In the good ol' summertime . . . or making Spence wait

Well, imagine that. Spence . . . blogging.

So where is he when I need him? Where is he when the computer is on and the WordPerfect file is on the screen? When I am sitting there with my fingers poised over the keyboard and Sadie is talking to herself?

Then, of course, he is nowhere to be found. Thanks a lot, Spence, she said sarcastically. What a hero you're turning out to be.

Though, to be fair, if he did show up today, I wasn't here. My oldest son called shortly before noon and said he was playing semi-pro ball in a town near us if we wanted to come and watch -- and, incidentally, see the grandsons.

Did we? Need you ask?

It's been a couple of months since we've seen the grandsons who are now 19 months old and capable of running in two directions at once (because there are two of them, not because they are spatially gifted).

Now they know the sounds of lots of animals. They know how to stir water with sticks, how to convince their mom that they need cheetos and that it's more fun turning themselves orange than letting her stick a cheeto in their mouths. They tell each other to "Get Down" off things, not because they are worried about each other, but because the one on the ground, saying it, simply wants to take his brother's place. They are also very attached to mommy at the moment -- except when they prefer to run after balls or run around the bases. Though for a 19 month old, it is possible to get lost between second and third. The outfield beckons.

I discovered that I can tell them apart now. The Prof thinks I'm lying because he says they look exactly alike. But I don't think so. One of them always looks like my father. The other one never does. There is no reason why either should because Eldest Son is adopted, but we find the resemblance something of a cosmic joke. Even better, we've discovered that one is turning out to be right-handed and the other a lefty. So it won't be as easy for them to trick people into mixing them up.

Anyway, we went. And we had a great time. Not just with the twins and their parents, but because watching town team semi-pro baseball is simply a lovely way to spend a summer Saturday afternoon in the Iowa countryside. The weather was spectacular -- sunny and warm but breezy. The views across the fields were magnificent (yea, cataract surgery!) and Eldest Son's team won and he got two hits and the save, striking out five as he pitched the last two innings.

So if Spence did turn up looking for me, he'd have been out of luck. I am back now, though, and very happy to get to work should he put in an appearance. And I think he might. Apparently he found out what Sadie knew that he didn't. So I expect he'll be here any second, ready to strangle her.

Ah, conflict.