Confessions of a Grandma

I visited my daughter and two grand kids yesterday.  It was Kristen's birthday--number 12. Oh, my, how times flies. I took her to shop for a new outfit for her birthday.  She was born to shop and has been particular about her fashion choices from a very young age. Her brother was at day camp.  He was not born to shop.  He tries to tolerate it but it was definitely easier to go to the mall without him.  He was happy because he got to go swimming.  My daughter rushed off to get him at the lake when the thunder started to rumble though. I stopped on the way down at a farm stand and bought some freshly picked strawberries.  I was going to tell them about Kay's tip for keeping strawberries fresh .   Well,  that would have been a waste of breath.  The three of them dove into those berries--no need to worry about them keeping for a few days!

  I had the pleasure of my grand children's company over the past weekend.  Dane and I went to Gardeners Supply on Saturday morning and then came home and planted some annuals.  His favorite part was watering the newly planted flowers--a true Aquarius.   He announced that he wanted to go to the Ethan Allen Park and climb the tower so we all did that.  I wish that I had not left my camera in the car because the view from the top of the tower is spectacular--360° view of the Green Mountains, Lake Champlain, and the Adirondacks.  We had been to the park two years ago but could not climb the tower because it was closed that day.  I was surprised he remembered it.   After climbing the tower, we took a walk on the bike path along the lake.    What better stop after all that hiking/walking than a stop for ice cream?  We did not make it to the chicken coop tour, though.     On Sunday, I had to go to the to...

Mike's oldest grand daughter and his second grand son both have graduations this month.  She is graduating from college (and has a good job lined up!) and he will graduate from high school to start college in the fall.  We will be with them in spirit.  I did some shopping yesterday, for graduation presents.  I made their cards and Mike will package and send them out in the morning.  (With any luck!) Okay...it is one of those times when Blogger gets stubborn about where to put pictures. Can you tell these two are brother and sister?  And aren't they good looking? Congratulations to both you guys.  We are so proud of you both!

The first week we were home from Florida, I really felt at loose ends.  I had things to do around the house after more than three months away, but I didn’t feel energetic and I didn’t feel like I got much of anything worthwhile accomplished. After palm trees and sunshine, these scene from my front window does not inspire me.  My sister told me that the entire winter was this grey. This second week has been a bit better—at least for me.  Mike has been down with a stomach bug that he cannot seem to shake off for much of the time. I got back to the town library on Monday and Wednesday to do some of my volunteer tasks.  Also, the annual poetry workshop started there on Monday evening and our regular writers’ group met there on Tuesday evening.  So quite a bit of time spent at the library. I went to lunch with my friend Ginnie on Tuesday.  We went to the Cobblestone Café in Burlington.  The draw was that they serve handmade pierogis.  We eac...

I was compelled to drive the 70 miles to my daughter's house yesterday afternoon so that I could attend the grandkids' Winter Concert. Usually, on a cold, dark night, I would stay in with a mug of hot chocolate and let them know I was there in spirit.  Somehow the events of the last few days made my need to see them--and see them in their school--overwhelming.  I put aside my volunteering and I put aside the preparations for the start of our trip to Florida tomorrow and I attended that concert. It was so very worth it.  They were surprised (but pleased) to see me.  I was excited to see them all dressed up.  Dane wore a white dress shirt and a tie -- so precious.  K. had on a white sweater and a pretty necklace and she looked so very beautiful. The program was well done.  The school band played, the chorus sang, there was a group of hand bell ringers, and each class did a sang with an accompanying dance or reading.  The music teacher obviousl...

My grand son has completed his first week of school.  This is the picture as he headed out on the first day of all-day kindergarten. I understand that he has returned each day completely exhausted.  Well, he is still a baby!!  Okay, he  would hate to hear me say that.  He is a big boy now, but, good grief, they grow up so fast. My grand daughter has started sixth grade.  Honestly, it seems like last year that she was startling kindergarten. I stole these pictured from Facebook.  They are just too cute not to share.

I gave my grand son back to his mother last night so I had a chance to breeze through the hundred posts that had accumulated in Google Reader before crawling into my bed.  Amazing how answering a continuous barrage of questions can be so exhausting! - Do you have a real name? -Yes. - What is it? -Olga - Olga?  That’s not a real name.  Let’s call you Melinda. ******************************* -It’s time for bed. - I’m not tired. -I am.  Mike is.  It’s time for everyone to go to bed. - Why are the elderly always tired? **************************************** -Can I have a Popsicle? -Not now, it is too close to suppertime.  You can have one for dessert. - Let me say something!  You are not listening to me! ***************************************** -Why do men like boobs? - WHAT??

