Fall Break

Last week was special–no ribbons and balloons, no ceremonies, no bands playing–just a special week with grandchildren on fall break. They helped host a ladies meeting, worked in the yard, enjoyed a guest from afar, and even had fun with crisp, warm elephant ears.

Tuesday Charli and Caitlin arrived early ready to get out pretty cups, make coffee and cinnamon rolls, and serve our monthly meeting of Prayer Sisters. They did a great job and earned accolades with the ladies. Of course Nana found other things for them to do around the house that afternoon. But the girls found time to play badminton and enjoy just being girls.

Charli and Kaison came at 7:30 Thursday ready for breakfast and a day of being at Granddaddy’s beck and call. I settled on the front porch to watch the drama unfold. Charles, with help of caregiver Tasha, moved from place to place to oversee from a chair the raking and distributing of straw. The two young teenagers tried to listen to Granddaddy’s quiet voice and figure out just where to rake and where to tuck pine straw around shrubbery. Charli became the main raker while Kaison hauled and scattered. Charles sat down beside me for a few minutes. He said with a glint of humor that the kids had misunderstood him and raked farther than he had intended. “Won’t hurt them,” he said.

Harley Rollins, Charles’s college roommate and our friend for sixty plus years, arrived Thursday afternoon, much to everyone’s delight. Harley had been to Nassau to visit a mission ship called Logos Hope. He said it was much bigger and better equipped than the one he and his wife lived on for a year in the 1960’s selling Christian literature. He came from the ship Logos Hope to our house with a plan to help his old friend. As he raked straw from the carport roof, the rest of the strawing team took up various roles. The roof no longer looks like Anne Hathaway’s thatched roof cottage.

After the strawing job was finished and Kaison had blown debris from the driveway, the young people went to the kitchen to make elephant ears. After simple instructions from Nana they went to work spreading melted butter, sugar and cinnamon on soft taco shells and baking them to crisp curled perfection. This recipe has been a favorite of theirs since they were little. They graciously served all of us on the porch, a festive fall occasion with temperatures turning cooler and a feisty little breeze stirring the scent of cinnamon.

Saturday night we were biting our nails over the Georgia/Auburn football game when a beautiful message pinged on my phone. Our Birmingham granddaughter Mattie had been crowned Miss Trussville, Trussville being a suburb of Birmingham. She was so lovely in a stunning blue evening gown. Can’t wait to see more pictures. It was a very exciting climax to our fall break week!