Having company is both wonderful and stressful. On one hand, you cherish the time together. On the other hand, it is exhausting. Our granddaughter from Germany arrived on March 17. We had not seen her for two years. She had not been to Oregon since she was a child. She is all grown up and doing her own thing these days. So it was great to have her here. Of course none of the local relatives had seen her in almost ten years, so that meant they came over several times, as well. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing all of them, but it was wave after wave in a short span of time.
One full day was spent driving a seven hour loop through the Cascades. There were areas that had only just opened from having been covered with snow and unfortunately, some of the sights were not yet accessible. Too bad, because they are beautiful.
During the second week of our granddaughter's visit one of our ex-son-in-laws died and so his children (both grown) flew out from Florida. They came down and spent the night, along with their mother. The house was full. It is always nice to see these two, it doesn't happen often. The circumstances could have been better, but they had not seen their cousin from Germany since she was three years old.
On March 27 our daughter and a grandson from Germany joined the group. She rented a vacation house at the beach as a birthday venue for me. So we all drove to the coast for three days stay. Unfortunately the house was not wheelchair friendly, but it was in a great spot, right on the beach. Our son and his family spent the entire time with us and all the local family joined us on my birthday. In all, there were fifteen of us. A friend also came down for one evening, bringing three children she cares for. We had a fireplace, lots of food, flowers brought direct from Amsterdam, all sorts of activities, live music, and a great view. We also stopped at several view points along the coast to take pictures. It was a birthday to remember.
Back home, the grandkids and their mom planted my garden, pruned the two largest apple trees, and mowed the lawn. That was a big help. We made a trip to see another granddaughter's new home and did a bit of shopping. During this time we also met a man who shares our last name and whose family originates from the same area of Sonora as ours. He runs a local restaurant. So we had a couple long visits with him, including a meal at his establishment. All our German family left on April 6.
By this time we were exhausted. The next two days found us going to bed early and sleeping in. The days were spent doing as little as possible. But life goes on, dishes and laundry need to be done. Medical appointments need to be kept. Friends come by to visit. Others visitors come as well.
This morning I found a doe and her fawn grazing in the back yard. These creatures have become way too at home around here. They are beautiful, but grass is not the only thing they eat. My peas and other tender plants are at risk. So, I may have to put up some sort of fencing to keep the deer out. So it goes.
