Granny Pam

You'll find my blog at:

http://www.warrenweb.info/grannypam/

See you there!

Last Thursday, granddaughter One found the fabric she had picked from my horde on a visit two weeks before. The purpose was new nightgowns. All hers are outgrown. It was interesting to note that she doesn’t remember that she every owned them. She found the flannel I had used to make some of them and noted that it was the same as her sister’s (handed down) nightgowns. On Saturday night, when I still hadn’t found the time to cut out a single piece, she said, “Now let's get started on those nightgowns”. I didn’t have time, it was 10 p.m., so I said I’d make them and mail them next week.

Our granddaughters were here for 4 nights last week; we took them to their new home on Sunday. On night three, granddaughter One had a hard time. She is especially sensitive and she missed her daddy and mommy. She cried for quite a while, no matter that it was only one more night, and so on. Finally I did what I’ve always done when faced with a crying child. I just held her, rocked her, and told her I would keep her safe. After a while, she climbed off my lap, arranged her bed and went to sleep.

This new home is an apartment, very different from the single family rural home of her first four years. We arrived and both girls were happy to see their brother and mom, and surprised to find their aunt and two cousins there. Daughter One and her sons were part of the labor force which made the move possible for two working parents with three small children. We installed the curtains I had made for the windows. Apparently there is a “beige” rule in effect—but we had Strawberry Shortcake and Spiderman. Oh well.

Two and her husband are closing the sale of their old home this week, and they have the luxury of a year in the apartment to get to know their community and select a new neighborhood and home. The garage they rented with their apartment is packed, but everything they elected to keep fits somewhere.

Son-in-law is coming tomorrow to bring granddaughter Two to spend the afternoon with me while he takes grandson One and granddaughter One to a Tiger’s game. That means that granddaughter One will be looking for her nightgowns when they arrive. Now, let's get started on those nightgowns!

The big weekend is upon us. We are doing something pretty different this year, staying home. For most years since we have lived here near the big city, we have fought the traffic, headed north and spend the holiday with Mother-in-law. We are staying close to home because our granddaughters are here and waiting patiently to go to their new home.

Son-in-law and grandsons One and Three actually did move all the household goods yesterday. I understand that there were a few glitches, but word last night was that the truck was almost all unloaded. Daughter Two, grandson One and S-in-l will have today to start organizing. S-in-l must go to work tonight, leaving Two and the boys to continue, with the help of daughter One and grandson Two, who will drive over tonight.

Papa and I are planning a trip to the Detroit Zoo with granddaughters on Saturday, then we will take them to their new home Sunday. This has been especially hard for granddaughter One, who understands something is happening, but really doesn’t understand at all. She has been nervous and upset during most of the visits she has had here this summer.

Two and S-in-l have elected to rent for a year or so until they get to know the new community better. That means the new home is an apartment, quite different from the stand-alone rural country house the family formerly occupied. Two talked up the features of the new home: swimming pool, playground, etc and granddaughter One seems to understand the differences. She knows the new home is smaller, and she knows she needs her father or mother with her to swim. Perhaps most important, she knows her Dora curtains and her own bed will be in the new room she will share with her sister.

So we are having a great visit, and keeping happy thoughts to help her until she sees her parents again Sunday.

Oh, ya. Our new floor arrives today, between 3 and 5, on a semi-truck. Since we don’t have a fork lift in the garage-funny we have everything else- we will be snapping the bands and unloading 2 pallets of laminate flooring onto the drive and carting it up to the house this afternoon. Fun, fun.

Man, more rain. It's feast or famine. Since most of the garden dried up because I couldn't stay home long enough to water it, the rain isn't helping now. I wrote a while ago about Blue Monday, perhaps I cover all the days in due time.

Today it's shop, fix Uncle Jerry's web page, clean and get ready for our granddaughters to arrive for a short stay. Son-in-law, with the help of grandsons One and Three, will move everything to their new home Thursday. Grandson One will probably help more.

Speaking of Uncle Jerry (he's not my uncle, but everyone I know seems to call him that), he had a great bluegrass festival a week ago. We're already looking forward to next year.

Please support your local live music events, of whatever genre. The world is a better place with the musicians singing a happy tune.

I’m painting. I can’t help it, it had to be. The (commercial grade) carpet in our living and dining room finally bit the dust. The last straw was someone walking across it with a bloody foot. I cleaned it up with the prescribed cold water, but a full cleaning was needed and the whole thing looked awful. Papa and I went away for a weekend and grandsons One and Two and their mother ripped the darn thing up. That involved cutting it into two foot strips and tying with twine so the garbage collector would take it. And, it’s gone.

I will be replaced in due time with a laminate floor. The floor is picked, but not ordered, and will be installed by a relative who has to make arrangements to drive 200 miles to do so. In the meantime, what better to do than scrub, paint, clean and generally make a worse mess that is imaginable. I’m pretty sure cleaning is a disease and I have a double dose. The kitchen and living room will be done by Tuesday, including cleaning all the and scrubbing the insides of all the cabinets. The bathroom will get done after school starts. Don’t know if the living room is on the list, but probably—perhaps in the spring.

Football season is upon us, grandson Two has his first game today. He is a sophomore, and the JV plays on Wednesday evening, after the freshman team.

It’s strange because grandson One will not be playing football this year. We have watched him play for may years, since he was in third grade. I guess that adds up to 10 years, but it seems like a lifetime. He loves football, and loved to play.

Two is hanging around home, working on some projects and waiting for his date with the Navy. He has run a couple of errands for me this week, for milk and paint. It was handy to have him here to go, but that is not the reason I will miss him. His live has become entangled with ours, and it feels like he should just be here. But, birds will fly and so will he.

So, it’s football, ready or not. I’m not.

Both of our granddaughters are visiting again, a real treat. Granddaughter Two is 2, her birthday was in June. She talks a blue streak, in sentences of more than a couple of words. Actually, it’s more like paragraphs. Yesterday we made a visit to Greenfield Village. This has been a favorite place of granddaughter One, granddaughter Two seems to like it fine also. We were on the way home when Two began singing.

In the car and at home if I’m not listening to CDs, I listen to my Sirius radio, on the bluegrass channel, 65, if you want to give it a chance. It’s pretty good, and a hundred time better than regular radio.

When I realized Two was singing, I turned it off and heard quite a bit. Row, Row, Row Your Boat; If You’re Happy and You Know It; Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star; Old McDonald—which is not to be confused with “Donald’s”, the golden arches. Pretty soon we were all singing and had a great drive home.

When daughter Two called last night, I asked her how many songs granddaughter Two knows, and she started listing them. It was a long list and I’m not sure any of us have the answer. All the kids like music, but Two puts in into action better than the others.