Greetings, Rural Sprout readers, 

We had a lovely visit with family towards the end of the week. Then, half of our visiting party went home, and the teenagers, the adult kids, and I spent a quiet weekend reading, cooking, baking and laughing at our goofy family high-jinx.

At one point, there was a discussion about types of animals where one makes a noise, and the rest join in. Someone said, “Howler monkeys!” And that was that. For the rest of the weekend one of us would let out a “Whoop!” and suddenly the whole house would be filled with responding calls of “Whoop, whoop, whoop!” 

A marvelous thunderstorm rolled in late Saturday morning, and we decided to do yoga together on the front porch. 

At one point, with our feet waving in the air for “baby pose,” I remarked that it would be pretty funny for a car to drive by right then and there because all you would see from the road is five pairs of feet sticking up from the porch.

After yoga and a nap, we strolled around the garden in the rain, picking green beans, shallots and dill to be braised with a bit of bacon for lunch. 

These are always our favorite visits together – the ones with no definitive plans, just time spent in each other’s company. 

I used to feel obligated to plan outings and activities whenever family visited. And I still do for some, but over the years, I’ve gotten smarter, and l leave a lot of our time together unplanned. It makes for a more relaxing visit. Even just sitting in each other’s presence, silently reading, is wonderful.

I hope you had a fulfilling weekend, too, my friends. Whoop!