What a profound alteration in the physical and psychical landscape of a Septuagenarian household with a brief summertime sojourn by a 15-year-old granddaughter invading its quiet and serene atmosphere. Chatter and emphatic sounds of one type or another from outright guffaws to girlish gigglings abound. As does clothing, strewn haphazardly over her bedroom floor adjacent suitcase, never hung inconveniently in the clothes cupboard.

That 15-year-old cannot be without the close-at-hand presence of her cellphone, for the buzz it silently emits calls to action at any time, anyplace for instant enthusiastic response. Those opposable thumbs fly at lightning speed; a glance confirms immaculate spelling.

Firmly affixed to her ears, buds attached to her indispensable iPod, with its long and ever-growing listing of popular songs.

And that computer sitting in her lap which is so essential for seeking out humorous videos, the source of some of her laughing fits, is forever entrenched as well, representing as an indispensable accompaniment to daily living.

From her rosebud lips two phrases trip lightly, to be repeated as required, multiple times throughout the course of a day: "Where are we going now?", and "What's for lunch (breakfast, dinner)?" No sooner is mealtime done with, than she searches purposefully through food cupboards for additional satisfying tidbits.

A tall, cool tumbler of liquid refreshment is never far from her grasp. It can be seen sitting here and there on furniture, awaiting her groping hand, mind fixated on reading something of immense importance on the Internet.

Books are our salvation, and perhaps hers as well, for she has inherited the family love of literature. And when she can persuade herself, or we can urge her to settle down and continue reading the latest of her novelistic interests, it is then that we can ourselves finally relax and scan the daily newspapers.