Vacation Update

FosterAbba here...

As Yondalla previously mentioned, she has gone on a family vacation. Unfortunately, there is no cell phone or Internet service where she is staying, so she's asked me to babysit her blog. She's been writing text messages on her cell phone, which have been saved on her phone until she moved into a covered area.

Last night, she went into town, and I received quite a few text messages which she has asked me to post.

It turns out that it's not so quite as easy as we'd thought to transfer text messages from my cell phone to my computer. It's a fiddly process, involving synchronizing my cell phone with my computer, and then using a special utility to extract messages from a database.

So, after a bit of wrangling, here is one of Yondalla's posts:

The drive here seemed endless, especially the second day. We drove on mountain roads, corkscrew turns. The kids started laughing at each sign declaring that the road would be curvy for the next however many miles.

It is so quiet here. We do not allow the TV and there is no stereo, no road, no cars, no sound but the birds -- and my nephew firing the BB gun. I have ungracious feelings about the caretaker. Her grand daughter, a 16-year-old with heavy make up, is here for some days or weeks. There is some sort of problem in the family, I know not what.

Still the girl is nervous the her mother won't take her back and she will end up in foster care. Grandma, the caretaker, was nervous leaving her here with Gary while she went for work. She said "Keep an eye on them!"

I declined the honor.

I just don't care to watch other people's children while I am on vacation. I feel resentful of the caretaker's presence, which is not kind of me. Getting to know people is work and I don't want to work. I don't want to be gracious and interested in their lives. Fortunately for me and my ungracious heart, the care taker is horribly allergic to dogs and can't come near our cottage. I knew the dog would be useful. The dog has been very good. We have even allowed him to wander around without the tie out. He never goes far and always comes for the whistle. In fact I suspect he might be just going out of sight so that we will whistle and give him a treat.

My father has many things to entertain us: a volley ball court; horse shoes; a horse; satellite tv. I however am not just ungracious, but ungrateful as well. I want only to sit on the deck and listen to the wind or sit inside and work on Gary's quilt.

It really is lovely here. Brian says that if we must sell the house in Maine this will do as a replacement. There is no ocean in view, but it is still nice.