards, and just being together. The girls especially like playing dominoes with Grandma. But I have no photos to prove it.

But I have lots of memories imprinted on my heart. Like the vision, today, of Evelyn coming outside to help me rip ivy and rake in the rain. Once I learned that ivy harbors mosquitoes, I've been on a mission to get rid of as much ivy in as wide a radius of our home as possible.

I'm surprised how many people, observing me ripping, raking, digging, and bagging, have stopped to tell me that they "do that for a living" and "would be happy to help" because "they need the money." I did employ the first man who offered, but when I realized that his version of ripping out ivy was simply stripping the vines of their leaves, I've started answering the offers with a friendly, "and if I had the extra money I'd happily pay someone to do it!"

And speaking of people needing things, we passed some homeless men on our walk to the grocery store today. Evelyn asked if we could buy them some food. She loved telling them, "We got you lots of HEALTHY things!" As we continued on our walk home, she said, "That makes me feel really good, Mommy." Me, too, kid. Me, too.