Dear Reader:

Remember Tuesday when I mentioned that I hoped I-26 and 526 would not be backed up causing delays in getting to Mt Pleasant in time for the Grandparents early morning recognition and ” tea party? ” I think you can infer from the title… that didn’t happen.

It took me over half an hour just to get out of Summerville on to the interstate. And when I did… I-26 was a snail-paced parking lot until I could finally get on I-526 that was an improvement but still basically just a ” slow steady eddy” trickle.

I kept telling myself that I was doing everything possible while my white knuckles betrayed my anxiousness. I kept picturing Rutledge and Lachlan searching the crowd for their grandmother… to no avail! I really had the ” Woe is Me” pity party going quite well.

I called Walsh to deliver the bad news but he just calmly reiterated that it was out of my control so just keep on keeping on and we would get there when we got there… didn’t seem ruffled at all.

What should have been a 45 minute to an hour drive took almost two hours. I pulled into Walsh and Mollie’s driveway…practically on one wheel

I ran inside announcing I had finally gotten there and then Walsh looked at me and said… ” Honestly… I just got off a five 12 hour day run and if I had not had that extra hour to shower and rest a minute I don’t think I would have made it. ( Mollie was working)

” Are we too late to go?” ” Never… not after that trip” Walsh replied… and we jumped in his truck.

As I checked in as a ” special guest” I was apologizing for being so late… explaining that I had come from Summerville and one receptionist told me to stop apologizing… they had already heard and some personnel had also experienced the grid-lock on the interstate. They congratulated me on persevering.

Most of the grandparents had come and gone but the expressions on Rutledge’s and Lachlan’s faces when Walsh and I entered the emptied outside courtyard completely made my day! Running late made the boys appreciate my presence more, in this particular case, than if I had been early.

We were all directed to the library where the annual book fair was going on … smart salesmanship-Who else will buy their grandchildren a book… but grandparents. Three books later( had to get one for Eloise) we got our cookies and hot chocolate and/or tea or juice.

We were the only ones enjoying our tea party-had the courtyard to ourselves-no crowds or seating problems.

Both Rutledge and Lachlan were thrilled I was late… Rutledge ( happily) confessed that he got to miss art class and Lachlan loved that they got to play out in the courtyard and then leisurely look at all the library books for sale so he could select just the right one. A win-win for both boys!

Walsh got the gift of time he badly needed-the boys got a free extended and unexpected fun time… along with favorite book selections and I was just a ” grandmother running late” …who managed to keep her impatience in check and not end up as the ” late grandmother Boo.” Thank you God!

So until tomorrow… Did you know that the expression ” Better late than never” dates back to the 1300’s and is found in Canterbury Tales” by Chaucer. It was not meant to be sarcastic ( as is some times the case today) but as an affirmation of good faith that you made it safe and sound.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh

When Walsh and I returned back to the house, I got to see the patio brick formation for Walsh and Mollie’s new addition to the house/ yard. The project has been slow-going due to the daily thunderstorms but we are now in a beautiful cool dry spell…. and YES! Fall did appear yesterday morning!!!! I am in love!!!