Train trip

Nov. 11:  To celebrate Sylvia’s 9-month birthday, she and I took a train ride from St. Paul home.  Now she’s done something before her brother – a train trip!  She was a rather noisy girl, shrieking regularly whether happy or sad, and I was fretting about waking all our fellow passengers (many of whom had been on the train since Seattle).  After a bout of shrieking, I turned to a somewhat intimidating man seated across the aisle from me and I apologized for Sylvia’s volume.  “No problem,” he said.  This steel construction worker went on to tell me about how he and his wife had a very hard time having children.  When they finally did, he said, he learned to appreciate every sound the little ones make as a miracle – happy or sad.  He said she had a beautiful voice.
Well that certainly turned my morning around.  I’d been getting frustrated with the wee girl, but it was mostly because of worries about my fellow travelers.  Since he was so generous with his compassion, I looked around and saw that only one or two people didn’t have plainly sympathetic looks on their faces.  I ended up passing Sylvia over to a couple passengers who I don’t think I would have ever interacted with had we not shared a train car.  Sylvia loved getting to smile and goo at a new face, and her sweetness certainly brightened a few moments of their day.  Plus I got a few minutes off from walking with her…up and down and up and downandupanddown the train car.

I had a wonderful visit with Maretta, and a good two-day Alumni Adventures meeting at Carleton.  Maretta and I had fun on Saturday shopping around on Grand Avenue.  She watched Sylvie during my meetings in Northfield, and then I came back to her place on Monday night so I could catch the train on Tuesday.
I took the train because I sold my car (!!!) to Maretta’s friend.  Hooray!
OK, shrieking girl calls.