Last month her grandfather had a trailer hitch installed on the new car, now a year old.  A few days ago he put together the knock-down trailer and went to pick up the elliptical trainer he bought for her sixteenth birthday, a device she has wanted for a year.  It will be delivered to her home tomorrow when we make the long drive to pick her up.  Her and her best girlfriend, who will be staying with us for the following five days.

Living in the country as they do, they haven't the close exposure to shopping opportunities so dear to young girls' hearts.  Our granddaughter also plans to visit all those neighbourhood playgrounds with their equipment beloved of four-year-olds that we used to take her to every day without fail when we were her daytime guardians until she turned nine and her mother moved to the country.

Yesterday evening I baked chocolate chip cookies, when the atmosphere began to cool off from the hot humidity of the day, and the house didn't as a result, warm up too much.  I put fresh linen on the beds of the two back bedrooms in anticipation of their stay.  I'll be busy when they're here, making lunches for them, when we haven't eaten a mid-day meal ourselves in decades.  They'll have quiche, pizza, grilled sandwiches and salads.

The refrigerator is well stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables.  The day following their arrival they'll go over to the hairdressing salon our granddaughter visits each time she stays with us, to have their hair done.  They'll giggle, and talk incessantly, preen and shop, as young girls do.  The house will be a livelier one than usual, and we'll be, no doubt, exhausted, by the time we return them to their families.

Her grandfather also bought a basketball for them to take along to the park so they can use the hoops there, and kick the ball around as well, since they're also besotted with the fun of soccer.  How can you kick a basketball? she asked when I told her, over the telephone.