Confessions of a Grandma

I get together with several friends once or twice a month to make cards, have lunch, make some more cards, and generally solve all the problems of the world -- if only the world would listen. I did take my grandson with me a couple of years ago.  His little head was just a swivel with the conversations going on.  At one point he leaned over to me, shaking his head, and said, "I would so be in time out." Advantage of being a woman of a certain age -- you don't worry so much about having to be so well behaved.  Laughter is good for us. Yesterday we had a delicious Mexican influenced salad, freshly baked zucchini bread, and a frozen dessert.  Another time I may post the dessert recipe because it was refreshing (even though rich) on a very hot day. Okay .     .     .  so my phone is not going to unload, upload or down load any photos today.  Maybe never again.  I keep saying I need a new phone.  This may push me to do it fi...

This picture is from Southern Living  magazine.  It accompanies an article telling how to arrange pillows on the sofa. Start with matching pillows at either end and then work toward the middle with smaller pillows. Mix and match the pillow covering fabrics. Throw in an odd size/shape. Fluff the pillows (which are  preferably down-filled) I think this looks quite attractive. And comfy. I wouldn't mind having this sofa. This is from Freshome.com: There is an article there about how to get a luxury hotel look for your bedroom.  Note the pile of pillows.  I think this looks attractive.  And comfy.  I wouldn't mind having this bed. What I really want to know about pillows is this:                         Why do males hate them so much? Grandson, son, husband, boyfriend, casual visitor -- there is not a male I have ever encountered who would not walk into a room containing a c...

It was a drizzly weekend.  Of course, Monday morning was clear blue sky and bright sunshine.  One of the perks of retirement is lousy weekends aren't the disappointment they used to be. I took my grandson to the nearby park. It's a nice place but I had this feeling that it was nothing more than a huge gathering of ticks awaiting unsuspecting victims.  Since Lyme Disease, some of the joy of Nature and the outdoors has drained away for me. My grandson enjoyed the playground. I enjoyed the crab apple trees in bloom while he played.  They are such a fleeting pleasure. Later we took his scooter to the skate park and also took a walk on the bike path along the Lake Champlain waterfront before going out for Mexican food at Moe's, where, I am told, they make tacos that are even better than mine. Tulips in bloom near the ECHO museum, another fleeting pleasure (tulips, not the museum).

My grandson was here for a weekend visit.  We took a trip into town.  Gee, you go away for a few months and the whole place falls apart! We went into the Macy's parking garage and I was amazed that there were so many available parking spaces. Of course, we discovered why that was. No more Macy's. The entire downtown center is being knocked down. And yet, we are still being urged to shop. We stopped outside of town at the mall.  One of its corner stores is also gone. Inside, half the food court is blocked off along with a length of what was smaller shops.  Who knows what other stores will fold up, although some new stores are being announced. Our final stop for the day was the going out of business sale at Toys-R-Us.  Now that was an experience.  Children crazed by greed running around like crack addicts desperate for the next fix, grasping at whatever they could still find on the shelves. We did find a scooter for my grandson....

Lots of people asked me what I had done differently after I did the nutritional cleanse this past winter Before: December 2016 April, 2018 A tan and perhaps better lighting might help, but I do feel much healthier since cleaning up my diet.

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  While out fo my walk, I noticed this clump of sweet purple violets. It reminded me of when I was a kid.  I would pick a bouquet fo violets and lily-of-the-valley for my mother. My brother Richard would pick her a huge fist full of dandelions.  She would put those in a vase on the table and always tell him that dandelions were her very favorite flowers. The rest of us (I was one of four siblings) always knew who Mom liked best!

Conventional wisdom in Vermont designates Memorial Day as the safe time to plant the garden.  Of course, the plant catalogs arrive in February so that all hope for spring is not lost. Since I have moved into a condo, I have only a small patch where I can put some flowers and I have a container garden for my herbs.  I have plenty of room for a garden in Florida, but not being there full time would necessitate hiring someone to take of it in my absence.  Eventually I will make the transition.  In the mean time, I just do fantasy gardening. I will definitely have a Buddha. I went to browse at Gardener's Supply.  Bougainvillea and other tropical plants in the green house made me think I was still in Florida. Has global warming made this much of a foothold? Succulents in an old bathroom sink. A desert vibe.   This hibiscus bloom was huge.  It would be an annual here. Maybe I could put it on my deck and then transport it...

I have returned to Vermont and have spent a couple days trying to remember where I put things.  I spent ten minutes looking for my butter dish before I spied it right there on the kitchen counter.  I had been looking for the butter dish that I have in Florida and didn't recognize the Vermont butter dish. I know.  I know. Of all the problems one can have in life, that is right down there with the lowest level of most minor.