Reentry difficulties

I feel like a Gemini astronaut returning to earth and having trouble with the increased Gs. I'm splashing down after an intense week in an alternate orbit. Freeze-dried ice cream may be required, or at least spiked Tang.

Had a terrific, memory-making visit with my folks. They arrived Thursday to spend time with the boys heading off soon to college, and to attend the last Capers' summer camp "show day". It was a hoot to have my parents and my sons attend my preschool students' "Magic Carpet" show, see our funny art, and hang out with my dear friend/coworkers.

Howie & Fritz feel very connected because my students use all the recyclable goodies collected from the Lincoln bridge club ladies and golf buddies in their art projects. My folks have perfected a process for removing RX labels and washing bottles, then they ship the goodies to me. Their efforts have mushroomed to the point where the bridge club ladies' next-door neighbor's friends are saving Rx bottles for my students. We do worry about the ladies that forget to use up all their pills before they contribute the bottles. I received some interesting bottles this time from a woman who is on her very last chemo. She is as good as she will ever be, but she still gets a kick from sending odd containers for our art constructions. I'll send her photos of our "Magic Carpet" genies and bazaars as soon as I can download them from the digi camera. I hope the photos will make her laugh. Our genie puppets were made of seriously groovy mid-1970s polyester fabrics. Our Arabian bazaars used many recyclables. We went with the idea of camel caravans trading goods and stories. We had little clothespin people dressed as shopkeepers, princesses, thieves, genies, and heroes. We even had litters for the princesses made of plastic strawberry baskets with "silk" curtains. (There was some confusion between "litters" and "scraps".) One girl kept removing the clothespin people's clothing to put them into the Rx bottle hot tubs she had glued on the roof of her bazaar. Even Scheherezade needed to unwind sometimes!

Had a great trip to Ft. Worth's Cultural District on Saturday. Saw the Egyptian exhibit at the Kimbell, the new Modern Art Museum, and the expanded Amon Carter Museum. That was a lot of walking for my dad, but my mom just kept getting more excited and energized as the day went on.

Celebrated Sunday with breakfast at the old-fashioned cafe we've been visiting together since 1990. The folks have watched the boys grow from kids to men on 2 eggs over medium, 2 sausage patties, and 2 pancakes. Now it takes two orders of french toast plus black coffee, bacon and grits for those "little guys"! My sentimental 18-yr. old had the waitress take our picture. I get teary when I think of it!

Put on a lunch break spread Monday for the HS juniors with open campus. Six kids can consume vast quantities of food and Dr. Pepper in half an hour. My folks' outlook for the next generation was drastically improved by the neat, respectful, funny, ravenous students. My dad went down Memory Lane to the late night snacks his mom prepared for his HS buddies back in the Great Depression. I can't "whomp up a meal" like my grandma could, but I do think teenage boys can be the sweetest humans on earth. Some moments are worth all the smelly sweat socks in the living room and growing oil spots on the driveway!