Three Tuesday Tidbits

1. Remember on my old blog when I posted about Steve Job's last words?  If not then go to my old blog,  www.incarolsworld.blogspot.com and read about it because it was pretty cool.  It is the post on November 1, 2011.  Anyway, I was thinking about that and wanted to call my friend Debbie's husband Wayne and tell him about that if he had not heard it.  I thought it might bring him some comfort.  She passed away ... oh my gosh, was that just day before yesterday.  The 2 weeks since she had her stroke have seem like lasting a year or something.  Anyway, I called his cell and it immediately went to voice mail like he might have turned off his cell.  At the hospital he had her cell phone with him so I called that number.  It rang a few times and went to voice mail ... except then the greeting started.  It was my friend, my friend that died, it was her voice on the recorded greeting.  Well, it was her phone so of course it was her voice on the recording, I should have expected it since I have heard it a million times, but tonight it was a shock.  I know that recording will be a treasure to her husband, but tonight it was a real shock to me.  I was not prepared to hear her voice.  I really was not prepared to hear her voice.  And you know how you get a song "stuck in your head?"  All day I have been humming, singing, thinking about the song she wants played at her funeral, The Spirit in the Sky.  I can't get it out of my head.  Luckily, I like it too. 
2. 
   My granddaughter was in the middle of eating her lunch when my daughter came in, took off her shoes and got ready to babysit her niece for the rest of the day.  Taylor evidently decided she suddenly needed to wear her aunt's shoes, and she proceeded to walk very well in them across the room, holding white cheese in one hand, cheddar cheese in the other, and the white blobs on her face and bib -- that is cottage cheese.  Need I say she loves cheese? 

3. 

   see the black seed nestled
    in tiny green leaves?
   This is also what 4 o'clocks look
   like with the blooms closed

I love my 4 o'clocks.  In the evening they smell so good.  If I can keep them alive in this heat --today was 106 -- they will attract butterflies and hummingbirds.  I also love to hunt for the seeds.  As far as flower seeds go they are huge.  They are nestled in green leaves though and even being big black seeds in the pale green leaves they are easy to overlook.  It reminds me of hunting for Easter eggs.  I just love to hunt for them.  I usually find about 20 a day on the few large bushes I have.  It calms me, somehow, looking through the leaves for the seeds.  It is a joy to find them, realizing each little seed holds who knows how many blooms in it that will in turn produce seeds.  This year I have been planting them as soon as I harvest them in the hopes that my fence will be lined with them by next month.  This is what they look like:

blooms opened up

 

    

seeds I harvested tonight

and the smell?  Sweet, delicious, homey. 

Thursday Things

At the library my grandkids
received spy disquises as one of the summer reading program prizes ... mustaches and sunglasses.  Taylor loves the mustache and has worn hers off and on for days. 
     My granddaughter is talking more and more.  Today I was washing her dishes, sippy cups and little forks, etc and she brought me her tea set dishes and said "wash this."  Well, okey dokey.  This week her favorite word is "mine."  She loves to share food, wants to feed us bites all the time.  Today she tried to feed my daughter a potato chip and when my daughter said "no thank you" Taylor said "pleeeease?"  We had never heard her say please before. 
    The wind has been blowing fiercely.  My grandson, in the red shirt, is almost twelve.  We were having pizza for supper and I have to have a fountain coke with pizza so we went to the closest convenience store for a coke.  My grandson sat his 32 oz drink (obviously WE don't live in New York City) ... anyway, het sat his drink down on the counter right in front of me and it sat there a second before it just tumbled off the counter.   The convenience store people were super nice, my grandson was super embarrassed and I was super sticky.  He fixed another drink and we came home.  I just have regular "trailer house" steps ... not the best situation but it is what I have.  The wind was blowing like crazy and actually blew the screen door back, hitting my grandson and between the door and the wind he went flying off the top step.  I mean really, blew him off, right on his bottom about 4 feet away from the steps. Last year the wind caught the door and ripped the chain and the door return thingy off the door and I haven't replaced it because it would just get ripped off again.  The wind catches that door daily.  At 11 yrs old getting blown off the porch is embarrassing (to him). Oh. And he was holding his 32 oz drink which hit the ground, the styrofoam cup burst and he was again super embarrassed, super sticky and his pride bruised.  He and I drove back to the convenience store.  Right before we headed out for the cokes & pizza he had taken my dogs' crate outside to wash for me.  The bottom tray is pretty hefty metal.  It WAS totally flat when he washed it but the strong wind hit it while it was drying and now it looks like this ....  

