July 31, 2006

Hello, all!

I've been running around with my parents and haven't
written lately. Your inboxes were probably happy to
have a break! I'm back at it again, as my parents
have returned to the States for some much needed R and
R!

My parents arrived in a jet lag fog. The big kids
were in school and Aidan, seeing my mother arrive with
suitcases, assumed that I was leaving and that my mom
was going to babysit for an extended period of time.
He was less than warm in his welcome! The day was
rainy so we went for a drive. My mom and dad loved
the quaint villages, gardens and countryside. Aidan
kept an eye on my dad in the back seat and every time
he nodded off, Aidan would yell, "WAKE UP BOMPERS!"
(the grandchildren call my dad "Bompers" and my mom
"Maga"). Aidan had put himself on official jet lag
patrol: no sleeping until bedtime!

Getting them acclimated to the house meant showing
them where the stray cat lives in our garden and how
to chase him out of the house when he gets in, how to
flush the toilets (each one is different and the
handle fell off altogether when my mom flushed the
first time!), where the lights are and which ones are
temperamental. The hot and cold taps are reversed,
the shower tap needs explanation and you'll be trapped
inside the shower room if the door fully closes. The
smoke alarm goes off when we make toast. When it's
damp, laundry is hung all over the kitchen with fans
blowing on it. We have one regular cut key, the
others are skeleton keys, windows are propped open
with blocks or bricks. No coffee maker, just a coffee
press...It's like living in the fun house at a
carnival!

The Saturday after they arrived, Jim and I left Aidan
with my parents to attend the Parents' Day picnic at
Cheltenham College. We attended chapel in the morning
followed by tea. The clock struck noon and off we
went to the Corinth House marquee (tent) for "house
drinks". It was an elegant affair and the labor was
cheap: the boys were bartending! I did a double take
as a 12 year old classmate of Michael's asked it I
wanted a refill on wine. Of course, it comes as no
surprise that Ryan and Michael rolled up their sleeves
and were right in the thick of it. I find 9-13 year
old boys to be very heavy handed with wine. After
house drinks we tailgated with a few other families.
This was WAY too much fun. The kids participated in a
mile run for charity and the parents continued to
socialize. Later, the headmaster announced the
winning house and it was the kids' house, Corinth!
The Corinth house hadn't won in five or more years. I
attribute it to all the red entries the Pierce kids
earned. The entire day felt like a movie. It was
casual yet elegant with women dressed in lovely
dresses wearing gorgeous and impractical shoes (it was
a picnic, after all- I wore a white linen dress with
my very best, most formal, beaded flip flops) and men
in suits. Tents dotted the cricket pitch, the kids,
all in their Sunday Best uniforms, ran around
celebrating school's end. The rolling hills, wooded
area and pond with vintage row boats and its ornate,
cream colored iron foot bridge and the old brick
school buildings as a back drop were just too much.
At one point, Jim turned to me and said, "How the Hell
did we end up HERE?!"

My parents' stayed for nearly three weeks and we
enjoyed our time with them so much. We went to
Ireland about half way through their stay. Ireland
was in the midst of a heat wave and consequently, we
enjoyed hot and sunny weather the entire stay!
Undoubtedly, we spent more time at the beaches than
most tourists! We stayed at Jim's family's farm.
Jim's grandma (who Siobhan is named after) was born
and raised on this farm. The big kids and I (Jim had
met her several times before our visit) also were
blessed to know Jim's great aunt, Sister Ambrose, who
was also born and raised on the farm. We had the
opportunity to visit and get to know her while we
stayed with her many years ago at her convent in
London. She died just months after our visit. Jim
met Michael Buckley, his great uncle, while visiting
Ireland in 1989. Certainly there is a strong sense of
place at the Buckley Farm. Jim's twin cousins,
Phillip and Michael (Jim's age) each visited us with
their families.