It looks like my poor grandson has inherited the tendency for wicked morning bedhead from his maternal grandmother.  (So sorry, Dane) His Uncle Kevin (my son) brought him a box of heavy cardboard spools from where he works.  Now when Kevin was this age himself, he would open birthday or Christmas gifts, leave the toys on the floor in a forgotten corner, and play for hours with the empty boxes.  I was not surprised that he thought this would be a great play option for Dane. And he was right.  These spools were made into castles and tunnels and roads and people and served for hours of quiet playtime. And, of course, the box they came in went to good use as well.

I missed the meteor shower the other night, but I did get to see the full moon rising last night as I put the grand kids to bed.  That was good for "one more" hop out of bed to see. My daughter and her husband were planning to drop the kids off at noon and go to the Stowe car show.  Her car broke down (timing belt problem) on the way and they had to get it towed, then get home to take his car, the Mister Cruiser, a honking big 60's Mercury.  The kids arrived here around 3 p.m. and then daughter and son-in-law went on to Stowe, where his car broke down.  Not a good day for them. I drove to Stowe today to get them and take them to Burlington where they could get a car rental for the trip home.  I do wish life was a bit easier for my children, but I seem to have misplaced my magic wand. Pass-the-book is coming soon.  Let me know if you want your name in the hat for A Homemade Life .

A few errands to run on a foggy, grey Tuesday morning, but by noon the sun was out and the lake beaches are finally open so we spent a long afternoon at the Sand Bar State Park.  It's a nice sandy beach where a four year old boy can spend hours digging  holes and then filling them with buckets of water.  All that is required of a grandma is the occasional  admiring comment and the offer of a drink of water.  After a hearty supper of ham, noodles and corn on the cob, with strawberry shortcake for dessert, Dane spent the longest time drawing and setting up his own "art exhibit." Only a minor meltdown from over-tiredness before off to bed.  But Mike pured me a glass of wine and all was well.

My blogger dashboard page is completely different and I now have a hard time getting saved posts to edit and publish.  Not impossible,but much more cumbersome than the previous dashboard and "new post" page."  Also I used to be able to get to GMail and reader from my blogger dashboard and I can't seem to do that at all any more.  It's just weird.  It's grammy camp week for Dane.  Mike will be working in the basement while we are full tilt energy level going.  Today did a craft project--a card for his mom.  We went shopping for new shoes, then spent the afternoon at the Birds of Vermont Museum .  I'd never been there before and it was just delightful.  We took a walk to the frog pond and found...frogs!! Then it was a refreshing dip in a cold Vermont stream. Where there just happened to be an endless supply of rocks that could be either put in a pile to bring home for the "rock collection" or thrown to make a series of spl...

I admit defeat.  I give up.  It's back to growing flowers for me.  The neighborhood woodchuck has struck once again.  That darn critter is under the mistaken notion that I am running an all-you-can-eat salad buffet.  My first planting of lettuce and beans were sheared to the ground.  I was spraying the second planting with a substance that is supposed to be unpalatable to woodchucks, but with all the rain, I guess I should have been more diligent about getting out there every single evening.  Any evidence of the second crop is now gone as well. Then there is the raccoon that discovered the bird feeders.  Mike started bringing in the feeders at night, but that has only served to piss off the raccoon.  He left a large pile or two on the deck to communicate his irritation.  When that didn't have the desired pay-off, he ravaged my deck planters and broke some pottery. Meanwhile, Mike is being plagued by a mole in the side yard.  He th...

It feels like we had to drive all the way down to Florida just to enjoy a bit of sun.  We sure have not seen much of its shiny face between the trip back in April and now.  An old Vermontism: "Hope it don't hurt the rhubarb."  Let me tell ya, my rhubarb has turned into a mutant monster plant.  I'm afraid to go near it. My son and I are off to visit my daughter and the grand children.  We are attempting to pull off a fast one by bringing Kristen back for a little-brother-less week with Grandma.  He will get his turn when she goes to day camp.  We have a shopping trip planned--that's her birthday present--and I have sewing and craft projects lined up.  We'll see how this experiment goes. My daughter did want assurance that I would still take the two together on occasion.  That will be her birthday present this year. Part of my birthday present--downtown Savannah. If I remember correctly, this was once the Coca Cola plant.

