Visitors

Last week I got two unexpected visits from folks in the Valley.

The first was from my oldest son and his three boys. They stopped in to say "hi" as they journeyed to an annual camping event known in Mormondom as "Fathers' and Sons'".

Said campout commemorates the restoration to the earth of the priesthood that Aaron, the brother of Moses, held. This is called the "Aaronic Priesthood." Since this restoration took place in spring in the early 1800s, each church family unit (ward or branch) sponsors an overnight activity in April or May for fathers and sons. They typically pitch a tent, roast hot dogs and marshmallows, get breakfast cooked by the leaders of their unit, hike, climb hills (often as a competition), sometimes engage in shooting matches, and return home covered with sunburn and/or mosquito bites. Fatherless boys or boyless fathers often adopt one another for the occasion.

Anyway, my kin came to say hey and use the bathroom, and I introduced the younguns to the exciting task of removing spider webs ('tis the season!) from the house with a cute little tool called "The Webster." Mine is quite ancient, and since the original telescopic wand expired years ago, my late husband duct-taped the round green head to a yellow broom-handle pole.

I can't find a picture of Webster on the Internet web, and I'm too lazy to take a picture and upload it, so you'll just have to imagine 3-inch-long green nylon broomstraws poking out of a half dome, brush-like head.

All too soon, the visit was over and the boys were on their way to camping adventures.

The very next day, my __________, well, my __________, the father-in-law of my other married son (someone needs to invent a word describing our relationship!), knocked on my door in the late afternoon.

He had been camping up on the Rim, decided it was too cold to stay another night, and broke camp. That is, he attempted to break camp. His pop-up camper declined to pop back down. Very slowly, he drove down to my place and asked if he could leave the recalcitrant camper in my park overnight, as he didn't think it was safe to try getting home in the dark.

We found a spot, he backed up and unhitched, and that was that. He and the kids (my son and wife) came up the next day and fetched the tag-along home.

I imagine I'll be seeing more drop-ins in the next few months. The weather is balmy, the breeze is fresh, and campers will descend in droves. I only hope they'll contain their campfires and put them DEAD OUT before they leave! I sure don't want to leave home, like last year, due to a wildfire.