The farm and house were given to Jim's great grandma
and grandpa as a wedding present from her parents (It
is only a farm away from the Pierce's farm and
house-now derelict). It looks typical. White house,
chimneys on both ends. The house has been lovingly
restored and is used by the brothers as a holiday
home. The exterior stone walls are two feet thick and
exposed in some rooms, allowing for deep window seats
and sills. The kitchen is heavenly with its pine
floors and dresser, harvest table, exposed stone walls
and its butter colored cooker tucked into what was
obviously a massive fireplace. Peat is still used in
the cooker for heat. It's a large home and even with
the eight of us and Jim's cousins, there was plenty of
room. The kids played with their cousins on the same
hill that their grand parents and great grandparents
played as children. It doesn't get much better than
that.

We saw breathtaking sites. The Irish coastline on the
Dingle Peninsula in the sunshine could have been
Greece. Green and blue water and rugged cliffs. We
went to Abbey Feale, where the Prindiville family is
from and to a Prendiville pub in nearby Castle Island.
Not sure if
the Prendivilles are related, but it was good for a
pint, anyway! Guinness is so much better in Ireland!

We visited a little old lady, Mary Ellen, a cousin of
the Buckley's who knew the Prindivilles (cousins to
Jim's grandma). Jim and I have known that we're
related since before we were married. (This concerns
the children...) Mary Ellen's sparkling eyes, brogue
and her 90+ years makes her cute as can be. Never
mind that it was before noon on a Sunday: we're
shuffled into her ancient parlor and out comes the
whiskey! She told my dad about his relatives in
Limerick who sold their farm because, "they weren't
fond of the work". That was good for a belly laugh!
We walked down to the end of the lane to a well/stream
where pilgrims have been coming for thousands of years
to drink the cool, clear water that is supposed to
cure throat and eye problems. My mom filled up all
the water bottles we had in the car-maybe that will
cure her cataracts! Mary Ellen put on her best dress
and hat and we took pictures.

The most memorable part of the trip was, hands down,
the good crack (lively conversation) and occasional
ghost story, shared each night around the harvest
table. Lots of stories and laughter. Kids, dogs,
cats getting "shooed" outside, cows and the Shannon
River in the distance and a Buckley VS Pierce,
disturbingly competitive soccer game (We had to donate
a kid to their team to even things out. We were
weighted down a bit by our three year old team member,
but Aidan was countered by the Buckleys' small
horse-sized puppy who played on their team and who bit
Siobhan in the rear end at one point-I told you it was
competitive!). All made for an unforgettable
vacation.

Spending time with my parents was just what I needed.
They enjoyed being here and seeing the kids. They
thought Michael had really matured, they loved seeing
the normally mature, Siobhan, acting silly and were
amazed at Aidan's speech. My dad managed to laugh
'til he cried almost every night as he sat back and
watched what he referred to as the T and Ry show.
Ryan is a talker and is INCAPABLE of doing what he is
asked without stopping (or never starting) to talk
about something that is completely irrelevant (his
piano teacher Adel, can attest to this, as can his
school teachers- I feel for them). I remind him 10
times to get back to fill-in-the- blank: sweeping,
washing dishes, taking out the garbage, getting into
the shower, going to bed, etc. Doesn't matter what it
is, Ryan must stop and say, "Just one more thing. Did
you ever see the Tom and Jerry where the cat...". It
made for some very funny evenings, but as I search the
dark and dusty corners of my mind, I do not recall one
time as a kid when not following directions was met
with such laughter on my father's part! My dad
assures me its only funny because Ryan is MY son and I
have to raise him!

It was hard to say good bye to my parents. Aidan
started wailing as they pulled out of the driveway!
Obviously, he warmed up at some point! Jim dropped
them off at Heathrow and picked up Asa Goldsmith a
friend of the kids from back home. Asa was spending
time with both sets of British grandparents near
London and is here for 4 or 5 days. The kids are in
heaven. Lots of kid giggles and 10-12 year old humor
going on. Caught them in a spitting contest out the
3rd story window. Yuck.

Love,

T-Ann