It’s Actually Pretty Good, Y’All

Lately, when I hear about some interesting event while researching for KidsOutAndAbout or scrolling through social media, I think, “Hey, that seems like something an empty nester would do.” Because that is what I am. So, what does an empty nester do?

We saw Willie Nelson, the Avett Brothers, and others for the Outlaw Tour at SPAC, we e-biked to the Schenectady Greenmarket, we e-biked to Riverview Orchards to go apple picking, I had a massage and facial with my aunt, I made a little craft when I saw a Zeldin sign near my house, Cute W and I finally used our Solo Stove on our new patio with some friends, and after intending-but-then-missing-it for at least a decade, I finally participated in the Stockade Walkabout. All in, it’s been pretty good.

Of course, I’ve also packed up a birthday box for J and discovered that sending her anything will be more expensive and difficult than I imagined. (Apparently I’m not supposed to include shoes, jewelry, plant products, or photos in my box to Italy? I had to rip my box open at the post office and pull items out. I just hope that what I attempt send will actually get through customs to my kid.) And we’ve watched some of M’s soccer games, but while we appreciate the now-standard online streaming option, the camera doesn’t always reach the spots in the game where our kid is playing. So sometimes we actually see the ball heading for her and hear players and spectators yelling her name and don’t get to see what she’s doing — we just have to wait until the ball comes back into frame.

Meanwhile the kitties, sensing that we have a lot of nurturing energy to spend, are doing their best to offer us little projects around the house (in the form of knocking over plants and leaving vomit surprises), making sure that I don’t feel lonely when I’m working out by climbing onto my belly mid-ab crunches, and keeping us company while we watch TV.

The girls, meanwhile, are doing awesome. M is starting and usually playing for full games with soccer and she really likes three out of four of her classes. J is trying very hard to get better at Italian while going on adventures like a trip to Milan and an overnight school field trip hiking in the mountains.