Ireland/China 2025, continuing (66)

[aadler]

Fifty-sixth day in China – August 15 Friday

Standard day, casual breakfast and McDonald’s lunch.

At 6:00PM we started for the Yins’. It’s been a long time since Susan was bothered by that hard clench in her back that appeared just a few days before we flew to Ireland, and kept recurring for weeks before finally fading out; she’s had other types of back pain since, but those as well seem to have been gradually tapering off lately; and when she had to get out of the wheelchair to cross the one street that had curbs instead of ramps, she pushed the chair ahead of her for half a block before she had to sit again, so the problems with her knees have improved dramatically. Heartening, after all the difficulties she’s had to face.

For the first time in the last several visits, the nanny wasn’t in evidence when we arrived; I think perhaps her stint with Mei‑li is up now. Jack and Joy were onsite, however, and Joy was taking care of Ruby, who slept most of the time we were there. Logan had set up a hot-pot in the center of the rotating tabletop that’s the standard feature in their dining room, and brought in multiple ingredients to prepare with that arrangement. Susan and I had helping after helping, and there was still plenty left when we determined we were completely full.

The Yins gave Susan a portable tea-set, and I hid my groan while she delighted in it; not only will we have to find room for it in our luggage for the flight back, we’ll have to find a place to keep it in the RV once we’re home again. We’ll manage somehow, but we need to continue reducing our possessions, not incrementally adding to them.

Back to the apartment after dark, and we said our daily Rosary somewhat after arrival. Eventually Susan, checking to see if Kevin had sent us anything by text (still staying away from his new baby daughter while he waits for the antibiotics to settle the walking pneumonia that doesn’t keep him from going to work), and saw that he’d attempted to call but we hadn’t got notification of that. She called back, and the two of them talked for forty minutes.

Reading, video watching. By 11:30PM there was nothing to prevent us from getting ready for bed.