I’d informed son Rafi my knees didn’t enjoy hills any more. He and grandson Remy put their heads together and chose parks without hills for my daily walks. The first had these wonderful trees I couldn’t resist. We went again and again so I could pose with Rafi, then Remy, and when Susan joined us, back we went to pose yet again!
Yes, we took walks elsewhere as well. Every morning Rafi walked the family dog, Germaine, we dropped Remy off at soccer camp, and Rafi walked me. (He wasn’t going to let me slack off. He knows how important it is for me to keep moving.)
The few times we couldn’t find the time to visit another park, I took my walk at the dog park under the supervision of Germaine, who made sure I got in enough steps. He took every step with me! Ha, ha.
Chandra, always creative, made a beautiful photo album for Rafi as a birthday gift. I had never seen some of those old photos and got a kick out of seeing, for the first time, some taken years ago. (She also made an album for him of what friends and family members thought of him. It was lovely to read.)
We celebrated everyone’s birthday. I’d just celebrated a venerable one, Rafi had a recent birthday and so had Susan. We laughed a lot and I discovered my grandson, Remy, had a crazy sense of humour. (Wonder where he got that from??? Ha, ha.) Also an avid reader, Remy shared books with me when I ran out of reading material. It was just a great visit. I could not have asked for more.
Rafi and I shopped for plants at the nursery — the kids have a beautiful garden. I looked for a little man to live in my home-made terrarium, but they didn’t have one. Rafi ordered one for me, tried NOT to tell me right away, but was so excited about it, he couldn’t wait to surprise me, but when he said: ‘I bought you something’. I immediately guessed what it was. Yeah! See him above. The little guy loves his new home.
I’m holding on to the memory of the wonderful time I had and how spoiled I was by everyone. The morning breakfasts I had with Rafi, the time we all spent together was worth all the nonsense and stupidity of the rules and regulations I had to deal with to travel across the border during COVID.
View from Over the Hill 
Terrarium is so beautiful ❤️
Thank you. I love it too, especially because it was home-made. Thanks for reading. Cheers. Muriel
Wow! I haven’t ever seen such strange trees. It would be a wonder to see them grow! Germaine is so awesome, quite a beautiful companion. Mr. Rafi looks more like a goon at 20! (giggles)
Aren’t those trees something!!! I, too, found them fascinating. Each one is different. I wanted to go back there again and again.
Germaine is interesting. He’d play rough with Rafi, but was always very gentle with me. He is a beautiful dog and well-loved by the family.
Thanks for reading. Cheers, Muriel
This is precious!
Thank you so very much. It was certainly precious to me. Stay well, Muriel
You too!
Thanks. Hey, I’m waiting for YOU to write another post. I enjoy your humour.
Thanks 🙂 We are in the middle of a prolonged move to another city that is 3 hours away so posts are short and far in between. Can’t wait to get back in the groove.
But I did have quite a few out recently which you may have missed. Check if you are following, I know that sometimes WordPress helps you unfollow people for no apparent reason 🙂
Oh?? I’ll check to see if I can fix it. Thanks. Muriel
Shana tova!
Thank you!!! The same to you and yours. How nice….
You are forgiven. I’ll look forward to reading your work again when you complete your move. Good luck always. Muriel
I really enjoyed the visit as well, Maughm. So much fun to walk through the interesting streets of SF with you, go shopping at the thrift store, and hanging out in Rafi’s beautiful garden — and of course, “the crazy trees”!
It was so great of you to join us Susan, even if you did win all the Boggle games, etc., etc. I loved having you there too. I’ll remember this special visit for a long time to come. Love ya, Maughm
Wonderful and heartwarming, and I love the little man and the terrarium, too!
Thanks Val: I particularly love the little man because Rafi was moved to order it on-line for me because he knew I wanted one for my little terrarium. He is such a neat, thoughtful guy.
Stay well, Love, Muriel
A great visit. How long had it been since you had seen them?
It was two years, which seemed just too long to live with. I ached to see them and don’t regret it at all. Take care, fondly, Muriel
Lovely post. I roamed everywhere with you! Can’t help but admire your spirit, Muriel. ❤️
I think it was DESIRE to see my kids after so long that pushed me to go at this difficult time and they made sure I’ll always remember it. They are great in any case, but after so long, I glowed at being with them again. Love to you, enjoy each day, Muriel
So glad you got this time with family. You are intrepid,
Judy
Intrepid? Stubborn like a pit-bull, too stupid to quit, and too old NOT to go at this time — if now now, when? Ha, ha. Love, Muriel
Loved those beautiful trees, truly amazing
Obviously I did too. I kept going back again and again to see them. Wonder if the leaves can be used to make tea, since they’re called ‘Australian Tea Trees.’ Thanks for reading. Stay well and enjoy each day. Muriel
Glad you were able to make the trip. I really enjoyed so much of your visit, I wish I had gone! Love the Australian Tea Tree, your man in the terrarium and Germaine. Of course, Rafi isn’t too shabby either (like the man now — great smile!). Thanks for sharing! I really want to take a trip at least one more time! You inspire me!
I’m still feeling great just remembering the time I spent with my loved ones. Don’t put it off. If you want to go, go soon. Time flies. Thanks for reading.
Priceless memories. Wonderful to see the joy in these photos.
John
Thanks Johnny: I still am enjoying those memories. It had been just too long since I’d seen my loved ones and I’m so glad I went. Stay well, Muriel
The trees are so unique and fascinating. And the terrarium is just awesome.
I agree. I was so fascinated by the trees, we took dozens of photos posing in front of them. And, yes, my home-made terrarium is a wonder, especially since I made it myself. The little guy holding a bottle of wine, a gift from my thoughtful son, just makes it perfect! Thanks for reading. Cheers, Muriel
👌
Thank you!