Bits and Pieces

* On Sunday afternoon my older younger sister invited me over for dinner. I was so tired when I arrived that I took a pre-dinner nap. Ha ha! Just curled up on the sofa, put my head on my wadded up jacket, and went to sleep. I felt much better afterward. It's nice visiting someone who loves me enough to let me sleep for a bit. Of course, it helps that I've let her take a nap at my house too.
:0)

* Yesterday was spaghetti and meatball day at work. It's a favorite with the kids. Somehow I managed to sneak in a batch (or two) of applesauce cake for snack too! Smelled yummy at daycare.

* The babies have had colds and runny noses. I was back in the baby room for the evening, tissues in hand, when I noticed Derek was in need. There was a white booger peeking out of his nose. I wiped/grabbed it and was in for a surprise. It was a piece of spaghetti! Well, just a quarter piece. I broke them in quarters before cooking them for the little ones. (So gross! Ha ha!)

* I went to work a half hour early today on dry, clear roads. I drove home this evening through snow and slush. I think "wintry mix" is right! Powdery snow, sleet, freezing rain... I even heard some people got hail. Ah, nothing is unheard of and anything is possible. Can't wait to see what tomorrow morning looks like.

(The photos are old. That's my Number One grandchild a few years back.)

Staying Close to Home

Yesterday I stayed close to home for a change. In the morning I caught up on a few blogs, listened to music, and enjoyed the solitude. I watched the trees outside my window dancing in the wind, along with leaves swirling through the air, and thought how it often takes a big wind to strip us bare... (Ah yes, I can be profound on rare occasions. ha ha!)

After washing some laundry and attacking the mess that was my upstairs, I made the not-so-difficult-decision to visit my favorite apple stand down on Lake Rd. where I can buy a bushel of apples for $15 (excluding Honeycrisp, which are $35 a bushel). Most years I visit Brownell's several times but work has kept me at bay this season. I filled my box with a mixed variety (which is probably one of those redundant statements); Northern Spy, 20 ounce, a few Crispins, perhaps some Empires or Cortlans, and topped it off with a bunch of my dad's favorite Ida Reds. I should more knowledgeable of apple varieties, but once I get them home I'm often not sure how to tell a Macoun from an Ida Red, Empire, or Cortland. Either way, everything I bought is good for tossing into pies, most of them are good for putting into a lunch box, and Ida Reds make a very pretty pink applesauce..

On my way to buy apples I passed a pumpkin patch. Couldn't help but think of the little ones who filled my house and hours not so long ago... Yes, sometimes I miss them. Perhaps I always will.

And, yesterday our oldest grandson turned eight. Pretty crazy! I wasn't a grandma at all when I started blogging. It turned out to be a really nice day even if I never did get a full face shot of Josh and his apple pie.

A Little Bit of Dirt

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,...
Genesis 2:7a

Beth and Adam are putting a little addition on their house to make room for the new baby. The process has included the accumulation of one terrific dirt pile out back, a wonderful place for little boys to play (and little girls too because I can just barely remember the dirt pile in our backyard when Dad and Uncle Chuck built the garage). Jake found it alluring on Friday evening when we took the boys home but I'd neglected to take my camera.

On Sunday afternoon I had my camera in tow when Josh came out to watch his dad and grandpa work, and to get a little dirt on his hands... and feet... and stomach...(I almost wished I was a kid again so I could play and not look foolish, but I forgot to bring my sandbox clothes...)






I don't think
 he minded me taking his picture. Every once in a while he'd look to see if I still had my camera pointed his direction, and he never tried to hide. I do have to say, he is pretty cute.

He walked the ridge, buried his feet, slid down the edge, dug holes and tossed rocks. As long as someone was watching (me), he was content. And when he was thoroughly covered with dust, he disappeared around the back of the house and showed up in the driveway where he hosed himself down with ice cold water. Then he turned around and ran back to the dirt for a fresh layer.


I think he was actually enjoying my attention for once.
:0)

A Night of Fishing at the Pond

We had some visitors this evening, two handsome young men. (The little ones. Noah, the tall one, stopped by with Ben just in time for a quick stop at the pond...) They (the little ones) arrived soon after dinner and then went fishing. In the living room. Those are some pretty good fishermen!

