Grandchildren are great. Grandchildren plus their pets adds an exponential level of cuteness. It seems that the dog, Kylo, has a special relationship with her boy, David; and the cat, Bristow, has things nicely worked out with Beks.

When it comes to a sheer explosion of energy this puppy is remarkable. So we are grateful the town of Wake Forest put a nice tight fence around the baseball field in Tyler Run… with the emphasis on the word “run.”

I am pretty sure Kylo is part mutt, part greyhound, part Kangaroo, and part streak of lightning.

Of course it’s hard for the kids, being in this transition between home in Richmond and the new adventure in Miami. And the sense of limbo is more profound still now their parents are here too – everyone somehow ungrounded and untethered. I think the cat has the best approach, venturing out when things are calm then suddenly hiding under a piece of furniture or the back of a closet the moment anything happens.

As for me and Rebekah, we will just love the lot of them – Naomi, Craig, David, Beks, Bristow, Kylo – so long as they hang around. There will be time enough for tears when they head down the road Tuesday.

This weekend is cold, clear, bright, and deliciously wintery. I’ll keep my North Carolina, thank you very much; but Miami is very much on my mind.

Peace, and more peace, always – DEREK