Stuck at home – but not for long!

Kathleen Anderson

Well, here we are again – pretty much stuck at home. Home for me is with my daughter and her husband, so I am lucky – no total isolation.

Ordinarily my granddaughters would be next door along with one of my great-granddaughters, the three-year-old. But they went to Texas in June to visit family and another granddaughter, who was five months pregnant and went in to labor shortly after they arrived.

Their son, Willow, was born weighing in at 1lb 1oz. Today he is almost 6 weeks old and about 2 12/ lbs. Willow is a warrior. My grandkids are currently living in a Ronald McDonald House and extremely grateful for the wonderful care their son is receiving.

My son-in-law flew down to Austin to see the kids last Friday, leaving his wife and me alone with the dogs, cat, chickens and ducks. My daughter works from home so there we were.

We are jealous that he gets to see everyone before we do but otherwise when hubby is away it’s playtime for us. My son-in-law long ago vowed that nothing green will ever pass through his lips, so when he is away, menus are always a priority.

So far, we have enjoyed artichoke and spinach dip, home-made tomato soup with fresh basil and just for fun, shrimp and ribs. A new watermelon, avocado and feta cheese salad was introduced and, last but not least, smoked salmon and cream cheese on crackers were devoured. We were on a roll. He was only gone for the weekend so we had to make hay while the sun was shining.

Next up was craft night while dancing around to our favorite tunes and a trip to the Olympia Farmers Market. My daughter thrives on sneaking green into dishes and her husband pretends not to notice, while he carefully picks them out. Since he is colorblind, this can be tricky , depending on the dish. We pretend not to notice his efforts.

We Facetimed with the Austin group daily but otherwise our time was pretty free. We went shopping at Michaels for supplies and shopped online for necessities. I watched the new Perry Mason show on TV.

My friend, Elsie Higgins, told me the other day she doesn’t understand people who complain about being bored. Elsie, a retired nurse, is my inspiration. About six years ago she taught herself to play the piano and now plays for our Olympia Host Lions Club meetings while we have lunch. She works in her garden, volunteers for everything and who knows what all, and she is always busy.

I too, work in the garden and do a lot of cooking and baking. I also seem to unretire often – work is play for me now since I don’t have to and I only do what I enjoy.

This week another granddaughter and her significant other will arrive to stay with us while they look for jobs and a new home in our area. Shortly after they arrive another one of my daughters from California is coming for a visit with one of her grandkids.

Willow the Warrior probably won’t be able to go home before sometime in October. So, after our company leaves, my daughter will go to Austin for a week, at which point I will be left with the non-green-eating son-in-law and grandkids. Chili dogs, chili fries, mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches for everybody!

After my daughter returns, we are expecting a visit from my great-granddaughter and my first great-great grandchild.

So, no, I am not bored. I may be a little tired, but never bored and definitely blessed.

Kathleen Anderson writes this column each week from her home in Olympia.  Contact her at  kathleen@theJOLTnews.com or post your comment below.