There were toys all over the living room in no time at all; cars, books, Beanie babies, and fish. :) After Ben and Noah left, James, Hannah, and I played Apples to Apples with Josh. "Smart" was one of the green cards and My Darling was the judge.He had to choose from dump truck, helicopter, and monkeys. Ha ha! I laughed when the green card came up "Bold" and Josh said something about wishing there was an eagle card. Bold Eagle... Sorry, I must have been tired, but I laughed so hard I cried.

We had a very nice grandson night. It was nice to chase small people for a change. It was especially nice to hug my eldest daughter, and to give her baby bump a little pat. She's looking cute and the boys are getting excited to have a new sister at the end of the summer. Maybe when I get a paycheck I'll go out and buy something pink.
:0)

 

Seven, Apple Pies,

Yesterday my oldest grandson turned seven. That's kind of hard to believe. I'm pretty sure grand- children shouldn't be allowed to grow up quite so fast, and the really sad thing is that all the others are racing along right behind him. (Did you know when I started blogging I wasn't even an expectant grandma yet?) sigh

I am in a pie making craze. Not wanting my apples to rot or be eaten by mice (They're in boxes out on the wood pile...), I have determined to bake at least a dozen this week. (Okay, so maybe I didn't really determine this, but I'm well on my way in spite of it.)  Maybe this evening I can actually deliver a pie to last week's intended recipient. Now if only I could remember all those folks who I promised a pie. Oh, dear...

A little Video ... or Two

Since Betsy posted a pretty snow video, I went in search of something with a "Rochester" accent. Instead I found this. Not quite Rochester... Skip the first twenty seconds unless you like high pitched nothingness.
Or perhaps you would enjoy this instead...

Cattail Fun, or Not

I learned something new yesterday and it has to do with cattails. Cattails are great outside fun, but they do NOT belong in the house or on the back porch where they may sneak inside when no one is looking.

Josh and I wandered around outside yesterday, eventually ending up down by the drainage ditch. I was looking for photo opportunities, and he was looking for fun. Cattails fill both categories quite nicely. I broke off one cattail stem about halfway down and handed it to Josh. "It's chicken on a stick!" he said. It looked more like those hotdogs we used to cook over the campfire years ago, but I didn't bother to disagree. I like chicken better than hotdogs anyway.
 

"Ripe" cattails slide right off the stems, and some of yesterday's specimens were over the top ripe. We, or should I say "I", opted  not to show my young grandson what a great cloud of flying fuzz could be generated. No use in making a mess all over his clothes and risk getting the stuff in his eyes and mouth, besides, we had a napping child in the house and it was time to go back inside. I left my own intact cattail on the picnic table outside and didn't stop to pay attention to what was happening to Joshua's.

I decided to wash my kitchen window screens and panes while the kids played. It wasn't until I was putting my windows back together that I noticed a disturbing collection of cattail fuzz meandering about the hardwood floor. (No, I didn't take pictures...) It was congregating in my kitchen as well. I was not a happy Grammy.
 
I found that cattails are terribly messy when disassembled and literally impossible to sweep up. "It was just a mistake," Josh told me as the fuzz swirled about my living room floor. Somehow I was less than impressed. After trying unsuccessfully with a dustpan and broom, I went upstairs to hunt down the vacuum cleaner. You know, I even had to suck the silly stuff off the concrete floor of my back porch. Sweeping it resulted only in a rising swirl of miniscule fluffy seeds.

Next time I'll settle for a war out in the yard instead.

My Boy Josh

In the past six months I've gone from having four bouncing grandkids frequent- ing my house, to one occasional boy. I have to say that missing my other grandchildren has made seeing this sweet boy all the more special. The realization that they should never be taken for granted has hit hard.

On Sunday afternoon we provided Bethany a ride home from the Art Festival (she came with a friend) and picked up Josh at "Grandma Jo's" on our way through Webster. There was just enough time for him and me to put our Fairy Garden/Gnome Home together here before dropping Hannah off at the evening church service.

I under- stand Josh was very protective of his little garden on the ride home. Each curve we went around, each corner we rounded, he reached out to make sure it didn't tip over. We are building memories, small ones maybe, but memories. I hope he enjoys his little garden for a long time to come.

