The Hurricane That Is Benjamin!

7/12/2014

Benjamin came on Tuesday for a four day visit.  When your own children have left, your dogs are too old to get off the sofa, the house is super quiet except for the occasionally chiming on the grandfather clock, a small child puts life back into an old house and old people.

Benjamin went to the Baltimore Aquarium with Auntie Kim and stayed at her house one night.  Yesterday, I took Benjamin to see a movie "Earth to Echo", which had the admission been free would have been too much to charge!  The movie is simply the longest hour and a half that I'll never get back!  When Benjamin is not here, there seems to be all kinds of children's movies that I could take him to.  Of course, when he visits, it seems like there more adult movies than something for children.

While at the movies we indulged in buttered popcorn and a soda.  By the time I paid admission plus food, a twenty dollar bill went poof.  I know you don't want to hear this, but I used to be able to go to the movies for less than a dollar, and at that price, went often.

After the movie, I took Benjamin over to Michael's to browse the aisles to see if there was anything that he and I could do together.  He did pick out several things, but once we were home didn't even want to open the packages, so I'll return them today.  We did buy two boxes of Kinetic sand that apparently isn't messy and doesn't feel like real sand.  I bought a big box of sand and a little box of sand.  I didn't realize until I got home that the clerk had charged me for both boxes at the big box price.  I'm returning the big box, but I'm going to keep the little box for myself.

After we got home, Benjamin played very quietly with his racetrack, stacking blocks and using his imagination gave ordinary things around the house, new purposes.  He built a ramp for racing his Matchbox cars that at the end of the run careened into each other.  Today, after Benjamin leaves to go back home, I'll gather up all the pieces of play and return them to their "assigned" corners of the house.

This visit was the first time that Benjamin slept alone in the guest bedroom.  He fussed a bit the first night, but he was asleep within minutes, the bed covered with all of the stuffed animals we keep here for him.

We had a lovely visit with Benjamin and I'm sure Stacey and Andy enjoyed the quiet of their house.  When I had small children, neither set of grandparents really wanted to keep the boys for more than a one night sleepover.  Back in those days, the quiet of the house would have been sheer heaven, because children, and especially all boys, can really raise a ruckus when they're playing.

Stacey gave me several bags of Benjamin's toddler clothes to sell at the consignment store or send off to a charity.  I'm giving the clothes to a charity, but I went through the bags and took out Benjamin's first pair of Crocs that are so tiny as well as a few bibs.  I can almost hear the collective sign as I once again can't let go of the memories these few things bring to me.

I don't consider myself a hoarder, up and until, my cedar chest will no longer close.  The truth is I'm pretty close to the top and there is nothing in there that I'm willing to give up.  My solution would be - a new chest - to hold more things!

P