With K and the Boy back, things are returning to normal. Which is to say, there’s more mess — why does doubling the child count quadruple the mess? — and more noise. The mess, well, I could live without; the noise is the best soundtrack to my life I could imagine.

When K returns from Poland, she always brings gifts from the family for us all. (It makes it sound like she’s often going to Poland alone when in fact this was just the second such trip.) This year’s theme for the Girl: logic games. One in particular, sort of an ever-changing maze, has captivated the Girl. She sat this morning at the refrigerator, twisting and turning the various mechanisms, making this and that pattern. The Boy, on the other hand, was thrilled with the bagel wrapper and his newly discovered skill of scooting around in a circle.

For her part, K brought back a new love of good old fashioned Polish rosol.

A whole chicken, some parsnips, carrots, and celery, and several hours of slow simmering produces the ultimate comfort food.

Comfort food now for all of us.