Flowery Fourth

 

The two of us spent the Fourth at our son’s in Providence, R.I.

Our youngest (although now that he’s fifty that sounds a bit odd.) owns a house that sits pretty much in the center of the city. 

Over the years, he’s renovated the carriage house in back and recently also purchased the house next door. His long-range plan is for an income-producer for each twin.  It’s been a long road full of many, many, many renovations, most of which he’s done with his own two hands. I try not to learn some of the details, like when he was up on the roof of the three-family house repairing the roof tiles.

Just the transformation of the carriage house – which initially needed guy wires affixed to the ground to prevent it from falling down – into the home where he and his family now live is worthy of a lengthy post in the future.

Once he acquired the three-family next door he was able to use its back yard to indulge his love of gardening, and a person could spend a good fifteen minutes out there just naming all the plants he’s put in over the past year. Yesterday, we enjoyed the result of this, sitting on a patio he’d installed, gazing out over the new grass to the laurels in back, and wolfing down the brisket he’d smoked.

It was a day of small children running through the sprinkler, smaller cousins trailing after larger cousins, and catching up with relatives on our DIL’s side of the family. We are truly fortunate that all new additions to the family tree have been wonderful ones.

Although sometimes we all need a little time to ourselves.  Case in point, grandtwin Lola here in the hammock cocooning with her books.