Confessions of a Grandma

Mike joined the Navy right out of high school and saw the world. After his college graduation, he made an even huger geographical shift and moved to Vermont. There's family history there (VT) that I won't get into, but suffice to say all his siblings remain happily in Connecticut to this day. It must be, though, that his kids got that lone wonder gene. Travel is great and it's wonderful that they both have had opportunities to see the world--without even having to join the navy. But then they both settled and started their own families far away from Vermont. On the one hand, it gives us an excuse to travel. On the other, we miss large chunks of their lives. The youngest grand daughter was two and a half before we saw her in person. To rectify that situation, we took a trip to California last fall. Mike's son lives there with his three California girls. The two little girls are delightful--bright and happy, well-behaved and polite. After an initial warm up period, the...

I finished the sweater vest I had started in February--working around the osteo -arthritis during the chilly evenings of February and the too-perfect-weather-to-be-inside of the past couple of weeks. I had seen a similar project in an ad in a knitting magazine. The ad indicated pattern and yarn came in a kit, but when I went online to order, the kits were no longer available. The pattern was available for $5.00. I certainly don't mind paying for a pattern--that's some one's work after all. The thing was the shipping cost for the pattern was $5.75 and I balked at paying that. Honestly, had the pattern been $10.00 and the shipping $1.00 I'm quite sure I wouldn't have found it so outrageous. This is completely a sign of old age, I guess, remembering the 3 cent stamp! I used to put together little trinkets and candy packages to send to the grand kids for Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween. Last year, the postage costs were way more than anything that was in the pac...

In the winter of 2007, a pair of mourning doves nested in the overhang on the breezeway of the Fiesole Street house. We saw the parents in and out for several weeks. Stray bits of pine needle and bark stuck out in the free-form approximation of a nest. Mister Dove seemed to be doing most of the work and it really was quite haphazard, but Missus Dove was nevertheless suitably impressed and the couple moved in. Apparently, mourning doves are not the most house proud among birds. There followed a period of time when Mister was seen leaving each morning and returning in late afternoon. Missus then had an opportunity to stretch her wings and take care of any female bird business that needed doing but she was usually back within the hour. We don’t know how they sectioned up the night time, but some how I’m inclined to think Mister felt his work was substantially over after building the nest. This coming and going went on for a few weeks. Obviously eggs were being tended. Then there was a per...

March 11 is my son's birthday. He's a fine grown man. Still, sometimes when I look at him I see the toddler that he was, or that preadolescent compelled to jump up to touch the ceiling in the den at every available opportunity. Hell, I see a 36 year old when I look in the mirror. I cried when he left for UVM --the same kind of tears I had at my daughter's wedding--just wetness flowing down my face without sobbing or stuffing up. It's the way of life. Children move on and make their own way. But parents get to keep the infant, the toddler , the child, the teenager, the adult in their hearts forever.

We went to hear The Nighthawks play at Aces lounge on Saturday night. It was a great show--or at least a great first set, which put us seriously up past our bedtime. They give new meaning to 60's rock (since three of the four members are now 60). Great energy. Our generation continues to use up all the fun. Check them out: http://www.thenighthawks.com/ .

I pass this beach access near Sharkey's pier on my morning walk to Caspersen Beach Park. This is why March is my favorite month. While I certainly should not complain, this was a chilly and windy January and February (2009) by Florida standards. Now March is here and predictably gorgeous. The windows are all open, the sun is hot, but a gentle breeze keeps things pleasant.

I took up knitting in December, 2005. I had been retired from my hectic teaching job (as a special educator in in middle school and team leader for our department) for six months, had finally relaxed into it, and then realized I needed to be doing something constructive (literally, I wanted to make something) as the holidays approached. I happened to see an ad in the paper from the Burlington Ben Franklin store. They were hosting a Sunday night series of knitting groups with the purpose of making and donating chemo caps. I thought, "I'll do that!" I had learned to knit--when I was about ten and belonged to 4H. I wasn't very coordinated and I really wasn't very good at it and I never even completed a simple garter stitch scarf. Then in my 20's, I made a baby sweater while I was pregnant for my son. God love him, he wore it for months and it was quite cute. Then I started a cable knit vest for my husband. I finished about 3/4 of the back before complet...