Our day in Bartlett

Yesterday (Friday) I got up a bit on the late side, made the bed and tidied up the bedroom and went down for breakfast. Talking with Maggie and Jerry we talked about the possibility of Ellen and I having lunch with Carol Plagge and so I called Carol and learned that she was available that day for lunch and decided we would pick her up at noon. That gave us about an hour and half to visit with M&J before we would need to leave for Elgin. We did that and as usual went with Carol to Alexander's where we had a long, leisurely lunch. We left the phone in the car, so it wasn't until we dropped Carol back at her place on Fletcher Drive that we got a voicemail from Maggie saying that Peter and Lori were coming by at 3pm to see us - and  it was already after 3! So we hightailed it back to Bartlett and had a good visit with them - getting more details about Lori's dad who is going through a rough patch physically. Then not long after they had to leave, Suzie and Becky came by, joined a bit later by Dennis and Daniel. M&J said they weren't going to try and have a family "party" - people would just "come by" for a visit - but it actually did become sort of a party with eight of us around the table eating a variety of things Maggie had prepared, attended with quite a bit of laughter (again, as usual!). Dennis went home a bit earlier but Suzy, Becky and Daniel stayed and talked until ten or after. So we had another good family time - I am so fortunate to have this family!

We'll have this morning with M&J and then leave for home after lunch - with the idea that we will get home Monday morning so we can have the day to get the house warm - especially the bedroom, so we don't have to sleep in a freezing bed! The weather looks wet going back, possibly with some flurries in the Erie, PA region, but no storms. Hopefully it will be ok driving. It looks like cold weather when we get back though - lows in the single digits. I hope we will find the house all ok - it has been really cold back there while we've been gone. You just never know for sure what will happen when you leave a house un-lived-in for six weeks, especially in cold weather. I hope I did everything I needed to do before we left to keep it safe!