“Talk may be cheap but intelligent conversation is very expensive these days. Ask anyone with a kid in college.” – Unknown
Well we made it, not too worse for wear. We arrived at Rosehaven Wednesday morning at 6 am. Paula was up of course, and we hugged and went to bed. I slept a couple of hours and got up, had coffee and breakfast with Paula and caught up on things. Around 10 am, I ushered Lily (one of her Jack Russell’s) into the bedroom and she leaped up and kissed Montana and laid down with her. When Montana got up she learned that Rosie (another Jack Russell) had a litter of three puppies.
They are two weeks old. Adorable. All three of her females nurse them, which is certainly an anomaly, but a great break for Rosie. Two are spoken for.
We spent the day lounging around working on Montana’s scrap booking project for her sorority. It was so fun to hear her and Paula talking about their sorority’s and Paula learning of all the changes, such as “boys” being allowed not only in the house, but in their rooms as well! She told me she felt so “informed” now. (We left Thursday morning and arrived to campus at 5:45 pm with move in allowed beginning at 6!)
Montana has been restoring old scrap books at the house. 
A summer project that has now turned into a “committee” at the house. This one pictured is from 1944. She has done an amazing job of maintaining the character of the original, but putting them in the much more suitable scrap books with archival quality papers and protected pages. I’ll be writing an article about it for publication (we hope). When the girls saw what she had done, they immediately heeded our advice and got them ALL out of the damp basement and upstairs.
We got her all moved in and it was such fun to have 47 girls all arriving, screaming and hugging and excited to be back for another year at UMD. I don’t know how they manage to stuff all the items they haul in to the small spaces in such an orderly fashion. But they have it all sorted out and are quite expert at it. Luna, the house dog, was THRILLED to have all the girls back. She must have been lonely in the house all summer.
Hudson is here as well, visiting friends and professors. I asked him if he enjoyed being back and not having to move in somewhere? He said it was really great.
I always had two times a year on campus that were my favorites. Graduation and the Fall semester. Graduation was special, as I loved seeing all the parents and kids smiling and excited to celebrate in their accomplishment. I enjoyed them all being gone for the summer, it was quiet, traffic was light, etc. But when the fall began, and the kids all start arriving, the campus just comes ALIVE and I would realize how much I missed them all. It was a fun job for me.
One more year for Montana and she’ll embark on her adult life. I’m exhausted, but its a happy kind of exhaustion. Certainly different from the past couple of years with Dave’s illness, treatment and recovery. I’m enjoying myself.
Tuesday, Hudson and I fly down to Florida to get him situated.
While I was here, my dear friend Marsha lost her husband to cancer. It was a horrible journey. He was diagnosed in January, had surgery, but his aftercare was sorely lacking (and I’m being incredibly kind). Poor Marsha was trying so hard to get him properly cared for and in the end, he was too weak to endure the post surgery chemotherapy and told her he couldn’t do it anymore. It is tremendously sad. I drove over to see her today, he had passed away in Hospice this morning. The onslaught at the house had not yet begun, and we had a quiet hour or so to just chat.
On a happier note, I had lunch with my old neighbors, Paul and Allison, and it was delightful, as always, to see them. Allison is getting a prestigious award from work for her efforts to get a new drug approved through the FDA process. I’m so happy and proud of her. We talked about what she should wear to enhance the photos they will be taking. It was fun.
