Vermont Visit-February 2025
Buddie's dad had knee surgery last week, and Buds wanted to check in and offer any help he could. We had to time our visit during a weekend Yessa had off work, so Saturday morning found us heading down the driveway at 4 a.m., Buds, Mocha, and me.
It was an easy, one-stop, six-hour drive, and we pulled into the elementary school parking lot at the bottom of Mary and John's driveway around 10 a.m. Mary was waiting for us in their all-wheel drive vehicle which handles their driveway better than our bulky van, even with its snow tires.
Sister Rebecca and her partner Ray, along with Cousin Meg, came to spend the day, so we had a good long visit. Meg brought along some luscious chocolates to share, and Mary crafted a delicious lunch for everyone.
Mary dug a Harry Potter game out and Buds got to try his hand at "spell casting."
We played cards ("President" or "A-hole," depending on your preference, but we ended up calling it "systematic oppression" because of some of the card swapping rules.) There was lots of laughter and lots of losing, for me.
Mocha was especially enamored with all the new people to ask for affection and a bed snuggled in by the fire.
She may enjoy frolicking in the snow in Rochester, but she did not love the chest high snow in Vermont.
She still loves to eat the snow though.
It was wonderful to get time with our niece before she headed out for her evening activities.
Sunday morning we awakened to 4 fresh inches of powdery snow.
After the regular Sunday morning family call, Buds and Mary headed out for a snow shoeing adventure.
While Buds waited for his mom to get ready to go, he and Mocha had time to frolic.
Snow pants really are magic.
Off they go.
Buds called me from atop a hill after they had been gone an hour. They had gotten a little lost, but were in a spot where they could see the house. Could I see them when Mary waved her orange hat?
No.
No, I could not.
They returned home after having a snowy adventure, glad for the chance to visit and enjoy the beautiful, crisp day.
After their forest tromp, we had a little lunch then got on the road.
We fit a lot into a 27 hour visit, and were very glad to see John is on his way to feeling great. It may take a couple weeks, but he's on the right path.
Thanks for a wonderful, relaxing weekend.
