It’s been such a lovely night. After spending some time with our flock, holding our dear goose Max and crooning softly to him our affection (this is such a rare pleasure!), we headed inside. Oh how I love the freedom of a family of two. For supper we each had as much artichoke as we cared for. I then had some avocado while Elihu finished off some leftover chicken. I enjoyed a glass of wine, he a glass of seltzer water, and that was our dinner. So simple, so free-form. Pure delight.
Elihu watched some of Jon Stewart and then the Colbert Report with me as I did the dishes. I do get a little tired trying to catch him up on the jokes and the meanings behind it all – even the nuances of the commercials need explanation. He trusts me when I say I’ll explain it later. I do my best on the fly and will do my best to flesh it out later. He does get a fair amount, and if nothing else the delivery is funny enough to amuse him. After I finish the dishes, I wash the eggs we’d just collected. Finally, Shirley Nelson, our Aruacana, has laid an egg. Two, in fact. They are long and narrow, and green. This makes us happy. We put one in with the rest in the refrigerator and we save one for his collection.
Then we head to his desk for homework. Maybe it should’ve been done earlier, but we’ve had such a nice, low-key afternoon it’s worth it. Elihu had made a fort of pillows while I sat on the couch beside him, reading. (When he wasn’t pummeling me with pillows, that is.)
Homework doesn’t take long. I’ve poured the bath, now all he needs is to get in. I sit for a moment in my chair, trusty old G4 on my lap, making a short post while he hums to himself in the bathtub, alternating his melody from above to below the surface of the water. Elihu enjoys a moment to himself and so do I. Soon enough we’ll be side by side, finishing Gulliver’s Travels. We’ll turn off the light, chat for a bit, then I’ll fall asleep first. I’ll wake a half hour or so later to find him breathing the heavy breath of sleep. Then I’ll tiptoe back to my room where I’ll do some reading of my own.
This is what our perfect night looks like.
The Hillhouse 