Confessions of a Grandma

  We have all had them -- day after day when nothing is easy and even the smallest detail of a usual routine seems way harder than it needs to be or ever has been before. At least we have the pandemic to blame it on

I am not a religious person but I do believe there is a Source that has no human form so I am praying a lot these day because our country needs something good to happen soon.

stock image of Marie Antoinette While it is doubtful that she ever actually said "Let them eat cake," (another example of how history is not necessarily a retelling of actual events), it was no doubt believable to the French revolutionaries who were fighting for social and economic reforms.  There were people hungry and suffering while she did flaunt a lavish lifestyle. Another example of cluelessness about what life is like outside the mighty fortressof gold rooms, "Let them find another job." If Ivanka wakes up the day after the November election with snow white hair, I personally might be inclined to consider it a fine example of Karmic justice.

I had a distanced picnic with my daughter and two grandkids on Wednesday. Amy is doing okay. Like her brother, she is not a highly social person although I will say she doesn't border on being a recluse in quite the way Kevin does. I was taken aback a bit to see her hair is going a bit gray. Of course, Kristen's hair was green. Kids! But I believe in letting kids get it out of their systems as teen-agers. (I mean non-harmful things.) Dane is a little stir-crazy and all his plans for the summer were upended by pandemic. I had plan tickets so that I could take the kids to Florida for two weeks starting on July 14th. I was able to get a refund because that is off the table with Florida  now being a real hot spot.  I am looking into finding a cabin on the lake instead. Under normal circumstances that would have had to have been arranged maybe two years ago, but with restrictions on travel there are places that have opened up. I neglected to snap some pictures but here is my grandd...

Our largest city here in VT typically celebrates the Fourth of July on the downtown waterfront of Lake Champlain, festivities capped off with a firework display over the water. I stopped attending years ago since I really don't care to fight the crowds. The usual hoopla was cancelled this year. The mayor had suggested residents go out at dusk and make a lot of noise, but somehow I doubt people yelling "BOOM" was quite the same. This year Kevin joined me for a pleasant hike. He had climbed Mt. Mansfield (the state's highest peak) the day before. My son is a dedicated hiker so I am sure he considered this a walk in the park, but it was sweet of him to indulge me. A view worth the climb. So peaceful. This was resting on a tree knot. Obviously someone had spotted a sasquatch in these woods -- or possibly they mark their own trails? I sensed a watching presence. Kevin said it was a squirrel. We walked the blue and orange trails.

I tend to not be a worrier -- even at times when a dose of worry might be well placed to spur some beneficial action.  My grandson started middle school last fall and he really seemed to like it. It appeared that he had made a nice connection with his science teacher in particular. He was excited about the subject and asked for a microscope for his Christmas present. When schools closed for the pandemic I wasn't worried that he would not keep learning. When he gets interested in something he goes all in. Now, I don't remember if I wrote about my eyes bothering me early this year. It was an allergic reaction to the glaucoma drops I was using. It was painful and ugly. I was walking around with bloody eyes for way too long. And, my grandson? He was So excited to show me microscopic pictures of the "tiny arachnids that live in your eye lashes." I won't traumatize anyone by including the picture he sent me. My eye doctor confirmed the information and suggested I tell D...

This sign was on the desk in my hotel room last month when I was driving to VT from Florida. I suppose it is a sign of the changing times we live in. I had not seen a sign like this before.