Providence

          It’s The Season here in Florida.
The roads are crowded, the shops are full, and getting into a restaurant takes the same kind of strategic planning as landing at Normandy. Hard to complain, though, when you’re one of the people causing the crush.

          It’s also the time for visits from family and friends escaping the trials of winter up north. We’ve been eagerly anticipating an influx of grandchildren, the first batch from Rhode Island this week, the second from New Jersey next week.

          The New Jerseyites still look to be on track, but we’ve had to return the rented van and cancel the two rented high chairs and porta-cribs. A nasty cold has grounded the twins. Getting the little girls here was purely self-interest on our part; at 10 months they’re unlikely to get much out of the swaying palm trees and romantic sunsets. But the true mercy mission was their sleep-deprived and over-worked parents, who desperately need a break in their days of full-time jobs preceded by mornings and followed by evenings of feedings, bathings, and comforting through restless nights.

          Still, as though to confirm their decision to stay home, the weather has been yucky. After week followed by week of perfect weather, we’ve had torrential rain, cloudy skies with a brisk wind, and this morning I shivered in my sweatshirt as I took Mamie outside for nature’s call. We would have spent their whole visit assuring them that it’s usually much warmer/sunnier/ summer-like.