Ain't Life Grand?

Josh and Bethany came over yesterday afternoon for a "picnic". We ate PBJ's, fruit, snow and sugar snap peas, chips and salsa, and baked beans. (It was a hastily assembled meal.) Josh drank Kool-Aid and was sporting a Kool-Aid smile. He covered it up  with his hand. :)

We had a nice little supper on the back porch and then Josh and I checked out the blueberry patch. We tasted a few and decided they are going to be ripe early this year. Josh had a fun time jumping from the back steps. He looked at old pictures in Great Grandma's photo album, and I showed him the grape box I bought at the antique store. We're going to plant a Gnome Home together (he wants one for his house) and the grape box is a perfect Gnome Home planter.

If you think about it, please pray for our wounded hearts this week. Our sweet little granddaughter will be one year old on Sunday. Hannah and I will shop for a present and maybe one day Leta will bring the kids over to visit, but we will be missing the birthday celebration this time. How did it ever come to this and when will our family be whole again? :'( 

Today I am thankful for the gift of Josh (and "Fred" too) because a Grammy without her grands is just too very sad.

Pain In the Neck

For two weeks I avoided the bottle of ibuprofen in my kitchen cabinet, but after suffering with a headache all day yesterday (could it really have been the lilacs?), I gave in at night and took both the ibuprofen and a Benadryl. The ache is persistent, through my neck, down the center of my back, and into my shoulder blade. My eyes are tired and I want to sleep. Perhaps I have learned the lilac lesson... perhaps. And then again,... maybe there is another reason for the pain, one that doesn't smell so pretty.

Tomorrow I have a day off, if there is such a thing. No babies and no small children, just one aging momma who I don't feel comfortable leaving home alone for extended periods of time. She would tell me she is fine, but if I were to leave her, my thoughts would return to her again and again. Sometime tomorrow my sister will arrive to take Mom home for the weekend. I have plans but not to go away or anything. I fear that may never happen... Instead Hannah and I will go the the banquet at church on Saturday evening, and we will have company on Sunday afternoon. We're going to make blueberry pie.

Josh came to visit today. He found the baby quite nice, especially when she took a turn on his lap. He is practicing up to be a big brother and I think he is going to make a perfectly splendid one! I'm looking forward to seeing him with his own baby. I hope he's ready to share his mom and dad with somebody new.

Hate to Burst Your Bubble

Josh and Hannah are good friends. The other night they spent some together time blowing bubbles on Bethany's front step. I found a smile creeping across my face as I reached for my camera.

On the end table in Bethany's living room is a book, "Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson. As I flipped through that pages, she looked slightly sheepish as she admitted that she hadn't ever read it. The copy was mine and the stories inside familiar. One upon a time this book had given me a glimpse into an otherwise foreign world.

Though I was in the midst of raising five boys I had never been given such a clear picture into the world of boys. I found myself able to relax a bit more when they pulled those crazy boy stunts and worry a bit less when they tore their knees open on trees and pavement. I hadn't given up on worrying altogether, but my understanding was forever altered.

Jump!

Kids are funny aren't they?

It was a beautiful day. We spent most of it inside with toddlers but had a little bit of outside time this afternoon with Josh and Emma. They were feeling jumpy. :)

Three Years Old!

Today is Joshua's birthday and he is three. What a fun three years it has been. It's amazing to see the years fly by as grandchildren grow up much faster than one's own do, and oh so much faster than we did ourselves. I can still recall someone asking me how old I was and being proud to hold up three fingers. It felt so much more grown up than two...

In honor of Josh and his third birthday, I give you three things about Josh.

1. He loves his dad. Wait a minute, he adores his dad. He loves to be with him, to help him, and I think he wants to be just like him.

2. Josh is a Buffalo Sabre's fan. He has a Sabre's hat, a Sabre's coat, and a hockey puck that once belonged to his grandfather. (No, it is not a Buffalo Sabre's hockey puck.)

3. Josh likes ride on lawn mowers. He is quite happy to report that they have a ride on lawn mower. Of course, he has liked lawnmowers in general from the time he could walk so this is not a big surprise. What guy doesn't like a tractor?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSH!!!

