As soon as the kids finished up their school year, they grabbed the bags they’d helped pack (a week in advance: I had to fend them off until then) and joined me on an early-morning flight to Iowa to visit my parents and brother. The kids were delighted to find that I slowed down my usual frantic pace so that we could enjoy some down time together. Some of our usual fun worked better there, and some worse. Unfortunately, Iowa has far fewer trees, so Katherine and I had to borrow some extra gear from Grandpa so she could settle into her hammock with book and buddy: On the plus side, without two affectionate kitties, we could actually set out a puzzle on the kitchen table and still have all the pieces there. As we worked our way up to Mom’s most complicated puzzle, we started to worry. Mom, Dad, and I spent a late-night hour or two looking for one particular piece. Not finding it, we assumed we’d lost it, and resigned ourselves to some disappointment when we finished the puzzle. But, the next morning, Katherine reaches in and pops the missing piece into place. Apparently six eyes weren’t enough; we needed eight or ten.