Every Sunday, Laura called her grandfather in Laredo. But last month, Abuelo got a new phone, and he could not figure out how to answer a video call. Each time Laura called, the screen showed his ear, or the ceiling fan, or nothing at all.

Laura had an idea. She made a small card with three big drawings on it: a green button, a hand holding a phone up in front of a face, and a smiling face. Under each drawing, she wrote one short step in Spanish and in English. Then she mailed the card to Laredo.

The next Sunday, Laura called again. The phone rang twice, and then there was Abuelo's face, right in the middle of the screen. He was holding the card up next to his cheek and laughing.

"I put it on the refrigerator," he said. "Now I can see you, and you can see my tomatoes." He turned the phone toward the window, where a row of red tomatoes was growing in pots.