“Remember how I told you when you were Vertran's age not to try to grow up too soon?” the sergeant said to his nephew.

Mrs. Thalia Ludlow was often closely observing the eight little Ludlows in her family...

“So, there's different types of rain.”

“OK, I'm going to have to do two of these – 'Mneme's Skirts' – because the silver-gray version is nice too, although you're right, Rob: the red version is prettier.”

“Oh yeah!” five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow said. “See, hurricanes are nice with pretty red skies – I wonder what color him-i-canes like their skies, though?”

“Hurricane Mneme is beginning to deteriorate in strength as it drifts toward South Carolina's coast; local officials in Lofton County are considering canceling emergency preparations.”

The first days of spring were shockingly emotional ... the vision of what I have been brought to in terms of blessings had me in tears on two bookends of the first 12 hours ... the literal sight of what

“But see, that had to happen because being out here in 2020 wearing underwear that still shrinks is a crime against fashion that had to be punished."

“When you put it that way, Ellie – yeah, I'm good on all that. Let me mind my ten-year-old business.”

Ten-year-old Glendella Ludlow got up and walked out of her new home in Tinyville, VA …

“So, I was wondering – is this a partnership we are doing or something else?”

“See, a dull mind will get you done in.”

“OK. No.”

“I need someone to take me to Big Discounts real quick so I can tell them those are not your onions!!”

Sometimes you just have to know as a human that every alien that reminds you of home doesn't feel like a pet.

“OK, so Gracie and Milton and Velma's grandmothers are having like the deepest grandma-level conversation ever.”

“Things you don't think about,” Mrs. Jubilee Trent said, “unless you live through it.”

One of the great joys of my life again, and a matter that fills me with gratitude, is that I have both time and strength, half a year past near-deadly asymptomatic anemia, to climb again. So I returned

“OK, Grandma Jubilee, so, when as an adult do people just decide, 'I'm good – no more knowledge needed?'”

“OK, baby; pull up John 1:12 on your phone before you wash up, and we'll talk about it when we are getting our food.”