It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

A gorgeous, sunny fall day, a visit to our historic downtown farmer’s market, a video chat with Oldest planned for later in the day…what could be better?

The fact that The Boy came home for a quick visit.

It’ll probably be the only time he can get home before Thanksgiving due to his opera rehearsal schedule, so I’d treasure the time together for that reason alone…but the best part is that he is obviously enjoying being here and spending time with his family.

He pulled in at 9:30 last night, after having stopped for a caffeinated drink to help him stay alert on the  drive. This child on caffeine is like a 33 1/3 rpm record played at 88. So in the 45 minutes between when he got in and when I couldn’t keep my eyes open any more, The Husband and I learned from him:
-the details of the most challenging piece he’s singing in choir and how difficult it is to follow his new director.
-the complete plot (along with five pages of recitative sung) of the opera he’ll be in next month (“Susanna” – it’s weird.)
-how a differential system works in a vehicle – in thorough mechanical detail
-why the reverse gear in his Jeep growls – in thorough mechanical detail
-a précis of Thursday night’s Chiefs game, how and where he watched it, and who with

His enthusiasm for absolutely everything and his hunger for learning are wonderful, even if slightly affected by caffeine intake.

Darned handsome, even before the haircut.

He asked if he could drive us to the farmer’s market this morning, to see his sister at work at his summer job – she took over for him after he left for college. It’s a perfect day for this morning tradition – sunny and cool. Then a run around the corner to get his hair cut, and he’s currently loading some of his favorite new music onto my phone so I can enjoy it, too. Later we’ll do a group shoe-shopping trip and the video chat with Oldest, followed by dinner together and a movie. Couldn’t ask for a better Saturday.

The Boy is more confident, more joy-full, more himself than ever before. This mother’s heart is content.

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