Lugnasa Superior Wolf Moon
The grandkids have come and gone. Jon gets to see them for a weekend overnight every other weekend and all day Saturday on the other. He also gets a Wednesday dinner every week. These arrangements are temporary and will be changed when the divorce is final, sometime in October, probably.
It was a joyous time with the kiddos this weekend. Lots of laughter, fun, conversations, play. Ruth painted her elephant, Gabe watched two movies up in the loft, part of the time exercising on the elliptical and told fart jokes. (He’s 8.) The dogs love it when the kids are here. More play time. Lots of smiling canine faces.
Kate made BLT’s on Saturday night, spaghetti and meatballs last night. She also made two batches of rice crispy treats. Family stuff with the usual mild chaos, dogs and kids scampering here and there.
Now, though, we have a quiet house again and we like that, too. Our lives here are not solely about family, we each have our own work and we both need solitude. In large quantities.
The path of the divorce, in the often obtuse way of the world, has deepened our relationship with Jon and with Ruth and Gabe. That same path has begun to diverge from the dismal trek we experienced through June, July and much of August. It feels lighter. Jon’s back at work. Some of his legal matters are resolved. Investigative work that has to be done before September 16th, the initial pass at a divorce settlement, has hinted strongly at an outcome much more to his liking than Jen has proposed.
Life for the Denver Olsons, sans Jen, will not be the same, but I’m increasingly convinced that it will be better, for them and for us.
