Silence is deafening. It is only
noticeable when all the children leave, and then there are no sounds of their
play or their laughter. Every year it gets harder and harder to say good-bye to
the Charleston Crew. They come, take over my house, my heart, my yard…and then
they fly away. A month out of twelve. I guess I am lucky to have this month,
but it still makes me feel incredibly sad.
I sit and wait for the flight to leave
at the airport. Holly is 18 so she can fly with the four of them. It is
definitely a new experience for her, but she is older than her years and can
handle it. I sing to them at the airport…songs mingled with tears. I know folks
are watching a sad Nannie saying good-bye, but I do not notice. We sing
together our favorite good night song, “I love you a bushel and a peck…” I wait
for the flight to take off. It is a hot day and the runway looks steamy, but
their flight is on time and my four darlings fly away.
I go home too. I never realize….okay,
kind of I do…the mess and chaos that comes with their visit. This year the
twins decided to be the year of the dragon. They turned all of the dinosaurs
into dragons and built forts and homes for them all around my yard. There are
little towns all set up with bowls of mud and fortified with rocks and sticks.
In the middle of my yard is the tent I set up...okay, again it was Aaron and
Rachel who set it up…so they could sleep out under the stars. I want them to
sleep outside and wake to birdsong. The first week they were here, Noah woke up
early because the birds were singing. “You’ll get used to it,” I said, smiling.
I want them to wake up to bird song just as I want them to go to sleep under
the Big Dipper.
I listen in my old house for the echo
of their voices and the joy of their laughter. It is there embedded in the
walls. Story after story, voice after voice adding to the history of my house. I
like living here and I like the fact that my grandchildren have only known this
house. As Jonah says, “We know you are always there in the purple house.” Yes,
I am.
The clean up seems over the top for
me. Perhaps it is the heat? Or the sadness? Kathy Vaughn takes the helm. She
takes down the tent and the dragon villages. She strips the beds down to the
mattress pads. She works tirelessly in the heat. I do too, but not quite as
fast. I am grateful for each moment she gives me.
As we put the house and yard (I am
sure my neighbors are glad of this!) back together, we find trinkets of their
visit. Noah’s marbles dot all the gardens. Each morning, he was in charge of
filling our bee watering station with clean water. It was a perfect chore for
him as he loves marbles. Faith was in charge of the hummingbird feeders. Not
only those chores, but they love taking out the compost, the recycling, and yes,
even the trash.
I find two unmatched socks. I find
rocks in the bottom of my washing machine. I should have checked their pockets!
I find two stuffed animals tucked under the beds, a shirt, a pair of shorts,
and I find fingerprints on doors, windows, walls.
The last thing they did before they
left was to sign the wall. The four of them gathered as they wrote and they
drew about their summer visit. I can’t look at it yet as it makes me so sad,
but in the coming days, I will read the wall. They sign every year so it is fun
to watch the progression of printing and spelling. I do always put the markers up until the last
day just to be safe!
So now, the heat of the summer comes
to us making our gardens grow, our electric bills soar, and our late afternoons
a bit lazy. What’s next, I always ask. So many events in our town will keep me
occupied!
Nonetheless, I will keep my eye open
for another stray marble or sock. I will read the wall and smile at their
sweetness as I remember the summer of 2025.
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