In the midst of all the official work, meetings and events of this past month, we have also wanted of course to make sure our visiting Thai family has had lots of opportunities for fun and recreation.
Thrift shopping has been about that. Niagara Falls was about that. Visiting the CN Tower was about that. Their outings with the Gabbers and the Bowmans for apple picking and a corn maze respectively were about that. All of it was amazing and we've made so many good memories, a few good finds and lots of pictures.
And. Some of our best fun has happened right outside our house, both in the front and back yards. It has involved logs, a wood splitter, and a whole lot of leaves.
Okay. Full disclosure. Right now I am sitting in the family room with my feet up, much improved but still being careful with my kidneys until I get some tests back from the doctor. Suradet, Yupa and Bell, on the other hand, are out there chasing every last leaf to the curb as if it were some kind of Canadian frontier vs Thai work-ethic competition. And if I dare so much as step out onto the porch I will be scolded back inside to 'praporn' (rest).
It feels odd to let them do it, yes. They are guests after all, and Ken and I are certainly capable home owners. But -- they genuinely seem to be having fun. Ken and I have lived in this house for over 35 years and have raked our fair share. While it's a pleasant enough activity on a good day, it certainly doesn't hold the wonder of novelty it apparently does for Suradet, Yupa and Bell.
And the wood-splitter? We've renamed it Suradet's toy.
The result is that our house has the unusual designation this year of being the one on the street that's ahead of the game. The one where everyone else drives by and says, "Oh yeah. I should get at that." Like I do most other years.
As well, we are ready for the fireplace season to begin with so much wood stacked our hearth will be all things warm and inviting for all the cold nights this winter can throw at us.
This is our last day together where nothing else is expected of us. We had our NFF Management Committee Meeting first thing, finished up some thrift shopping in the early afternoon, and then home for this last bit in the sunshine raking leaves, or resting as the case may be. They insisted.
I do think it all evens out somehow.
I hope so.
That's what reciprocal partnerships are about, after all.
Hard to believe the month is coming to a close.
They are heading home on Monday.
Then one week later, I'm on a plane with our Highview Team to go visit them.
Hoo boy.
#abundantlife #checksandbalances #forallintensivepurposestoseeifestherisreadingthis #woodsplittingisfunafterall #maybetheyshouldcomehereeveryfall
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