Kate and I (Meg) crashed with Aunt Barb this past weekend for about 48 hours. Kate and Henry flew in from Portland on Wednesday night late into Minneapolis, and Milo and I and Kate and Henry drove down to Newton Thursday afternoon after I got off work. Got in kind of late, got to see Zach and Ariel and sweet, beautiful baby Alivia. And then we went to see the star of the show all day Friday and Saturday morning.
Grandpa Gary's moving just a little slower, but still pulling his weight. For those of you lightweights in the south, we yankees got quite the snowstorm this past week. Iowa saw about 14 inches, I think, and Grandpa was feeling a little cabin fever I guess so he decided it might be a good idea to crank up his snowblower. He cleared quite a chunk, we heard, and was feeling the strain a bit for the next couple of days, but I'll tell you what, I'm amazed that he's able to do so much. One of the neighbor ladies saw him out with the snowblower and stopped by when Kate and Henry were over Friday morning to give Grandpa a piece of her mind about him taking it easy. Grandpa rolled his eyes as this well-meaning woman sassed him up one side and down the other. Fortunately, she had parked Kate in, and Kate had to drive back to get Milo and me, so she shooed her right back where she came from :)
Grandpa's appetite seems to change like a pregnant woman's, but it never seems entirely absent, so Grandpa Sue rides the waves of uncertainty, buying the store out of tapioca pudding or cheerios as the mood fits. DQ ice cream seems to be the one constant over the past couple of visits since I've been there. On this most recent trip, made into delicious milkshakes!
It's been so great to be able to see both Grandma and Grandpa so much more now that they've come home to the north, and though I know the miss "down home," selfish me, I'm so grateful they're not so far away.