When the wind was not blowing my daughter and I took my granddaughter to a park ... she loves to swing.

         For lunch I made my favorite sandwich ....  a lot of crispy Oscar Meyer already cooked bacon that you zap in the microwave for 30 seconds crumbled into a bowl with grated cheddar cheese and mixed with Miracle Whip until you make a spread and put on really fresh, soft white bread.  Yum! I finished a book, Cast On, Kill Off by Maggie Sefton that I really enjoyed, even though I figured out "who did it" right off the bat and I hate that.  We had a wonderfully cool day today -- in the 80's so I got outside and pulled some weeds but the entire weekend is going to be 98 to 100.  Ugh ...
            I have a friend I met 50 years ago. I went to an elementary school that was mostly hispanic. I was always the only white girl in my class until Debbie came to my school. We became best friends. She had a stroke last week. I went to the hospital to see her today. Not a happy time.

Cousins Just Chillin'

Today I am grateful that:

• My grandchildren have each other.  I grew up without cousins my age, or any, of any age, that I knew at all. People with extended families -- they are the lucky ones.  These cousins love each other :)
• That my grandson found this K'Nex roller coaster kit at a thrift store for the amazing price of $6. (retail is more like $50)
• That my granddaughter did not tear the roller coaster down, or even attempt to, after they got it built! She is an angel.  My grandsons are angels too. They allowed her to stick some extra pieces on it.

Butterfly Bush

I have wanted a Butterfly Bush for years and I have planted I don't know how many but have never succeeded in growing one.  I was surprised this week when a shrub bloomed at my son's house - a beautiful lilac colored butterfly bush.  Here I have babied the plants I have brought home and planted only to have them die, and my son pretty much ignores the shrubs along their house and they grow like crazy. This bush is just loaded with blooms. So pretty -- photo does not do it justice.  Since mine have never actually lived after I planted them I didn't realize this is what the shrub was until it bloomed.  That is my grandbaby, who is waving at her aunt who pulled up to the curb behind me as I was taking the photo.

Whenever a Child Is Born So Is a Grandma

Four days a week I babysit my granddaughter who just turned 18 months old.  I can't think of anything I would rather do than get to help raise this baby. I felt the same way when I was able to see my grandsons every day from the time they were born until they started school.  Now that they are older I don't get to see them as often as I would like, but they are just a joy when we do get to be together.   I am one of the most blessed people on earth and so very grateful for these children.  One of the best perks is reliving the simple joy of putting a basket on your head, feeding ducks, playing with playdoh and getting sticky kisses.

.

My Furry Babies

before

after

My daughter pointed out that once again it is hard to tell which end is which of our little dog. Gracie is a schnauzer, a sweet little pound puppy baby.  I think she might be 3 or 4 years old.  She went to the groomer today ~ she cleans up real well!  I am so glad we found her at the pound before she was put down.  I have had her for 2 years and have never regretted adopting her.  When you need some unconditional love check out the dogs and cats at your local pound.  I'm grateful for these dogs.  They keep me company when I am alone, comfort me when the agoraphobia keeps me from leaving the house and having fun times with friends like I wish I could do, and when my Max Schnauzer died in December I am grateful that I had these dogs so I wasn't left totally alone.  Max was like a child, spouse, loyal companion & best friend rolled into one to me.  These dogs aren't like that, yet, but they are  my good dogs and take care of me.

This is Zoe Marley Schneagle, my 1/2 schnauzer, 1/2 beagle.
This post has nothing to do with her ~ she
just wanted her picture taken too! I don't
know what my dogs think happens when
I get my camera out but they get excited
and pose.

This is the last picture taken of Max ... that is my wonderful grandson, Travis that Max is hugging (in the clown wig - just because he saw it in my closet - and I was going to send it to Goodwill and he decided he needed it) ... two of the wonderful guys I've gratefully had in my life!

Reading, and Helping to Create Readers, Is Important To Me

For this grandma summer begins by taking the kids to enroll in the library's summer reading program.  I participated in my first summer reading program 52 years ago when I was 6.  When my children came along I always enrolled them and then when I was 36 I received one of the biggest blessings of my life ~ a position in the children's department of a wonderful library where I was involved in every aspect of the summer reading program for 18 years. To be able to be one of the people responsible for developing the game pieces, special events, prizes, story times and virtually everything else with our library's summer reading program was just some of the most rewarding times of my life! I enjoyed it immensely. I am so grateful for libraries, and the years I was allowed to work in one, and for grandchildren to whom I gladly pass on the love of reading.