Out For a Ride

Summer is winding down. Soon September will be upon us and autumn will settle in. Fall brings mixed emotions this year and a reminder of God's enduring love.

Today we took Josh and went to the beach at Fair Haven. We are not your typical beach bums, dressed in our street clothes, but we enjoy putting our feet in the surf and walking along the water's edge. Josh played in both the sand and surf and enjoyed himself completely. Too bad we didn't bring sand buckets and shovels. That would have been fun!

We took a long walk out the pier which gave us a wonderful view of the shoreline, but my camera batteries had died back at the beach so I didn't get any pictures. There were boats coming into and going out of the bay making me quietly hope once again to go out on the water one day.

We stopped for a Frosty before heading back for home. It was a nice afternoon and my feet are tired. I didn't drink any coffee today so I am hoping for a good night's sleep.

PS. Uncle Chuck had his heart shocked back into a normal rhythm early this week and is doing great. He and Aunt Mary were over to visit Mom this afternoon.

"Firemen Don't Have Blankets."

This little boy has a "cozy, cozy" to help him sleep when he gets tired. He doesn't drag it around with him, but sometimes his mom lets him have it in the car, especially on long dark drives home in the night. The other day he didn't need it because, "Firemen don't have blankets." And he's serious too.

Josh is coming to stay overnight tomorrow. I'm sure his blanket will arrive too, whether he is a fireman or not, because he is going to stay for several days and it might just get cold and lonesome at night. I am looking forward to having some fun with my grandson before sending him on to his Grandma Jo next week. Stay tuned!

The Show Goes On!

Last night I went to a show. I was invited because I am "The Grandma". Ben and Hannah went with me because they are the uncle and aunt. There was singing and dancing, there was wiggling and waiting. There was one small participant who I couldn't keep my eyes off. The leader of the show called him "Romeo" but he looked very much like Josh to me.

I especially liked the tap dancing. We were told that "Romeo" "did not have a conscience" and that the job of the young lady to his left was to provide him with one. (Aren't those tap shoes special? I think "Romeo's" Uncle Ben was just slightly jealous. He's wanted to try tap dancing ever since being introduced to Shirley Temple years ago...)

Boys and Their Toys

We did not get to visit Uncle Chuck yesterday. Aunt Mary caught us at Mom's house and said he wasn't feeling well. She was taking him back to the doctor again with the hope of avoiding a third hospital stay. I'm afraid his will be a long and arduous recovery.

Bethany had been called in to work at the "cute little diner" and so I had Josh with me. He and Lucas ventured out into Grandma's backyard with Uncle Jim and found Lukie's little pool full of water. It was still hot and muggy and the boys found the water irresistible. They either climbed in fully clothed or did enough splashing to soak themselves. Even Josh's sandals were wet.

Lucas also has a very cool tractor that was given him by one of the neighbors. The boys had fun playing with it and Lucas even gave Josh a ride. What a great toy! It's almost as much fun a a grown up tractor!

Bits of Blue

The world has come to life and a carpet of green stretches across the yard. I should have been outside, but I spent the morning cleaning and doing laundry. I washed sheets and blankets as well as clothes, and this kept me busy for the bulk of the day. Most of them are now folded, waiting silently in laundry baskets for someone to put them away. We took the baskets upstairs with the intent put them immediately into drawers, but got distracted by making beds instead.

I have no little girls this week, but one small boy did come to play for several hours today. He built a block house with his Aunt Hannah, played cars, and drew pictures. We took him for a ride to the little diner in town where both his mother and Uncle Ben were working. We bought him a burger and some applesauce with a rather large sized milk to wash it all down. Unfortunately, he poked a hole in the side of the styrofoam cup with his little fingernail and washed himself and the table down instead. Quick reactions caused us to throw our own finger over the hole and stop the flow of milk, but not before the table was flooded. Oh, the joys of dining
out with a two year old!

Jesus Loves Me

A Little Christmas Music

If you frequent Bethany's blog, you may know that Josh likes Christmas music. It makes him want to dance. His dancing makes us smile. Tomorrow will be fun.

Merry Christmas, everyone!