On Golden Pond

How lovely the title.
How touching the movie.
How hard it hits home.
I worry about dying. I worry that it will come too soon. Too soon for me. That is, too soon in my own eyes. If I should become seriously ill, or have a life threatening condition or disease & am in constant pain or suffering ... then it wouldn't, or couldn't be too soon but what if. I mean, in an accident or something .... too soon for all the happiness that I am enjoying & appreciating at this time in my life. Too soon to see my grandkids grow up. To see or realize what they will be or do with their lives. too soon. with too many things still on my bucket list!
And I wonder too .... about parenting. There have long been comments or jokes about the need for testing or certifying that someone is ready to parent. This, a job that compares to no other. A purpose in life that influences so many other things & people. And why is it, that so often people repeat the mistakes of their own parents when they vow not to? And the ultimate ... those who are responsible for bringing a child into the world but not taking the responsibility for the actual child. without guilt. without remorse. How fortunate it must be to not give it another thought. How interesting. How sad. How tragic. And, as one of those forgotten ones, how unfair to bear the burden of why. a fruitless task. a battle with one's self that cannot be won.
We can each watch On Golden Pond and come away with any one of a half dozen messages- depending on our own life experiences. If you're lucky, it would only be how fragile life is. Or it can be more .... much more.

Calgon arrived to take me away!

or in this case ..... April, Daddy, & brother Anthony arrived to "rescue" Addy from gramma's clutches. As much as I enjoyed the time with her ... I have to say, I gave up willingly. Cuz I need a nap!

We headed down to Shell Beach to get a few family pictures and just as one would figure .... if there are 4 people in the picture- then there is 4 times more likelihood that someone will be looking away, looking funny, or looking like they are asleep!! 60 taken .... 12 kept!

the power of curiosity

Curiosity may have killed a cat or two but it is QUITE a motivator when it comes to little people. Their minds are wide open & ready for new words or experiences. They look around the world with such wonderment, and shriek (ouch) with joy. Give them the opportunity (and the outlet) and they will learn something everyday. Even more important ... they will love it. The time & the attention is worth it ..... cuz at the end of the day you hear that little voice say "I wuv you damma"

aaaaaaahhh .... I'm turning into my mother!

(and if you are familiar with the Chenille Sister's song of that subject, you have already had a chuckle!!)
TODAY .... I was making something from scratch and I just threw in some of this and some of that, along with the kitchen sink. Then I was working on a Tshirt that I failed to get a stain out of- so I ended up making a little doo-dad on it with some embroidery thread to cover it up. A while later, my grand-daughter Addy asked me if she could have ANOTHER something and I told her "not right now". When she asked why, I told her "because gramma said so". I even found a stash of creamer cups that I grabbed from the continental breakfast cart when we last stayed at Best Western. It seemed that I was finding evidence of being my mother's daughter at every turn.

what was I NOT thinking??!!!

I can't believe that I just spent hours with my nephew, niece & grand-niece Delaney and I didn't take a single picture!!!!! I guess my camera is not an extra appendage! (but why this time?!) OILWELL

all about Addy Day (it comes right after Veteran's Day)

the "kid" and I had an great outing today. A little girly shopping ... and a lot of running around at the park!

but such activity & momentum .... comes with a price. The little missy was sawing logs by 6:55 tonight!

to all the AMERICAN service people- I salute

THANKS PA - it's people like you that make this country a wonderful place to live. I only wish there were more "proud" Americans and less demanding & complaining ones. Perhaps if they walked a mile in your shoes .... they would be more appreciative of what they have AND more supportive of the men & women that work & fight to keeps those things available to them.

Be proud, Be a R-E-A-L American!!

cheers for working moms EVERYWHERE

ahhhhhhhhhhh .... the peace & quiet of the evening (and the joy of a munchkin that crashes in due time). I cannot count the number of times I broke out in a laugh over something this mini princess said or asked me ..... I cannot count the number of times I heard the word damma (gramma). I cannot count the number of times I figured out what she asked or told me last, when she had ALREADY moved onto the next thing. I cannot count the number of times I told her not to run or not to look for the kittys. I must have answered the same questions a dozen times or so and I wondered if she was trying to #1 catch me in a fib, or #2 was waiting for me to give her the answer she wanted! She is a clever (and stubborn) young thing. Her big eyes and toothy smile are heart engaging, but she will turn on a dime when she's tired -so the key is get what needs to be done before that happens! She doesn't eat much, but she sure eats often! Thankfully there are a lot of healthy things you can talk her into snacking on. AND- when she is ready for bed, she climbs into it on her own, and is off to la-la land in seconds. (woo hoo)
I CAN tell you that I realized many times during each of these past 3 days how much w-o-r-k it is being a mom. I don't remember it being this exhausting. Perhaps it's the 30 year age difference!!!

A gray day with colorful results ....

At first glance - you might think this picture is black & white. Today was gray-toned off & on most of the day. I don't know that the sun was out long enough to charge up any of our solar lites- BUT, with the wind bringing in chilly air as well, it meant the park with Addy was a no-go.

SOOOO .... with lots of paper scraps & crayons & tape (and patience) .... the little tyke was creating masterpieces of her own, while I was designing a few thank you notes.

at 6:20 this morning ..... mom tiptoed across my heart

early this morning .... a warm little body, dressed in flannel, Tinkerbell pajamas, & smelling of coconut bubble bath .... crawled into bed with me. She whispered into my ear that she had just seen the white hitty hat (kitty cat) and snuggled in closer to share more of the adventures between her bed & mine. It's amazing how much excitment can take place in about 40 feet of space! Laying there next to her .... almost dozing off between sentences, was a sweet reminder of those times with my own baby boys ... WAY TOO MANY years ago. At one point she scooted off the bed to see if the hitty hat was still in the closet, tip-toeing in an Charlie Chaplin, silent movie sort of way. Then she turned on her heels and ran back to the bed & wiggled in next to me. The next thing I knew, she slid her hand into mine and I found myself thinking about my mom and how this must have felt to her once upon a time. This tiny, soft, little, mini nail painted paw of my granddaughter closing onto mine was a precious moment in my heart.

On the "hitty hat" front .... they have lowered the red threat to yellow so far. Addy is trying to be patient, but it's not easy for a 3 year old!! Monkey is being the bravest (or nosiest as the case may be) .... coming as close as 4 feet, as long as there is no sudden movements or noises. BUT ONLY to look (study?) At this moment, she is laying on the floor by my feet- just around the corner from Addy who is engrossed in a Scooby Doo cartoon. When our little guest is asleep .... BOTH cats are plenty brave!

we have a surprise visitor!

Miss Addy arrived this afternoon, and she's going to hang out with us for a few days!

HOW MANY DAYS ? (you ask)

well .... until she gets tired of us, or we get exhausted from chasing after her!! ha-ha

November got a jump on all of us!

Since November sneaked onto the scene in a lot of lives recently without our opinion, or preference or even our notice ... I decided I would sneak in an extra blog banner change as well. THIS ONE will be posting in the next day or two.