My mom will be arriving on Thursday for her annual month-long visit to the hinterlands, and for the past few days I’ve been trying to put some semblance of order to the house.  It’s a good thing she’s coming to see us and not the house, because around here, “cleaning” mostly involves shuffling unsorted piles of miscellany from one place to another, and I must admit that even at its best, this place is a long way from tidy.  There is a clear path to her bed, though, and I did get down on my hands and knees and scrub the shower floor, so that ought to count for something.

The kids have been counting down the days, and every morning when he gets up, Tage announces, “Only x more days until Onock comes!”  I’m so glad she’s been able to make the trip more regularly these past few years and that the kids have built a real relationship with her.  Even when she’s not here, she’s very much a presence in our house, which makes me feel better about raising my family so far away from my own roots.