Mike keeps two binoculars by our back door and a spotting scope.  He likes to be prepared should should deer or fox or other critters appear in the field.  He also uses them for keeping an eye on the birds in the back yard.  These are old military glasses that are well made and expensive.  Still, they have a certain fascination for young ones who see them within arm's reach. We gave Kristen a pair of binoculars and a bird book for Christmas last year, but It was Dane who had them around his neck when we set out for a walk yesterday.  We crossed a bridge over a brook and spotted a mallard floating on by.  Its head was such a shiny green that Kristen decided she had to look at it through the binoculars.  Of course, her brother did not want to give them up. "They're mine!" "No, actually, they are mine.  Tell him, Grandma." "Yeah, they really are Sissy's because I gave them to her for Christmas." That brought about some sadness, but at least ...

I spent the day with the grand kids.  We went out to lunch, went to the playground near their house, took a walk to Elfin Lake, and made Father's Day cards for their dad.  I showed my grand daughter how to fold the origami shirt and let my grand son decorate his card with markers and glue on embellishments. Because of all the snow days, my grand daughter will not be out of school this year until June 21. That's late.  I am thinking of doing "grandma camp" with them this year on an individual basis.  Dane had never had exclusive time at grandma's house and Kristen is at the age where she both has many other activities to keep her busy and would appreciate some little-brother-free time.  Four years old and ten years old--that's entering a hard time to do things both will enjoy together anyway.  So I'm giving it some thought. Memorial Day tomorrow.  I will make a visit to the cemetery where my parents are buried.  It seems from the amoun...

With sincere apologies for my photography skills (or lack thereof--these photos do no justice to the actual artifacts) and the difficulties I seem to be having with formatting this post tonight.......  All these pictures hang in our office space.  The George Washington and the Abraham Lincoln above are "school house" pictures.  They would have once hung in a classroom.  This is a newspaper front page that Mike found in a barn in Rhode Island.  It is The New York Herald , dated April 15, 1865 (price: four cents). The important news was that President Lincoln had been assassinated. This is a map of the United States showing 30 states and the District of Columbia.  I am not sure of the date.  It was published by Ensigns, and Thayer of New York.  There are pictures around the border of significant historical events--the landing of the Pilgrims, Battle of Bunker Hill, and more.  Mike found this in a ditch behind a building where he was working ...

I sat down at the computer last night to catch up a little bit, but the wind knocked out our service.  Things were really swirling around as the wind seemed to come from any and every direction, sometimes all at once. So I did the only sensible thing.   I put on my pajamas and crawled into bed and slept for ten hours.  Yes, I had a very busy few days with Kristen and Dane with lots of out door walking and visits to the parks in spite of the chilly (freezing cold) weather.  We went to Oakledge Park one day and walked trails by the lake and visited the tree house and the swings.  We went to the Ethan Allen Park another day and climbed up to the tower two times and in between played on the swings and slides.  We took their Uncle Kevin out for lunch. We also did a lot of drawing, reading of stories, running around in the back yard, and a certain amount of eating of pop corn, ice cream and chocolate.  We made a visit to the Lake Champlain Chocolate ...

I sorted more books at the library on Monday and then went back for the poetry workshop.  The theme for this year's program is "The Ear of Poetry."  We spend some time listening to poets read --either recorded or members of the large group--and there are amazingly talented people in our small town area.  Then we  break into small groups for work sessions.  I am really appreciating the two other women in my small group.  It's eerie how we are on the same page without having known each other from before.  (Ha!  I made a small pun.  Ear-y, get it?) Yesterday I got out and did some cleaning up in the yard and garden--some raking and a lot of bending over to pick up debris.  I went for an exercise walk, but the yard work was much more of a workout, I think.  I can still stand upright and walk today, though. Last night I went to a "rockin rivets" class at a local bead store.  We learned how to drill small holes in ro...

Bird of Paradise Amaryllis In the six years we have been coming to Florida for the winter, I have not seen the amount of blooming that is going on this year.  The sun has been shining for two weeks straight.  In fact, we have had only two showers and one big thunder storm to interrupt the sun shining for the whole month of March to date.  I'm not bored yet, though. I did just talk to my grand son on the phone.  So that makes me want to go home.  I'll bet that the kids have done some blooming of their own in my absence.

Oh, you were such a cutie pie baby. I can't believe you are FOUR years old! AND still a cutie pie. Love and kisses from Grandma