ndrosen

My sister, niece, and I went to Longwood Gardens this afternoon. We passed through some lovely countryside on the way there and back: forested hills, farmland, old stone houses, and so forth. My teenage niece, though, wasn’t too happy about going, or about anything, and I quoted, “All weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable seem to me the uses of this world.”

“That’s [Name’s] usual vibe,” my sister said.

I advised my niece that William Shakespeare had evidently felt unhappy like that at some points, I had, and I hoped she wouldn’t always feel down in the dumps.

Anyway, we did see at least parts of Longwood: the fountains, orchids, a few bonsai, begonias, petunias, topiary, and so on. On our way out, we walked past arriving visitors, one of whom was a bride in enormous hoopskirts, accompanied by (I presume) her new husband, and other relatives or friends. Several women covered their hair in Muslim fashion, and I wondered what their ethnic origin was. Maybe southwest Asian of some sort? I didn’t speculate aloud, but my sister wondered whether they were Indonesian.

Anyway, if they want to celebrate a marriage (I presume) and their adopted country’s national day by visiting Longwood, let them.

My sister and niece went off to see a local fireworks display; I kept the puppy company, although she did whimper a bit over the absence of her special people.

After lunch at my sister’s house, I drove home, arriving in one piece. I did a little grocery shopping, and had a late dinner at Thai Square, to which I haven’t been for some time. Not only do I like the food, but some of the customers tonight looked Thai, which was also the case on previous visits; that is surely a recommendation.

Tomorrow morning, I need to return the rental car, and head back to the white collar salt mines.

I’m in Pennsylvania with relatives. I did hear a few words from my niece before she withdrew to her room; she’s not a teenager yet, but she’s practicing. My sister’s junior cat is on my lap, and has actually purred. To some people, I’m a friend. To others, I’m a bureaucrat who may be helpful or an obstacle in their attempts to obtain a patent. To others, I’m a Georgist activist. To her, I’m cat furniture.

I have spent the day with my sister and niece, whom I also visited yesterday evening. The blonde niece is more than a year older than she was when I last saw her, and able and willing to communicate in a way that she didn’t used to be. The family Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was also glad to see me; I don’t know whether she recognized me as an old friend, or would have been equally eager to greet anyone. She’s a lapdog, not a ferocious mastiff. My sister also has two cats, one of them recently adopted and quite shy, the other resident here for a year or so. Both cats were standoffish at first, but the senior cat finally let me pet him.